The actor was taken to a Boston hospital where he was treated for severe bronchitis.

Affleck, 31,had been expected to attend the premiere of the much-panned film on Wednesday but pulled out at the last minute, as did co-star Liv Tyler.

Affleck is now recovering from the illness at his Boston home, said publicist Ken Sunshine.

Dennis Quaid proposes to girlfriend

Dennis Quaid, star of disaster movie The Day After Tomorrow, has proposed to his girlfriend Kimberley Buffington.

Quaid, 50, and Buffington, a 33-year-old real estate agent from Texas, have not yet set a date for their wedding.

The actor was previously married to actress PJ Soles from 1978 to 1983 and to actress Meg Ryan from 1991 to 2001.

Quaid - who has a 12-year-old son with Ryan - met his wife-to-be in March 2003 while performing in Austin, Texas, with his band The Sharks.

BBC boss joins Bafta

New BBC chairman Michael Grade has been named the vice-president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Mr Grade will replace Lord Puttnam, who is stepping down from the role after ten years of service. Lord Attenborough continues as the academy's president.

"Bafta remains the only forum where film and television rivalries are put aside in the pursuit of recognising creative excellence," said Mr Grade.

"I look forward to helping the academy pursue its important goals," he added.

Lawyers given reality TV makeover

Ally McBeal producer David E Kelley has teamed up with NBC to produce a reality TV show about lawyers.

"It's a documentary meets a drama," Kelley told Daily Variety. "We'll have our own team of lawyers and they'll become our main characters."

Details have yet to be confirmed, but the lawyers involved will try civil cases, along with current or former judges and some sort of jury.

A new version of Kelley's The Practice is due to hit US screens this autumn.