It didn’t take very long for Casey Affleck to crack. A week? That sounds right. It’s been a week since his "documentary" on brother-in-law Joaquin Phoenix, I’m Still Here, was released in theaters, and just yesterday he came clean to New York Times writer Michael Cieply: It was all an act, folks. Joaquin Phoenix never really retired from acting; he wasn’t really a wannabe hip-hop star with a penchant for coke and cyber-hookers. That yeti look? Not a lifestyle choice. His disastrous interview with David Letterman? An elaborate joke that Dave wasn’t in on. UPDATED 9/20/10 Letterman was in on the joke, too! Says the New York Daily News.

“It’s a terrific performance, it’s the performance of his career,” Affleck told Cieply, while also referring to his own direction as a slice of ‘gonzo filmmaking’ a la Hunter S. Thompson. Now, you know they’re going to submit this to the Academy for Oscar consideration. They have to. Joaquin went Method for two years for this "role." They might get some hate mail for it (particularly from Roger Ebert …poor Roger) but if they’re going to claim they never meant it as a hoax, this is one way to seek validation. Hell, I’d vote for Phoenix as best actor. Like I said in my review, I respect a good joke.

One more thing worth reading on nytimes.com: this excellent review of the new HBO series Boardwalk Empire, a fairly epic study of Atlantic City bootleggers in the early 1920s. Even though it’s a Martin Scorsese project with the stamp of Sopranos writer Terence Winter, it doesn’t seem to be wowing critics yet… I can’t say, ‘cause I don’t have HBO. Which is more of a pride thing than a cheap thing, I think.

Exciting news for Laura Cassidy, our Style editor and EIC of Seattle Met Bride and Groom magazine: A copy of Bride and Groom will make an appearance as a prop in the season premiere of Grey’s Anatomy on Thursday, Sept 23. Only the best for the engaged couple (SPOILER SPOILER), Cristina (Sandra Oh) and Owen (Kevin McKidd).

And a quick congrats to Seattle director John Jeffcoat whose 2006 movie Outsourced has officially been small-screened and will make its debut on NBC on Thursday, Sept 23, at 9:30pm.