'Jennifer Aniston threw Brad Pitt out after he confessed his love for Angelina Jolie': New book lifts lid on split of the century

By Daily Mail Reporter





So happy: Brad and Jennifer at the Cannes premiere of Troy in May 2004, a year later they were heading to divorce





Jennifer Aniston ordered Brad Pitt to leave their Beverly Hills home after he admitted that he was in love with Angelina Jolie, according to a sensational new book.



Arnon Milchan, who produced Mr and Mrs Smith, makes the revelation in a book about his life as a producer and businessman tied to the arms trade, which is entitled Confidential: The Life of Secret Agent Turned Hollywood Tycoon.



He recalls how he originally cast Pitt and Nicole Kidman as the married spy couple in his film but that Brad pulled out of the project due to a lack of chemistry between himself and the flame-haired Australian.





Milchan also insists that Pitt was already infatuated with Jolie as immediately after he cast Angelina as the female lead, Brad called him to say he was happy to play Mr to her Mrs.



The rest, as they say, is history, and the writing was on the wall for the Friends sweetheart, who married Pitt in Malibu in 2000.



She filed for divorce in March 2005, apparently after seeing pictures of Brad, Angelina and Maddox on a beach in Kenya.



But it was a tumultuous few months of rumours and denials before she reached that point.



He recounts: 'At first, Jen didn't believe he was involved with Angelina. She started asking around but no one would tell her anything because they were loyal to Brad, so she asked him point blank. He denied it.'



Still going: Brad with new love Angelina at the Golden Globes in February this year



Chemistry: The promo for Mr and Mrs Smith, the film that brought the couple together





Brad and Jennifer then went to the Caribbean with best friends Courteney Cox and David Arquette on a pre-planned trip to celebrate New Years, 2005, but the strain was too much and Brad confessed.



'He eventually admitted he was in love with Angelina. Jen was furious and threw him out,' authors Meir Doran and Joseph Gelman write.



Brad only returned to the lavish home the couple designed together to collect some belongings before moving into Milchan's L.A. home.



'Brad drove each day to the set, and everywhere else, on a motorcycle and he wore a wraparound helmet with a tinted visor so no one would recognize him. He stayed with me for the duration of filming,' Milchan is quoted as saying.



On January 7, 2005, the pair announced their split, but when Brad joined Jennifer for her birthday in February, the rumour mill went into overdrive with talk about their reconciliation.



The trip to Africa put paid to that and Brangelina was born that Summer.



Six children were to follow, and the couple remain together while Jennifer has found love at last with actor Justin Theroux.



Family outing: The couple were negotiating their brood at the weekend when they took them to see the musical Wicked



Brad and brood: The Jolie-Pitts celebrate eldest son Maddox's tenth birthday in London at the weekend



New love: Jennifer with Justin in Hawaii on Thursday





source:dailymail

Love at last... Jennifer Aniston places an affectionate pair of hands on Justin Theroux's shoulders during a romantic trip

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

The loving touch: Jennifer Aniston places her hands on Justin Theroux as the couple enjoy a shopping trip in Kauai, Hawaii

It's often been said that Jennifer Aniston is more than a little keen to find herself a partner.

So it's unsurprising to see her immersing herself in her blossoming new relationship with aplomb.

The 42-year-old actress is currently in Kauai, Hawaii with her beau Justin Theroux and she appears to be infatuated with her new man - placing a loving pair of hands on his shoulders as they went on a shopping trip together.


So happy together: The actress and her beau obviously found something amusing as they strolled along in the Hawaiian sun


Love at last?: Has Jennifer finally got herself into a lifelong relationship?


Jennifer's apparent desperation for a man has been well documented, although never actually substantiated.

One thing's for sure, with her biological clock ticking and several failed relationships behind her, she's certainly enjoying her love life at present.

Last night the couple got their glad rags on to attend the birthday party of Ben Stiller's wife Christine Taylor.

The romantic couple walked hand in hand through a field lit with tiki torches where they were greeted by the birthday girl herself, celebrating turning 40 on July 30.



Party time: Jennifer and Justin attend the birthday party of Ben Stiller's wife Christine Taylor in Hawaii last night


Old friends: Jennifer and Christine have been friends for years after Christine appeared in an early episode of Friends and Jennifer later starred with Stiller in Along Came Polly


Deep in conversation: After the greeting the group stood around and chatted for a short while


Welcome: The couple are greeted by the hostess and birthday girl Christine herself


On vacation: Earlier in the day Ben Stiller was spotted paddle boarding with his son


Relaxing: Christine meanwhile spend some time aboard a canoe boat with some friends


source: dailymail

“It’s not murder if it’s justified.”

Horrible Bosses: directed Seth Gordon; written by Michael Markowitz, John Francis Bailey and Jonathan Goldstein

Am I the only one who flashed back to 9 to 5 at the concept of Horrible Bosses. Sure, it’s a trio of women – the machinations of terrible bosses and a stressful work environment presents a fine playing field for comedy. Now, with a name like Horrible Bosses I wasn’t expecting Seth Gordon’s comedic romp to be some sort of cathartic experience for anyone who’s ever experience working for an atrocious boss. It essentially sets itself up to be as literal as possible. And it’s not that this is the film’s fundamental problem, but it doesn’t help that the entire film could be relegated to a few lines. Three average Joes are suffering from their titular horrible bosses – the psycho, the man-eater and the tool and after being pushed to the edges of their sanity they decide that the only way to survive is to kill those horrible bosses. These men have had enough. In a high-speed chase where one of the characters concurrently has the most inane phone-sex scene with a seemingly unhinged woman that’s precisely what I was thinking...

Clearly, I’m in a bit of a funk movie-wise. 2011 just hasn’t been working out for me, and watching Horrible Bosses I couldn’t help thinking when it was going to end. I feel that in some way screenwriters have missed the buss and taking everything at face value: a series of jokes does not a humorous atmosphere make and Horrible Bosses has a number of jokes (perfunctorily placed, I might add) that never coalesce to formulate any steady accumulation of legitimate humour. It becomes obvious that the writers are attempting to do some nifty genre shifting early on when you realise that we’re heading to a stranger-on-a-train scenario where the three mix and match to get rid of the others’ boss. And, it’s not that I object to a situation where an unbalanced plan to commit a triple murder has become “comedic”. I suppose that in any situation comedic is as comedic does and as trite a statement as “less is more” is – it’s quite accurate. For Horrible Bosses to make a deliberate impact we’ve got to buy into the reality of these men’s lives being THAT horrible and I don’t. We’re treated to an obligatory snippets of tyranny flatly characterised but the situation is never profound enough to be thought provoking or amusing enough to be truly funny.

For the first third of the film Bateman, Day and Sudeikis manage to retain a fairly good chemistry but as the film gets more ridiculous the characters drift from endearing boorishness to annoying imbecility. In a world where your main characters are plotting murder you’d at least hope that they’re appealing enough to retain our allegiance. Horrible Bosses is one of those multiple number of bromance flicks where average men deal with reassert their bond of brotherhood amidst bouts with the law, outlandish situations and homoerotic situations – and on this front Horrible Bosses delviers on all three counts but with a third act that flounders terribly not only does it fail to deliver on any semblance of its promise, or make sense in the context of its pretend world it also makes it heroes come off as Neanderthals making me wish that they’d all end up dead.

The thing is, Horrible Bosses isn’t completely without salvage – for example, I don’t give it a failing grade. Julie Bowen appears in three scenes and steals the show, probably because she’s the lone characters’ whose inclinations aren’t tritely spelt out for us. Charlie Day’s almost hysterical dental assistant gives the type of performance – deranged and ridiculous at times – which suggests promise of talent with better material. Jennifer Aniston’s one-note seductress is funny on occasion even with a potent lack of any real reasons for her actions and even with a line as fundamentally inane as “She had the crazy fucked out of her.” In the race of truly awful movies there are a slew of others that would trump Horrible Bosses in the way of lewdness, poor acting and just general terribleness. But, that doesn’t mean that I’d acquit it of its faults; I don’t think I should. After all, it’s not murder if it’s justified – right?

            

C-

Jennifer Aniston puts on first PDA with boyfriend Justin Theroux at Horrible Bosses premiere afterparty

By Daily Mail Reporter


A tight grip: Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux hold hands as they leave Shoreditch House in London


Her love life has been the focus of much debate and Jennifer Aniston has certainly had her fair share of bad luck as far as relationships go.

But it seems as though the actress may have finally found love in the form of actor Justin Theroux.

The couple were pictured holding hands as they left Shoreditch House in London last night, following the premiere of her new movie Horrible Bosses.


Jennifer, 42, had changed into a sassy black LBD for her evening out with Justin, earlier in the day she wore a grey frock at the premiere.

Earlier this month Jennifer was inducted into the Hollywood Walk Of Fame and her new boyfriend Justin Theroux was front row to support his leading lady.

Although she kept him hidden while she walked the red carpet at last Thursday's Horrible Bosses premiere in Los Angeles, Justin was pride of place at the drinks later that night.

Grey day: The actress wore a subtle number to the premiere of her new film Horrible Bosses


After meeting up inside the premiere, the couple spent an hour and a half at the after-party before heading to the Chateau Marmont to meet friends, including Friends co-star Courteney Cox.

An onlooker told People magazine: 'They were super cute. He had his arm around her and kissed her on her cheek. They were whispering in each other's ears.'

It's also just been revealed that the pair are so serious that Justin has met Jennifer's father.

Outfit number one: Jennifer wore this leather number at the photocall for Horrible Bosses earlier in the day


U.S. magazine Life & Style says Jennifer introduced her father, John Aniston, to her new beau at Delmonico’s Steak and Lobster House in Los Angeles earlier this month.

An onlooker told them: 'She was smiling a lot, but you could tell this was a special event for her.'

The magazine said the party enjoyed a long lunch, sharing lobster bisque, Manhattan clam chowder, a crab dish and a four pound lobster washed down with a bottle of red wine.

New movie: The actress with her co-stars Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Jason Bateman and Kevin Spacey


Jennifer and Justin recently completed filming on the movie Wanderlust together, in which Jen plays one half of a married couple who branch out to make their relationship more interesting.

Justin, 39, is most famous for his screenplay writing having penned movies like Tropic Thunder and Iron Man 2.

In May Jennifer's representative said the couple were nothing more than friends after they were spotted dining out together.

'There were three other people at the dinner,' Aniston's rep told Us Weekly magazine.

'It was a friends dinner.'

'They are great friends,' a source also told People magazine of the couple.

'When Justin is in L.A. from New York, he and Jen have spent a lot of time together lately.'

'Jen was in a great mood and seemed happy to take Justin to her favourite restaurant,' the source says.

'They seemed happy and were flirty, but didn't act like a couple.'



source:dailymail

Jennifer Aniston Gets Prints immortalized On Hand And Footprint Ceremony

Horrible Bosses star Jennifer Aniston’s hands and feet were immortalized today outside of the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. According ot the Just Jared, the 42-year-old actress was joined at the event by beau Justin Theroux, her Horrible Bosses co-star Jason Bateman, and pal Chelsea Handler.

“Just Go With It” beauty and former ‘Friends’ star Jennifer Aniston captured the eyes of audiance, guests and especially media cameras when she appeared in girlie floral print Prada mini-dress teamed with pretty nude Gucci peep-toes and left a a mark in cement at the Hand and Footprint Ceremony outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.

“I was slightly familiar with the topic,” she joked with host James Lipton about starring in the 2006 rom-com The Break-Up, which she filmed after her real-life split,  Just Jared reported.

“I honestly felt like, ‘What a great way to sort of exorcise some of that,’” she shared. Horrible Bosses star Jennifer Anistonalso said that “All actors who want to do this, it’s really, really fun, but you really, really have to want to do it, [because] there’s all sorts of stuff that comes along with it.”

TV Meme, Day 21: Favourite 'Ships

I don’t know who invented this word (in this context), it’s a bit silly. If you don’t know what a ship is go HERE. Its entry in the meme – especially since yesterday’s post is essentially a variation on it. Nonetheless, I give you five “ships” (ugh).

Romantic 'Ships

Spike and Buffy in Buffy, the Vampire Slayer

I’ve never liked Angel, perhaps it’s because I generally find David Boreanaz to be annoying. Thus, I never really bought into the whole Buffy and Angel, true love yada yada ya. Since Spike easily trumps everyone in Buffy as far as I’m concerned the pairing with our heroine worked for me. Spike was still a badass (and a smartass) and he and Buffy still had their issues, but Gellar and Marsters had excellent chemistry.

Ross and Rachel in Friends

It’s probably the first television relationship that I was invested in. They were just supposed to be with each other, true much comedy came from them not together but they have good chemistry and Schwimmer and Aniston work well together. Those few episodes where Rachel was paired with Joey was just painful…and of course it’s the fairytale for all – a glamorous (if spoilt) and beautiful woman and a nerdy and somewhat neurotic man.

           

Alex and Izzie in Grey’s Anatomy

I was interested in their relationship even before they actually had a relationship. It’s more than just the physical, even though they do have some scorching chemistry but they play emotional opposite each other just as well. Of course with Heigl gone we might get Chambers paired with the exasperating Lexie (Chyler Leigh). They should just let him remain single. This relationship stands out as one of the best thing on Grey’s Anatomy.

             

runners up in order: Chuck and Blair in Gossip Girl, Chuck & Ned in Pushing Daisies, Rory & Jess in Gilmore Girls, Miranda and Steve in Sex & the City

         

Platonic 'Ships

Alex and Meredith in Grey’s Anatomy

I know, Grey’s Anatomy again. Sorry. I know I just spoke about the greatness of Alex and Izzie but maybe it was just me but there were moments in Season Two I was anticipating a relationship between our titular character and the resident delinquent. Both of them have severe commitment issues and though they’re not in a relationship their scenes together (though rare) are quite nice and they do work as friends. She was the one who convinced him to get married (and I know it's Cristina and Mer who have that unbreakable bond...but hmm, no).

            

Will & Grace in Will & Grace

As if you didn't see this coming. All chances of romance were off, but they still had amazing chemistry, ridiculous fights and undying love. Sure Jack and Karen upstaged quite often, but when it came down to the real relationships they had it going on.

      

runners up (in order): Chandler and Joey in Friends, Meredith and Cristina in Grey's Anatomy, Xander and Willow in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

        

More of the meme HERE

        

Which ships float your boat?

TV Meme, Day 20: Kisses

They say a picture is worthy a thousand, so I suppose a video is worth a million. On that logic here are two million words...

Look at both and tell me which kiss is...better.

This is lovely for nostalgia...

This one is just...great...

      

Incidentally, both are first kisses. Which do you prefer?

          

Of course, this is all for the MEME.

TV Meme, Day 6: My Favourite Episode of My Favourite Show

Today is my birthday, so we're doing things a little differently on the meme.I mentioned Friends as my favourite show on Day 4. Choosing my favourite from in excess of 200 episodes is a difficult one…but today is my birthday so I’m going to go avant garde and choose not one, not two but my nineteen episodes that strike me as well made. As often occurs with list making, I may forget one…but these 19 are excellent.

                           

#19: The One With Rachel’s Big Kiss (Season 7)

This is probably one of those “you had to be there” episodes. The guys are off picking a tuxedo for Chandler but the big event is of course Winona Ryder’s appearance as one of Rachel’s college friend, with whom she shared a kiss. Phoebe is sceptical of this, especially when Melissa denies it. Eventually though all is resolved culminating in a kiss from Phoebe to Rachel leaving Rachel shocked. Kudrow’s line reading is a beauty, “I just wanted to see what the fuss was about.”…”I’ve had better.”

             

#18: The One With All the Cheesecakes (Season 7)

Joey and Phoebe’s bond is shown to be even deeper when its revealed that they meet once a month to talk about the rest of the group, but Phoebe is in a dilemma when a date with her scientist ex-boyfriend (remember Hank Azarai’s brilliant guest performance?). The reason I like this episode, though is found in the title. Chandler enlists Rachel to steal cheesecakes from their downstairs neighbour. It’s a plot device I like because Aniston and Perry have good chemistry (that’s oddly rarely used), but it’s the end that always gets. A smashed cheesecake on the hall floor leads to the two taking out their forks and eating it right there followed by Joey’s entrance. He gives them a dubious look, and then pulls a fork (out of his coat jacket mind you) – “What are we having?”

              

#17: The One Where Estelle Dies (Season 10)

Each of the three storylines combines excellently. Rachel tries to get her job back at Ralph Lauren, only to realise that she wasn’t exactly, Ross then tries to help her through bribery. Maggie Wheeler returns as Janice with that legendary laugh of hers. She sets herself up as a possible neighbour for him and Monica in the suburbs, but Chandler’s fake lasciviousness gets her to rethink the idea. But it’s Lisa Kudrow who steals the episode. She realises that Joey’s agent has died and spends the entire episode pretending to be Estelle. It leads to a series of ridiculous events and some excellent quotes from Phoebe. “No, don’t call her. Wait for her to call you.” Joey responds, “Why?” After a moment phoebe responds, “Because…Patience is the road to understanding which is the key to a happy heart.”

#16: The One With the Lesbian Wedding (Season 2)

Was Friends ever a big hit with the gay community? I don’t know, but it’s inspired how despite his misgivings on his ex’s new wife he’s the one who helps her to go ahead with the wedding despite her parents’ disapproval. Joey notably appears for the first time on Days of Our Life and Marlo Thomas appears as Rachel’s mother intent on divorcing her husband. She was always my favourite of the parents. Once again, though Lisa Kudrow insists on stealing the show. When a client dies on the massage table her spirit “embodies” Phoebe. As her husband says, she always said she wanted to see everything so it’s tentative how long Phoebe will remain possessed. Luckily, on witnessing the lesbian wedding Phoebe is free as the woman’s “spirit” says, “Now I’ve seen everything.”

            

#15: The One at the Beach (Season 3)

This episode subtly prepares us for the eventual pairing of Monica and Chandler, and Phoebe memorably realises that her real mother never died. Teri Garr’s guest appearance is truly exceptional. But the episode hinges on Rachel’s flirting with Ross. They’ve officially broken up for some time, but of course Rachel remains as a voracious tease. The episode is memorable for the cliff-hanger of Ross standing outside in the hall unsure if he should go to Rachel or his actual girlfriend…

#14: The One With Ross’ Inappropriate Song (Season 9)

Most remember this episode for Ross’ inspired rendition of “Baby Got Back” to cheer up. It’s one of the memorable examples of original parenting from the cast of Friends. However, it’s not the main plot that lands this on the list. What makes this a favourite episode is Phoebe’s visit to Mike’s bourgeoisie parents. Phoebe is stricken with a case of intense nervousness resulting in a stilted voice which is just hilarious, and her parting line in the selfsame posh accent is a knockout – “here’s something rich, 13 bathrooms in this place I threw up in the coat closet...Tatah”

#13: The One the Morning After (Season 3)

It’s one of the few that gets points not for the funny, but for the sad. No matter how contrived you feel their romance is, and no matter how I much I admit to not being a fan of Aniston both she and Schwimmer deliver the dramatic chops in this episode where Rachel finds out that Ross slept with another woman – while they were on a break. The dramatics of their breakup argument is oddly funny when juxtaposed with the four other friends trapped in the bedroom listening on. For a situational comedy, they really went all out with the breakup.

#12: The One With the Proposal 1& 2 (Season 6)

Oddly the clunker in this episode comes from Ross whose relationship with college student Elizabeth rarely amuses me. Of course, it all comes down to the proposal and even though Tom Selleck’s Richard (another good guest star) almost throws a wrench in it, it ends well for love. Monica and Chandler are among the best married couple on TV (Ross and Rachel never married, so they don’t count).

#11: The One With the Blackout (Season 1)

Trust Friends to make a blackout seem like something really cool. Five of the friends are stuck at home when it hits, and Paolo makes his first appearance. Phoebe’s improvisation skills always amuse me, “New York City has no power / And the milk is getting sour / But to me it is not scary / 'Cause I stay away from dairy.” But, it’s Chandler who shines in this episode. Perry singlehandedly shows us why he’s the strongest male on the show after he’s stuck with Jill Goodacre in an elevator. I love when she offers him a stick of gum and he replies, “Gum would be perfection.”

#10: The One With Ross’ Wedding 1 & 2 (Season 4)

…or the one where Ross says Rachel. Kudrow’s pregnancy prevents her from being in London and yet she holds it down excellently acting with a phone alone for half of the episode. Monica and Chandler’s hook-up works and is a testimony of great things to come, but of course it’s the end that puts it here…one for the books.

#9: The One With the Red Sweater (Season 8)

This episode works on so many levels. The friends (minus Ross) try to convince Rachel to tell the father of the baby she’s pregnant but not before Lisa Kudrow steals the show (she tends to do that often) by pretending she’s the one pregnant and accepting Joey’s impromptu proposal and of course Monica voraciously opening wedding gifts is hilarious.

#8: One With the Videotape (Season 8)

Phoebe and Joey try valiantly to steal the episode with their aliases Regina Filangee and Ken Adams, but the show belongs to Rachel and Ross and the tape of them having sex. True, the seduction story has to be one of the most ridiculous things I’ve heard but it still works completely – Schwimmer and Aniston have excellent chemistry; and having the entire group sit down to watch it is twisted but completely believable.

#7: The One With Monica & Chandler’s Wedding

 

As always with Friends, random humour often becomes more memorable than main plots. When Chandler has cold feet he leaves a note “Tell Monica I’m sorry”, Ross walks over to the girls’ apartment and shows Phoebe who promptly replies, “Tell her yourself.” It’s one of Kudrow’s deadpan deliveries that I never forget. The episode is great in every way and with the added twist of Rachel’s imminent pregnancy it ends on a high note.

#6: The Last One (Season 10)

It perfectly encapsulates all that’s wonderful of the show complete with a good guest turn from Anna Farris. Chandler and Monica freaking out over the unexpected second baby is lovely, Phoebe’s attempts to make Rachel’s plane get delayed are awesome (Something’s wrong with the left filangee), Joey and Chandler playing foosball one last time is sweet and of course Ross and Rachel finally getting together. Perfect.

           

#5: The One Where Everybody Finds Out (Season 5)

Everyone gets their chance to shine as the truth comes out about Monica and Chandler. The top three maintain their spots turning in the best performances of the episode (Perry, Kudrow, Schwimmer) and the game of seduction between Phoebe and Chandler is hilarious. I love Phoebe’s derivative line from The Lion in Winter, “They don't know that we know they know we know.”

#4: The One In Vegas 1 & 2 (Season 5)

Joey’s idea of the hand twin was a bit nauseating at times, but everything else is on point. Phoebe’s ranting with the lurker at the slot machines was effective as usual from Kudrow and seeing Monica and Chandler almost get married was well played, but of course the cincher was the drunken wedding of Ross & Rachel. Easily, my favourite season finale.

#3: The One Where No One’s Ready (Season 3)

It’s one of those rare episodes where no one stands out and everyone is equally excellent, it’s also one of those bottle episodes where only the six star. Ross has an important function to attend and only Phoebe’s ready. Chandler and Joey get into a fight and Chandler hides Joey’s underwear, Joey then puts on all of Chandler’s clothes (still underwear-less) “Look at me, I’m Chandler. Could I be wearing anymore clothes?” Monica is obsessing over her breakup up with Richard and Rachel memorably dares Ross to drink the glass in the fat if he wants her to go. Good stuff.

#2: The One After I Do (Season 8)

The main draw of the episode is the girls’ realisation that Rachel is pregnant, and it’s one of Aniston’s best performances (save the one to come). It’s one of those sedate season premieres that doesn’t overdo but brings the funny nonetheless, Phoebe tricking Rachel intro realising she wanted a baby was a completely Phoebe-esque thing to do.

MY FAVOURITE EPISODE

The One Where Ross Finds Out (Season 2)

“And that my friend is what we call closure.”

This is such a classic episode and has the usual funny stuff, like Phoebe begging her boyfriend to have sex with her, Monica and Chandler’s exercising but ultimately it is Aniston who steals the show with her drunken call to Ross and Schwimmer’s excellence response to the message – “You’re over me? When were you under me?” Rachel and Ross will always be at the root of Friends, I suppose. 

               

This entry is part of my ongoing meme on TV Moments

             

What better way to celebrate a birthday than with Friends?

TV Meme, Day 4: My Favourite Show

A few months back I was a pleased when everyone weighed in a TV show I flashed back to. I don’t think the dust has quite settled on the actual post, but the meme calls for it and so I shall revisit it. My favourite TV show is unequivocally a little NBC comedy called Friends. It’s a confession that’s almost a reflex. It’s actually the only question of the 30 I answered immediately. Friends is the type of show that’s a bit like lightning in the bottle. If it went into production today, I don’t know if it’d be as successful. Yet, it doesn’t depend on a wholly original concept. A group of friends and their lives…hasn’t that be done before? Certainly. And yet, Friends exudes an irresistible charm that I can confess to having seen every episode (of this ten season megahit) at least twice.

In assessing the lives of six friends in New York, Friends, like so many situational comedies depends on showing us types. We have Rachel – the spoilt, but goodhearted daddy’s girl, Phoebe – the slightly loopy working artist, Monica – the neurotic cook, Joey – the dumb, but good-looking ladies’ man and actor, Chandler – the slightly repressed office guy (where does he work exactly?) who has issues with romance and Ross – the good-natured, but often longwinded palaeontologist. Yes, the types are broad but there’s a consistency that runs throughout the show that makes it just a little more special. Every actor is comfortable in their “niche” and the tug-o-war that so often occurs in ensemble comedies never comes. Everyone is equal, and that’s a big part of Friends’s appeal. And those idiosyncrasies and catchphrases – Phoebe’s smelly cat; Joey’s “How you doing doing?” Monica’s angry, “I know!” It’s all part of the continuous hilarity that is Friends.

It’s a comedy, so it has to be funny. I said it before, and I’ll say it again – I don’t hold much stake in the sense of humour of persons who don’t find Friends funny. It just doesn’t make any sense to me. There are times when they go just a little over the top, but Friends always knows what’s funny and what’s not. It’s not the writers or the actors alone, but it’s everything together. Kudrow’s Ursula has a deadpan hilarity and the writers give her some delicious lines. I actually laugh when the in studio laughs, sometimes I laugh even when they don’t. Few things can put you in a good mood like spending time with Friends. I don’t think anyone who has seen Friends cannot find the escapades of our protagonist as realistic. Sure we may not be living on New York, or working as an actor but the realism with which the six interact with each other accounts for a large part of its appeal. Each episode works as a standalone, but even more impressive is hwo gags introduced in the first season can continue throughout to the final one. We know that Ross and Rachel were “on a break” and we know that Phoebe is a vegetarian (except for a particular bout of pregnancy). The continuity adds to the reality and makes it that much more enjoyable.
       
This entry is part of my ongoing meme on TV Moments

I’ll return to Friends again, not only for this meme but sometime again…because I love it and it only fills me with joy.

Flashback: Friends

I have a good mind to excise the more and more incidental TV from my Encore’s World of Film & TV; it's become more and more superfluous. Still, it’s as good a time as any to recall one of my favourite shows in memory. I’m not as avid a TV watcher and with good reason. We’re constantly bemoaning the state of cinema, but if any media entity needs a rebirth it’s the small screen. I’ve always been an enthusiastic fan of Friends. There was actually a period of time when I doubted the sense of humour of anyone who didn’t like the show. Even though the show is geared at young adults more than anyone I’ve been watching since I was a preteen and it’s one of the few shows I hasten to see when reruns are on. But what’s the charm of Friends?

The biggest plus of Friends is the chemistry of the cast members. I’m hard-pressed to remember any other ensemble cast that works so well. The producers certainly hit the jackpot with their casting, but what makes Friends even more satisfying is the goodness of the guest players that come and go. Sure, there guest stars are not as abundant as Will & Grace but with stints from Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, Tom Selleck, Brad Pitt, David Arquette, Gabrielle Union, Winona Ryder, Christina Applegate and countless others – each of which worked – I think, perhaps it was the writing that made this series thrived so. Friends is riddled with running gags I wonder how audiences thrust into the middle seasons would pick up the many references to earlier episodes (Chandler’s Dad, Smelly Cat, Monica’s weight &etc). But, to its credit Friends work even if the allusions aren’t always perceptible.

Everyone ends up having a favourite and though mine are easily stratified (ranking them it’s a close tie between Perry and Kudrow followed by Schwimmer then Cox then Aniston and LeBlanc with their characters ranking likewise) I don’t fault anyone who doesn’t have my favourite. The idiosyncrasies of each though ridiculous still manage to be authentic. And though I’m not big on LeBlanc I must give him props for making some of the more cringe worthy story lines work (his Day of Our Lives stint, par exemple). Few shows, if any, put that goofy smile on my face like Friends. It’s strange how parts of the show have trickled down to us (Ross knocking his wrists together instead of flipping someone off; or Joey’s now legendary catchphrase “How you doing?”). Friends epitomises my love affair with TV in the early years of the last decade. They don’t make them like this anymore.

          

Should I eliminate the TV from my Encore’s World? Is Friends as important as I believe it to be? Who’s your favourite?