The NY Post is running a story that is sure to provide tabloid fodder for months to come: Jennifer Aniston cried on set! Over a scene that reminded her of her ex – Brad Pitt! You know, the one that ran off with the skinny temptress? If this is even partially true, I feel for Aniston – not because she had a temporary moment of weakness or because she could somehow be still affected by memories of her ex, but because she’s going to be mocked for this one incident ceaselessly. Her rep says this never happened, but you know how it goes – once the information is out there it will get repeated and become part of the “poor Jen” mantra.

Jennifer Aniston burst into tears in her trailer while filming in New York — telling an assistant that a scene “reminded her of Brad Pitt,” a source said.

The unlucky-in-love actress was late coming out of her trailer while filming “The Bounty” with Gerard Butler a few weeks ago. The source tells Page Six that when an assistant went to fetch Aniston, she was in tears, and said, “I need a moment. This scene reminds me of Brad and me.”

Aniston pulled herself together and managed to put on a smile when she eventually emerged from her trailer. The insider added, “While she enjoyed flirting with Gerard on set and put a brave face on every day, privately she is still very fragile.”

Since Pitt dumped her back in 2005, Aniston has been involved with Vince Vaughn, Paul Sculfor and John Mayer. Describing how she had come to terms with her single-girl label, she told Elle’s September issue, “If I’m the emblem for ‘this is what it looks like to be the lonely girl getting on with her life,’ so be it.”

Aniston’s spokesman, Stephen Huvane, says the story about her crying in the trailer is “ridiculous . . . it never happened.”

[From NY Post]

Here’s what I think happened – Aniston started crying over something at work, probably because she was damn exhausted and upset at something completely non-Brad related. Actors regularly work 12-16 hour days and I know that the one time I worked a 12 hour shift on my feet I was practically crying afterwards. Little things can set you off when you’re worn out. Someone heard that she was teary-eyed and the story got repeated and eventually it became “Jen cried over Brad!” I do feel like saying “poor Jen,” but it’s more because it doesn’t matter what she does, it’s all about Brad all the time.

I’m trying to think of something Aniston could do that would help bring the collective tabloid focus away from her “lonely girl” status. Maybe she could cut her trademark hair into a cute bob – like one of those cuts that angles down toward the face. If she did that though, it would be “Jen tries to escape her past with fresh start,” or “Jen cuts off hair in desperate move to smite Angelina’s long tresses!” Did you see that funny video on Aniston’s tabloid life from The Soup that we posted yesterday?

Jennifer Aniston is shown at the premiere of Love Happens on 9/15/09. She does not have a “bump.” Credit: Fame Pictures