Several weeks ago, I wrote about a hilarious and suspicious item in The National Enquirer. It came right on the heels of Bradley Cooper and Renee Zellweger’s breakup, and it was all about how Jennifer Aniston was trying to ride the B. Coop pony once again. Remember, Aniston and Bradley had a minor little thing back in 2009 when they went on some dinner dates. After those dates, Bradley went out of his way to deny that he was dating Aniston, and shortly after that, Us Weekly published an “exposé” about why Bradley and Aniston didn’t work: he thought she was fake, insecure mess.

Anyway, I wrote about the item, and I honestly thought there was probably something there. It seemed like it was perfectly plausible that Aniston was trying to get on Bradley, and it was perfectly plausible that the National Enquirer story had merit, especially when the “source” was saying all kinds of bitchy things about Renee Zellweger (and how Renee “stole” Bradley away from Aniston, because Aniston is always The Victim, Forever). Many of you disagreed with me, throwing a huge pity party for poor Jennifer who WOULD NEVER EVER look at Bradley because… I don’t know, something about Angelina, probably. Well, I told you so. Look who’s publicist got this dropped into People Magazine:

Is it more than a friendly connection? A month after splitting with Renée Zellweger, Bradley Cooper is getting back in touch with Jennifer Aniston.

“In the past few weeks, they have stayed in contact,” a source tells PEOPLE.

The two were first linked in 2009, when they stepped out for dinner in New York, but they didn’t really seem to click until now.

“Jen always had a soft spot for Bradley, and she thinks he is very attractive and charming,” the source says. ” Jen appreciates that Bradley is low-key, loves dogs and is focused on his movie career.”

Cooper, 36, is back in L.A. after promoting his new thriller Limitless in Europe, and the source says the actor plans to spend time with Aniston, 42.

Adds the source: “They have a lot in common.”

[From People]

I earned this, so I’m going to enjoy it: hahahahahahahahahahahaha, suck it. I was right. Here’s what I don’t know: who is pushing this? For the Enquirer story, it was obviously a Team Aniston plant, but I feel like People Magazine wouldn’t have run this story if they didn’t get a nod from both Bradley and Jennifer’s people. We’ll see. If this story stands unchallenged for the next 24 hours, Aniston has gotten herself another Bradley. BUT: Bradley could end up denying this still, like he did before. We’ll see.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

LaineyGossip has been following Elisabetta Canalis’s comings and goings for a while now, even when most of us (me) were pretty sure that Canalis was on the way out. After her seemingly disastrous appearance with George Clooney at this year’s Oscars, I thought she would be long gone. But she’s still with him, and she’s doesn’t give a sh-t if he hates stuff like Facebook and Twitter and any sort of media that would put out a less-than-whitewashed image. Canalis has a Twitter account! It’s kind of unbelievable, but LaineyGossip confirmed it. Here’s Ely’s Twitter feed. It’s mostly in Italian, which I don’t speak, unfortunately.

Anyway, apparently Ely spent her Memorial Day reading magazines and tweeting. Sounds like Lindsay Lohan, actually. But Ely is a bitch, and she’s actually pretty funny, if Lainey’s translation of one particular tweet is accurate. Allegedly, Ely tweeted: “I’m flipping through the new Rolling Stone. Iggy Pop on the cover is the double of Jennifer Aniston.” Oh, GOD. Here’s the original tweet in Italian:

[From Ely Canalis’s Twitter]

Is that an accurate translation? Anyone who speaks Italian, please confirm it or correct it. Now, as to what she said and why she might have said it – well, Ely has met Angelina Jolie. Could it be that Canalis is just a bloodthirsty Team Jolie fangirl? Or that Canalis has had some kind of run-in with Jennifer Aniston and didn’t care for her? Or maybe it’s a larger statement about Iggy Pop and his face? It’s up for interpretation. Actually, not so much. No matter how you look at it, it was pretty bitchy!

Header: Elisabetta Canalis with Clooney on January 17, 2010. Credit: WENN.

The NY Post [via US Weekly] has a pretty damning article about how Jennifer Aniston’s career is faring post-Friends. They quote an anonymous “movie critic” who claims that Aniston is a one note wonder who is no longer young enough to play the romantic lead in films. She’s still doing it, although it’s unknown how much longer she’ll be able to pull it off after the dismal box office performance of her last few films, particularly her latest – Bounty Hunter. The Post’s source also has some snarky things to say about her taste in men, and I don’t disagree with them:

Even some of Jennifer Aniston’s most devoted fans think she should take some time off and reassess her career after her latest flop. “The Bounty Hunter,” a heavily promoted romantic comedy with Gerard Butler, has pulled in just $38.4 million domestically in its first 10 days of release.

Last year’s “Love Happens,” another romantic comedy with Aaron Eckhart, grossed $22.9 million in the US — which was still way ahead of last year’s “Management” with Steve Zahn, which grossed a pathetic $935,000.

“Aniston just can’t play the good friend anymore. She’s aged out, no matter the yoga and the highlights. She just can’t do America’s sweetheart next door. She needs a big wake-up call,” one film critic who didn’t want to be named told Page Six.

“And as for her taste in men, it’s totally off. John Mayer? Gerard Butler? She’s missing a common-sense gene.”
One movie producer who also asked to be nameless said, “It’s hard for any TV stars to make the transition to movies. Certainly no one else from ‘Friends’ made it.”

As to why Aniston can’t break out of the rut and make an action film or thriller, like Angelina Jolie, the producer said, “You don’t go from ‘Friends’ to ‘Transformers.’ Jennifer is just like one of 15 princesses from Great Neck we met at summer camp.”

Though Aniston apparently won’t take a vacation, there is some hope, according to IMDB.com. After “The Switch,” a turkey-baster comedy with Jason Bateman, and “Just Go With It,” in which Nicole Kidman will help Adam Sandler “land the woman of his dreams,” Aniston is set to star in “The Goree Girls,” a musical set in the 1940s about a group of incarcerated country-western performers.

[From The NY Post]

You know, I could go either way on Aniston. I don’t see her appeal nor do I seek out her films, but I don’t get why people dislike her so thoroughly, either. I also don’t think it’s all her fault that her movies aren’t doing that well at the box office. These type of tepid romantic comedies aren’t faring as well lately, especially when pitted against family-friendly blockbuster 3D fare like Alice in Wonderland and How To Train Your Dragon. On the other hand, the film has only grossed $38.4 million in ten days and is unlikely to approach the $88 million domestic take of another romantic comedy also co-starring Gerard Butler – The Ugly Truth. When Katherine Heigl is a bigger box office draw, you know Aniston is in trouble.

As The Post pointed out, Aniston has a couple more romantic comedies coming out before she has a chance to change directions with Goree Girls. Will it be too little too late from Aniston, or will she show us a different side? Judging from her recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar, I’m thinking we’ve seen and heard just about everything we can from her. You never know, though, she could surprise us.

Aniston at various ‘Bounty Hunter’ premieres. Credit: WENN.

Note: this video is cut short and the website they mention makes you fill out a survey to view the full video, which I cannot vouch for. It’s the best quality I could find. There’s another clip below.

Yesterday when I covered Jennifer Aniston’s interviews on Regis and Kelly and Good Morning America I mentioned that I was interested in seeing how she would do on tonight’s Late Show with David Letterman. The last time Aniston was on Letterman, in December 2008, she had an uncomfortable appearance in which she seemed flustered by Dave’s questions. Many of you pointed out that it’s Letterman’s job to make the guest feel comfortable, but I could counter that it’s the guest’s job to have prepared a story to tell and to have worked out the details with the host ahead of time.

Aniston was much better on last night’s show, and given Gawker’s coverage I was expecting it to be a disaster. Dave was a little silly with her, but she was really comfortable and funny and rolled with the punches. She even had a cute story to tell about how she got temporarily abandoned in the trunk of a car while filming Bounty Hunter.

On her inclusion in Architectural Digest
After some goofy banter with Dave, he brought out Aniston’s spread in Architectural Digest, which she also discussed on Regis & Kelly yesterday. She explained why her home was profiled, and it had nothing to do with inserting herself into ex husband Brad’s bathroom reading material. “My architect has been in this magazine many times and he has a relationship with them, and I felt like it was kind of an honor. And I also really wanted to celebrate the craftsmen that worked so unbelievably hard and created one of the most exquisite homes… I’ve never seen such beautiful work.” When Dave asked Aniston to explain her home in a sentence, she said simply “sexy, comfortable.” She also revealed that it’s 10,000 square feet and joked that she sometimes swims in the koi pond at the entrance to her home.

When Dave kept looking for more pictures in Architectural Digest, he thumbed to the back and showed a fake article on himself in which he a one small one story home was pictured with the subtitle “Dave’s suburban jewel.”

Dave also showed the sexy cover of W Magazine that Aniston did with Gerard Butler, and then they brought down the tie that she wore on the cover of GQ for that sexy spread. She gifted it to Dave on her last appearance, and he held it up, saing “Gerry eat your heart out.” Now I can’t wait to see Butler on The Late Show tomorrow night, but you know that Kaiser will be covering that! On a purely superficial level, I really don’t like Aniston’s hair all messy like that with a bobby pin in the side. It makes it look like she needs a haircut.

photo credit: L. Gallo/WENN.com

Jennifer Aniston is joining the ranks of other celebrities by putting out her own signature scent. Her rep confirms the news, but says that the fragrance doesn’t yet have a name. I bet it will be something Spanish and evocative of the beach. Damn her and her multi million dollar bachelorette lifestyle.

Aside from the whole post-Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie pity-party story line that’s been perpetuated by the tabloids for the past five years, Jennifer Aniston is the ultimate aspirational brand.

We want her shiny, shiny golden tresses and preternaturally toned, bikini-ready body. But without a personal mane wrangler and a yoga instructor on call 24-7, that’s unlikely to happen. Instead, maybe we can just make do with smelling like the winsome star.

with a crowded and aromatic field that includes Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Reese Witherspoon, Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jennifer Lopez.

Details of the scent are sketchy at the moment but will be released soon.

According to OK!, Jen, who recently celebrated her 41st birthday with a Mexican getaway, has been developing the perfume for nearly two years, although she is apparently on the fence about what to call it.

[From Wonderwall, thanks to Jade for the tip!]

Let me just say that after I was exposed to mold in an apartment I was living in I’m very sensitive to perfume, some of which gives me a headache. (Not all perfumes, just some.) So I have zero love for any kind of fragrance. If you like to smell like something unique and subtle good for you, but if you reek so bad that it makes me dizzy I’m going to give you the side eye. And don’t ever wear perfume to the gym, damnit! There’s no reason to get your fake-smelling stink all over the exercise room. (I’d prefer to smell b.o. to be honest) Same goes for you and your yoga matt, Jen. I just don’t get the idea of people wanting to smell like celebrities. Sure we want their hair, clothes and bodies but to smell like them? Ridiculous.

Due to my sensitivity I consider celebrity perfumes one of the cheapest marketing gimmicks around, although some celebrities I admire have put out perfumes. (Ok, the only two I can come up with are Halle Berry and Reese Witherspoon, apart from all the actresses that have endorsed other designer fragrances, like Uma Thurman and Liv Tyler.) Despite the A-Listers with perfumes, it still seems like a really douche move. Like who doesn’t have a perfume out? They’re kind of below clothing lines in my estimation. That said, Aniston should have put out her own line of comfortable everyday clothing. I know there are a lot of people who don’t like her style, but she wears very nice staple pieces and basics. Aniston manages to look effortlessly stylish and comfortable without wearing workout gear everywhere (like Renee Zellweger) and that’s an accomplishment. I would dress like her occasionally and I wouldn’t mind having her hair, I just wouldn’t want to smell like something she put together in a lab to be able to afford more trips with all her friends to Mexico. It would probably give me a headache anyway.

This week’s OK! Magazine has an interesting twist on the ridiculous John Mayer interview from Playboy. Because covers with women usually sell better than covers with men, they’re focusing on how John Mayer “betrayed” Jessica Simpson by enthusing about how great their sex life was and how he was addicted to her like a drug. He also went on at length about how much he still cared for Jennifer Aniston and didn’t want her reading his comments on Simpson, but it was like a backhanded compliment meant to highlight the differences between the two women.

So far, Simpson has only maybe-referred to John’s interview with a brief tweet that read “interesting day so far…hmm…at least i am boxing 2-a-days [sic] this week.” (Is she boxing twice a day or 2 days?) According to OK! she’s annoyed that “John would sink so low,” but they’re probably just guessing. The way I imagine it, she laughed and shrugged her shoulders at the stupid sh*t that Jon said. She knows this guy well and she’s familiar with the level of crap he’s capable of spouting, even though she probably took it super seriously at the time. Plus, the story about how he was so addicted to her that he wanted to “snort” her was quickly eclipsed by the other, some say racist, quotes in his interview. Overall he really needs to keep some secrets for his therapist. Did it bother Jessica, though? OK! says so, although they probably should have gone with the angle that Jennifer Aniston was either mad or touched by Mayer’s interview. He did say “I love Jen so much” even though he also said she was hoping that technology would go back to 1998 at the height of her fame.

Jessica Simpson was stunned on Feb. 10 when she awoke to a flood of texts, e-mails and Tweets asking if she had seen ex-flame John Mayer’s Playboy interview. That would be the cringingly frank spill-all in which he likened her to “sexual napalm” and “crack cocaine.”

“Jessica was shocked,” a pal of the singer tells OK!. “She was really pissed off at first when she heard about it, then she read the whole interview, and the first thing that she said was, ‘I’m annoyed John would sink so low.’ ”

Facing a barrage of criticism, John, 32, expressed regret that night at a concert in Nashville. “I quit the media game,” he told the crowd at Sommet Center, voice choked with emotion. “I’m out. I’m done. I just want to play my guitar… I completey forgot about the people that I love and that love me.”

For more on Jessica and John’s show-down, and how she’ll confront him, pick up the new issue of OK! — on sale everywhere Thursday!

[From OK!]

I don’t believe all that. Maybe Simpson was mortified at Mayer’s quotes, but maybe she was secretly pleased too. He went on about how great their sex life was and while he mentioned Aniston he didn’t say much about their connection. Jess is learning to be her own person and she could be dating Billy Corgan, judging by recent rumors and some choice quotes in her Allure interview. She also said that she didn’t learn anything from her past relationships and that Mayer wasn’t the one who influenced her to become a brunette during their relationship. She’s so over the douche.

Star Magazine has a similar take on Mayer’s interview, except they double-down with both Jessica and Jen “stabbed in the heart” by the interview. They say that Simpson is “angry and embarrassed” while Aniston is “taking this really personally.” I don’t know. I would think both of these women would just be relieved to be rid of the ass, but I’m not having all my dirty laundry strung up in public so I can’t tell. Mayer manages to make all his ex girlfriends look bad just by opening his mouth. It almost doesn’t matter if he name drops them or not.

Covers courtesy of CoverAwards.

CB hates when I use acronyms, but OMFG. This interview excerpt (via Us Weekly) of John Mayer’s sit-down with Playboy is f-cking epic. This douchebag… well, there is not one single bone of him that is any way discreet. Mayer talks about how the sex with Jessica Simpson was “crazy” and “like sexual napalm” it was so good. Which, I gues we know now that Mayer is a boob man, right? I mean, when he’s not thinking about boys.

Mayer also discussed Jennifer Aniston, at first complimenting her, saying “That woman was the most communicative, sweetest, kindest person.” But then Mayer says something that I think might actually be right on the money. He’s talking about whether his Twittering broke them up, and while he denies that his excessive tweets played a role, he says “The brunt of her success came before TMZ and Twitter. I think she’s still hoping it goes back to 1998. She saw my involvement in technology as courting distraction. And I always said, ‘These are the new rules.’”

John Mayer is kissing and telling — again.

UsMagazine.com has an exclusive peek at Playboy’s March issue, where the singer, 32, dishes on everything from his past relationships with Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Aniston to his dream mate.

He dubs 29-year-old Simpson (whom he dated from 2006 to 2007) “a drug.”

“And drugs aren’t good for you if you do lots of them,” he says, adding, “Yeah, that girl is like crack cocaine to me.”

“Sexually it was crazy. That’s all I’ll say,” he continues. “It was like napalm, sexual napalm. Did you ever say, ‘I want to quit my life and just f*****’ snort you? If you charged me $10,000 to f*** you, I would start selling all my s*** just to keep f****** you.’”

He didn’t share bedroom details about Aniston, who turns 41 Thursday. But he denied reports that he penned the tune “Heartbreak Warrior” about her. “That woman would never use heartbreak warfare,” he tells Playboy. “That woman was the most communicative, sweetest, kindest person.”

He also denied that Twitter obsession led to their split last year.

“There was a rumor that I’d been dumped because I was tweeting too much,” he says. “That wasn’t it, but that was a big difference. The brunt of her success came before TMZ and Twitter. I think she’s still hoping it goes back to 1998. She saw my involvement in technology as courting distraction. And I always said, ‘These are the new rules.’”

Oh, and how many women has he bedded since their break-up?

“I’m going to say four or five. No more,” he tells Playboy. “But even if I said 12, that’s a reasonable number. So is 15. Here’s the thing: I get less a** now than I did when I was in a local band. Because now I don’t like jumping through hoops.”

These says, he says he is hesitant to settle down.

“I hate being the heartbreaker. Hate it,” he says. “If I date somebody and it doesn’t work out, it’s another nightmare for me.”

Of course, any interview with Mayer would not be complete without an Us Weekly reference.

Asked about his future, he says, “From now on I’m just going to pretend that people really dig the s*** out of me. I’ve been trying to prove to people I’m not a douche bag by not dating, by keeping my name out of Us Weekly. That’s f***** up, man. I’m not dating. I’m not even f******. So now I’m going to experiment with ‘f*** you.’ In 2010 my goal is to get more mentions in Us Weekly than ever.”

You’re off to a good start, John!

[From Us Weekly]

Ugh. “I get less ass now than I did when I was in a local band. Because now I don’t like jumping through hoops.” Shut your douche mouth, jackass. You don’t like jumping through hoops? So, you mean, the ass is falling from the sky? You mean you might actually have to work for it a little? You mean you can’t just point to some girl and say “I’m going to get you pregnant”? F-cking misogynistic psychopath.

Mayer and Jennifer Aniston at the 2009 Oscars & Mayer in London on January 18, 2010. Credit: WENN.

US Weekly hasn’t been the kindest to Jennifer Aniston in the past. (They also rip on Angelina Jolie, so it’s not like they’re taking sides.) I’m thinking of the stories they’ve run that Aniston only dates men who raise her profile and that she was copying Angelina by daring to wear a gown with a high leg slit to an event. In this latest US Weekly story, Aniston is supposedly hoping to be set up with some kind of rich businessman instead of the industry types she usually dates. It sounds like a good idea, but also a familiar one. We’ve heard the millionaire matchmaker say that Aniston needs a powerful business type guy and just last week Brangelina author Ian Halperin claimed Jen had paid over $100k for the services of an elite matchmaker. (Not that I think that’s true at all. If Halperin says it, it’s more likely to be made up.)

Jennifer Aniston, 40, is through with famous men, says an insider, who notes that the actress was left “really messed up and heartbroken” by singer John Mayer.

“She wants to be set up with a wealthy businessman, not a celebrity,” the insider says in the new issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.

Though her rep says Aniston “does not place restrictions on the people who may come into her life,” the insider says pals like Courteney Cox are hoping she’ll settle with an “older, mature man.”

Still, one pal doubts the resolution will stick: “She always ends up drifting back to actors and musicians. Her friends want a normal guy, but she’s drawn to the attention.”

[From US Weekly]

Kaiser and I were talking about whether this post could have been spin from Aniston’s camp at all. I think it’s too snarky toward her and has that kind of “Aniston is desperate for a man” slant that we’ve heard so often. Kaiser agrees, but counters that “her media team [could have been] counting on Gerard Butler keeping it in his pants for a month (HAHA), and [are] trying out a different strategy.” I don’t know. The media will focus on the long-dead triangle whenever they’re given a chance. It doesn’t matter if one of them has something to promote or not. The Bounty Hunter is out on March 10. Will Aniston have a date for the premiere and does she care or not?

Yesterday we heard that Jennifer Aniston was gracing the pages of the March issue of Architectural Digest with photos from inside her newly remodeled home in the Hollywood Hills. People Magazine seemed to think it was a big deal that Aniston replaced his and her tubs in the master bathroom with a spa quality tub (for a “single” person), but it sounded like a sensible move to me. Kaiser sent me a link to the scans of the article posted at Jezebel and I was kind of floored by Aniston’s decorating sense and not in a good way. Let me just say that I love modern, somewhat sparse design and Asian-inspired furnishing. (Think Design Within Reach. Brad Pitt’s home is way too empty.)

Aniston’s “Bali inspired” home is filled with dark, heavy furniture and earthtones. Overall I think it looks a little too 1970s. Some of the furniture overpowers the room, like the giant lamps in the bedroom and the purple plush chairs in a living room. The view is beautiful though and it looks comfortable and well laid out for entertaining. It’s just not to my taste, but it probably looks much better, and much more impressive, in person.

Jezebel posted these photos with big yellow arrows to add some snarky comments that make fun of Aniston’s tabloid persona. It’s not a critique on Aniston so much as on the way she’s been characterized as a sad sap by the media. Some commenters found it tasteless and offensive, but I think Jezebel was just poking fun at the way a very rich, contented woman is being characterized. My favorite comment is this one. “Here is where Jen sits and waits for her phone to ring. Even though this exquisite room has a beautiful view of the lanai, she always turns her back on the foliage, because it reminds her of how much Brad liked to smoke weed.”

Jennifer Aniston appears on the cover of the March issue of Architectural Digest. She shows off her undoubtedly enviable newly remodeled Beverly Hills home inside. I love looking at interior design photos and videos, particularly bathrooms and kitchens, and will be sure to pick up this issue once it hits stands. People Magazine has this news, and is making a big deal out of the fact that Ansiton redesigned the bathroom to replace a his and her rub set with a large spa-quality tub. It sounds pretty awesome and I would probably replace two smaller tubs with a big jet tub even with a partner living with me. There’s nothing “single” about a nice tub that probably fits two. Here’s People’s description:

In the March issue of Architectural Digest – which features photos of the house by Scott Frances, following its 2½-year overhaul – the magazine notes that the master suite is no longer guy-friendly.

“[The house] originally had his-and-hers baths, but Aniston has turned the ‘his’ into a spa bath with a soaking tub,” the magazine reports. Her master bedroom features a wool-and-silk shag carpet, and a platform bed with a TV at the foot.

And Aniston, 40, even describes the Zen-influenced home – whose palette was drawn from Brazilian cumaru (teak) – in an affectionate way. “It’s like a big hug,” she says in the issue, on sale Feb. 9.

Built on a hillside in 1970 with sweeping views of the city, Aniston calls the house “Ohana,” a reference to the Hawaiian idea of extended family. She says the single-level home “vibrates with the love that created it.” Among those who worked with Aniston was designer Stephen Shadley, who also has collaborated with Diane Keaton and Woody Allen.

The house features Aniston’s fruitwood Sauter piano from the 1960s, a dining room that seats 24, and a 1920s Thai gong to summon diners to the long walnut table.

“I entertain for a living, and I entertain,” she says. “The house has a rather glamorous, old-fashioned Hollywood quality. I can just imagine the Rat Pack stopping by; someone is playing the piano, and people are laughing in the next room.”

[From People]

If there’s anything to read into in this brief recap of the interview, it’s the fact that Aniston name-dropped the Rat Pack. Her ex, Brad Pitt, is considered part of the modern Rat Pack along with George Clooney and I guess anyone else that starred in those hard to follow Oceans movies. She probably didn’t mean anything deeper than a reference to old Hollywood, and I personally wouldn’t jump to conclusions. The tabloids are analyzing Angelina’s handwriting and Brad’s beard so you know that they’re going to say Aniston is pining for her ex and is showing off her home in an attempt to invite him in. Pitt has also appeared on the cover of Architectural Digest several times and has shown off his home. Of course there will be the inevitable comparisons.

In related news, Aniston is hosting a Haiti benefit for the organization Americares. The charity event will feature a screening for the film The Last Station and is scheduled for later this month. She also volunteered for George Clooney’s telethon and personally donated $500,000 to various causes benefiting Haiti.