People in the News

NEW YORK — Matt Damon has been named the "sexiest man alive” by People magazine, an honor that has been bestowed twice on his pals George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

The 37-year-old actor is featured on the cover of People’s annual issue, on newsstands Friday. Damon, who is married to Luciana Bozan, said the honor came as a surprise.

"You gave an aging suburban dad the ego boost of a lifetime,” he says in a letter published in the magazine. "My 9-year-old stepdaughter now thinks I’m cool — well, cooler.”

Damon, who has a 1-year-old daughter, Isabella, with Bozan, says "all the campaigning” by Clooney and Pitt had finally paid off.

"Unfortunately, after all those years out on the trail, the meet and greets, the fundraisers, the stump speeches, I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that this is a mantle I wasn’t meant to hold,” he says in the letter, which was signed "Matty.”

"Don’t get me wrong, though. I was really shocked and happy (Lucy said I actually blushed) when I heard the news. So I can’t thank you enough for that.”

People’s "sexiest man alive” list began in 1985 with Mel Gibson. Others on the list: Clooney (1997 and 2006), Pitt (1995 and 2000), Denzel Washington (1996) and Johnny Depp (2003).

Damon won a screenwriting Oscar with Ben Affleck in 1998 for "Good Will Hunting.” Both Damon and Affleck starred in the movie.

He has also starred in "The Departed,” "Syriana,” the "Ocean’s” franchise with Clooney and Pitt, and "The Bourne Identity” and its two sequels.

Steven Spielberg to

receive Cecil B. DeMille Award

BEVERLY HILLS — Adding to his collection of lifetime achievement honors, Steven Spielberg will receive the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Cecil B. DeMille Award.

Actor Josh Brolin made the announcement Wednesday at the Beverly Hills Hotel, calling Spielberg a "one-of-a-kind talent.”

The 60-year-old director has won six Golden Globes and three Oscars, along with lifetime achievement honors from the Directors Guild of America, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the American Film Institute and the Kennedy Center.

Spielberg will be presented with the Cecil B. DeMille trophy at the 65th annual Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 13, 2008.

Meanwhile, Rumer Willis was named Miss Golden Globe, an honor traditionally granted to the offspring of a well-known celebrity.

The 19-year-old daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis is "doubly qualified,” said HFPA President Jorge Camara.

Dressed in a beige sweater, white lace skirt and white knit cap, Willis called the role "an honor.”

"It’s really an amazing opportunity to help recognize people who’ve done great work in this industry,” said Willis, who is set to appear in two films next year.

Ellen Pompeo quietly marries record producer in ceremony performed at New York City Hall

NEW YORK — Ellen Pompeo promised she wouldn’t have a big wedding. She kept her promise.

Pompeo, who plays Dr. Meredith Grey on ABC’s "Grey’s Anatomy,” tied the knot with record producer Chris Ivery last Friday in a ceremonial office at City Hall, with Mayor Michael Bloomberg as a witness.

Pompeo, 38, and Ivery became engaged last November, after dating for three years. In an interview last August, she said they didn’t plan a big ceremony because "we want one thing to ourselves.”

Bloomberg and Deputy Mayor Patti Harris were the two witnesses, and an official from the city clerk’s office performed the ceremony, Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser said.