Justin Trudeau, Friends, Actors and Fans Mourn Matthew Perry

 Mourners stand outside the home of actor Matthew Perry, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. Perry, who starred as Chandler Bing in the hit series "Friends," has died. He was 54. (AP)
Mourners stand outside the home of actor Matthew Perry, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. Perry, who starred as Chandler Bing in the hit series "Friends," has died. He was 54. (AP)
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Justin Trudeau, Friends, Actors and Fans Mourn Matthew Perry

 Mourners stand outside the home of actor Matthew Perry, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. Perry, who starred as Chandler Bing in the hit series "Friends," has died. He was 54. (AP)
Mourners stand outside the home of actor Matthew Perry, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. Perry, who starred as Chandler Bing in the hit series "Friends," has died. He was 54. (AP)

Matthew Perry was mourned on social media by friends, co-stars and some very famous fans, including his childhood classmate, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his “Friends” mom Morgan Fairchild and even Adele.

Perry, who played Chandler Bing on NBC’s “Friends” for 10 seasons, was found dead at his Los Angeles home on Saturday. He was 54.

Trudeau, who attended elementary school with Perry while their parents worked together, wrote a tribute on X, formerly Twitter.

“I’ll never forget the schoolyard games we used to play, and I know people around the world are never going to forget the joy he brought them,” Trudeau wrote. “Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew. You were loved — and you will be missed.”

Perry’s mother served as press secretary to Trudeau's father, Pierre Trudeau, during his time as prime minister.

Adele took a moment to talk about him during her show in Las Vegas on Saturday night. She recalled how his work made her laugh and said that even though she’d never met him, there is a strange thing that happens sometimes when an entertainer dies that makes you feel personally sad.

“I just want to say how much I love what he did for us,” she said to the cheering crowd.

Saturday Night Live also showed a tribute card for Perry during the weekend’s episode. Perry once hosted the show, in 1997, which featured one sketch where he played Matt LeBlanc’s character Joey and Colin Quinn played Chandler.

Fairchild, who played Chandler’s mother on “Friends” wrote on X, that she was “heartbroken about the untimely death of my ‘son’.”

“The loss of such a brilliant young actor is a shock. I’m sending love & condolences to his friends & family, especially his dad," Fairchild wrote.

She had also worked with Perry’s father, actor John Bennett Perry, on several television series.

Another frequent “Friends” co-star, Maggie Wheeler, who played his girlfriend Janice, wrote: "The joy you brought to so many in your too short lifetime will live on. I feel very blessed by every creative moment we shared.”

Selma Blair, who also appeared on an episode of “Friends,” posted on Instagram that she was “broken hearted.”

“My oldest boy friend,” Blair wrote. “All of us loved Matthew Perry, and I did especially. Every day. I loved him unconditionally. And he me. And I’m broken. Broken hearted. Sweet dreams Matty. Sweet dreams.”

Many Hollywood actors crossed paths with Perry, who had worked steadily on screen since he was a child.

Wendell Pierce, who worked with Perry on “The Odd Couple,” wrote on X that for two years, “Matthew Perry was my boss, my colleague, and a giving, kind, funny man. I pray and hope he is at peace.”

Shannen Doherty shared a photo on Instagram and reflected on their friendship, which extended back to an appearance on “Beverly Hills 90210,” and included a Valentine's Day date in Malibu once.

“We were a gang way back. We all grew up together going to the Formosa ... We played dare and Matt had to say ridiculous things to girls at the bar. We just always had fun and supported each other. You would always find us all together in a booth speaking in our own made-up language. And yes, Matt always had THAT sense of humor,” Doherty wrote.

"Our friendship spanned a long time. A lifetime really. I know many are hurting, especially our little gang. He will be missed by many and definitely by us. Yes. I could be more poetic or say things better but right now, shock and sadness prevail.”



K-pop Stars BTS to Release Album in March Ahead of World Tour

Fireworks light up the midnight sky over the Lotte World Tower, South Korea's tallest building in Seoul during New Year's Day celebrations on January 1, 2026. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)
Fireworks light up the midnight sky over the Lotte World Tower, South Korea's tallest building in Seoul during New Year's Day celebrations on January 1, 2026. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)
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K-pop Stars BTS to Release Album in March Ahead of World Tour

Fireworks light up the midnight sky over the Lotte World Tower, South Korea's tallest building in Seoul during New Year's Day celebrations on January 1, 2026. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)
Fireworks light up the midnight sky over the Lotte World Tower, South Korea's tallest building in Seoul during New Year's Day celebrations on January 1, 2026. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)

K-pop megastars BTS will release a new album in March ahead of a world tour, the group announced on Thursday.

South Korea's biggest musical act has been on self-described hiatus since 2022 as its members undertook national military service required of all men under the age of 30.

All seven members were discharged last year, and the group announced a comeback for the spring of 2026.

They confirmed on Thursday that they would release an album on March 20 before heading on tour, AFP reported.

The exact date was revealed in handwritten letters sent to paid members of the official BTS fan group, and later confirmed by their label Big Hit Music.

"I have been waiting more earnestly than anyone else," group leader RM wrote in the letter.

No further details about the album or tour were given.

The album will be BTS's first since the anthology "Proof" which became South Korea's bestselling record of 2022.

Before their military service, BTS generated more than 5.5 trillion won ($3.8 billion) in South Korea per year, according to the government-backed Korea Culture and Tourism Institute.

The figure is equivalent to roughly 0.2 percent of the country's total GDP.

BTS has expanded beyond their home nation to become a global musical phenomenon in recent years.

They hold the record as the most-streamed group on Spotify, and became the first K-pop act to top both the Billboard 200 and the Billboard Artist 100 charts in the United States.


‘Zootopia 2’ Breaks Record to Become Top-grossing Disney Animation Film

FILE PHOTO: Moviegoers hold character cutouts to pose for a photo at a movie theater on the release day of the movie Zootopia 2, in Shanghai, China, November 26, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Moviegoers hold character cutouts to pose for a photo at a movie theater on the release day of the movie Zootopia 2, in Shanghai, China, November 26, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura/File Photo
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‘Zootopia 2’ Breaks Record to Become Top-grossing Disney Animation Film

FILE PHOTO: Moviegoers hold character cutouts to pose for a photo at a movie theater on the release day of the movie Zootopia 2, in Shanghai, China, November 26, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Moviegoers hold character cutouts to pose for a photo at a movie theater on the release day of the movie Zootopia 2, in Shanghai, China, November 26, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura/File Photo

Walt Disney Animation Studios' "Zootopia 2" surpassed 2019's "Frozen 2" to become its highest-grossing film ever, the company said on Wednesday, marking a bright spot in a year when global box office continues to trail pre-pandemic levels.

The animated sequel is the fifth Walt Disney Animation Studios film to cross $1 billion globally, ⁠grossing around $1.46 billion at the box office after its strong US Thanksgiving weekend opening, Reuters reported.

The film's success has been fueled by an extraordinary reception in China, where "Zootopia 2" has grossed over $560 million. ⁠The sequel dominated its opening weekend in China, capturing approximately 95% of all movie ticket sales.

"Zootopia 2" launched Hollywood's crucial holiday season with an estimated $556 million in global ticket sales in the opening weekend. The film reunites rabbit police officer Judy Hopps and her fox ⁠partner Nick Wilde in a new adventure through the bustling animal metropolis.

With global box office still falling short of pre-pandemic 2019 levels, the sequel's success has been a welcome relief to the studio and theater owners banking on packed shows during the year's second-busiest moviegoing season.


French Minister Criticizes Clooney’s ‘Double Standard’ Passport

France's junior Minister of the Interior Marie-Pierre Vedrenne reacts as she addresses MPs during a session to discuss France's social security budget (PLFSS) for 2026, at the National Assembly, French Parliament lower house, in Paris on November 5, 2025. (AFP)
France's junior Minister of the Interior Marie-Pierre Vedrenne reacts as she addresses MPs during a session to discuss France's social security budget (PLFSS) for 2026, at the National Assembly, French Parliament lower house, in Paris on November 5, 2025. (AFP)
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French Minister Criticizes Clooney’s ‘Double Standard’ Passport

France's junior Minister of the Interior Marie-Pierre Vedrenne reacts as she addresses MPs during a session to discuss France's social security budget (PLFSS) for 2026, at the National Assembly, French Parliament lower house, in Paris on November 5, 2025. (AFP)
France's junior Minister of the Interior Marie-Pierre Vedrenne reacts as she addresses MPs during a session to discuss France's social security budget (PLFSS) for 2026, at the National Assembly, French Parliament lower house, in Paris on November 5, 2025. (AFP)

A junior member of President Emmanuel Macron's government Wednesday criticized the French passports given to Hollywood superstar George Clooney despite him speaking poor French, saying the move suggested a "double standard".

The news of Clooney, his wife Amal Clooney and their two children becoming French comes ahead of language requirements for citizenship being toughened for everyone else under new immigration rules from January 1.

"Personally, I understand the feeling of some French people of a double standard," Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, a junior interior minister, told the France Info radio station.

"We need to be careful about the message we're sending."

Her boss, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, and the foreign ministry however defended the decision.

The civil code states that "French nationality may be conferred by naturalization, upon the proposal of the minister of foreign affairs, to any French-speaking foreigner who applies for it and who contributes through their distinguished service to France's influence and the prosperity of its international economic relations."

But the 64-year-old Oscar winner has admitted that his French remains poor despite hundreds of lessons.

Under the new immigration rules from Thursday, applicants will need a certificate showing they have a level of French that could get them into a French university. They will also have to pass a civic knowledge test.

Clooney has a property in southern France and said he has hailed French privacy laws that keep his family largely protected from international media intrusion.

"I love the French culture, your language, even if I'm still bad at it after 400 days of courses," the actor told RTL radio -- in English -- in December.

His wife, an international human rights lawyer and dual UK-Lebanese national, speaks fluent French.

- 'Meets the conditions' -

Clooney bought the Domaine du Canadel, a former wine estate, near the Provence town of Brignoles, in 2021. He said it is where his family is "happiest".

Nunez, the interior minister, said he was "very happy" with the actor and his family becoming French, saying the country was lucky to have them.

The French foreign ministry said the passport allocation for the Clooneys "meets the conditions set by law" for naturalization.

The family "followed a rigorous procedure including security investigations, regulatory naturalization interviews at the prefecture, and the payment of tax stamps," the ministry added.

It highlighted the Clooneys had a French home and they "contribute through their distinguished service to France's international influence and cultural prestige" through the actor's role in the film industry.

This "can only contribute to maintaining and promoting France's position in this essential economic sector", it said.

Amal Clooney is "a renowned lawyer" who "regularly collaborates with academic institutions and international organizations based in France," the ministry added.

Some 48,800 people acquired French nationality by decree in 2024, according to interior ministry figures.

Clooney is not alone in wanting a French passport.

Hollywood director Jim Jarmusch announced on Friday that he was also applying, telling French radio that he wanted "a place to where I can escape the United States".