'Friends' Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc and Jennifer Aniston back in a big way

This post has been corrected. Please see the note at the bottom.

The cast of "Friends" is back to making headlines, this time with Matthew Perry leading the way with ratings love for the debut of his new sitcom, "Mr. Sunshine."

Thanks to a lot of hype and a lead-in from "Modern Family" on Wednesday night, 10.57 million viewers tuned in to watch the premiere of the ABC show, according to overnight ratings from Nielson Co.

The show stars Perry as a San Diego stadium owner and Andrea Anders as his love interest, who is his "Friends" costar Matt LeBlanc's real-life girlfriend.

(The 9:30 p.m. Wednesday premiere bar had been set pretty high in 2009 by another "Friends" alum, Courteney Cox, whose "Cougar Town" on ABC drew 11.28 million viewers in September of that year.)

Flip the channel to NBC, where LeBlanc shattered many a heart -- including Jay Leno's -- when he visited "The Tonight Show" and revealed that he'd started dyeing his hair black while "Friends" was in full swing. The star of Showtime's "Episodes" said he started dyeing the sides of his now salt-and-pepper locks in his mid-20s.

"Dyeing it on the show would take like an hour and a half," he said — so he got some Just for Men and started coloring it himself. It "takes five minutes, but then about a half-hour of paint-thinner to get the black off your ears," he said, laughing.

"This is shattering for those of us that loved the show," Leno said.

Another "Friends" fun fact: LeBlanc said he shut down production on the Emmy-winning show during "The One Where No One's Ready." He blew out his shoulder while performing "the safest stunt," in which Joey had to jump over the coffee table and land in the down chair that he and Chandler were fighting over.

Watch a clip here.

And now, we haven't forgotten Rachel Green.

Jennifer Aniston will be battling Justin Bieber at the box office this weekend when her new comedy, "Just Go With It," with Adam Sandler, opens against the Biebs' documentary, "Never Say Never."

Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer, where you at?

For the record, 5:35 p.m.: This post originally said "Mr. Sunshine" had bested "Cougar Town's" premiere-night ratings, with numbers given only for the Matthew Perry show. "Cougar Town" in fact premiered with 11.28 million viewers to "Mr. Sunshine's" 10.57 million.

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— Nardine Saad
twitter.com/NardineSaad

Photos, from top: Matthew Perry portrays Ben Donovan in a scene from "Mr. Sunshine." Matt LeBlanc as himself in "Episodes." Jennifer Aniston attends the premiere of "Just Go With It" in New York. Credits, from top: Michael Desmond / ABC; Colin Hutton / Showtime; Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images.

Jennifer Aniston, Adam Sandler 'Just Go With It' at premiere

The stars of "Just Go With It" took to the blue carpet Tuesday for the premiere of the comedy starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston.

The funny people walked the media line at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York as a pair, fielding questions together, simultaneously interrupting each other and completing each other's sentences.

And why not? Aniston, 41, and Sandler, 44, have been friends since before his "Saturday Night Live" days, and she had a shot to join the show before she instead became Rachel Greene on "Friends."

In the film, Sandler plays a plastic surgeon who pretends to be married to woo women. But when "the one" discovers his fake wedding ring, he enlists his frumpy assistant, played by Aniston, to pose as his wife.

The aforementioned "one" is played by model Brooklyn Decker, who attended the premiere with hot tennis hubby Andy Roddick. (Click her pic for more photos from the premiere.)

Nicole Kidman, who plays Aniston's frenemy in the film, also attended with husband Keith Urban and movie husband Dave Matthews.

One thing we do know, Aniston can't do frumpy if she tried, even if she wears glasses and a ponytail. The Malibu fixture stunned in a simple strapless Dolce & Gabbana gown at the premiere. And Sandler traveled with his trusty companion: wife Jackie.

"Just Go With It" hits theaters Friday.

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-- Nardine Saad
twitter.com/NardineSaad

Photos: Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler, top, attend the premiere of "Just Go With It" in New York on Feb. 8, 2011. Brooklyn Decker, right, is also in the film. Credit: Eric Thayer / Reuters

Jennifer Aniston: The scent of jasmine, and a gift for Oprah, but alas, no 'SNL'

It was raining Jennifer Aniston tidbits Thursday as the actress made her way talking up her Adam Sandler movie "Just Go With It" and other projects -- "other" including the self-titled fragrance that just rolled out stateside with Sephora.

"I wanted this fragrance to be a personal library of scent memories. For example, my love of night blooming jasmine has lasted a lifetime," the actress said in a release. "Growing up in California, I distinctly remember the scent of the jasmine on summer evenings."

She also stopped by Oprah Winfrey's couch, along with costar Sandler, and brought the mogul and longtime Aniston pal a gift: a yoga mat with a photo of Winfrey's dogs on it.

"This is my family," Oprah said, beaming and holding up the mat so the audience could see.

Speaking of family, Aniston almost had an entirely different one in the work department. She and Sandler discussed the Lorne Michaels job offer -- to join the cast of "Saturday Night Live" in the '90s -- that Aniston rejected.

Turns out she had a little show called "Friends" in the works, and decided to stick with that.

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-- Matt Donnelly
Twitter.com/MattDonnelly 

Photo: Jennifer Aniston presents the favorite comedy movie award to Adam Sandler onstage during the 2011 People's Choice Awards in L.A. on Jan. 5, 2011. Credit: Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Hollywood's top earners in film: James Cameron leads the list, 'Twilight' stars duke it out

A new and cinematically pure list of power players is out from Vanity Fair, covering only "creative figures" and the cash they derive purely from film work.

Part of the Hollywood Issue, this chart seems an undeniable indicator of clout due to its metric: cold hard cash, given up front or accumulated on the back end in 2010.

The top spot on the list goes, not surprisingly, to James Cameron, for rewards he reaped from "Avatar," last year's "Titanic"-sinker about blue people that generated plenty of green. The mag estimates he earned a cool $257 million for writing, directing and producing the flick, plus back-end box office receipts, merchandising and DVD revenue.

On his heels is actor Johnny Depp, with $100 million for "The Tourist," "Alice in Wonderland" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides." 

Other interesting revelations from the list include the top earner from "The Twilight Saga" love triangle, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner. 

The answer may surprise you -- it seems the muscular stomped both of his costars, raking in $33.5 million, compared with Stewart's $28.5 million and Pattinson's $27.5 million, thanks to his payday for the upcoming John Singleton thriller "Abduction." Lautner ranks at No. 9 -- ahead of "Iron Man" Robert Downey Jr. 

We also couldn't help but notice where Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie fall on this list, particularly in relation to each other. Aniston wins by a few notches, but only by about $1 million. The "Just Go With It" star nabbed $24.5 million for that Adam Sandler film and upcoming projects "Wanderlust" and "Horrible Bosses." 

Jolie scored $23.5 million for "The Tourist," voice work in the sequel to the animated "Kung Fu Panda," and her directorial debut, an untitled Bosnisan love story.

What do you think of Hollywood's biggest paydays? Tell us in the comments section below.

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Top photo: James Cameron smiles all the way to the bank.

Bottom photo: Taylor Lautner, left, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson look ahead to ... retirement. Credits: Kevin Winter / Christopher Polk/Getty Images

Perez Hilton responds to Jennifer Aniston's 'Ellen' anecdote

Jennifer Aniston stopped by Ellen DeGeneres' show on Wednesday to talk up her movie "Just Go With It," and wound up going with a rather interesting anecdote about a run-in with celeb blogger and entrepreneur Perez Hilton.

Hilton, real name Mario Lavandeira, encountered the A-lister last August in a Los Angeles parking garage. Aniston was in her car with a friend when they spotted him and approached casually with her window rolled down.

"We stood there like two deer in headlights. And I just said, 'Come here. Just talk to me for a second.' It was one of those great moments. It was a lovely meeting, and I was just like, 'Why are you so mean?'" she told Ellen.

Hilton confirmed the sequence of events, but was shocked the actress spoke out about it.

"I had not talked about meeting Jennifer Aniston out of respect for her and respect for the situation. It was actually a very powerful moment, I think for both of us," he told the Ministry. "I told her the answer I would always tell myself -- at the time, I viewed her as a character. I think it was very cathartic for her and for me."

A few months after the meeting, Hilton would go on DeGeneres' show and announce a vow to revamp the take-down tone of his site -- in light of a slew of gay teen suicides possibly triggered by bullying.

Though Aniston's beef could've been over a variety of digs (most frequently used was the nickname "Maniston"), Hilton had a bone to pick with Brad Pitt's ex. Hilton was still raw about a 2007 lawsuit that Aniston "approved," over a scan from a French magazine he posted that showed the actress topless on the set of "The Break-Up."

Seems all is forgiven now and, unfathomably, complimentary. Aniston recalled to Ellen that, on seeing Hilton in the garage, he was "tall, long [and] lean."

Hilton estimates he's lost 70 pounds over the last two years, a struggle he's been open about, and "loved" hearing the kind words about his figure.

And who says Hollywood endings aren't real?

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-- Matt Donnelly
Twitter.com/MattDonnelly

Photo: Jennifer Aniston in March 2010. Credit: Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images

Jennifer Aniston has no love for old friend 'the Rachel'

Jennifer Aniston hates Rachel? Oh wait, she hates the Rachel -- as in, the hairstyle that helped her blow open the doors to fame on "Friends" in 1995.

She says she loves longtime hairdresser Chris McMillan, and yet, "he's the bane of my existence at the same time because he started that damn Rachel, which was not my best look," she told Allure magazine. "How do I say this?

"I think it was the ugliest haircut I've ever seen."

Ouch. That kind of breaks our heart -- but we shall survive. Especially because Aniston also told the mag she doesn't get "The Bachelor" and how the women on the show "have three dates ... or something, and they're weeping as though they've just lost the love of their life." The Ministry, for the record, weeps at the notion of one day having three dates or something.

Is your loyalty with the Rachel or the current "Jennifer" locks?

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Photos: Jennifer Aniston at the People's Choice Awards on Jan. 5, 2011, left, and rocking "the Rachel" haircut in a 1995 promotional shot for "Friends." Credits: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images, left; Andrew Eccles / NBC

 

 

Nicole Kidman tells Jennifer Aniston about Keith Urban, her gift from God

Nicole Kidman is getting a little help from her friends, namely Jennifer Aniston, in talking up her best actress-bait performance in "Rabbit Hole," as well as life as a working mom and wife.

"I remember thinking, Oh, my God, if you ever gave me a man like that, I promise I would be completely devoted for the rest of my life," Kidman said of husband Keith Urban, while Aniston gave her the Q&A treatment for Harper's Bazaar.

Sort of a strange stiletto for Aniston to slip on, that of a journalist, but she took to the task with admiration for Nicole, her costar in the upcoming Adam Sandler comedy "Just Go With It," which opens in February. 

"I remember the first time I met Nicole Kidman," Aniston recalled. "We were at a Golden Globes party in 2005 and -- typical Hollywood story -- we share an agent. I remember meeting this tall, beautiful woman ... I was completely starstruck."

Kidman said she's not only grateful for her man, but for their new life in Tennessee. 

"It was fortuitous that Keith happened to live in Tennessee. He brought me down to this place called Leipers Fork, just outside of Nashville, very lush and rural. I just went 'Aaah,' " she said.

But wait -- you didn't expect this to end without some mutual body envy, did you? Aniston says Kidman is a physical "masterpiece." Kidman finds this outrageous, saying, "Excuse me, you wear a bikini in the film and you look like you're 20 years old."

Aniston zings back that there was Vaseline on the lens.

Is this interview just a fantasy film-star love fest? 

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-- Matt Donnelly
Twitter.com/MattDonnelly

Photo: Nicole Kidman contemplates film, family and, apparently, this garden. Credit: Harper's Bazaar

Jennifer Aniston can flop all she wants, Rupert Everett observes

Perhaps Jennifer Aniston would appreciate a break from the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie discussion, but maybe not the kind Rupert Everett offered in a recent interview.

Everett named the actress specifically when discussing how Hollywood promotes people it considers stars, despite failures at the box office. Stars like Aniston, apparently.

"Jennifer Aniston will just have one too many total flops," he told BBC radio. "But she's still a member of that club."

"And she will still manage to — like a star forming in the universe — a whole lot of things swirling around and suddenly solidifying into yet another vital, tasteless rom-com: a little glitter next to the Crab Nebula." 

That "club" Everett is referring to seems to be an abstract collective of power players who protect and promote their industry favorites. Though Aniston gets a dig, at least old Rupey is taking his medicine too — he's clearly not one of the chosen few.

Leave your thoughts on Everett's observations in comments below.

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— Matt Donnelly
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Photo: Jennifer Aniston walks the red carpet in 2008. Credit: Associated Press.

Ginnifer Goodwin on her weight, and crushing on Jennifer Aniston's body

This is an updated version of a previous post. See the note at the bottom for details.

Ginnifer Goodwin has something you probably don't have: a 'shooting weight.'

"I actually have a number, and I know that some people say that's not the healthiest gauge ... ," the "Big Love" star told Health about of the digits looking back at her on the scale. "That's my happy number where I feel good about myself and my energy's high. I call it my 'shooting weight,' because it's also the number that doesn't freak me out when I see myself on screen."

Goodwin said she uses a common method, Weight Watchers, to keep her size under control, noting that "it's the only thing on the planet that doesn’t dehydrate you or just make you miserable."

Avoiding misery doesn't necessarily mean no sacrifices. To fit into some of her favorite labels, she's got to work for it.

"I gravitate toward French designers. And what's interesting is that I definitely have a more Italian body type. I have always been curvy. I will always have hips, boobs and a small waist. Not big boobs — little boobs — but still curvy," she said.

As for other Hollywood bodies she envies, Jessica Biel and Jennifer Aniston top the list.

"I met Jessica Biel in person, and she's a freaking knockout. Jennifer Aniston too," Goodwin said. "They might be the only two women in the world who have bodies like that, so I'm really glad that they chose a profession where we all get to look at them all the time."

For the record, 8:46 a.m. Dec. 22: An earlier version of this post referred to Jessica Biel on first reference as Jennifer Biel. Thanks to commenter theyahooyoo for the catch. (Can we blame the rain? Nah, didn't think so. Had to try.)

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Photo: Ginnifer Goodwin at a MOCA Grand Avenue gala on Nov. 13. Credit: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images.

Celeb holiday sightings: Jennifer Aniston sips, Kyle Richards shops -- plus elephants!

Deck the halls with the Ministry's sightings -- despite an embarrassment of awards, nominations and the umpteenth December movie premiere, we have our eyes on what and where celebs are playing this magical holiday month.

Jennifer Aniston made an outing in Los Angeles with a slew of other stars for an audience Dec. 10 with Prince Robert of Luxembourg. The prince, who is the chairman of Domaine Clarence Dillon wines, hosted the actress for a formal dinner and tasting at Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles, along with Adrien Brody, Sacha Baron Cohen, Quincy Jones and Debi Mazar. 

On the same day in New York City, fashionistas turned out for the 10th annual David Barton Gym toy drive. The fitness honcho and Bing search engine welcomed the likes of designers Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein and Narciso Rodriguez, photog Steven Klein and actress Abigail Breslin, all bearing gifts for less fortunate kids.

Speaking of the younger set, Jake T. Austin celebrated his 16th birthday this month at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel with "Beacher's Madhouse," emceed by David Arquette. The "Wizards of Waverly Place" star welcomed friends including Jaden Smith, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Stone, "Dancing With the Stars" runner-up Kyle Massey and Booboo Stewart of "The Twilight Saga" for the Onitsuka Tiger-sponsored bash. 

Channeling their own inner children on Wednesday were Gavin Rossdale, Holly Robinson Peete and Slash, who attended the grand opening of the Elephants of Asia habitat at the Los Angeles Zoo. The multimillion-dollar project had Elton John, Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves on its launch committee. The boldface names and their little ones enjoyed the opening and first look at the tusked trio: Billy, Tina and Jewel.