Britney Spears revealed she was "glad" to have lost the lead role in The Notebook to Rachel McAdams, prompting casting director Matthew Barry to share her audition tape with The Daily Mail. In the two-minute long video, Spears says, whilst her eyes well up with tears, "I prayed for you to die in the war, really. Well, not die. I would have felt completely horrible if you would've died. But I kinda didn't want you to be alive anymore because I couldn't bear the thought of you being with somebody else, or of us never seeing each other again. So I gotta go, okay?" Barry told The Daily Mail the pop star "wasn't just good, she was phenomenal." "It was a tough decision," he continued, reflecting on Spears' audition. "Britney blew us all away. Our jaws were on the floor. I was blown away. Absolutely blown away. She brought her A-game that day." Since the sharing of Spears' audition, people have praised her acting but ultimately agreed that it should have been McAdams that got the part. "Love Britney down and she looked adorable but Rachel McAdams was just born for the role", the top comment under the tape read: "I mean [obviously] Rachel is perfect in this role, but I'm actually really impressed with [Britney's] audition", wrote another. This sentiment was prevalent throughout the reactions to Spears' tape. "Rachel was perfect and iconic for the role. HOWEVER... seeing this I now understand why Britney was considered for the role", one user shared. It seems Spears agrees that role should have gone to McAdams, writing in her upcoming memoir The Woman in Me "Even though it would have been fun to reconnect with Ryan Gosling after our time on The Mickey Mouse Club, I'm glad I didn't do it," she writes. "If I had, instead of working on my album 'In the Zone' I'd have been acting like a 1940s heiress day and night." Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Matthew Perry’s character from Friends, Chandler Bing, was so beloved by millions that the actor will forever be associated with him and his hilarious one liners. But Perry, who died on 28 October in Los Angeles, wasn’t just a one-trick pony. He was in dozens of films, TV shows and even stage productions that show his legacy is far richer and more varied than just being remembered for the famous sitcom. Here are a couple of his lesser known works, in celebration of Perry's life and career. She’s Out Of Control (1989) Chandler wasn’t even a glint in Perry’s eye when he appeared in Stan Dragoti’s 1989 indie comedy She’s Out Of Control. The coming of age comedy starring Tony Danza and Catherine Hicks is about a father coming to terms with his daughter growing up. A twenty-year-old Perry played Timothy, one of the daughter’s several boyfriends in the film. Unfortunately, it didn’t go down well with the critics. One reviewer wrote: “I became so depressed I actually thought about quitting my job as a film critic.” But 34 years later, the film has a certain charm and certainly carries a few laughs. For diehard fans of Friends it is required viewing. Matthew Perry in She's Out of Control (1989) www.youtube.com The Odd Couple (2015-17) Perry executive produced The Odd Couple, a sitcom based on the 1965 play written by Neil Simon. He also starred in it as the slovenly Oscar Madison, acting opposite Thomas Lennon playing the obsessively tidy Felix Unger. In fact, Perry had been pushing for a version of the show to be made since the late noughties, hoping for a launch in 2010. However, executives passed on it, and Perry was forced to shop it around. Eventually, it got picked up in 2013, and Perry got his show. It ran for 38 episodes across three seasons, marking Perry’s longest-running TV show behind Friends. The Odd Couple Episode 1 01 Pilot Sneak Peek 3 www.youtube.com The End Of Longing (2016) Perry’s stage career wasn’t as extensive as his film and TV appearances, but he still found time to write his own play. The End Of Longing was a dark comedy, starring Perry as an alcoholic named Jack, and was performed both on Broadway and on the West End. Referencing his own struggles with addiction, Perry later wrote that the play was “sort of an exaggerated form of myself” but that it was not an autobiographical part. While it got mixed reviews, one critic said: “The writing is wired, raw, politically incorrect and very funny [...] Perry's a novice playwright, but one of great promise.” Matthew Perry on His Play 'The End of Longing' www.youtube.com The Whole Nine Yards (2000) Being at the peak of his Friends fame didn’t stop Perry from appearing in The Whole Nine Yards, a crime comedy starring Bruce Willis. Perry plays Oz, a mild-mannered dentist who travels to Chicago to inform a mob boss about the whereabouts of his new neighbour, a former hitman with a price on his head. Film critic Roger Ebert wrote: “A subtle but unmistakable aura of jolliness sneaks from the screen during The Whole Nine Yards, and eventually we suspect that the actors are barely suppressing giggles. “This is the kind of standard material everyone could do in lockstep, but you sense inner smiles, and you suspect the actors are enjoying themselves.” It’s a romp, and well worth a watch. The Whole Nine Yards (2000) Official Trailer - Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry Movie HD www.youtube.com Serving Sara (2002) Perry didn’t do quite so well in Serving Sara, the romcom starring him and Elizabeth Hurley. The film follows a server given the assignment to serve a British socialite with divorce papers. However, he is bribed to serve her husband instead so that she can get a big divorce payout – and all manner of chaos ensues. Sadly, the film was thoroughly panned and didn’t do well at the box office, where it grossed only $5.8m on opening weekend. Check out the trailer and judge for yourself. Serving Sara Trailer www.youtube.com Scrubs (2004) And finally, from one era-defining sitcom to another, Perry went from Friends to a guest appearance in Scrubs. The medical comedy, which starred Zach Braff, went on for nine seasons through the noughties, and became one of the best-loved shows of its era. Perry played an air traffic controller, Murray. See a clip of Perry and Braff, the comic duo you didn’t know you needed, here. Scrubs - Matthew Perry In Scrubs - Aeroplane www.youtube.com Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Backup kicker Marshall Meeder barely cleared the crossbar with a 38-yard field goal as time ran out after Ethan Hurkett’s interception gave Iowa a final possession with 15 seconds left, and the Hawkeyes beat Nebraska 13-10 on Friday.

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Former Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas has apologised after branding referee Robert Jones a “complete s***house” during Sunday’s north London derby at Arsenal. The 40-year-old, now a television pundit and presenter, took to social media during the thrilling 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium after the Gunners were awarded a controversial penalty, prompting a backlash from other users. Responding to the criticism on Monday, Jenas wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “I hold my hands up, I got it wrong yesterday. “I should know, more than most, the responsibility we have as fans, players and pundits and the impact our words online can have as it’s an area I’ve been vocal in. “My emotions got the better of me and I apologise to The FA and to all match officials.” Jenas’ initial post came after Jones had been advised by the Video Assistant Referee to take another look at an incident in which the ball had hit the arm of Spurs defender Cristian Romero from close range. The referee had not initially awarded a penalty, but did so after the review and Bukayo Saka promptly dispatched the spot-kick to make it 2-1 to the home side, although Son Heung-min levelled almost immediately to ensure the game finished all square. This is a disgraceful tweet and you should be ashamed. Your tweet encourages online abuse of referees and considering your role on TV your employers need to give their head a wobble. Ref Support UK Jenas, who was part of the Football Association, Premier League and EFL’s Love Football, Protect the Game campaign ahead of the new season, wrote: “Complete sh**house off a referee! They’re all ruining the our game!” The charity Ref Support UK accused Jenas of encouraging the abuse of match officials. The organisation said on X: “This is a disgraceful tweet and you should be ashamed. Your tweet encourages online abuse of referees and considering your role on TV your employers need to give their head a wobble. “Remember Anthony Taylor and his family were attacked at an airport because of antics such as yours.”

On his many visits to semiconductor factories and electric car plants, Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz bangs the drum for an economy at the...

TheLibraryMap organizes 100,000 book titles in a way that’s visually pleasing and easy to navigate.

Barack Obama, then 21, wrote to Alex McNear in November 1982, with whom he had been in a relationship during his time at Occidental College in LA

Provides an overview of St Pierre and Miquelon, and key facts about this French Atlantic territory.