Celebuzz » Matt Damon

Tobey Maguire, Other Celebrities Reach Poker Settlement — Details of Hollywood’s Underground Ring Kept Out Of Court (EXCLUSIVE)

Dylan Howard — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:00:01 +0000

Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and a slew of Hollywood identities can rest assured — the secrets of their illegal high-stakes poker games won’t be spilled in a Los Angeles court.

Twenty-two people who sued to recoup poker winnings from a crooked hedge fund manager have all settled their cases for a total of more than $1.75 million, Celebuzz has exclusively learned.

“All of the poker defendant cases are settled,” confirmed Howard Ehrenberg, the bankruptcy trustee who sued Maguire and others in a bid to claw back as much as $5.2 million they won from Ponzi schemer Bradley Ruderman, at underground poker games.

“The settlement of every poker related case without having had to incur the cost of taking any of them to trial means that the fund available for the victims has been maximized.”

Ruderman bilked investors out of $44 million in a wire fraud scheme before he was caught, in 2009.

The con man, who was sentenced to 10 years in jail, in 2010, spent at least $8.7 million of investor money on personal expenses, including a summer rental in Malibu and two Porsches. He lost $5.2 of the fund in Texas Hold ‘Em games played on a regular basis at the homes of the Tinsel town card sharks, including Maguire’s, or in five-star hotels in Beverly Hills, such as The Four Seasons, between 2006 and 2009.

Ruderman wrote checks and wire transfers to Spiderman star Maguire, totaling $311,200 to cover poker losses, according to one of the lawsuits filed and later settled. Maguire, 36, was one of the first to settle, agreeing to fork over $80,000 to be dropped from the litigation.

In total, Ehrenberg was able to settle the cases for roughly 30 cents on the dollar. The money will be used to repay victims of the scheme, which Maguire and other players were unaware of.

“To be completely clear: Three of the cases were resolved by default or bankruptcy, so the funds recovered are from 19 cases,” said Ehrenberg.

TOBEY MAGUIRE & LEONARDO DICAPRIO GO SAILING

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Other celebrities targeted in a lawsuit launched last June were The Notebook director Nick Cassavetes, Welcome Back, Kotter star Gabe Kaplan, Paris Hilton‘s ex-boyfriend and sex tape partner, Rick Salomon, and record label owner Cody Leibel.

Other A-list stars, including New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez, were tied to the poker games, with had a $50,000 buy-in — but like DicCaprio, Affleck and Damon, he was not sued.

Whilst details of the ring’s inner workings won’t get a public airing, Celebuzz has viewed the FBI’s nearly 1,000-page dossier on the case which identified Maguire as the shadowy club’s “best player.”

HOLLYWOOD HOLD 'EM: TINSEL TOWN'S POKER STARS

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The sensational files on the sophisticated and organized illegal poker group were created when Los Angeles-based agents spoke to Ruderman, who became their ultimate snitch.

As part of his confession to the Ponzi scheme, Ruderman ratted out Maguire, declaring: “Tobey Maguire is the best player and a winner.”

Ruderman also turned over to the Feds a trove of evidence, including eight boxes of documents and computer drives, which revealed how he wrote seven checks in total to Maguire during a period of just 10 months, from July, 2007, to May, 2008.

A-ROD KNOWS WHEN TO HOLD 'EM

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Ruderman also sang like a bird to FBI agents Jeremy Tarwater and Steve Goldman about the poker group’s ringleader, Molly Bloom, in the hope that turning informant would deliver him a more lenient sentence for his white-collar crimes.

He said Bloom, the 33-year-old brunette dubbed the ‘Princess of Poker’, preyed on him because he was ”not a good gambler.”

Bloom “was very aggressive to get me to keep playing,” Ruderman said in the interview with the Feds, on April 30, 2009.

Celebrity Classmates: Stars Who Went to School Together (PHOTOS)

Gabrielle Chung — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:30:42 +0000

Pencils up!

While some celebs work on set with tutors, many actually attended regular high schools before making it big in Hollywood. Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, and Kate Hudson all unknowingly shared classrooms with other future A-listers as kids. In fact, some of them even went on to graduate in the same year!

Which famous Brit jammed with Adele during lunch period? Which big name actor befriended Matt Damon back in elementary school? Celebuzz is testing your celebrity knowledge — click through the gallery to see if you know the answers!

Of course, no celebrity flashback is complete without a couple geeky yearbook photos! Check out the video below to see prom pics of your favorite celebs.

Matt Damon Reportedly Leasing $15 Million Pad — Check It Out (PHOTOS)

Rachel Maresca — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:38:16 +0000

He’s not in Boston anymore!

New England-raised actor Matt Damon has reportedly purchased a $15 million palace in Pacific Palisades, Calif., near Hollywood.

Though the property isn’t quite off the market, the home will surely be big and bright enough for the 41-year-old actor’s four little girls and wife Luciana Bozán Barroso, 36. The 13,508 square foot mansion boasts seven bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, 35-foot mahogany ceilings and a pool.

Rumor has it, the Oscar winner is looking to lease the property (not buy it) in order to be closer to a certain A-list pal and his family.

The Good Will Hunting actor would reportedly like to live near his buddy Ben Affleck and his family in Brentwood, Calif. — wife Jennifer Garner and their three kids.

Ben and Jen's fam

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What do you think of Matt’s possible real-estate deal? Is it too big, too small or just right? Sound off in the comments!

Cameron Diaz, Meryl Streep & More Cameo in Jimmy Kimmel’s ‘Movie: The Movie’ (VIDEO)

Andy Scott — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 16:35:22 +0000

On Oscars Sunday, Jimmy Kimmel finally aired the long-awaited trailer for his Hollywood spoof, Movie: The Movie, which featured cameos by pretty much every celebrity in Hollywood.

Okay, not every celebrity. But the list was still impressive, and featured everyone from George Clooney as a brilliant, but disabled, scientist, to Charlize Theron as a gun-happy judge to Meryl Streep in, well, a moustache.

Despite being nine-plus minutes, the plot of the trailer was (deliberately) nonsensical, though it all culminated with Precious star Gabourey Sidibe playing the evil “Black Hitler” who was headed to destroy Earth on a giant meteor. But of course.

Check out the epic trailer now, then tell us: Who gave the best cameo?

Cameron Diaz at the 2012 Vanity Fair Oscar party

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Matt Damon & Luciana Cuddle Up During NYC Fashion Week (PHOTOS)

Rachel Maresca — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:00:43 +0000

Matt Damon was among the stars that sat front row during Mercedes-Benz Fashion week at Lincoln Center in NYC this week. The actor and his wife Luciana Barroso attended the Naeem Kahn show on the most romantic day of the year…Valentine’s Day!

Love was certainly in the air for these two. “They were so cute backstage, Matt was holding her hand the whole time,” an eyewitness tells us.

Celebuzz was able to catch up with Matt just before the show started and he revealed what drew him to this particular show:

“[Naeem Kahn] makes beautiful dresses for my wife!”

Matt seemed to really be enjoying the show and was clapping up a storm when Naeem walked out and the end of the presentation.

Designer Naeem Kahn has been designing gorgeous gowns this award season for the stars. His dresses have one-of a kind beading and sequins that would light up any red carpet.

matt's family day!

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Cynthia Nixon Latest Celeb to Go Bald For a Role (PHOTOS)

Amanda Hasaka — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:48:15 +0000

What would Miranda Hobbs think?!

While Cynthia Nixon is known for role as the fiery redhead on Sex and the City, the accomplished actress took the the buzzers for her latest project, Broadway play, Wit. In the production, Cynthia plays a poetry professor with terminal cancer, and stopped by Live! With Kelly to talk a bit about the play and what life has been like, sans hair.

So, what’s one of the most surprising parts about it?

Cynthia said she thought it would be “no muss, no fuss,” but she has to shave it every day!

cynthia w/o makeup!

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Check out the video below to see what else she had to say about her new bald look.

Cynthia wouldn’t be the only Hollywood star to shave it all off for the sake of work. Matt Damon, Demi Moore and Natalie Portman have all ditched their locks at one point or another, and you can check out the rest in the gallery!

Who pulled off the look best? Sound off in the comments!

Chris Hemsworth & Elsa Pataky Vacation With Matt Damon & Luciana Barroso in St. Barths (PHOTOS)

Andy Scott — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:57:32 +0000

Talk about famous worlds colliding.

This week, hunky Thor actor Chris Hemsworth spent some time vacationing with his wife, Elsa Pataky, in St. Barths, where the happy-go-lucky couple were seen getting some R&R in the ocean.

Chris and Elsa were also joined by another famous couple, Matt Damon and Luciana Barroso, while they were down there, adding more heat to an already-hot destination spot.

Earlier this week, Chris and Elsa announced that they were expecting their first child together.

Check out photos of the famous couples now!

Chris Hemsworth Shirtless In St. Barths

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George Clooney, Daniel Craig & Matt Damon Cover Vanity Fair: Who’s Hotter? (POLL)

Andy Scott — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:10:07 +0000

In what may go down as the hottest magazine issue of the new year! Vanity Fair on Tuesday released the official cover for its February edition, which features none other than George Clooney, Daniel Craig and Matt Damon.

With photos by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, the magazine puts the three Hollywood hotties through the famous Proust Questionnaire. The results? Well, you’ll have to read the full issue to find out, though the magazine did offer a bit of a tease on its website.

If George Clooney could choose what to come back as, it would be his dog—as the actor states, “he lives better.” The Descendants lead also admits to being displeased with his posture and considers patience the most overrated virtue.

Interesting!

For more on the issue, head over to Vanity Fair’s website. Of the three men, who do you think is the hottest: Daniel, George or Matt? Cast your vote in the poll and defend your decision in the comments!

Daniel Craig & Rachel Weisz at Paris Airport

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Scarlett Johansson & Matt Damon Talk Chanukah, Impersonate Seth Rogen (VIDEO)

Gabrielle Chung — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 02:55:58 +0000

Some might not know that Wednesday’s sundown marked the end of Chanukah — but Scarlett Johansson and Matt Damon sure did!

In light of the holiday season, MTV‘s Josh Horowitz sat down with the We Bought a Zoo stars to test their knowledge on the Jewish culture. Apart from singing “The Dreidel Song” and dishing about Jewish foods, the two actors also attempted their best Seth Rogen impersonations during the hilarious interview.

Although Scarlett failed to name the star of Blossom, she did score extra brownie points when she correctly used “chutzpah” in a sentence. As for her co-star? He didn’t fair too well in the test.

“I’m getting ruined by this quiz here,” he joked.

Matt Damon & Scarlett Johansson Attend Premiere of 'zoo'

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12 Days of Celeb-mas: Celebrities Get Festive with Christmas Sweaters! (PHOTOS)

Gabrielle Chung — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 18:00:37 +0000

On the first day of Christmas, Celebuzz gave to me . . . a gallery full of festive celebrities!

Christmas is finally here and we here at Celebuzz are celebrating with tons of celebrity goodness! To recap you on what went down in 2011, we’ve devised 12 special days for our readers to catch up on all of this year’s highlights. Starting today, we’ll be wrapping up the old year (and ringing in the new) with our favorite 2011 moments. Check back tomorrow for more star-studded fun — who says festivities have to end on December 25?

For now, click through our gallery to see who’s celebrating their holidays in (questionable) Christmas sweaters!

This year, we said farewell to a beloved movie franchise, welcomed a bounty of celebrity babies, and witnessed plenty of engagements, break-ups and steamy hook-ups.

What is your favorite 2011 highlight? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned to see if it made it onto our Twelve Days of Celeb-mas!

sexy celebrity santas

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10 Things You Don’t Know About ‘We Bought A Zoo’ Star Matt Damon (PHOTOS)

Steve DiCarlo — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

The holiday season always brings about some great family-friendly films, and one getting a bit of buzz is We Bought A Zoo!

The dramedy is based on Benjamin Mee‘s heartwarming, real-life memoir about how his family used their life savings to buy Dartmoor Zoological Park, a crisis-stricken park in the English countryside. Matt Damon stars in We Bought a Zoo as Mee, and according to early reviews, he does the role justice!

“The uplifting tale has heart, humanity and a warmly empathetic central performance from Matt Damon.” – The Hollywood Reporter

“Cameron Crowe’s ‘We Bought A Zoo’ showcases Matt Damon at his tear-jerking best.” – HitFlix.com

To help readers become more familiar with the Massachussetts-born actor, we’ve compiled a list of 10 things you may not know about him!

Are you excited to see Matt in We Bought A Zoo? He does, after all, star alongside blonde vixen Scarlett Johansson. Be sure to check out the gallery and let us know in the comments below!

Matt Damon: Good Pitchman, Bad Santa Claus (VIDEO)

Wes Ferguson — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:32:58 +0000

Traditionally, Santa Claus is a jolly guy whose only agenda is making kids happy during the holidays. Enter Matt Damon.

In a new spoof, the actor dresses up as Old St. Nick in an effort to get kids to put a water bottle on their Christmas list. The sentiment is there — as the organization helps provide clean water to those in need — although the message is all but lost on the captive young audience.

He does manage to manipulate one little girl to go along with his suggestion, although she only seems to be placating him. His pitch is rejected by the other kids, even when he offers to have Matt Damon to autograph the water bottle.

Celebuzz is pretty fond of Matt, but he should probably stick to using his acting skills on the big screen. He does look pretty hot in that Santa suit, though!

Sexy Celebrity Santas!

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Matt Damon Sports Santa Sweater on ‘TODAY’! See Other Sweater Weather Celebs! (PHOTOS)

Jackie Willis — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:44:33 +0000

Matt Damon joined the ugly sweater bandwagon on Wednesday sporting a show-stopper of a sweater on the TODAY show. The We Bought a Zoo star put on a multi-colored Santa cardigan to get him in the spirit. Oh, and the rest of the TODAY show crew also wore their tackiest styles as part of the ugly holiday sweaters segment.

The Oscar winner’s family film hits theaters Friday, and despite playing a man that owns a zoo, Matt admitted that he wasn’t too thrilled to be working with amphibians.

“I was not excited to be working with the snakes I’ve never been a snake guy, and (co-star Scarlett Johansson) was totally cool with it. The second she sensed some trepidation she was like wrapping them around her and putting them on the kids and the kids were laughing at me so I had to kind of man up.”

matt & Scarjo at 'we bought a zoo' premiere

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Aside from his Santa sweater style, Matt has been rocking a shaved head for a few months now, and he told TODAY that he loves the cut. “It’s been about six or seven months that I’ve had it like this; it’s really liberating, very easy.”

celebs who go bald for roles

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What do you think of Matt’s shaved head? Is it better or worse than his Christmas sweater?

Matt Damon Talks ‘Bourne’ Legacy in GQ (PHOTO)

Andy Scott — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:25:25 +0000

Hot on the heels of his new movie, We Bought a Zoo, Oscar-winning actor Matt Damon sat down for an interview with GQ magazine during which he discussed everything from why he left the Bourne franchise to why he thinks he still has one more Bourne movie left in him.

On leaving the franchise that made him an action superstar, he said, “If you look at the first three movies, we kind of pounded that idea of identity and amnesia into the ground. We really got everything out of it that we could. So to reboot it, we need to come up with something completely new.”

Still, Damon says he has high hopes for The Bourne Legacy, the 2012 reboot starring Jeremy Renner.

“[I'm] really pulling for this one, even though I don’t have anything to do with it. Selfishly, it’s bad for me if that movie doesn’t do well,” he said.

Meanwhile, Damon had harsh words for Bourne screenwriter Tony Gilroy, who, according to Damon, struck a lucrative deal to write just one draft of The Bourne Ultimatum. That draft, Damon says, was “unreadable.”

“I don’t blame Tony for taking a boatload of money and handing in what he handed in. It’s just that it was unreadable. This is a career-ender. I mean, I could put this thing up on eBay and it would be game over for that dude. It’s terrible. It’s really embarrassing. He was having a go, basically, and he took his money and left.”

The issue – which also features an interview with Sarah Silverman about the making of I’m F****** Matt Damon song, hits stands on Dec. 20. Read the full interview here.

Scarlett johansson & matt damon at 'we bought a zoo' premiere

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Scarlett Johansson & Matt Damon Dazzle at ‘We Bought a Zoo’ NYC Premiere (PHOTOS)

Gabrielle Chung — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 02:29:26 +0000

Scarlett Johansson and Matt Damon brought out the glam at New York’s We Bought a Zoo premiere this Monday night.

Showing off a bit of her toned tummy, ScarJo looked absolutely stunning in a two-piece LBD. The blonde bombshell completed her look by putting up her golden locks in a sky-high bouffant.

Her co-star Matt suited up and brought along his beautiful wife, Luciana Barroso, as his red carpet arm candy.

According to IMDB, the plot for We Bought a Zoo is as follows:

Set in Southern California, a father moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.

Apart from promoting his new flick, Matt also stopped by Saturday Night Live last week to film a quick digital short. In the hilarious video, Matt plays a “handsome homeless man” who befriends Andy Samberg, Katy Perry, and Val Kilmer. The unlikely quartet then tries their hand at a game of Russian Roulette — with dire consequences.

Check out Matt’s SNL cameo below!

Katy Perry Becomes Best Friends with Matt Damon & Val Kilmer on ‘SNL’ (VIDEO)

Gabrielle Chung — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 18:26:41 +0000

It was Katy Perry‘s turn to host Saturday Night Live last night and the pop sensation made a couple of friends along the way — most notably acclaimed actors Matt Damon and Val Kilmer.

In a digital short with SNL player Andy Samberg, Perry stumbles upon a homeless Damon and deranged Kilmer. The four stars then become an unlikely quartet who steal socks, dig through trash, and play russian roulette.

Check out Katy’s hilarious SNL short in the video above!

This isn’t Katy’s first time acting on the Saturday sketch show though. A while back, Katy poked fun at Sesame Street when the show famously axed Katy’s appearance because they thought the songstress was showing too much cleavage. Katy played a naive teenager who, despite her busty chest, unknowingly wears low-cut tops to read to children at the local library.

Katy Perry, Andy Samberg & (Homeless!) Matt Damon Film ‘SNL’ (PHOTOS)

Amanda Hasaka — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:30:02 +0000

We can’t wait to see what these three have in store!

Katy Perry, who is hosting this weekend’s Saturday Night Live, was seen filming (what we assume is) a Digital Short with Andy Samberg in NYC on Friday, and they were joined by a very special guest! Matt Damon was dressed in clothes that made him appear to be homeless, as he noshed on a piece of pizza.

We wonder if this will be as funny as a certain Matt Damon video from a couple years ago.

Check out the (NSFW!) video we’re referring to below.

Don’t forget to tune in to SNL this weekend! How do you think KP will fair as host? Sound off in the comments!

singers who hosted 'snl'!

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Matt Damon On How Pal Ben Affleck Dealt With ‘Bennifer’ Media Frenzy

Jackie Willis — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:31:46 +0000

Before Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck was in a very public relationship with Jennifer Lopez that gained an unnecessary amount of media attention. The couple was hounded by paparazzi, and they eventually called off their wedding for other reasons.

Friend Matt Damon spoke with PARADE magazine about the invasion of privacy for A-list celebs, and used Ben’s “Bennifer” phase as an example. He told the publication:

“At the height of the whole thing with Jennifer Lopez, I remember Ben [Affleck] telling me about one of his days off. It was a Sunday, and I think he’d been shooting, like, six-day weeks. The gas tank in his car was full, and he pulled out of the driveway where they were living, and there were 20 cars there waiting. He just drove toward San Francisco, checking the gas gauge. When it was halfway full, he turned around and drove all the way back– driving for five, six hours. He never got out of the car.”

Matt continued:

“He said, ‘I was so angry at these guys for invading my life, that I was taking the very little free time I had and wasting it, in order to get back at them.’ I think he kind of broke through to this other place. He said, ‘I just can’t give it any more energy.’”

The We Bought a Zoo star also revealed that he had his own run-in with an invasion of privacy while enjoying a karaoke night with his wife Luciana. “It’s funny, Lucy and I went out the other night for John Krasinski‘s birthday. We had dinner and then went out to a bar and ended up at a karaoke place. We sang everything; we hadn’t been out like that in a long time. And Lucy told me the next day, ‘Our whole night was tweeted by people.’ “

What Bizarre Item Did Matt Damon Say Brad Pitt Threw at a Paparazzo?

Amanda Hasaka — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:07:17 +0000

If anyone knows how aggressive the paparazzi can be, it’s A-Listers like Matt Damon and Brad Pitt.

The We Bought a Zoo actor recently sat down with Parade magazine, revealing that his close friend Brad once threw a rather odd food item at an on-looking photographer who just wouldn’t leave him alone.

Any guesses on what it could be?

It was a cheeseburger! Matt said:

“Brad [Pitt] threw a cheeseburger at somebody. The guy had followed him to the drive-thru and Brad was like, ‘Can I just eat my cheeseburger?’ … They both looked at each other in total shock for a long moment. Neither of them could believe that it happened, you know? And then the guy went to raise his camera, and Brad sped off. So he did not get the picture. Brad left that experience feeling like, ‘Well, I didn’t get to eat my cheeseburger. I really wanted it.’”

That’s a waste of a good cheeseburger if you ask us!

brangelina & their brood

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For more on the interview, check out Parade‘s site!

Also, don’t forget to check out We Bought a Zoo when it hits theaters on Christmas Day!

Dylan McDermott, Viggo Mortensen & More: Hollywood Men Who Get Better With Age! (PHOTOS)

Amanda Hasaka — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:00:09 +0000

Everyone has been talking about FX’s hot new show American Horror Story, and not just because it’s one of the most innovative shows on TV!

Dylan McDermott stars in Ryan Murphy‘s new project, about a family who moves into a house with all kinds of terrifying secrets, and people can’t stop talking about how good the show is and how dreamy he is — even at 50!

This got Celebuzz thinking — many actors get caught up in the face paced Hollywood lifestyle, which can definitely take a toll on them physically, but there are some stars who have only begun to hit their handsome-ness stride.

From ’80s heartthrobs who still have it, to men who have evolved into silver foxes, these actors are the personification of aging gracefully.

Who do YOU think looks the best after all these years? Sound off in the comments!

celeb beefcakes!

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