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Ben Stiller regrets raising his children in Los Angeles – because they’ve missed out on the excitement of living in his native New York.

The 42-year-old star shares two children, Ella Olivia, six, and Quinlin Dempsey, three, with his wife, actress Christine Taylor.

And Stiller admits he often finds himself reminiscing about the dangers of growing up in the Big Apple.

He says, “Raising them here is different because I was raised in New York City. It’s totally different. I grew up in the Upper West Side of Manhattan in the 70s. There were… fires and riots and serial killers. It was great. My kids, it’s L.A., it’s sunny and nice. They don’t have any excitement.”

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Ben Stiller’s portrayal of a mentally handicapped man in new movie Tropic Thunder has provoked anger from disability groups.

Stiller’s character, an actor, takes on the role of Simple Jack in the movie, who is referred to in marketing material as a “retard”.

The description and portrayal prompted a number of organizations to protest to bosses at studio DreamWorks – who have now agreed to meet in person with representatives of the disability groups.

Anne Sommers, from the American Association of People with Disabilities, tells the New York Times, “We want to be really plain about what our issues are with the movie.”

In its defense, DreamWorks executives insist the movie intends to mock the film industry and not disabled people.

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Actor-turned-director Ben Stiller is convinced no one can help Owen Wilson overcome his personal problems – because it is hard to understand his emotional anguish.

Wilson was hospitalized last year after allegedly slashing his wrists at his home in Santa Monica, California.

And Stiller, a close friend of the funnyman, admits that his pal is battling depression – and it is hard for his family and friends to empathise with what he is going through.

He says, “It’s impossible to understand that kind of pain – depression or anything like that – until you’re in it. I love Owen. I felt bad that he had to deal with all the outside bulls**t.”

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A fictional energy drink that features in Ben Stiller’s next movie Tropial Thunder is being turned into a real product.

Booty Sweat pops up throughout the comedy, which is due to be released on August 15th.

Now Paramount Pictures want to cash in, by producing it and marketing it alongside the movie.

Michael Corcoran, president of consumer products at Paramount Pictures, “Not to my knowledge has this ever been done before. We’re very excited, because it has the potential to live for quite a while, well beyond the film.”

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I have been obsessed with Cameron Crowe since Say Anything.  Lloyd Dobbler was quite possibly my first crush.  I still love John Cutesack…no matter what crappy movie he’s in.  Cameron Crowe went on to create some of my all-time favorite movies, including Singles (probably my favorite Cameron Crowe movie), Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous.  So when I heard that he has a new movie coming out (afer a long hiatus…his last movie was 2005’s Elizabethtown, which unfortunately sucked) I was so excited!

Ben Stiller and Reese Witherspoon are starring in Cameron Crowe’s as-yet untitled romantic comedy adventure for Columbia Pictures.

Crowe will direct from his own screenplay and is producing along with Scott Rudin. The plot is being kept under wraps.

Columbia beat out four rival studios in a bidding war over the fully-developed project, which is scheduled to start shooting in January, once Stiller and Witherspoon’s schedules open up. Stiller next will be seen later this summer in Tropic Thunder, which he also co-wrote, produced and directed, and he is shooting Night at the Museum 2: Escape From the Smithsonian. Witherspoon’s upcoming projects include Four Christmases, with Vince Vaughn, and she is voicing characters for DreamWorks Animation’s Monsters vs. Aliens.

Variety

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