Latest news with #Birdie
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Forget Grimace, McDonald's menu adds bizarre new shake
Some may remember when McDonald's Happy Meals and toys featured McDonaldland characters. In 1971, McDonald's introduced McDonaldland through commercials and marketing to further market its brand to kids. This fantasy world featured multiple fictional characters, including Grimace, Birdie, The Hamburger, Officer Big Mac, Mayor McCheese, the Fry Kids, McNugget Buddies, and the iconic Ronald McDonald. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter This cast became memorable for those who grew up during that era since they were seen at every McDonald's location, in Happy Meals, and on merchandise. Related: McDonald's brings back unexpected breakfast item after 6 years However, in the early 2000s, McDonald's changed its marketing strategy and began phasing out the characters to appeal more to adults. After all, they are the ones with credit cards. Although this might have seemed like the end of an era, this tactic worked in McDonald's favor, allowing the chain to grow immensely and become one of the largest fast food chains worldwide. Image source: Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images Over the last few years, McDonald's (MCD) has begun using nostalgic marketing to boost growth. This strategy creates a strong connection between a product and customers' emotions, promoting familiarity and creating a positive association, which, if managed correctly, could eventually develop a loyal customer base. The fast food giant brought back some of the most beloved McDonaldland characters in 2023, including the Hamburglar, to promote its burgers, and a purple Grimace Shake to celebrate Grimace's birthday. Related: Forget the Whopper, Burger King has a wild new burger This year, McDonald's also returned the seasonal Shamrock Shake to its menu, featuring O'Grimacey, Grimace's green Irish uncle. To kick off the beginning of June on another nostalgic note, the fast food giant has released another menu item that will take customers back to their childhood and remind them of "winning that big prize at every summer carnival you've ever been to," as stated on the McDonald's website. After teasing its debut on social media for a few days, McDonald's has finally unveiled its latest milkshake, the Cotton Candy Shake. This newest menu addition features vanilla soft serve mixed with cotton candy syrup. But there's a catch: Unfortunately for the U.S., this milkshake is only available at all participating locations in Canada, which once again excludes its home country's fans. McDonald's adapts its menu in different countries based on cultural preferences or conveniently available foods. The same goes for limited-time additions or seasonal items. More Food News: Walmart makes deal to open popular food chain in storesPopular fast-food burger chain to open first store in new marketPopular chicken chain brings back beloved menu item after 7 years However, just because McDonald's launches a new menu item in one country doesn't mean the chain can't launch it elsewhere. If the same ingredients are available in another country for around the same rate, and there's enough demand for it, the item can be brought to other markets. This is why exclusive menu items may overlap across some countries. McDonald's has neither confirmed nor denied that it will bring the Cotton Candy Shake to the U.S., but fans can only hope its debut is successful enough in Canada to potentially launch it in the States. The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Pet of the Day: Hit a hole-in-one with Birdie and Bogie!
STOKESDALE, N.C. (WGHP) — Meet Birdie and Bogie, our FOX8 Pet of the Day! If you're interested in adopting them or any other pets at Red Dog Farm, please call (336) 288-7006 or visit the . Red Dog Farm is based in Stokesdale. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Buzz Feed
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
35 Ridiculous Home Products You'll Be Glad To Own
A light up solar frog figurine for your garden or porch so when you come home from that "just one drink" dinner past midnight, this croaky lil' fella can lovingly judge you for it. A set of cat-shaped dual-sided sponges that dared to ask, "What if we turned Scrub Daddy sponges into cats and also made them way more affordable?" These are the purrrrfect solution for your kitchen aesthetic *and* budget. Death Wish Instant Coffee Packets so downright (dare I say, DANGEROUSLY) delicious that even the biggest coffee snobs you know might trade in their precious pour-overs. That is, if they can handle the 300mg of caffeine per cup 👀. "I'm A Total Spud" Seasoning for anyone who's not afraid to get a little feral about their air-fried, mashed, and baked potatoes — this blend of salt, garlic, and asiago cheese is so mouthwateringly delicious that you'll be dumping it on everything from popcorn to grilled cheese to guacamole. A platypus jar scraping spatula so you can get every!! last!! MORSEL!!! of your peanut butters, Nutellas, and mayos, just as international super spy and legendary hero Perry the Platypus would have wanted. A "Gracula" garlic crusher, because you know what? If a 108-year-old vampire lurking moodily in the trees in the Pacific Northwest isn't going to fall in love with you and grant you immortality, one might as well make your life in the kitchen a little easier. A small duck-themed salad bowl so there's no such thing as a Sad Lunch Desk Salad ever again — now at least you have *one* coworker who will always quack you up mid-meal. A reusable silicone cactus dryer ball that pet owners especially love because it catches hair like nobody's business. These lil' desert bubs also help soften fabric, reduce wrinkles, *and* save drying time, so they're putting all the decorative but useless succulents in your home to shame. A set of lil' cat butt coasters so all your beverages can come with a side of 😳🐱😳🐱😳. A "shark bites" mini hot dog mold sure to make ~waves~ when you show up to the next neighborhood cookout with the coolest snack of all. Sorry, pigs in a blanket; your time in the spotlight is over. A sword-shaped grater for anyone out there who isn't just a cheese lover, but a cheese gladiator. Fight valiantly, my dairy-tolerant friends. Birdie, an indoor carbon dioxide monitor that — bless her dramatic heart — flips over and "dies" if the air quality in your home goes down, prompting you to open a window or run an air purifier so you can breathe easier. Once Birdie is happy with the air quality again, she'll pop back up! A dimmable flexible clip-on mushroom light so versatile that it'll become your Emotional Support Shroom — this gizmo clips to desks, cribs, bedside tables, and computer monitors to give an ambient, soft glow that's easy on the eyeballs when you're trying to focus. (Also, it's just so darn precious??) A set of spicy margarita instant cocktail tea bags — all the sophistication of tea and the 😜 of a cheeky cocktail, without the exorbitant bar price tags or the sugar crash. All you have to do is add three ounces of cold water, 1.5 ounces of hard liquor, and the tea sachet into a glass, and you'll have a delicious cocktail in one minute. A Grim Steeper silicone tea infuser to remind you that life is, in fact, too short to skip on your delicious morning cuppa. A set of french fry clips that'll not only secure your food bags, but rest in their own little magnetic fry pouch that sticks onto the fridge. Just further proof that there is nothing the humble potato cannot do. A delightfully affordable wireless bottle lamp to convert bottles into a cheeky light fixture, so your favorite wine can literally ~light up your life~, or you can preserve a bottle from a special occasion as part of your decor. This also makes an excellent gift to pair with a bottle of something yummy! A set of Goldfish fridge magnets — aka "Holdfish" — to instantly assert the superiority of this cracker to anyone who enters your home and dares to think they can suggest a snack food that doesn't smile back. A building block tissue box that will make any Lego fan think that eh, maybe getting the sniffles isn't the worst thing in the world, if it means you have an excuse to pull tissues out of this fun contraption. A little mushroom cap plate for all your appetizer, dessert, and Girl Dinner needs. A guided visual sloth "breathing partner" you can use for meditation and calm to shift your mindset. This is designed to guide you through either the popular 4/7/8 or 5/5 "calming breaths" to help reduce stress and anxiety, using colors that fade in and out softly as cues. Bonus: it's kid-friendly! A set of adorable animal-themed wool dryer balls to replace all your dryer sheets, and make your laundry a HECK of a lot more efficient — these help significantly shorten drying time, collect pet hair caught on your clothes, and even help soften fabric for a more ~luxurious~ post-laundered experience. A penguin-shaped egg cooker and holder that makes it ridiculously easy to make easy-, medium-, and hard-boiled eggs on the stove, *plus* keep them safe afterward. No more sticking your eggs back in the fridge and confusing them for the raw ones anymore — you can just pop the little penguins in there for storage. A set of stick-on confetti sprinkles to instantly turn *any* corner of your home into an absolute treat. Reviewers love how easily these peel on and off and how versatile they are for decorating! A little popcorn bucket vase as a fun punch of color that basically DEMANDS you go to Trader Joe's and get the most colorful mini $4 bouquet to put in it, STAT. A ginormous "marshmallow cloud fleece" blanket you should only pull out in front of guests if you're prepared for them to burrow inside and never, ever leave. A three-tier ring floor lamp for anyone who wants a lighting option that isn't going to bore them to tears. This not only has unique, sophisticated flair, but comes with adjustable brightness so you can curate the room's mood. A cherry toilet brush because yes, we apparently live in a day and age where a guest can emerge from your bathroom and full bodily say to you, "Oh my god, where did you get that adorable toilet brush??" An "I'm So Glad You're Here" sign that will feel like a sweet little neon hug to anyone who walks in the front door. A mini skull cake pan reviewers are so obsessed with that they are unrepentantly using to make spooky treats all year long. TikTokers and Amazon reviewers love it for making everything from skull cakes to skull pizza bombs, stuffed chicken sandwiches, cornbread, and rice balls. A sardine-themed digital download because now that we are in an era of "sardines as decor," we need to embrace it with every brine-y, aesthetic, mermaid bone in our BODIES, one piece at a time. A unique tennis-inspired "Matchpoint" candle for anyone who adores classic, welcoming scent profiles with whimsical twists. Otherland's entire line of candles pushes the box on your regular florals and fruits by adding distinctive layers like California Fig, Chili Salt, and yes — even Tennis Ball. 👀 🎾 A cat-shaped shower caddy (catty??) so cute and functional you'll want to add it to cart right MEOW. A set of magnetized balloon wall hooks for some Wonka-level whimsy you can use to hang everything from keys to jewelry to oven mitts. A dimmable sad duck nightlight because sometimes you just have to look at this emotionally deflated creature on your desk and be like, "Welp. At least I'm doing better than that little dude."
Los Angeles Times
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Red sauce recipes for cooking like Nonna (or the one you wish you had)
Grandmothers are having a moment. The debut of the Netflix movie 'Nonnas' (Italian-ish for 'grandmothers') has people talking about grandmothers, and appreciating them not just for their home cooking, but for their brand of unconditional love wherein you're gazed at adoringly even after eating the entire bag of zeppole you were sent to the store to bring home. 'Nonnas,' based on the true story of a man who opens a restaurant in Staten Island to honor his mother and grandmother, captures a seemingly universal fantasy: a warm home where any potential problems are drowned out by love, laughter and a plate — or a buffet — of familiar, comforting foods: a casserole dish of lasagna; a pot of sausage and peppers; platters piled with meatballs, zucchini swimming in olive oil, and chunks of focaccia; extra tomato sauce (aka 'red sauce' or 'gravy'); a cut crystal bowl of parmesan; and platters of Italian cookies — straight from the heart and hands of the person who loves us most in the world. The promise of the nonna is not just the food. It's that love. I did not have this kind of grandmother. My grandmother Adela, on my dad's side, didn't cook — nor look at me adoringly as far as I remember. My grandmother Birdie, on my mom's side, cooked exactly one thing: oatmeal! Safe to say neither of them loved me more than anyone else in the world. For those of us who didn't grow up with the real deal, the fantasy of the forgiving nonna is still appealing. And for those who did, forget about it. My friend Toni Vartanian (né DiSanti) said she bawled through the opening scene, remembering Sundays at her grandparents' house in San Diego's Little Italy, with her parents, five uncles, all their wives, and three or four cousins from each pair. The women, she recalled, 'pulled out the pots and pans and made music and danced in the kitchen.' Sign me up! There's a popular saying that there are two kinds of people in the world: Italians, and those who wish they were Italian. After watching 'Nonnas,' I might amend the saying to: There are two kinds of Americans: Italian-Americans, and those who wish they were Italian-American. At least on Sundays. 'Nonnas' has been No. 1 on Netflix's list of 'Global Top 10 Movies' since it debuted on Mother's Day, with over 15 million viewers to date. The movie is also an homage to Italian-American cuisine, which has been having its moment now for a decade. In the 1990s, regional Italian cuisine, and Cal-Ital, eclipsed the red-sauce-heavy Italian food we grew up eating, whether it was served to us by a nonna or we experienced it at a checkered-tablecloth restaurant with wicker-covered wine-bottle candelabras. But we've returned to comforting Italian-American favorites; it was as if we all went on a collective exotic vacation only to come back with a new appreciation for the joys of home. Spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, lasagna, anything with ricotta cheese, and red sauce have reappeared at restaurants all over town. And the good news is, these dishes, which many might have seen as one-note, have been reimagined, using different (but not necessarily more difficult) cooking techniques and better ingredients. In 'Nonnas,' the film's star, played by Vince Vaughn, goes through the movie searching for the secret to his nonna's gravy. But all along, we know that the real secret to the sauce won't be found in a missing ingredient. The secret ingredient is his grandmother's love, and his memory of the feeling of being in the bosom of his family's home. And those of us who don't have that memory can get in the kitchen and make new memories. Whatever you decide to cook, just be sure to do as Nonna instructs and, 'Put in your heart.' Eating out this week? Sign up for Tasting Notes to get our restaurant experts' insights and off-the-cuff takes on where they're dining right now. These meatballs — recipe courtesy of the author's nonna — are made with a combination of beef and Italian sausage and simmered in tomato sauce, making for light, tender, flavorful meatballs. Put them in a sandwich, enjoy them on their own, with Butter Garlic Bread (see below) for sopping up the sauce, or serve them on top of spaghetti. There's plenty of sauce (here referred to as 'tomato gravy') in this recipe for that, the time: 3 hours. Serves 4. Thick loaves of white bread topped with a golden layer of garlicky butter is a must to soak up whatever flavors await at the table, or to act as a raft for meatballs, sausage, caponata or whatever other flavors await at the table. IMO, twice as much butter and olive oil wouldn't be too much. But (as the saying goes) I'm not a the time: 15 minutes. Serves 6 to 8. When I wrote a pasta cookbook for two women in Sicily and mentioned one morning that in America, we ate spaghetti with meatballs, they gasped! What do you mean 'with?' They asked. 'The meatballs are on top of the spaghetti?' Meatballs are a side dish in Italy, but in America, two or three of the savory, juicy balls sitting on top of a bowl of spaghetti, the whole story dressed in red sauce, is part of the American the time: 1 ½ hours. Serves 4 to 6.
San Francisco Chronicle
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Charles Strouse, Broadway composer of 'Annie' and 'Bye Bye Birdie,' dies at 96
NEW YORK (AP) — Three-time Tony Award-winner Charles Strouse, Broadway's industrious, master melody-maker who composed the music for such classic musical theater hits as "Annie," "Bye Bye Birdie" and "Applause," died Thursday. He was 96. Strouse died at his home in New York City, his family said through the publicity agency The Press Room. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Strouse wrote more than a dozen Broadway musicals, as well as film scores and "Those Were the Days," the theme song for the sitcom "All in the Family." Strouse turned out such popular — and catchy — show tunes as "Tomorrow," the optimistic anthem from "Annie," and the equally cheerful "Put on a Happy Face" from "Bye Bye Birdie," his first Broadway success. "I work every day. Activity — it's a life force," the New York-born composer told The Associated Press during an interview on the eve of his 80th birthday in 2008. "When you enjoy doing what you're doing, which I do very much, I have something to get up for." Deep into his 90s, he visited tours of his shows and met casts. Jenn Thompson, who appeared in the first 'Annie' as Pepper and directed a touring version in 2024, recalls Strouse coming to auditions and shedding a tear when a young girl sang 'Tomorrow.' 'He was tearing up and he put his hand on mine,' she recalled. 'And he leaned in to me and very quietly said, 'That was you. That used to be you.' And I thought I would die. I thought my heart would drop out of my shoes.' 'By Bye Birdie' lifts him up His Broadway career began in 1960 with 'Bye Bye Birdie,' which Strouse wrote with lyricist Lee Adams and librettist Michael Stewart. 'Birdie,' which starred Dick Van Dyke and Chita Rivera, told the tale of an Elvis Presley-like crooner named Conrad Birdie being drafted into the Army and its effect on one small Ohio town. Strouse not only wrote the music, but he played piano at auditions while Edward Padula, the show's neophyte producer, tried to attract financial backers for a production that would cost $185,000. 'We never stopped giving auditions — and people never gave money at all. The idea of using rock 'n' roll — everybody was so turned off,' Strouse said. Finally, Padula found Texas oilman L. Slade Brown. When he heard the score, he said, in a Texas twang, 'I like those songs,' pushed Strouse aside and picked out the tune of 'Put on a Happy Face' on the piano. Brown then said, 'How much do you fellas need?' and wrote out a check for $75,000 to cover the start of rehearsals. 'Suddenly, the world turned Technicolor,' Strouse remembered. The popularity of 'Birdie' spawned a film (with Van Dyke, Janet Leigh and Ann-Margret) in 1963 and a television adaptation with Jason Alexander and Vanessa Williams in 1995. He helped others shine Strouse and Adams gave several non-musical theater stars, including Sammy Davis Jr. and Lauren Bacall, stage successes. For 'Golden Boy' (1964), based on the Clifford Odets play, Strouse and Adams had to get Davis' OK for everything. 'His agents would not let him sign the contract until he approved every word and note that Lee and I wrote,' the composer told the AP. 'Which meant that we had to, at great expense to the producer, follow Sammy all over the world. ... We spent three years of our lives, a week or so each month, out in Las Vegas, playing songs for him.' 'Applause' (1970) was adapted from the Mary Orr short story that became the cinema classic 'All About Eve.' It was Bacall's musical-theater debut, and the actress won a Tony for her performance, as did Strouse and Adams for their score. But it was 'Annie' (1977) that proved to be Strouse's most durable — and long-running — Broadway hit (over 2,300 performances). Chronicling the Depression-era adventures of the celebrated comic strip character Little Orphan Annie, the musical featured lyrics by Martin Charnin and a book by Thomas Meehan. It starred Andrea McArdle as the red-haired moppet and Dorothy Loudon, who won a Tony for her riotous portrayal of mean Miss Hannigan, who ran the orphanage. The musical contained gems such as 'You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile' and 'It's the Hard Knock Life.' The 1982 film version, which featured Carol Burnett in Loudon's role, was not nearly as popular or well-received. A stage sequel called 'Annie Warbucks' ran off-Broadway in 1993. The show was revived on Broadway in 2012 and made into a film starring Quvenzhané Wallis in 2014. NBC put a version on network TV in 2021 called 'Annie Live!' Jay-Z was a fan Strouse and Charnin, who both won Grammy Awards for the 'Annie' cast album, found shards of their work included in Jay-Z's 1998 Grammy-winning album 'Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life.' 'Tomorrow' has been heard on soundtracks from 'Shrek 2″ to 'Dave' to 'You've Got Mail.' In 2016, Lukas Graham used parts of the chorus from 'Annie' for his 'Mama Said' hit. Strouse had his share of flops, too, including two shows — 'A Broadway Musical' (1978) and 'Dance a Little Closer,' a 1983 musical written with Alan Jay Lerner, that closed after one performance. Among his other less-than-successful musicals were 'All-American' (1962), starring Ray Bolger, 'It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman' (1966), directed by Harold Prince, and 'Bring Back Birdie' (1981), a sequel to 'Bye Bye Birdie.' Yet even his flops contained impressive music, particularly 'Rags' (1986), with lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and 'I and Albert' (1972), a musical about Queen Victoria that had a three-month run in London and was one of Strouse's personal favorites. 'All-American' also had a memorable ballad, 'Once Upon a Time.' Among Strouse's film scores were the music for 'Bonnie and Clyde' (1967) and 'The Night They Raided Minsky's' (1968). One of Strouse last musicals was 'Minsky's.' A love story set against the backdrop of the fabled burlesque empire, it was the brainchild of English director Mike Ockrent, who died of leukemia in 1999 before the project was completed. By then, Strouse and lyricist Susan Birkenhead had written some dozen songs. 'Minsky's' languished until Birkenhead ran into director-choreographer Casey Nicholaw, who asked Bob Martin, star and one of the authors of 'The Drowsy Chaperone,' to write a new book. It opened in Los Angeles in 2009 but never made it to Broadway. How he got his start Strouse always wanted to be a composer and studied very seriously — first in the late 1940s at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, with composer Aaron Copland at the Tanglewood Music Center in Massachusetts and with composer, conductor and music professor Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Theater beckoned when he and Adams got a chance in the early 1950s to write songs for weekly revues at an Adirondacks summer camp called Green Mansions. Such camps were the training ground for dozens of performers and writers. 'I would write a song and I would orchestrate it and copy the parts,' he said in the AP interview. 'And rehearsal was the next day at nine, so at four in the morning, I am crossing the lake with the parts still wet. I just loved it. I never was happier.'
