** Friends FAQ (1/2) 3/1/95
Andy J. Williams
Frequently Asked Questions
3/1/95 TEXT Version
Part One of Two
(C)1995 Andy J. Williams
(And...@dartmouth.edu)
with a lot of help from the members of the Friends mailing list and newsgroup.
Many additional comments included from Jeff Greenstein, Supervising
Producer for "Friends". His comments are indicated by "JG".
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Questions
1.0 What is Friends?
1.1 When can I see Friends?
1.2 Where can I find the Episode Guide?
1.3 How do I get tickets to see a taping?
1.4 What are Friends Fans called?
1.5 How can I submit a script?
1.6 How far in advance are storylines planned?
1.7 How is the stage set up?
2.0 The Cast
2.1 The Main Cast
2.2 Supporting Cast & Guest Stars
2.3 Bios & Filmographies
2.4 What does the cast think of all the fan stuff on the Internet?
3.0 What are the words to the theme song?
3.1 Who sings the theme song?
3.2 What are the guitar chords?
(The rest of the questions are in part two of this posting)
4.0 Misc. Questions
4.1 Will Ross & Rachel ever get together?
4.2 Can Chandler get a Brian?
4.3 Are Phoebe and Ursula (from "Mad About You") sisters?
4.4 How did they tape the opening to "The One with the Boobies"?
4.5 What TV themes are they humming in "The One With the Dozen
Lasagnes"?
4.6 Will we see Rachel's Parents this season?
4.7 Will Ross' Baby be born this season?
5.0 Internet Resources
5.1 The Friends Mailing List
5.1.1 The Friends Zone Mailing List
5.2 The Friends World Wide Web Pages
5.3 The Friends Newsgroup
5.4 The Friends ftp site
5.5 The Internet Ratings Service
5.6 Change History of this document
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Answers
1.0 What is Friends?
Friends is a weekly 30 minute length sit-com airing on NBC. It premiered in
September of 1994 and has been receiving some good reviews and excellent
ratings. It is the on-going story of a group of twenty-something friends
who live in New York City.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.1 When can I see Friends?
Friends airs Thursday nights at 9:30 (Eastern) on NBC.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.2 Where can I find the Episode Guide
The episode guide is a separate document located at the Friends WWW Site
and the Friends ftp site [see 5.0]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.3 How do I get tickets to see a taping?
Tickets for all television shows are free. For tickets in advance by mail,
please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the address below. Please
specify the show that you would like to see. Tickets are also available at
the at Fox Television Center located at 5746 Sunset Boulevard, one block
west of the 101 Hollywood freeway. Tickets become available starting on
Wednesday for the following week. Ticket office hours are 8:30am - 6:00pm,
Monday - Friday. The minimum age for Friends is 16 years old.
It is very important to call to confirm your tickets. When the tickets
arrive in the mail, there is a map with them, and on the back there is a
phone number to call and tell them you are definitely planning to be there.
Audiences Unltd.
100 Universal City Plaza, Bldg. 153
Universal City, CA 91605
(818) 506-0067
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.4 What are Friends fans called?
Collectively we are "The Friends Zone". Normal fans are "Crapweasels" and
the really rabid fans are "Frienatics". Yes, we have too much free time on
our hands.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.5 How can I submit a script?
JG: "We only accept script submissions through agents. Sorry. That's the
standard deal."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.6 How far in advance are storylines planned?
JG: "We knew there was going to be a Phoebe/Ursula story [See 4.3] from the
get-go. In the case of Paolo, we started that "arc" without knowing exactly
where or when it would end up -- the decision to have him make a pass at
Phoebe [112] was actually arrived at pretty late in the game. However, an
upcoming two-part arc involving Rachel, Barry [Rachel's ex-fiancČ and Mindy
[Rachel's Bridesmaid & Barry's girlfriend] was conceived of all at once.
"To answer your initial question, then... it varies. "
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.7 How is the stage set up?
JG: "There are two standing sets -- Monica and Rachel's apartment, which
occupies the center of our stage, and the coffee house, which is stage
right. Those stay up all the time, 'cause they're in every show.
"Stage left is a space where we put our larger 'swing sets' (sets that are
only needed for one episode). In any given week, that could be Chandler and
Joey's apartment, Carol and Susan's apartment, or the fancy restaurant in
'Candy Hearts' [114].
"Those three sets face the audience. There's additional space for sets off
to the side and behind -- if we have to build sets there, we feed the scene
live to the audience on overhead monitors."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.0 The Cast
David Schwimmer - Ross Geller
Courteney Cox - Monica Geller
Matthew Perry - Chandler Bing
Matt LeBlanc - Joey Tribbiani
Jennifer Aniston - Rachel Karen Green
Lisa Kudrow - Phoebe Buffay
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.1 The Main Characters
The main characters are detailed here. Facts about them are followed by the
episode from which the information was gleaned. See the episode guide.
Ross Geller (David Schwimmer): Ross is the Mayor of the Friend Zone [107].
He works in a museum [102] as a paleontologist and has very recently been
divorced by his wife who had left him to move in with her new lesbian lover
[101]. She is pregnant with Ross' child and both she and her lover want
Ross to be involved with the child when it is born [102]. Ross speaks very
precisely [103] and is somewhat shy. He has a very obvious crush on Rachel
and resented her Italian boyfriend (when he was still in the picture). Ross
is Monica's brother.
Monica Geller (Courteney Cox): Monica is a cook at a trendy villiage
restaurant [101]. She rents the apartment where much of the show's action
takes place. Considering her job, it is quite an amazing apartment. She
cannot seem to get her mother to approve of her at all [102] [108]. She has
dated a number of men in the show so far with almost constant bad luck. If
she likes them, they turn out to be schleps [101]. If she doesn't, for once
her friends love him [103]. Go figure. She is Ross' sister.
Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry): Chandler is a data processor who has
recently recevied a hefty promotion [115] in some office somewhere. He
himself didn't care much for his job [101] but found that changing [115].
Women in college thought he was gay [108] (much to his chagrin) and despite
the fact that he is not, he still insists he can get a Brian if he wants
[108]. Chandler has a very hard time both asking women [106] out as well as
breaking up with them [105]. He seems to keep getting stuck with the horrid
Janice [110] [115]. His mother writes romance novels and embarasses
Chandler greatly [111]. He used to smoke [103]. He lives across the hall
from Monica and Rachel with Joey.
Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc): Joey is an aspiring actor who continually
gets rather pathetic roles. These include Pinocchio in a children's
production [101] as well as Sigmund Freud in a musical of Freud's life
[106]. He was also the poster boy for VD [109]. His breakthourgh role
(which he messed up) was as Al Pacino's Butt Double in a movie [106]. He is
pretty dense sometimes and can also be somewhat insensitive. He lives with
Chandler in the apartment across the hall from Monica and Rachel.
Rachel Karen Green (Jennifer Aniston): Rachel is very much a suburbs woman
who, until the start of the series, has never held a job and has always
lived off daddy's money [101]. At the start of the show she had just left
her husband-to-be on the altar and ran to the only friend she could think
of, Monica [101]. She is just beginning to get into the groove of living in
the big city and then fell head over heels for Paolo, an Italian man who
could barely speak English [107]. She dumped him when he made a pass at
Phoebe [112]. She is apparently oblivious to Ross' desires. She lives with
Monica and works at Central Perk, the coffee house [101].
Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow): Phoebe is way out in left field somewhere much
of the time. Often the source of strange looks and shrugs from the others,
Phoebe left home early in life after her mother committed suicide and moved
to the city where her albino male roommate committed suicide [101]. She got
her act together when she discovered aroma-therapy [101]. She is a masseuse
[112] and also sings at Central Perk mostly about death and is often using
her spiritual abilities to cleanse auras [101] and read thoughts of people.
She has a friend who was reincarnated as a pencil [108]. She lives with her
grandmother [104]. She has a sister who is a waitress [102] but she never
talks to her.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.2 Supporting Cast & Guest Stars
Hank Azaria...................David [112]
Anita Barone..................Carol [101] - [108]
Jill Connick..................Jill Goodacre [107]
George Clooney................Dr. Mitchell [117]
Robert Costanzo...............Joey Tribbiani, Sr, [113]
Morgan Fairchild..............Nora Tyler Bing [111]
Stuart Fratkin................Lowell [108]
Cosimo Fusco..................Paolo [107] - [112]
Lee Garlington................Ronnie [113]
Elliott Gould.................Jack Geller [102] through
Helen Hunt....................Jamie Buchman [116] [117]
Leila Kenzle..................Fran [116] [117]
Jay Leno......................himself [111]
Jon Lovitz....................Steve [115]
Jessica Hecht.................Susan [102] through
Christina Pickles.............Judy Geller [102] through
Jane Sibbett..................Carol [109] through
Fisher Stevens................Roger [113]
Brenda Vaccaro................Gloria Tribbiani [113]
Maggie Wheeler................Janice [105]
Noah Wyle.....................Dr. Rosen [117]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.3 Actor Bios & Filmographies
Biographies of the main cast are by Ken Gidley (gid...@mtv.gtegsc.com)
Filmographies are from the Cardiff Movie database at
http://www.msstate.edu/Movies/
Jennifer Aniston
Filmography
(From the Cardiff Movie Database:
http://www.msstate.edu/M/person-exact?+Aniston,+Jennifer)
1. "Friends" (1994) 1994 [Rachel]
2. "Muddling Through" 1994 [Madeleine Drego]
3. Leprechaun 1993 [Tory]
4. "Edge, The" 1992
5. "Ferris Bueller" 1990 [Jeannie Bueller]
6. "Molloy" 1990 [Courtney]
7. Camp Cucamonga (TV) 1990 [Ava]
Note titles in quotes (") are TV series
Biography
Jennifer Aniston, who plays Rachel on Friends, was born in CA (the
Valley, so yes she's a Val!), and raised mostly in New York. Her
father, John Aniston, is an actor on "Days of Our Lives", so young
Jennifer was around acting from an early age. Her godfather was Telly
Savalas.
Jennifer has Greek ancestors, and actually spent some time in Greece
as a child, before settling in New York because of her father's acting
career (specifically he landed a role on "Love of Life"). She first
acted at around age 11, as part of the Rudolf Steiner School's drama
club. Jennifer says that she was always interested in acting, but it
Rudolf Steiner's free-spirited atmosphere that encouraged her to make
it her career.
Jennifer started her professional training at New York's High School
for the Performing Arts as a drama student. She graduated in 1987 (she
is 25). She appeared in Off-Broadway productions of "For Dear Life"
and "Dancing on Checker's Grave", before her first TV role on
"Molloy". Other TV shows graced with her presence include "The Edge",
"Ferris Bueller" (the TV version), a recurring role on "Herman's
Head", and even some guest appearances on "Quantum Leap" and "Burke's
Law".
Jennifer is also an artist. At age 11 (busy year), one of her
paintings was selected for display in the New York Metropolitan Museum
of Art. She still spends much time on art projects, including charcoal
drawings, clay sculptures, and paintings.
Jennifer was born on February 11, 1969. In her spare time, she enjoys
hiking, camping, and getting closer to nature. She currently lives in
Los Angeles.
Additional Information
Additional information provided by Kim Clark (jkc...@cts.com)
"January 13, 1995 Blade-Citizen Preview, page 3. "Jennifer Aniston
having fun with NBC's 'Friends.' Written by Cheryl Lavin, Tribune
Media.
Vital statistics on Jennifer Aniston:
Occupation: Actress
Birthday: Feb. 11
Birthplace: Sherman Oaks and raised in NYC
Current home: LA
Marital status: single
Working on: "Friends," on NBC-TV
The last good movie I saw was: Quiz show
I stay home to watch: Seinfeld, MAY, and ER
The book I've been reading is: The Celestine Prophecy by James
Redfield
Favorite pigout food: Give me a giant bowl of tortilla chips,
salsa and guacamole and forget it.
Prized possession: My dog Katchina. She's a mix, a golden
shepherd.
Personal heroes: Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett.
Every New Year's I resolve: to be completely healthy, especially
inwardly.
Nobody know's I'm: Greek
I wish I could stop: The violence in this country.
I've never been able to: Get back to my art work. I draw, paint
and sculpt.
I'm better than anyone else when it comes to: Putting on makeup.
I'd give anything to meet: Barbra Streisand. She's a strong
chick.
My fantasy is: I get on a plane, fly to San Francisco, see a
show, have a great dinner and fly back.
The one thing I can't stand is: People who are overly protective
of me. I want them to trust my judgment.
If I could change one thing about myself, I would: Finish the
things I start.
People who knew me in high school thought I was: Bitchy.
I knew I was a grown-up when I: Forgave my parents.
The price I've paid for my success: A lot of hurt and rejection.
If I weren't an actress, I'd be: A therapist.
Major accomplishment: Getting my career started.
My most humbling experience: Every time I'm with my family; they
ground me.
Three words that best describe me: Curious, caring and fun.
Lisa Kudrow
Filmography: (From the Cardiff Movie Database:
http://www.msstate.edu/M/person-exact?+Kudrow,+Lisa)
1. "Friends" (1994) 1994 [Phoebe]
2. "Mad About You" 1992 [Ursula]
3. In the Heat of Passion 1992
4. Unborn, The 1991 [Louisa]
Note titles in quotes (") are TV series
Biography
Lisa Kudrow was born on July 30, 1963 in Encino, California, (Yes, she
too is a Valley girl! Oh-My-God) and was raised Tarzana, CA. She
attended Vassar College in New York and graduated with a B.S. in
Biology. She planned to follow in her father's footsteps (a famous
headache expert) and moved back to L.A. to do medical research. She
would most likely be doing research now, if not for the
encouragement/inspiration of her brother's friend, Jon Lovitz (of
Saturday Night Live fame).
Lisa tried out for The Groundlings, a famous improvisational theater
group in L.A., but was initially rejected due to her lack of
experience. She was referred to a well-known comedy instructor,
Cynthia Szigeti, to learn the improvisational trade. While attending
this training, she met and became friends with Conan O'Brien, an
unknown at the time. In 1989 she went back to The Groundlings and was
accepted as a member of the troop, thus fulfilling her dream of being
a writer/performer.
In addition to Phoebe on "Friends", Lisa has played other roles on TV
including Ursula, the ditzy waitress, on "Mad About You"; a recurring
role on "Bob"; and guest appearences on "Cheers", "Coach", "Newhart",
and "Flying Blind".
Lisa spends her free time performing with the improv group
Transformers and with The Groundlings, where she also teaches. She
also played tennis in high school and college, and is known as a pool
shark. She apparently grew up with a pool table and has mastered many
different trick shots.
Courteney Cox
Filmography
(From the Cardiff Movie Database:
http://www.msstate.edu/M/person-exact?+Cox,+Courteney)
1. "Friends" (1994) 1994 [Monica]
2. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective 1994 [Melissa]
3. "Trouble with Larry, The" 1993 [Gabriella]
4. Battling for Baby (TV) 1992 [Katherine]
5. Opposite Sex and How to Live with Them, The 1992 [Carrie
Davenport]
6. Blue Desert 1991 [Lisa Roberts]
7. Curiosity Kills (TV) 1990 [Gwen]
8. Mr. Destiny 1990 [Jewel Jagger]
9. Shaking the Tree 1990 [Kathleen]
10. Roxanne: The Prize Pulitzer (TV) 1989 [Jacquie Kimberly]
11. Till We Meet Again (1989) (TV) 1989 [Freddy]
12. Cocoon: The Return 1988 [Sara]
13. I'll Be Home for Christmas (TV) 1988
14. Down Twisted 1987
15. If It's Tuesday, It Still Must Be Belgium (TV) 1987 [Hana
Wyshocki]
16. Masters of the Universe 1987 [Julie Winston]
17. "Misfits of Science" 1985-1986 [Gloria Dinallo]
18. Misfits of Science (TV) 1985
19. "Family Ties" 1982-1989 [Lauren]
Note titles in quotes (") are TV series
Biography
Courteney Cox, who as we all know plays Monica Geller on "Friends", is
originally from Birmingham, Alabama. She moved to New York City after
graduating from high school and did some time with the Ford modeling
agency, where she appeared in such glamorous roles as TV commercials
for Noxema, Maybelline, and even the New York phone company.
Courteney made her acting debut in 1984 on the daytime soap "As the
World Turns", and later that same year, she was in Bruce Springsteen's
video for "Dancing in the Dark" (she was the girl pulled from the
audience to dance with 'The Boss'). Her most familiar TV series role
was as Michael J. Fox's (or rather Alex P. Keaton's) girlfriend Lauren
on "Family Ties". Her other TV appearances include being a regular on
"Misfits of Science" & "The Trouble with Larry", guest-starring
appearances on "Murder, She Wrote", "Seinfeld" (where she played
Jerry's pretend wife), and HBO's "Dream On", several TV movies
including "Prize Pulitzer", "Battling for Baby", and "Curiosity
Kills", and even a mini-series, Judith Krantz's "Till We Meet Again".
Courteney has appeared in several movies, including the wildly
successful "Ace Ventura: Pet Dectective" with Jim Carrey, and some not
as successful films including "Down Twisted", "Masters of the
Universe", "Cocoon: The Return", "Shaking the Tree", "Mr. Destiny",
"The Opposite Sex and How to Live with Them", and "Blue Desert". Her
stage work includes "King of Hearts" at the Tiffany Theatre in L.A.,
where she starred with Michael Spound.
When Courteney is not working (and it doesn't seem like there's much
of that), she enjoys decorating and remodeling homes. Her birthday is
June 15, 1964, and she lives in Los Angeles.
Courteney has been dating Michael Keaton (of "Batman" fame; not to be
confused with the character Alex P. Keaton played by Michael J. Fox)
for a couple of years.
David Schwimmer
Filmography
(From the Cardiff Movie Database:
http://www.msstate.edu/M/person-exact?+Schwimmer,+David)
1. "Friends" (1994) 1994 [Ross]
2. "Monty" 1994 [Greg Richardson]
3. Twenty Bucks 1993 [Neil Campbell]
4. Crossing the Bridge 1992 [John Anderson]
5. Flight of the Intruder 1990 [Duty Officer]
6. "The Wonder Years" (Year & Character unknown)
Note titles in quotes (") are TV series
Biography
Coming Soon...
Matthew Perry
Filmography
(From the Cardiff Movie Database:
http://www.msstate.edu/M/person-exact?+Perry,+Matthew)
1. "Friends" (1994) 1994 [Chandler]
2. "Home Free" 1993- [Matt Bailey]
3. Deadly Relations (TV) 1993
4. "Sydney" 1990 [Billy Kells]
5. She's Out of Control 1989 [Timothy]
6. Dance 'Til Dawn (TV) 1988
7. "Second Chance" 1987-88 [Chazz Russell] (The show's name was
changed to "Boys Will Be Boys" in Jan '88)
Note titles in quotes (") are TV series
Biography
Coming Soon...
Matt LeBlanc
Filmography
(From the Cardiff Movie Database:
http://www.msstate.edu/M/person-exact?+LeBlanc,+Matt)
1. "Friends" (1994) 1994 [Joey]
2. Lookin' Italian 1994 [Anthony Manetti]
3. "Top of the Heap" 1991 [Vinnie Verducci]
4. Anything to Survive (TV) 1990 [Billy Barton]
5. "TV 101" 1988-89 [Chuck Berder]
Note titles in quotes (") are TV series
Biography
Matt LeBlanc (aka Joey Tribbiani on "Friends"), at age 8, enjoyed a
brief career as an amateur motorcycle racer with aspirations of
becoming a pro. However, his mother put the kibosh on that and
redirected his talents elsewhere. Matt was trained in carpentry and
tried to do it with an artistic flair.
After high school graduation, Matt travelled to New York City to make
his fortune. By 1987 he had appeared in several national TV
commercials, including ones for Levi's 501s, Coca-Cola, and Doritos.
He appeared in a Heinz catsup ad that won the1987 Cannes Film
Festival's Gold Lion Award.
Matt began formal acting training in 1988 and within a year found work
as one of the stars of the TV series "TV 101". He moved to L.A. and
subsequently has appeared in several TV series ("Top of the Heap",
"Vinnie & Bobby"), the TV movie "Anything to Survive" (with Robert
Conrad), and a guest appearance on cable's "Red Shoe Diaries".
Matt appeared in his first feature film in 1994, a movie entitled
"Lookin' Italian" He is also scheduled to star in the last installment
of "Rebel Highway", a series of remakes of famous 'teen angst' movies
shown on cable.
Over the last 10 years, Matt has developed a passion for photographing
landscapes which has taken him to various parts of the world including
Amsterdam, Switzerland, Germany, & Vancouver, as well as to many
places in the U.S.
Matt's birthday is July 25, 1967. He currently lives in L.A., with one
of the first friends he made after arriving in Los Angeles: his dog
Lady.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.4 What does the cast think of all the fan stuff on the Internet?
JG: "I'm the most Netaholic member of the Friends family, though several of
the other writers and producers also read the mailing list, as do a few
people from Warner Brothers. If I come across anything especially amusing
or provocative, I tack it on the bulletin board next to the writers' room.
"For example, somebody recently quoted a line from Mad About You in which
Ursula mentioned her brother. Well, if Ursula has a brother, so does
Phoebe, and we writers need to be aware of that.
"There was also a post on the newsgroup which confidently asserted that the
character of Carol, the pregnant lesbian ex-wife, was 'based on Friends
Executive Producer Marta Kauffman.' Marta really got a kick out of that
one, as did her husband and two kids.
"I don't think any of the cast members are wired as of yet, though I did
circulate the Drinking Game to them. They loved it, and expressed amazement
that people knew the show that well."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.0 What are the words to the theme song?
Music by Michael Skloff
Lyrics by Allee Willis
So no one told you life was gonna be this way
Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A.
It's like you're always stuck in second gear
And it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year
but
I'll be there for you
(When the rain starts to pour)
I'll be there for you
(Like I've been there before)
I'll be there for you
('Cause you're there for me too)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.1 Who performs the theme song?
The Rembrandts. No single exists at this time and no news of one
forthcoming exists. Keep your fingers crossed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.2 What are the guitar chords?
Carl Sobeski (sob...@lf.hp.com) figured them out as follows:
Fret Fret Fret
A G C#m
+---------+ +---------+ +---------+
1 | | | 1 1 5th 1 | | | 1 1 3rd | 1 | | | 1 4th
+---------+ +---------+ +---------+
| | | 2 | | | | | 2 | | | | | | 2 |
+---------+ +---------+ +---------+
| 3 4 | | | | 3 4 | | | | | 3 4 | |
Bm D E
+---------+ +---------+ +---------+
| 1 | | | 1 2nd | 1 | | | | 5th | | | 1 | | 1st
+---------+ +---------+ +---------+
| | | | 2 | | | | | | | | 2 3 | | |
+---------+ +---------+ +---------+
| | 3 4 | | | | 3 3 3 | | | | | | |
A G
So no one told you life was gonna be this way
A C#m
Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A.
G Bm A
It's like you're always stuck in second gear
G D E
And it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year
A D E
But, I'll be there for you (When the rain starts to pour)
A D E
I'll be there for you (Like I've been there before)
A D E G A
I'll be there for you ('Cause you're there for me too)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Continued...
--
Andy J. Williams, Manager Computer Resource Center, Dartmouth College
And...@dartmouth.edu, http://geminga.dartmouth.edu/~andyjw
State Trooper: łDo you realise how fast you were going?˛
Heisenberg: łYes, but I have no idea where I am!˛