Jennifer Aniston Watch

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

There’s a first time for everything, and someone with a career as successful and varied as Jen’s has certainly had some unique experiences. Whether in front of the camera or behind it, Jen has made some interesting choices, and she is poised to surprise many with her future projects. Here, then, is a sampling of some of Jen’s “first times”:

First film Leprechaun was Jen’s very first big-screen venture, and one that she has long seemed eager to move on from. The campy horror flick is noted as a prime example of Jen’s pre-Friends work, and while it is regarded by many as something of a novelty, any viewer can see the young talent that would soon find a more fitting home on Friends.

More under the cut (some spoilers): (more…)

Just a reminder that the Palm Springs Festival of Short Films and Film Market opens today. From mydesert.com:

ShortFest, as the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films and Film Market is called, will present 332 films in 40 packages of about 90 minutes each tonight through Wednesday at the Camelot Theatres.

The opening program of shorts has won awards at major international film festivals.

Other programs feature an unprecedented 23 films with recognizable stars. Celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston and Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of Ron Howard, also are making their directorial debuts.

But ShortFest has been more about pushing the envelope of innovative filmmaking than celebrities since its founding in 1995. This edition will feature the best of the nation’s student films and films from 35 nations that have been culled from 2,500 submissions.

“They are going to be the stars of this festival,” Executive Director Darryl Macdonald said.

Good luck to Jen and the entire cast and crew of Room 10!

Palm Springs, ShortFest, short films, screenings

Reuters brings us yet another bit of very good news:

Jennifer Aniston and Bryce Dallas Howard will show off their directing skills at the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films & Short Film Market, which kicks off August 23.

Aniston’s “Room 10,” a romantic drama she directed with Andrea Buchanan, stars Robin Wright Penn as a nurse alongside Kris Kristofferson. Howard’s “Orchids” stars Alfred Molina and Katherine Waterston in an unlikely romance.

The Palm Springs festival is a qualifying venue for consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, so this is very exciting news. Once again, congratulations to Jen and Andrea!

Jennifer Aniston, Andrea Buchanan, Robin Wright Penn, Kris Kristofferson, Room 10, Palm Springs festival

Room 10 has been recognized at the CineVegas Film Festival with the Short Film Jury Prize! The festival, which featured such films as Ocean’s Thirteen and Year of the Dog, handed out its awards on Sunday and the film was selected for the honor by a team of professionals in the film and television industries. Congratulations to Jen and Andrea on a job well done!

Jennifer Aniston, Andrea Buchanan, Room 10, Cinevegas

Jen’s directorial debut Room 10 is slated to screen at the Aspen Shortsfest, a short film festival beginning April 1. From the Aspen Times:

The long and short on Shortsfest

Aspen Film’s 16th annual Aspen Shortsfest, set for April 1-8, will feature a look at French short films, the Local Filmmakers’ Showcase, presentations on editing and low-budget filmmaking, a kids-friendly program, and screening programs at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen and Crystal Theatre in Carbondale.

Shortsfest’s International Competition will feature 60 short films from some 25 countries. Among the highlights are documentaries of pioneering animator Norman McLaren, Bolivian female wrestlers, and an Elvis festival in Australia; “Room 10,” co-directed by Jennifer Aniston and featuring Robin Wright Penn and Kris Kristofferson; Shortsfest regular Bill Plympton’s “Guide Dog,” a sequel to his Oscar-nominated “Guard Dog”; and “Love and War,” an opera about love and war told with puppets.

The Planet Cinema program New French Shorts will feature eight films from France. The program will be presented by Roger Gonin, program director of the Clement-Ferrand festival, the oldest and largest festival devoted to short films. Other special events include the Masterworks program Clips & Conversation: The Art of Film Editing, featuring four Hollywood film editors; For a Fistful of Dollars … or Less, a look at low-budget filmmaking with director Lewis Teague; and the family program Lights, Camera, Kids.

Jurors for the International Competition are directors Cecilia Peck and Adrian Belic, plus Teague and Gonin.

Shortsfest opens on Sunday, April 1 with the Local Filmmakers Showcase, with the top prize winner earning a spot in a competition screening program. Eighteen locally submitted works will be screened during the free program at the Wheeler Opera House.

The daily programs on Monday through Friday, April 3-7, begin with a Filmmaker Lounge at 9 a.m. at the Mountain Chalet. The free sessions offer discussions on such topics as the impact of cultural perspective on filmmaking, new outlets for short film distribution and exhibition, new tools and techniques for HD moviemaking, Colorado Film Commission incentives for shooting your next film in Colorado and more.

Tickets for the film programs are $12 and go on sale to the public March 27 at the Wheeler Box Office in Aspen (for the Aspen and Carbondale shows) and at Sounds Easy in Carbondale (for the Carbondale shows). Doors open 30 minutes before each program. A ticket guarantees a seat until 10 minutes before show time; if an event sells out, unclaimed seats may be released.

For a full program schedule, go to www.aspentimes.com/film.

While this does further push back the film’s public release, it is a very exciting opportunity for Jen as a director!

Jennifer Aniston, Room 10, short film, Aspen

On Sunday, most of us were watching the Super Bowl (here in Chi-town we were busy getting our hopes up only to have them dashed. against. the. rocks.) Anyway, Jen had other plans; she was at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, promoting Room 10, a film that she co-directed with her close friend Andrea Buchanan. Here are some pics from a panel discussion at the festival (credit: WireImage). As any gossip will have you know, this is her first public outing since her visit to Dr. Raj Kanodia, a visit that Jen has said was for a medically necessary septoplasty rather than for a cosmetic rhinoplasty. Either way, she looks quite lovely here; fresh, pretty, and youthful (is she really turning 38 in a few days?).