not surprised

That Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer broke up as a couple last week doesn't surprise me one bit.

What continues to amaze me is the comments I've read on several Hollywood dish type web sites the amount of hatred and venom spewed at them (and it seems especially at Aniston) in these comments.



Will we ever know who broke it off with whom?

Probably, knowing the media vultures and paparazzi that hound Hollywood and music stars these days.

Should we know?

Absolutely not.

Some things should just be left between two people and shouldn't be discussed in the public domain. If you just broke off with your boyfriend/girlfriend, would you want it bandied about in and trashed by the media? I really doubt it.

Seems to me that most Hollywood stars should find partners outside of that circle and try to stay out of the press for obvious reasons. No press is better than negative press in this observer's humble opinion. It's a rare couple that can stay together in the public eye or despite it and kudos to those that can.

Why do I think they split?

My opinion doesn't matter in the grand scheme, but I'll tell you what I think anyway.

Most of the articles I've read in the gossip mags say it's because she is 39 and wants to find a guy to start a family with while he is 30 and at the top of his career and not interested in the family thing right now. To me this is a logical reason. There are probably other reasons which, thankfully, have not been reported yet. After all, no one is perfect and everyone has skeletons in their closets.

What it comes down to is that relationships are hard enough as it is and if you're not on the same page from the get go, then you're better off not dating or splitting amicably then winding up getting into an even messier split/divorce (see Guy Ritchie/Madonna for another example.)

I don't know if you female readers will agree or disagree, but John Mayer looks kind of skanky to me. I think Jennifer Aniston can do better than him. Much better.

Notable celebrity deaths so far in 2008

Recently, American Guy left this on his blog at the end of 2007. In the comments section, I morbidly wondered who the first notable celebrity deaths would be in 2008. Now we know:

Heath Ledger, 28, died today of a possible drug overdose in Manhattan, New York. The official cause of death is yet to be determined. Most notably Ledger starred in "The Patriot" with Mel Gibson in 2000 and "Brokeback Mountain" with Jake Gyllenhaal in 2005. Ledger was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his role as a gay cowboy in this film. His first break in the US came in 1999, for "10 Things I Hate About You" with Julia Stiles. His profile page from imdb.com.

Suzanne Pleshette, 70, died on the 19^th of respiratory failure in Los Angeles, California. She is best known for her role as Bob Newhart's wife on the 1970's television show "The Bob Newhart Show" (1972-1977). She also appeared in many other television shows throughout her career. Her profile from imdb.com.




Brad Renfro, 25, died on the 15^th in Los Angeles, California. The official cause of death has not been released. His best known role was in "The Client" in 1994 with Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones. He also starred in "Ghost World" in 2001 with Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson and Steve Buscemi. His profile from imdb.com.




As AG rightfully noted, I missed this one:
Sir Edmund Hillary, 88, died on the 11^th in Auckland, New Zealand of heart failure. Hillary, along with his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay, was known for being the first successful climber of Mt. Everest in 1953. Hillary also did a lot of philanthropic work in Nepal, founding the Himalayan Trust sometime in 1960-61.







The most disturbing thing about these deaths is that two of the actors were under the age of 30. Tragic. Maybe it's because I'm getting older, but I find it incredibly sad when anyone presently younger than I am dies.