Time to start fresh for fall?

Jennifer Garner debuted her new bangs while filming scenes for "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" in Los Angeles on Aug. 20. Mrs. Affleck looked on trend as she rocked the fringe, which accentuates her famous cheekbones.

The 41-year-old actress recently confessed that bad hair days are permanently a part of her life as a busy mom, telling Redbook in its August issue, “[My hairstylists] taught me that letting my hair dry naturally -– which is what I do every single day -– is good for it … but it’s not always going to look good. Pulling out the blow-dryer and the curling iron really does make a difference. But to be perfectly honest, I don’t know even know where the hair dryer is in my house.”

Well Jen, we're assuming the blow-dryer needs to be a staple in a lady with bangs' bathroom.

Check out Jen's new 'do below:

It's quite a life, this.

In recent weeks I've been speaking and writing about the injustices being perpetrated in our overcrowded and inhumane prison system and especially condemning the torturous abuse of solitary confinement today being exposed by the hunger strikers in California's Pelican Bay and other so-called "correctional" institutions.

Then, two nights ago I had the opportunity to be in the company of some quite extraordinary men. It was at the initial west-coast screening of Never the Same: The Prisoner of War Experience, a documentary film by Jan Thompson about the horrors suffered by American soldiers who became POWs after the fall of Corregidor and the Philippine Islands to the Japanese in the early days of World War II.

As powerful, as devastating as was the film itself, even more so was meeting the 10 men present, now in their 80s and 90s, who had survived the brutality, the death march, the concentration camps, the torture, the "hell ship," the starvation, the torment and the slave labor imposed on them by their captors for years.

Not only had these heroic men survived excruciating years of conditions so heartbreakingly grotesque as to beggar the imagination, they had somehow maintained, or more likely reestablished through great personal struggle, a sense of dignity that was awe-inspiring.

I thanked them, but I wanted to weep. I wanted to embrace them, but except in a couple of cases was afraid it would be too much of an invasion of their carefully reconstructed personal space. I wanted to bow at their feet, to ask probing questions, but, again, was fearful of going too far too quickly.

But I am grateful for the experience of meeting them, of knowing perhaps only a small part of their story. And I was moved to think of what Laura Hillenbrand wrote in her book, "Unbroken," of others who survived such an experience. She said:

"... on Kwajalein, the guards sought to deprive them of something that had sustained them even as all else had been lost: dignity. This self-respect and sense of self-worth, the innermost armament of the soul, lies at the heart of humanness; to be deprived of it is to be dehumanized, to be cleaved from, and cast below, mankind. Men subjected to dehumanizing treatment experience profound wretchedness and loneliness and find that hope is almost impossible to retain. Without dignity, identity is erased. In its absence, men are defined not by themselves, but by their captors and the circumstances in which they are forced to live."

She quotes one as saying, "I was literally becoming a lesser human being."

Further, she wrote of "a dark truth known to the doomed in Hitler's death camps, the slaves of the American South, and a hundred other generations of betrayed people. Dignity is as essential to human life as water, food and oxygen. The stubborn retention of it, even in the face of extreme physical hardship, can hold a man's soul in his body long past the point at which the body should have surrendered it. The loss of it can carry a man off as surely as thirst, hunger, exposure and asphyxiation, and with a greater cruelty."

Looking into the eyes of these brave former POWs, these heroes, and thinking again of Ms. Hillenbrand's glorious articulation of the power of personal dignity and what the stripping of it, the rape of it, can do to the human soul, I am brought back once again to the men in our prisons: human beings so immiserated by their circumstances that they are willing to risk starvation in order to assert their need to be recognized, to be treated as human beings before their "identity is erased."

Yet today we learn that they will be force-fed like the wretched heaps of once-human beings struggling to survive in Guantanamo Bay.

I suspect the POWs' Japanese captors had somehow convinced themselves that what they were doing was justified, necessary, right, in some perverse way even good. And when I hear the authorities in our own state justify conditions the UN recognizes as torture and dismiss the hunger strike as not the last gasp of the "innermost armament of the soul," but rather as a power play on the part of gang leaders, it, again, makes me want to weep.

It took over 60 years for the Japanese Government to at last acknowledge their "inhuman treatment" and apologize. How many must die before we do the same?

Look who's making the transition from Clone Club to the Pawnee Parks Department -- "Orphan Black" star Tatiana Maslany will visit "Parks and Recreation" during Season 6, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Canadian actress will reportedly appear in episodes five and six of the show's upcoming sixth season, and will play a love interest for Aziz Ansari's Tom Haverford. While Maslany is no stranger to complex roles, having embodied numerous clones on the BBC America hit, putting up with the most high-maintenance Pawnee resident could be her biggest challenge yet.

Despite her dramatic role on "Orphan Black," Maslany has a background in comedy and has previously participated in the Canadian Improv Games. She'll join fellow guest stars Heidi Klum, Kristen Bell and Henry Winkler on the NBC comedy this season, while stars Rashida Jones and Rob Lowe will be exiting after the first 13 episodes.

"Parks and Recreation" returns for Season 6 with a one-hour premiere on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Are you excited to see Maslany on "Parks and Rec"?

Anna Kendrick is taking it off for GQ.

While you're likely aware that the 28-year-old is hilarious and can keep the beat with a cup, she's now ready to show her sultry side, posing topless for the September 2013 issue of the men's magazine.

Kendrick stripped down to promote her new movie "Drinking Buddies," which co-stars Olivia Wilde, Ron Livingston and Jake Johnson, and shared some words of wisdom when when it comes to the world of dating.

"If sex is off the table, and you’re like 'Let’s try to get to know each other,' I would recommend drinking. Highly," she told GQ.

For more with Anna Kendrick, click over to GQ.

Kelly Clarkson's wedding to music exec Brandon Blackstock may not be until October, but she is already settling into blended family life.

The popstar called in to Ryan Seacrest's radio show "On Air With Ryan Seacrest" to talk about her upcoming nuptials and dish on how she is transitioning from single to stepmom.

"I have a 12-year-old and a 6-year-old now ... after being single for six years," she said. "We all live together and everything. It's so different, but it's perfect."

Clarkson said she already enjoys step-motherhood.

"They're awesome, and I actually really dig the mom thing," she said.

She added that in the time she has spent with the kids and her fiancé, she has recognized a similarity in her parenting style to that of her own mother.

"I'm quick to go, 'I told you not to touch that!'" she said. "We all work really well together, but I'm totally my mom. My mom was a hard mom. I'm probably that mom."

Clarkson and Blackstock announced their engagement in December 2012 after getting together in late 2011.

Listen to the full interview above, then click through the slideshow below to see other celebrity stepmoms.

Keep in touch! Check out HuffPost Divorce on Facebook and Twitter.

At one point or another, you've probably watched Kristen Wiig on Saturday Night Live and laughed so hard you cried. We've fallen in love with her popular sketch comedy characters, including the annoying Target Lady and delusional Mindy Gracin. The New York native has certainly made a career out of her great sense of humor, but Hollywood's most hilarious star is also a total fashionista.

Over the years we've grown accustomed to seeing Wiig in outlandish costumes, bizarre wigs and fake teeth, but off-screen she cleans up pretty well. She understands which color palettes compliment her skin tone and which silhouettes flatter her frame. So in honor of Wiig's 40th birthday today (August 22), we are comparing her on-screen style to her off-duty duds. Don't be fooled, this funny lady takes style very seriously.

More photos of the beautiful Kristen Wiig:

Want more? Be sure to check out HuffPost Style on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram at @HuffPostStyle.

The death of famed crime novelist Elmore Leonard is weighing heavily on the hearts of the team behind "Justified," the FX drama series based on Leonard's 2001 story "Fire In The Hole."

Dave Andron, co-executive producer and writer for "Justified," joined HuffPost Live's Ricky Camilleri to discuss how Leonard's death has affected the show's creative team, including series creator Graham Yost.

"Graham particularly took it hard. He had spent the most time with Elmore over the years," Andron said. "But yesterday was a really sad day. I think we all just felt a little deflated."

The "Justified" writers' room is busy preparing for the show's fifth season, and Andron said knowing that Leonard won't get to see their work has been difficult to process.

"I think more than we even realized, we were aware that Elmore was out there watching it and kind of loving it, and I think the idea that he was no longer out there watching it was really hard for us to kind of wrap our heads around," he said.

But Leonard's influence and ear for dialogue will remain part of the series, as the writers include Leonard's literary flourishes in their scripts, Andron said.

"You can still have that subtext and all those great things, but have these guys who are on their way to go kill somebody and cleaning their guns talking about barbecue or whatever," he said about what he's learned from Leonard. "You kind of look for what is the most -- I'm sorry, what we use is 'fucked up and funny,' but that's what we do -- we look for what is the great situation where you can put a couple guys in where they start talking about whatever it is that is totally incongruous to the situation."

Watch the full segment on Elmore Leonard's legacy at HuffPost Live HERE.

"Orange Is The New Black" is likely losing Laura Prepon, one of its biggest stars, and even the cast doesn't seem fully aware of the circumstances surrounding her departure.

Taryn Manning, who plays meth addict/religious superstar Tiffany "Pennsatucky" Doggett on the Netflix series, told ET Online that she's unsure of what exactly is happening with Prepon. When asked if Prepon's departure would affect the dynamic on-set, Manning said:

"Well, there's a book and that character goes to another facility in that book. I'm not sure what’s going on, I definitely feel a bit of a loss, but to be totally honest with you, no one is really talking about it. This cast is so noble. I wish her the best and hope everything is OK with her. I hear she's directing her own film, which she passionately talked about on set, so maybe she's off doing that. I think she's amazing, so it'll be interesting without her around, but I don't know the facts -- although I hear she will be filming some of this season."

BuzzFeed broke the news Prepon would not be a series regular on the series, but Netflix countered and said reports of her departure are "not accurate. Our season is still developing and nothing is confirmed." Manning's comments jibe with BuzzFeed's report stating Prepon will likely appear to wrap up her storyline.

On the Netflix series from Jenji Kohan, Prepon plays Alex Vause, a drug smuggler and one-time girlfriend to Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling). There's been speculation that Prepon is leaving "Orange Is The New Black" due to her involvement with Scientology, but Prepon has yet to address her departure.

"Orange Is The New Black" Season 1 is streaming on Netflix.

NEW YORK — Misty-eyed music promoter Sid Bernstein, who booked such top acts as Jimi Hendrix, Judy Garland and the Rolling Stones and hit the highest heights when he masterminded the Beatles' historic concerts at Shea Stadium and Carnegie Hall, died Wednesday at age 95.

Bernstein's daughter, Casey Deutsch, said he died in his sleep at a hospital. She cited no illness and said he died of natural causes.

For decades, the squat, floppy-haired Bernstein excelled like few others at being everywhere and knowing everybody. He worked with Garland, Duke Ellington and Ray Charles, promoted Dion, Bobby Darin and Chubby Checker and managed Esy Morales, the Rascals and Ornette Coleman. He was an early backer of ABBA, setting up the Swedish group's first American appearances. He was behind one of the first rock benefit shows, the 1970 "Winter Festival for Peace" at Madison Square Garden, which featured Hendrix and Peter, Paul and Mary. And he helped revive Tony Bennett's career with a 1962 show at Carnegie Hall.

A master of schmooze and schmaltz in an industry that never quits, Bernstein also had a studious side that led to his biggest break. He took a course on Western civilization at the New School for Social Research that required students to read a British newspaper once a week. It was 1963, and the Beatles were just catching on in their native country.

"This was the right time to be reading an English newspaper," he explained in a 2001 interview with the music publication NY Rock Confidential. "So here I am reading little stories about this group from Liverpool that is causing a lot of `hysteria.' By the end of the course, I was so Beatle-ized by what I read, even though I did not hear a note, I said, `gotta get `em.'"

As Bernstein recalled, he couldn't get his agency interested in the group, so he handled the job himself. He tracked down Beatles manager Brian Epstein and convinced him that he could line up a gig at Carnegie Hall. The Beatles were still unknown in the U.S., and the price was cheap – $6,500 for two shows, a fraction of what Garland might have commanded. The promoter used his own money to pay Epstein, while officials at the classy Carnegie, where no rock stars had been permitted, apparently thought they had taken on a folk quartet. (The story has varied over the years.) The timing was perfect. By February 1964, Beatlemania had crossed over to the States, and the band was set to play on "The Ed Sullivan Show" just three days before the Carnegie concerts, guaranteeing maximum attention at minimum cost.

Once the Beatles hit, Bernstein was primed to get the bands that followed. He arranged shows for the Stones, the Animals and other British groups, while saving his biggest dreams for the Beatles. Everything for Bernstein was the latest and the greatest, but his word was never more golden than in 1965, when he landed the group at Shea Stadium, the idea given to him by a ticket manager at Carnegie Hall.

It was rock's first major stadium concert and its all-time primal scream. With about 55,000 fans losing their voices and their minds on an August night, the show broke box-office records and likely some sound barriers. The New York Times described the scene as meeting the "classic Greek meaning of the word pandemonium – the region of all demons."

Only a satellite broadcast from the moon could have topped it.

The Beatles played again at Shea in 1966 but turned down $1 million from Bernstein to return in 1967 and never worked with him again, although he remained friendly with individual members after their breakup.

Obsessed with getting the band back together, he proposed $100 million in 1976 for a concert. John Lennon, in a 1980 Playboy interview, dismissed Bernstein's offer as "a commercial for Sid Bernstein, written with Jewish schmaltz and show biz and tears, dropping on one knee, like Al Jolson."

Like so many in the music business, Bernstein was the hustling son of Jewish immigrants, born on Manhattan's Upper East Side, raised in Harlem and hooked on sound and rhythm. He sneaked into the Apollo Theater as a boy, booked local acts in high school and, while studying journalism at Columbia University, ran a ballroom in Brooklyn that featured such Latino stars as Morales, Tito Puente and Marcelino Guera.

Bernstein was connected to all kinds of music, getting Charles, the Drifters and Bo Diddley for a show at the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre; rounding up Mississippi John Hurt, Doc Watson and Tom Paxton for a folk festival at Carnegie Hall; arranging a jazz concert that featured Ellington, Louis Armstrong and John Coltrane.

Over the past 20 years, Bernstein's best client became himself. He wrote two memoirs, "It's Sid Bernstein Calling" and "Not Just the Beatles," gave frequent talks about his life and even recorded an album of duets. At age 90, he started a Twitter account, sending regards to Ben Stiller and Lenny Kravitz, reporting on his lunch at the 2nd Avenue Deli and catching up with Beatles fans.

"Twitterland!" he called out in one post. "Let's all have a productive week. I have a few very interesting projects in the works and I'll reveal them very soon."

Bernstein and his wife, Geraldine Bernstein, were married for more than 40 years. They had six children.

Whether you call Justin Timberlake's music pop or R&B, it's certainly not metal. Certainly not, that is, except when Andy Rehfeldt takes it upon himself to layer the singer's "Suit & Tie" vocals over an all-new instrumental that's a bit more ... aggressive than the silky Timbaland track that came with JT's comeback single. Watch, enjoy, share.

Nicole Kidman has previously spoken about how her divorce from Tom Cruise in 2001 was "a shock to [her] system", and that she felt "damaged" after the split.

But in a new interview with The Border Mail, an Australian newspaper, she revealed that she has found happiness again.

When a reporter for the paper asked the actress if she is happier now post-split, Kidman hesitated for a moment before answering in the affirmative.

"Yes," said. "Happy in the sense that I have my girls and my husband and I have a very, very strong real life to counter-balance my fantasy life now. My fantasy life used to outweigh that more and now I've kind of balanced it, which is a lot healthier."

And although The Border Mail reports that Kidman's PR person whisked her out of the room after that question, the actress turned back to assure the reporter of her happiness: "I smile now!" she said.

Kidman has been married to country star Keith Urban since June 2006, and the couple has two daughters together.

Kidman and Cruise married in 1990 and divorced in 2001. The pair adopted two children together, who chose to live with their father following the split.

Click through the slideshow below to see what Kidman and other stars have had to say about struggling with depression after divorce.

Keep in touch! Check out HuffPost Divorce on Facebook and Twitter.

Gia Allemand was laid to rest during a simple funeral on Thursday, Aug. 22, attended by about 150 people in the Chelsea church where she was confirmed as a child. Family, friends and fans mourned her death at Trinity Grace Church in Manhattan, where her casket arrived in a white hearse adorned with yellow and pink roses that spelled "Gia," reports the New York Daily News.

“I’ve known her since she was 3 years old. Gia seemed like she had everything,” said a friend identified only as Becca. “I want to correct this misconception. Gia didn’t have everything; she gave everything -- support and laughter, happiness and strength, inspiration and love.”

Allemand willed everything to her mother, Donna Micheletti, in her suicide note. Micheletti recently released a statement regarding her daughter's death and her plans to eventually discuss the tragedy with the media.

Kanye West is not one for public displays of affection. So it's downright shocking how candid the "Yeezus" rapper gets about his love for Kim Kardashian in his upcoming interview with Kris Jenner.

The 36-year-old's sit-down with Jenner will air Friday on her talk show, "Kris." In a preview clip of the chat, West gushes that Kardashian is his "joy."

"I could have people saying, 'This is going to damage your credibility as an artist or as a designer, and I say, 'I don't care. I love this woman,'" he said. "Or someone could say, '[T]he paparazzi surround you. ... Everyone knows you don't like paparazzi. Why would you be with this person?' And I would say, 'I'm being with this person because I love this person and she's worth it to me.'"

"You know, my grandfather just passed, and his whole thing was never about money, it was never about popularity," he continued, referring to Portwood L. Williams, whose funeral West, Kardashian and baby North attended in Oklahoma City last weekend. "His whole thing was joy, having joy in his life. And she's [Kardashian] my joy and she brought my new joy into the world. And there's no paparazzi and there's no blog comment and there's nothing that's gonna take that joy from me."

West's love for Kardashian is not the only thing the rap star was willing to share that day. He also shared a photo of baby North with the "Kris" audience, according to E! News. This will be the world's first glimpse of the 10-week-old baby.

"[Kanye] said he had decided he wanted to show the picture of North because they didn't want to make money on the photo and he is fed up of paps following him around," a source from the filming told E!.

West, who began dating the reality star last year, has been relatively private about his relationship despite the fact that his better half is one of the most photographed women in Tinseltown. The few times he does choose to open up, he does it all for love.

"At a certain point, or always, love is more important than any branding, or any set of cool people, or attempting to impress anyone," he previously told W magazine about choosing to appear on her family's reality show. "Because true love is just the way you feel.”

Check out Kanye West's full interview with Kris Jenner on "Kris" Friday, Aug. 23 at 11 a.m. EST on Fox.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Rapper 2 Chainz was one of 11 people arrested after refusing to get off a tour bus for almost nine hours following a traffic stop in Oklahoma City early Thursday morning, police said.

2 Chainz, whose real name is Tauheed Epps, and the others were arrested on a charge of obstructing a police officer and booked into the Oklahoma County Jail on Thursday morning, Sgt. Jennifer Wardlow said.

But by Thursday afternoon, all 11 had paid the $2,000 bail and were released from custody, Oklahoma County Sheriff's spokesman Mark Myers said.

The 35-year-old rapper performed with Lil Wayne and T.I. in Oklahoma City on Wednesday night. Police stopped 2 Chainz's tour bus around midnight near Interstate 40 because of an illegal taillight and noticed drug use, though Wardlow wouldn't go into specifics.

The driver was arrested, "but as he got off the bus, the interior door shut and locked and obviously our officers could not get in there," she said.

The remaining people on the bus refused to leave the vehicle, so officers towed it to a nearby police training facility about four miles away, Wardlow said.

Investigators obtained a warrant and all 11 people came off the bus around 9 a.m., Wardlow said. They were then arrested on the charge and booked into jail.

Wardlow also said investigators found narcotics on the bus, but don't know to whom those belonged. She said more charges could be filed later.

The Atlanta-based rapper, initially known as Tity Boi, was a member of the rap duo Playaz Circle before going solo. His 2012 debut album, "Based on a T.R.U. Story," topped the Billboard charts. His new album, "B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time," is set to be released next month.

Earlier this year, 2 Chainz was acquitted of marijuana charges he faced after a traffic stop on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

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Follow Kristi Eaton on Twitter at . http://twitter.com/kristieaton

The internet wins again! Film website Taste of Cinema identified 30 great in-jokes from movies that you're likely to have seen, revealing goodies from the likes of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Captain America," "Thor," "King Kong" and "Casper." The full list is worth a look, but we'll tease you with one here: In "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," Arnold Schwarzenegger pulls a gun from a box of roses. In other words, there is a gun in those roses. It's like Guns N Roses!

Axl Rose's band, of course, performed "You Could Be Mine, the theme song for the James Cameron movie (watch the crossover music video here). And that, our friends, is what Oprah calls a "Full Circle Moment."

[h/t Reddit]

A couple of guest stars are coming to the neighborhood.

First up, EW has learned that Jerry Springer will appear in the season premiere of ABC’s "The Neighbors," playing a virtual moderator (sort of like a Siri hologram). No word on how the part is weaved into the story, but this show takes place in the weirdest neighborhood on TV, so the possibilities are endless.

Meanwhile, EW has also learned that Lucy Davis, of "The Office" UK fame, is set to appear in the third episode of the season.

Here's video proof Kristen Wiig did in fact exist before she was the Kristen Wiig we love so very much today. Here she is performing in her self-written Groundlings sketch: "Confessions of a Tooth Fairy."

Watch above.

Via Buzzfeed

My head is pounding, and my mind is twisted in a knot that's about to snap. I've overcommitted, signed on for too many writing assignments. I'm working on an article based on an interview I did with movie star Heather Graham, and have also agreed to write promotional pieces for a new ABC sitcom and an upcoming feature film distributed by The Weinstein Company. There are deadlines. I'm running out of time, and words. I've also promised a friend I'd write him a letter of recommendation. What a pain in the ass.

A recent string of bad luck -- and some bad decisions -- blindsided me. Personal stuff. I'd tell you over dinner and drinks, but not here. Friends are recommending cognitive therapy and vipassana meditation. They're probably right, but who has the time?

I'm in line at Trader Joe's in Santa Monica. I have 13 items in a "12 Items or Less" express line. I miscounted. It was an accident. Someone behind me mutters, "one too many." I pretend not to hear. I imagine an angry mob forming. I wish I were trained in mixed martial arts. I look down at my cell phone -- my go-to place for all instances of social discomfort -- and see that a new email has arrived. It's from a Hollywood publicity agency, and the subject line reads: MORGAN FREEMAN. They're asking if I want to interview him for the Blu-ray and DVD release of his magic show/bank robbery thriller Now You See Me. I'm booked solid. I don't have the time. I immediately respond with a "yes." There's no other choice. Morgan Freeman is one of the world's most respected film actors. He's as cool as it gets, and as big as it gets. Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption,Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, Seven, Invictus, The Dark Night trilogy. Who am I to say, "No?"

I commit to the Morgan Freeman interview, and my life instantly improves.

I find $40 in the street outside of Trader Joe's. I get a text from a spectacular woman I went to high school with. She wants to meet at a wine bar in Venice. (Our own private high school reunion.) A call comes in from a fabulous psychotic from my past, a thrill-a-minute, Joan Jett look-alike now running a modeling agency in Texas. "You're the only one who ever understood me," she says. I really enjoy this call, though I never really understood her. My bank informs me they've made a mistake. They credit $228.52 to my checking account.

A beautiful young woman in a Kia drives by. We smile at each other. She honks her horn. Suddenly, my headache is gone. I have the strength of 10 grinches, plus two. I can do anything. I'm convinced that Morgan Freeman is my good luck charm, and that his greatness has somehow rubbed off on me. I'm on a roll, riding a wave. Give me 10 more writing assignments. I'll do them all.

I wonder if I have bipolar disorder?

I arrive home to a copy of Now You See Me on my doorstep. How'd they get it here so fast? I love show business! Word gets out that I'm interviewing Morgan Freeman. A flood of texts come in. "I want him to be my mentor!" "I'm so jealous!" "He's an acting God!" "He's an icon!" "Holy shit!" I've been interviewing celebrities for years. There's never been a reaction like this.

I watch Now You See Me. It's a slick and stylish blend of magic tricks, bank robberies, plot twists and FBI chases. Bank robbing illusionists who shower their audience with stolen cash at their live magic shows -- and the cops who pursue them. Rapidly-moving and fun, Now You See Me dazzles you with magic tricks and magical performances by Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, (James' brother) Dave Franco, Michael Caine, Mark Ruffalo, and Melanie Laurent. Morgan Freeman's powerful screen charisma is in fine form, portraying an ex-illusionist who's made millions explaining the secrets behind famous magicians' tricks.

On the day I interview Morgan Freeman, I'm sick as a dog. Trembling with fever. Throat burning and ears screaming. Hacking like Charles Bukowski. I start talking with Freeman, and everything clears up.

"It's a very interesting script, very interesting idea, very interesting story," Freeman says, when I ask why he was attracted to Now You See Me. "The director, Louis Leterrier, was someone I had worked with before, in Europe, a few years back. I like him a lot. And it has this magnificent cast, so what's not to like? I had a great time with it. I worked primarily with Melanie Laurent, Mark Ruffalo and Michael Caine. I was working with people I really like and admire a lot, so it was great."

What does Morgan Freeman want you to get from watching Now You See Me?

"I never want an audience to get anything but entertained," Freeman says. "That's what they paid for. I don't want them to want their money back."

I ask Morgan Freeman what is important to him?

"The planet, the planet, the planet," he replies. "I won't be here to see its demise, but we can really screw up the environment, which is what we are doing by overloading it with carbon dioxide. That's my concern. And the fact that we are turning everything on the planet into food for humans. There are over seven billion people on the planet right now and in the next 15 to 18 years, they'll have another billion. We cannot eliminate all other forms of life and continue to exist. We're acting like parasites. We're consuming our host. Don't get me started."

What does Morgan Freeman enjoy?

"I play golf a lot," Freeman says. "I used to enjoy sailing and flying. I can't do those anymore, but those were my real passions, particularly sailing. I have a sailboat tied up down in the Caribbean. Right now, I'm in pre-production to do a picture with Diane Keaton. It's a human interest story. It's the story of a couple who have an apartment downtown. The wife's niece is in real estate, and she tries to talk them into selling it. So, the whole picture is about this couple trying to find out if there's another place they could buy that would be equal to the one they have. But since they're getting older, they want an elevator!"

What advice does Morgan Freeman have for aspiring actors?

"The surest way to fail is to quit. If you want to succeed, just don't give up. That's the only advice I ever give anybody."

I let Morgan Freeman know that as soon as I accepted the offer to interview him, my life changed for the better. I tell him I'm convinced he's my good luck charm.

Freeman laughs. A warm, bellowing laugh. I recognize it from the movies.

In the most unprofessional moment of my writing career, I playfully ask Morgan Freeman if I can talk with him on a weekly basis, just to keep my good luck streak going?

Freeman laughs again -- a little louder this time -- and says, "It will probably stay with you."

Now You See Me will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on September 3.

Oh, hey Reese ... when did you join Twitter?!

Reese Witherspoon posted a snapshot of herself lounging poolside in a swimsuit while vacationing in the Bahamas today (Aug. 22), proving that she's just like us when she hits the tropics. The 37-year-old actress read the September issue of Vogue -- featuring Jennifer Lawrence -- while working on her tan, captioning the WhoSay photo with, "Loving #theseptemberissue #perfectdayinparadise."

Witherspoon apparently joined Twitter in February, sending out her first post on Feb. 28. But since then, the "Mud" star hasn't tweeted much, randomly throwing up a photo or two here and there.

Yesterday, she tweeted:

The only way to parent #Bahamamamahttp://t.co/dL2wVcvp2u

— Reese Witherspoon (@RWitherspoon) August 22, 2013

Yup, that's Reese's feet and her son Tennessee's bottle. Now THAT'S a Bahama mama.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has received a boost from the world of reality television with an endorsement from the star of the TLC television show "Cake Boss."

Christie announced Thursday afternoon that Buddy Valastro, the owner of Carlo's Bakery and star of the reality show, will become chairman of the Small Business for Christie coalition. The announcement, made in front of Valastro's bakery in Hoboken, was part of a broader endorsement of the incumbent by small business leaders, including the National Federation of Independent Businesses. Christie leads Democratic nominee Barbara Buono by 20 points in a recent poll.

“Governor Christie has kept his promise to remain committed to improving our state’s economic climate throughout the past three and a half years," Valastro said in a statement released by Christie's campaign. "By cutting taxes and red tape, getting our state budget under control without raising taxes, and fighting for real, effective tax relief, this governor has created an environment in New Jersey that gives small businesses a chance to thrive,”

This is not Valastro's first foray into politics. In June, he appeared alongside Christie and Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo (D), a Christie supporter, during a fundraiser for the Turtle Back Zoo. In May, Christie thanked Valastro for his work on Hurricane Sandy recovery. Valastro also donated cakes for Christie's 2010 inauguration and a fundraiser for state Sen. Joe Kyrillos (R-Middletown), a Christie ally, during Kyrillos' 2012 U.S. Senate campaign. In July, Valastro donated a cake to Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop's (D) inauguration, which was filmed for an episode of "Cake Boss."

As part of the endorsement, Christie announced a series of small-business leaders from the state's 21 counties who will lead local chapters of the Small Business for Christie coalition. Among the leaders are bakery, diner, card-store and barbershop owners. Earlier this week, Christie was backed by a group of Hispanic business leaders from around the state.

The most recent poll shows that Christie's consistent 30-point lead over Buono has dropped to 20 points. Buono has been hammering Christie on economic issues, including the state's unemployment rate. Christie has defended his economic record, including on Thursday, touting $2.35 billion in tax cuts for small businesses and the creation of 143,000 in jobs.

Buono campaign spokesman David Turner contrasted Christie's event with Buono's trip Thursday to the tent city in Lakewood, N.J. Buono used the visit to highlight what she said is Christie's inattention of poor residents and the homeless. The Lakewood tent city is in a forest in the Ocean County community and was founded in 2005 to house the homeless. Christie toured a tent city in Camden during his 2009 campaign, when he pledged to help.

"While Governor Christie is spending time with celebrities, we are spending time with New Jerseyans who are down on their luck," Turner told The Huffington Post. "The governor's policies are clearly tilted to the wealthiest in the Garden State. While he has forgotten his campaign promise made in Camden during 2009, it's those who occupy the tent cities across New Jersey who need this governor's attention more than ever before. He is more focused on his personal ambitions than in helping New Jerseyans across the state."