The Dish Rag by Elizabeth Snead

Is there a ‘Friends’ film in the works? And are all the show’s stars on board?

Will there be a movie version of “Friends”?

Could be. A former “Friends” cast mate has reportedly spilled the beans that a film version of NBC’s hit TV series is in the works.

There’s been no official confirmation (or denial) yet.

But after the success of “Sex and the City: The Movie” — now shooting the second installment — and the excitement about the “Seinfeld” reunion on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” this makes sense now.

James Michael Tyler told Britain’s News of the World newspaper, “I still keep in touch with a lot of the cast and they say that they are really keen. I am definitely on board to do the film.”

The economy is still in the tank and several “Friends” stars’ film careers never got off the ground — with the exception of Jennifer Aniston — so it’s possible that the cast may be open to it now.

Remember, movie production is tight in Hollywood right now. This could be their only film for a few years.

Find out what could have happened to our favorite friends.

Here’s a look at what the friends have been doing:

David Schwimmer has done a bit of London theater after his small role in “Band of Brothers.” He also directed the 2007 British film “Run Fat Boy Run.” Who knew?

For the most part, Jennifer Aniston’s films have been commercial successes. She’s doing better than her pals. 

No one dug Courteney Cox’s now-canceled “Dirt.” She’s trying again with “Cougar Town” on TV and should be in “Scream 4,” so she knows the value of a redux.

Lisa Kudrow’s film career is smaller and more indie, but she’s still kicking, having played a mom in Summit Entertainment’s “Bandslam.”

Matt LeBlanc had that flop TV comedy “Joey.” Has he done anything else? He’s gotta be about ready for “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here.”

Matthew Perry starred in Aaron Sorkin’s critically hailed “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” But it was canceled after one season. Last time we saw him, he was really good as older Zac Efron in “17 Again.” For about five minutes.

What do you think should happen in “Friends: The Movie?”

Should Ross and Rachel get/stay together?

Will Phoebe announce she’s a lesbian and become a street person living in Venice?

Will Joey develop early onset Alzheimer’s? Hey, someone has to have a disease or where are the sad scenes?

Will Chandler and Monica’s perfect kids rob houses in their upscale hood for crack money and get sent to juvenile prison?

We’d like to see Monica struggle with losing baby weight and end up looking as heavy as she did in high school.

Your suggestions?

Photo credit: Getty Images

 

Courteney Cox talks about fame and ‘Cougar Town’
By Kate Arthur

Los Angeles Times

Posted: 09/24/2009 12:00:00 AM PDT

HOLLYWOOD — Courteney Cox has been famous for 25 years. Yes — Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” video, which caused “who’s-that-girl?” attention to be directed toward Cox, made its MTV debut in July 1984.

At the time, the then-20-year-old Cox, who had spent her childhood in a suburb of Birmingham, Ala., was working at a music agency in New York and doing some modeling. Her career after that — “Family Ties,” “Ace Ventura,” “Friends,” “Scream” — has made her a key part of several pivotal television shows and movies of the last quarter-century. She now stars in a new comedy, ABC’s “Cougar Town,” which debuted Wednesday (9:30 p.m., Ch. 7).

And she might make an excellent witness to the splintering of mass culture, having been a participant in such hugely popular fare, as well as the vacillations of the celebrity-industrial complex.

Except Cox has a terrible memory. Even about something extremely, um, memorable. “Did we get a million dollars an episode just for one year or two?”

She was asking the question over a recent dinner when the subject of the final season of “Friends” came up, during which all six lead cast members were paid exorbitant salaries.

Then, with half-feigned marvel in her voice: “Isn’t that amazing? A million dollars an episode! What did I do with that money? More importantly.”

Her laissez-faire forgetfulness would be a shock to anyone who didn’t realize she was actually
acting for the 10 years she played Monica, the hilariously uptight, sometimes unhinged whippet who kept all the “Friends” in line. It’s a role Cox is so closely associated with that her own personality seems to be that of a hyper-organized clean freak tweezed within an inch of her eyebrows’ lives.

Cox is more complicated than that. What she does remember from the late ’80s and early ’90s, besides her many homes — Cox is a serial house redoer-decorator-mover — and a few relationships, is a vague feeling that she wasn’t quite where she wanted to be in life. “I think before, maybe I wished I was someplace else, or, ‘Oh, maybe that lucky thing will happen, and I’ll get recognized in a way that someone will trust me to put me in that role,’ ” she said. “I don’t know how I thought all of these things were going to happen without really going for stuff. I don’t know whether I didn’t think I deserved it or whether I was just shy. I’m not sure.

“But now I’m much more confident. And I believe that things are exactly the way they’re supposed to be.”

Some of those things are: a happy home life with husband David Arquette and their 5-year-old daughter, Coco. A phalanx of friends they host at small gatherings every Sunday night — yes, yes, Jennifer Aniston is one of them. Two houses to split time between, one in Beverly Hills and one in Malibu. A production company, Coquette, that Cox and Arquette run together.

And Cox plays the lead role in “Cougar Town,” a slightly off-color comedy about a recently divorced mom looking to date. Its tone is broad on subjects such as sex, aging and parenting, and Cox’s Jules is blunt and inappropriate — the show probably will divide critics and viewers from the title on down.

The days have been long and, particularly because she has been on a break from steady work on television since FX’s ill-fated “Dirt” was canceled last year, it has been exhausting. “I don’t think I’ve ever starred in something where I really am in every scene,” she said. “I’m trying to decorate my bungalow, get my dressing room settled. I’m constantly searching for outer peace. I want my life to be calm. I want it to be organized. Because that’s all I’m really searching for; I’m always chaotic.”

Not that Cox wants any of this to stop, mind you. She said: “I hope this show is a huge hit and that people love it. Because I like playing this character more than any character I’ve ever played.”

What? More than Monica? More than Gale Weathers, the tabloid reporter from the “Scream” movies? “Yeah!” she said emphatically. “This show says what I think.”

Cox is 45, and on “Cougar Town” she is playing 40-ish. Does its comedic harping about age and changing, sinking bodies cause her to think about her own life? “Well, the show doesn’t make me think about aging — I’ve been thinking about aging since I’ve been aging,” Cox said with a laugh. “I can’t believe the time I spent in my 30s, even late 30s, thinking about some of the stuff I did. That was ridiculous. What a waste of time. Now I actually need to start thinking about it.”

Cox went on: “I’ve got strong opinions, and I can get short. But I’m just not that high-maintenance. So the whole world knows I had miscarriages. And yes, I’ve done in vitro however many times — three times. Yes, I’ve said that David and I go to therapy. Yes. Nothing’s too precious for me. For some reason, I don’t care.”

The Evolution Of Jennifer Aniston: Follow The ‘Love Happens’ Actress’ Career In Photos

Posted 9/18/09 2:35 pm ET by Terri Schwartz

 

Having brought in over $904 million domestically with her big screen roles, we weren’t exaggerating when we said Jennifer Aniston was someone people enjoy watching fall in love over and over again. Her new movie “Love Happens” hits theaters today and decided to take a look back at how Jennifer Aniston evolved into being Forbes’s eighth most powerful celebrity this year (ahead of ex-husband Brad Pitt but trailing behind his new lady, Angelina) and thesecond highest paid actress in the business.

Click on the photo below to see how Jennifer has grown from the 90s to today. Then, keep reading for more on her rise to fame after the jump.

 

Jen, now 40, wasn’t always starring across from sexy men like Aaron Eckhart, who is her love interest in “Love Happens.” In her first major film role at age 24 back in 1993, her costar wasn’t much of a man at all. Instead, he was a deranged leprechaun trying to kill her in the appropriately titled, “Leprechaun,” a cult hit but critically disdained comedy horror film. After several unsuccessful stints on TV with “Ferris Bueller,” “Molloy” and “Muddling Through,” Jen said in interviews she was ready to give up on acting. Fortunately for nineties pop culture, she didn’t.

In 1994, she auditioned for the role of Monica Geller on the new NBC show, “Friends.” The role was given to Courtney Cox, but Jen was given the character of Rachel Green. The show ended up running for 10 successful years, with Jen earning $1 million an episode for the show’s last two seasons. She won an Emmy, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her portrayal as Rachel, as well as spawning the popular nineties hairstyle, “The Rachel.”

It was during her time on “Friends” that she was set up on a blind date with actor Brad Pitt (check out his Evolution here!). The two dated for two and a half years before getting married in 2000. Together, the reigned as Hollywood’s power couple until they split in 2005. To this day, tabloids are still finding inventive ways of linking the two of them romantically.

With the success of “Friends,” Jen moved on to be a successful film star as well, generally staying within the boundaries of comedies and romantic comedies. Her highest grossing film to date is 2003’s “Bruce Almighty,” but some of her other more popular hits include “The Break-Up,” “He’s Just Not That Into You” and “Marley and Me” – which broke the record for highest Christmas Day opening for a film.

In 2006, inspired by actress Gwenyth Paltrow, Jen made her directorial debut with the short film, “Room 10.” It is the only film she has directed to date.

Having since shed both “Friends” and Brad, Jen continues to be one of the most powerful names in the entertainment industry. In 2007, Forbes named her the top-selling celebrity face of the entertainment industry, and judging by bookstore magazine aisles, things haven’t changed much. She is consistently ranked in the Hollywood’s hottest charts, and in 2009 earned her first Emmy nomination since “Friends” for her guest appearance on “30 Rock.” With 10 movies set for the next few years, we are sure Jen’s star is going to continue to burn bright.

 

COURTNEY COX COUGARS OVER ZAC EFRON

Courteney Cox know who the perfect prey for her new series, Cougar Town would be — Zac Efron!

The former Friends star dished to ET, saying, “Zac Efron would be perfect, but Zac probably has too much confidence to be real prey for a cougar. You know you’re a cougar when you’re attracted to your son’s friends. You know you’re a cougar when you’re attracted to your daughter’s — who’s five — idols, which is where I come in.”

Zac has already worked with Courteney’s former costar and on-screen husband, Matthew Perry, in 17 Again.

Cougar Town premieres TONIGHT, September 23 @ 9:30PM ET/PT on ABC.

Aniston sings on Ellen DeGeneres show>

Actress Jennifer Aniston  ended up singing a few lines during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Wednesday. And the actress did impress the host of the show, who, posing as an American Idol judge, passed the ‘Friends’ star to the next round.
On the show, Aniston revealed that she was learning to sing and play a dobro for an upcoming film role, which gave the funny host to ask the actress to sing. “They promised me you wouldn’t do this to me,” People quoted Aniston, 40, as telling DeGeneres.
But despite her protests, Aniston belted out a few bars of the George Gershwin standard ‘I’ve Got a Crush on You’. And then, she retorted: “I’m absolutely mortified that you did that to me.” And Ellen, who referenced her new gig as an American Idol judge, said: “I would put you through to the next round.”

 

THE ONE WITH ALL THE CHEESECAKES

In honor of National Cheesecake Day, celebrated on July 30th,  I thought I would post one of the best TV episodes of all time regarding cheesecake. It is from “Friends” (what else, right? You know my theory), “The one with all the cheesecakes.”

 

In the YouTube clip , all the cheesecake parts of the show run together, so you can see the whole story line in five minutes. Basically Chandler (Matthew Perry) opens and starts eating a cheesecake mistakenly delivered to his door instead of his neighbor’s. Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) catches him and they proceed to bicker about and then devour the cheesecake. My favorite parts are when they throw off Joey (Matt LeBlanc) by telling him it’s a tofu cake and then later those three eat a cheesecake off the hallway floor.

Maybe to honor National Cheesecake Day we won’t steal our neighbor’s cheesecakes or eat them off the floor … but it’s sure fun to watch our “Friends” do just that!

by Sharalyn Hartwell

Generation Y Examiner

Jennifer Aniston OK With Being The ‘Lonely Girl’

Jennifer Aniston is embracing her status as Hollywood’s single leading lady.

The 41-year-old actress told Elle that she’s tough enough to take on the label of “lonely girl.”

Photos: Jennifer Aniston’s hot romances

“I’m not going to ignore the pink elephant in the living room,” Aniston said. “It’s fine. I can take it. If I’m the emblem for ‘this is what it looks like to be the lonely girl getting on with her life,’ so be it.”

The former Friends star also offered some words of encouragement for all those looking to move on from heartbreak, saying, “I support women, men, anybody who is in a place that’s not their strongest and who is ready to push forward.”

Celebrity hookups and breakups

Aniston also revealed to the magazine that she’ll continue to see life from the lighter side—a s long as everyone else does.

“I can make fun of myself,” she added. “And I’ll bring it up as long as the world is bringing it up.”

 

Jennifer Aniston is urging studio bosses to make a movie adaptation of ‘Friends’ soon before the cast are all “geriatrics”.

Ever since the popular sitcom has ended in 2004, rumours of reunion and big screen adaptation have been making rounds.

But Aniston has insisted that the six cast members would jump at the chance to play their characters again for the movie, as long as they don’t turn ‘too old’.

The actress herself will turn 40 in February.

“We know how much people want that, and we would of course do it if it’s right. But I say do it way before we get to be geriatric Friends,” Contactmusic quoted her as telling ‘People magazine’,

Jennifer Aniston’s Endless Relationship Rumors

July 30th, 2009

Logging the long hours on-set, Jennifer Aniston put in a full day o of work on “The Bounty” in New York City on Thursday (July 30).

The former “Friends” darling showed up for the day’s shoot in a revealing grey tank top with khaki shorts, quickly changing into her sexy wardrobe before getting down to business.

In related news, Miss Aniston just can’t seem to keep out of the tabloid headlines - as the latest fodder tells that she’s still secretly dating actor Bradley Cooper.

“Jen loves that everyone thinks Bradley gave her the heave-ho and that she’s fooling around with Gerard Butler, her co-star in The Bounty,” an alleged insider told the National Enquirer.

“Jen is thrilled that no one knows about her and Bradley. She’s really sick of feeling like her love life is always under a microscope. Bradley is Jen’s little secret,” the source adds.

Courteney Cox won’t direct Friends
(UKPA) – 4 hours ago

Courteney Cox has admitted she wouldn’t like to direct an episode of Friends.

The actress made her directorial debut in Hollywood, with her short film The Monday Before Thanksgiving being screened at the LA Shorts Fest 09.

But she said she saw herself directing “features or movies-of-the-week rather than episodic TV”.

She added: “I would love to direct more, it’s perfect for my personality. I just like doing it, I think it’s great.”

Courteney said working with people she knew and trusted on the film had been a huge advantage as a director.

“I had the crew that I was working with on Dirt, so it was perfect,” she said.

But the actress admitted she’d had some rather impressive tips on how to approach her first shoot from Fight Club director David Fincher.

“I actually went to dinner with him and I said ‘David I need help’ and we sat down and he gave me four hours of his time. He gave me some guidelines and thoughts and it really helped,” she explained.

Copyright © 2009 The Press Association. All rights reserved.

Avon calling Courteney Cox 

Courteney Cox has always had that fresh, clean look. No wonder she was cast as Monica, the neat-freak member of the crew on Friends.

So it was high time the actress, 44, came out with her own fresh, clean fragrance with Avon, called Spotlight.

The Alabama native — who next appears as a recently divorced single mother in ABC’s comedy Cougar Town — knows about spotlights. Cox, who is married to Scream costar David Arquette, has been trolling Hollywood for more than 20 years, starting out as a flight attendant in As the World Turns in 1984.

Later that year, Cox did an unforgettable boogie with Bruce Springsteen in his Dancing in the Dark video.

Now like many of her peers ( Halle Berry, Scarlett Johansson, Keira Knightley), Cox is the face of a fragrance.

”I’ve been in the spotlight for much of my life — on TV, films and at the variety of events that go along with being an actress,” she tells The Miami Herald. “I like a scent that captures the thrill of being the center of attention and having all eyes on you.”

A scent can do that?

Perfumes ”can make you feel empowered and special,” she says, “and I think women need a little of that in their life!”

With all of mom’s frilly, nice smelling stuff around, daughter Coco, 4, is going girly.

”She’s snooping around a bit more,” Cox says, “but she hasn’t officially tested anything yet.”

How do you juggle all that you do?

”It’s tough,” she admits, but “I’m very fortunate that my job allows for me to have a team help me get ready for events and nights out, but on an ordinary day it’s much simpler. All it takes is a little lipstick, curling my lashes, mascara, blush and perfume.”

Source: Miami Herald 

 
 

Happy Wife Courteney Cox

Courteney Cox insists her marriage has never been better.

The former ‘Friends’ actress - who has been plagued by constant rumours her 10-year union to David Arquette is in trouble - says she is enjoying every aspect of her life and never imagined she could be so happy.

Courteney - who has a five-year-old daughter Coco with David - said: “I can honestly say that I have the best marriage, the best husband and the best daughter. They are the things that have given me real happiness - so much more than anything else. I don’t think I ever thought I would end up as happy as I am today.

“What I love about David is that he thinks I’m a great wife. Isn’t that fantastic? I love that. And he tells me, too, which is even better.” The 45-year-old star also revealed she has only just become comfortable with her looks.

She told Grazia magazine: “When I was younger I did struggle with my confidence. I was self-critical and I guess suddenly becoming famous puts all this pressure on you, people talking about the way you look and what you wear. When I look back at old pictures of myself now, I think, ‘Hey, I looked great,’ but at the time I was always worrying. I actually feel so much better about myself now but it has taken time to feel this way.”

Aniston Seriously Considering Friends Special

A Friends reunion show is a possibility again - Jennifer Aniston has revealed she’d consider filming a one-off special.Lisa Kudrow and Courteney Cox have both hinted at a reunion recently, and now Aniston is on board after she took a surprise trip back in time during a recent visit to pal Ellen DeGeneres‘ U.S. talk show - and revisited the coffee shop from the hit sitcom.

The Central Perk set is in storage on the Warner Bros. backlot, where DeGeneres shoots her daily show - and she thought it would be fun to interview Aniston there.

Aniston revealed she had last seen the coffee shop set in 2004, when she filmed her final scene there before Friends ended.

The thrilled actress said, “This looks so much smaller… Wow…! Amazing feelings. It feels like a second ago (since I was last here).”

And the experience was such a big deal for Aniston, she confessed she would consider a Friends reunion - if DeGeneres was a part of it.

She said, “I would absolutely do the show - like one; it wouldn’t hurt… (but) not a movie. I think our Thanksgiving episodes were so fun.”

The actress also used the return to Central Perk to claim set items she had been promised.

Spotting a neon coffee cup sign on the wall, she said, “I was supposed to get that.”

And to make the Friends set visit extra special, DeGeneres presented the actress with a 40th birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to her. Aniston turns 40 on 11 February.

Aniston: ‘Friends Cast Are Like Family’

Hollywood actress Jennifer Aniston still considers her former Friends co-stars “family” - even though the group rarely has time to meet up.

 

The 40-year-old has remained good friends with Courteney Cox since the comedy series ended in 2004 and is godmother to her four-year-old daughter, Coco.

Aniston admits she doesn’t have time to meet up with the other castmates - David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc and Lisa Kudrow - but still looks on them all as pals.

She says, “You have grand plans, like ‘We’ll have dinner once a month.’ And then, life happens; times change. It leaves me feeling sort of melancholy but, you know, something like that will always be there.

“We were as close as a family could ever be during those 10 years. They will always be my family, whether we are in the same room and talking regularly or not. We grew up together.”

Jolie & Aniston Top Money List

2 July 2009 1:11 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news
Angelina Jolie has topped a new list of high-earning actresses - earning $2 million (£1.3 million) more than her partner Brad Pitt’s ex-wife Jennifer Aniston last year.
Jolie banked $27 million (£18 million) in the last 12 months, according to finance magazine Forbes.
The bulk of the Tomb Raider star’s 2008/2009 income reportedly came from her share of the profits from her action film Wanted and her paycheque for new film Salt.
Marley & Me and new film The Baster swelled Aniston’s fortunes, and put her in second place on the new Forbes list.
Aniston also still earns big cash from re-runs of Friends.
Meryl Streep came in third and Sarah Jessica Parker and Cameron Diaz round out the new top five.

________________________________________

Aniston Plans To Direct

14 May 2009 12:20 PM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news
Jennifer Aniston is planning to quit acting for a career behind the camera.
The former Friends star admits she’s tiring of performing and dreams of directing her own movies.
Aniston - who already has three producing credits under her belt - tells Star magazine, “Absolutely, I’m just waiting for the right thing.
“I’m at a place where I feel I can breathe and make some choices that creatively stimulate me. I love acting, but I don’t know if that’s always going to be it.”
________________________________________

U.K.’s Channel 4 To Halt Buying U.S. Shows

7 May 2009 2:23 AM, PDT | From Studio Briefing - Film News | See recent Studio Briefing - Film News news
In a blow to U.S. TV show producers, Britain’s Channel 4 network, which once aired such U.S.-produced series as Friends and Frasier, said it has no plans to buy any new U.S. show in the coming year. Kevin Lygo, director of television for the network, told the London Times: “We will be spending nowhere near the levels we did in the past on American programming and it’s unlikely we will buy a new [U.S.] show this year unless we get a good deal.” The Times reported that Channel 4 plans to cut at least $90 million from its programming budget in response to an 18-percent decline in advertising.