Affleck to take backseat at convention

Ben Affleck will not make a speech at the upcoming Democratic National Convention - because he doesn't want to steal Barack Obama's thunder.

The 'Pearl Harbor' star is set to join a host of celebrities and rallying around the party's presidential candidate at the event in Denver, Colorado next week.

But according to the New York Daily News, Affleck has ruled out a high-profile appearance because he doesn't want to hog the limelight.

A source tells the newspaper: "He won't be delivering speeches. Instead, he'll be anteing up for a disabled veterans' poker tournament, as well as participating in America's Second Harvest events - packing lunches for local food banks.

"And he'll be sitting in on a panel discussion on combating global poverty."

Other A-listers reportedly planning to attend the event include filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Spike Lee, movie stars Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Susan Sarandon, and Forest Whitaker, and rapper Kanye West.