A Couple We Can Believe In: Ben and Laura

We debated about believing in Ben Harper and Laura Dern for a while. Sure, we think he’s hottest rocker ever and that her credits (Jurassic Park, Ellen and further back, Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose) are cool but we weren’t sure about the musical chairs that preceded this coupling. Before Harper, Dern was dating Billy Bob Thornton, who (in)famously left her for Angelina Jolie, who would go on to crack another union. But according to the tabloid grapevine, Dern herself began dating Billy Bob while he was still married to someone else. Ben Harper was also married (though apparently separated) when he  hooked up with Dern. Leaving this complex trail of Who Stole/Left Who aside, we do think that since they got together in 2000, the couple has truly been together. In addition to work and two cute kids, the two find time for activism on a range of issues (Tibet, healthy children and Obama). We also love that they represent the fusion of two different arts dynasties. Dern is the offspring of actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd while Harper comes from a family of musicians (his grandparents run The Folk Music Center and Museum in California and the young Harper grew up playing the blues of Robert Johnson and others). With this talent gene pool, we look forward to seeing what the Harper-Dern kids do when they grow up.