Take 2: Amazon purchase, ‘Friends’ cast reunites

Mathias Alling, Staff Writer • May 28, 2021

The Take 2 series features brief weekly updates on the state or nation’s relevant news for the community.

MGM acquisition: Amazon purchased MGM Studios on Wednesday for $8.45 billion. MGM controls properties, such as James Bond and the Rocky franchise. This is the second largest acquisition in Amazon’s history after the acquisition of Whole Foods in 2017 for $13.7 billion.

Significance: MGM Studios has more than 4,000 movies and 15,000 TV shows in its catalog. These properties are poised to be released on Amazon’s streaming service Prime Video. Along with the existing properties, the 007 and Rocky franchises are available to amazon for new original movies. This purchase reflects the changing dynamics of Amazon since it’s conception. The stock price for Amazon has grown 1,588% over the past decade, changing from an online book store to a large conglomerate of different businesses, ranging from cloud storage to groceries.

“Friends” Reunion: The original cast of the TV show “Friends”, along with special guests, reunited on Wednesday. Guest stars included Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Matt LeBlanc. The reunion lasted for one hour and 45 minutes and included many different performances.

Significance: The reunion took place 17 years after the last episode of “Friends” aired on NBC in 2004. The reunion included the old cast members Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer talking about the show and participating in activities, including Lady Gaga singing Smelly Cat doesn’t Stink. This is the first time the cast has reunited since the end of the show, apart from one unspecified private occasion.

About the Contributors

Mathias Alling, LJP Staff

Junior Mathias Alling is entering his third year on The Red Ledger as a section editor. He can often be found riding his bike at six in the morning, at school or learning more about cycling. If it has two wheels, handlebars and pedals, Alling is probably going to love it. He currently has 7,000 miles recorded in since he started riding and is currently going broke trying to buy more and more cycling computers and gear. Alling also enjoys cooking, watching TV shows and movies and spending time with his family. He is looking forward to the new school year and is ready to start writing and editing.

Hannah Gonzalez, Graphics Editor

Mama Mia, here we go again. As she takes her last ride in the TRL classroom, Hannah Gonzalez is ready to end this year with a bang. Gonzalez serves as a Co-Graphics editor for the third year in a row and this is her fourth year on staff. When she’s not making killer graphics, you can most likely find Gonzalez on the volleyball court, at FCA meetings, in school or going for a joy ride in the Jeep that she named “Beep.” Although TRL is life, Gonzalez also enjoys going for late-night ice cream runs, watching early morning sunrises, going to church every Sunday morning and going on an occasional lake trip. To add to her list of accomplishments, Gonzalez has won three state championships and is looking for a fourth. With her happy planner by her side, Gonzalez is looking forward to kicking procrastination to the curb as she conquers her final year as a high school student.