Jennifer Aniston's acting coach comments on Jen "finding the funny".

Here is an excerpt from an interview with Jen's acting coach. Jen studied under Anthony Abeson as a teenager while attending the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts in Manhattan.

Q: Obviously, one of your students who's mastered this is Jennifer Aniston. She stepped into a show like Friends , where you have to hit the ground running and, yet, be funny and in complete command of your craft. I think we always saw that from her on that show, and, when the material is decent, in movies. I thought she terrific in The Break-Up. I suppose that’s something for which you can take credit?

Abeson: Oh, god, no! Did you see what she wrote about me on my website? She was very generous about that. But the thing that's remarkable, and something I can’t take credit for, is what she had when I met her. That story about doing Chekhov and people laughed; with your theater background, I'm sure you remember that Stanislavsky drove Chekhov crazy. Chekhov kept saying, "These are comedies!" Particularly with regard to Three Sisters , which is what Jennifer was working on at the time. Chekhov said, "You're making my characters crybabies!" For decades and decades, this was one of the classic artistic nuts to crack: how to find the humor in Chekhov - which is very pastel and, admittedly, difficult to discover. And here was this kid who was a teenager at the time who just naturally solved it. It was remarkable! She just went in there and made Chekhov truthful, and she found the humor! That’s really astonishing! I can’t take credit for that. But what I also tried to share with Jennifer, and what I say to everybody, is, "Listen, that's the kind of talent that deserves to work with the giants." I would love to see her do Molière . I would love to see her tackle some of O’Neill’s heroines. But this is not the kind of culture that is really alive to the concept of developing talent; they're much more alive to the concept of using it.

From: Chud.com

Here is Jennifer's coments from Anthony Abeson Website

Anthony Abeson was the first man to inform me that I was funny. This news was bittersweet considering the information came just as I exited, having performed Chekov. I came off stage and I said, “they’re laughing at me.” And he said, “I know. They were….” Awkward silence. “Jennifer, let me tell you something: you’re funny.” Offended, I replied, “I’m not funny, I’m a serious actress.” And he said, “No, no, this is not a bad thing. Go with it. We love funny. Just understand that you can’t use that as a crutch when you need to go deep.” So all these years later, I guess you could say, Anthony Abeson sent me on my path because his words, to this day, resonate in me and in my work. My instinct was to find the funny. He steered me by understanding what was inside of me before I could, and how comedy can be deepened by a dramatic moment and drama can be enhanced by a comedic approach. They’re intermingled; that’s life. Anthony helps his actors find the honesty in every moment. So for any actor to just have a moment with Anthony or a class with him, or by luck, have his words to read and reread, one will be twice or three times the actor for it.

Jennifer Aniston has a new Friend

Here is a heart warming story about Jen.

The former "Friends" star has been on location in the small town of Madras, Ore., filming the romantic comedy “Management” with Woody Harrelson and Steve Zahn for the past several weeks. She was in her trailer prepping for a scene when she heard that Isaiah Beeson – an 8-year-old with a debilitating bone disease that confines him to a wheelchair – wanted to say hello., the magazine reports.

"Jennifer made arrangements for Isaiah to be brought on-set immediately,” the child’s grandfather, Danny Beeson, told The Enquirer in an exclusive interview. “It was second nature to her to want to make his day, and it was a dream come true for the little guy. Isaiah’s only eight, but he knows and loves Jennifer from watching ‘Friends’ repeats with his mom. He’ll never forget how Jennifer made time for him.”
According to granddad Danny, Isaiah suffers form osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic disorder characterized by bones that break easily. It is often referred to as “brittle bone disease”.

From The National Ledger

New items, Jennifer Aniston and kick pleats

Here is a nice little anecdote from one of the folks out in Portland where Jen is currently working on "Management".

How does Jennifer A. fit into this all? She is filming a movie here in Portland. The best part being that most people are being so careful of her, that when they DO see her...they don't call people and say that they saw her until MUCH later so she doesn't get mobbed. I think that speaks volumes. I am not sure yet if that's about Jennifer (I think it is) or about Portland (a fast second). We DO love our celebrities...but even Michael Jordan said when he came here "Portland might be the friendliest, kindest city I've ever been to". Gotta love that. I think he's right. She was so lovely to her restaurant wait staff..they liked her. She paid compliments, asked how their day was going...isn't that a nice change to other celebrities? Lindsay....Paris...Brit....you just never hear about them being kind to staff, laying low, arriving in a regular old taxi. They need to learn a thing or two from the polite gals!!!!

From: PoppyandIvy

Jennifer Aniston in Harper's Bazaar 140 year anniversary issue.

JENNIFER ANISTON reveals how she's doing now in the 140th anniversary issue of Harper's Bazaar , on newsstands October 23.
Aniston talks about her redecorating plans with the magazine, and reveals she may be considering a move from California to New York.

Jennifer Aniston Traveling

Universal Pictures has set Jennifer Aniston to star with Aaron Eckhart in "Traveling," a drama that marks the directing debut of Brandon Camp . Camp wrote the script with longtime writing partner Mike Thompson.
Aniston will play a floral designer who works in a Seattle hotel where a charismatic self-help guru is conducting a weekend seminar on coping with grief. As they get to know each other, she factors heavily into the guru's realization that he practices none of the principles he teaches.

From: Variety

New Background Casting Division seeks Extras for Jennifer Aniston Film

PORTLAND, ORE. Lana Veenker Casting announced today the launch of a new extras casting division, Rutabaga Background Casting . Its first assignment will be to provide background actors for “Management ,” the upcoming Stephen Belber film starring Jennifer Aniston and Steve Zahn , which is slated to start shooting in Oregon in October.


Interested adults can contact Diana Hammons at 503-274-4050 or background (at) sayrutabaga.com. More information is available on the Rutabaga MySpace page.


Rutabaga Background Casting
A division of Lana Veenker Casting
2580 NW Upshur Street
Portland, OR 97210

503-274-4050 tel
503-224-5249 fax


From: The Casting Scoop

Jennifer Aniston & Glaceau team up with Action for Healthy Kids

Jennifer Aniston and Glaceau ( click on the smartwater bottle twice ) are teaming up with Action for Healthy Kids to help educate and promote a healthy lifestyle.

Action for Healthy Kids:

Thousands of volunteer administrators, educators, health professionals, parents, and others take action at the state, district, and school building level through Action for Healthy Kids' Teams in all 50 states, New York City, and the District of Columbia, because healthy children learn better.

Our Vision: All kids develop the lifelong habits necessary to promote health and learning.

Our Mission: To engage diverse organizations, leaders, and volunteers in actions that foster sound nutrition and good physical activity in children, youth, and schools.

Smartwater is guaranteeing a minimum donation of one million dollars through the Entertainment Industry Foundation to Action for Healthy Kids.

Jennifer Aniston - Room 10 showing on Sunday

Robin Wright Penn stars as an emergency room nurse going through a rough patch in her marriage, and Kris Kristoferson is the visitor attending the bedside of his terminally ill wife, in this moving story about the true meaning of love and commitment.

DIRECTOR: Jennifer Aniston, Andrea Buchanan

Sunday, August 26, 5:30 PM Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs.

Get tickets here: Room 10

Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston will star in "Marley & Me"

Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston will star in "Marley & Me ," the Fox 2000 adaptation of John Grogan's bestselling memoir about an incorrigible Labrador retriever.
David Frankel , who last directed "The Devil Wears Prada " for the studio, will helm; Scott Frank is working on the latest draft of the script.
Plan is to begin production next year. Gil Netter and Karen Rosenfelt are producing.

From Variety

Jennifer Aniston - "He's Just Not That Into You,"

Jennifer Aniston is in final negotiations to star in "He's Just Not That Into You," New Line Cinema's ensemble comedy being directed by Ken Kwapis. Drew Barrymore and Nancy Juvonen are producing via their Flower Films banner.

The Hollywood Reporter

Project News Update

Looks like there will be more announcements about Jens upcoming projects in the next few days. So far we have heard about Management, and The Goree Girls.

Jen we can't wait to hear what's really going on!

Aniston, Howard chill in P.S.

Actresses Jennifer Aniston and Bryce Dallas Howard will show off their directing skills at the 2007 Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films & Short Film Market, set for Aug. 23-29 at the Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs.

The Hollywood Reporter

Jennifer Aniston to star in 'Management'

Jennifer Aniston and Steve Zahn will star in "Management," a romantic comedy that marks the feature directing debut of playwright-screenwriter Stephen Belber .

Variety

Wanted Casting calls

There is a Web site claiming to have casting calls for Jen's movie "Wanted".

Its a scam.

If they ever do start production we will try to have the news here when we know for sure. For more information check out the JACF Forum .

Chatting with Lorenzo di Bonaventura: Transformers, plus Murphy & Aniston

"We caught up with di Bonaventura last Friday, just a day after Transformers had its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival . We talked ticket sales, why Josh Duhamel 's girlfriend, Fergie , wasn’t asked to be on the Transformers soundtrack and why di Bonaventura may be looking to cast Jennifer Aniston opposite Eddie Murphy in the next Beverly Hills Cop flick."

An Evening with Jen and Laura Day

"Sure enough, as I arrive at Kevin Huvane and Ryan Kavanaugh's party for intuitionist and New York Times bestselling author Laura Day , Ms. Aniston is on the red carpet and radiating beauty brighter than the flashes eagerly capturing her presence."

Jennifer Aniston and Andrea Buchanan's "Room 10" win CineVegas Award

Jennifer and Andrea Buchanan won the jury award at CineVegas for Room 10 along with David Schmoeller's "Spanking Lessons".

Jennifer Aniston invited into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Eddie Murphy , Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carell and Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson have been asked to join Hollywood's most exclusive club. They were among 115 actors, filmmakers, studio executives and others invited into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , the group that hands out the Oscars.

Jennifer Aniston is tuning up a period musical

The DreamWorks film is titled Goree Girls, which she will produce as a potential starring vehicle .

Aniston and her producing partner Kristin Hahn optioned Skip Hollandsworth's May 2003 article in Texas Monthly titled "O Sister Where Art Thou," which recounted the story of the women, who eventually were pardoned. Margaret Nagle, who wrote Brad Silberling's upcoming "The Lost Boys of the Sudan," is adapting. The studio is out to directors.

Here is the link to the Hollywood Reporter article: Hollywood Reporter

Jennifer Aniston may need to brush up on her yodeling, banjo and steel guitar now that she's producing the period country-and-western musical "Goree Girls" for DreamWorks Pictures. The actress is on board to produce and likely star in the 1940s song-laden comedy about one of the nation's first all-female country acts, a group whose members were also guests of the Texas penal system.

Jennifer Aniston is dating again

The cover story for Fridays issue of People Magazine has Jennifer with 36 year old British model Paul Sculfor and claim they have been dating for several weeks. No word from Stephen Huvane or Jen yet but I doubt People would go this far out on a limb unless they knew all this for a fact.

Here is the link to the People article: Jennifer Aniston's Mystery Man Revealed!

Jennifer Aniston may be dating a new guy.

We've all been holding out hope that Jennifer Aniston would find an awesome guy. She is such a sweetheart, and when Brad Pitt set sail for Jolie Island, it was difficult to watch Jen try to cope.

Now it seems that she may be back in the dating game. She's been single since her split with Vince Vaughn last October, but that's all about to change. Over Memorial Day weekend, Jen was spotted frolicking around Santa Monica with a new beau.

Aniston, 38, spent last Saturday night at the One Pico restaurant in the Shutters Hotel, a very romantic setting, indeed. Jen and her mystery man had reservations for 8:00. While they waited for their table, Jen received a backrub from her date. Even during dinner (which lasted for 3 hours) she didn't take her eyes off of him, reported a witness.

"[Jennifer] is doing so good," longtime friend Kathy Najimy recently told People Magazine. "She's fantastic. Couldn't be better." Could it be that finally Jen has found a nice guy to take care of her?

Courtesy of the Gossip Girls

Jennifer Aniston in partnership with smartwater

Jennifer will be starring in an upcoming advertising campaign for smartwater, shot by Mario Testino.

"We were thrilled that Jennifer discovered smartwater and realized what a difference it makes to her healthy lifestyle," said Rohan Oza, Senior Vice President of Marketing, smartwater. "To us, Jennifer truly embodies what smartwater is all about as she combines substance and style like nobody else."

When will Hollywood and the press wake up?

In light of recent events...

In my lifetime we have lost ( to name just a very few ):

Christina Onassis - Natalie Wood - Elvis Presley - John Belushi - Lenny Bruce - Montgomery Clift - Kurt Cobain - Brian Cole - John Entwistle - Brian Epstein - Chris Farley - Rory Gallagher - Andy Gibb - Paul Hammond - Margaux Hemingway - Jimi Hendrix - Billie Holiday - Anissa Jones - Brian Jones - Janis Joplin - Karen Lancaume - Carole Landis - Marilyn Monroe - Keith Moon - Jim Morrison - Billy Murcia - Hugh O'Connor - Robert Pastorelli - Gram Parsons - Chris Penn - Art Pepper - John Phillips - River Phoenix - Jackson Pollock - Freddie Prinze - Rachel Roberts - George Sanders - Dylan Thomas - Georg Trakl - Sid Vicious - Alan Wilson - Dennis Wilson - Hank Williams - Kenneth Williams - -----

Do we really need to add Lindsy Lohan or Paris Hilton - this is the way it ends ... is this is what it takes for Hollywood to wake up.

If you can get this list to Lindsy, Paris, Britney or someone else in trouble please do so. You don't have to be a fan, just concerned.

Let them know we are all concerned and don't want to see their name on this list.

Jennifer Aniston will not be writing a tell-all book.

Aniston's publicist is denying a report by Star magazine that the Break-Up star is writing a book spilling the details of her marriage to Brad Pitt.

"Jennifer has no plans to write a book. She is not looking to write a tell-all. She has no interest in it," said Aniston's rep. Stephen Huvane

Jennifer Aniston was out and about yesterday for the Holiday weekend

Jen was out and about yesterday ( and looking great ) with Courtney and David for the Memorial Day Holiday, this from SAWF:

"She looked well toned and tanned and wore light blue frayed denim shorts and a light fabric, steel gray V-neck long sleeved T-shirt."

Jennifer Aniston was spotted in Chicago on Thursday

Jen was spotted in Chicago on Thursday, here is a short article by MICHAEL SNEED of The Chicago Sun-Times.
Jen was in Chicago perhaps to promote Oprah's new show The Big Give. Naturally the gossip is centered around whether or not she was with Vince Vaughn but there haven't been any sightings.

Jen was at Nobu with David Arquette and Courtney Cox on Saturday and we have some new photos in the Image section of the JACF Forum.

BS Weekly has the final insult for Jennifer Aniston

Except the insult is to our intelligence...
Janice Min must be desperate to save her job because she just cannot let this go. The divorce was final nearly 2 years ago and the separation is going on 2 and a half years. All three have settled into their new lives and not once have any of them even so much as uttered the others name to the press.
Jen doesn't like Angelina, what a shocker, Angie and Brad May have been "together" before the divorce; good god you don't say!

The wounded party here seems to be Min.

Too bad the three of them can't sue BS Weekly on the grounds of stupidity.

Jennifer Aniston Love Chart

Here is fun article about Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn from the National Ledger. It would be interesting to know if Jennifer feels this is an accurate description. Alas, she just doesn't send us many emails. Still it's a fun article by Lynn Hayes so enjoy.

No news to report this week, we are still patiently waiting to hear which two projects she will start working on next.
Someone on IMDB change the status of Wanted saying Meryl Streep has pulled out of the project, but IMDB is so notoriously unreliable with this sort of information we will just have to wait.

A shortage of films for women

There is an interesting article in the New York Times By SHARON WAXMAN today talking about the role of women in movies. They mention Jennifer Aniston and The Break-Up briefly.

Still, some long-time Hollywood producers feel that something has shifted. "For every Lionsgate, you'd hope there would be another company saying, "We're going to make 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding,' " said Lindsay Doran, an independent producer ("Nanny McPhee," "Sense and Sensibility") who once ran United Artists.
"You don't see that. You don't see companies saying, 'More than half of this population is women, we should design a slate to come up with movies like 'The Break-Up,' and 'The Devil Wears Prada.' "

Read the rest of the article here: New York Times

People Magazine's most beautiful list for 2007

Only real news this week is that Jen is on People Magazine's most beautiful list for 2007. This is the 5th time for Aniston.
Drew Barrymore has the People cover story this week.
Other than that it's been pretty quiet, except for the usual tabloid screeching:



Aniston and Vince Vaughn are back together
Vince spent the night
Reese Witherspoon is mad at Jen for kissing Jake Gyllenhaal
Reese is mad at Jake for kissing Jen
Aniston will be selling bottled water
Angelina is mad at Brad for talking to Aniston

And on, and on, and on...

I think the National Enquirer may have had this right all along, Include UFOs and aliens with the gossip, makes it more interesting. Something like, Aniston is selling bottled water obtained by aliens a source close to the aliens reported...

Well, maybe not...

We do have one request though Jen, take the dogs out for a walk on the beach again we do love those pictures. Watch out for the aliens though, they are the ones with the circular thing protruding from their face.

Hmmm, should of quit sooner...

GLAAD Award

Jennifer Aniston took home the Vanguard Award at last nights GLAAD Awards promoting equal rights for the gay community.

ABC News

Lost in the Pages of Tabloid Hell

I am excited to find out that Jennifer will be directing and acting in new projects. On the other hand I have become a little discouraged. I love to read about Jennifer and what she is doing, but when is it too much? It is not common knowledge that Jennifer sells. You attach her name to anything, attention is brought to it. That can have great benefits but it can bring unnecessary attention. It all started with her divorce but now it is in over kill. If it's not Jennifer and Angelina fighting over Brad Pitt splash around on covers and blogs, it's Jennifer the lonely, left-behind woman. Some things I get, for example, she went in for septoplasty. Although the tabloids said she would have a whole new face, it was expected because in Hollywierd that is, for some reason, big news. It was expected speculation and tabloid covers.

There are things as fans we want to know and there are also things as fans we should never know. I do not blame Jennifer for not ever talking about Vince because look how that turned out. The speculation hit an all time high late last year just because Jennifer did not follow his every step while he was filming in London. To me they purposefully tore apart that relationship in the pages of tabloid hell because they did not get any access to it. Even to the point where Vince, uncharacteristically, sued. I see that same pattern happening even when she is, for what we know, not in that position.

'JENNIFER OUT WITH PRODUCER, COULD IT BE LOVE?', 'JENNIFER SEEN OUT WITH SAM ROCKWELL, NEW ROMANCE!', 'JENNIFER ATTENDS VINCE'S BIRTHDAY DINNER, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?' , 'JENNIFER GOES AFTER YOUNG ORLANDO BLOOM, TRIES TO SHOW SHE STILL HAS IT!' 'SECRET DATES WITH KEANU REEVES, MORE ON PAGE 6!'

When does enough become enough? I would not mind her getting back with Vince, or dating again; but that does not mean I want to read about it in the pages of US Weekly or any other tabloid. She should be able to have some sort of private life. Something has to been done. I hate that instead of the tabloids writing about how she is out trying to cast her new movie she will be directing, they rather say her friends set her up on a blind date which a producer who happens to be filthy rich. They have torn her apart and made her into some sort of tabloid hoe, putting her along side the other tabloid hoes as Paris, Britney, Nicole, the girls from the MTV show "The Hills"; people who seek out that attention and would love to have a cover on Us Weekly. Unfortunately none of this is going to stop as long as people keep paying almost $5 for a tabloid or keep clicking that link to that blog whose blogger's pockets keep getting fatter every time they post the words Jennifer Aniston, and hits increase for the day. I am guilty of it, but also am getting to the point where I refuse to pay for the constant crap they have continued to feed us. The only tabloid I would consider buying is People, and yes People is a tabloid and I use the word consider very strongly because they have their tabloidly moments too. I just hope for the day that Jennifer is removed from the pages of tabloid hell and instead of in their pages written as a lonely, divorcee, written as a beautiful, talented woman that we here all know she is.

So are you up to the challenge? You have two choices, the Red or Blue Pill. Take the Red Pill, you hit reality and stop funding the lies. Take the Blue Pill, you will continue on with your life ,living within the pages of Tabloid Hell.

Jennifer Aniston episode of Dirt

Well the much-ballyhooed lesbian kiss is behind us and the reviews are all in, Dirt is a failure. At least that's what most of the critics would have you believe.
Alessandra Stanley's review in the NY Times was typical with this:
"And there is a lesson in these two famous women's strangely bland performances"
The lesson here is that even those who have risen to; Critic at the NY Times , are unable or unwilling to see the subtle subtext of this show. With statements like this:
"Dirt" exposes an outdated dark side of show business - sex, drugs and sinful self-indulgence. Today's reality of botox, liposuction and colonic irrigation is under explored.

We all know that the in-crowd no longer engage in the use of drugs, and the posh rehabs are struggling to make ends meet. Because sex drugs and sinful-self-indulgence are passé'.

Please...

Hollywood for all of it's superficial trapping is really a very complex arena and nothing is ever really as it appears. Dirt is a story about selling ones soul and if you can't sell your own, sell someone else's. The first thee or four episodes set the stage, it is a story of complex composite characters, each representing different aspects of the players in the news arena. Center stage, Dirt and Now magazine. They represent the two opposing sides of the press, Now magazine being the old school of get the facts and hold on to the integrity of journalism only printing what you know is factual. And Dirt with it's legion of scoundrels willing to engage in human sacrifice. And then DirtNow and the joining of forces, something that took decades in real life happened in a blink. Seemingly overnight the lines between what we once thought of as being polar opposites, one just a guilty pleasure the other a beacon of facts and integrity joining forces to become ...insane.

Enter Don Koneke ( Ian Hart ), struggling with his demons. And his love affair with an actress that died from an overdose. A scathing indictment of a story at all cost press.

A complex tangle of composite characters Dirt is deftly woven together in a play about a world that is so far removed from ordinary life it doesn't seem possible that it's real. And yet, sadly it is all too real. This is some of the best satire to come out of Hollywood in ages and like all good satire you must think, look beyond the facade, and the obvious. Lucy Spiller ( Courtney Cox ) is just another arena player and Courtney has nailed the character. Her characters sometimes-bland demeanor, the cover-up of Lucy's spiral downward as she crosses each line. She knows it, but she can't let it show or let it go.

Jennifer was such a logical choice for the role of the competition it's difficult to imagine anyone else in the role. Who else personifies the idea of "too much press", over exposure, or the demise of the idea that there is no such thing as bad press? Dirt is an unflinching look at the demise, not of the entertainment business that in reality isn't that much different than it was 50 years ago, but rather the movement of the press away from it's lofty ideals. Tabloid headlines abound in every facet of the news in and out of the entertainment business. DirtNow is the on-going fusion of the Tabloid and mainstream press.
Alessandra Stanley's review misses the point so completely, because she like so many others in the "main stream" press are looking for Lucy Spiller's flaws.

This only scratches the surface of Dirt. If you didn't watch it, do so when it comes back in the first season re-runs. Just remember this is satire, and nothing is as simple as it appears.

Jennifer Aniston has two new projects.

E! Online is reporting Jen has two new projects in the works. She will be directing/producing one and staring in another.

Jen will also be receiving the GLAAD Media Award. April 14th.

Read it here at E! Online

Dirt season finale update

Variety is reporting that FX had the nights top cable show. Dirt pulled in 2.4 million viewers, which isn't bad at all.

Read it here: Variety
A Review by Erin

Dirt season finale on FX Tuesday

The FX season finale with Jennifer is on Tuesday on FX so set your Tivo!

Some of the critics and most of the press have panned the show. I'm not surprised. It paints a pretty bleak picture of Hollywood, the Hollywood press and stardom. Not exactly ripped from the headlines, but I imagine it hits close to home. To close...
Perez Hilton was on last week in a truly forgettable and thankfully short performance.

Beyond Team Aniston: Why it's not about picking a side.

In 2005, we watched the Brangelina saga unfold, as most of us who haven't been living under a rock now know. Divorce papers were filed, column inches accumulated, and the public chose sides, as represented by a t-shirt that for a brief moment in time was quite popular. However, as a longtime fan of Jennifer Aniston, I do feel like it's perhaps too trendy to say that I'm "team Aniston." It makes it sound like a large part of my appreciation for her is due to my having taken a side in this particular scenario, when, in fact, I have watched her for over a decade. In the '90's, I was that teen dragging her little sister along to see Picture Perfect. And now, while my appreciation has grown even stronger over time, it isn't the hype that has made it so. It is Jen herself who has become all the more interesting to watch, yet remained true to herself the whole while.

Ever since about 1994, when Jen became a household name through Friends, she has appealed to the public in a way that is intangible and irresistible. She emerged quickly as the "sexy Friend," but hers is a unique brand of sexy. While men find her desirable, women don't resent her for that; rather, they want to be her, as made manifest by the way in which women so eagerly emulate her hairstyles and outfits. As gorgeous as she is, you get the sense that she isn't all about her relationship to the opposite sex, although her relationships do capture much of the public's interest. She has made a name for herself as the ultimate girls' girl, fiercely loyal to her girlfriends, and you get the sense that she would extend a certain sisterly courtesy to any of her fellow women.

Indeed, one of the biggest parts of her charm is the fact that her guard is down. She lacks the veneer that so many stars possess in interviews, and she seems like the sort who would be no different in person, in the sense that she doesn't seem untouchable. A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to confirm this firsthand, and I am immensely glad that I took it. She is, indeed, a normal woman doing her job. A normal woman who just so happens to be beautiful, driven, and phenomenally talented.
( Read Erin's experience on the set of the The Break-Up. )

Speaking of talent, I feel strongly that the best is yet to come in that area. She has already done quite well in establishing herself as a comedic talent; her work on Friends makes it look easy, but there is definitely an inner quality unique to Jen that makes it so. She's held her own on the dramatic end, as well; independent films The Good Girl and Friends With Money were widely regarded as having lent her "indie cred," and she did do a remarkable job in both films. Derailed was very underrated, in my opinion; she certainly showed a darker side, but at the same time, didn't just take the easy way out by making Lucinda a stereotyped femme fatale. As with all of her performances, she gave the character many shades of emotion, and has the skills necessary to convey just enough at the right moments. The Break-Up, one of her biggest hits, combined broad comedy with gritty dramatic content, and in doing so allowed Jen to firmly establish a strong but sympathetic big-screen presence. With projects such as Wanted, Gambit, and Grace and Grit rumored to be in the works, we can look forward to seeing her dig into some incredibly challenging roles.

Indeed, a lot has transpired over the past decade that I never would have imagined, and I look forward to what the future brings. She shares, and we relate. Whether it's newlywed jitters, the joys of friendship, or professional ups and downs, we connect because ultimately, she's not sharing as some grand example, but as a fellow woman. With all of the It girls who have come and gone during that time, Jen's still here and better than ever because her journey is our journey as well.

For more from apothecary06 visit:
Jennifer Aniston Watch and as a moderator on the JACF Forum.