Jennifer Aniston Watch

While Jen is typically modest about her charity contributions, she does make her voice heard when she has the opportunity to raise awareness for a cause that she believes in, much as she has often done for organizations such as St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Well, she’s now putting her star power behind the U.S. Campaign for Burma, a petition campaign to back the release of Burmese political leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose democratic rule was overthrown by a military regime. Jen appears in a rather clever video on BurmaCantWait.org, and she is joined by Management costar Woody Harrelson and longtime pal (and yoga instructor) Mandy Ingber. Check out the site for Jen’s video, along with others - and for an opportunity to make your own voice heard.

Steve Zahn’s Mike enjoys the view

Some time ago, I mentioned that very little is known about Management, even though filming wrapped several months ago. Well, thanks to IMDB, we now know at least a little bit more. Their new plot synopsis reveals that Jen’s overworked traveling saleswoman character is named Sue Claussen, and Steve Zahn’s slacker motel manager is named Mike Crenshaw. The film will be released in the United States on September 19; if you just can’t wait that long, check out some spoilers under the jump!

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Management is the one of Jen’s upcoming movies about which perhaps the least is known. During filming, set pictures were few and far between, and despite extensive searching, I still have not found out the name of Jen’s character! What is known is that in this film, Jen plays a traveling saleswoman whose one-night stand with a motel manager (another nameless wonder) leads to a more persistent pursuit, as he then follows her in her travels. All this, despite the fact that that she is otherwise involved with yogurt mogul Jango, played by Woody Harrelson.

This gentleman, who may either be a hopeless romantic or just hopeless, is played by Steve Zahn, a versatile actor who got his start on the stage, first in his local theater in Minnesota and then in New York City. The Harvard alum went on to play memorable roles in Reality Bites (a personal favorite of mine), That Thing You Do!, and Saving Silverman. He has actually shared the screen with Jen twice prior to their most recent endeavor; not only did he make a hilarious turn on Friends as Phoebe’s secret husband (maybe it was Jen’s neat bird-in-a-pot trick that piqued his interest), but he also appeared in The Object Of My Affection as George’s brother Frank.

Steve has been a busy man lately. In addition to Management, he has also recently wrapped upcoming releases Calvin Marshall and Night Train and is currently filming A Perfect Getaway. We will see plenty from him in coming months, and I am very much looking forward to that!

Jen spent her St. Patrick’s Day hard at work on the Miami set of Marley & Me, wearing shorts bearing the logo of Central Michigan University (Jenny Grogan’s alma mater?). PopSugar has more pictures of Jen on the set; I’m particularly fond of this one, as it’s wonderful to see her sharing a laugh with her good friend Chris!

On a side note, here’s something totally random that I noticed: Jen’s next four movies will be released in alphabetical order! Check it out:

He’s Just Not That Into You - August 1, 2008
Management - September 19, 2008
Marley & Me - December 25, 2008
Traveling - early 2009

Clearly I spend entirely too much time geeking out about Jen’s new movies, but I think that it’s understandable when they all look like they’re going to be so good!

One of Jen’s costars in her upcoming film Management is Woody Harrelson, who plays Jango, a yogurt mogul (and yes, there is such a profession). He can be seen in Semi-Pro, coming out Friday, but many viewers came to know him during his days on Cheers; fittingly, his character was named Woody, and from then on everybody knew his name. Many years later, he made a brief return to the small screen with a turn on Will & Grace as Grace’s “bran flake” boyfriend Nathan, but he has firmly established himself as a cinematic presence, with memorable roles in Natural Born Killers and White Men Can’t Jump. Recently, he appeared in critical favorite No Country for Old Men, a film that triumphed at last weekend’s Academy Awards.

It’s a small world, and Hollywood’s even smaller; Woody is good friends with Jen’s soon-to-be costar Owen Wilson, who was recently spotted vacationing with Woody and his wife Laura! The group hit locales that included Maui and Peru; the trip to Peru was of particular significance, as Owen and Woody paid a visit to an orphanage there that they support. Woody also spends time in Jen’s social circle; in a recent interview with ReelzChannel to promote Semi-Pro, Woody shared a very sweet (if somewhat odd) story from the time he has spent with Jen:

“I was at this party in Malibu at Courteney Cox’s house, and it was so funny because I was freezing,” recounts Harrelson. “I was barefoot. Now I won’t say how I came to be barefoot, but Jennifer Aniston was so nice. She was like, ‘You’re freezing! You must be so cold.’ She’s very maternal that way. And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m a bit cold.’ So she takes her boots off and then takes her socks and gives them to me.”

“So these are my ‘Jen’ socks,” he declares. “And they’ve become kind of my lucky socks.”

Like the “lucky” socks, it does seem that everything that Jen touches turns to gold, and I am sure that Management will be no exception. It is set for release on September 19.

With the many movies that Jen currently has in production or already in the can, Jen fans can look forward to her making plenty of public appearances later in the year. He’s Just Not That Into You, Management, and Marley & Me are all set to come out this year, with Traveling set for its release early next year, and with that, we can be certain that Jen will be a very busy woman, and that she will look fabulous all the while.

I for one am very interested to see what statements she makes on the red carpet this year. As seen above, she is very fond of the classic little black dress, but there are only so many LBD’s a woman can wear! In the past, she’s branched out by wearing various light neutrals, and even the occasional showstopping red dress. One of my personal favorite looks for Jen is a more ethereal look, like she opted for at the 2004 Emmys. In coming months, there just may be a suitable opportunity for her to make yet another stunning statement like that.

More casual appearances, such as press conferences, call for polish, and in her casual style Jen certainly delivers that, as she has always favored sophisticated basics in her everyday wardrobe. She is also very consistent in her approach to red carpet beauty, and upcoming appearances will likely prove no exception. Whether straight or wavy, she usually wears her hair down for public appearances, although the few updos she’s tried have been lovely as well. And she always opts for a minimal, classy approach with the makeup, letting her natural beauty carry whatever she’s wearing.

So tell me: what do you think she’ll be wearing on the red carpet this year?

As Vince has said, Jen has “Elvis dust”, and it is understandable that any fan would want a bit of the magic. However, very few would go to the lengths that one Oregon woman did. Recent reports indicate that things got a bit exciting on the set of Jen’s recently wrapped film Management. According to this report from KGET, one of Jen’s costumes went missing when a woman broke into Jen’s trailer, posing as a wardrobe assistant. The woman was caught when costar Woody Harrelson saw the woman dancing around in the wedding gown. Jen tended to the woman while others on set contacted local mental health professionals, and presumably, order was soon restored.

In other news, there has been a casting update for another upcoming Jen project; Alan Arkin has been cast in Marley & Me. Arkin, who was recently seen in Little Miss Sunshine, will play the editor of the newspaper where John (Owen Wilson) works. According to Variety, the project is set to begin filming in the spring, and it is already shaping up to be a very exciting prospect. Now the question remains - what lucky dog will play Marley?

Jennifer Aniston, Woody Harrelson, Management, Alan Arkin, Owen Wilson, Marley & Me, casting

Prior to the start of 2007, Jen had said that she would take some downtime. Well, I don’t know about you, but my downtime doesn’t look like this! This year, our girl made some smart business decisions and won praise for her work both in front of and behind the camera. Furthermore, she has set herself up for a very exciting 2008, with two movies in the can and at least two more lined up. Here’s a rundown of what Jen’s been up to in the past 365 days:

People’s Choice! Jen started the year on a high note, winning the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Female Movie Star. She gave a gracious speech with just the right amount of good humor and showed why she is the people’s favorite.

Room 10 makes the rounds Jen’s directorial debut, filmed in the summer of 2006 for Glamour’s Reel Moments series, made its way around the festival circuit, earning a great deal of praise along the way. The film showed at venues that included SBIFF, Aspen Shortsfest, CineVegas (where it won the Short Film Jury Prize), and Palm Springs. This will without a doubt open up many behind-the-camera opportunities for Jen, should she choose to pursue them.

A Smart Move Early in the year, Jen watchers noticed that in many candids, Jen was seen carrying a bottle of Glaceau’s smartwater. In June, we found out that Jen was turning her passion into profit, appearing in billboards and magazine ads for the drink. Jen also invested in the company just before its sale to Coca-Cola, a move that landed Jen on the Forbes list of 2007’s savviest businesswomen.

GLAAD to be Dirty In March, Jen appeared on Courteney’s show Dirt in the Season 1 finale, titled Ita Missa Est. Jen played Tina Harrod, a rival magazine editor with whom Lucy had once had a “four-time thing.” This portrayal, along with Jen’s long history of participation in projects that challenge heteronormative convention, earned her this year’s GLAAD Vanguard Award.

Back On The Set The second half of the year brought a flurry of activity, film-wise. She joined the star-studded cast of He’s Just Not That Into You, and filmed her part in September. She then made her way to Oregon to film a very quirky part in the comedy Management. She has also signed on the dotted to star in Traveling with Aaron Eckhart and Marley & Me with Owen Wilson. Both are set to begin production in early 2008.

With that, I’d like to wish my readers a happy and healthy new year. See you in 2008!

Jennifer Aniston, year in review, films

According to recent reports, Jen has been quite the social butterfly lately! In recent weeks, she has been spotted mingling with lots of people, from friends to fans, and remaining down-to-earth all the while.

While filming Management, Jen took the time to meet a very special fan. According to The National Ledger, Jen met with Isaiah Beeson, an 8-year-old with brittle bone disease. When Jen learned that Isaiah wanted to meet her, she made arrangements for the boy to be brought to the set. She signed a photo for him and according to relatives, Isaiah remarked that Jen was “super nice.” No surprises there, but it’s always nice to hear of her kindness with fans.

Monsters And Critics reports that last week, Jen took a trip to New York City to attend a reunion at the Rudolf Steiner School. As previously mentioned, Jen discovered her passion for acting while attending the Steiner School, and it seems that she also formed many close friendships. A fellow alum reported that “Jennifer was really happy to see everybody. She didn’t play the star and was genuinely interested in finding out how everyone else’s lives had turned out.” Once again, while this is not surprising, it’s always nice to hear.

Finally, Jen was spotted back in Malibu over the weekend; video posted at x17 Online shows Jen leaving a gathering at the Arquette residence. Fellow guests included Scott Caan, Sacha Baron Cohen, Isla Fisher, and baby Olive. However, on a less festive note, other footage shows Jen evacuating her beach house this weekend with Norman and Dolly in tow. Here’s hoping that all Malibu residents are safe from this current round of wildfires.

Jennifer Aniston, Management, Isaiah Beeson, fan stories, Rudolf Steiner School, reunion, Courteney Cox Arquette, David Arquette, Sacha Baron Cohen, Isla Fisher, Scott Caan, Malibu wildfires

Edit: Picture removed due to copyright

Pics from this production have, er, managed to trickle out rather slowly, but the ones that we do get are great. This one, from Access Hollywood, shows Jen entering into (fake) holy matrimony with Woody Harrelson. Just a month after she (fake) married Ben Affleck on the set of He’s Just Not That Into You; our girl gets around (in the fictional sense)! Wonder what stalker, I mean, respectful admirer Steve Zahn has to say about this latest development?

Jennifer Aniston, Woody Harrelson, Management, wedding

KGW, an Oregon news station, has spotted Jen leaving the Management set on Thursday night. Check out their video here. It’s quick, and she’s wearing a big coat with a hood, but you can still see our girl looking terrific and waving to the crowd. Clearly, she is making a wonderful impression on local fans, and from the looks of it a great movie will come out of this production as well!

Speaking of Management, this article spotlights two locations to be used in the film. One location is Tulatin Indoor Soccer, an indoor soccer arena. In an exciting twist, stadium owner Monty Hawkins confirms earlier scoop that Jen plays soccer, saying that her character uses the sport to unwind. CI Bar and Grill is another Tulatin location to be used in filming; Jen’s character has a rendezvous with Steve’s character here. Owner David Phillips says of his bar’s selection for the film, “Everyone’s got a little ego, and it’s nice to have your place picked. It’s like putting it on the map.” He also says that film crews plan to redecorate the bar to create a Western-style environment.

Finally, backtracking a bit, a new interview with Jennifer Connelly gives us some new scoop on He’s Just Not That Into You. The actress plays a co-worker of Jen’s character, and reveals the unique challenges of filming with a Jennifer, another Jennifer, and a Ginnifer:

“I was a little bit more trepidacious, just because it’s new ground for me,” Connelly said. “I play a woman named Janine; Ginnifer Goodwin plays my best friend, and I work in an office with her and Jennifer Aniston’s character. You can imagine what that was like on set, and all the Jennifer jokes. Bradley Cooper plays my husband, and I’m really neurotic about my house renovations.”

So right now, our girl has one film in the can, another one filming, and many more to come. She said it in her Bazaar interview, and I’ll say it here: she’s back.

Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly, He’s Just Not That Into You, Management, filming locations

Even though Courteney Cox is known to have a passion for interior design, it is Jen who treated Court’s daughter Coco to a room redo, according to Janet Charlton’s Hollywood. The doting godmother splurged on child-sized versions of modern pieces by Eero Saarinen and Mies Van Der Rohe, and chose carpeting and other items to compliment the new furniture. With Jen’s impeccable taste, the end product was, most likely, amazing. Coco is a lucky little girl!

According to Oregon’s Willamette Week, Jen may be treating herself next. Portland’s Fashion Week kicks off today, featuring pieces from local designers with a focus on environmental savvy. As Jen is currently in the area filming Management, it is not entirely implausible that she might make an appearance, even though she has said in the past that fashion shows are not something that she typically enjoys. This event looks to be a bit more low-key than many fashion shows, and what better way to take in all that Oregon has to offer? Stay tuned.

She’s already been winning them over, though; according to PoppyandIvy, Jen has been dining out around Portland, and unsurprisingly, she has charmed waitstaff and fellow diners with her easygoing demeanor. Furthermore, although there haven’t been any new pics of Jen on the set since last week, filming has continued to take place. Flynet brings us some very amusing shots of Steve Zahn playing volleyball with a group of Buddhist monks. Furthermore, word on the street is that Jen plays soccer in a scene, although as previously stated, there is no photographic evidence of this. This is certainly shaping up to be an interesting project, though!

Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Coco Arquette, Management, Steve Zahn, Portland Fashion Week

A new look?

Management has been very quietly filming for some time now, and I don’t know about all of you, but I have been on the edge of my seat waiting for a sneak preview. Well, thanks to Sky Showbiz, we have one! This shot shows Jen on the set, sporting a dramatically different look for the role, with darker, shorter hair and a very casual wardrobe. She has managed (no pun intended) to stay under the radar while in Oregon, and perhaps this explains her sudden magical ability to go incognito. Assuming that she has actually gone to the dark side (which she is no stranger to) and not just gone the wig route, that is. More on this as it develops; what do we think of this look?

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Jen has been spotted at a chic Portland eatery, meaning that she has officially made the trek up to Oregon and will begin production on Management very soon! From Willamette Week:

I had coffee with Jennifer Aniston last night. Okay, the fact is I was having coffee in the bar and she was having dinner upstairs at Northwest Portland’s poshest of eateries, 23 Hoyt . Still, I totally could hear her, and there was no mistaking that “Friends-ly” voice of hers as she talked how awful it was that Little Miss Britney had to give up custody of her kids. Prior to dinner, Aniston, dressed in a long black coat, threw back a dirty grey goose martini (god, I am so happy she drinks) before digging into her heritage via Chef Christopher Israel’s Greek salad of heirloom tomatoes, sweet peppers, cucumbers, red onion, feta, kalamata olives and oregano vinaigrette as well as a ample serving of Algerian grilled chicken with two sauces. Sitting across Aniston, who was joined by her crew for the film she is now shooting in Portland called Management, was none other than Pink Martini chanteuse China Forbes. (Man, does she run with the right crowd, or what?) But there was no sign of Orlando Bloom, who according to published reports was vacationing with Aniston last weekend in sunny Mexico.

Sounds like she’s already winning them over! And on an ever-joyful note, looks like gossips are playing it fast and loose with the concept of “vacationing together”; whatever makes for a sensational story, right? Anyway, it does seem that we can look forward to seeing Jen on the Management set very soon!

Jennifer Aniston, sightings, Management, Portland

All week, we have had a wealth of pictures from the set of He’s Just Not That Into You. In just one week, she has been on both land and sea, and been both the bridesmaid and the bride. She’s also been snapped with costar Ben Affleck, and as one would suspect, they make a phenomenal pair, if only onscreen. This pattern has continued over the weekend, as pictures have surfaced of Jen suiting up to play it serious:

Then she switches to a more casual ensemble, and with it, a more carefree expression:

We’ve been incredibly lucky, and our luck is about to get even better; production on Management, Jen’s romantic comedy with Steve Zahn (who played ice dancer Duncan on Friends), begins October 7th in Oregon. As has been mentioned previously, she is poised to follow this with any of a number of promising films, and there is major talent attached to all of them. Our girl is at the start of one massive hot streak!

More pictures under the jump!
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