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San Francisco Chronicle
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Live out your '80s game show fantasies at this new Bay Area attraction
For 1,000 points: Which Bay Area mall has exploded into a retail, entertainment and foodie multiverse? If you guessed Westfield Valley Fair, you are correct. The mall located near the 280/880 interchange in Santa Clara has already welcomed Hello Kitty Cafe and Alamo Drafthouse Cinema movie theater this year alongside haute couture storefronts and bustling foodie havens like Ramen Nagi, Baekjeong and Eataly. With its 'Family Feud'-style podiums, giant spinning wheel, light show and in-person host, it's like stepping into a television set circa 1980 before the soaps come on. But unlike real game shows, there's no money or La-Z-Boy chairs to be won, just a leaderboard position for top performers and smug bragging rights for dominating the competition. During its soft launch earlier this month, the Great Big Game Show attracted curious mall walkers who got to sample three of its games. There was a physical building block challenge and a trivia game (Sample question: 'The Academy Awards are also known as … what?') to amass points. Then they spun the 'Wheel of Fortune'-like big wheel to add to their point stash or lose it all. A confetti cannon dispersed as the winner was announced. Kimberley Le of San Jose spotted the 'grand opening' signage on a prior visit and returned with her family to try it out. 'It's fun, especially for groups who like doing competitive things,' said Le. 'The host was really energetic. We already got tickets to come back." Opening the Great Big Game Show at Valley Fair was a logical choice, said Scott Sauers, the entertainment chain's marketing director who was working the check-in desk on this recent summer day. Its parent company owns and operates the Escape Game, which also has a spot at the mall, so the existing intel on local demographics and demand told them everything they needed to know. 'There's lots to do at Valley Fair — shopping, dining, entertainment. And we just think the Great Big Game Show fits in well,' Sauers said. Given the Silicon Valley locale, it's a prime option for a tech company 'off-site team building' activity sans trust-falls or awkward small talk with upper management. Sauers said the trivia portion can even be tailored with company-related questions. Or, if it's a special occasion like a marriage proposal, bachelor/ette or gender reveal party, they can host that too — complete with blue or pink confetti. Here's how to play: Reserve time online or by phone for one of four studios. Three studios can accommodate up to 14 people, while a smaller studio can fit eight. It costs $45.99 per person for an hour-long game session. Individual groups are matched together in a studio like Benihana. If you want a private game all to yourselves — say 2 parents vs. 2 kids — there's a 50% upcharge on the unused podium spots, so keep that in mind when booking. Up to eight different games from their collection of 18 are played with the hour, with a living, breathing host running the show. There are games of skill, chance and strategy. During 'Blaster Blitz,' for instance, players use Nerf guns to hit targets flashing on the screen. (Don't worry, the individual studios are behind the check-in lobby wall, so mall passerby can't see you fail.) My smarmy know-it-all self couldn't resist a test drive. I rushed through the physical 'Build It Up' building block challenge like a grumpy dad putting up a tent without instructions. I got cocky during the 'Blockchain' trivia game by buzzing in early before the host could finish the question. I amassed a razor-thin lead against my opponent but botched the landing, hitting the 'Lose It All' slot in the spinning wheel and never recovered. (Fail horn.) Overall, the Great Big Game Show was nicely paced, had a good variety of challenges, and the host was fun and upbeat. While city elites may scoff at heading to a Santa Clara suburban mall or Fisherman's Wharf — where another Great Big Game Show location sits — for escapist jollies, I can comfortably sip a Hello Kitty matcha latte in my new Celine hoodie while spinning a gigantic game show wheel before seeing 'The Naked Gun' remake — all under one roof. Who's the real winner now?
The Spinoff
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
‘Best readers in the world': Meet the NZer behind the international Kids' Lit Quiz
Wayne Mills held the first Kids' Lit Quiz in New Zealand in 1991. More than three decades years and seven countries later, he's preparing to hand over his quizmaster's top hat. Wayne Mills walks his laptop around to show me his library and reading room. 'No technology in here!' he grins through the screen. 'Only a La-Z-Boy and books.' The bookshelves are stacked. On top of the shelves stand figurines – I spy other knick knacks tucked in among the books. It's the kind of sight that makes the heart glad. Mills' reading room is put to great use: he's getting through a book every two days, mostly children's books from all over the world, because he is the founder and quizmaster of the Kids' Lit Quiz that has been running annually for 34 years and now spans seven countries. In less than two weeks the world final is taking place in South Africa – and Mills is setting the questions. The annual competition for kids ages 10-13 (intermediate level) starts with regional heats in which teams are asked 100 questions over ten rounds. Regional winners then take part in the national competition, in which a buzzer is added and points are lost for incorrect answers. National winners then quiz off against winners from the rest of the participating countries in an effort to win the title of Kids' Lit Quiz world champions. Prize money is raised through sponsorship – the $12,000 prize for the winning team at the New Zealand nationals is sponsored by the Wright Family Foundation and is used for subsidising the team's international travel costs for the world final. The Kids' Lit Quiz at large is supported by a $115 fee that each team pays to enter the competition – those funds help support the administration of the international website, quiz spot prizes, and helps cover accommodation, meals, rental cars, per diems and other expenses related to participating in the world finals. Mills has never been remunerated for the thousands of hours spent wrangling, reading and setting quiz questions – it's a passion for the project that drives him. When Mills first set up the Kids' Lit Quiz in 1991, it was partly in response to concern that boys in particular weren't reading. The hype around that year's Rugby World Cup had placed an emphasis on sport and competition and he saw a glimmer of an idea in that. The Kids' Lit Quiz is competitive and Mills thinks that having a sense of competition as well as male role model (himself – the OG quizmaster) helped intrigue the boys in those early days. The quiz took off and gathered a life of its own. This year, 530 teams from across the motu took part in Aotearoa's regional heats. Mills says that today getting boys into books isn't so much of a worry – it's the worldwide decline in reading for pleasure that's of most concern. Lynette Collis is the librarian at Palmerston North Intermediate School and the coach of the winning team in this year's New Zealnd Kids' Lit Quiz. Next week she and her team of four intermediate-aged whizz-kid readers will fly to Johannesburg for the world competition, where they'll quiz-off against teams from six other countries – Canada, USA, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia and South Africa. 'They really want to win,' says Collis with a nervous laugh. Training is daily in the lead-up and consists of reading as widely as possible, and watching literary quizzes on YouTube to stock up on general knowledge. They know there will be 10 categories at the worlds, but they they won't know what they are until the day. Collis thinks your average adult would struggle at the worlds. 'Once we get to South Africa we're up against the best of the best,' she says. Both Mills and Collis agree that the Kids' Lit Quiz isn't just about competition. It's about community and conversation. Mills argues that we tend to forget that reading isn't the solitary activity we often perceive it to be. 'Reading needs social interaction!' he says. 'Adults have book clubs and get to talk about books – kids need that too! We should be talking to them about everything – what's in the news, what they're interested in.' Mills is concerned that we've entered an age where reading in-depth is on the decline: we're reading summaries and short bites, and not spending enough time in long-form discovery. Mills cites this as well as Covid as a major factor in the recently reported literacy crisis among New Zealand's teenagers. The lack of access to books and a reliance on screens he says was a huge interruption in children's lives. Collis agrees – as a full-time librarian and the only intermediate school librarian in her region, she knows only too well how important deep reading and conversation is. Students will come to her during library time and bet that she won't have anything for them. That's when Collis will chat to them about their interests and then steer them towards books that meet them where their curiosities are. This work is unfortunately a rare occurrence in New Zealand today, where approximately two out of three schools don't have a library and there are very few full-time librarians at the schools that do have one. School libraries are not mandatory in Aotearoa. 'What food did Paddington have with him when he arrived in England?' 'What revolting couple played nasty jokes on one another?' 'What would happen to Pinocchio's nose when he told lies?' These are sample questions from Mill's extensive 'question bank'. He never approaches a book with a mission to find a question – rather the questions tend to pop out at him as he reads. Myths, legends, fairytales, and nonfiction behemoths like Horrible Histories are useful given how broadly they can be understood. For the more specific questions, Mills is always trying to craft a question that will make the kids want to read the book from which it derives. While Mills is busily reading a book every two days in preparation for quizmastering, Collis and her team are eagerly anticipating the journey to Johannesburg, meeting the other teams and coaches, and taking part in a week-long programme of events including workshops and museum visits. Part of their quiz preparation involves a range of fundraising activities: their nationals winnings went a long way to covering flights and accommodation but they need a bit more to cover the rest of their costs. Next year the world final will be in New Zealand, possibly held in Northland. It'll be Mills' last stint as quizmaster – there's going to be an 'official and ancient ceremony known as the passing of the top hat' whereby Mills will hand the quizmaster title to Alan Dingley, a passionate librarian, reader and educator who has most recently filled the position of Te Awhi Rito Reading Ambassador (Kate De Goldi took over from Dingley last month). Mills won't be far, though: he intends to keep writing the quiz questions until 2027 and will be a regular attendee at the national and international events. His eyes light up when he explains how the finals work: the winners are announced at a deliberately formal dinner. Students wear their best clothes and one member of each team has to stand up and tell the crowd all about their favourite book. After that, the winning team is announced and the trophies and prize money handed out. 'They get treated with the utmost dignity and maturity,' explains Mills. 'That's so that the kids get a taste of what it means to be in the adult world and that they know that what they've achieved is a big deal. Those kids will be spoiled and treated and interviewed – they're the best readers in the world.'
USA Today
22-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
This 11-year-old Michigan golf phenom (and Greyson ambassador) already has 21 titles
MONROE, Mich. — Harlow Swank is 11 years old. If she repeats as champion of the La-Z-Boy Junior Open at Green Meadows Golf Course this week, the number of golf tournaments she has won in her career will be double her age. After finishing the La-Z-Boy, she is headed to one of the country's most famous golf courses — Pinehurst in North Carolina — to play for a world championship July 31-Aug. 2. She had already become a brand ambassador for Greyson Clothiers out of Detroit. She wears their apparel for all of her tournaments. It hasn't taken long for the Newport St. Charles student to become a local legend on the links. 'It's a fun sport,' she said. Any sport is a lot more fun when you win. She has won 19 times on the Southeast Michigan US Kids Tour along with titles last summer in the Sandy Creek Junior Tournament and the La-Z-Boy. She had the lowest score overall in the Sandy Creek event, which included high school golfers. She shot personal-bests of 34 for 9 holes and 79 for 18 to finish 50 strokes ahead of anyone else in the 12-under division of the La-Z-Boy a year ago. Harlow still is eligible for that division this summer, but is moving up to 14-under so that she can shoot 18 holes each day. The 47th annual La-Z-Boy Junior Open will be held July 22-23. 'We've asked the La-Z-Boy organizers to move her up to 14u so she can play from the same tees as the older girls,' said her father, Tim Swank. 'This is to challenge her and see if she can hang with the best in the area regardless of age.' Harlow doesn't act her age on the course. She recently competed against her father and two of his brothers on a family trip to California. Beating dad was nothing new. 'That has been happening for a couple of years,' he admitted. The round was an eye-opener for his brothers, who are avid golfers. 'They were surprised,' Harlow said with a shy smile. Tim was not surprised at all. 'When she's on the golf course, she's a full-blown adult,' he said. 'She can have a conversation with anyone.' Harlow's golf journey began at the age of six. 'My dad handed me a set of clubs and told me to start swinging,' she said. Tim had strayed away from the game for a few years while starting a family. He immediately spotted the potential in his middle daughter, but tried to keep it low-key. 'She is very natural in the way she moves the club,' he said. 'We started out by going out to Big Al's (Greens and Grille in Newport). We would drive around, hit the ball and eat candy.' Soon afterward, Tim asked his daughter if she wanted a golf coach. She quickly took him up on the offer. Harlow won her first tournament at the age of 7. Ironically, neither older sister Channing nor younger brother Fitzgerald have much interest in golf. What is the strongest part of Harlow's game? 'Probably my driver,' she said. 'Sometimes it's off, but it's usually pretty good. My farthest is 213 (yards). I am usually around 180.' She will be competing in the US Kids World Championships at Pinehurst for the second time. It features golfers from 50 countries ages 5-12. 'It's three days, 18 holes each day,' Tim said. 'They have a parade of nations at the start. It's really cool.' Harlow picked the Sandy Creek Tournament over the world championships last summer. She placed 80th in 2023. 'I like the big tournaments,' she said. She already has acquired a golf nickname. 'They call me Triple H,' she said. What does that stand for? 'Hard-hitting Harlow,' she said. Harlow's unique first name is a tribute to iconic movie star Jean Harlow. 'Her name is Harlow Jean,' Tim said. 'My wife (Rachel) came up with that. We call her Lo.' A perfect name for a girl who always seems to have low scores on the golf course.
Business Insider
18-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
La-Z-Boy sees Q1 revenue $490M-$510M, consensus $507.91M
Sees Q1 adjusted operating margin 5.5%-7%.Taylor Luebke, SVP and CFO of La-Z-Boy (LZB) Incorporated, said, 'We delivered growth and strong financial results in what was another challenging year for the industry. We continue to control what we can control and are executing against our Century Vision strategy, which will enable growth through our centennial and beyond. I am pleased with our progress, and our ability to deliver results at or above the high end of our sales and margin expectations for the fourth quarter, even in light of considerable volatility during the quarter. Given higher levels of uncertainty in the broader economic climate, we expect the industry outlook to continue to be volatile and we are planning prudently to navigate the year ahead. We expect to continue to outperform the industry, driven by growth in our company-owned Retail segment and core North America La-Z-Boy wholesale business. Assuming no significant changes in external factors, we expect fiscal first quarter sales to be in the range of $490-$510 million, reflecting modest growth in a challenged consumer environment. We expect adjusted operating margin to be in the range of 5.5-7.0%, including the impact of transitory pressure from our UK and Joybird businesses, as well as investment in our distribution network and home delivery redesign project. Also, as a reminder, our first quarter is generally the lowest sales and margin quarter in the fiscal year due to seasonally lower industry sales and our annual week-long plant shutdown.' Confident Investing Starts Here:
Business Insider
18-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
La-Z-Boy reports Q4 adjusted EPS 92c, consensus 93c
Reports Q4 revenue $570.87M, consensus $557.44M. Melinda Whittington, board chair, president and CEO of La-Z-Boy (LZB), said, 'Our fourth quarter results reflect the ongoing strengthening of our brand and operations under our Century Vision strategy. We executed well throughout the year with sales growth across all of our segments and four consecutive quarters of top line growth, even as the industry contends with depressed housing fundamentals and growing macro uncertainty. We are controlling what we can control with distinct strategies and initiatives across each of our businesses. In Retail, we continue to grow our direct-to-consumer business, own the entire end-to-end consumer experience, and develop more value-added consumer insights. Through opening net new stores and also acquiring existing independent La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries, we reached a new milestone in the quarter, growing our company-owned store footprint to over 200 stores, nearly doubling our store count over the last 10 years, and now owning 55% of the total network. In Wholesale, we continue to expand our brand reach with compatible strategic partners to serve more consumers. Additionally, we are successfully driving scale and efficiencies in our supply chain. This is highlighted by our core North America La-Z-Boy wholesale business achieving sales growth and margin expansion for four consecutive quarters during fiscal 2025, and continuing to strengthen as we initiate our multi-year distribution and delivery redesign.' Confident Investing Starts Here:
