A couple of weeks ago, the National Enquirer reported that Chelsea Handler was begging her maybe-BFF, Jennifer Aniston, to help her out with her flailing life story sitcom, “Are You There Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea.” At that point, Aniston was reportedly refusing to do a cameo at all, but had agreed to look over some scripts for Chelsea and give advice. According to the Enquirer, Aniston has caved and agreed to do a cameo but Chelsea is pushing her to join the cast full time. Of course Aniston is too busy doing photo ops with her boyfriend and having phone conferences with her publicist to do that, and Chelsea thinks that a “real slap in the face.”

After refusing to appear at all, Jen finally agreed to make a cameo appearance [on "Are You There, Vodka? It's Me Chelsea."] – but that’s not enough for Chelsea, say sources.

“Chelsea’s hurt,” an insider revealed. “She’s taking Jen’s ‘thanks, but no thanks’ as a real slap in the face.”

According to sources, the “Chelsea Lately” host is “facing a disaster” with her new show after three main stars were axed before production even started. The pilot episode was a bomb – it wasn’t funny and the characters were unlikable,” the insider divulged. “Now they’ve decided to recast and go in a new direction.

And Chelsea’s tearing her hair out trying to save it…

She figured adding Jen to the mix would make the show a surefire hit. But the former “Friends” star insists she’s too busy with new boyfriend Justin Theroux and her budding career as a director.

“Unless it’s a cameo role or a turn as a director of one of the episodes,” said the insider, “Jen is out.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, September 12, 2011]

If this story is true, what’s it going to take to please Chelsea? Will Aniston have to join the cast as a regular member and hitch her star to this lousy excuse for a sitcom? Yes Aniston shines in sitcoms, but she can’t save a show that’s headed for the crapper. It’s already very generous of her to agree to do a cameo for Chelsea. Chelsea sounds like one of those friends who expects way too much and then holds a grudge forever when you try to graciously refuse one of their outrageous requests.

This show still has no release date on NBC’s website, and it’s supposed to premiere sometime “mid season.”

Photos are from 7/7/11, with Justin Bateman. Credit: WENN.com

We’ve heard all sorts of rumors of how Chelsea Handler’s upcoming vanity project sitcom, Are You There Vodka, It’s Me Chelsea, is flailing in production and having problems before the first episode has even aired. Mike Walker in the National Enquirer claims that Chelsea is asking her BFF Jennifer Aniston for help with the show and to possibly make a cameo and Aniston is all “I don’t do that anymore.” Are You There Vodka is set to star Laura Prepon as the trash-talking Chelsea character, and Chelsea is playing her own holy roller sister. The trailer we saw in May made it look really bad, so Aniston would do well to distance herself from this mess. Here’s Walker’s story:

Desperate to save her problem-plagued pending NBC sitcom… after three actors were fired before it’s even aired – E! talk show Chelsea Handler’s begging BFF Jennifer Aniston to help revivie her sagging show with a sprinkle of the magic sitcom dust that made “Friends” a smash! “There are rumblings that the show’s doomed, but Chelsea’s determined to save it – and save face,” said an Aniston insider. “She’s invited sitcom expert Jen to her LA home to brainstorm ideas with writers and producers. She’s even gotten her to read script and provide feedback. Jen can’t say no to a friend in need – but flatly drew the line when Chelsea asked her to make a few cameo appearances on the first season. Jen told Chelsea she’s won’t do TV unless it’s her own project.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, Mike Walker's column, August 29, 2011]

Aniston helped her friend Courteney Cox’s shows by doing cameos on both her FX show Dirt where they had a same sex kiss (ooh edgy) and on Cougar Town. The Aniston factor didn’t lend much of a boost to either show, though, with Dirt being canceled and Aniston’s episode of Cougar Town underperforming.

It’s rather amusing to me that Aniston is turning Chelsea down flat though. She’ll get drunk with her and make quesadillas and she’ll give advice on scripts but when it comes to making a cameo on Chelsea’s show Aniston won’t stick her neck out. Does this mean that Chelsea will retaliate by not making rude jokes about people who wronged Aniston?

Photos are from 7/7/11 of Aniston’s hand and footprint ceremony and also feature Jason Bateman. Credit: WENN.com

In the latest “news about Sandra Bullock’s love life I wish were true,” the National Enquirer is reporting that her old Speed co-star and good friend Keanu Reeves has been “comforting” her. They don’t even imply that there’s a romance happening between Sandra and Keanu, and unlike the times she was spotted out with Ryan Reynolds a few months ago it doesn’t look like she’s in a friends with benefits relationship with Keanu. That’s a damn shame. We also heard this rumor a year ago, when it was reported that Sandra was “leaning on” her old buddy Keanu in the wake of her then-husband’s cheating scandal.

Sandra had been frantic over the news that her ex husband Jesse James wrote a tell-all book, “American Outlaw,” and only Keanu was able to ease her fears.

“Keanu was her rock,” a close pal of Sandra told The Enquirer.

As we reported, Sandra was consumed with fears that all her secrets would come spilling out under the guise of Jesse’s “memoir.”

“Keanu spoke to her for hours, night after night, listening to her worries, as she poured out her heard over her frustration and pain,” said the pal.

“And in the end Keanu gave Sandra the courage to move on and hold her head high. He basically told her Jesse’s cooked-up stories were just that. He soothingly reminded her that she really had nothing to fear because she was respected by everyone close to her including him. He assured Sandra he’d always be there for her…

“After Jesse’s cheating scandal erupted, Keanu became Sandra’s shoulder to cry on,” said the pal…

They’ve always professed a great mutual respect and affection for each other…

“The first person she turned to was Keanu, and he proved he was a true-blue friend by being there for her.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, May 9, 2011]

That’s a really sweet story and I hope it’s true. You know that Keanu’s gentle voice and kind words would help in a crisis, and it’s all so romantic sounding. (sigh)

I had the chance to read In Touch’s cover story Sandra Betrayed Again! and it’s just a rehash of a recent “poor me” blog entry that James penned that kind of bitterly negates his marriage to Sandra. (He’s since deleted it.) We were anticipating this from his memoir anyway, which is out tomorrow, May 3. I’m debating whether or not I should buy it as I want to report on some of the ridiculous things he says but I don’t want to support him in any way.

In Touch also has a column from James’ nastiest mistress (that we know of), Michelle “Bombshell” McGee. She comments on Jesse’s memoir and how he’s still trying to wound Sandra for dumping him after he slept with every skank in his path who ever worked a pole. According to Michelle Jesse told her he was frustrated having to share the bed with Sandra’s dogs, and claimed he hadn’t slept with Sandra in months. Isn’t that what cheating dudes always say? “My wife doesn’t understand me,” “We’re separated,” “We don’t sleep together.” We know that Jesse is a lying bastard who will use any excuse and I’m sure this memoir won’t be any different. At least Sandra has her millions, her sweet son, and some hot male companions to console herself with. If only she were more than just friends with lovely Keanu.

These photos are of Sandra and Keanu in 2006 promoting The Lake House. I never saw that movie. Credit: WENN.com

The Daily Mail has a maybe-new interview with Ben Affleck, posted to coincide with the UK DVD release of The Town. (It’s possible it was conducted back in September when the movie was first out in England, but it’s hard to tell from their description.) Affleck talks at length about the process he went through to research the movie, which included spending hours talking to convicted robbers from Charlestown, the neighborhood in Boston that was portrayed in the film. He also said that his best friend, Matt Damon, viewed the film in five different stages of completion and gave him “pages of very smart notes” of where to go with it.

On how Matt Damon helped with The Town
We’ve been friends for 30 years. I can’t believe I’m old enough to say I’ve had a friend for 30 years. But he is a friend, and a partner in a company we have together. He saw The Town in five different versions and each time he saw it he presented me with pages and pages of very smart notes. I’ve got to a stage in life where I have learnt who my real friends are. You don’t need many, you just need good, solid friends. My brother, Casey, is another one and my godfather is a really brilliant guy.

On his research for the film with convicted robbers
I spent hours just talking to the inmates. I developed an excellent relationship with the authorities and we shot one scene in a real maximum-security prison. When you walk in you can just feel decades of sorrow and pain, anxiety and terror, loneliness and misery.

I met one guy who had served 15 years before being released. I asked him to audition for a part in the movie, but I remember being pretty intimidated by him. Then he came in and read and he was amazing. He said, ‘My daughter told me if I get in the movie I’ll be a millionaire.’ I said, ‘You know what, you’re not going to be a millionaire but we’re going to put you in the movie and see what happens.’ It changed his life. There are guys in that movie who have been nothing all their lives. Now they are legends at home.

On why he’s a good poker player
Maths aside, it is really a game about knowing yourself and reading other people. There are all these tiny nuances of human behaviour you can tap into, which is why so many actors get into it. Actors are good at it because they learn to detect truth. Tobey Maguire is a better poker player than most poker professionals – he’s a genius. It’s mesmerising to watch him.

On how he’s content with life
You make mistakes in life and that is what learning and growing up is about. In the movie business it is very easy to get carried away. But now it is nice to be in a place where I feel lucky with my family and really blessed.

Failure is just a function of risk. I look at my great heroes as actors and directors and none of them have perfect records. I imagine I will have an even more imperfect record. I think you have to still be brave enough to take risks. Today I am enjoying the success. Being number one at the box office is pretty cool. But I’ve been round the block enough times to know it won’t last forever.

[From The Daily Mail]

This begs the question: how much of Damon’s input was used in The Town (which should have earned an Oscar nomination)? I’m sure Affleck is a talented director, and Damon has said as much, but how much of The Town can we credit to Damon? Like those excellent, close up car chase scenes through the labyrinthian streets of Boston bore a certain resemblance to the chase scenes in Prague Paris that were shown in The Bourne Identity. I’ll admit to stirring the pot on this one, but that really occurred to me when I saw the movie.

Also I’m impressed with how Affleck has grown as an actor and family man. He has a good head on his shoulders now and has definitely matured. It’s nice to see his career pick up again.

Thanks to Kaiser for the lead!

Ben Affleck is shown at the BAFTA Awards on 1/15/11. Matt Damon is shown on the LA set of “We Bought a Zoo” on 1/25 and 1/26/11. Credit: WENN.com

Is there a Friends curse? There seemed to be a Seinfeld curse until Julia Louis-Dreyfus found success with The New Adventures of Old Christine, before it was unceremoniously cancelled. Courteney Cox has a successful sitcom with Cougar Town but her private life is a mess. Jennifer Aniston can’t buy a hit movie or a boyfriend, as much as she tries. David Schwimmer is having a baby with his new half-his-age wife, but Lisa Kudrow seems totally off the radar.

At least Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc are trying to get back into the TV game. Both have new shows coming out this winter. Matthew Perry’s show is a comedy called Mr. Sunshine.

Don’t be fooled by the title. Matthew Perry is more sardonic than cheerful in this new comedy about the self-involved manager of a San Diego arena who begins to reevaluate his life when he hits the big 4-0. The Friends alum can relate: His return to the small screen was prompted by his own stark realization.

“My phone wasn’t ringing off the hook with movie offers,” he admits.

Still, Sunshine is much more than a paycheck for Perry. Besides starring, he cocreated it and also serves as a writer and exec producer. “It’s important to try to do something you haven’t done before, especially if you’re scared of doing it,” he says of spreading his creative wings. “Luckily, I was smart enough to know you should surround yourself with funny, talented people.”

Rounding out the crack ensemble: Allison Janney as Perry’s pill-popping boss and Andrea Anders (Joey) as Perry’s former — and future? — romantic interest.

While the arena setting provides opportunity for a variety of hot guest stars — including Nick Jonas — don’t expect Perry’s former Friends to drop by, at least for now. “I wanted to convey the message that this is a new thing,” he says. “But if the show goes on for a while, I would love that.”

[TV Guide, print edition, January 3, 2010]

Mr. Sunshine sort of sounds like Chandler with a different job and new friends, but since Chandler was pretty funny, this may work. Mr. Sunshine premieres Wednesday, February 9 at 9:30PM on ABC.

Matt LeBlanc is on a cable comedy called Episodes.

Matt LeBlanc spent 12 years in Joey Tribbiani’s shoes — first on the classic comedy Friends, then on its not-so-classic spin-off, Joey. But on January 9, the three-time Emmy nominee returns to TV in Showtime’s Episodes as someone he’s even more familiar with…Matt LeBlanc. Or at least a spoiled, morally bankrupt (and, ahem, very well-endowed) version of the actor, dreamed up for the biting Hollywood satire by cocreator (and former Friends producer) David Crane and his partner Jeffrey Klarik. LeBlanc [is] now 43 and father to 6-year-old Marina.

How did Episodes happen?
After Friends, David and I kept in touch, and about two years ago, he and Jeffrey called me up and said, “What are you doing?” I said, “Just being a dad — and spending some of that Friends money.” They were like, “We have an idea. Let’s get together for lunch.” I said, “Great.” But I really wasn’t looking to do anything.

Why not?
When Joey ended [in 2006], it was a weird time in my life. I’d gotten divorced, and my daughter had been diagnosed with this weird brain thing [a disorder that caused seizures]. Now she’s out of the woods with all that stuff. But it was a really stressful time.

Now your hair is a distinguished gray.
I started going gray very young, and I started dyeing my hair during Friends. But after taking five years off, I was like, “What’s the point?”

Unlike the Matt in the show, you don’t…what?
Leave my phone on in a meeting. The only time I’d [do that] is if there was something important pending with a family member. I don’t have my own jet. I would love to, but I don’t. And I’ll set the record straight: I have a perfectly human-proportioned penis. [The character] is less who I am and more the public’s perception of celebrity. That’s the guy we tried to write.

There continue to be rumors of a Friends reunion. Do you want it to happen?
No. I’d rather have a party and have everybody [from the cast] there. Friends was this magical, cool thing, like lightning in a bottle, and I feel superfortunate to have been a part of it. But I can’t see [a reunion] not feeling gratuitous. What would the story be? We all get together and what? Have coffee? It would be almost sad. It’s better to just imagine what those characters are doing now, because then it can be whatever you want it to be.

[TV Guide, print edition, January 3, 2010]

Matt has let himself go grey for this role, and it will be interesting to see him as someone other than Joey. The show is getting pretty decent reviews. Entertainment Weekly called LeBlanc “superb.”

I wish they would have asked LeBlanc if any of the Friends actors will be appearing on Episodes, like they did with Matt Perry. Episodes sounds like a good fit for Schwimmer or Kudrow to make a guest spot, playing themselves.

Episodes premieres Sunday, January 9 at 9:30PM on Showtime.

Header image is from January, 2004. Credit: PRPhotos. Images below of Matt LeBlanc from 11/23/10 and of Perry from 8/1/10. Credit: WENN.com

The National Enquirer’s Mike Walker claims that Matthew Perry turned down an offer from Jennifer Aniston to appear on the first episode of his upcoming ABC sitcom, “Mr. Sunshine.” Perry was apparently worried that it would look desperate for him to bring in Aniston so soon into his new gig. He’s always struck me as the most sensible Friends castmember, and I loved him in “Studio 60.” Anyway after Perry turned down Aniston she supposedly went crying to Courtney Cox. Here’s Walker’s report:

Jennifer Aniston’s jaw dropped when she generously offered to help longtime pal Matthew Perry kick start his new ABC sitcom “Mr. Sunshine” by making a guest appearance on Episode 1, but was told “Thanks, but no thanks!” Smarting at Matt’s rejection – triggered by his fear that casting a “Friends” co-star in his kickoff show would make him look insecure – Aniston ran boo-hoo-oing to “Friend” Courteney Cox, who shocked her with this straight-from-the-shoulder judgment: “Matt’s absolutely right!” Courteney dried Jen’s tears by explaining patiently that it’s fine if she pops up on Courteney’s “Cougar Town” because they whole world knows they’re BBFs – but a guest shot on Matt’s debut episode would definitely look like a desperate publicity ploy designed to suck in viewers.

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, January 3, 2011]

If I heard before that Perry had a new sitcom coming up, I’d completely forgotten about it. I googled it to check, and apparently the news came out almost a year ago that both Perry and Matt LeBlanc have new comedies coming out. According to OK! Magazine, Perry will be playing “a sports arena manager who has a midlife crisis as he enters his 40s and is dumped by his girlfriends.” ABC has a page up for the show with the announcement that it’s coming “later this season.” It also has Allison Janney in it!

LeBlanc is playing himself on a new Showtime series “about a hit British comedy that is imported by an American network, which dumbs down the show and casts Matt in the lead role. Matt has to audition to play himself.” That show, called Episodes, will be out this January.

Perry probably made the right decision to turn down Aniston’s offer. Now only would it have probably made him look desperate, a guest appearance by Aniston might not have done much to boost ratings. Aniston’s guest appearance on Cougar Town didn’t seem to help ratings at all, as the show finished third in its time slot.

Here’s a no-brainer about how former “it” girl Paris Hilton hates that her old friend, Kim Karadshian, is now much more famous and in-demand than she is. I remember back in 2006, when Paris had that “Stars are Blind” sort-of hit, and was still friends with Kim, who would tag along with her to photo ops and events. Then in February, 2007, Kim’s sex tape with Ray-J came out and Paris is said to have snubbed Kim by not inviting her to her 26th birthday party in Vegas. Now Paris is seeing Kim’s career skyrocket while she struggles to earn appearance fees. Paris is pissed, because she think she taught Kim how to work a red carpet and stick her name on cheap slave labor product lines:

While the official word from Paris Hilton’s camp denies she has anything but admiration for former BFF Kim Kardashian’s meteoric rise into the popular culture stratosphere, I’m hearing the hotel heiress is envious of her pal’s amazing financial success.

“It was Paris who really showed Kim the ropes,” said a longtime observer and acquaintance of both women. “Thanks to Paris, Kim learned how to work a red carpet, develop a reality TV show and — most important — turn herself and her entire family into a major marketing brand, now worth millions.”

According to the source, Hilton is somewhat irked that Kardashian is paid far more than she is for special appearances and overall makes more now from her various endorsement deals and the Kardashians’ multiple reality shows.

Meanwhile, Hilton continues to work on the reality series she is hoping to launch with Charlie Sheen’s estranged wife, Brooke Mueller.

[From The Chicago Sun Times]

Ooh I like that last line about how Paris is “hoping to launch” that reality show with Brooke Mueller. That suggests that it hasn’t even been picked up yet, which amuses the hell out of me.

Kim didn’t get any tutelage from Paris that the rest of us couldn’t have picked up from reading a few tabloids a month. All she did was follow Paris’ sex tape, reality show, baby-voiced T&A template. We were all sick of Paris anyway and needed some new mind numblingly vapid family to take our minds off the real world. That reminds me that Kim’s 15 minutes have got to be just about up. I pray that some new blood comes to take her place and that Kim and her countless sisters don’t continue to try and pass off dumb stunts and TMI as entertainment.

Look at how pretty Kim Kardashian used to be before she’d even had a nose job.

We got an e-mail from someone last week asking us to look into the fact that Jessica Simpson’s ever-present hairdresser BFF, Ken Paves, was no longer hanging out with her. They wrote “[Ken] is not in NYC doing hair for Jess & her girls for her fashion show & has completley distanced himself from the Simpsons… Something is wrong here.” Sure enough Ken wasn’t around when Jessica had her big fashion show, so she hung all over her new man Eric Johnson instead. Kaiser mentioned this rumor when we first heard about it and wondered if Ken didn’t like Eric or if Jessica and Ken were fighting over something. E! has some insider information that these two are over, and quotes a source who claims “They had a major fight” and “Jessica’s devastated.” Ken denies that he’s upset with Jessica, but he does admit that he hasn’t seen much of her lately.

However, according to a source close to the singer, the hitherto constant companions are “over.” The suddenly former BFFs, almost inseparable over the years, had some problems over the summer, with Paves no longer speaking to Simpson over “something petty.”

“They’ve had a major fight,” the Simpson insider tells E! News. “Jessica’s devastated over it, she loves Ken. He just won’t speak to her at all.”

Simpson tried to make amends, even inviting Paves along to her 30th birthday party in Capri in July, where she brought along her family, girlfriends and new boyfriend Eric Johnson for a relaxing getaway.

Paves, who was always Jessica’s shoulder to cry on though her many loves and losses, turned her down.

“She was so upset,” says the source.

Along with some other drama, Jessica is said to be upset that Ken has been tweeting his love for his other galpal, Eva Longoria, calling her his “best friend.”

“Jessica was heartbroken, they were so close. Maybe one of them will come around,” the source says.

Paves and Simpson, who even collaborated a line of clip-on hair extensions called Hairdo, haven’t been snapped shopping or dining together in months, but maybe Paves is softening, reaching out over Twitter, saying sorry for the loss of Jessica’s beloved pooch, Daisy in early Sept..

But on Sept. 12, Ken tweeted that he loved his friends, and did not include Jessica in those he mentioned.

Still, there’s hope these two kids could work it out. Although Paves did not attend her denim debut at Fashion Week in New York, he did send her a tweet reading, “@JessicaSimpson have an amazing show!! Strut your stuff ladies!”

And he insists there’s no rift between the two, telling E! News he’s been unable to travel to see her because of projects.

“Jessica and I are definitely still friends. Jess is very supportive of my other relationships as I am of hers! The truth is we have both been busy and on different schedules,” he says. “I know Jessica is very excited for me! I’ve brought her dad Joe on to manage these projects. It’s all in the family! We are all definitely still friends…”

[From E! Online]

Jessica may be the type of person who ignores her best friend when she has a new boyfriend or maybe Ken just couldn’t deal with the fact that Eric was hanging around all the time. It’s got to hurt, though, to be replaced by Eva Longoria. Ken has also been tweeting with a Singer named Nyke Prince and has posted photos hanging out with her and several other people. Maybe these two just grew apart or Ken got other friends. It happens. I guess Jessica is going to have to find another sperm donor if she finds herself single and 40. She’s got time.

Note: the photo above is from 2006 and Jennifer Aniston has her old nose

We’ve heard rumors of a Friends movie for years, and rumored holdout Jennifer Aniston has made it clear in the past that she’s not on board. In an interview with Hello! published in August, 2008, Aniston said “I believe [a movie] wouldn’t be a very good idea. Friends was a wonderful time in my life and is now – like so many other things – a chapter that’s been closed. Let’s keep looking forward.” Courteney Cox addressed a potential movie in an interview just last week. She said that she wishes that Friends could be a film phenomenon like Sex & The City but that “I don’t think it’s going to happen,” and added that it would need to have the same creators. “Would [series creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman] want to write it? Because they’d have to be involved. I don’t know … a lot of things would have to break just right for it to work. But we’ve daydreamed about it.”

According to the National Enquirer, Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox are indeed hoping to make a Friends movie in the same vein as Sex & The City. They’re also allegedly secretly writing a script for it:

Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox are so jealous of the runaway success of the “Sex and The City” franchise, they’ve hatched a plan to take “Friends” to the big screen, say sources.

The BFFs are working on a top secret script – and it looks like Jen may also direct the project.

“After years of saying no, Jen and Courteney decided the time is right for a ‘Friends’ reunion, an insider told the Enquirer.

“Courteney and Jen both watched with evnt as the ‘Sex and The City’ cast parlayed their cable TV show into a massive movie success, said the insider.

“So Jen is campaigning to make a ‘Friends’ movie finally happen.” And with Jen’s back, the project is all but a sure thing…

Jen is campaigning to get the series’ creators, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, to give the movie their blessing. But she’s already called the rest of the show’s cast – and they’ve all given a big thumbs up to the idea.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, June 28, 2010]

So is the Enquirer taking the hints that Cox may have been dropping in that interview and running with them? They may have insider information. We heard from the actor who played coffeehouse barista Gunther last September that a movie was already planned and that everyone had signed on. I could see a Friends movie coming, but it will probably be a pale overly packaged version of the original, like that movie franchise excuse for selling us more Sex & The City than we can take. Of course all the actors are on board. There’s a ton of money to be made and apart from Jennifer Aniston and maybe Courteney Cox, we haven’t seen many of them on either our small or big screens lately.

Jennifer Aniston and Nicole Kidman on set

A couple of days ago, we heard that Jennifer Aniston had a “life coach” in the form of her long term acting coach, who was now advising her on major life decisions, like who to tell the tabloids she was dating. The “life coach” sounds like more of a good friend to me, and if Aniston likes getting her advice then more power to her. Sometimes I wish I had someone wise advising me on important matters too, but I think the real issue is that I’d rather have Aniston’s problems than my own. It would be nice to be worried about what multi-million three month long contract to take and which Brazilian tile to use in the guest house bathroom.

This week’s Star, and again I said Star, is reporting that Aniston’s good friend and yoga instructor, Mandy Ingber, is going to move into her newly renovated Beverly Hills mansion. Aniston is going to get a roommate! The best friends are “planning pool parties and barbeques” this summer and are looking forward to spending some quality time together. Ingber was recently seen in Hawaii, where Aniston flew her to the set of her movie Just Go With It, presumably to help her work out.

Jen has invited Mandy to move into her mansion back home in Beverly Hills, Star has learned exclusively.

After several failed relationships with men and with no new prospects on the horizon, Jen’s ready to make a change. “I think she thought, living with men hasn’t worked out for her in the past, so why not try a close friend?” says an insider. “Jen’s been wanting companionship.”…

Finally she asked 42-year-old Mandy, who is also single, to share her Zen-inspired home. She and Jen spend loads of time together as it is – not only do they hang out as friends, but Mandy also regularly travels with Jen on film shoots and vacations to guide her daily yoga session. “Jen offered Mandy a bedroom with her own bathroom,” says another insider. “She sees her as a friend, a sister, a confidante. Jen has cried on Mandy’s shoulder a lot of hte years, so she would do anything for her. Jen trusts Mandy implicitly.”

And Mandy certainly doesn’t mind the perks of living with the A-listers. “She loves it there because there’s a staff to take care of everything, like buying groceries and doing the laundry. It’s like a hotel,” adds the insider.

[From Star Magazine, print edition, May 17, 2010]

You know that the inevitable, “Aniston has a girlfriend” rumors will start to fly if this story is true. Aniston has always been close to her female friends, and I remember her telling David Letterman that she had about ten good girlfriends. She said back in December, 2008 that she realized as she got older that she didn’t have as much time for her friends. “There’s always those ten good solids [friends]. As you get older, the number gets smaller and you realize… you just don’t have enough time. Time is precious.”

That’s nice that she offered a place to Mandy and that they’ll soon be living together. They won’t have the typical roommate issues either like “Did you drink my entire bottle of 1987 Pinot Noir?” Aniston’s staff will make sure that the wine cellar and fridge are stocked while those two are off doing yoga, getting pedicures and gossiping.

When I looking for photos of Aniston and Mandy together I checked Mandy’s website. On her press section she includes the covers of all the magazines that have mentioned her, including tabloids which feature Jennifer Aniston and have titles like “Obsessed with Angie” and “Jen Gets Revenge.”

Update: Aniston’s rep has denied this report, and said “Mandy is not moving into Jen’s house.”

Mandy Ingber is shown below on 10/25/09. It’s not a flattering picture of her but is the only one I could find. Credit: WENN.com