Affleck spills the details

No one needs to tell Ben Affleck how much he has at stake with this month's release of his directorial debut, "Gone Baby Gone." "I feel like this film is a linchpin for my life. My career," Affleck tells Details magazine in the edition due on Boston newsstands Oct. 9. "I have a lot riding on it. I want [the film] to work. Badly. I mean, a [expletive] movie comes out on 2,800 screens? I've been there and it's embarrassing." Still, the Oscar winner, who filmed the big-screen adaptation of Dennis Lehane's bestseller in Boston last year, maintains a confident air in the Details story that covers a range of subjects. There's picking his brother Casey to star in the film: "He was the obvious choice by far." And his time with Jennifer Lopez: "It was probably bad for my career." Also that he's still a regular guy arriving late for the Details interview to help clean up after his dog Hutch got sick all over his Brentwood house. The monthly men's fashion magazine speculates that the Oscar winner added directing to his writing and acting career to build his credibility, but Affleck says he's being realistic. "It's pretty simple," he tells Details. "If people don't go see it, I'm [expletive]."

Magazine throws a party with a lot of ZIP

New York Observer owner Jared Kushner was MIA at Friday's first anniversary party for 02138, the Harvard-centric magazine owned by the Atlantic Monthly's David Bradley. (Bradley was at Noir at the Charles Hotel, albeit for about 15 minutes.) We're told Kushner, who's dating The Donald's daughter Ivanka Trump, didn't make it because he was observing the Sabbath. (What, he didn't know the party was on a Friday when he RSVP'd?) Others in attendance included the mag's editor, Richard Bradley, publisher Meredith Kopit, and founder Bom Kim; best-selling author Ben Mezrich and wife Tonya; Dr. George Demetri, executive director of Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research; and "West Wing" writer/producer Lawrence O'Donnell, who wandered in looking for Atlantic Monthly food writer Corby Kummer. O'Donnell, who grew up in Dorchester and graduated from the World's Greatest University in 1979, told us he's busy working on a screenplay based on Bob Woodward's Bush books. Has he read 02138? "No," admitted O'Donnell. "But I will now."

Perhaps he was still basking in the glow of his team heading to the playoffs, but an unusually animated John Henry was the toast of Saturday night's party to mark the release of a new edition of Boston Common magazine. Henry worked the room at the Boylston Place nightclub The Estate, before making his way to the VIP area where the soon-to-be divorced Henry was promptly photographed laughing it up with several beautiful young women. The Red Sox team owner was joined a short time later at the rollicking party by fellow team brass Tom Werner and David Ginsberg. Boston Common honcho Jason Binn hosted the event - but headed back to New York before the night was out - that included "Pink Panther 2" star Emily Mortimer holding forth on the red carpet about how great it's been to film in Boston. "We've had a great experience here. The city's been very good to us," Mortimer told us. But it was another Emily, Boston Common covergal Emily Deschanel, star of Fox's "Bones," who seemed to be enjoying herself the most. "Coming back to Boston gives me a chance to catch up, however briefly, with family and friends," the Boston University alumna said. Enjoying herself, perhaps, until she was given the bum's rush out of the nightclub by an over-eager bouncer. Deschanel and her crew made their way through the throngs at Boylston Place to the Bristol Lounge where Boston Common's co-editors Terri Stanley and Anna Cheshire Levitan bought them a late-night nosh.

Before Deschanel got to the Boston Common party, the well-known animal rights activist and vegan made a stop at the South End eatery Gaslight where she got chef Christopher Robins to sign a no foie-gras pledge. Robins made the vow to not serve the controversial goose and duck liver at any of the Aquitaine Group's restaurants, which also includes Aquitaine, Union Bar and Grille, and Metropolis - all in the South End. Deschanel was accompanied by folks from the animal advocacy group Farm Sanctuary, including South End resident James Costa, for the meeting with Robins, who quietly thanked the actress for her efforts. "It's important," Deschanel told us later. "One place can make a difference."

After clinching the division title the other night, the Red Sox players gathered at Game On! where Mike Lowell, Dustin Pedroia, and Kevin Youkilis all jumped behind the bar to serve drinks to fans. Jonathan Papelbon, Josh Beckett, Coco Crisp, and Julio Lugo took over the DJ booth where they fielded fan requests and spun tunes until the celebration was done. Also on hand were teammates Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jason Varitek, Alex Cora, Eric Hinske, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brendan Donnelly, Clay Buchholz, Eric Gagne, and Hideki Okajima.

Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253.