Feb. 20, 2008

Few things get the rumor mill a-cranking faster than whispers of a love connection between co-stars. This week, romantic rumblings hit two very different (demographically speaking, at least) big-screen duos. Here's the latest:

Jennifer Aniston, who in recent months has been linked to the likes of Orlando Bloom (denied) and Jason Lewis (also denied -- twice), is now being hit with talk that she's fallen for her "Traveling" co-star, Aaron Eckhart.

The London Daily Mail suggests the winsome actress "has apparently been enjoying a romance with her dashing leading man," who, conveniently enough, is the only guy who's been photographed in her general vicinity of late.

Aniston and Eckhart have supposedly "become inseparable" on the Vancouver, British Columbia, set of the romantic drama.

"They're getting along so great that everyone on the set is gossiping about something more going on between them," a mole tells the tab. "They're just so in sync all the time. And Jen's entire reason for doing this movie was Aaron."

Too bad the snitch hasn't witnessed even a whiff of offscreen hanky-panky between recent birthday girl Aniston, 39, and the teetotaling, nicotine-eschewing Eckhart, 39.

"They genuinely enjoy each other's company," posits the spy. "But if they're actually hooking up, they're doing it as quietly as possible."

Jennifer's rep didn't respond to our request for comment on the romance rumors.

She's set to head to Miami in a couple weeks to shoot the dog-centric flick "Marley & Me" opposite Owen Wilson, with the rumor mill likely to begin churning once again.

Meanwhile, Emma Watson, like Aniston, appears to be dealing with proximity issues when it comes to her personal life.

Johnny and Emma spotted in London on Feb. 11

Last week, the actress, 17, who plays clever and plucky witch Hermione in the "Harry Potter" flicks, laughed off reports linking her to 27-year-old Razorlight front man Johnny Borrell after they were snapped exiting a London soiree together.

"But goodness, I am really going to have to watch who I stand next to from now on!!" she downplayed in a Valentine's Day posting on her blog. "Maybe I should stand next to Orlando Bloom and then we can be said to be 'dating'!"

But the London Daily Mirror claims she let her guard down on Valentine's night at a London pub when she stood -- and sat -- next to Daniel "Harry Potter" Radcliffe, 18, a so-called "secret" tête-à-tête that sent Potter-verse fans -- and presumably Ron Weasley -- into a tizzy.

"They arrived quite late at the pub -- about 10 p.m. -- and sat outside, using each other's bodies for warmth," recalls a detail-oriented Muggle eyewitness. "Emma, who was wearing a black top and matching pashmina, kept looking over her shoulder nervously as if she didn't want to be recognized. When people started to notice the couple and began pointing, she wrapped her scarf around her head so only her eyes were peeping out."

Watson's cover-up had the onetime boy wizard in hysterics, says the eavesdropping spy, who then makes a large leap into a heaping pile of conclusions: "Throughout the night, in fact, he just kept giggling like a love-struck teen. The pair seemed totally absorbed in one another's company ... they were chatting and joking easily until just before closing time."

The onlooker continued to watch over the wandless duo as they made their exit, relaying how they allegedly left with "heads together and whispering, and headed in the direction of Daniel's home nearby."

But before you start cranking out Harry and Hermione fanfic involving an insanely jealous Ron exacting vengeance using some Belch Powder concealed in a glass of butterbeer, keep in mind that Watson is still believed to be dating a rugby player.

Radcliffe, for his part, reportedly just called it quits with a British thespian named Laura O'Toole, but he's made it clear that actresses aren't exactly his cup of tea.

"I think it would be very hard to go out with an actress, because they're mad," he told Details last year. "Some actresses are just insane. I've never worked with a nasty actress -- they're all absolutely delightful. But completely barking."

Next: Nicole and Joel's Parent Rap