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NY Daily News JV gossip Lloyd Grove hears that underemployed celebrity couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's much-photographed love affair with Starbucks™ brand caffeinated beverages might have a sinister, product placement component. Luckily, entertainingly grumpy superflack Ken Sunshine was available to deny Grove's report, even slipping in a public bitchslap of the paparazzi obsessed with Affleck's eggnog latte jones:

A Lowdown spy reports that the caffeinated couple has snagged an exclusive "seven-figure" contract with Starbucks Coffee Co. to drink, be photographed with and generally promote the popular java around the country. [...]


Garner's publicist didn't respond to detailed messages, but reps for Affleck and Starbucks insisted that Lowdown's account was all steam and no bean.

"No contract with Starbucks," Affleck's flack Ken Sunshine E-mailed. "Maybe Ben likes Starbucks and is willing to ignore the morons who spend their life waiting to take the same photo every day of him drinking coffee."

Unfortunately for Sunshine and his client, the paparazzi aren't likely to abandon their Starbucks post any time soon, knowing that the only thing standing between them and a comfortable retirement is that perfect, telephoto-lens photo of Affleck stepping behind the espresso bar and modeling his green apron for the first time.