We have two new attention-whore celebrity couples that hit the scene around the last two weeks. John Mayer and Jennifer Aniston are trying to act like they’re not courting the press, but they’re snuggling poolside at a hotel and hitting up the paparazzi hot spots with shit-eating grins on their faces. Mariah and Nick got married after a whirlwind romance and quickly sold their Bahamian wedding photos and the story of their everlasting kiddie love to People. They’re probably calling the paparazzi, who show up in droves to photograph a beaming Mariah and wary-looking Nick trying to help her wade her way through the camera-weilding crowd.

Yesterday Nick and Mariah went to the annual event for Operation Smile, where Nick was DJing, so at least they’re benefiting charity. Mariah showed up late and made sure to visit Nick and give him a kiss in the DJ booth. Nick is said to have pointed at Mariah in the audience frequently and to have played her hit “Fantasy.”

As for the wedded bliss, Mariah called it “fantastic” and “A stone smash” to the press last night

So who’s more annoying?

Nick and Mariah, who get my vote, are shown outside Operation Smile’s annual party yesterday, thanks to Splash News.

John Mayer spoke somewhat candidly to Entertainment Tonight about the fact that his new romance was all over the tabloids this week. He said it’s fine with him, that he’s not going to deny it, and that “There are much worse problems in the world. Everything’s cool.”

“You know what I did?” said Mayer, when asked Monday night about the fun photos of the two who hit the town together during the last week of April. “I looked at it and I said, ‘That’s about right.’ What am I going to say, ‘That’s not me’?”

The singer has been mum about his romance with Aniston on his own blog. But at the Met’s Costume Institute Gala gala in New York on Monday, Mayer was happy to tell reporters, “You carry on and you enjoy yourself and you continue to live with dignity and everyone has fun.”

He also stressed that all the attention was just a blip in the grand scheme of things, telling Entertainment Tonight, “Listen, this is not a scandal, this is not an issue, this is not a problem, this needs no spin control. This is me living my life and a guy with a really powerful lens and I don’t fault him.”

“There are much worse problems in the world,” he added. “Everything’s cool!”

[From People]

People were pretty skeptical when the photos of John and Jennifer sunbathing together came out. They assumed the pictures were a set up like so many other celebrity bikini photos. The women at Hollyscoop are thick with the paparazzi and they say it’s not so - an employee at the hotel where they were staying took those pictures with an iPhone from far away. That would be consistent with Mayer’s account that the snapper had a “powerful lens” or otherwise went unnoticed to him.

Meanwhile Mayer was seen “all over” another woman on Friday night in NY at a club with Adam Levine. Levine also dated Jessica Simpson, and I wonder if he and Mayer compared notes. Maybe we shouldn’t declare Mayer and Aniston a couple just yet.

Mayer is shown out at the Costume Institute Gala in NY last night, thanks to PRPhotos. Jennifer Aniston is shown poolside in Miami - not with Mayer - on 4/4/08, thanks to Splash.

John and Jennifer weren’t introduced by Sheryl Crow, have supposedly been seeing each other for weeks
In case you were wondering how John Mayer and Jennifer Aniston hooked up, it wasn’t through mutual friend Sheryl Crow as a lot of us were speculating. People Magazine reports in their print edition that they met at the pre-Oscar party of CAA agent Brian Lourd and were “first introduced… by a staffer at the talent agency, where both are clients.”

People also quotes a source as saying “They’ve been seeing each other for weeks now. It’s very real.”

Jennifer e-mailed John an invitation to join her in Miami
And US Weekly claims to have the inside information on how their Miami jaunt was set up. Aniston is said to have sent a sweet e-mail to Mayer telling him to come meet her for a few days r&r. US claims that they’ve been e-mailing for a while, but maintains that the weekend in Miami was their first real hookup.

Jennifer Aniston invited her e-mail buddy John Mayer to Miami, where she’s been shooting Marley & Me. “She told him it was beautiful down there,” says a friend of the rock star, “and she had a few days off from filming, so the time was right.”

So on April 23, the pair - who a source says have been e-mailing since a chance encounter six months ago - took their cyberflirting to person-to-person passion…

The two are said to have spent five days together in Miami, including a grocery shopping trip that had them looking surprisingly domestic as Mayer packed bags into their car. They are even said to have had a couples’ massage on Saturday at their suite at the Conrad Miami, where they moved after first staying in Aniston’s suite at the Mandarin Oriental. Aniston is said to have arranged for the massage.

Of course a lot of people are skeptical if their relationship is even real. MSat wrote an article in which she said she didn’t believe it “for a millisecond”

To me it looks like they are together and that they just threw caution to the wind and had a great romantic weekend. As for whether it will last, I would guess that it depends on how patient Aniston is and if Mayer can keep his libido in check. According to a source quoted in In Touch, Mayer predictably did most of the talking on their intimate lunch date. You can imagine that would get old fast, but Mayer also has a reputation as a player and he might skip out before he can become truly annoying.

Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer enjoyed a Friday late afternoon lunch date together. The meal then led to a dinner date later the same night. Translation: they hooked up.

“Jennifer Aniston had a late private lunch with musician John Mayer in a Miami restaurant that opened Friday afternoon just for them, and then the couple spent a lengthy dinner together Friday night.”

[People]

The two spent over an hour and a half eating lunch together at Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in the Miami Design District. The manager, being a clever fellow, open the doors early for the couple. Like any normal lunch date they had an intimate conversation and kept close. Jen ordered a chopped chicken salad and then proceeded to eat some of Mayer’s Serrano ham sandwich. They then split a chocolate-and-peanut-butter layered dessert.

After enjoying Aniston’s company at lunch, Mayer was seen with the former “Friends” star out at dinner later that night. This time he had his arm around her after they shared another dinner date at Casa Tau on South Beach. They left around one in the morning and headed back to Aniston’s hotel holding hands.

Aww. I wonder if John Mayer made his sleeve tattoo dance for her.

John Mayer is shown at the premiere of “The Bucket List” on 12/16/07, thanks to PRPhotos. Jennifer Aniston is shown on the set of “Marley and Me” on 4/21/08, thanks to Splash News.

Jennifer Aniston has founded her own production company with partner Kristin Hahn, who worked with her in Plan B Entertainment, the production company Aniston formed with her ex, Brad Pitt. Aniston’s new production company is called “Echo Films,” and they already have several projects in place with Universal films to adapt books for the big screen. Hahn and Aniston explain:

“We particularly like working from books and real-life stories about distinct characters that embody something relatable and relevant about human nature’s double-sided coin of vulnerability and mettle,” Hahn said.

That theme prompted the company’s name, Aniston said.

“We’re drawn to stories about people finding their voice and finding their way because they help us as listeners and viewers do what we feel we’re all trying to do, which is making sense of our lives through the stories of others,” Aniston said. “That’s why we chose the name Echo, to echo back an idea, a challenge, something that resonates through all of us.”

[From Variety]

The Variety article states that most of the films “will be developed as star vehicles for Aniston,” and isn’t that why actors and actresses start production companies? It’s a smart move for her and one that will keep her employed in the industry for years to come. They have at least six projects currently in the works, only one of which Variety notes isn’t going to include her as an actress.

They’re producing two films about marriage problems: “Getting Rid of Matthew,” based on a British bestselling novel about a publicist who tries to befriend the wife of the man she’s having an affair with in order to get rid of him, and “The Divorce Party,” based on an upcoming book about a husband and wife who hold a party on their 35th wedding anniversary to announce their divorce.

Other films in the works from Echo include “Counter-Clockwise,” based on an aging study at Harvard, and “Love: Todd,” about a tennis instructor and his precocious student. Aniston will not appear in “Love: Todd.”

There’s also “Chemistry,” a dramedy about the brain chemistry similarities between obsessive compulsive disorder and romantic love, and “The Goree Girls,” about a all-female band formed from Texas inmates. Aniston will star in that one, according to Variety.

Aniston is shown on set on 3/17/08, thanks to Splash News.

Kate and Owen in a photo last year
They’ve been trying to keep their rekindled romance under the radar, but Kate Hudson and on-again love interest Owen Wilson, who was most recently rumored to be getting a little somethin’ from co-star Jennifer Aniston, were spotted having an intimate dinner together in Miami on Wednesday night.

Caught in the Act: Kate Hudson, holding hands over dinner with Owen Wilson at Michael’s Genuine in Miami. There with the producer of Wilson’s film “Marley & Me,” the actors “looked like a couple,” a source tells us. Adds the source: “They were very lovey dovey!” Hudson also has been spotted shopping in Miami recently. The actress stopped by Genius Jones baby store where she bought LIKEaBIKE, a toy to teach children how to ride a real bicycle, and some Marc Jacobs clothing.

[From People]

To hell with Kate and Owen. I wanna hear more about this LIKEaBIKE thing! I have an 8-year-old who refuses to lose her training wheels because she took a bad fall off her bike last summer. Little Ryder sure has a cool life.

Oh, yeah, topic! Well, I guess this kills those “Owen and Jennifer, sitting in a tree” rumors. Unless, of course, you believe Star Magazine, which claims that there is an Owen-Kate-Jennifer love triangle brewing.

Last week, Star told you that sparks were flying for Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson on the Miami set of the upcoming film Marley & Me. But don’t count out Kate Hudson just yet!

Star has learned that after word got out about Jennifer and Owen’s explosive chemistry, Goldie Hawn’s daughter raced back to Florida to pour on the charm.

“When Kate heard that Owen was going to work with Jen, she wasn’t worried, because she thought Jen was older and not Owen’s type,” says an insider. Plus, the two women have been friends for years. “Besides, Jen used to date Vince Vaughn, and Kate knows that Owen is Vince’s good friend and that Vince still cares for her. But once Owen started raving to Kate about Jen, saying how cool and pretty she is and how much he liked working with her, Kate got worried.”

Even though Jennifer has recently been linked to Brian Bouma, a crew member on her last movie, Traveling, Kate has cause for concern. Eyewitnesses in Miami say that Owen and Jen are growing closer as they play an on-screen husband and wife.

“They’re laughing all the time and always touching and hugging, even when the cameras aren’t rolling,” says a source. “Their connection is amazing!”

They’ve been meeting up after hours, too, sources tell Star. Owen is staying at a private home on exclusive Star Island, and Jen is at the deluxe Mandarin Oriental hotel. But on March 14, the actor was spotted entering the Mandarin — and he didn’t leave until 10:30 a.m. the next day.

“He arrives and leaves when no one is around,” says a source in Miami. “They seem to be trying not to be seen together.”

Kate was in Miami earlier in the month but left for New York — with son Ryder — to see her ex-hubby Chris Robinson. But word soon drifted back about Owen and Jen’s hot connection — and Kate quickly returned to Florida. She flew in on Saturday, March 15, says a source, and spent the night with Owen on Star Island. Later that weekend, the couple were spotted at a private classical concert at the Lincoln Theater in Miami Beach.

“They looked adorable together,” says an eyewitness. “At one point, Owen put his hand on Kate’s leg. She was giggling like a schoolgirl. They didn’t seem to hide their affection.”

[From Star Magazine]

Hmm. Maybe Owen and Jennifer were trying not to be seen together because every time they are, the tabloids go nuts and say they’re getting it on! But I digress. I seriously doubt Jennifer and Owen are anything more than very good friends who are playing a married couple in a movie. But, how crazy would that be if she really DID break up Owen and Kate’s relationship– and became, in essence, a WASP-y version of her nemesis, Angelina Jolie? I think people’s heads would explode. So, I’m officially rooting for an Owen-Kate-Jen love triangle. The end.

Thanks to popbytes for the Star Magazine cover.

It seems like the Team Aniston/Team Jolie loonies aren’t the only ones who just can’t let this story go.

Sheryl Crow, who became chums with Jennifer Aniston during her battle with breast cancer, recently mouthed off about Jennifer’s three-year-old split from Brad Pitt. Sheryl was comparing the media coverage in that breakup to the coverage of her own split from bicyclist Lance Armstrong. She claims that both she and Aniston dumped their men, but the media says it was the other way around.

Sheryl Crow has claimed that Jennifer Aniston dumped Brad Pitt rather than the other way around.

The couple split in 2005 after five years of marriage amid rumours that Pitt had fallen for Angelina Jolie on the set of their movie Mr and Mrs Smith.

However, Crow said she learned the truth when she became friends with Aniston after the actress ditched Pitt and she split from cyclist Lance Armstrong.

She said: “For both of us, the perceived idea is that, in our big relationships, we both got dumped. Believe me, this is not true. Neither one of us has ever gotten dumped. No one ever knows what goes on in relationships.

“Unfortunately, for some people like Jennifer and me, so much is written about things that you don’t say, and so many emotions are attributed to you that you haven’t had.”

A friend also insisted that Aniston had called time on the marriage, telling the National Enquirer: “Once Jen saw the writing on the wall, she dumped Brad.

“She took a cold, hard look at her marriage and realised it was irretrievably broken. She and Brad had vastly different personal agendas and feelings about love, career and having a family.”

From Showbizspy UK]

Does anyone really care about Lance and Sheryl or Brad and Jen anymore? I mean, really care? It seems to me that in the Brad-Angie-Jennifer triangle, those three individuals are more than over it and moved on years ago. As for Lance and Sheryl, I never gave a crap about them in the first place. Both of them are boring as hell, so together, they were twice as boring. Who cares who dumped whom? My guess is, Sheryl was looking for some free publicity to promote her boring new CD and she knows that there’s no faster way to get attention than to bring up the Pitt-Aniston divorce.

Picture note by JayBird: Here’s Sheryl Crow taking her son Wyatt on a shopping trip in West Hollywood yesterday. Images thanks to WENN.

Angelina and Brad were at the Independent Spirit Awards over the weekend, where they revealed Angelina’s baby bump. They didn’t show up at the Beverly Hills Hotel for the charity event that night in which Angelina was listed as a co-host along with Jennifer Aniston and about 10 other celebrities. The ultimate in Hollywood showdowns didn’t happen, and it was Brad and Angelina who skipped out while Aniston attended for about an hour:

ANGELINA Jolie and Brad Pitt, expecting their second biological child, avoided an Oscar meeting with Pitt’s ex Jennifer Aniston by pulling out of a party they were all set to attend.

The pair were due to meet Brad’s ex-wife Jennifer at a pre-Oscars party at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Saturday, but instead decided to go to the nearby Film Independent Spirit Awards.

Aniston spent an hour mingling with stars including George Clooney, Jake Gyllenhaal, Seal and Heidi Klum before retreating back to the one of the hotel’s private bungalows.

[From The Sydney Herald]

I initially thought that the whole Aniston vs Jolie-Pitt faux feud was just media hype, until they skipped the party, but were still seen at the Independent Spirit Awards that same night.

Angelina was nominated for a Independent Spirit Award for best actress, so that would explain why she decided to head there instead of a pre-Oscar party. Angelina lost in the best actress category to Ellen Page, who took home the Independent Spirit award for her performance in Juno. They weren’t nominated for any Oscars, and didn’t attend the ceremony or any Oscars parties. The couple didn’t attend last year’s Oscars ceremony or parties, either, so maybe this was just par for the course for them.

Note by Celebitchy: The party was press free and there are no photos outside the event that I can tell, so I’m not sure how the Sydney Herald knows that Brad and Angelina didn’t attend. It sounds like they’re assuming that they didn’t go based on the fact that the Independent Spirit Awards were that night too.

Update by Celebitchy: Thanks to everyone who pointed out that The Independent Spirit Awards were over by 4 PM, which was plenty of time to go to this party. Many people went to both and there were pictures taken outside.

Thanks to Splash News for these pictures from Saturday.

Obviously those pictures of Jennifer Aniston with the teeny, tiny little belly (and great legs) with the associated baby bump speculation have gotten her worried about her figure – she’s taken up cycling, with a little help from Courteney Cox.

Courteney Cox has bought Jennifer Aniston a $12,000 Chanel bicycle.

The actress bought her ‘Friends’ pal the expensive pushbike after she expressed an interest taking up cycling.

A source close to the star said: “Jennifer said she wanted to start bike riding because it’s such good exercise. So Courteney sent her the new, ultra-chic Chanel bicycle.”

The bike features eight speeds, weighs 36lbs and comes complete with a quilted leather seat and saddlebag emblazoned with the famous Chanel ‘CC’ logo.

The source continued: “Courteney only sent Jennifer the bike two weeks ago but she already loves it! She goes out riding all the time.”

Sydney Morning Herald

Some friends are better than others – pun intended. Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston seem to have a friendship that is going to last for all their lives, which is a very valuable thing. Perhaps even more valuable than a Chanel bike. Who even knew Chanel made bikes? Do they make those horrid bike pants from the 90s still? I would love to ride around town on my Hello Kitty bike (jealous of my wheels?) with a big linked C on my behind. That would be very attractive indeed.

In other Jen news, it seems that the whole world is speculating that she is either devastated about Angelina Jolie’s pregnancy, or it doesn’t matter to her. I’m leaning on the side of not caring, since she’s probably had three years and four other children to get used to the whole concept of ‘my ex-husband has a family with someone else’. I’m sure she read the news and felt a little pang of regret or sadness, because that is only human, but somehow I can’t imagine Jen sobbing in a corner. Her life seems pretty good to me – particularly if those Jason Lewis rumours are true.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Aniston is shown in Vancouver, Canada on the set of “Travelers” on 1/14/08, thanks to Splash.

I don’t know what to believe about Aniston’s love life at this point. Two weeks ago she was supposedly pregnant and said to be living with Sex and The City hottie Jason Lewis, who had flown his mother into New York to meet her. We were on the pregnancy bandwagon and even thought there was a bump visible in those far-away photos of her in Mexico, where she had a post-holiday vacation with her BFF Courteney Cox and her family and a “mystery guy” who was rumored to be Lewis.

Star Magazine, not the most reliable source I know, is reporting that Aniston met up with Kevin Connolly in Los Cabos and that he was seen rubbing suntan lotion on her back. These two were said to be set up by Tobey Maguire, and although they got along ok they weren’t a love match. What happened to Jason Lewis then?

An insider reveals that Jen, 38, and Kevin, 33, were set up by mutual friends Tobey Maguire and his wife, Jennifer Meyer, while on their New Year’s vacation. However, although Jen seemed to enjoy Kevin’s company, things never went beyond a little flirting. “Tobey and his wife knew it was a long shot,” said the insider, “but think they could have made a love connection…”

The pair were part of a group that included Courteney Cox and David Arquette and their daughter, Coco. “Courteney and David know and love Kevin,” says Jen’s pal. “They think he could be perfect for Jen.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, January 21, 2008]

So was Kevin Connolly the unknown guy seen in Mexico with Aniston and/or did he just meet up with her unexpectedly? Was Jason Lewis there too? Star conveniently forgets that she was even linked with Lewis, despite the fact that they reported that Aniston and Lewis were living together just three weeks ago.

Kevin Connolly was last linked with Dancing With The Stars winner Julianne Hough and even gave her a ring last November.

This article sounds suspicious to me and maybe Connolly just happened to be at the same resort as these two. Other reports have her dating David Spade so it sounds like the tabloids are desperate to pair her with anyone.

Here is Aniston on the set of “Travellers” in Vancouver, Canada yesterday thanks to Splash News.