The buzz is everywhere.
It grows with every new photo and bit of celebrity gossip.
Were Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn really caught canoodling in Chicago?
Are Beyonce and Jay-Z getting hitched?
Will Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie ever come out of the closet?
Is Jennifer Lopez ever going to admit that she is married to Marc Anthony?
We may never really know. A number of celebrity couples are keeping their mouths shut–and with good reason, according to a publicity expert from L.A.
Eileen Koch, who has been in show biz for 16 years, tells RedEye that this star-powered stealth is a rising trend. Unfortunately, Koch says, it nets the same result:
The couple will eventually be outed by overzealous paparazzi.
It apparently happened to Aniston and Vaughn right here.
In People magazine’s Oct. 31 issue, photos on the cover and inside the magazine appear to show Vaughnifer getting cozy all over town.
A woman, allegedly Aniston, sits in Vaughn’s lap and smooches with him, according to People. Another shot shows the couple strolling arm in arm down the streets of Vaughn’s hometown, suburban Lake Forest.
Whatever might be cooking between the “Break Up” co-stars, the couple is not copping to it. Like many celebs before them, they seem to be following the Hollywood rules of romance: Deny, deny, deny.
“These stars are trying to have the best of both worlds, in my opinion,” Koch says. “The paparazzi is so out of control that if celebrities admit they’re together, they’ll have no privacy, ever.”
Koch, who has handled publicity for Carmen Electra and Milla Jovovich, says People’s photos of Aniston and Vaughn don’t prove a thing.
“They could be on a date, they could be just friends,” Koch says. “The only way to truly know they’re together is to hear it from them.”
That doesn’t seem likely, as the could-be couple’s reps have repeatedly denied that they’re in a relationship.
Both stars, particularly Aniston, have been quoted in news outlets saying the same.
In the most recent issue of Elle magazine, Aniston tells a reporter, “Vince is my friend,” adding: “I adore him. He’s delicious and funny … But I don’t want to be a rebound girl. I feel like it will happen when it happens.”
‘Nothing is out of bounds anymore’
Even if “it” happened with Vaughn, Koch says you can’t blame Aniston or other stars for trying to keep their loves lives under wraps.
“The public used to treat celebrities with respect,” Koch says. “Now, people are just too obsessed with them. Nothing is out of bounds anymore.”
As long as the public keeps paying for gossip, stars’ private lives will continue to be public fodder, Koch says. Reports of budding romance, marital problems and relationship infidelities among celebrities really seem to move magazines, she observes, adding no star is safe no matter how beloved they seem.
“We think, ‘They make $20 million, $30 million a film, so screw them,’ ” Koch says. “There’s a jealousy factor, and the public thinks they own these stars.”–KYRA KYLES.
Table for two?
So, can we call them Vaughnifer?
It sure looked like a romance to some sharp-eyed celebrity spotters in Chicago. RedEye’s own stargazer, Liz Crokin, and an assortment of her sources mapped out the Hollywood duo’s taste of Chicago between Oct. 11 and 15.
Oct. 11 Aniston and Vaughn party at the Vic Theatre (3145 N. Sheffield Avenue) after Vaughn’s comedy show. Later that night, the couple is spotted returning to The Peninsula Chicago hotel (108 E. Superior St.).
Oct. 12 Aniston and Vaughn have lunch at the Wiener Circle (2622 N. Clark St.). Later the two sip cocktails on the outdoor patio of NoMi in the Park Hyatt Chicago (800 N. Michigan Ave.) and also dine at Pane Caldo restaurant (72 E. Walton St.).
Oct. 13 Aniston and Vaughn are spotted dining at Gibsons Steakhouse (1028 N. Rush St.).
Oct. 14 Aniston and Vaughn are seen lunching at the South Gate Cafe (655 Forest Ave.) with Vaughn’s mother in suburban Lake Forest.
Oct. 15 Aniston and Vaughn are said to have been shopping at the Lake Forest Gap (225 E. Deerpath Rd.).–LIZ CROKIN, KYRA KYLES.
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kkyles@tribune.com
