So you suspect Aniston of prearranging her engagement to Justin Theroux, just so it would break on the same weekend that Brangelina was, supposedly, marrying? Well, stranger things have happened. While there is no direct evidence pointing to a coordinated PR attack, publicists tell me that the timing of Aniston’s announcement is, in fact, suspicious.

In case you need a primer, know this: Jennifer Aniston got engaged this weekend to writer/actor Theroux. It was the same weekend that tabloids had expected, or, at least,speculated, that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt would be marrying. Turns out that wedding didn’t happen. But Aniston got a headline.

Between the three of them, Aniston, Jolie and Pitt have a reputation for stepping on each other’s media moments. The rep isn’t entirely warranted, but there have been a few times when personal developments have nearly overlapped. Within a month of Brangelina’s adoption of daughter Zahara, rumors began to surface that Aniston was dating Break-Up costar Vince Vaughn. And when interest in Jolie’s first pregnancy was at its fever pitch, Aniston called in to Oprah to deny her engagement to Vaughn.

However, this latest one-two gossip punch seems a bit too pat to be an accident, says Cherie Kerr, a crisis PR expert who has worked with plenty of celebs.

“I don’t think it’s coincidental,” Kerr says. “It does seem like every time there has been some big thing from Brangelina’s camp, something else comes out on Aniston.

“Even if it wasn’t done on purpose, why not wait so the announcement could have focused on just her? Now it just reminds everyone of Jennifer Aniston’s sad past.”

And in case you’re wondering: Yes, stars do coordinate with PR people quite often to time their big announcements, especially when professional or personal rivals are involved.

Maybe Brangelina can just elope?