Table of contents for Apr-13-15 in Us Weekly

Best field trip ever. When Ben Affleck visited Washington, D.C., March 26 to testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee, wife Jennifer Garner and their eldest daughter, Violet, 9, elected to join him. “It was Violet’s idea,” a source says of the third grader, who watched as the Eastern Congo Initiative founder spoke about the importance of continuing foreign aid in Africa, detailing how the organization’s efforts will significantly improve the lives of 100,000 locals. “Jen is very supportive of everything Ben does, and so are their children.” (Younger tots Seraphina, 6, and Samuel, 3, stayed in L.A.) Mom also got a shout-out during the two-hour hearing, when Affleck raved about her “extraordinary work” with early childhood education in America. “She’s extremely effective,” the Oscar winner, 42, said. “And we’re all…

Darius Rucker 1. The only two shows I record are Empire and Better Call Saul. 2. I’ve never played hockey. 3. I was in Shallow Hal. 4. My son [Jack, 10] beats me at NHL 15 on Xbox. 5. Al Green is my idol. 6. I can’t wait for season 2 of Playing House. 7. I’ve read everything by John Grisham. 8. I wear snakeskin boots because of Radney Foster’s “Old Silver.” 9. I love Italian food, especially gnocchi bolognese at Fig in my hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. 10. The only DVDs I must have are Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey. 11. Getting a shout-out in Notorious B.I.G.’s “Mo Money Mo Problems” was one of the coolest moments of my life. 12. I’m a Dallas Mavericks and Cincinnati…

Jennifer & Casper Can’t Stay Away! “We’re very close,” Jennifer Lopez’s ex Casper Smart said March 22. “We’re friends.” Actually, the couple, who split in June after two years together, are more than that. On March 25, the choreographer, 28, shared a sweet moment with the American Idol judge, 45, as he picked her up postshow (inset). “She rushed to him and they kissed on the lips,” says a witness. “Then they held hands walking to her trailer and left in Casper’s car.” An insider explains the pair “still have a lot of love for each other” and hang out as often as possible. Recently, they partied at the March 22 Home premiere with the singer’s twins, Max and Emme, 7, and enjoyed a kidfree brunch March 29. “They aren’t…

ASHTON & MILA Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis are keeping an eye on their new neighbors. The parents of daughter Wyatt, 6 months, surprised residents of their gated Beverly Hills community by joining — and posting on — its private social network group. “It’s somewhat of a neighborhood- watch forum,” a source tells Hot Stuff. “They all post when they hear helicopters, see police or someone is having a party.” Kutcher, 37, and fiancée Kunis, 31, are a familiar sight around their 90210 enclave (also home to Nicole Kidman and Cameron Diaz). “They always take walks with Wyatt and their dogs,” the source says of the duo, who purchased a $10 million house last spring. “They love where they live.” The actress recently told Reddit she has become more civic-minded…

RHONJ CASTING UPDATE For season 7, “Bravo wants Teresa back,” says a source. And Melissa Gorga, 36, will likely return. Producers are also scouting fresh faces. In contention, say insiders: NFL great Tiki Barber’s wife, Traci, 28; Lisa Valastro, 40, wife of TLC’s Cake Boss lead Buddy Valastro; and Geraldo Rivera’s missus, Erica, 40. JOE’S MR. MOM SHOW Joe is in talks with Bravo to star in a reality series about life as a single dad. “We met. Now it’s something for our attorneys to figure out,” he tells Us. If all goes well, says a source, production could begin as early as May.…

Playing charismatic, damaged ’60s ad exec Don Draper is an actor’s dream, but with his drama Mad Men signing off this May, Jon Hamm has a new plan. “Car detailing,” he says. “If anybody needs it, I will seriously wash your car. Tires, interior, Armor All.” Kidding aside, Hamm, 44, knows a gig like this comes once in a lifetime: “Not a lot of people in my business get to work this long on something they can be this proud of.” The St. Louis native, who lives with actress Jennifer Westfeldt, 45, tells Us about the “superpainful” process of letting go. Give Us a teaser about Mad Men’s return! The first episode’s pretty . . . ahh [exhales heavily]. If I’m looking back to a couple cues, at the end of [last spring’s]…

Miami’s Flo Rida — whose disc My House drops April 7 — gives Us his party playlist STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM / DRAKE “It gets my entire crew turnt up and reminds me of my humble roots.” JUMP AROUND / HOUSE OF PAIN “This is one of the first songs I ever danced to. Makes everybody jump!” SHOTS / LMFAO FEATURING LIL JON “When the party needs to go to the next level, this takes it there.” 7/11 / BEYONCÉ “I have seven sisters, so I’m all for encouraging female empowerment.” RED CUP / GORILLA ZOE FEATURING FLO RIDA “Perfect for any house party. No ID required to get in — just a red cup!”…

“Marriage is the Hotel California. You can check out anytime, but you can never leave.” Explaining her decision to never wed again, BETHENNY FRANKEL “A couple of women have wanted selfies afterwards.” On having sex with fans, JOHN STAMOS “He pulled up in his Bentley. . . . He was actually rapping as he got out of the car. He was like, ‘Ball so hard motherf--kers wanna’ and I was like, ‘Yup, Justin Bieber is my neighbor. That’s cool.’” On the pop star moving into her L.A. neighborhood, EMMY ROSSUM “I would love to rob a bank. You know, just stickin’ it to the man. The rush of the heist.” On her backup plan, AUBREY PLAZA “I can’t be the spoiler in chief!” On keeping House of Cards plotlines a secret, KEVIN SPACEY “I don’t…

His Royal Airness Prince William, 32, has started training for his new role as an air ambulance pilot. He will begin flying missions this summer. Model Mama Molly Sims, 41, gave birth to daughter Scarlett May March 25. She and producer husband Scott Stuber, 46, also have son Brooks, 2. Supergroup Jay Z, 45, debuted music streaming services Tidal and WiMP at a star-studded event in NYC March 30. All 16 famous stakeholders, including Madonna, Kanye West, Coldplay and Jason Aldean, participated. Hot Topic Ex–View host Jenny McCarthy, 42, says producers asked her to return after her June firing — but she turned them down because she “couldn’t be me” on the show. Family Outing The Kardashians will take a weeklong trip to Armenia in early April. “They’re proud of…

MILEY CYRUS She iced him out for a week, but once Patrick Schwarzenegger got some face time, girlfriend Miley Cyrus called off her cold war. Cyrus was slow to respond to the 21-year-old University of Southern California junior’s desperate messages after he was photographed embracing a bikini-clad brunette. “He was stressed and upset,” says a source. The two finally reconnected at her place in L.A. March 23. Says the source, “He told Miley she was the only one for him and begged for forgiveness.” The singer, 22, accepted his apology, says another confidant, but not without a guilt trip: “She doesn’t put up with crap from guys.” After a two-night sleepover, “they’re all good,” says the pal. “They’re planning a trip to somewhere tropical.” ONLINE FLIRTING Well, he did invent…

9 MARRIAGES Seven Seasons by the Numbers 942 CIGARETTES SMOKED 18 women DON HAS BEEN WITH Death Eleven 76 TIMES JOAN WORE A BROOCH Who's Your Favorite MAD Woman? What I Stole From the Set!…

SLAP YA MAMA SEASONING The spice of (Cajun) life! Snoop Dogg punches up his chow with the blend of garlic, salt and spicy peppers. Each batch is made right in Louisiana. ($4, slapyamama.com) ERIC CARLE FOR GYMBOREE In Jamie-Lynn Sigler’s nursery: this Very Hungry Caterpillar onesie, part of a 20-piece collaboration with the beloved illustrator. ($30, gymboree.com) DOCTOR’S SCRUB Skip a trip to the dermatologist with a brightening polish that combines soothing seaweed extract with exfoliating ruby crystals. Kate Hudson thinks it’s a gem! ($75, goldfadenmd.com) NERO BY SAMA EYEWEAR Stellar sunnies: The plastic shades Jennifer Garner dons flatter both men and women. ($395, samaeyewear.net) BOSCH Criminally good! Ian Somerhalder streams Amazon’s drama about a gruff LAPD homicide detective pursuing the killer of a 13-year-old boy. (Free with Amazon Prime)…

When Paul Walker died in a car crash on November 30, 2013, the 40-year-old left behind grieving family and costars — and an unfinished Furious 7. But by culling footage of Walker from earlier films and using his brothers, Cody and Caleb, as body doubles, “we were determined to honor his legacy,” producer Neal Moritz says of the film (out April 3). “I know Paul would be smiling down on us.” VIN DIESEL Walker, whose daughter, Meadow, is now 16, was an “important part of my transition into fatherhood,” Diesel has said. On March 16, Diesel, 47, named his newborn daughter Paulina as a tribute to his friend. JORDANA BREWSTER “There are too many fond memories of Paul to put into just one quote,” Brewster, 34, who plays Walker’s love…

TO GET MORE HOT PICS EVERY DAY, GO TO USMAGAZINE.COM…

The apartment building Drea De Matteo called home for more than 20 years was destroyed when a gas leak caused an explosion in New York City’s East Village March 26. “[Praying] for those that are hurt,” De Matteo, 43, posted on Instagram, along with a photo of the devastating fire that leveled three buildings and left two dead and more than two dozen injured. Now the mom of Waylon, 4, and Alabama, 7 — in L.A. as the seven-alarm inferno blazed through her neighborhood — is struggling to make sense of the tragedy. “She is completely heartbroken and shaken,” says an insider. “She can’t believe this happened.”…

▪ Melissa Joan Hart (above) selecting a Skylandersedition box of Cheerios with sons Braydon, 7 (left), and Mason, 9, in Greenwich, Connecticut. ▪ Jennifer Lopez wearing a Walter Collection dress to shoot her music video “Feel the Light” in L.A. ▪ Prince Harry supporting ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas on opening night of her play The Importance of Being Earnest at the London Oratory School. ▪ Jessica Chastain celebrating her 38th birthday with boyfriend Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo at Queen of the Night in NYC. ▪ Kelly Clarkson chatting with mother-in-law Reba McEntire at Muhammad Ali’s annual Celebrity Fight Night in Phoenix. ▪ Tyrese Gibson eating nachos with daughter Shayla, 7, during a fan screening of Furious 7 in New York City. ▪ Viola Davis picking up Heelys sneakers at the…

JOE’S SIBLINGS He enlists brother Pete and sister Maria (a mom of four) to lighten his workload. Says Joe, “The other day, Maria grabbed the kids and took them to dinner.” TERESA’S LAWYER Trusted adviser Leonard visits Teresa twice a month and emails to check in every day. TERESA’S PARENTS “My in-laws are here a lot,” Joe says of Giacinto and Antonia Gorga. Indeed, while Us was visiting, Antonia made PB&J for the girls and tidied up!…

Just having a normal, chilled-out life would be cool,” Zayn Malik told Us in 2013 when asked to predict his future after One Direction. Specifically, a life in which he could walk around his hometown of Bradford, England, without being mobbed, and leave his hotel without shrieking girls throwing themselves in front of his car. “Some days you’ll be laughing with the lads,” he also said, “and others you’ll be like, ‘ F--king hell, this is crazy.’” Crazy enough, it seems, to make him walk away from an estimated $75 mil lion– a-year enterprise. Just six days after leaving the band’s stadium tour to recuperate from stress, Malik announced March 25 that he was quitting the U.K. quintet. “I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax…

Octavia Spencer is kind of a big deal with the 8 to 12 set. In the three years since taking home an Oscar for The Help, the 42-year-old has released two whodunits for tweens. “I majored in English but never thought I’d write something I’d allow others to read!” says the author of the Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective series (book two just hit shelves). “I appreciate how hard publishing is.” The Alabama native, currently starring in Insurgent, clues Us in to her literary life. Q:Why write capers for kids? As a dyslexic child, mysteries enhanced my reading experience. I was invested.When I wasn’t getting auditions, I’d write to stay sane and creative. Then I realized I had an opportunity to give back to the genre. Q:Were you creative growing up?…

Nothing comes between Sam Heughan and his Outlander kilt. “I’m a true Scot in every sense of the word,” the New Galloway native tells Us of skipping the skivvies. “It helps me get into character.” His chivalrous 18th-century highlander Jamie won the heart of time-traveling World War II nurse Claire (Caitriona Balfe) — and millions of viewers — last summer on the Starz drama. Back in tartan for the second half of season 1 (Saturdays, 9 p.m.), he’s still surprised when female fans swoon. “I get amazing letters,” he says. “I try to write back.” The 34-year-old single star turns on the charm for Us. Q:Would you fall for a Claire in real life? Absolutely. She’s intelligent, she’s headstrong, she’s witty — she likes to drink! Sounds like a great…

OUT WED Ludacris Ludaversal Poor Luda. As hard as he huffs and puffs about his achievements on his eighth effort, the OG MC sounds antiquated compared with maverick Kendrick Lamar and his just-released masterpiece, To Pimp a Butterfly. To his credit, the beats are club- and car-friendly, his flow is in fine form and he rightfully avows “My mind is sharper than a guillotine!” on the tight “Beast Mode.” But, man, bad timing. (Def Jam)…

SUNDAY 4/5 SALEM Dark days lie ahead in 1692 Massachusetts. As season 2 of the black-magic drama begins, scheming witch Mary (Janet Montgomery) battles the vengeful teen (Elise Eberle) she turned into a spell caster. (WGN, 10 P.M.) MONDAY 4/6 BETTER CALL SAUL Breaking Bad’s colorful prequel wraps up its first round. Looking to pull off a major con, slippery lawyer Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk), a.k.a. Saul, enlists an old pal (Mel Rodriguez) as his partner in crime. (AMC, 10 P.M.) TUESDAY 4/7 FUNNY GIRLS They’re nobody’s punch line! In this compelling reality show, six female stand-ups (like prickly Stephanie Simbari) try to wow in comedy clubs while navigating life, love and competition with one another. (Oxygen, 9 P.M.) FRIDAY 4/10 MARVEL’S DAREDEVIL Dashing Charlie Cox plays Matt, NYC lawyer by…

Pretty Ugly Kirker Butler, a Family Guy writer, pens a funny satire: While Bailey’s mom obsesses and dad pops pills, the 9-year-old pageant champ secretly binges and plots to retire. Jennifer Garner says, “I could not put this down!” Hausfrau Anna, an American housewife living in Zurich, assuages her loneliness with guilt-free affairs. But her lies — and a personal tragedy — finally catch up to her. Jill Alexander Essbaum’s poignant, shocking debut novel rivet At the Water’s Edge As WWII rages, Maddie’s abusive husband drags her from Philadelphia to Scotland to hunt the Loch Ness monster. She slowly breaks free (and falls in love). It’s a captivating tale by Water for Elephants’ Sara Gruen. Has Anyone Seen My Pants? Chelsea Lately comic Sarah Colonna details her single woes (think: dating…

SARAH SILVERMAN COJO > An ornithologist’s dream girl. BLAKE LIVELY COJO > This dress doesn’t need to be Preserved. TATYANA ALI BERNHOLTZ > A look that’s for ANGELINA JOLIE BERNHOLTZ > You know, branching out isn’t always a good thing. SALMA HAYEK RYAN & CAROLINE > At least it doubles as a feather duster. MALIN AKERMAN RYAN & CAROLINE > Gearing up for her swan song? EMMY ROSSUM LOPEZ > This needs to migrate off the planet.…