The Carbone crew will helm restaurants in the $8 billion Citi Field-adjacent Metropolitan Park
While MFG won't operate every eatery on the property, its involvement is a strong signal that this won't be your average food court casino. Expect a stylish blend of fine dining and high-end casual concepts, with menus that reflect Queens' rich culinary heritage—and a personal connection, too. Co-founder and chef Mario Carbone hails from the borough.
The move is part of a broader, international partnership between Major Food Group and Hard Rock International, formalized in early 2024. Under the deal, MFG serves as culinary advisor across Hard Rock's portfolio, including properties in Hollywood, Tampa, Atlantic City and upcoming outposts in Athens and Barcelona. The team even staged a Carbone residency at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood in Florida last December.
'This is a truly unique opportunity,' said MFG co-founder Jeff Zalaznick in a press release announcing the partnership last year, 'to bring MFG's deep expertise and innovation together with a hotel and casino leader to provide incredible food and beverage experiences for Hard Rock guests at locations both here and abroad.'
Metropolitan Park itself is a massive swing at reimagining the 50-acre sea of parking lots around the Mets' home turf. In addition to the casino and hotel, the project includes new parks, sports fields, a live music venue and a 30,000-square-foot food hall called Taste of Queens, a curated lineup of more than 20 vendors from across the borough, in the spirit of Queens Night Market (but indoors and year-round).
Backed by Mets owner Steve Cohen, the proposal has faced its share of scrutiny, including environmental concerns and community opposition to the development of a casino. Still, several Queens community boards approved the plan in November 2024 and a final decision from the state's Gaming Facility Location Board is expected by the end of 2025.
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The Sun
04-08-2025
- The Sun
Junkyard singer David Roach dead at 59 following ‘very aggressive' cancer battle – just two weeks after getting married
ROCK star David Roach has died at the age of 59 after battling cancer. The musician died on August 2, according to a post shared by the hard rock band Junkyard. 2 Roach died just two weeks after he married his wife Jennifer. "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of David Roach," the band said. After a courageous battle with cancer, David passed away peacefully last night at home, in the loving arms of his wife. He was a gifted artist, performer, songwriter, and singer—but above all, a devoted father, husband, and brother. Our thoughts are with the entire Roach family and everyone who loved him." In June, Junkyard shared a social media post explaining that Roach's cancer was "aggressive." Roach and Jennifer were said to be shattered by his cancer diagnosis. "It's devastating and life-altering, and we're trying to navigate through the emotions and uncertainty that come with it," she wrote on social media. "David is showing such incredible strength and resilience, and even in the midst of this darkness, he's still managing to keep his sense of humor. It's a reminder of how amazing he is. "But we know this journey ahead will be extremely tough, David made it clear he is not giving up hope and we're going to need all of your love and prayers." 2 .
Scottish Sun
26-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
How Jenna Ortega became Gen Z's ultimate scream queen… from Johnny Depp rumours to ‘toxic' allegations & THAT sex scene
Scroll down for Jenna Ortega's seven most iconic roles, from a horror reboot to a role she played aged just 12 THE NEXT JEN How Jenna Ortega became Gen Z's ultimate scream queen… from Johnny Depp rumours to 'toxic' allegations & THAT sex scene Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SHOWBIZ writer Ashleigh Rainbird reveals how Wednesday star Jenna Ortega has dealt with her meteoric rise to superstardom. Last year, Jenna Ortega said she was sick of the sight of her own face. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 11 Ashleigh Rainbird reveals how Wednesday star Jenna Ortega has dealt with her meteoric rise to superstardom Credit: getty 11 Jenna as Wednesday Addams in Netflix hit Wednesday Credit: wednesday In 2024 alone, she starred in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, fronted campaigns for Dior Beauty and Neutrogena, and joined singer Sabrina Carpenter in her music video for summer's smash hit Taste. There was also that 'disturbing' viral sex scene alongside 53-year-old Martin Freeman in thriller Miller's Girl. 'I got sick of myself,' she told Variety magazine. 'My face was everywhere.' Now, however, Jenna is back, with the highly anticipated second series of Wednesday hitting Netflix on August 6 – and that face is set to become more ubiquitous than ever. A former child star, she was catapulted into the A list when Wednesday – viewed 252 million times and counting – launched in 2022. And by her own refreshingly candid admission, that rapid rise to the top was overwhelming. 'To be quite frank, after the show and trying to figure everything out, I was an unhappy person,' she told Harper's Bazaar in May. 'After the pressure, the attention – as somebody who's quite introverted, that was so intense and so scary.' 'Having been on the wrong side of the rumour mill was eye-opening' The eight-month shoot in Romania had been challenging, with Jenna revealing: 'I was alone. Never had any hot water. The boilers in two of my apartments were broken, so I always took cold showers.' To make matters worse, her original request to have a producer credit was rejected, and she alluded to tensions behind the scenes, describing her own behaviour as 'almost unprofessional', changing scripts without telling the writers if she felt aspects 'did not make sense for her character at all.' Most controversial sex scenes after THAT Jenna Ortega & Martin Freeman romp… including stars who 'had real sex on film' The comments drew her first taste of controversy, coming at a delicate time in the industry when the US writers' strike was in full swing. The backlash was swift, with writers on social media slamming her behaviour as 'entitled' and 'toxic'. 'I feel like being a bully is very popular right now,' she said. 'Having been on the wrong side of the rumour mill was incredibly eye-opening.' Fortunately, Jenna, 22, is not one to put up with being bullied. Forthright and tenacious, she has always shown herself to be determined, from convincing her parents to allow her to become an actress, to her recent struggles with OCD that have seen her having to complete the same action many times and count things over and over in her head. Growing up in La Quinta, California, with her five siblings and parents of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, Jenna knew she wanted to become an actress at just six years old, after being inspired by Dakota Fanning in the 2004 Denzel Washington movie Man On Fire. Her mum Natalie, an ER nurse, has revealed that, only weeks earlier, Jenna had designs on becoming the first female US president, and before that had her sights set on going into space. So, initially, Natalie and Jenna's dad Edward, a sheriff, dismissed it as just another phase. Once they realised she was serious, it took three years to convince them that acting was a good idea. The kids grew up catching scorpions and even a rattlesnake to keep as pets. Yet her parents feared worse dangers lurked in Hollywood. 'Mom wasn't sure about putting me in this industry that she had heard such terrible things about,' Jenna said. But she pestered relentlessly. 11 Jenna with Sabrina Carpenter in the singer's Taste video Credit: instagram In 2010, Natalie posted a video recording of her then-seven-year-old daughter performing a monologue to Facebook 'as a joke', Jenna insists, and a casting agent got in touch. Reluctantly, Natalie relented because, as Jenna put it: 'She thought I might hold it against her for the rest of my life!' By the time she was nine, she had appeared in a Colgate advert, at 12 she had a recurring role as the young Jane in Netflix show Jane The Virgin and, aged 13, she had a main role in Disney comedy series Stuck In The Middle. Though it meant constantly travelling between her home and LA for castings and filming, she's said her mum 'watched over me like a hawk', and that: 'I see why my parents felt so hesitant about it, because you're putting a child in an adult workplace. Children aren't supposed to be working like that. They are supposed to be climbing trees and drawing and going to school.' 'Former child stars have a jaded way about us' Only allowed to take roles if she achieved straight-A grades, got plenty of sleep and socialised with school friends, Jenna remained in school to maintain a sense of normality. She was still just 17 when she filmed Netflix's serial killer drama You opposite Penn Badgley. But it was winning the role of Tara Carpenter in 2022's Scream that would set her on course to become Gen Z's scream queen, with roles in slasher film X and comedy horror American Carnage. Her horror credentials appealed to gothic film director Tim Burton, who was casting a new spin-off of The Addams Family. She jumped on a Zoom call with him while filming X in New Zealand, still drenched in stage blood and with a prosthetic bullet hole in her head, fittingly. Tim was blown away, and cast her as his title character Wednesday within five minutes, saying she had the character 'in her soul'. After wrapping that tough first season, Jenna intended to take time off and signed up to spend a summer working on a farm in Iceland. But when Tim presented her with the script for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, released last year, she shelved her plans. While filming the 2024 movie, she grew close to co-star and former fellow child star Winona Ryder. Likewise, she is also friends with Natalie Portman, after they met while filming The Gallerist. She likens their unique shared experiences to having a 'secret little language' together, and says she and Winona can almost 'read each other's minds'. Jenna credits the pair as having helped her navigate the perils of fame. She told Harper's Bazaar: 'They've seen it all, and, honestly, during a much darker time in Hollywood. 'We've all got this jaded way about us that I don't think we'd have if we hadn't started so young and had so many brutal realisations and experiences. But they turned out all right.' They surely had plenty of advice when gossip swirled that she was secretly dating 62-year-old actor Johnny Depp (Winona's ex-boyfriend from the '90s). The pair have actually never met, but even her castmates on her recent film Death Of A Unicorn grilled her about it. 'I was on set with Richard E Grant and he came up to me and said: 'Oh, so you and Johnny?'' she told Buzzfeed. 'I laughed, because I don't know that person.' Johnny, too, released a statement saying he had 'no personal or professional relationship with Ms Ortega whatsoever', and called the claims 'malicious'. 'I don't plan on speaking about my love life publicly, because that's mine' Last year, Jenna told Vanity Fair that she would always seek to keep her private life private. 'I don't plan on speaking about my love life publicly, because that's mine,' she said. 'When you know too much about someone's personal life, then you watch films and you can only see them – there's nothing worse.' In 2018, she was linked to fellow Disney star Asher Angel, after the pair dressed as another famous couple, Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson, for Halloween. She never confirmed their relationship, but in 2023, Jenna told Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast: 'I was in a relationship for a couple of years, but I stopped it when things got too hectic. 11 With her parents Edward and Natalie Credit: Instagram 'And it had nothing to do with them. . . I just couldn't manage all the things.' Her career is going from strength to strength, and there is certainly plenty to manage. She plans to remake Single White Female with actress Taylor Russell, who previously dated Harry Styles. The fact that neither of them are 'white' has already drawn 'stupid comments', prompting Jenna to quip the pair might 'just call it Single Female'. The actress is proud of her heritage, and is intent on using her platform for good, as per her mum's insistence. She's spoken out against LA's immigration raids, and wants to be a positive role model for young Puerto Rican girls, which undoubtedly she already is. She has spent a decade working on her own movie script, has designs on being a recording artist, too, and is likely to break more Netflix streaming records when the second series of Wednesday is released in just over a week. Jenna really will have to just get used to seeing her face everywhere for the forseeable future. Jenna Ortega's seven most iconic roles 11 Jenna played eight-year-old Jane Villanueva in Netflix comedy series Jane the Virgin Jane The Virgin (2014) Jenna played the eight-year-old Jane Villanueva in the Netflix comedy series, appearing in 30 episodes from the age of 12. The role obviously struck a nerve with the actress, who later said: 'I really miss Jane!' 11 Jenna played Harley, the fourth of seven siblings in Disney series Stuck In The Middle Credit: getty Stuck In The Middle (2016) Though she has five siblings of her own, in TV land Jenna played Harley, the fourth of seven siblings in this Disney series. She said: 'I love the cast, the crew was amazing – everyone is so talented.' 11 Ortega in creepy Netflix thriller You Credit: you You (2019) In the second season of this creepy Netflix thriller, Jenna played 15-year-old Ellie, Joe Goldberg's new neighbour with a troubled background. She didn't return for any subsequent seasons, sadly. 11 Jenna as Tara Carpenter in Scream Scream (2022) A legacy sequel to the original film, released 25 years later, starred Jenna as high-schooler Tara Carpenter, who somehow manages to survive the ghostface killer – and the subsequent franchise films. 11 Wednesday is perhaps Jenna's most iconic role to date Credit: wednesday Wednesday (2022) With her gothy outfits, jet-black fringe and perfected glower, it feels like Jenna was born to play this role. Season one saw her break the internet with her macabre dancing, now known as the 'Wednesday dance'. 11 Jenna as Astrid and Winona Ryder as Lydia in Beatlejuice Beatlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) The much-longed-for sequel gave Jenna the chance to play Astrid, the daughter of Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder). She later admitted she was scared of the original, but working on the new one was 'unbelievable'. 11 Jenna starred in dark comedy Death Of A Unicorn, alongside Paul Rudd and Will Poulter Death Of A Unicorn (2025) 'There's a good chance I won't get to work with unicorns again, so when you get the opportunity you do have to take it!' said Jenna of her role in this dark comedy, also starring Paul Rudd, Richard E Grant and Will Poulter.
The Sun
25-07-2025
- The Sun
I saw Ozzy's death coming but it still took my breath away – when giants fall it's hard to accept, says Alice Cooper
OZZY OSBOURNE and Alice Cooper – kindred spirits and fellow travellers in hard rock for nearly six decades. Both were born in 1948, on different sides of the Atlantic of course, yet with so much in common. 7 7 The black eye make-up with fingernails to match, the wild shoulder-length hair, the flamboyant gothic outfits, the showmanship, the humour, the hellraising. Oh, and the notorious incidents involving live creatures on stage — in Ozzy's case a bat, in Alice's a chicken. (Neither survived.) The rock gods both hailed from tough industrial cities, Birmingham and Detroit respectively. Maybe this is one explanation for their loud, rebellious form of escapism. On Tuesday morning, before we learned of Ozzy's sad passing aged 76, I had the chance to catch up with Alice during his arena tour of the UK. Hours later, as news filtered through that the Prince Of Darkness had left us, he took to the stage in Cardiff. His typically swashbuckling show, including a trademark mock beheading, ended with Alice announcing on behalf of his band and crew: 'God rest Ozzy.' Then he led the crowd in a thunderous chant of 'Ozzy! Ozzy! Ozzy!' After the gig, he was able to reflect more fully on the loss of the much-loved Brummie. 'The whole world is mourning Ozzy,' he said. 'Over his long career, he earned immense respect among his peers and from fans around the world as an unmatched showman and cultural icon. Ozzy Osbourne top five greatest moments 'When we lose one of our own, it bleeds' 'I always saw Ozzy as a cross between the Prince Of Darkness, which is the persona his fans saw, and the court jester. That was the side that his family and friends saw. 'He was and will continue to be a rock 'n' roll legend. Rock 'n' roll is a family and a fraternity. When we lose one of our own, it bleeds. 'I wish I would have gotten to know my brother Ozzy better. ' Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and the rest of the Ozzy brood — our prayers are with you. 'A titanic boulder has crashed, but rock will roll on.' Well, we all know that time is going to take us rockers, but when the giants fall, it's really hard to accept. Alice Cooper on Ozzy's death In addition to his statement, Alice has revealed that he and Ozzy 'never really ran in the same circle for some reason' but their paths often crossed. He says: 'Ozzy and I did many shows together over the years. 'One of my favourite memories is when he sang with me on the song Hey Stoopid, a crowd favourite to this day and a staple of our setlist.' The idea of them singing, 'Hey-hey-hey-hey/Hey stoopid!' to each other conjures a priceless image. Now Ozzy's death further confirms what Alice is only too aware of — that his generation is not getting any younger. 'Well, we all know that time is going to take us rockers, but when the giants fall, it's really hard to accept,' adds the 77-year-old. 'Even though everybody saw it coming with Ozzy, it took our breath away when it happened. 'So Ozzy, your records and your music and your legend and all that you brought — the humour to the rock business — will live on forever. 'We're gonna miss you, man! Rest easy Ozzy, and we'll see you on the other side.' For many British schools, it was the last day of term before the summer holidays, bringing to mind his most famous song, School's Out. 'That song is still on every radio station here,' says Alice of the shouty singalong which hit No1 in the UK on August, 12, 1972, and stayed there for three weeks. He continues: 'You never know when you're going to write an anthem. An anthem is one of those songs that kids will still be singing a hundred years from now because they relate to it. 'So long as there is school, School's Out will be everybody's favourite song at the end of the year. It's the only song I've written that I was totally sure of. I said, 'If this isn't a hit, I shall be selling shoes somewhere'.' It came with the immortal chorus of, 'school's out for summer, school's out forever', and lines like, 'no more pencils, no more books, no more teachers' dirty looks'. Alice admits 'it's very subversive-sounding' but that 'it's a real celebration of the last three minutes of the last day of school. For every kid, it's just joy'. This brings us to the reason I'm talking to Alice in the first place — his big reunion with the original Alice Cooper Band. Formed in Phoenix, Arizona, they released seven albums between 1969 and 1973 and School's Out, with its hit title track, was the fifth. We were a band from Phoenix that never should have made it, except that we had a spark that nobody else had. Alice on his band Among their other best-loved 'shock rock' creations were I'm Eighteen, Hello Hooray, Elected, No More Mr Nice Guy and Billion Dollar Babies. In 1974, the band split, amicably but exhausted, and the frontman began his enduring solo career with his Welcome To My Nightmare LP. Now the original line-up of Alice, Mike Bruce, Dennis Dunnaway and Neal Smith have reunited to make their first studio album together in more than 50 years. Titled The Revenge Of Alice Cooper, the album effortlessly summons the spirit of their Seventies heyday and incorporates a posthumous appearance by late guitarist Glen Buxton. Alice had met Glen and Dennis in 1963 at Cortez High School in Phoenix, after moving there from Detroit. 'Alice Cooper… a good grandmother name' He recalls: 'We were all 1,500m and 3,000m runners and when The Beatles came out, we looked at each other and went, 'Oh man, we've got to do that'. 'So we learned a couple of songs and played at parties, then it just got bigger and bigger and bigger. 7 7 'Eventually, we went to LA and Frank Zappa said to us, 'I have no idea what you guys are doing, so I'm going to sign you.' That was a great compliment. We actually confused Zappa!' (You know, one of the most zany rock musicians that ever lived.) Alice tries to put his finger on what made them successful. 'We were a band from Phoenix that never should have made it,' he decides, 'except that we had a spark that nobody else had. 'We had this little theatrical thing going and we also wanted to be America's Yardbirds,' he adds in reference to the British band that helped launch the careers of Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. In 1968, the band changed their name from Nazz because it was taken by Todd Rundgren. During a brainstorming session, they tried to think of 'somebody's grandmother'. 'Who can think of a more grandmother name than Alice Cooper?' says the man who later legally morphed from Vincent Furnier into Alice Cooper. 'I said, 'It would throw everybody right off', and everybody agreed. 'We went through all these other names and we kept coming back to Alice Cooper — it just stuck.' At that time, Alice also began experimenting with face paint and developing the outlandish stage image (snakes and chickens included) that he's loved for. 'This girl came up to me and said, 'Have you ever seen this guy?' And she showed me a picture of Arthur Brown.' Brown, a Brit, is remembered for global hit Fire, for which he would don a burning helmet. Let's just say the music and performance were incendiary. Alice continues: 'We had the same make-up and I went, 'Are you kidding me?' I'd never heard of this guy but we were on the same wavelength. 'I realised I had a kindred brother in England. Arthur and I ended up as great, great friends.' He was brilliant, like the statue of David. Every girl in the world loved this guy — the tortured poet obsessed with death. Alice on Jim Morrison of The Doors He recalls early live forays in LA at Whisky A Go Go and The Cheetah Club, and thinking, until he saw them, that other acts on the bill, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, were solo artists. Then, in 1970, producer Bob Ezrin took things to the next level. Today, he's regarded as the unofficial sixth member of the band, a bit like 'fifth Beatle' George Martin. He was in charge of their breakthrough hit I'm Eighteen, giving some much-needed advice along the way. 'We kept trying to be The Yardbirds,' remembers Alice. 'And Bob kept saying, 'No, this song's about a dumb teenager, so it's got to sound like that'. 'And we were dumb teenagers, so it was pretty easy. We just dumbed it down and the simplicity was really powerful.' Now, the surviving members are all in their seventies, but you wouldn't know from the raw energy on their comeback album, The Revenge Of Alice Cooper. Anyone who has seen Alice live will probably have seen a menacing boa constrictor draped around his neck. The album begins with a song named after a snake of a different kind, Black Mamba. It features a free-flowing cameo from Robby Krieger of The Doors because, affirms Alice, 'Robby is the only guy who could have played that kind of snaky guitar part. He nailed it.' The mention of Krieger inevitably prompts one of his great rock 'n' roll tales. 'We opened for The Doors for a while,' Alice recalls. 'They were the first band to take us under their wing when we came in [to Los Angeles] from Phoenix. 'They allowed us to watch them record and we got to know them really well.' I ask Alice about The Doors' mercurial frontman Jim Morrison, who was found dead aged 27 in 1971 in a Paris apartment. The many-years-sober singer says: 'I was drinking so we got along real well. We just drank and talked and drank. 'He was brilliant, like the statue of David. Every girl in the world loved this guy — the tortured poet obsessed with death.' Alice got to witness 'Lizard King' Jim's incredible stage presence up close. 'Glen was our Keith Richards' 'He was electric, he was James Dean. He'd saunter up to the stage and take half a minute to light a cigarette. 'Then he'd sing and every girl would drop to their knees.' The new album also features a loving tribute to the Alice Cooper Band's dear departed guitarist, Glen Buxton. Called What A Syd, it brings this response from Alice: 'Glen was our Keith Richards. 'Everybody loved him but the only person I ever saw him jam with was [Pink Floyd's] Syd Barrett. 'When everyone else was slowing down rock 'n' roll-wise with what they were doing to their bodies, he just kept going. 'There was no stopping him. By 49, he looked like he was 78, 80 years old.' Finally, we return to the mischief that both Alice and Ozzy became renowned for. 'There's a lot of humour on this album,' he says. 'I can't help it, that's just the way I write. 'Everybody's telling the most important song is Blood On The Sun. They say it's poetic, it flows, it makes your mind go, 'Oh my gosh!' 'What are they talking about? Every single line in that song is a movie title. It sounds important but it's not at all!' So that explains him singing 'Don't Cry, It's Only Thunder' (1982 war movie), 'From Dusk Till Dawn' (1996 horror film) and so on. Surely Alice's fellow eternal prankster Ozzy would approve! 7 7
