The life and times of Ben and Jen

By Mark Shanahan and Paysha Rhone , Globe Staff  |  November 20, 2008

While Ben Affleck is touring refugee camps in the Congo, his wife is at home in LA dealing with a deranged fan. TMZ.com reported yesterday that Jennifer Garner has obtained a court order preventing Steven Burky from getting anywhere near her. The actress claims Burky, who lives in Pennsylvania, has been sending "packages and letters containing delusional and paranoid thoughts" and following her around the country. The "Alias" star, who's pregnant with her second child, told a judge that Burky's bizarre behavior dates back to 2002, and on at least one occasion he appeared at her house. Citing law enforcement sources, TMZ.com said Burky is being held for psychiatric evaluation. Ben, meanwhile, is in Africa for the fourth time in a year. The actor is visiting camps that have been set up for people displaced by violence. It's not clear if Affleck, who's carrying a camera in the pic taken yesterday, is making a documentary. His publicist didn't respond to an e-mail yesterday.

Actress Stephanie Lemelin - yes, daughter of former Boston Bruins goalie Rejean Lemelin - is back in town for a starring role in "Hatteras Hotel," a murder mystery filming in Rockport. Lemelin plays an upper-class gal found dead after a night of hard partying. "It's a really fun part because there's a lot of different sides to her," said Lemelin, who also runs a production company in LA with her husband, A.J. Draven. (The two have a film, "Blood Wars," on the Blockbuster shelves right now, in which Lemelin is slain by a vampire.) "I've been killed by a vampire, I've had my neck broken [on 'CSI'], and now I get to drown," she said, laughing. But she's dreaming about filming a three-part mixed martial arts movie set in Boston, tentatively titled "Tap Out," with her hubby, who's a martial artist and trainer, and director Tom Shell. The cage-fighting drama, which Lemelin is writing, centers on two cousins who must overcome their rivalry to team up. "This movie is really a sports movie, like 'Invincible' or 'Rocky,' where an underdog goes into the ring," Lemelin said. "And I can inspire it with a real affinity for Boston. It's where I grew up and it would be a dream come true to film it here."

The Harvard Art Museum has a friend and patron in Patricia Cornwell. The best-selling mystery writer, who previously donated dozens of paintings and drawings by artists Walter Sickert, Augustus Edwin John, and James Abbott McNeill Whistler, has given the museum $1 million to establish the Patricia Cornwell Conservation Scientist. (There's matching support from the Mellon Foundation.) The position will analyze works of art, employing forensic applications to study the pieces. Cornwell, who declined to talk with us yesterday, famously used forensic techniques to uncover evidence implicating Sickert as Jack the Ripper.

Tom Brady may be hitting that rehab hard, but he's apparently got plenty of energy left to canoodle, and in front of giant plate-glass windows, no less. Yes, Tom and his girlfriend, Gisele Bundchen, were caught on camera at the Butcher Shop in the South End Tuesday by FOX25. The two were reportedly on a double date with fellow Pats player Larry Izzo. The video, posted on TMZ, shows our gimpy QB practically licking the supermodel's face. Is it our imagination but does Gi look slightly embarrassed? . . . Pats receiver Wes Welker and pals dined at nebo the other night.

Liberty Hotel owner Dick Friedman has returned from New York, where he and designer Alexandra Champalimaud received two Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design, the premier interior design competition in the hospitality industry.

The "War of '04" crew filmed in East Boston for the second day yesterday, taking over a two-story brick house in an alley off Sumner Street. The Spike TV pilot - a Boston Irish mob tale - stars Matthew Marsden and Kevin Chapman.

Three kids from Winthrop High - identified only as Christine, Eddie, and Abby - got makeovers with Serge and Rebekah Safar and Omid Maxey at Salon Safar Tuesday in preparation for their head-to-head hip-hop challenge today for the MTV reality show, "Made." The three wannabe dancers, who've been coached by hip-hoppers Sam Renzetti, CiCi Kelley, and Boston's own Cedric Crowe, will perform at 7 p.m. at the Lynn Memorial Auditorium. Guest judges include choreographer Laurie Ann Gibson, J.Lo ex Cris Judd, and Soulja Boy, who'll perform. The challenge, which carries a $10,000 prize, will be aired on MTV.

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