There’s been a lot of speculation over the state of Jennifer Aniston’s career and what she’s can do now that The Switch has so spectacularly failed. The celebrity pundits are all chiming in, and there’s a particularly good overview of Aniston’s career from an ESPN analyst who compares her latest moves to aging sports stars ready to retire. Many people, including that ESPN analyst Bill Simmons, are saying that she’s a television actress who lucked out by getting so famously dumped and subsequently pitied by the media. That whole triangle allowed her to spin a limited acting range into a mediocre but well paid film career that’s just about to peter out, they claim, unless she pulls a rabbit out of her hat. I never really felt that way until seeing Aniston in her latest series of interviews. She was so painfully uninteresting and one dimensional that I found myself agreeing with the critics.
Here’s some of what Simmons has to say about Aniston. I love his analysis and wish more sports guys would give us their take on the celebrity gossip:
That’s seven years, 11 movies, eight clunkers, one above-average (for her) performance and only two solid box-office successes. Two for 11? Certainly nothing to put her on par with Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts or Reese Witherspoon. The other “Friends” stars faded into B- and C-list obscurity (or in Matt LeBlanc’s case, F-list), so why didn’t she?
The short answer: Because of the Angelina/Brad/Jennifer love triangle, which is like Brett Favre’s comeback/retirement/comeback routine multiplied by 10, but has been cruising along for twice as long. The saga evolved in various forms: the betrayal itself; the aftermath, when Aniston licked her wounds as “Brangelina” took off; her futile search for a bounce-back boyfriend; the Brangelina clan expanding; everyone feeling worse and worse for Aniston, with her finally admitting that she was still bummed out; the Brangelina clan expanding again; Aniston’s weird dalliance with the much younger John Mayer, which ended when he talked out of school about her; the Brangelina clan expanding again; Aniston approaching her 40th birthday and wanting a baby; the Brangelina clan producing twins; Aniston hitting 40 with no baby or husband; Aniston passing 40 with no baby or husband; and now we’re here.
People can’t get enough of this stuff. Us Weekly throws Aniston on its cover every few weeks — and if they can work Angelina into the split-cover, even better — just because Aniston resonates with women like no other celebrity. No matter how wealthy or famous or good-looking she is, the nuts and bolts of Aniston’s “tragic” story could have happened to anyone: She lost her scummy husband to a seductive co-worker. Maybe it was the worst thing that ever happened to her personally, but professionally? Godsend. She became America’s adorable little victim for seven years until Bullock finally pushed her aside. People don’t read Us Weekly to see pictures of happily married couples. They read for drama. Tragedy. Betrayal. Acrimony. They read to see someone’s life spinning out of control, or to compare two people wearing the same dress, or to see someone taking out the garbage who’s “just like us.”
Aniston’s life resonates with that demographic better than anyone. Now she’s 41, still hunting for a man, her ovaries rumbling like Earl Campbell, but we’re all a little confused because … I mean, how could Jennifer Aniston, of all people, not find a man? How could someone that attractive need a friend to set her up on dates? What the hell is going on here? Is she secretly super-annoying? Is she terrible in bed? Does she have bad breath or bad hygiene? Are her standards simply too high? Does she still pine for Pitt and any potential mate can sense it?
You’re not going to believe this, but I have a theory …
I think it’s all a farce. I think she gravitates toward guys who could never be a potential husband (seriously, John Mayer?) and FWBs (friends with benefits) over actually finding herself the right match. And here’s why: The longer this drags on, the longer she stays on the A list. Staying single, ending up with the wrong guys, pining for a baby but never having one … career move, career move, career move. Keeps her on magazine covers. Keeps people saying “I feel bad for Aniston, Brangelina really screwed her over; her life’s never been the same.” Keeps a built-in publicity buzz for every crappy movie she promotes. Really, it’s genius.
Swinging this around to sports (and thank God, you were getting nervous): The Aniston dynamic resembles a great athlete who couldn’t win a ring in his prime, but now time is running out and he only has a couple more chances. In sports, we love when this happens! I don’t remember the intimate details of Joe Montana’s last few seasons (or Isiah Thomas, Scottie Pippen, Keith Hernandez, whomever), but I remember everything about Karl Malone’s last few seasons. And Barkley. And Elway. And Marino. And Elgin Baylor. And Ray Bourque. And Gary Payton. And now, LaDainian Tomlinson and Steve Nash. The last stage of their careers became compelling simply because they wanted a ring and we wanted them to win one.
Aniston transferred that same dynamic to the Hollywood world. Say she remarried in 2006 to one of those Rande Gerber-type rich guys who owns cool bars that are in hip hotels. And let’s say they had a kid in 2008. And another one this year. By 2010, would anyone care about Jennifer Aniston? NO!!!!!!!! Only if she was making good movies. Which, obviously, she doesn’t want to do. She’s happy being a likable celebrity with decent comic timing who plays herself in every movie (with only her hairstyle and co-star changing). I think that’s intentional, too. She could have taken more acting chances — remember how good she was in “Office Space,” or as the sexually frustrated wife in “She’s The One” — but seems much more interested in protecting her brand. You can’t differentiate between Aniston when she’s being interviewed, acting in a movie or staring at you on a magazine cover anymore. It’s all the same. That’s the way she wants it.
I say she’s much smarter than we think. Unlike with sports, she knows it’s better for her career if she never gets that ring. She will continue dating co-stars, bad-boy musicians and people with lousy hair for the foreseeable future. You watch. So feel sorry for Steve Nash, but don’t feel sorry for Jennifer Aniston. She’s laughing all the way to the bank.
[From ESPN]
I doubt Aniston is single on purpose or is somehow sabotaging her love life for the sake of her career. She just has spectacularly bad taste in men. I also don\t know if Aniston is protecting her brand like Simmons claims or if she’s just doing what she knows time and again without changing. She is a creature of extreme routine and just like she can’t switch her lunch from a salad with chicken every day she’s not comfortable playing anyone other than Rachel. That’s who she is and she’ll continue to play that role as long as she can get paid for it. That time is running out though, as we saw from the box office performance of The Switch, The Bounty Hunter, and Love Happens. Aniston will next appear in the Adam Sandler movie Just Go With It, and she’s also working on Horrible Bosses, where she plays an oversexed dentist. She may have that last chance career comeback Simmons writes about, and/or she may find “everlasting love with an adult stable male” as she once joked about looking for as a film project to mirror her ideal life. With Aniston, is there any separating the two?
Thanks to Kerry for the tip!
Photos are from 8/19/10. Credit: Fame Pictures
Jennifer picks unchallenging movie scripts which only showcase her in the same romantic-comedy settings, a genre for which she is too old at this point. Her acting abilities are average, at best, and there are plenty of fresh, talented faces on the market that make her no longer viable. I actually thought she was very good in The Good Girl (2002) and think she would do better by taking a break, doing some theater, or finding a different character to play other than “the single girl.”
Why is it that everyone wants to make excuses for Aniston. She has one bomb afterthe other not her fault; she uses the r word on national tv, not her fault, she doesn’t even apologize, she pimps her movie and she is such a trooper and she has racist firends like chelsea handler and she is a so nice. Give me a break. If it were not for her getting dumped by Brad would anyone even know her name. I doubt it. By the way if this were Angelina people would be bashing her all over the place. Such a double standard.
Smart Water, is it? I believe last year she made a comment about eventually being a “character actress” but now is not that time–she equates a character actress with being old, out of shape and second rate. Frances McDormand, Kathy Bates….Oscar winners. let’s make a list.
Maybe she’s still so famous because gossip blogs post daily about her? 😀
I don’t think her career or personality have ever warranted the attention paid to her, but she’s hardly the only person that happened with. There are a lot of acting careers that got bigger than they should have and sort of petered out over time, but what I don’t get is the media’s new fixation on continuously making her an example of it. If people find her so boring and untalented then just ignore her.
There are a lot of sub-par actresses out there who do the same sort of flick over and over, Kate Hudson to name one. We seem to pick on Aniston a lot for it, but who really cares, unless you’re the studio and you see this as more of an actress problem then a script problem.
I honestly believe some women are just not lucky in love. I count myself as one of them.
Wait a tic, she has said several times she wishes she could play different roles, but no one will accept her in those, so she doesn’t get them offered to her. How is this her fault? She is not any more annoying than a Julia Roberts or Cameron Diaz. Why does she get all the vitriol?
This is my bias personal opinion.
Wow, this has turned into a “Let’s hate Aniston” week here at Celebitchy.
She isn’t any different than any other actress in LA. You have a small window to make alot of money and you better take it while you can. So if she is going to get paid for her crappy movies then more power to her.
She isn’t hurting anyone. She is not home wrecking her way through town. Flashing her naked cooch at the camera. Getting big fake boobs or jacking up her pucker with injections. Or being a general cracked out public mess.
She is pretty harmless on the scale of craziness that comes out of LA.
So why all the hate?
She’s still famous because she was married to Brad, it was a dreamrelationship for mos of the world and people are still pulling for her to get eternal happines.
Lastly, she has an AMAZING body.
That was a surprisingly good take on her career for a sportswriter. Well done, ESPN guy!
I think Simmons brings up some good points. I think she is smarter than we give her credit for since no other actor would be able to keep putting out turds like she does and keep getting offer after offer making millions. She plays up all the tabloid fodder to make herself an object of pity – denying the occasional rumour. Pretty clever really.
Horrible Bosses sounds like something different for Aniston and the cast IMO is to good be in the same film with her. I am holding my breath because that could be her film, that could be her next Office Space but only bigger.
I am not sure how stupid she is, with people now finally pointing out what us in the other camp already knew whats her next move? Can Aniston deliver great acting? Is that why she holds on to the pity party because she sucks as an actress and the only way for to stay afloat is to keep the triangle going? I just want the triangle to die already. I want Aniston to let go of Brad and Angie and ride on her own stars.
“Where will Jennifer Aniston’s career go?”
Hopefully into obscurity.
“Why is she still so famous?”
Beats me.
Jen should take a break because she is overexposed, take 6 months to a year before doing another interview or magazine cover… and let people wonder about what she is doing. Then she should do a glossy HBO movie like Drew Barrymore, Kate Winslet, and Claire Danes did and make sure its completely different and challenging. And I think she needs to get a new PR tactic.
But sadly I don’t think she is going to do any of that.
I agree with all those who say she is not very different from a lot of other actresses and actors whose movies have not done well for a while and still keep getting work. It has always amazed me how some actors will just keep getting money thrown at them even though they’ve had one bomb after another. I know the first person on my list has got to be Kevin Costner. Anyone care to add?
She’s lame, Angelina is way better.
If I was Jennifer Aniston( I wish I had her looks and money!) I would sit down with my agent and demand to see better scripts and more “non Friends like roles” It seems every movie she has been in lately could easily have been a episode of Friends with a different cast member acting opposite her. Jennifer has done some serious roles which have got her some good buzz so why not focus on that and give rom-coms a rest for awhile? Or maybe leave LA for a year and go act on some off Broadway play?
As for the “having children” topic if she does not have her own children(or does not want to have children) she can take a page from her friend Sheryl Crowe and adopt . Plus there is no rush Diane Keaton adopted children in her fifties!
When it comes to her dating or marrying the wrong man(looking at you Brad!) maybe Jennifer and Sandra Bullock should meet for lunch I bet Sandra could tell her a thing or two!
I dont understand why people bitch about her “not taking challenging roles” shes a comedian, drama doesnt do it for her so what? I would think its just as hard to pull of a comedy as it is to keep a drama off the lame side? I also have a problem with people thinking that since she is single and has no kids that she has some kind of flaw-women are not just companions to men and vessels in which to bear their offspring. Its all analytical bullshit.
She made tons of money with Friends. She should have sat back, maybe practiced in the theater, taken some risks with learning the stronger side of the trade, and been very selective about scripts/roles. She had enough money to do that, and her divorce with Brad just would have helped things due to the sympathy factor. But no, she took almost everything she could get her handsd on, with no real considertion of value or her ability to act, and jsut ran with it. Her mistake. But at least she is still rich. I would not mind being pretty, 40’s, rich, single. To me that sounds pretty darn good, specially with all the hollywood candy out there.
Didn’t read the piece but in answer to the headline…. she’s so famous because she keeps her name out there, she looks pretty much like she did 10 years ago and thirty-somethings still have fond memories of “Friends” and it makes them feel comfortable.
She possibly has more talent than her fallback rom-coms allow for but she doesn’t have the balls to check it out. Though after seeing Love Happens and not being able to bother watching the finish, her acting skills don’t seem all that. She’ll be phased out (as an film actress) in the next 5 years. She be down to cameos and maybe even TV cameos.
Poor Jen, I feel sorry for her, oh wait a minute bitch is worth over 100 millions, childree free by her choice, single her choice, horrible actress her choice, yeah poor Jen
I see my comment wasn’t posted…CB I wasn’t talking about you, but the Bill Simmons guy…HIS article is sexist
bill simmons is genius.
I think the reason she is still famous is because she makes herself out to be so pathetic, and people always like someone more pathetic than themselves.
People are rooting for her because right now they still constitute the most important demographic group that swallow those stories in tabs mainly and are interested in her. Younger people don’t watch her movies. They watch Transformers, SALT or the Twighlight….
Her fanbase is older and with a tinier demographic group that don’t include a younger generation who also contribute to the BO of a movie. A generation who will turn 20 – 25 in 5 years from now with more financial ressources which will more and more weigh on the choice of a new actress to back up.
Young people, even when you look young and extremely beautiful are not interested in you. They are interested in your movies if its fits their genre. They only respect you and take you as a model if you have talent. They rather flock seeing Twilight with Kristen than a movie with Halle even if she undress herself.
The day Pitt will turns 50, jennifer will be 45, Jolie 39 and the elder Jolie-Pitt will enter teenage years.
At some point (maybe when Jolie the younger of the three will turn 40 too) the most important demographic group will shift to a younger group who could care less about an old triangle that include people who can be their own parents but will be more interested to a new brand of younger A listers who will take their place.
Maybe she’ll just GO AWAY!!!! Go and have a TRUE PRIVATE LIFE and people will stop writing stories about her and her ex.
“Aniston transferred that same dynamic to the Hollywood world. Say she remarried in 2006 to one of those Rande Gerber-type rich guys who owns cool bars that are in hip hotels. And let’s say they had a kid in 2008. And another one this year. By 2010, would anyone care about Jennifer Aniston? NO!!!!!!!! Only if she was making good movies. Which, obviously, she doesn’t want to do.”
This is gold! Love this guy! Excellent analysis. I do think she’s been playing the public all along.
Behind the mask, it’s either:
A) Sad how Aniston was willing to trade having a family to remain famous
or
B) The real Aniston never wanted kids anyway, so it’s no biggie. Being “unlucky” in love lets her off the hook for not wanting what the minivan majority has — kids and “domestic bliss”. Unlike Cameron Diaz, she’s too chicken to be upfront about her desire to remain childless.
I think it’s B. She prefers to be childless or perhaps adopt later in life. This ultimately is why she and Brad parted ways. He wanted a family and she did not. Would she admit this — no. It works out better for her to scapegoat Brad as “the bad guy” and play the role of the “wronged woman”.
He makes an interesting argument because we still see much more of her than we do of many other celebs, whose work has been as unsuccessful. There was a time when she was A-List and making a million dollars an episode for Friends. When stars got out their calculators, they realized they could clean up on television and it brought more famous faces to the small screen. Besides being part of this, she was also married to one of the most well known film actors in the business.
I agree that her single status which can be slapped on a magazine cover next to the super couple, and sell well makes her someone who stays in the public eye. I’m guessing that she doesn’t want either marriage or kids, but I doubt that is just a savvy career move. Through her marriage to Brad she may have discovered that marriage wasn’t all that great for her. I also think that she could be involved with a lot of men of the Rande Gerber type if she chose to be. She’s attractive and wealthy, and has managed to date herself into one marriage so she can’t be a complete dud personality-wise.
I think her lifestyle and the media happen to conveniently collide and as long as that happens, she’ll get film roles. I do agree that, because of her age, which is a death sentence for women in Hollywood, she probably will be phased out of the media over the next 5 years and, with that, will go the film offers.
If she were smart and ambitious, she’d move into directing. But that comment about the same salad for 7 years makes me think that she doesn’t have the mental makeup for it.
I think Simmon’s called it. Sorry Jen, your veil has been lifted.
Except for all that monies, it must suck to be Aniston. Even her fans are sick of her. Why did Brad ever marry her in the first place?
Great analysis by Bill Simmons, who’s a pretty good writer in general. I agree with his analysis of why she’s still famous. I don’t know if I agree with her deliberately choosing unsuitable mates, however.
When she and Brad broke up, she was still quite prominent, think Friends was just off the air then. The tabloids keep this particular “woman scorned” story going because it appeals to the bulk of their readership, I think. And a lot of that readership, especially if they’re married, seems to take an inordinate interest in the JA/BP/AJ story, taking JA’s side. I think they project their own fears about their spouse dumping them onto that story, some of them; some people get crazy about it.
she’s just so incredibly boring in interviews. Her monotone voice and lack of anything interesting say compounded with her inability to act has me baffled as to why she keeps getting movie roles. I do see why people like her, though. some pity her, some envy her body, and besides a few quotes previously of recent, she’s not very polarizing. I just wonder if she’s afraid to show her real personality and what it really is
I am with Hautie #8,suddenly everbody is hating aniston.
She’s a tv actress with marginal talent, she should go back to TV where she belongs. Tabloids make a lot of money pushing this dead story about her pining for Bread Pitt. Most of the roles she picks are not highly sought after roles, they are boring dramedies, which she’ll continue to make for the next 10 years.
yeah, poor jen doesn’t get offered any really good roles. um, but i thought she had her own production company. doesn’t that mean she gets to pick her own scripts, her own roles, make any kind of a movie she wants to make? so whose fault is it that she makes the same old boring movies???
finally! some great, spot on ANALYSIS. thank you mr. simmons.
Just for fun, how about this..
She’s terrified or just very resistant to being vulnerable and intimate in her romantic life and in the roles she takes so she keeps staying with the roles/relationships that don’t pull too much at her to be really known and expose those deeper aspects of herself.
It’ why she has gotten boring lately because while she’s beautiful and seems sweet and cool enough, there is no sense that she’s sharing anything real, different or interesting about herself in her career choices or her interviews.
That gets very boring and even annoying after a while in any relationship, even between the public and a celebrity.
I don’t think it’s a planned career move at all. Maybe that’s the way Hollywood works and I’m clueless, but it seems insane to me and not very probable.
@Journey
That’s a great point and it’s why
I think we are seeing the manifestations of a woman who is stuck in a rut internally and scared of moving out of a life that has worked for her thus far, is no longer working so great and she’s scared to take the steps out of her comfort zone that could help her move deeper in every level and aspect of her life.
I think that the movie bombing, the backlash she’s gotten over her use of “r” and the constant critique’s across the board could be just the push she needs to take the risk, go deeper and make different choices, which as “Journey” pointed out, she has the freedom to do!
“Aniston hitting 40 with no baby or husband; Aniston passing 40 with no baby or husband; and now we’re here.”
my god! a woman over 40 with no husband or baby? forget the BP spill, america – this is the real tragedy! bill simmons can suck my ass. seriously – what kind of misogynistic bullshit is this? i guess in his world women must be wives & mothers in order to be worthwhile and happy. here’s the deal, dickhead: women who choose to be single & childfree (even over 40) actually enjoy our lives. why? because we don’t end up with some fat slob husband we can’t afford to divorce, we don’t end up with screaming brats that we talk endlessly about, we don’t end up going to disneyland with said brats and slob husband for our vacation, we can do wherever we want without worrying about daycare, our nipples aren’t the size of dinner plates and we can sneeze without leaking. you would never write an article like this about george clooney. so fuck you, bill simmons. fuck you with a chainsaw.
I think deep down, she doesn’t really want marriage and children. NOTHING wrong with that! She may half-want them, but not enough to commit to them.
Is that the Radio man guy in the background of one of those pictures? As for JA, at least she’s working, unlike some useless famewh*res.
I don’t think it’s because she bombs that people, the media are now more and more calling her out.
I think that she is being bashed now becaause she is the actress who for the past several years has the most benefitted from a honeymoon with the public opinion and some kinda of immunity from the media.
There is a huge discrepancy between her celebriy status and her intrinsec worth and quality productivity in her core business.
Look at Charlize Theron, her bombs make jennifer’s ones look like hits. But Charlize deosn’t benefit from that amount of exposure or celebrity status.
Jennifer on the otherhand is tremendously rewarded in spite of her failures or faults that would have been criticized if coming from ANY OTHER actress, even a very young one.
I think the backlash is coming more brutal and sudden because of the fact that people have hold one and because of the perception that she had a long period of grace and forgiveness which she didn’t use properly….like people, the media gave her a joker card to use in case but she didn’t learned to play and or improve her game. Instead she resorted to that card everytime, thinking it is enough to justify that percptible overblown worth.
She basicly gets bashed left and right, right because of an overall sentiment that she is…undeserving not because she bombs, but because of the perception that she doesn’t deserve anymore the favourable treatment she has been granted for years based on her (poor)contribution to her success.
At least that’s how i think it is
I think the article by the sports guy is a very well written but way too analyzed assessment of JA. Why do we draw these conclusions about Jen and not Cameron. Cameron was in a long term relationship with the world’s biggest pop star and got dumped for a younger, hotter actress. Her career is similiar to JA’s minus the television gig, but they gravitate towards similiar roles. And Cameron’s career is in a similiar slump— Knight and Day anyone? It is weird to me to spend this much time and energy assessing JA’s career but overlook that there are other actresses in Hollywood in similiar situations. And @Journey, I think the production company is Plan B which she shares with Brad. She probably takes the money and runs whenever it produces a movie.
@original kate – amen!
Everything about JA screams ‘needy’ to me. Does the woman do anything charitable for anyone else besides herself? Does she use her famous name to help a charity or cause? She needs to DO something significant where her name is in the magazines for a good reason where it’s not about her, her failed marriage and her crap movies, what friends she was seen with, where she went to eat, her lame smartwater or the same old hairdo.
@original kate – seriously. i don’t think i expressed my appreciation enough with the “amen”. that rant – the “suck my ass”, “F me with a chainsaw”, “nipples the size of dinner plates” – just. poetry. *wipes tear from eye*
Oh please @original kate and @coup de grazia. Waving the flag of feminism for a woman seemingly wedded to the old-fashioned female ideals of self-worth measured by beauty, a man, and babies is so first-wave! She’s had like 7 waves to ride… liberation is hardly her lifestyle. Or at least what we see of it and glean from it. I’m pretty sure if she had a good opportunity to make her nipples dinner plates, she’d take it. She’s said so herself in her interviews — for nearly a decade now. Besides, Simmons seemed more fascinated by mediocrity’s sustainability than her gender.
Excellent points about how boring JA is in interviews. I always thought she came across aloof and cold, even when she was on Friends, never really saying anything interesting. Meg Ryan always seemed the same to me- allegedly “America’s Sweetheart” but really standoffish and never truly open.
Regarding doing charity, or even having an opinion, I’ve seen print ads for St. Jude’s with her in them, but she doesn’t seem to have a pet cause. I don’t want to say that someone SHOULD do charity if their heart isn’t in it, but it would be at least an insight into what matters to her. Which would be more interesting than reading about her exercise regime.
@ Riley and others, I think that the reason JA is analysed more so than other actresses with similar poor career choices is in the context of her constant media overexposure. In light of how much we see and hear about her why isn’t she doing better? There is no actress you read more about except Lindsay and Angelina (the latter always in the context of a comparison to Jennifer).
@original kate, I took it that Simmons was relating how JA’s personal life has been portrayed in the tabloid media.
“Aniston hitting 40 with no baby or husband; Aniston passing 40 with no baby or husband; and now we’re here.”
He’s talking about all of the “Yes, Finally A Baby for Jen!” headlines etc. He seems to be assessing her public persona / reputation versus the reality which is that she really doesn’t want any of these things, is quite happy the way she is and is making a mint off of the public obsession with her private life. Nothing wrong with that.
emu – Agree. What Simmons has done is apply Aniston’s OWN standards to her. She was the one who kept talking about finding a man and having babies. She was the one who set up her five-year mark.
Riley – that’s the difference between Camy Diaz and Aniston. Camy has never played the “all I want to do is get married and have a baby” game. Camy is honest and talks about how motherhood isn’t for her. Beyond that, Camy actually is a pretty decent actress who stretches in a wide range of roles, some of which work and some don’t, but at least she tried.
She has her agent set her up with everyone, including Brad Pitt and John Meyer. She looked so desparate bringing him to that awards show where Brad and Angie attended. I used to like her but now I see her for what she is a fake person and fake dater with zero public personality.
And why do all celebs have to fake wanting a child if you don’t want one it is nobody’s business, but don’t pretend like you do.
The idea that an ESPN Analyst has anything remotely relevant to say about the way a Hollywood career works, and what defines success therein is about as relevant and significant as Pepper Brooks’ (Jason Bateman’s) sports analysis in Dodgeball, or Hilary Duff making Stanley Cup predictions.
It is a rarity that I ever disagree with either CB or Kaiser, but on this one I am out.
@TG- better question, why do people believe the things written in tabloids? The truth is none of the crap you are reading is real, verified truths. At best they are truthisms- and she has never said she wants a baby- the tabs make that crap up.
@Orignial Kate I don’t think Bill Simmons said that because he thinks women SHOULD be having babies and be married. Bill said that because Aniston has expressed her desire to re-marry and have children whenever asked about that. However he wants to know why doesn’t she? There is nothing wrong with her (to the untrained eye) and she is successful, why wouldn’t a man want her? Then also mentions who chooses to date, John Mayer clearly not marriage material, her random selection of men. Bill believes she picks these type of relationships on purpose, I agree with that, because she likes the attention of being divorced from Brad.
Now to bring up Cameron Diaz @Riley Cam doesn’t express a want to get married or have babies. Cam has already come out and said thats not something she even wants.
EDIT: Ha!!! Kaiser beat me to it.
not to put too fine a point on it, but my post is not about aniston, who i personally couldn’t give a flying fig about (or angelina or brad, either). imagine this bill simmons article (satirical or not) written about george clooney, who is 51, unmarried and childless, hasn’t had a “hit” movie in awhile, and dates young bimbos. yes, let’s imagine:
“Clooney’s life resonates with that demographic better than anyone. Now he’s 51, still hunting for a woman, his gonads rumbling like Serena Williams, but we’re all a little confused because … I mean, how could George Clooney, of all people, not find a woman? How could someone that attractive need a friend to set him up on dates? What the hell is going on here? Is he secretly super-annoying? Is he terrible in bed? Does he have bad breath or bad hygiene? Are his standards simply too high?”
or is somehow sabotaging her love life for the sake of her career.
============
She did it with Brad, just saying,
I liked Love Happens.
I used to find her to be harmless but she ISN’T. She’s done a lot of damage to women. She’s like the epitome of why women aren’t respected like they should be.
She’s always playing the victim, constantly calling herself a ‘survivor’ and blabbing about what she’s been through (eye roll); she herself admitted she doesn’t think Brad cheated, yet she fanned the flames of hatred toward AJ every chance she got; she exploited the pain and anger and sympathies of other women who really were cheated on and had kids and no money, and no support etc. etc. and has whined on and on while getting massages and crying into her martini glass.
If I thought someone else was getting death threats and even their children were being persecuted by my fans over an affair I didn’t think occurred (or even if I thought it DID occur), I’d sure as hell do something to call off the dogs, and all she’s done is sit back and bring it up at every opportunity, exploit people’s sympathies, and watch the cash flow in. That is not what an honorable woman would do. She is not harmless, she’s vindictive and selfish beyond measure.
Love, love, LOVE that Simmons mentioned Jennifer Aniston and Brett Favre in the same breath.
Two of my favorite people. Hopefully they’ll both fade into obscurity.
@Kerry: Good point. I think that is probably very true.
good lord, this questin could be asked of just about 80% of celebrities… she’s not even that big of a famewhore… The hate is just inexplicable. I guess that’s what you get for daring to touch the almighty Pitt peen :-/
bill simmons is genius.
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I agree
The big irony here is that the script for The Switch was based on an absolutely brilliant short story that appeared in The New Yorker quite a few years ago (it was called Baster and was written by Jeffrey Eugenides). It was so good that it had movie script written all over it and (if you have read the story) it is really hard to believe the end result was such a fail. Then again, I find Jennifer Aniston to be an utterly lame actress and, for that matter, comedienne. The few reviews I have read here in Canada had great praise for Jason Bateman, however, with one reviewer stating that the film would be better off classified as a bromance (between Bateman and son) than a standard chick flick.
I think it’s B. She prefers to be childless or perhaps adopt later in life. This ultimately is why she and Brad parted ways. He wanted a family and she did not. Would she admit this — no. It works out better for her to scapegoat Brad as “the bad guy” and play the role of the “wronged woman”.
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This is what I have said all along, Jen never wanted kids, I feel anyway she is to self absorbed,, she seems very shallow, and not too smart,, But I think the biggest reason Brad bounced, was because he wanted a family, He wanted more out to life than tanning, and smoking weed, He wanted some bigger, something with more meaning in his life, now he has it.
God I wish I had a blog to write on this. This chick goes after guys that will get her attention. She will stay with them, marry them for that reason. She is fame hungry. That’s the only reason she fell for Mayer. Good looking young rockstar and rich. Perfect for her ego. She got loads of media attention from it. That’s why she’s alone. You think she snag a guy like britney’s guy. Sexy with his grey hair. No! Because no media attention. She is trying to compete with the Brangelina.
Besides she isn’t bright and she’s average looking. Men her age that are hot with money are chasing the 20 year olds. She shouldve started man hunting a yr after the divorce. Only reason she got with Pitt was cause of pretty boy and fame. What chick marries a guy that calls the marriage a business merger. If she wanted love and not fame, shed be happy.
excuse me but jennifer aniston is no longer part of Plan B (since ’05), Plan B is brad pitt producion company….echo films is jennifer aniston production company
Good question. Why is Maniston still famous. She’s talentless and ordinary. On top of that she’s old.
Jen just said last week that she wanted kids but she would not use the method the character in THE Switch used.
Can you lay off this woman for one day please?
It’s funny how you are all telling her to go away. She hasn’t said a word publicly since friday and there has not been a day without atleast one Jennifer Aniston story with an abnormally large amount of responses. The amount of thought and hate you throw towards this woman is just so silly. If she is so insignificant, why are you so angry? The never ending need to find something to hate about her is getting to be a little much. She gets crap for saying the word cool, two times, within a few years. Really? That doesn’t seem over the top at all? Honestly?
I like Jennifer Aniston and always look forward to seeing her movies, even if some of them suck. I’m in the minority but I thought Derailed was an awesome movie; her and the Clive were good together. The Switch and Bounty Hunter weren’t awesome but I have seen worse. I agree that some of her best work are the non-rom-coms. Let’s stop bashing her though, it’s annoying.
Except for all that monies, it must suck to be Aniston. Even her fans are sick of her. Why did Brad ever marry her in the first place?
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Rebound from Gwyneth Paltrow, whom broke his heart,
@fizXgirl31114
Why did you feel the need to bring up Brad Pitt?
I’m not a fan of either Pitt or Aniston, but the fact that she still seems to define herself as the poor, wronged divorcee, speaks volumes.
I used to be impartial to Aniston, but as time went by, I’ve gotten more and more annoyed by her shtick.
Also, to everyone who calls for her return to TV, I doubt she’d take the risk.
Most sitcoms these days are devoid of any quality and rather short-lived and I sincerely doubt there’s any room for her on a drama.
When acclaimed actresses like Glenn Close and Laura Linney are doing TV these days, there’s but little room for mediocrity. And if there happens to be room, then it’s for younger, “cheaper” actresses.
Aniston’s life resonates with that demographic better than anyone.
well, i will admit that my loff for angie is at least partly just the fellow-feeling of one brunette adulteress for another.
@originalkate: i think that exact conversation happened somewhere here quite recently. there is in fact a point where a man, too, seems a bit dodgy if all he’s got is a succession of clearly trivial dating relationships.
to “Original Kate” that was THE BEST comment I have ever read, ever, on any website!! TOTALLY agree with everything you said!! I could not have put it any better myself!
Poor Brad. Can the guy ever catch a break, can he ever escape from the shadow that is jen.Hundreds of couples with children leave their spouses for another every year.What makes this (Jen/Brad-no kids involved marriage) ultra-special and unique?.Nothing.Jen has ridden the victim wave for seven years and we are pretty much over that.I think she is still pinning for Brad and thus has unconsciously sabotaged all ensuing romantic interests. I would like to see her play a refreshing film role either as an action, adventure or mystery femme fatale role that will showcase her acting range.
@emu – trust me. i will never waive a feminism flag for Jennifer Aniston, Queen of Rom Com Drivel Starring Whiney Female W/ No Sense of Self Beyond Man/Baby-Land. i dont think OK’s point was about waiving the fem flag for JA by any means.
@ bizzy: show me an article (any article) written by a man berating another man for not being married or a father. you could find a handful, i suppose. now show me the zillions of articles written by both men & women berating women for the same thing.
not. even. close.
@Eden: Good post. ITA.
And @Journey, I think the production company is Plan B which she shares with Brad. She probably takes the money and runs whenever it produces a movie
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Brad got Plan B in the divorce, She has no connection with that company now, However she does have her own company, but I have know idea what the name of it is.l
She needs some meatier roles. Playing these flaky romantic roles is getting boring for the watching public and verging on embarrassing for her.. It’s just a watered down version of the character she played on Friends. And I wish she’d quit talking about having children…it’s not going to happen.
@Kaiser
Riley – that’s the difference between Camy Diaz and Aniston. Camy has never played the “all I want to do is get married and have a baby” game. Camy is honest and talks about how motherhood isn’t for her. Beyond that, Camy actually is a pretty decent actress who stretches in a wide range of roles, some of which work and some don’t, but at least she tried
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Camy, all though certainly not the best actress, does have more range, takes more risk, and for sure has a much better off screen personaility, Much more interesting
I’ve disliked Aniston forever and a day. She was great in Office Space, but everything I’ve seen since has been a bore, though to be honest I now avoid any movie with her in it.
She’s only gotten worse with time. If she makes anymore bullsh*t public statements about how much she wants babeeeees I’ll throw up in my mouth. If she wanted ’em she’d have ’em. Have kids or don’t have kids. Like kids or hate them. But get some self respect and be truthful.
She acts with her nipples. That’s her only talent.
@chris: She acts with her nipples. That’s her only talent.
actually, that sounds kind of awesome.
george clooney have it made clear that he has no desire to be married and have children, aniston on the other hand, keeps going on, on about fiding her life partner and someday having kids, see the difference
I think the backlash is the result of the way the media presents her, and her own constant self-promotion.
The media has been selling her as an A-LIST MOVIE STAR! The next Julia Roberts! People, like John Stewart, have introduced her as amazingly talented! They used to point to The Good Girl to prove it. But since that film, she hasn’t taken many challenging roles. She’s become all hype.
And she has kept an INSANELY high profile even when there isn’t a movie to promote. From showing up to the Oscars and Golden Globes to selling perfume and bottled water, she doesn’t want to take a break from the spotlight. She’s done a ton of magazine covers including showing the inside of her new Hollywood house in Architectural Digest. She’s done a lot of semi-nude magazine covers, netting her HUGE attention. She invites People magazine and Billy Bush to her birthday party in Cabo, and then gushes about Gerard Butler, setting up those romance/tabloid rumors. And, for a long time, the continued tabloid attention has made her SEEM like a major star.
Finally, people are looking at her without their blinders and saying, wait a minute. She’s not that talented of an actress, she always plays Rachel, and when she has to carry a movie by herself, she doesn’t do that well. And they’ve also noticed that, for some reason, she gets credit for movies like Marley and Me, even when there’s a successful book, a cute dog and Owen Wilson as the lead? People are noticing that she’s skated by.
It just seems like she is a tabloid and publicist’s creation. When you actually look at her without those blinders, you realize that she’s rather empty.
She was decent in The Good Girl and her guest star on 30 Rock I thought was pretty funny and out of character for her. Other than that, she’s done nothing impressive. I don’t know why she doesn’t pick better movies. Her career needs a makeover. She’s made enough money for one lifetime at this point.
BTW: Has she talked about her use of the “R” word at all?
I don’t understand why she hasn’t addressed it? Why the silence? She can talk about the “baby food diet” rumors, but not this? All you have to do is get your publicist to craft a simple statement. It would take 5 minutes TOPS. But, I guess it’s not that important to her? Or, she’s hoping it all goes away, and she can just skate by once again? I thought she would have a little more sensitivity than that, given that she complains about others lacking a “sensitivity chip” to the press.
aniston makes the movies, that she gets offred… she not in thesame league as the REAL a-list acttors
I think she lacks confidence to be honest-she’s in her comfort zone in her life. She was on Diane Sawyer a few years ago and what struck me was how neurotic she was! I really didn’t expect it but I think people should give her a break-shes an actress not superhuman.
She wants to be a leading actress because that’s where the big money is-character actresses might get the meatier roles but not nearly the same money. She’s just milking the rom-com parts until she gets older and has to change to something else. You might say Kate Winslet or Meryl Streep are better actresses than Jen but Jen prob has more money.
She did say she wanted to direct so maybe she’s considering something new. I don’t know why she’s getting so much hate-like Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler play the same characters in nearly ALL of their films bar one or two “serious” roles.
Anyway, aside from Meryl Streep how many older actresses get much work? Aside from playing “mother of” the main character? Even the Sex and the city girls haven’t done that well since the series ended.
@funnygirl – ALL actors/actresses are neurotic.
@coup de grazia, thanks for the clarification, I can sleep tonight [;)]!
However, Clooney doesn’t put himself in the glare of headlights… er, spotlights… like Aniston does. I think if a celebrity wants to minimize the microscrutiny of their personal lives — regardless of gender — they have that in their power to some degree. You can’t deny she’s spun in conflicting directions: consummate victim and independent, redefining the fabulous 40s by scrupulously maintaining external appearances (s)hero. Unfortunately, in our culture, I don’t think they’re unrelated.
To summarize it, she gets bashed not because of her bombs but because she has beneffited for a long time of an OVERBLOWN status attached to some kinda of immunity that is not in par at all to what she delivers professionally wise wether artistically or financially.
People are now saying, lets stop the favoritism and call a spade a spade, let’s reevalute her status and real worth based on the reality of her work and if it has to include criticizing what she has delivered so far as to benefit that A lister status, then be it.
That is, i think what is happening : a reevaluation by the media of her real worth and an end to the oversympthy that has given her a free pass and a status much more bigger than her resume and real professional hability could have grant her.
She’s been fawned over by the media for soooo long – poor Jen, she’s the victim, or else drooled over for her cute figure – that we’re all just sick of it. We’ve finally had enough of this very mediocre actress being shoved down our throat all the time, and are rebelling.
I have no idea if she’s smart or not. I think she’s just more concerned about looking hot than she is finding better acting roles. If she wasn’t always so busy playing with her hair or thrusting out her nip-nips, she’d have more time to develop some real talent.
Answer to the headline: Because you keep chatting about her!
@cee: I totally TOTALLY agree!
And – could you imagine Jen Aniston with a baby bumb? With a child??
I think a baby would just not fit right into her life plan. Although I have definitely nothing against her, for me she always leaves the impression of very artificial… and very anxious about not changing anything… sometimes it seems to me she is trapped in her past.
Dont change your look (because that was what Brad liked?)… don’t change your girlish behaviour (because that was what Brad liked?)… don’t get pregnant (because she was planning to have Brad’s baby?)
@ bite me:
george clooney have it made clear that he has no desire to be married and have children, aniston on the other hand, keeps going on, on about fiding her life partner and someday having kids, see the difference
I agree!
While it may be tempting to make comparisons about sexism — because society sees an older single man as an eligible bachelor while an older single woman is viewed as a spinster — but last time I checked no one is hounding Cameron Diaz about how come she’s not married with kids yet! The reason, Cameron is upfront about her desire to remain childless and her indifference about marriage.
@ Moreaces:
Why did Brad ever marry her in the first place?
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Rebound from Gwyneth Paltrow, whom broke his heart
We’re definitely on the same page! Gwyneth gutted Brad. Took him a LONG time to recover.
@ bite me: what i see is a 40 year old woman who may or may not want kids, but no matter, because she is asked about it constantly, in every interview, just like every other childless, single actress. likewise, if she -or any actress- eats a big burrito or is retaining water the insane “baby bump” watch begins. but even being a mom is not enough; sarah jessica parker has kids and has come under fire for leaving them to film or for using a surrogate. angelina brings the kids on location with her and is criticized for that, too. i never see guys like clooney hounded by interviewers about his single, childless status, regardless of what he says or does. see the difference?
@ iggles: cameron was “upfront” about not wanting kids, because she was asked about it. repeatedly. and as i recall cami was called selfish by many people on CB for not wanting kids, whereas clooney is just given a pass.
How are you all so adamant that Brad Pitt wanted kids and that’s why he left (only to turn around and say she is desperate to have children)? Because who he hooked up with after had a child? Yes, correlation TOTALLY implies causation. It seems like everyone has this really fantastial, detailed yet phony account of how everything went down and why and it’s…….creepy.
original kate – Since then has Cameron been asked about it in every interview? No. The media has a 5 second attention span. They don’t wait for life to take it’s course — they report on the state of things every second. Marriage and celebrity moms are big sellers (dads, not so much), therefore Jen will continue to get asked about it every interview.
Cameron may have gotten attacked for her choice, but there are people who don’t understand why Clooney doesn’t want kids either. And there are people who are sick of his eternal bachelorhood too. Ask Jack Nicholson, after awhile people don’t care about your revolving door of bimbos even if you are A list.
A list (and even B list) celebrities who say they want to get married yet are “unlucky” in love are always going to have their love lives detailed in the press. It’s the underdog factor. If Clooney made it know he was looking for a wife his every romantic move would be followed too.
Edited to say:
wonderful – He gave several interviews when he was STILL MARRIED to Jennifer Aniston where he mentioned how much he wanted kids. One time on the red carpet he stated that he wanted a big family and Jennifer joked he would be lucky to get one. Another time Jennifer openly mocked a magazine interview Brad did, where he professed his desire for kids.
I also remember an interview of the Friends cast during their heyday in which she explicitly stated her desire to have a child. Joking around with your husband about not wanting a bunch of kids yet doesnt mean she didnt want them at all. I do that every day with my own. Again, reading way too much into it.
Seriously. She’s never car-jacked anyone, never been arrested for DUI, never physically assaulted anyone or had a sex-tape leaked. So she plays the same role over and over. She doesn’t change her hair, she likes to wear beige and black, she likes to do yoga and drink water and date douchebags. She’s already made her fortune, so it’s too late to hate on her for that.
Honestly, I’m pretty boring. I like routine. I like yoga and water and wearing black. I don’t care to ‘switch things up’ very much. And I definitely have dated lots of douchebags. I just didn’t get rich doing it. She’s like my celebrity idol. I can understand people being tired of her, but all the nastiness over Jennifer Aniston? C’mon peeps. It’s uncool (LOL)
I figured this out yearrrrs ago. What kept you people from realizing the truth?
Agree with Lady. She just doesn’t seem to have the sensitivety chip.
South Park should do a show about her and Streisand. (The Godzilla one.)
Yes, I’m sure the reason why Brad went for a woman with ONE child already and in the process of adopting another was b/c he REALLY didn’t want kids. Please–if Brad didn’t want kids, then he wouldn’t be w/her.
Finding people who actually want 6 or more kids is rather rare. You couldn’t pay me enough to have that many kids. So the 2 found each other and Brangelina was born. And a million tabloids rejoiced.
meh. i still stand by my original post. and bill simmons should write about what he knows – steroids and jock straps.
Okay now who ever said he didn’t want kids?? Because it was suggested that maybe they divorced for reasons unrelated to kids? OR, FOR UNKNOWN REASONS?? This is whacked out, man.
She is relatable…plus she was in Office Space
Who gives a shit! Aniston is rich, famous, has housekepers, personal assistants, traveled the world, has an amazing body, dates beautiful men and has no kids. What most of us women wish we had that life. Why does the fact that she is a woman make it any different? No one sees Clooney, Jay Leno, or any other childless male have to explain themselves and then become pitied because of it. People need to get over seeing a professional/rich women who is over 40 and childless. This is 2010 and people are acting like its 1950 and you are a spinster at the age of 25. Get over it!
I think it comes down to jealousy; mostly by aging men who are trapped.
I like Aniston. She is funny, likable and I think she is a good actress.
I agree with the overall tone of the article, but man, it’s tough to be a woman in Hollywood. Look who regularly gets bashed…Brittany, Jennifer, Lyndsay, Goopy, Madonna, SJP etc. Yes they are out of control, or bland, or tragic, or clinging to their youth, but how many men in Hollywood are equally mediocre or wacky? And yet they seem to regularly get a pass. The hateful criticism against the women is frankly scary.
@OriginalKate: “women who choose to be single & childfree (even over 40) actually enjoy our lives. why? because we don’t end up with some fat slob husband we can’t afford to divorce, we don’t end up with screaming brats that we talk endlessly about, we don’t end up going to disneyland with said brats and slob husband for our vacation, we can do wherever we want without worrying about daycare, our nipples aren’t the size of dinner plates and we can sneeze without leaking…”
I understand where you’re coming from, believe me, but you actually you don’t sound angry at Bill Simmons, you sound angry at women who CHOOSE to get married and have children. Why do you need to put down women who have to ‘worry about daycare’ to get respect for being ‘child free’ as you call it?
As many have said above, JA brought this on herself by constantly trying to manipulate the public. As I said upthread (which no one probably read, since for unknown reasons I was once again hung up by the mod squad) Aniston has done a lot of damage to women, it’s people like her you should be mad at. JMHO.
adding: hung up on moderation again, so you probably won’t even read what I wrote Original Kate. Oh well…
And still, here we are talking about her, website after website. Bad or good doesn´t matter, she makes headlines and we all read them. I think she may stink as an actress but there´s something about her that makes me read on and want more.
And I think that one of these days she´s gonna surprise us all!
He hit the nail squarely right on the head. I agree with him completely. I don’t buy her persona for a second. I think shes as fake and as cunning as they come.
Great article, you knew what you were doing when you posted this baby didn’t you Celebitchy 😉 😆 .
@ she who must not be named:
so what part of my comment is untrue? the leaky lady bits? the problems with daycare? i have no problem with women who have kids – i have a problem with anyone who tries to equate choosing to be child-free to being selfish or immature. and i really have a problem with men who castigate women for not having kids, considering that after ejaculation most men do relatively nothing on the child front, including “babysitting” their own kids. you don’t know what you’re talking about. and you aren’t the only one who gets moderated -on the brangelina/aniston threads i always get moderated, too.
orig kate, you’re obviously furious beyond reason at the moment (not that I blame you, I’ve been there plenty myself over the exact points you’re raising) so I’ll bow out now, especially since I ‘don’t know what I’m talking about’.
She’s happy being a likable celebrity with decent comic timing who plays herself in every movie (with only her hairstyle and co-star changing).
Nutshell enf said
An “oversexed” dentist??? Jen doing sexy is painful enough, but OVERsexed?
Wow, 118 comments about the most boring woman in Hollywood. Hysterical!
I bet deepdown she thanks Angelina every day for taking her husband off her hands. All she wanted was to be a big movie star and thanks the the triangle she has gotten to make movie after movie. So what if they are trash? She’s still famous. As that is the only reason she married Brad in the first place I’d say her choices worked out perfectly for her. So what if Brad wasn’t happy, wanted kids. Not in her perfect body. Believe me, she’s quite happy with the way things turned out.
“i have a problem with anyone who tries to equate choosing to be child-free to being selfish or immature.”
Totally agree. I know some people who churn the kids out because it’s *the thing to do*, and they treat them like any other possession, like their car and house. And the one with the most and *best* kids is *winning*. I think THAT behaviour is selfish. They aren’t ever really factoring in the kids’ feelings, or even thinking of them as real people.
My take is this:
Where some people see boring/fake, I see EXTREMELY GUARDED about herself and her privacy in any media forum (because of the past which, regardless of whose side you’re on, was humiliating). Can’t say I blame her. And anything she does do is on her terms if she can help it (e.g., Architectural Digest or whatever).
She takes the same roles because she’s capitalizing on her popularity for as long as she can. It’s a strategy. Is it smart is up for debate. But I don’t think she’s a dumb person.
I also don’t believe she’s as shallow as to opt for fame over personal happiness, esp. after the personal humiliation of being dumped. Focusing on career is a healthier strategy than focusing on the search for her next husband and I think that’s what she’s chosen to do — which you’d think people could relate to.
The characterization of her as a woman who opts for fame instead of personal happiness while at the same time criticizing her for her romantic choices is sexist and/or unfair and/or extremely speculative. I mean, it’s crazy. The woman can do no right, no matter what. It’s enough to make anyone mental. Does she really have to explain her career choices to everyone? How would you feel if you had to do that all the time to complete strangers?
And personal happiness is different for everyone. It doesn’t have to be marriage, kids, the white picket fence. She may be perfectly happy with her life (except for strangers who pick on her [and make money while doing it]).
She may be doing quite a bit in her personal life that no one knows about (charity/volunteer, etc.). So who’s to say she’s vapid?
She may seem overexposed to those of us paying attention to gossip blogs and magazines that we read every day, but perhaps for the majority of people out there, she’s not.
She’s not a bad actress. She’s good in movies and on TV. I’m not a huge fan, but I just don’t get the constant harping on her looks, career, and romantic choices. It’s just weird. I don’t know…maybe people are projecting. She may APPEAR shallow or whatever, but no one really knows and for me, it goes back to the guardedness. I think THAT and her PRIVACY (emotional and personal) is her #1 priority.
God, I sound like a aniston loony, but I’m not!
Her career should have gasped its last breath the same way her Friend’s costars’ careers did at the end of that show, or should have (Courtney Cox’s lame attempts at revival nothwithstanding). She is horrible on the big screen. The press has kept her alive by feeding off her famous dumping by her famous ex-pinhead to shack up with his more famous girlfriend with the infamous past.
I’m stymied as to why everyone isn’t like me at this point, which is to say lightning quick on the mouse to move past the names of any of the 3 of them. No one should have cared in the first place, let alone years later. Enough already.
@ she who must not be named:
i am not at all furious or hateful – why would you think that? i was neither unreasonable nor insulting to you. the only person on this thread with a problem toward women is bill simmons, who seems to think women without children are sad and pathetic. i beg to differ. on the flip side, i also think it’s obnoxious when women are told that being a mother is a rapturous, beatific, lifetime-television-for women experience, and if they don’t feel that then they are bad mothers. that is not reality for any of my friends with children (how do you think i knew about the leakage?), and each of them has professed to feeling guilty when they don’t embrace every second of motherhood. i resent that women are made to feel that way. being a parent is the most important decision a person can make, and i am tired of being made to feel somehow lacking because after careful consideration i chose not to have kids. that doesn’t make me selfish, and it certainly doesn’t make me furious at women who do. so when you insinuate that i somehow am “angry at women” then no, you don’t know what you’re talking about. i’m done with this topic.
What neither Aniston nor her publicist ever realized is that there is a very thin line between pity and contempt.
Aniston launched her pity party five years ago and it was a brilliant PR move on her part, sobbing her heart out to that Vanity Fair reporter. Good lord, every copy of that magazine seemed like it was drenched with her tears. Aniston was America’s Sweetheart done wrong and Jolie was the bitch from hell. It fed the tabloids for five years.
But sooner or later, pity gets stale. It progresses from “you poor thing” to “get over it”. People start wondering WTF is wrong with this chick? Does she spray herself with man repellent? Is she afraid to try a new hairstyle? Can she play anything that isn’t Rachel Greene? They listen to her boring interviews and wonder if she’s got anything between the ears. And inevitably, they start saying maybe the empress never had any clothes on.
Aniston is the same as she ever was. That’s her problem. She’s way past her expiration date.
@ Taya: Your real name HAS to be either Jennifer or Courtney. Good actress??? C’mon, who are you?
FYI Ellen P: Frances McDormand and Kathy Bates are OSCAR WINNERS not second rate.
I feel you Original Kate. I have gotten repeatedly asked the most personal and rude questions for not having children (even though I’m a step-mom). Talk about no sensitivity chips! LOL.
@original kate–I admire you very much for deciding that you don’t want children. It’s not a job for everyone and too many people find out too late they are not suited to child rearing. To know going in is to save both you and a child untold misery. This does not make you selfish or immature. It makes you smart and self aware. I applaude you.
I think the negativity directed toward Aniston’s situation is because she told Brad she wanted children and then put him off year after year without ever intending to start a family. She wasted years of his life on a lie. That’s unconscionable. I would respect her if she just announced that having children is not for her. Instead she lies about it when it is very clear that she does not make decisions like a woman valuing her fertile years. I mean did anyone believe that Mayer was good father material?
Original Kate–I laughed through all of your posts. You’re ok by me!
As far as Aniston goes, she gets a hard rap, and we all know why. Really, the only thing she needs to do is be more selective of the roles she chooses. And I’m pretty sure we can give the rest of hollywood that same bit of advice. Most movies are crap these days! Except, of course, Inception…
Lord have mercy…so much analysis! One word…BORING…the difference is that people are FINALLY catching on that that is in fact what Ms Aniston is…
I think it’s funny that ANY dislike of this person is called “hate”… either you’re reading something I am not, or you have SEVERELY lost the meaning of “hate” in your vocabulary!
“considering that after ejaculation most men do relatively nothing on the child front, including “babysitting” their own kids.”
Sadly this is true more often than not. After the kids come along a woman’s life totally changes but for most men their lives stay pretty much the same.
As for Aniston, her public image and who she is in interviews has zero to do with her real persona, of course she is publicly going to say she wants a husband and kids because saying that is better for her image and more popular than saying no I enjoy being single and not having kids.
Totally agree. I know some people who churn the kids out because it’s *the thing to do*, and they treat them like any other possession, like their car and house. And the one with the most and *best* kids is *winning*. I think THAT behaviour is selfish. They aren’t ever really factoring in the kids’ feelings, or even thinking of them as real people.
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This pretty much sums up 75% of the girls who went to my high school.
@Originalkate-I adore Bill Simmons to death but your comments were pure perfection. You said everything I have thought a million times. Awesome.
I think her biggest problem now can be summed up in one word: overexposure.
People are tired of seeing her face on the tabloid covers every week. They are tired of her vapid interviews and her vapid personality. They are tired of her incessant whining. They are tired of her lame rom-coms coming out every four months. They are tired of her, period.
So what I’d suggest she do is disappear for a year and re-invent herself. Travel. See the world. Expand her horizons. Develop some interests outside of herself. Stay off the tabloid covers. Study her craft and expand her range. And when she re-surfaces, for Christ’s sake get rid of that tired hairstyle she’s been wearing since 1998.
We need a break from her for a while.
Cheyenne – Agreed 100%
I also agree with you 100% Cheyenne. That won’t happen though.
I haven’t been a fan of JA for as far back as Friends (yep a damn long time lol), but yes I am beyond tired of her BS shtick and wish she would take some time off or something. That won’t happen though.
Jennifer Aniston is headed 42 and doesn’t have much skill. If she takes that one year off and come back at 43, i don’t think she’ll regain her spot and may fade even quicker to obcurity.
I can understand that she is afraid of taking some time off or even slowing down…i mean in three years from now, she’ll turned 45 already and look what happened to top actesses like Halle or Michelle Pfeiffer or even Julia who doesn’t deliver the way she used to ?
It’s even more difficult to come back when you have reached a mature age and when your movies were not well received at that time.
Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are all sitting on the same boat. They all have profited by these tiring triangle dilemma that does not seem to die down for nearly 7 f*cking years, resulting with all their aging mugs being continuously plastered on the cover of every gossip magazines every freaking week. Some might argue that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie did not need this triangle to be this famous but that is bullsh*t, I agree that they would not have had the danger of fading into obscurity like Aniston had but don’t tell me that the insane fame that they enjoy now its not due to this triangle, especially when Angelina Jolie was concern. She turned from a relatively famous actress with a weird reputation to queen of Hollywood who can do no wrong. Pitt turned from a famous actor who was know for his looks and nothing else to a philanthropist and a “serious” actor and producer. As for Aniston, she should have faded into obscurity like she was meant to, similar to the rest of the cast from Friends.
PS. Aniston is not even that pretty, she was always the average looking girl who somehow hooked up with the hottest Hollywood film star.
I am enchanted with the notion of the liberation treatment to cure multiple sclerosis. From what information I can accumulate about doctors that provide treatment, I can only find one nebulous list duplicated on a dozen websites. Is there a more preferable way to find treatment, per say in North America. There are places that offer Liberation Treatment for the United States that no one knows about, such as Liberation Treatment Now
I do not think, that it is an economic step, since. Agencies on employment take too big commission fee. Though, probably, they will soon pay off favorable patents…
“the best way to manage your career”
I absolutely adore Yo Gabba Gabba. My 1 year old has gone crazy for it from the time he was six months old! I’m surprised by how many celebrities have appeared on the show. DJ Lance is my sons favorite!