I fully admit that I’m tough on Jennifer Aniston.  I’d really have no issue with her if it wasn’t for the near-constant interviews in which she talks about Brad Pitt.  Her neediness seems only to be overshadowed by her chin.  But now she’s gone and done something really nice that I must acknowledge … and I feel a little guilty for being so harsh.

Aniston has been in New York filming the thriller The Bounty with Gerard Butler.  Over the Fourth of July weekend, she paid every crew member’s salary for the Thursday preceding the holiday so that they could have four consecutive days of vacation.  Rumor has it that she personally walked around the set telling each employee “It was my husband’s idea.”  (I’m lying about that.)  A crew member said, “Jen is such a genuinely good person.  How many people in this world would pay for an entire movie set to have off for the day? Not just anyone does that. We’re talking big bucks.”   Listen, Jennifer Aniston has big bucks — she gets paid a subsidy every episode, every market when a Friends rerun airs — but she certainly is under no obligation to share the wealth.  Therefore, I begrudgingly admit that that was a really nice, completely un-Hollywoodish thing to do.

Madonna — and I’m convinced she gave up Botox, because there’s some actual emoting happening — departed the Ritz-Carlton in Paris today with all four of her children in tow.  Her newest, Mercy, is really a very beautiful child.  I feel so bad for David because he’s being raised to be a Yankees fan.  Can we get CPS involved somehow?

Lourdes and Rocco — “The Bios” — brought up the rear.  There will be more jet-setting as Madge continues the European leg of her “Sticky & Sweet” tour.

Chaz Bono appeared at the opening night of Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival AKA L.A. Outfest last night with his girlfriend Jennifer Elia on his arm.  This was Bono’s first public appearance since announcing his decision to transition to the male gender.

I know that many transgendered people say that they knew in their earliest years that they were meant to be the opposite gender.  And I believe them.  But, seriously, Chaz Bono dresses exponentially better as a dude than he ever did as a woman.  That’s the real proof that this change was meant to be.

Benjamin Bratt in all his hotness was also there as he premiered his film L.A. Mission.  About Bono, he said, “First of all it’s a celebration, it’s a festive night.  We’re the opening night film at the LA Outfest, it’s an incredible honor for both of us.  I think it’s pretty auspicious, I think it takes a great deal of courage to be here and be part of that personal celebration.  I’ve never met him, but I’m looking forward to it tonight, so we’re happy to be here.”

Poor Michael Jackson! As we’d assumed originally following his death, it appears the talented singer struggled terribly in a battle against drugs.

Documents obtained by CNN — created in 2004 during preparations for Jackson’s molestation trial — indicate that the singer took between 10 and 40 Xanax pills a night. (Although no one seems to know the dosage of those pills, which is strange. Usually these things are described in milligrams, not “pills.”) The documents show that Michael used his employees’ names, aliases and a variety of out-of-state doctors to amass all these pills. Among the pill bottles found at Neverland Ranch in 2004 was a generic form of Xanax prescribed for Frank Tyson (a Jackson employee) by Dr. Arnold Klein, the rumored bio-dad of Jackson’s kids. A bottle of Prednisone found at the Ranch was also prescribed by Dr. Klein in the name of Peter Midani. Now keep in mind that Dr. Klein is a dermatologist — he’s got no business prescribing Xanax. I understand that acne can be stressful, but, in general, you’d have to take that up with a psychiatrist to get anti-anxiety meds. And no one has any good reason to take 40 Xanax per night. “This dosage is exceedingly high for any human being,” said CNN’s Sanjay Gupta, and that’s almost an understatement.

Authorities are buzzing about possibly considering Jackson’s death a homicide, but they’re waiting on the results of the toxicology tests from the autopsy. “And based on those, we will have an idea of what it is we are dealing (with): are we dealing with a homicide or are we dealing with an accidental overdose?” said LA Police Chief William Bratton.

Mel Gibson has signed on to accept the leading role in Jodie Foster’s latest directorial effort (she’ll also play the wife of Mel’s character), The Beaver.  The movie centers on Mel’s character, a depressed man, and how he finds levity by wearing a beaver puppet named Sugar Tits.  Okay, I’m lying about the Sugar Tits part, but the rest is the truth. 

Do you feel like you’re being Punk’d right now?  Because you aren’t.  Are you checking your calendar to see if it’s April 1st?  It isn’t.  This is an honest to goodness true news item.  And I didn’t even read about it in Star.  I read about it in Variety … a respected industry trade mag.  Frighteningly enough, that means this movie is probably happening as soon as they secure financing.  And I’d like the investor who decides to throw their $18M at this project to reveal themselves.  I wouldn’t throw my $10.50 at a movie ticket to see this thing. 

As an aside, to all my fellow Golden Girlsfans:  Do you remember the GG episode when Stan was in therapy, trying to get over the end of his marriage to Dorothy?  To help alleviate his depression, his therapist makes him go everywhere with a traffic cone dressed up like a monkey.  That episode is called “The Monkey Show.”  Skip this movie and rent that off Netflix instead.

“I’ve gone bankrupt about four times now. My manager wants to shoot me.”

Lady Gaga explaining how the high cost of teacups and electrical tape have kept her poor.