Jennifer Aniston celebrates birthday with Courteney Cox, friends

By Wonderwall.com Editors 12:58pm PST, Feb 12, 2020

Courteney Cox, more famous friends help Jennifer Aniston ring in her 51st birthday

At one point in Interview magazine's March cover story, Sandra Bullock says Jennifer Aniston has "a way of pushing joy and positivity" into the worlds of those around her. That probably explains all the love that was flowing Jen's way on her 51st birthday on Tuesday, Feb. 11. The newly minted SAG Award winner kicked off the day with a flurry of tributes on Instagram, including funny posts from her ex Justin Theroux, who shared a pic of Jen looking like she's about to take down Hulk Hogan ("grabbing 2020 like …," he captioned the shot) and Ellen DeGeneres, who joked that she'd see the birthday girl later at "the slumber party," adding that "Portia bought Mad Libs." On Tuesday evening, Jennifer headed to a small dinner party at the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood, where she was joined by writer/producer Molly McNearny, Kevin Nealon, Chace Crawford, according to People and TMZ. The birthday girl's longtime bestie Courteney Cox was there as well, as was jewelry designer Jennifer Meyer, who clutched her pal Courteney's hand as they headed out after dinner. If Jen's "Morning Show" costar and co-producer Reese Witherspoon made it to the get-together, she kept a low profile. But Reese did send her love out on Instagram, sharing a photo of the pair squeezing one another. "Happy Birthday Jen! 🌟," she wrote in the post. "I couldn't ask for a better friend and partner to chase my dreams with. Life is way more fun with you in it!!! 💯❣️."

Keep reading for the latest on Brad Pitt, Prince Harry and more …

Brad Pitt is reportedly 'a new man' thanks to changes in his personal life

Life has definitely been on the upswing lately for Brad Pitt, who won his first acting Oscar over the weekend for his turn in "Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood." According to a People source, changes in the actor's lifestyle, including his "slower" paced "personal life," deserve some credit for his recent professional successes. Brad split from Angelina Jolie back in 2016. Since then, he's revealed he's now sober after having struggled with alcohol dependency. He's also reportedly been working to repair relationships in his life, particularly with his six children, whom he shouted-out in his acceptance speech at the Oscars. "He is a new man. He is happy, loves his kids, and relishes his quiet time at home," another source tells the mag. Now that he's focused on spending as much time as possible with his children, a "longtime colleague" says "Things are going much more smoothly," for Brad, "… and he is infinitely happier." Speaking to People, the star recently said, "I got friends, I got lovely kids, I like my coffee, I like my dogs. I've got no complaints."

Catherine Zeta-Jones introduces her family's new puppy to 'the world'

Eep! Catherine Zeta-Jones is the proud new mama of a ridiculously cute, ridiculously tiny Maltipoo. The actress showed off her new little furbaby friend on Instagram this week, sharing a video-slash-photo montage of the pooch. "Introducing Taylor Douglas to the world. 💕," she wrote alongside the cuteness. Catherine and her husband Michael Douglas could probably use some extra adorableness to brighten their days right now, too. Michael's father, screen legend Kirk Douglas passed away on Feb. 5 at age 103. His death inspired a wave of tributes online, including moving messages from both Michael, who shared on behalf of himself and his brothers what an amazing father the "Spartacus" star was, and Catherine, who posted on Instagram, "To my darling Kirk. I shall love you for the rest of my life. I miss you already. Sleep tight."

Prince Harry is reportedly 'in talks' with Goldman Sachs regarding potential business opportunities

Prince and Duchess Meghan faced some backlash after their recent trip to Miami, where the couple, who have advocated for sustainable, clean energy efforts, attended a summit hosted by JP Morgan, reportedly the world's biggest fossil fuel investor. But according to the Mirror, Harry's ties to global banking and investment giants go well beyond the summit — and beyond JP Morgan. The British tab (via Page Six) claims Harry's been in talks with Goldman Sachs about potential engagement opportunities since November, months before he and Meghan announced plans to step back from their royal posts. Though the outlet gives few details on the nature of the alleged "talks," the report implies Harry could be a candidate to speak at the firm's next "Talks at GS" series, thereby paving the way for a business relationship down the line. While speakers at the "GS" series are not paid, Harry is rumored to have snagged a $1 million paycheck for his speech in Miami.

AJ McLean weighs in on those Ryan Gosling Backstreet Boys rumors of yore

Whisper down the lane, anyone? Years ago, a widely circulated rumor claimed Ryan Gosling was almost a Backstreet Boy way back when. On this week's edition "Watch What Happens Live," however, AJ McLean and his reunited bandmates rehashed what was reported and what actually happened as far as Ryan joining the group. "It got so blown out of proportion," AJ told Andy Cohen (via THR). According to AJ, the band was living in the same apartment complex as Ryan (and the actor's co-Mickey Mouse Club alums, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera). "We were playing basketball, like every other day, and the group had just started," AJ recalled. "I told him that Backstreet Boys is gonna be huge and he's like, 'It's not gonna happen, bro.'" It seems AJ felt 'NSYNC had already taken the boy band vibe as far as it could go. "Cut to, he was wrong," AJ quipped. He added that Ryan "never auditioned" for the band, despite reports to the contrary.

Barbra Streisand tells Eminem she voted for him at the 2003 Oscars

She may not have had the chance to present Eminem with an Oscar for his song, "Los Yourself" back in 2003, but the singer's evidently still pulling for him. After the rapper stunned the audience with a surprise performance of the song — featured in his movie, "8 Mile" — at the 2020 Academy Awards over the weekend, Barbra reposted a video from the 2003 ceremony that Eminem had shared. It showed Barbra announcing Em's Best Song win. "Thanks for having me @theacademy," he captioned his post. "Sorry it took me 18 years to get here." In her reGram, Barbra told Em, "I had voted for your song too! Was really looking forward to handing you the award," before adding, "Next time!" with a winking Emoji.

Jessica Simpson's team ups security on book tour

Jessica Simpson's team is reportedly bulking up security measures on her book tour after anti-fur protesters interrupted a promotional event in Los Angeles this week. TMZ reports the L.A. incident was the second time during her tour that protesters barged in and verbally attacked Jessica for having worn fur in the past, the first having taken place at a Barnes and Noble in New York City. As she continues to promote her memoir, "Open Book" this week, security is expected to conduct bag searches and require event attendees to purchase tickets and prove they've purchased the book in order to enter. As TMZ points out, it's not clear what's inciting the protesters to go after Jessica, as she hasn't been wearing fur much if at all in public in recent years.

Harvey Weinstein won't testify in his own defense in sexual assault trial

Harvey Weinstein's defense rested in his sexual misconduct case this week without testimony from Weinstein himself. Prior to Tuesday, Feb. 11, reports suggested the former producer wanted to take the stand. His lawyers reportedly thought it would be a bad idea. "The state hasn't met their burden and he's not going to testify," a rep for Weinstein told reporters Tuesday, according to Deadline. The former producer faces charges stemming from allegations of rape and various criminal sexual acts by two women. He has that denied those incidents, as well as those related to dozens of similar accusations, were nonconsensual. If convicted, he could face life in prison. Closing arguments are expected to begin Thursday.

Megan Thee Stallion explains 2015 mug shot

A mug shot of Megan Thee Stallion from 2015 surfaced online this week, sparking the rapper to explain her arrest. As she said on Instagram Live (via Page Six), she was involved in a public fight with her then-boyfriend, whom she said had cheated on her — and had a child as a result. She found out at a concert during SXSW, she told fans, and when she tried to get some space and calm down, he got physical with her. "It was toxic. It was fun at the time, but it was very toxic. But I was young and I thought that toxic s— was cute, but it's not!" She went on to use the experience as a lesson for young listeners, telling them not to put their hands on anyone and not to let anyone get rough with them. She said in the case of the boyfriend, she fought back and soon police showed up. She said that an officer asked if her boyfriend had hit her and she said "no …because I don't want him to go to jail!" When the cop asked her guy if she'd hit him, Megan says he told them she'd hit him "in the eye." She said she went "straight to jail," where she stayed for two days.

Hailey Bieber says Justin serenaded her with 'One Less Lonely Girl' at their wedding reception

Cue the "aw"s from Beliebers everywhere. Justin Bieber's YouTube docuseries "Seasons" has focused mostly on Justin and Hailey Bieber's wedding and romance, and in the latest episode, fans learn Justin sang his hit, "One Less Lonely Girl," to his wife when they got married. According to Billboard, the reveal comes during a sweet moment in "Officially Mr. & Mrs. Bieber," when Hailey recalls how it wasn't until they were at their wedding reception that she realized her man had never serenaded her with the song onstage. Someone from Justin's team apparently encouraged her to make it happen then and there, instead. "I was giddy as if it was really happening on stage," she says. "It was just so silly and cute." In case you somehow missed the memo … the lovebirds got married in South Carolina in September, one year after legally tying the knot in a courthouse wedding in New York City.