Moviefone Editorial

Tag: @tvprogram:42196

  • 13 Times We Were All Ross Geller From ‘Friends’

    Even when we re-watch “Friends” for the billionth time, we always wonder: “Which friend am I?”

    Even though we all want to be a Rachel or a Joey, or claim to be a Phoebe or a Chandler, we all know — deep down inside — that we’re the Ross of our friend group.

    Here are the 13 times we all had a little bit of Ross in us.

  • The ‘Friends’ Intro Reimagined as an 8-Bit Video Game Is Adorably Awesome

    The “Friends” opening credits are a perfect pop culture time capsule, reminding us of a simpler time (a.k.a. the ’90s) when awkwardly dancing in front of a giant fountain was the epitome of cool. So it makes sense, then, that that nostalgia-inducing sequence has gotten an even more retro reimagining, in the form of an homage to classic video games.

    The upgrade — or rather, retrograde — comes courtesy of Warner Bros., which produced the clip in promotion of its new gaming-centric flick, “Ready Player One.” (The studio’s television division produced “Friends” back in the day, making the two projects corporate siblings.) This new version looks like it came straight out of an ’80s 8-bit gaming console, flattening out the cast and turning the familiar fountain and orange couch into a tableau that could easily fit in alongside classic titles like “Zelda” or “Super Mario Bros.”

    Once you hear the new version of theme song “I’ll Be There for You,” you might not be able to un-hear it. But somehow, this transformation totally works (we love the attention to detail of Monica’s ridiculously voluminous hairstyle and Chandler spouting water out of his mouth), and the characters look absolutely adorable bopping around in 2D.

    The official “Friends” Twitter page later shared a couple of 8-bit GIF versions of some memorable scenes from the series. Unsurprisingly, we also think these are pretty awesome.

    Could we be any more delighted? Well, maybe if they recreated this scene next.

    [via: FRIENDS/Twitter]

  • Reese Witherspoon Shared the Perfect ‘Friends’ Throwback for Jennifer Aniston’s Birthday

    After news broke that Friends” fans couldn’t help but reminisce about the first time the pair worked together: When Witherspoon guest-starred as Aniston’s sister on the hit NBC sitcom. And it seems like Witherspoon is also feeling nostalgic about that first collaboration, based on the way she chose to wish her once and future co-star a happy birthday.

    Aniston celebrated her 49th birthday on February 11, and among the flood of well wishes from famous friends and fans alike, one message in particular stood out.

    “Happy Birthday to my work sister #JenniferAniston !!” Witherspoon wrote on her social media accounts, accompanied by a photo from one of the two “Friends” episodes she appeared in as Jill Greene, Rachel’s baby sister.

    In the scene pictured, Rachel is introducing Jill to the rest of the gang, when Joey (Matt LeBlanc) throws out his signature “How you doin’?” pickup line. A protective Rachel quickly shuts him down, though later, she does orchestrate a date between Jill and her ex, Ross (David Schwimmer). Naturally, awkward shenanigans ensue.

    So far, we don’t know too much about Witherspoon and Aninston’s new series, though it’s based in part on a book that chronicles the drama behind the scenes of morning news shows. Fingers crossed that they’ll find a way to reference the actresses’ shared “Friends” past in some way.

    [via: Reese Witherspoon/Instagram]

  • Call Your ‘Friends’: A Real Central Perk Coffee Shop May Be Coming Soon

    While “Friends” fans’ dreams of sipping coffee in Central Perk alongside Monica (Courteney Cox), Chandler (Matthew Perry), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Ross (David Schwimmer), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), and Joey (Matt LeBlanc) may never come true, the next best thing may be just around the corner: A real Central Perk coffee shop location.

    That’s what appears to be brewing over at Warner Bros. Entertainment, which produced “Friends” throughout its 10-season run on NBC. The studio recently filed some court documents — unearthed by The Blast — requesting a trademark on the name “Central Perk” and its familiar, coffee cup-flanked logo.

    According to The Blast, Warner Bros. was seeking the copyright in order to use the name for “coffee shop and cafe services,” strongly suggesting that it’s looking to take the Central Perk concept out into the real world. No word yet on whether that iconic orange couch will be included in the floor plan, but that seems like a no-brainer.

    If a Central Perk chain is indeed in the works, it stands to make some serious bank, since “Friends” fans are a notoriously loyal bunch, and have been clamoring for more content for years. (They’re so desperate, they even made a fake “Friends” movie trailer.) While a new book about the series is in the works, sadly, a revival or reunion special just isn’t in the cards.

    Warner Bros. previously launched a Central Perk pop-up shop in Manhattan in 2014, timed to the 20th anniversary of the show’s release, which was a hit with fans. It’s certainly possible that this new copyright filing is in anticipation of a similar plan for the show’s 25th anniversary in 2019, but we’re going to pretend otherwise until the studio reveals its true intentions.

    [via: The Blast, h/t People]

  • This Fan-Made ‘Friends’ Movie Trailer Is the Closest We’ll Ever Get to a Reunion

    The main cast of “Friends” may never star in a reunion movie, but at least this fan-made trailer for a (fake) “Friends” film will be there for you.

    The faux promo, created by Smasher, imagines a world in which the core “Friends” gang has drifted apart in the years since the 2004 series finale, with Monica and Chandler breaking up (say it ain’t so!) and Ross and Rachel apparently going on another, longer break. Of course, since none of the actors actually reprised their roles for this clip, Smasher had to get creative, instead cobbling together scenes from the actors’ post-“Friends” projects, including “Cougar Town” and “Episodes.”

    It helps that many of our Friends — that’s Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer, in case you live under a rock without Netflix or cable rerun access — appeared on each other’s shows over the years, so there are several scenes where Rachel and Monica interact, as well as Monica and Chandler and Monica and Phoebe (thanks for all those reunions, “Cougar Town”). Ross and Joey appear to be off in their own separate worlds, though Joey seems to be doing just fine for himself (nice Golden Globe!); Ross, on the other hand, can’t even figure out how to properly video chat.

    Sure, this movie may be fake, but it’s still fun to think about what could be. Then again, based on how depressing everyone’s lives appear in this trailer, maybe it’s for the best that “The Last One” was truly the last one.

    [via: Smasher/YouTube, h/t TV Guide]

  • Lucy Hale Pays Homage to Monica Gellar With ‘Friends’-Style Look

    US-ENTERTAINMENT-BALL-CHARITY-ASPCA“Friends” is somehow always relevant.

    Lucy Hale recently did a photo shoot for Cosmopolitan, and she found herself channeling a character from the iconic sitcom. With her dark bob and the brown plaid pantsuit a stylist put her in, the “Pretty Little Liars” alum looked like she would have fit in at Central Perk. Even Hale thought so, as she made clear in a tweet on Thursday.

    “The most ‘Monica Gellar’ I will ever be,” she wrote.

    The outfit captured Monica’s take-charge attitude, which is fitting considering Hale talked to the magazine about her own success, particularly her decision to star in “Pretty Little Liars.” At the time she was considering signing on, she had also been offered a role in a project that had numerous promising elements, including a bigger names and a bigger studio behind it. She agonized over the decision before landing on “PLL.”

    “My gut just kept telling me to do ‘Pretty Little Liars,’” she told Cosmo.

    Monica would approve.

    [via: Lucy Hale/Twitter]

  • Wait, Ross From ‘Friends’ Invented Netflix’s Emmy-Winning ‘Black Mirror’ Episode?

    Could this BE more mind-blowing?

    “Friends” ended its run in 2004, 12 years before “Black Mirror” Season 3 would create the amazing episode called “San Junipero,” which just earned multiple 2017 Emmys for Netflix. But Netflix itself recently dug up some “Friends” footage that suggests Ross (David Schwimmer) predicted or even invented the storyline of the episode.

    Warning: Part of the “San Junipero” plot will be spoiled for you, by Ross, if you haven’t seen it.

    Check out this casual exchange between Ross and Chandler (Matthew Perry), which played out as the “Friends” credits rolled:

    “By the year 2030, there will be computers that can carry out the same amount of functions as an actual human brain. So, theoretically, you can download your thoughts and memories into this computer and live forever as a machine.”

    The live audience laughed at the idea, as Chandler gave it some deep thought. Then the Netflix video cut to a brief shot of Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Mackenzie Davis dancing in the 2016 “Black Mirror” episode “San Junipero,” which basically played out the scenario Ross predicted.

    Netflix every-so-wittily titled their video “The One Where Ross Invents San Junipero”:
    To Netflix, this is all just a cute way to promote both “Black Mirror” and “Friends,” which are now streaming. But from here, it’s still another sign that “Friends” is the key to EVERYTHING.

    You should watch all of “Black Mirror” before Season 4. The episodes are standalones, so you don’t have to catch up on a continuing storyline, but each episode is a diamond worth treasuring. Season 4 will premiere sometime in 2017, which means in the next two months, on Netflix.

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  • A ‘Friends’ Book Will Be There for You in Time for Its 25th Anniversary

    Friends - Season 1Hit NBC sitcom “Friends” is still ubiquitous more than 13 years after it left the air, living on in perpetual cable reruns. The show found a new audience in young Millennials when it hit Netflix back in 2015, and remains as beloved and relevant as ever. Now, a new book will explore that enduring appeal.

    Seinfeld” history book, “Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything.”

    Here’s a bit more scoop on the title, per THR:

    The book promises a look at the origins of the show, the numerous high-profile guest stars (Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Tom Selleck, Reese Witherspoon and many more) and, of course, Jennifer Aniston‘s infamous “Rachel” haircut. Plus, it will explore the show’s afterlife and why it continues to appeal to people too young to have watched it the first time around.

    A specific publication date hasn’t been set yet, but it’s due to debut sometime in 2019, which marks the 25th anniversary of the “Friends” premiere. Could we BE any more excited?

    [via: The Hollywood Reporter]

  • Matt LeBlanc Reveals ‘Friends’ Scene That Led to ‘Exploded’ Shoulder

    ENTERTAINMENT-US-TELEVISION-CBS-TCAThere’s nothing like one of the stars of “Friends” taking us on a walk down memory lane.

    Fans got just that when Matt LeBlanc sat down this week with Jimmy Kimmel. The actor shared a number of gems — including the fact that he’s been asked if he’s “Joey’s dad” — but the best one was the story of how he dislocated his shoulder while shooting “The One Where No One’s Ready.” Painful as the experience sounds, it made for quite the funny story, especially as LeBlanc told it.

    The injury happened in what should have been a simple scene: LeBlanc, in character as Joey, was trying to jump into a chair before Chandler (Matthew Perry) could. Unfortunately, as he was in mid-air, he realized he was going to land on his head and had to put out an arm to break his fall. The awkward landing “just exploded [his] shoulder,” causing a nasty dislocation.

    LeBlanc managed to get backstage, but he became extremely confused when he saw “ER” star Anthony Edwards there. The actor had come over from the neighboring set, but his presence made LeBlanc confused. He told Kimmel he knew Edwards wasn’t a real doctor, but apparently it was still jarring to see him there after a serious injury.

    Watch more of the hilarious interview below.

    “Jimmy Kimmel Live” airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

  • ‘Friends’ Fans Now Sharing Hilarious Theories on That Season 4 DVD Cover

    You know what will always be there for you? Wild “Friends” theories. There’s nothing like them. And even though the NBC series has been off the air since 2004, fan theories never stop popping up online.

    A guy named Ted Fox got the latest conversation going, “Seinfeld”-style, by wondering what the deal is with the “Friends” Season 4 DVD cover. Why is Jennifer Aniston‘s Rachel the only one awake, and staring into the camera?


    He asked for theories, and he got some good ones:

    Never change, “Friends” fanatics!

    By the way, just last month one of the “Friends” creators reacted (not fondly) to that super-dark theory about Phoebe. You may also recall reading a theory connecting “Friends” to “Gilmore Girls.” That one almost works. There are so many others out there, keeping this series alive for future generations of fans to read way.too.much into.

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