For the first time in 17 years, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer gathered in the same room for the highly anticipated Friends: The Reunion.
A look back at the sitcom that ran from 1994 to 2004, the unscripted reunion show saw host James Cordon guide the famous six through a nostalgia-laced journey of memories, bloopers, outtakes and more.
But the HBO Max special didn't only reunite Joey, Phoebe, Chandler, Monica, Rachel and Ross; the original cast were joined by a host of famous faces.
Elliott Gould and Christina Pickles, who played Ross and Monica's parents on the show, were seated in the socially distanced audience, and Central Perk's coffee shop manager Gunther, played by James Michael Tyler, joined via a live video link.
Actor Tom Selleck – Monica's boyfriend Richard in the second season of the sitcom - joined the cast on a recreation of the original Friends set to ask a question in Ross's (Shwimmer's) quiz show. A barbershop quartet that Ross originally hired in the show stopped by to remind Rachel, again, that it's nice to have a boyfriend. Larry Hankin, the now 80-year-old actor who played Monica's neighbour Mr. Heckles, also popped in, grumpy as ever.
Maggie Wheeler – Chandler's loud-talking ex-girlfiend Janice – joined the cast and Cordon in the studio and Joey successfully picked out his hand-twin, aka Thomas Lennon, from season five. And it wasn't only former cast members who got involved.
A host of new celebrity faces joined in, either in-person at the Warner Bros Studio lot in Burbank or via pre-recorded video messages. Here's who made an appearance...
Lady Gaga
Joining Lisa Kudrow on the couch for a rendition of Phoebe's Smelly Cat ballad, Lady Gaga added her throaty vocals and guitar strumming skills to Kudrow's most famous song. A six-piece choir also joined the ladies for a new rendition of the song made famous in the sitcom. The popstress went on to thank Lisa for being the "different one, or the one that was really herself", to which Kudrow responded, "thank you and thanks for carrying it along".
Justin Bieber
Despacito singer Justin Bieber appeared as a model in the HBO studio, taking to the runway in the 'Spudnik' costume from Season 8 of Friends.
Originally worn by Ross, Schwimmer told the audience that he'd been embarrassed to wear the costume as it was in the same episode that starred Sean Penn.
“We get the script and, of course, I realise, ‘Oh, I’m a potato’,” said Schwimmer. "I had very little – if any – dialogue with him, but here I’m thinking, ‘Greatest actor in the world, and I’m a potato’.” Bieber didn't seem to share the same embarrasment and was in good spirits, strutting along the catwalk and pulling faces to the camera.
Cara Delevingne
Supermodel turned actor Cara Delevingne also starred in the reunion fashion show, modelling not one but two costumes from the sitcom. First, she strutted out in the pink bridesmaid dress worn by Jennifer Anniston in Season 2 at the wedding of Rachel's ex-fiance Barry. The British star then rejoined the catwalk in perhaps the most famous Friends costume of all, Schwimmer's Holiday Armadillo.
Delevingne said on social media that she grew up watching the show and felt lucky to be included. "Could I BE any more excited? Being a part of the Friends reunion was truly a dream come true … Plus, I got to be the HOLIDAY ARMADILLO,” wrote the model.
Cindy Crawford
There was no shortage of supermodels in attendance for the sitcom reunion, with 51-year-old Cindy Crawford also taking to the runway. Once America's most celebrated fashion model, Crawford recreated one of Ross Geller's most embarrasing fashion moments in Friends by wearing the tight black leather pants Schwimmer wore in Season 5. Crawford paired the pants with a silk button-down shirt similar to the one Ross wore in the original episode, but pulled off the look a whole lot more easily than the hapless palaeontologist.
BTS
Fresh from clocking up five new Guinness World Record's for their latest smash hit Butter, K-Pop kings BTS also appeared on the Friends Reunion. All seven members of the world's biggest boy band crowded on a sofa and RM, who was born in the same year that Friends launced, revealed that the show played a big role in teaching him English.
Reese Witherspoon
This is a bit of a cheat listing, as Reese Witherspoon actually starred in The One with Rachel's sister, playing Jill Green. But the Hollywood star also made a video appearance on the Friends Reunion.
The Legally Blonde star told viewers that she felt like she had won the lottery when she got invited on the show. Witherspoon also gushed over Joey's (LeBlanc) reaction to her appearance in the show.
"The most exciting part was that I got to be in a scene where I'm in the apartment and Joey walks in and he goes 'Hey, how you doin'?'." The line was Joey Joey Tribbiani's catchphrase, which he used whenever he wanted to start chatting to women.
Mindy Kaling
Comedy actor Mindy Kaling appeared via a pre-recorded video to share her love of the original Friends sitcom. The Mindy Project star spoke of her memories of watching the show, revealing that The One With All The Kissing was one of her favourite episodes. Aired in 1998 during Season 5, the episode was one of the first to document Monica and Chandler's blossoming relationship after their trip to London. On Twitter, Kaling sarcastically commented about her idea to film the message for the show while heavily pregnant and using her mobile phone.
Kit Harrington
Game of Thrones star Kit Harrington appeared on the show with a video message in which he claimed to be part of the Geller family. The Jon Snow actor in the fantasy drama series said in a pre-recorded video that he felt he could easily be part of the Geller clan because he is as neurotic as Monica (Cox), and wears tight trousers like Ross (Schwimmer).
David Beckham
David Beckham, one of the world's most famous footballers, had a cameo video appearance on Friends: The Reunion. The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and AC Milan star said that he travels a lot and watches Friends when he had downtime away from the family.
Beckham, who is married to former Spice Girl Victoria, said his favourite episode was The One Where No One's Ready. Marta Kauffman, co-creator of the sitcom, then revealed that this episode was filmed in real-time and ended up with LeBlanc dislocating his shoulder as Joey and Chandler fought over a chair in Monica and Rachel's living room. It's also the episode where Joey puts on all of Chandler's clothes at once, a moment that the 53-year-old actor recreated as part of Friends: The Reunion.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Colomba, Resistance and the Struggle to Liberate Europe
Gordon Corera, Harper Collins
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
