People talk 8/2/02

Magazines report Affleck, Lopez dating

NEW YORK -- People magazine and Us Weekly have dueling Ben Affleck-Jennifer Lopez stories on their covers.

Both are reporting, according to anonymous pals and close sources, the two are an item.

People's Aug. 12 issue quotes sources who say the singer-actress began introducing Affleck to friends as her boyfriend three days before she and her second husband, dancer Cris Judd, filed for divorce last month. She and Judd had been married for 10 months.

Us boasts in its Aug. 12 issue that it has exclusive photos of the couple, and quotes friends who say they aren't hiding their relationship.

Affleck, 29, and Lopez, 32, got to know each other last winter on the set of the movie "Gigli," scheduled to come out next year.

Lopez's publicist, Alan Nierob, and Affleck's publicist, David Pollick, declined to comment on the articles Thursday.

Romano headlines study for sick children

LOS ANGELES -- Ray Romano will be delivering punchlines to raise money for a study examining laughter's effect on ailing children.

Romano, star of the CBS sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond," is the headliner at a Sept. 27 benefit for the UCLA Jonsson Cancer study.

Kevin James of CBS' "The King of Queens" and standup comedian Wendy Liebman also will entertain, concert co-sponsor Comedy Central announced Wednesday. Tickets went on sale Thursday.

The study, Rx Laughter, is testing whether laughter can help children and adolescents deal with the pain of treating life-threatening illnesses, including cancer.

The five-year study, lead by Drs. Margaret Stuber and Lonnie Zeltzer, began in February 2000 with a $75,000 seed grant from Comedy Central.

-- From wire reports