Latest news with #Elf
Eater
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
A Modern Plant-Based Chinese Restaurant and Tea Lounge Opens in Echo Park
When Minty Zhu and chef Alex Falco moved from Miami to Los Angeles, the husband-and-wife team hit the ground running by scouting locations, initiating pop-ups in Los Angeles's vegan restaurants, and, finally, signing a lease in Echo Park in March 2025. Men & Beasts debuts on June 18 with a modern plant-based twist on Chinese classics and a curated tea program in the former Cosa Buona space. The couple closed their award-winning Miami restaurant, Minty Z, in the summer of 2024, and kept an eye on relocating to Southern California. Six years ago, the couple stayed in an Airbnb just a few blocks from their future restaurant. They finally moved to LA in the fall of 2024. 'We love LA and are very excited to be in this neighborhood and be part of the community,' says Zhu. Zhu and Falco chose their restaurant's name from a quote by the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius: 'Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?' Men & Beasts focuses on reimagining traditional Chinese dishes with seasonal ingredients, a vegan lens, and an all-homemade approach — all of its vegan proteins, doughs, and dim sum are made in house. Zha zhang mian noodles with fried bean sauce and kung pao tofu comprise the wok-fried section, while cold menu dishes include smashed cucumber and spicy tofu. Dim sum options are pan-fried dumplings with shiitake mushrooms, salt and pepper wings made with seitan, baby carrots with black sesame and mint, and a Los Angeles–influenced elote puff with taro, sweet corn, cashew, cilantro, and lime. Only a handful of Los Angeles restaurants offer tea ceremonies in Los Angeles, including Chinatown's Steep LA and Koreatown's Chado Tea Room. Men & Beasts hopes to engage its diners with a Gong Fu tea ceremony. 'We work exclusively with [the Arcadia-based] Yoshantea,' says Zhu. Gong Fu Cha translates to 'making tea with skill' and will follow Taiwanese tea-making traditions. The tea ceremony is $24 per person, or $20 for a pot of jade green oolong, jasmine, and more. They sourced wines from the Angeleno Wine Co. and Moorpark's Friendly Noise, while beers hail from Glendale's Brewyard Beer Company. Non-alcoholic options are Long Beach's Fine Feathers Kombucha, cold brew oolong, and Mexican Coke. The corner of Sunset Boulevard and Alvarado Street is a prime spot for the Men & Beasts. Zhu and Falco spent three months reworking the space by re-exposing the formerly covered bare brick walls, removing the booths, and installing a tea room with a long community table with two- and four-top tables that seat 48. Men & Beasts has a separate tea room lounge that seats 24, plus a private dining area. Echo Park lost a group of vegan (or formerly vegan) restaurants in recent years with the closing of Elf and Sage Regenerative Kitchen. Both changed their menus from plant-based to meat before shuttering to focus on future projects (Elf), or failing to find its footing after adding regenerative meats to the menu (Sage). With Men & Beasts' introduction into the neighborhood, the local community gets a fully vegan option that is betting on itself — and its own unique lens. Men & Beasts is open Tuesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., with weekend brunch service debuting later this summer at 2100 W. Sunset Boulevard, Echo Park, CA, 90026. Secure a table via Resy . See More:
USA Today
17-06-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Hailey Bieber's Rhode brand sold to e.l.f. Beauty in $1 billion deal targeting Gen Z
Hailey Bieber's Rhode brand sold to e.l.f. Beauty in $1 billion deal targeting Gen Z Show Caption Hide Caption Hailey Bieber sells her beauty brand Rhode to e.l.f. in $1B deal Hailey Bieber is selling her makeup and skincare brand, Rhode, to e.l.f. Beauty in a deal valued at up to $1 billion. unbranded - Newsworthy Model Hailey Bieber's makeup and skincare brand, Rhode, is being snapped up by Elf Beauty ELF.N for about $1 billion, giving the budget cosmetic retailer access to a celebrity-endorsed product line that has become hugely popular among Gen Z and millennials. Elf said on Wednesday it would pay Rhode shareholders $800 million in a combination of cash and stock and an additional potential earnout consideration of $200 million subject to certain performance-related conditions. Last month, Reuters reported that Bieber was exploring a sale of the brand, which could be worth more than $1 billion. For Elf, the deal would mark a shift in strategy and expand into the prestige beauty market as the company faces weak demand from mass market customers who are being pressured by persistent high inflation. "The Rhode deal is a bold move for e.l.f. into premium beauty at a time when the prestige side of the industry has lost some of its momentum as a result of consumers buying less or trading down," said Sky Canaves, eMarketer analyst. However, Rhode has bucked this trend, Canaves added, with a strong Gen Z following and significant buzz around its product launches, positioning it well for a strong expansion. In case you missed it: More women are stretching salon budget with 'recession hair.' What is it? Elf — short for eyes, lips and face — offers products priced as low as $2 at U.S. retailers including Walmart WMT.N, Ulta Beauty ULTA.O and Target TGT.N. On the other hand, Rhode — which launched in 2022 and gained popularity with TikTok viral products such as its $18 "peptide lip treatments" — sells exclusively through its own website or pop-up stores, relying heavily on Hailey Bieber's social media influence. "e.l.f. Beauty marks an incredible opportunity to elevate and accelerate our ability to reach more of our community with even more innovative products and widen our distribution globally," Bieber said. The company raked in about $212 million in sales for the year ended March 31 and is planning to start selling at Sephora stores across the U.S. and Canada coming this fall, followed by the UK. "Rhode further diversifies our portfolio with a fast-growing brand that makes the best of prestige accessible," Elf CEO Tarang Amin said in a statement. Earlier this year, Elf's shares cratered 20% after the company cut its annual forecasts and warned of weakening demand. Elf's deal with Rhode would mark its biggest acquisition to date and follows its $355 million acquisition of skincare company Natrium in 2023. Bieber will continue her role as founder and will also act as a "strategic advisor" after the deal closes. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of fiscal 2026. Separately, Elf on Wednesday refrained from providing a fiscal 2026 forecast due to uncertainty surrounding import tariffs despite beating Wall Street expectations for fourth-quarter sales. The company, which sources about 75% of its products from China, down from 100% back in 2019, said last week it would raise prices by $1 to combat tariff pressure. Shares of Elf were down about 1% after the bell. Reporting by Anuja Bharat Mistry and Neil J Kanatt in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona
Wales Online
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Will Ferrell ‘excited' to bring Eurovision musical to Broadway
Will Ferrell 'excited' to bring Eurovision musical to Broadway The American actor, 57, is basing the project on his Netflix movie, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga, which he starred in opposite Canadian actress Rachel McAdams and British actor Dan Stevens (Image: Netflix ) Will Ferrell has said he is "excited" to bring a musical version of the Eurovision Song Contest to Broadway. The American actor, 57, is basing the project on his Netflix movie, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga, which he starred in opposite Canadian actress Rachel McAdams and British actor Dan Stevens. "We are more than excited to bring Eurovision to Broadway," said Ferrell. "The stage musical is a perfect place to continue our celebration of all the things we love about this amazing and unifying song competition." The production will feature a book by Ferrell, Harper Steele, who both co-wrote the original film and were in the documentary Will & Harper together, and Anthony King, a TV and Broadway writer. Music will come from Savan Kotecha, who was behind the songs for the Netflix movie, and will be directed by Alex Timbers. Article continues below "Will Ferrell and Harper Steele are my comedy heroes," Timbers, a Tony award-winning director, said. "And when I first saw their joyful movie Eurovision during the pandemic, it buoyed spirits during a very dark time. "With this stage adaptation, I can't wait to bring that same mix of heart, spectacle, irreverence, and awe to audiences across the world." In the 2020 movie, The Notebook actress McAdams, an Oscar nominee, and Elf star Ferrell play Icelandic musicians Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdottir who are competing at Eurovision. It was nominated for a best original song Academy Award for Husavik (My Hometown) written by Kotecha, Fat Max Gsus, and Rickard Goransson. Eurovision director Martin Green, from the organising group, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), said: "This is a stellar team for what I am sure will be an equally stellar adaption of a film the world loved. "Our aim always is to bring the joy of the Eurovision Song Contest to more people globally – especially as we approach our 70th edition in 2026." Last month, the 2025 winner of Eurovision was crowned as 24-year-old opera singer JJ from Austria, who entered with the dramatic Wasted Love. The UK came 19th in May after Remember Monday earned 88 points from the national juries for their song What The Hell Just Happened? and no points from the audience. Article continues below Netflix has previously turned its popular science fiction show Stranger Things into a play in the West End called Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which serves as a prequel to the series.
Perth Now
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Will Ferrell confirms he will return to Broadway with stage musical adaptation of his 2020 Eurovision movie
Will Ferrell has confirmed he will return to Broadway with a stage musical adaptation of his 2020 film 'Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga'. The 56-year-old actor and comedian, best known for his roles in 'Elf' and 'Anchorman', is co-writing the Broadway script for the musical with Harper Steele and Anthony King. Will was quoted in Variety saying: 'We are more than excited to bring Eurovision to Broadway. The stage musical is a perfect place to continue our celebration of all the things we love about this amazing and unifying song competition.' The original film starred Will and Rachel McAdams as aspiring Icelandic musicians Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdottir, who dream of representing their country at the Eurovision Song Contest. It featured original songs such as 'Ja Ja Ding Dong', 'Lion of Love', and the Oscar-nominated ballad 'Husavik'. The new stage version is being developed with music by Savan Kotecha, and will be directed by 45-year-old Alex Timbers, whose previous Broadway credits include 'Moulin Rouge! The Musical', 'Beetlejuice', 'Here Lies Love' and 'Gutenberg! The Musical!'. Alex said: 'Will Ferrell and Harper Steele are my comedy heroes. And when I first saw their joyful movie 'Eurovision' during the pandemic, it buoyed spirits during a very dark time. With this stage adaptation, I can't wait to bring that same mix of heart, spectacle, irreverence and awe to audiences across the world.' No cast or production dates have yet been confirmed by producers. Will previously made his Broadway debut in 2009 with the one-man show 'You're Welcome America: A Final Night With George W. Bush'. He also co-wrote 'Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga' alongside Andrew Steele. The new project has the backing of the real Eurovision Song Contest. Martin Green, managing director of the event, said: 'This is a stellar team for what I am sure will be an equally stellar adaption of a film the world loved. Our aim always is to bring the joy of the Eurovision Song Contest to more people globally.'
Irish Examiner
04-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Will Ferrell ‘excited' to bring Eurovision musical to Broadway
Will Ferrell has said he is 'excited' to bring a musical version of the Eurovision Song Contest to Broadway. The American actor, 57, is basing the project on his Netflix movie, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga, which he starred in opposite Canadian actress Rachel McAdams and British actor Dan Stevens. 'We are more than excited to bring Eurovision to Broadway,' said Ferrell. 'The stage musical is a perfect place to continue our celebration of all the things we love about this amazing and unifying song competition.' Ferrell starred opposite Canadian actress Rachel McAdams, pictured, in the Netflix movie (Ian West/PA) The production will feature a book by Ferrell, Harper Steele, who both co-wrote the original film and were in the documentary Will & Harper together, and Anthony King, a TV and Broadway writer. Music will come from Savan Kotecha, who was behind the songs for the Netflix movie, and will be directed by Alex Timbers. 'Will Ferrell and Harper Steele are my comedy heroes,' Timbers, a Tony award-winning director, said. 'And when I first saw their joyful movie Eurovision during the pandemic, it buoyed spirits during a very dark time. 'With this stage adaptation, I can't wait to bring that same mix of heart, spectacle, irreverence, and awe to audiences across the world.' In the 2020 movie, The Notebook actress McAdams, an Oscar nominee, and Elf star Ferrell play Icelandic musicians Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdottir who are competing at Eurovision. JJ from Austria won Eurovision 2025 (AP Photo/Denes Erdos) It was nominated for a best original song Academy Award for Husavik (My Hometown) written by Kotecha, Fat Max Gsus, and Rickard Goransson. Eurovision director Martin Green, from the organising group, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), said: 'This is a stellar team for what I am sure will be an equally stellar adaption of a film the world loved. 'Our aim always is to bring the joy of the Eurovision Song Contest to more people globally – especially as we approach our 70th edition in 2026.' Last month, the 2025 winner of Eurovision was crowned as 24-year-old opera singer JJ from Austria, who entered with the dramatic Wasted Love. Netflix has previously turned its popular science fiction show Stranger Things into a play in the West End called Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which serves as a prequel to the series.
