Fan Fare

Jennifer Aniston vs. Bill O’Reilly in culture wars. Who wins?

They both have huge audiences in Middle America, making this week’s public quarrel between Bill O’Reilly and Jennifer Aniston one of the more widely-watched — and to some, perhaps, puzzling — celebrity feuds in recent months.

O’Reilly is known for his politically conservative fan base on “The O’Reilly Factor” and he enjoys a large following on Fox News with his commentary, so fans can expect him to mouth off. But Aniston is a tabloid favorite in large part because of her girl-next-door image, and she is rarely outspoken on anything much at all. So, it’s surprising when she fights speech with speech.

Aniston was targeted by O’Reilly on his “Culture Warriors” segment on Fox News this week after her recent comment that “women are realizing, more and more knowing, they don’t have to settle with a man just to have a child.” She made that statement when promoting her new movie “The Switch” about a similar topic.

O’Reilly and his fellow Fox commentators then got personal with her, pointing out she is 41 and unmarried and likely looking to still have a child — hence her comment. The 60-year-old, self-styled “traditionalist” and syndicated columnist said her statement surely was “throwing a message out to 12 year-olds and 13 year-olds that hey, you don’t need a guy, you don’t need a dad.” And finally, he said, “that’s destructive to our society.”

(We note: O’Reilly began his comments by cementing his place as a pop culture aficionado and Aniston specialist by asking, “Didn’t she marry Brad Pitt?”)

And though she may have seemed ill-equipped to take him on, Aniston had the last parting shot, telling People magazine by the end of week:  ”Of course, the ideal scenario for parenting is obviously two parents of a mature age” before adding tongue-in-cheek, “but for those who’ve not yet found their Bill O’Reilly, I’m just glad science has provided a few other options.”     Snap!

Auctioned bass guitar hints at Kurt Cobain’s humble start

It’s been more than 15 years since grunge-rock pioneer Kurt Cobain took his own life, but the late Nirvana frontman’s legacy appears to be alive and well.

A Sears-model bass guitar owned by Cobain as a teenager sold for $43,750 at a Christie’s auction in New York on Tuesday.

According to the auction house, Cobain used the instrument on two early demo recordings he made at his aunt Mari Earl’s house near Seattle during his pre-Nirvana days.

The demos, one recorded under the moniker Organized Confusion in 1982 and another in 1985 under the name Fecal Matter, are rare to all but the most die-hard Cobain fans.

But one song entitled “Spank Thru” from the 1985 recordings went on to become a staple of Nirvana’s live set and was featured on several of the band’s releases. The tune also became Nirvana’s first official song, according to former Cobain bandmate Krist Novoselic.

The auctioned-off bass is accompanied by a picture of a young Cobain playing the instrument and a letter of authenticity from Mari Earl.

Cobain was catapulted into international stardom after Nirvana’s major-label debut Nevermind became a huge success on mainstream music charts. The department-store bass stands as a humble contrast to the stable of Fender-brand guitars Cobain came to swear by as the frontman for Nirvana.