Rumors have abounded since Friends ended its successful ten year run in 2004 that the cast would make a movie. Every so often one of the cast members would admit they’ve been talking about it, but there was always one holdout, who no one would ever name. Sometimes they’d claim it was one of the guys, though it was often rumored to be Jennifer Aniston.

Supposedly they’re really going to make the film now, inspired by the success (and I’m guessing the money) of the recent Sex & the City film.

The highly anticipated film production of TV series Friends has finally been given the go-ahead, MailOnline has learned. The actors have been inspired by the recent success of Sex And The City, which recently hit cinemas worldwide. A source said: ‘Jennifer, Courteney and the rest of the cast are keen to reprise their roles, under the right circumstances.

‘The box office success of Sex And The City has really got their wheels spinning about how a Friends film could be just as big, if done right. Timing and the script are really important, but now that Courteney and Jen both have production companies, they can potentially get very involved in those decisions.’

While Cox, 44, LeBlanc, 40, Perry, 39, Kudrow, 45 and Schwimmer, 41, were believed to be keen on the reunion, Aniston, 39, is believed to have dragged her heels. Now, however, she is keen to move ahead with the project, which will be produced by Warner Bros. ‘She says she and Courteney have already talked this summer about what they want out of a Friends movie, and if deals can be made with them, everything else can fall into place rather quickly.

[From the Daily Mail]

It sounds like things are as close to happening as they’ve ever been. But when the same rumor has been floating around for four years, it’s hard to tell when/if it’s actually become legitimate. Even though Jennifer Aniston is probably the biggest star from the show, I think all of them could benefit from a successful film. The Daily Mail pointed out that Aniston has had a few okay movies, but she’s still much better known for her personal life than her great movie career. And I’m pretty sure that at this point, Matt LeBlanc should take whatever he can get.

It seemed like there was a bit of a Friends backlash right after the series finale. Suddenly everyone was claiming they never found it funny. Television comedies have really moved in a different direction since then. There are very few traditional sitcoms left on the air – and almost none of them are filmed in front of a live audience anymore. It’ll be interesting to see if people still find the show’s brand of humor funny. Something tells me that no matter what, it won’t compare to the financial success of the Sex & the City film.

Update by Celebitchy: A representative for Warner Brothers has denied that there’s a Friends movie in the works, saying “(There’s) no truth in the story.” Courteney Cox and Matthew Perry’s spokespeople have also denied that there’s a Friends movie being planned. [Details From SFGate]

Matthew Perry was briefly linked with singer/crappy actress Mandy Moore after the two were seen out holding hands on a romantic date together earlier this month. Not much seems to have come of that because there were no further sightings and Moore has seen been seen out with her ex, DJ AM.

Now there’s news that Matthew Perry may also have reconciled with one of his exes, new mom Meg Ryan, right around the same time. The two were first linked this February, and it sounds like they’ve been reacquainted. 38 year-old Matthew and Meg Ryan, 48, had a dinner date at the Chateau Marmont that sounds like it ended with a late night hookup in a romantic hotel suite. They also had another date a little over a week later.

Matthew Perry’s on-again, off-again romance with Meg Ryan appears to be very much on. The couple, who dated earlier this year, met for a late-night dinner date at LA’s Chateau Marmont on November 1, and Matthew even booked at suite at the hotel, says a friend of Meg’s.

“It finally dawned on him that he and Meg have a great connection,” says a friend…

The romance continued the following week, too. On November 10, Matt… and Meg… took in a Swell Season concert at the Wiltern theater in LA.

[From Life and Style, print edition, November 26, 2007]

And while Matthew has been playing the field, dating Mandy and then Meg in quick succession, so has Meg. The former a-lister with the trout pout was seen out on a maybe-date with single Hank Azaria on November 6, which was in between her sleepover and follow-up date with Matthew. Meg was either on a double date with Azaria and another couple, or they were just all together as friends, but the two took pains not to be photographed together as they left the restaurant:

[Meg Ryan and Hank Azaria were] spotted together leaving the exclusive Manhattan restaurant The Waverly Inn on November 6. Meg and Hank dined with NFL Network anchor Rich Eisen and his wife, Suzy Shuster, an ABC Sports sideline reporter.

“As Meg and Hank walked out, he opened the door for her and let her pass,” the eyewitness said. “As soon as she saw a photographer waiting outside, she ducked to the side because she didn’t want to be in the photo.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, November 26, 2007]

Whatever the case, it looks like both Meg and Matthew have active social lives. Maybe they’re just keeping things casual for now.

Meg Ryan is shown on 10/30/07 at The International Women’s Media Foundation Courage in Journalism Awards. Matthew Perry is shown on 10/13/07 at The Lili Claire Foundation Benefit Dnner and Auction. Thanks to PRPhotos.

Singer Mandy Moore, 27 23, and former Friends star Matthew Perry, 38, were spotted out to dinner holding hands in Beverly Hills. Mandy is set to have met Perry at Amici Trattoria for a romantic date that looked like it was one of the first for the pair, and that it was going well:

Page Six spies were astounded last week when they saw the two on a date at Amici Trattoria in Beverly Hills. One source said, “He was already seated and waited for her for 15 minutes until she arrived. He stood up to greet her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. They were holding hands across the table and being really close and laughing a lot the whole time.”

[From Page Six]

Matthew Perry’s career seems to be moving along after his excellent series, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, was canceled. He will next appear in The Laws of Motion with Ginnifer Goodwin and Hilary Swank, which is in post-production. He is also set to film The Beginning of Wisdom, but since the status of the film is listed as pre-production on IMDB, it’s likely to be delayed by the writer’s strike.

Mandy Moore has no future movies lined up, according to her IMDB profile, after the License to Wed debacle. She celebrated the end of her Wild Hope tour last month.

With both Matthew and Mandy in temporary down time, what better chance to get to know each other and fall in love? Eleven years isn’t that much of a difference, and Mandy deserves a doting man in her life. She was reportedly hurt by her ex Zach Braff, and several songs on her new album are said to be about their failed relationship. Mandy told the crowd at a performance last month “I think if someone disrespects you, they totally deserve to have a song written about them.” Maybe her next album will feature lighter, more romantic fare.

Mandy Moore is shown at the ACE Awards on 11/5/07. Matthew Perry is seen at the Lili Claire Foundation Benefit Dinner on 10/13/07. Thanks to PRPhotos.

I don’t believe this is true for one minute, but there’s a rumor that Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston are now an item, and that Aniston recently broke up with Vaughn when he didn’t want to talk about where their relationship was going. Maybe Aniston and Perry hung out together once, but it sounds like Life and Style is making up quotes from a “friend”:

If Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston were seen walking on the beach with their arms around each other where are the pictures? Usually these quotes are made up based on pictures and whatever the writer of the article wants to believe about a celebrity relationship. It doesn’t seem true to me at all, but it would be really juicy and surprising news. It seems like Matthew Perry has more sense than to get involved with Aniston, though. (Go ahead and bash, Team Aniston, I enjoy the debate.)

Here are some pictures of Vince Vaughn at London’s Heathrow airport. [via] He’s such a catch, some other woman will be lucky to have him.

The NY Post’s Cindy Adams reports that a long-rumored “Friends” reunion is now in the works, and that holdout Jennifer Aniston finally agreed to it:

A while ago it was rumored that Lisa Kudrow said that “one of the guys” was holding up the reunion after Kathleen Turner let it slip that she was approached to reprise her role as Chandler’s mom, but then Kudrow denied that a reunion was in the works.

Now that Cindy Adams has reported it, it’s probably true, and I can’t wait! I love that show, although it’s hard to watch now that I have such a poor opinion of Aniston. She must have realized how much she owes to “Friends” and maybe she’ll be grateful to the show for making her famous.

The American Family Institute honored the famous Arquette family yesterday. Family attending included Courtney Cox-Arquette, David Arquette, Patricia Arquette, Rosanna Arquette, and Alexis Arquette. Friends at the even included Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Roseanne Barr, Paul Reubens, Laura Dern, Florence Henderson, and Mickey Rooney.

Alexis Arquette is a transvestite with the full support of her family. It is rumored that Courtney Cox was against a planned reality show featuring her cross-dressing brother-in-law’s planned gender reassignment surgery. She refused to appear in the series, and Alexis has decided not to film the show:

It sounds like Rosanna didn’t want the show to go forward, either.

Here are pictures from the event yesterday.

Celebrities were in attendance at the XBox 360 E3 party in Hollywood yesterday. The folks at Endgadget were also there, and reported about the new peripherals for the XBox, including an add-on HD DVD drive, to be released this Christmas season. They snapped some covert pictures of the new drive, and are not sure how good it will be

Here are Paris Hilton, Michael Vartan, rageaholic Bijou Philips, Danny Masterson, Matthew Perry, Caroline D’Amore and Taryn Manning sampling the goods. Of all the games available, Taryn Manning chose to play PacMan. Matthew Perry also seemed confused by the Jenny Holzer-type screensaver text art.

Are Matthew Perry and Kristin Davis together? It was just a few days ago that we heard that he was with Coyote Ugly star Piper Perabo, so if this is true he must be a busy man:

[via]

(Davis was tied to Steve Martin after pictures of what looked like Davis frolicking on the beach with Martin came out. It turns out the brunette in the pictures was Anne Stringfield, a writer for the New Yorker who bears a strong resemblance to Davis.)

It would be great to see some pictures of these two together - they would make quite a cute couple.

Perry will be starring in a new series with Amanda Peet on NBC this Fall, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

Carmen Electra and the Hilton sisters were photographed at Mercedes Benz L.A. Fashion Week in Culver City, CA yesterday. Matthew Perry also made an appearance sporting a cute spiky hairdo and glasses.

As we reported two days ago, Electra and Navarro are denying reports that their marriage is in trouble because they’re spending time apart:

Looks like Navarro was too busy this time to sit through a fashion show for the sake of his marriage. We can’t blame him.

Matthew Perry showed up at the 2BFree after party in LA last night looking thin and cute.

Perry will be starring on a new series by West Wing creators on NBC this Fall, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. The series will also star Amanda Peet:

It looks like his time at the gym has paid off and we hope Perry’s new show is a success.