Janet Jackson and longtime boyfriend Jermaine Dupri have jumped on the Charlize Theron/Stuart Townsend “We don’t need to have a ceremony to be committed” bandwagon. Janet says that, after two failed marriages – one of which she kept secret until she filed for divorce – she’s not really into the idea of another. It’s hard to fault her for that.

“Though Janet Jackson and her boyfriend, producer Jermaine Dupri, have been together for almost six years, the pair have always skirted rumors that they eventually plan to make their coupling official by saying ‘I do.’ And now the 41-year-old singer is explaining just why.

“‘I don’t need a piece of paper to validate what we have,’ Janet told TV’s Extra at the premiere of her new film, ironically titled Why Did I Get Married?. ‘But that’s just me.’

“However, Janet does admit that she’d be traditional about things if they ever did swap vows, saying that she would definitely take Jermaine’s last name, joking that they’d both then have the same initials: ‘J.D.’

“That being said, Michael’s little sister, who has walked down the aisle twice before, says she’s not the one to ask for wedding advice from, joking, ‘You want to ask someone who’s been married twice and divorced twice?’”

[From OK! Magazine]

I like that people are more open to alternative definitions of committed relationships. It may not work in every circumstance, but every relationship is different.

In other Janet news, she’s supposedly writing a book about losing weight. The singer has famously gained and dropped weight in (what appears to be) 50+ pound increments for the last several years. She’s just very carefully avoided being out in public much when she’s “Fat Janet.” That can’t be good for the body, and is a great way to get diabetes. Janet’s never really talked about her weight issues in public, so it’ll be interesting to hear what she has to say, especially considering the extremity of the issue – and her incredible lengths to hide it.

“Michael Jackson’s sister Janet is writing a book on weight problems. The 41 year old singer is planning a book to tell the story of her battles with weight and diet and what she did to slim down. The as yet untitled tome is expected to describe how her weight has yo-yoed throughout her career in pop music.

“’I’m writing a book on my journey of weight loss and weight gain,’ Jackson was quoted as saying in People magazine. Last year, Janet stacked on almost 30 kilograms [66 pounds], which she said had a debilitating effect on her. ‘I could not believe how big I was, how heavy I really was. I would see myself in the mirror, but I wouldn’t look too often. I didn’t want to get used to that image,’ she said.’ However, she’s cautioned that her suggestions in the upcoming book would not have universal application. ‘It’s different for everyone,’ she said.”

[From Sky News]

Well at least she’s willing to talk about it. I think the reason Janet’s weight issues seem so weird is that when she does let herself be photographed, she’s SUPER fit with what looks to be a 12 pack of abs. It’s craziness. So I think it’s just the extremity of the highs and lows that make it so interesting. Hopefully she’ll have some good insight, or at least let us freakishly curious folks know what’s going on.

Janet Jackson is shown at the “Why Did I Get Married?” movie premiere on 10/4/07 thanks to PRPhotos.