Zac Efron has responded to the apparent rumours that the late Matthew Perry wanted the 36-year-old to play him in a biopic about his life. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Perry's friend Athenna Crosby claimed he had told her this the night before his tragic death which was reported to be from an apparent drowning in his hot tub at his Los Angeles home on Oct. 28. "He said that he wanted to make a movie about his life," she said. "He had worked with Zac Efron in the past on a movie, and said he wanted Zac Efron to play him as a younger version and that he was gonna ask him soon to do that." Crosby referred to the comedy film 17 Again both Perry and Efron starred in where they younger and older versions of the same character. Now Efron has since responded to say how he felt feels 'hugely honoured' upon hearing that Perry had mentioned him when thinking of an actor to play himself in his biopic. And appears keen to take on the role. "I'm honoured to hear he was thinking of me to play him. We'll see. I'd be honoured to do it," Efron told PEOPLE the premiere for his new film Iron Claw in Dallas, Texas, before sharing how Perry helped him as a young actor. "He was a mentor to me, and we made a really cool film together. I looked up to him, I learned comedic timing from that guy. "I mean, when we were filming 17 Again, it was so surreal for me to look across and have him be there, because I've learned so much from him, from his whole life." Elsewhere, Perry has previously reference a time where he had wrote a rom-com and wanted Efron to star in it - only for Efron to decline the role. "Well, it was Zac Efron. But he said no. So, we've got to find someone who says yes," he told SiriusXM. How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter 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.

Andrea Bocelli is a huge figure in the world of classical music, and has now been unveiled as the voice behind the 2023 John Lewis Christmas advert. However, he once gave a New Jersey couple the surprise of a lifetime, when he went undercover with Good Morning America and turned up to perform at their wedding. Even the bridesmaids thought it was 'an impersonator' when he walked in, with the bride admitting she was still 'in shock' after the celebrations were over. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Documentary maker Louis Theroux has responded to Piers Morgan's claims that he could "destroy" him in 30 seconds in a boxing match. This all came about after a clip was shared on X/Twitter of Theroux's upcoming season 2 of Louis Theroux Interviews with the first episode being a chat with heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua, which aired on Wednesday. During the conversation, Joshua proposes that he could promote a fight between Theroux and Piers Morgan. Theroux seems to like the idea of taking on the outspoken TalkTV host and reckons he could "take him" if the fight happened. Morgan wasn't prepared to accept this a responded by saying: "Have you lost your marbles, @louistheroux ? I’d destroy you in 30 seconds, you puny wastrel." This was clearly all in good spirits as 53-year-old Theroux chimed back with: "I don't think you've got the cardio fitness, Piers, TBF. You'd gas out and after that I'd just be playing music on your chin like a boxing Beethoven." Many onlookers backed Theroux to best 58-year-old Morgan in the theoretical contest. Whether this would actually happen remains to be seen but the current trend of celebrity boxing matches featuring the likes of Logan Paul, Jake Paul, KSI and Tommy Fury are undoubtedly popular and bring in millions of viewers. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter 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.

“I love the sticky sound this steamy pasta makes as you stir through pumpkin, walnuts and blue cheese until it forms a creamy sauce,” says chef Donal Skehan. “It’s proper autumnal food – seek out smaller, sweeter pumpkins with interesting textures and skin colours; they are far more flavourful than the regular large orange ones.” Autumn pasta with blue cheese and nuts Serves: 4 Ingredients: 1 pumpkin or autumn squash (about 1kg), peeled, deseeded and sliced 3-4 sprigs of thyme 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp salted butter 2 onions, thinly sliced 350g pasta shapes, such as conchiglie or rigatoni 100g blue cheese 75g walnuts, toasted and roughly crushed Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Best-quality extra virgin olive oil, to serve Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/gas 6. 2. Place the pumpkin on a large baking sheet with the thyme sprigs and toss in the olive oil until all the pieces are coated. Season generously with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes, or until tender and caramelised at the edges. Once cooked, keep warm. 3. While the pumpkin cooks, place a large heavy-based frying pan (skillet) over a medium-high heat and add the butter. Add the onions and season generously, tossing to coat completely in the melted butter. Reduce the heat and cook gently until the onions are sweet and caramelised, about 10-15 minutes. 4. Towards the end of the pumpkin cooking time, bring a large pan of water to the boil and generously season with salt. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and reserve a cup of the starchy cooking water for use in the sauce. 5. Increase the heat back up under the pan with the onions, then add the reserved pasta water and bring to a steady simmer. Meanwhile, mash half the cooked pumpkin and add this to the onions. Crumble in almost all of the blue cheese (keep a little back to serve) and stir until you have a smooth, creamy sauce. Working quickly, add the pasta to the pan and stir through until completely coated. 6. Serve the pasta hot in warmed plates topped with the remaining pumpkin slices and blue cheese. Sprinkle with toasted crushed walnuts and top with a generous drizzle of the best-quality extra virgin olive oil you have to hand and a last seasoning of sea salt and black pepper. One-pot Moroccan-style meatballs “There are some recipes that are ideal for making ahead of time and seem to improve in flavour once you plonk them in the fridge for an overnight stay. This is particularly true of a tomato-based meatball stew like this one,” says Skehan. “The spices have an opportunity to mingle with the lamb, the harissa paste has time to develop the deep hum of heat in the sauce, and you are left with a pot of something truly special. “Make these meatballs while you have time on a Sunday night, and all you have to do to make a meal of them is serve them at the table with rice or couscous, and maybe some flatbreads.” If you don’t have a slow cooker, make this in a casserole dish and cook, uncovered, in an oven preheated to 160C/140C fan/320F/gas 3 for one hour. Serves: 4 Ingredients: 450g minced lamb ½ red onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 medium free-range egg 2 tsp ras el hanout 30g fresh white breadcrumbs 1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley 2 tbsp olive oil Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper For the sauce: 1 tbsp olive oil ½ red onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 heaped tbsp harissa paste Grated zest of 1 lemon 400g tin chopped tomatoes 100ml chicken stock 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed To serve: Handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped Couscous, steamed Greek yoghurt Flatbreads, charred and torn Method: 1. In a large bowl, mix the lamb with the red onion, garlic, egg, ras el hanout, breadcrumbs and parsley. Season well and with wet hands, shape into 20 walnut-sized balls. 2. Heat the two tablespoons of oil in a frying pan or using the sauté function on the slow cooker and brown the meatballs all over. Transfer to a plate. 3. Now for the sauce. Add the one tablespoon of oil to the pan or slow cooker and gently fry the onion for five minutes, then add the garlic, harissa and lemon zest, and cook for one minute more. 4. Transfer to the slow cooker (if you’re not already using it), then add the meatballs. Pour over the chopped tomatoes and stock. 5. Season well and cook on high for four hours, then add the chickpeas and cook for a further 30 minutes. If the sauce is too juicy at the end, remove the meatballs and reduce to your liking in a pan or using the sauté function on your slow cooker. 6. Serve the meatballs and sauce scattered with parsley, with steamed couscous, a dollop of yoghurt and flatbreads. Irish coffee, hazelnut and chocolate tiramisu Tiramisu is one of Skehan’s “go-to desserts to feed a crowd”. He says: “This version is the latest twist and an homage to that favourite after-dinner treat: Irish coffee topped with whipped cream.” Serves: 6 Ingredients: 400ml double cream 250g mascarpone 4 tbsp caster sugar 75ml Baileys 300ml strong coffee 75ml whiskey 200g Savoiardi sponge fingers 100g hazelnuts, toasted and roughly crushed in a pestle and mortar 75g dark chocolate, grated Method: 1. Put the cream, mascarpone and sugar into a bowl and whisk by hand with a balloon whisk until it is thick and luscious. Whisk in the Baileys and set aside. 2. Mix the coffee and whiskey together in a shallow dish. Dip the sponge fingers into this mixture and put a layer of them into a glass serving dish. Spread over a third of the mascarpone mixture and scatter with a third of the nuts and chocolate. 3. Repeat to make two more layers, finishing with a layer of cream scattered with nuts and chocolate. Chill for at least two hours before serving. This will keep well covered in the fridge for two to three days. ‘Home Kitchen: Everyday Cooking Made Simple And Delicious’ by Donal Skehan (Yellow Kite, £25). Read More Three authentic Thai recipes to try at home Move over Nando’s – how chicken restaurants became cool Long live British scran: Three classic dishes for autumn Four delicious ways to use up leftover pumpkin this Halloween The best foods to forage in November and how to cook them Why ‘chain’ restaurant shouldn’t be a dirty word

Carol Vorderman has quit her BBC radio show after five years so that she can carry on criticising the Tories. The presenter was on the air with her own radio show on BBC Radio Wales every Saturday morning but a new BBC social media policy otherwise known as the "Lineker clause," where employees at the national broadcaster are limited on what they can post online. Taking to Twitter, Vorderman announced the news where she thanked listeners "who answered the funny questions I asked every week about old memories and daft stories" and teased that she's moving "onwards to the next very interesting chapter." In a longer statement, she said she will "continue to criticise the current UK government for what it has done to the country which I love." Vorderman has often been outspoken against the Tories, for example she called them "morally corrupt” over Partygate, she compared former Prime Minister Boris Johnson to "a dose of diarrhoea," and got into an online spat with Tory MP Lee Anderson. (To name but a few instances). “After five years, I’m leaving my Saturday morning show on BBC Radio Wales," Vorderman began. “The BBC recently introduced new social media guidelines which I respect. However, despite my show being lighthearted with no political content, it was explained to me that as it is a weekly show in my name, the new guidelines would apply to all and any content that I post all year round. “Since those non-negotiable changes to my radio contract were made, I’ve ultimately found that I’m not prepared to lose my voice on social media, change who I am, or lose the ability to express the strong beliefs I hold about the political turmoil this country finds itself in.” “My decision has been to continue to criticise the current UK government for what it has done to the country which I love – and I’m not prepared to stop. I was brought up to fight for what I believe in, and I will carry on. “Consequently I have now breached the new guidelines and BBC Wales management have decided I must leave. We each must make our decisions. “I’m sad to have to leave the wonderful friends I’ve made at Radio Wales. I wish them, and all of our listeners, all the love in the world. We laughed a lot and we will miss each other dearly. But for now, another interesting chapter begins.” The reason why the new BBC social media guidelines are referred to as the "Lineker clause," after Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker found himself in an impartiality row with the broadcaster over his tweets where he compared UK’s asylum policy to 1930s Germany. Lineker was suspended which sparked a huge act of solidarity amongst BBC Sport staff which saw all sports coverage for that weekend cancelled. The ex-England player was later reinstated after him and the BBC "navigated a way for him [Lineker] to return." How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter 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.

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"Swatting" has caused an Adin Ross stream to be interrupted, and porn legend-turned-Twitch star Adriana Chechik previously revealed that she’s being so badly swatted, she’s going to have to move house. The adult entertainer previously issued a damning rebuke of “beyond childish” pranksters, who have been blighting her life for months. In a furious tweet, Chechik, 31, explained that the emergency services had been called to her house on 12 separate occasions, as she urged the culprits to “grow up”. “Y’all suck so hard. I’m gonna have to move with this swatting sh*t,” she wrote. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “You are literally taking police who should be helping people and having them swat me? 8x and 4x for firefighters to come is beyond childish.” For the uninitiated, “swatting” refers to a nefarious trend which largely targets streamers like Chechik. It involves a troll finding out their victim’s address or location and then making a hoax phone call to the emergency services, claiming that there’s extreme violence taking place there. The idea is to make the lie sound as urgent and threatening as possible to prompt an armed response – hence “SWAT”. The perpetrator then keeps their fingers crossed that the police will raid the home during the streamer’s broadcast so that they can watch the dramatic action unfold live on camera. And whilst some would argue that swatting is just an elaborate prank, most will tell you it is, in fact, a dangerous crime that puts lives at risk. In one high-profile instance back in 2019, a teenage Call of Duty player swatted an opponent after losing a game. Police showed up at the wrong address, then shot and killed a totally innocent father-of-two. It is also, as Chechik pointed out in her tweet, a complete waste of the emergency services’ time, that should be dedicated to legitimate crises. One of the most horrific aspects of the 32-year-old’s plight is that she was attacked by swatters even as she recovered from a near-life-threatening injury. In October last year, she broke her back in two places after jumping into a foam pit at TwitchCon, San Diego, which left her facing months of surgery and gruelling rehabilitation. She also lost her unborn child as a result of the accident – later revealing that, unbeknownst to her, she was pregnant at the time. And yet, some of her followers – who seem unfamiliar with the very concept of human decency – decided it would be fun to ambush her. In December, as Chechik lay bedbound, she tweeted: “Tell me how some internet trolls are gonna swat a person whose back is still healing from being broken. Some twitch chatters are a whole different breed of small d**k idiots. “The cops know me now. We legit talk about our life because this happens so much.” Based on her latest complaint, the situation has only escalated since then. But, at least, she suggested action is being taken to find those responsible. One of her fans responded to her tweet, saying: “Moving I think would only give you a brief respite from the bampots, and then it would start again. Time to get a lawyer and PI involved and start to sue the c**p out of both the city for having inadequate response to being repeat called and the people calling them on you.” Chechik replied simply: “[Already on it!!]” Of course, this is not a game, but we hope she nails those swatters once and for all. 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.

'Britain's Got Talent' judge Amanda Holden is "so excited" to have been appointed Christmas Ambassador for bath and body product firm Baylis + Harding.

Iceland’s main tourist attraction, Blue Lagoon, will close its operations for at least a week as an underground

Japan’s current-account surplus hit a record high in the first half of this fiscal year, marking a potentially

Emirates Group, operator of the world’s largest long-haul carrier, reported a record first-half profit of 10.1 billion ($2.7