'Fever' Pitch

HEY, 'FEVER' Matthew Perry may be known for snarky sarcasm of his role as Chandler Bing, but after he leaves ''Friends,'' he is looking to have the film career of a serious dramatic thespian. This week, he signed a deal to star with Robin Tunney (''The Craft'') in the indie drama ''Fever,'' which the Hollywood Reporter describes as ''the story of a couple who are shocked out of the predictability of their relationship by an event that challenges them to either love more deeply or lose each other for good.'' It's on his schedule after ''Friends'' wraps next spring, along with another drama he recently signed on for, the ranch-set ''The Beginning of Wisdom,'' opposite his father, John Bennett Perry. Of course, he's also starring in a sequel to ''The Whole Nine Yards,'' so he's not completely leaving behind the pratfalls and self-deprecating jokes.

TRADING SPACES Courteney Cox, whose hobby is buying expensive homes, remodeling them, and selling them at a huge profit, made her latest sale this week, unloading her Los Angeles home to a fellow TV personality. Talk show host Ricki Lake and her husband, illustrator Rob Sussman, bought the house for roughly its asking price of $6.5 million, the Los Angeles Times reports. Cox had paid a reported $2.1 million in 1996 for the 5,200-square-foot home, which contains five bedrooms, a pool, and a gym. She and hubby David Arquette put it on the market two months ago, having long since moved to a beach house in Malibu. Trivia note: Ten years ago, Lake and Arquette both had blink-and-you'll-miss-them roles in the films ''Where the Day Takes You'' and ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer.''

E!-LECTED For her Emmy-winning turn as expectant mom Rachel last season, plus her possibly Oscar-worthy stretch as a small-town adulteress in ''The Good Girl,'' Jennifer Aniston was named Entertainer of the Year by E! Entertainment Television. The pop culture cable channel will present her with her award on Dec. 16 on a special called ''Rank: The Top 25 Entertainers of the 2002.'' As for where Aniston may have placed on Entertainment Weekly's list of Entertainers of the Year, check out the Best of 2002 issue, on stands this weekend.