andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Perez Hilton reports Jennifer Aniston will be singing in the upcoming film The Goree Girls, which she will star in and produce. Michael Sucsy will direct the movie, based on the John Lee Hancock novel set in the 1940s about eight female prison inmates in a country band in Texas.

“She can sing. And she’s going to learn how to play the Dobro guitar,” said Sucsy. “These women learned to harmonize and they learned to play instruments. They weren’t these amazing, accomplished singers who banded together. That’s what’s interesting about it. It’s not just like, ‘Hey, you can play the guitar, I can play the piano, I can play the harmonica. Let’s put a band together.’ It’s like, ‘We have to get out of jail, and if we have to put a band together to do that, then that’s what we’re going to do.’”

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Courtney Cox says her best friend and former Friends co-star may show up on her upcoming show, Cougar Town, reports Perez Hilton.

“You know, she’s a good friend and I know she loves the show,” said Cox at a press conference. “I’m not going to say she is going to do it because I don’t know. But if Bill Lawrence writes her a character, I’m sure she’ll be glad to do it.”

Cougar Town premieres this fall on ABC and follows Cox’s character, a recent divorcee and mom to a teenage son, as she re-enters the world of dating.

According to Perez Hilton, Jennifer Aniston is in the early stages of developing her own restaurant. Sources say the former Friends star is very passionate about the new venture.

“Jennifer is very passionate about cooking,” said an insider. “She recently had a new kitchen fitted and she loves it. She can cook anything from Mexican meals, to Italian food, to cakes. She does use cookbooks, but mainly they are her own recipes. Everyone says she should open her own restaurant and she said she would love to.”

There’s no word yet on what kind of food the restaurant will serve or when it will open.

The actress, who used to be married to Brad Pitt, is currently filming her next movie, Bounty Hunter, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, with Gerard Butler.

It was only a matter of time before Jennifer Aniston’s love life became the centre of speculation once again.

The unlucky-in-love former Friends star is said to now be romancing fellow actor Gerard Butler. Butler, commonly known for his portrayal of the deceased-Irish character in Ps, I Love You, is not known for a clean slate in dating, and according to perezhilton.com, can be considered a “player”.

The pair first sparked romance rumors last September, at the Toronto International Film Festival.

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When it comes to Hollywood, as the old and overused saying goes, there’s no such thing as bad press.

But we know that’s just bull. Such a line is used for people who, let’s face it, crave bad publicity because they realize others have finally caught onto their uselessness and lack of talent.

Lindsay Lohan, I’m looking at you.

Yet somehow, the month of March barely gave us any of these headliners. Quite impressive considering Tinseltown is full of train wrecks and yesterday’s news.

So, as usual, here are the best and worst moments in entertainment, music, and everything else pop culture that this month had to offer.

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Now this rant isn’t about Brad Pitt as an actor because, I’ll admit, I’m quite a big fan of both his performances and his movie career choices.

But it’s his personal life that I’m not the biggest fan of whatsoever. 

He’s like the forbidden fruit – the apple that most women around the world would love to sink their teeth into.  Just ask Angelina Jolie or, years before, Jennifer Aniston. (Yes, I just mentioned those two in a sentence without picking one over the other. It’s possible you know).

Yet as people continue to argue that Angelina is a home-wrecker (because she partially is) and that Jennifer makes shitty movies (because, for the most part, she does) I’ve always wondered why no one bothered to look at the real problem here.

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Jennifer Aniston recently appeared on Ellen DeGeneres airing on Friday looking fabulous as always. Surprisingly, the beautiful star will be celebrating her 40th birthday next week. She told DeGeneres that she feels great but experienced something the other day that made her a little nervous to reach the big 4-0. People.com reports that Aniston said “I found a really long gray hair, and it kind of flipped me out, It’s not my first, but it’s the fact that it was so long. I was like, ‘Oh that’s been there. How many others are there, and what does that mean? It actually brought me to tears, slightly.” The former Friends star is planning a big bash on Saturday. When asked about John Mayer’s attendance Aniston managed to avoid the question.

Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman have signed on to star in a “fertility-themed comedy,” Variety reports.

“The Baster” revolves around Wally (Bateman), a neurotic and insecure man who finds out his best friend Kassie (Aniston) plans to get pregnant through artificial insemination. Unbeknownst to Kassie, he replaces the donor’s deposit with his own, making him the true — and secret — father of the child.

Will Speck and Josh Gordon, who co-helmed 2007’s “Blades of Glory,” will direct from a screenplay by Allan Loeb (”21″). The movie is based on a short story by Jeffrey Eugenides that was first published in The New Yorker.

The movie is slated to begin shooting in the spring.

Aniston can currently be seen in the ensemble rom-com “He’s Just Not That Into You,” which opened in theatres Friday.

Bateman will hit the big screen in April in the political drama “State of Play,” which also stars Rachel McAdams, Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck and Helen Mirren.

STUFF THAT SUCKED IN ‘08

There comes a time each year where entertainment pundits everywhere reflect on the past 12 months of pop culture. We dissect the highs and lows, we place celebs on their respective naughty and nice lists and we relish the chance to give you our dissertation on the year’s hits and misses.

So basically, I’ve been waiting for this since New Year’s Day, ‘08.

It was a big year. Some monumental shit went down in 2008. America christened its first black president (holler!), Beijing brought sexy back to the Olympics (yeah!) and Canada proved its political system is just as screwed up- if not more- as anywhere else in the world (say what?). But this isn’t about politics; it’s about good ol’ fashioned fun.

It’s about ripping apart the worst movies, music, celebrity couples and Hollywood gossip of the year.

So without further ado, here are my picks for the WORST of 2008.

5. Michael Phelps

I know, I know. He’s America’s golden boy. He’s a freak of nature. He’s the faster swimmer of all time. Blah, blah, blah. I was all for the Phelps mania during the Olympics but the hype that followed the eight golds has been too much to handle. GO AWAY Michael Phelps. I’m tired of your face! I don’t care if you’re dating a cocktail waitress from Vegas. I don’t care if you have Daddy issues. I don’t care anymore! Get in a pool and maybe I’ll stop cringing at the mention of your name. Some athletes just shouldn’t have their faces plastered everywhere. Peyton Manning, for example. And Manning still trumps Phelps. GO AWAY!

4. Twilight

Twilight freaks need lives. Maybe if they had ones, we wouldn’t have been constantly inundated with this Twilight crap in ‘08. This year saw the introduction of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart into the zeitgeist. Two of the most awkward and uncharismatic celebrities to ever sit down for an interview or to walk a red carpet. Two of the most wild-haired teen stars out there. The movie sucked but no one talks about that because it made money. Twilight freaks camped out for days to see this crap. Twilight freaks are hailing this Pattinson loser as the next Teen Heartthrob (a title now held by my boyfriend Zac Efron). Oh, and the best part? The cast is signed on for two more movies- at least- in the series. Oh joy, more years of Twilight fever. I can’t wait.

3. Tom Cruise

This was the year Tom Cruise attempted to make us forget about the last couple years (the couch jumping, the Scientology) and hypnotize us into remembering his glory days (Top Gun, Jerry Maguire). And it almost worked. Tom promoted Valkyrie all over the world, taking interviews with whoever would talk to him and constantly plugging that this year marked the 25th anniversary of his first big hit, Risky Business. Oprah had a 25 years of Tom Cruise special and showed clips from all his biggest movies. I almost bought it- A Few Good Men is one of my favourite movies of all time. But Tom Cruise today is not the same Tom Cruise of the 90s. Nope. He’s lost it. The charm. The commanding presence. It’s gone Tom. But hey, 25 years? It was a good run.

2. Britney Spears

I went back and forth on this one. Ms. Spears is on many Best lists of ’08. She won a bunch of VMA’s. She “redeemed” herself by showing up to the show looking hot. She released an album that’s heating up the charts. Some people would say she’s had a very successful comeback. I am not one of those people. Losing weight and looking hot does not make you talented. And talented, Britney is not. In her prime, it was her over-the-top, jaw-dropping performances that made her what she is (that, and her relationship with JT). Now, she can’t even perform up-to-par. She released a documentary special on MTV that was supposed to make us understand why she went crazy in ’07 and why she’s all better in ’08. It did neither. She’s got a world tour coming up in ’09 and if she can get her act together, maybe, just maybe, that comeback will happen next year.

1. John Mayer and Jennifer Aniston

These two were made for each other. I’m just surprised they didn’t hook up before this year. They’re both love themselves. They both love getting their picture taken. They both love talking about their exes in public. Soul mates. John and Jennifer were everywhere in ’08. She had a movie to plug and he- well he just plugs himself. This couple is the Heidi and Spencer of A-list Hollywood. The only difference is that Jen’s body is real and John’s actually talented. Here’s hoping they put us out of our misery and break up in ’09.

Honourable Mentions

Katherine Heigl – Single handedly ruined Grey’s Anatomy. And television. And the world.

Madonna and A-Rod – Ew. Enough said.

Jonas Brothers – Can these guys please go away in ’09? Please. And take Miley Cyrus with you.

It’s safe to say that if you are a fan of Angelina Jolie, you probably aren’t too fond of Jennifer Aniston. And vice-versa.

They’re like Betty and Veronica. Brenda and Kelly. Blair and Serena. Blonde vs. Brunette. Lines have been drawn. Sides must be chosen.

Say what you will, but I’m on Team Angie.

Shocker (refer back to past Prerogative posts). And it’s not because she’s with Brad – the sexiest of all sexy. Or that she’s a UN Ambassador spreading good will around the world and saving lives in the process. Or that she has the most adorable, beautifully ethnically diverse children I have ever seen.

No. It’s because Angie would NEVER date a douchebag like John Mayer. And even if she did (ahem, Billy Bob), she wouldn’t go back for seconds after he PUBLICLY proclaimed the details of their breakup to a group of paparazzi.

Seriously. John Mayer is a self-obsessed, publicity-hungry idiot. And apparently, he’s also Jennifer Aniston’s boy toy (again).

This is the guy who after dumping Jessica Simpson, took to his blog to tell her to stop calling him. Classy. He seems like a keeper.

Any self-respecting female would move on with her dignity intact. Nope. Not Jen. She cares more about appearing to be over Brad than her pride or her self-respect.

Jen’s sleepover at John Mayer’s place after his 31st birthday bash (reported by OK! mag and all the major gossip rags) came just days after Angelina’s W magazine cover (shot by Aniston’s ex-hubby) featuring the star breastfeeding her twins was released.

Just days after the W article, where Angie gushes about the six kids piling into her and Brad’s bed every night, Jennifer Aniston gets back together with John Mayer.

Coincidence? I think not.

Jen is too calculated for that. Take this year’s Toronto International Film Festival for example. Brad and Jen were in the same city for two days. Gasp! Jen and her team of publicists made sure she was out on the town every night and even planted rumours she was hooking up with Gerald Butler.

Yeah, sure. Gerald is a player. Players don’t date desperate fame whores.

Yes I just called Jennifer Aniston a fame whore. Too harsh? Maybe. But I make no apologies. Jennifer Aniston is one of those girls who can NEVER just be single and confident. I hate those girls.

Those girls are the ones who let guys like John Mayer think they are hot shit. John Mayer thinks he is the man. He got Jennifer Aniston (aka Hollywood’s Hottest Desperate Fame Whore) to come crawling back. She bought into his pseudo-sensitive, whiny love-song façade.

Don’t get me wrong; I used to get down to the smooth sounds of Mr. Mayer but I stopped believing he was “dreaming with a broken heart” right around the same time he decided to make sure the world knew HE dumped HER. And yet, Jen only cares about one thing: her image.

She should probably start caring about her career. Her next movie is about a couple who adopts a dog that becomes too much for them to handle. Oh snap. We better be on Oscar watch!

In closing, I’d like to present you all with 5 concrete reasons why I will forever be on Team Jolie.

1) She’s not afraid to speak her mind and stand up for political and social issues she believes in. The only thing Jennifer Aniston stands for is SmartWater. Enough said.

2) Angelina’s last two movies were summer blockbusters Wanted and Kung-Fu Panda. Jennifer’s were Management and The Break Up. Angie clearly trumps Jen in the talent department.

3) Angelina just admitted she and Brad “fell in love” while on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith while Brad was still married to Jen. This should probably be a point for Team Jen right? Wrong. Angie saved Brad from Desperate Fame Whore. Point Team Jolie.

4) Angie is an Academy Award-winner. Did I mention talent?

5) JENNIFER ANISTON DATES DOUCHEBAGS LIKE JOHN MAYER. It needed to be reiterated.

So I’m sure this post will inspire more rage-filled emails than my rant on Lynne Spears. That’s okay. Bring ‘em on Team Aniston.