Latest news with #MidtownManhattan
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Taylor Swift is caught gossiping with Selena Gomez over dinner after finally gaining control of her music empire
Taylor Swift reunited with a veteran member of her celeb gal pal squad, Selena Gomez, for a ladies night out in Midtown Manhattan on Saturday night. The billionaire pop stars nicknamed 'Taylena' - aged 35 and 32 - enjoyed upscale American fare at Monkey Bar located inside The Hotel Elysee, and the website revealed it was closed for a 'private event' at 6:30pm. The dimly lit, 1936-established restaurant features murals by caricaturist Charlie Vella, monkey-shaped lamps, and a 20-page wine list. In a snap published by gossip blog DeuxMoi, Taylor's mouth could be seen hanging open in shock while catching up on gossip from Selena. Swift looked leggy in a black mini-dress with rhinestone trim and chrome platform heels while Gomez wore a plunging brown halter top beneath a beige pantsuit and copper pumps. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop In the Instagram comments, user @marisarissaaa pondered: 'I wonder what Selena told her,' which was liked by 1,239 others. 'Selena is always telling Taylor the surprising [tea],' user @ttaylorweiss commented. 'I love them.' User @xiorodriguezreyes wrote: 'Honestly it's really sweet that Selena and Taylor have remained friends for so long. Far from just "industry" friends.' 'The world is healing,' user @ agreed. Indeed, the 14-time Grammy winner and the two-time Grammy nominee originally met in 2008 when they were each dating members of the boyband, Jonas Brothers. Other fans thought Taylor and Selena were gossiping about Blake Lively, who allegedly blackmailed Swift in February by threatening to release a decade of private text messages if she didn't issue a statement of support amid her Justin Baldoni legal war. 'Dying to know what was said about Blake,' user @nikkicole111 commented. User @unclejeffk wrote - 'Taylor: "Oh! And do you know what ELSE Blake said?" Selena: "Girl, spill."' But more likely, Gomez was helping the Fortnight songstress celebrate regaining the masters to her first six studio albums - Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and Reputation. Last Friday, the Emilia Pérez actress - who boasts 419M Instagram followers - publicly congratulated Taylor via Instastory: 'Yes you did that Tay! So proud!' User @xiorodriguezreyes wrote: 'Honestly it's really sweet that Selena and Taylor have remained friends for so long. Far from just "industry" friends' Billboard reported that Swift spent around $360M to buy back her music catalog from Shamrock Capital after 'bully' Scooter Braun sold her masters to the private equity firm in 2020 (a year after buying them from Big Machine). 'I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away,' the Pennsylvania-born belter wrote on her website. 'But that's all in the past now. I've been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever since I found that this is really happening. I really get to say those words. All of the music I've ever made … now belongs… to me.' Meanwhile, Taylor's NFL beau Travis Kelce was attending the Big Slick Celebrity Weekend in Kansas City, KS where he helped raise a record $4.530M for Children's Mercy Hospital. Swift previously dated Taylor Lautner, John Mayer, Jake Gyllenhaal, Harry Styles, Conor Kennedy, Matthew Healy, Calvin Harris, Tom Hiddleston, and Joe Alwyn. Selena is also a taken woman as she got engaged to 11-time Grammy nominee Benny Blanco on December 10 after 18 months of dating. Gomez originally met the 37-year-old music producer during a 2008 business meeting when she was only 16, and he went on to work on her second studio album Revival in 2015. Gomez has been hard at work producing and reprising her role as artist Mabel Mora in the fifth season of Hulu hit series, Only Murders in the Building (pictured May 7 with Steve Martin and Martin Short) The Call Me When You Break Up singer - who refuses to convert to Benny's Jewish faith - previously dated Drew Taggart, The Weeknd, and Justin Bieber. Selena has been hard at work producing and reprising her role as artist Mabel Mora in the fifth season of Hulu hit series, Only Murders in the Building. Gomez, creator-star Steve Martin, and Martin Short are said to earn well over $600K/episode to produce and star in the critically-acclaimed who-done-it. Renée Zellweger, Téa Leoni, Keegan-Michael Key, Beanie Feldstein, and Jermaine Fowler have also joined the SAG Award-winning ensemble for season five. The Rare Beauty founder is also prepping to portray 11-time Grammy winner Linda Ronstadt in David O. Russell's untitled biopic produced by her former manager John Boylan.
The Independent
26-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Zara shopper says store employee barged into fitting room and shoved his hand down his pants: lawsuit
A New York City man trying on clothes at Zara was stunned to find a store clerk watching him disrobe in the fitting room, after which the employee repeatedly grabbed at the shopper's private parts 'all under the false pretense of assisting with garment fit,' according to an eye-popping lawsuit obtained by The Independent. In what the suit describes as an 'act of forcible compulsion,' the retail worker – who is not named as a defendant in the case – allegedly barged in on the shopper, 'pushed his hand inside [the man's] underwear, and seized, held, and pulled [his] genitals.' It says the 'appalling and invasive assault was committed with complete disregard for [the shopper's] autonomy and was captured on video,' providing 'irrefutable evidence of [the employee's] brazen and predatory conduct.' The alleged incident took place at one of the fast-fashion chain's Midtown Manhattan locations, according to accuser 'John Doe,' who brought the suit anonymously. A few months later, the same employee was accused of similar behavior towards another customer, but was let off with a mere verbal warning, the lawsuit maintains. Doe's attorney, Thomas Andrykovitz, told The Independent that the situation represents 'an appalling violation of customer safety and trust.' 'Our client was sexually assaulted by a Zara employee inside a fitting room, which is an area that should offer privacy, not peril,' Andrykovitz said. 'No customer should have to fear being preyed upon while shopping for clothes. We filed this case to hold Zara accountable and to help ensure no other customer is victimized or put at risk in one of its stores.' A Zara spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment on Monday, a U.S. holiday. Zara, a massively popular apparel and home decor retailer owned by Inditex, a Spanish conglomerate, operates more than 2,200 stores worldwide, 99 of them in the United States. In March, as Inditex reported slowing growth during the first part of 2025, it also announced Zara had posted 2024 sales of more than $30 billion, a 6.6 percent increase year-over-year, making it the top performer in its parent company's portfolio of brands. On January 18, 2024, Doe was shopping for shorts and shirts at a Zara store on Fifth Avenue and 42 Street, and selected several items to try on, according to his complaint. Doe brought them up to a fitting room on the second floor, where the employee in question was working by himself, the complaint says. 'Rather than instructing [Doe] to use any available changing stall, as is standard practice in most retail clothing stores, [the Zara employee] insisted that [Doe] use a specific changing stall,' the complaint states. 'This deviation from common procedure was unusual and suspicious, particularly given that other stalls were unoccupied and accessible at the time.' Nevertheless, Doe did as he was told and began to undress 'in the privacy of the closed changing stall,' the complaint continues. However, while Doe was taking off his clothes, the store employee 'repeatedly and abruptly pulled back the curtain without permission, brazenly staring at [Doe] during various stages of undress,' the complaint alleges. It says the Zara employee 'attempted to mask this gross invasion of privacy by pretending to inquire about the fit of the garments [Doe] had selected – as if such a question could possibly justify his unwelcome and outrageous intrusions into a space specifically designed for personal privacy.' Each time the employee opened the curtain, Doe would immediately close it again 'in an effort to reestablish his privacy,' according to the complaint. But, it contends, the employee kept coming back for more, each time 'with increasing boldness.' Soon, the employee physically entered the fitting room and 'plac[ed] his bare hands on [Doe's] body, all under the false pretense of assisting with garment fit,' the complaint states, calling his behavior 'a flagrant violation of [Doe's] bodily autonomy and the sanctity of the private space Zara purported to provide for its customers.' Doe 'expressly resisted' the alleged advances by the Zara employee, and demanded he stop touching him, again shutting the curtain to try and 'reclaim his privacy,' the complaint alleges. Regardless, it says, the employee ignored Doe's 'clear and repeated objections, [and] continued to return to the private changing stall.' Then, in what the complaint calls a 'shocking escalation,' it says the Zara employee 'inserted his fingers into the waistband of [Doe's] pants and underwear, snaking his hand toward [Doe's] penis.' In a state of shock, Doe took out his phone and began recording what was happening, '[i]n a desperate attempt to protect himself and document the ongoing sexual abuse,' according to the complaint. Yet, at this point, the employee – 'motivated solely by his own sexual gratification' – shoved his hand down Doe's underpants and gripped his genitalia, the complaint says. Doe became 'overwhelmed with disbelief as the assault unfolded,' and could barely comprehend what was happening, the complaint asserts. 'Fearing for his safety and unable to rely on Zara's safeguards,' the complaint says Doe 'remained in the stall until he could safely escape the fitting room – still reeling from the shock of the forced sexual contact and the betrayal of trust by a store employee in a space meant to offer privacy and protection.' The 'grotesque act' constituted 'a profound violation' of Doe's personal dignity, according to the complaint. Five months later, another Zara customer reported that Doe's alleged attacker had also opened the curtain to their fitting room without permission, the complaint states. But, the complaint alleges, Zara responded 'with nothing more than a verbal warning, failing to take meaningful corrective action or protect future customers from further harm.' Zara fitting rooms have been at the center of controversy before. Earlier this year, an Irish woman sued and won some $20,000 after a security guard at a Zara store in Dublin pulled back the curtain to her changing room and peeked in while the shopper was 'half-dressed.' In 2022, Zara apologized to a trans woman in the Philippines after a store employee allegedly refused to allow her into the women's dressing room. And in early 2020, a brawl between a customer and a Zara employee over the number of items allowed into a fitting room at one time landed both of them, as well as a 61-year-old bystander who tried to intervene, in the hospital. Doe's complaint says Zara should have been aware of the store employee's "dangerous propensities," but failed to take "adequate precautions" to prevent his alleged misconduct. It further calls Zara out for allowing its fitting rooms to be "exploited by sexual predators as a hunting ground." Doe, who claims to have suffered severe emotional trauma, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress, accuses Zara of negligence, assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent hiring, and violations of the New York City Human Rights Law. He is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorneys' fees and court costs, to be determined by a jury.
New York Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
A Times Square Office Tower Will Be Converted Into Apartments
A struggling office tower in the heart of Midtown Manhattan is set to be converted into a residential building with 1,250 apartments, in one of the most notable examples of how New York City's economic center has evolved after the coronavirus pandemic. The board that runs New York State's economic development corporation voted on Thursday to approve the conversion of the 38-story building, 5 Times Square, which has been mostly empty since 2022. The converted building will mostly have studio apartments and is likely to open to tenants in 2027, state officials said. One-quarter of the 1,250 units will be designated as 'affordable' and rent, on average, for around $2,174 a month. (The typical asking rent in April on a new lease for a one-bedroom Midtown apartment was at least $4,500, according to data from the real estate company StreetEasy.) 'The only way to address our housing crisis is to build more of the homes New Yorkers need,' Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. The vote on Thursday is another symbol of Midtown's transformation and reflects how commercial areas and downtowns across the United States are continuing a rocky rebuild after the pandemic upended traditional work patterns. Many wondered if Midtown — and, as a result, New York City's economy — would ever rebound. But state and city officials are framing the vote as another example of a broader transformation. Nearby, the former headquarters of Pfizer are being turned into 1,600 apartments. A building in the financial district that once housed JPMorgan Chase, The National Enquirer and The New York Daily News is becoming 1,320 apartments. The shift comes as the city is facing a major housing crisis, threatening its economy and long-term viability. Rents continue to climb, driven by a housing shortage that is at its worst point in nearly 60 years. Ms. Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams have both sought to build more housing as a way of making the city more affordable. Because the pandemic pushed many New Yorkers away from office work, Midtown has become something of a coveted target for city leaders, a rare opportunity to add housing density in a crowded place like Manhattan. Mr. Adams is pushing a plan that would change the zoning for 42 blocks of the neighborhood and allow for some 9,700 additional homes. The 5 Times Square project is one of the largest to be supported by new housing measures passed by the state in 2024, including a new state tax incentive designed to bolster these types of conversions and a law that removed restrictions on density in Manhattan. The 5 Times Square building, which was built between 1999 and 2002, was 'intended to be a commercial keystone in Times Square,' according to state documents. The building sits between 41st and 42nd Streets along 7th Avenue and was first developed in 2002. It has been mostly empty since its main tenant, the auditing firm EY, moved its U.S. headquarters in 2022 to a newer Manhattan development on the West Side. Today, it is nearly 80 percent vacant, according to state officials. In addition to the apartments, the repurposed building will also have some office space and roughly 37,000 square feet of retail space. The construction itself involves expanding plumbing and electrical systems, adding bathrooms and kitchens and dividing open spaces into individual units. Moses Gates, vice president for housing and neighborhood planning at the Regional Plan Association, a nonprofit civic organization, said the conversion reflected the importance of having flexibility as a city to adapt. But, he said, it was not yet clear whether these types of conversions would continue, or whether the office market 'stabilizes and comes back a little bit.' 'We're still in a little bit of uncharted territory here,' he said.
Forbes
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Inside Kyle Larson's Second Historic Attempt At The Double
It's a beautiful day in Midtown Manhattan. The sun is shining, and Kyle Larson is rocking a slick black shirt with logos of his partners, Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports. As he stands in front of a hot dog truck – don't worry, he's too healthy to eat that days before the big day – his wife Katelyn is shopping down the block. Larson is quite calm in everyday life with his native California swagger. But on Tuesday, he was genuinely calm. The pressure of a full-fledged media day in the Big Apple ahead of 'The Double' didn't make him more anxious. The 32-year-old is a handful of days away from attempting – for the second time – to make history by joining John Andretti, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon and Kurt Busch as the only drivers to successfully take the green flag in both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Larson did not make it back to Charlotte in time last year after rain plagued Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with Justin Allgaier replacing him in the No. 5 Nascar Cup Series car. Upon hopping out of the No. 17 McLaren Chevrolet, he jetted to Charlotte Motor Speedway, only for the same weather storm to halt action past the halfway point of NASCAR's longest event. Larson knows the weather is out of his control. After last year's crazy weather situation he's not looking at the weather as much. And something feels different. 'It's all fun stuff,' Larson said on Tuesday. 'My goal is to complete all of the laps.' If Larson can complete all 1,100 miles on Sunday, he will join Stewart as becoming the only two drivers to do so (2001). 'Tony Stewart finished sixth in the Indy 500 and third in the Cup race at Charlotte,' Larson recalled of the driver that he considers to be among the best to ever compete. 'I want to do better than that. Ultimately, you want to win one or both of them. I also understand how difficult that is.' If Larson can win the Indianapolis 500, he said it would be 'crazy.' 'To add your name to the winner's list would be unbelievable,' he said. 'We'll try to do our best job and hopefully, we'll have a shot at the end of it. 'For race trim, we're better than we were in qualifying trim.' and Amazon Prime Video will sponsor Larson in both events. The car number he'll use for the Indianapolis 500 – the No. 17 – paying homage to team owner Rick Hendrick's late son, Ricky Hendrick, who raced with the number during his Nascar career. The logistics of such a feat are quite difficult. The green flag for the Indianapolis 500 is set for 12:45 p.m. ET and the Coca-Cola 600 will begin shortly after 6 p.m. It will take Larson around 55-60 minutes (plus or minus a few minutes) to fly from Indianapolis to Charlotte on a private jet and fly into the private Concord airport. Then, he'll helicopter over to CMS. He will need to depart Indianapolis no later than 4:15 p.m. to get ready for 600 miles in a stock car. Larson has been diligent in his preparation for The Double this year. He is visibly bulk compared to the past, and he is ready to actually complete all 1,100 miles. 'I try to live a healthy lifestyle all the time, but especially with a couple of weeks at Indy,' Larson said. 'Obviously, staying hydrated and all of that. Relaxing is also so important. But there hasn't been a whole lot of relaxing over the last few days. On the flights, you're not able to do much so it's a good time to get reenergized and get ready for the long race weekend.' The No. 17 car for Arrow McLaren IndyCar will start 19th for the Indianapolis 500. His car is sporting a similar paint scheme to his Cup car, with the blue and white colors of and Amazon Prime Video, mixed in with McLaren's traditional papaya scheme. Alongside for The Double is Jeff Gordon, four-time Cup Series champion and vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports. In nearly every photo of Larson at Indianapolis, Gordon is by his side living vicariously through his driver. He never had the chance to pull off The Double, despite growing up in Indiana, dreaming of racing in the Indy closest he came to competing in an open-wheel car was swapping seats in 2003 with then-Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya at the Indianapolis road course. 'He's somebody that I've looked up to a ton,' Larson said of Gordon. 'He's somebody who, back in his day, could've done it. I think he's living through my eyes a little bit. That's really neat.' But the challenge of IMS is something Larson understands quite well. He won the Cup Series' return to the Indianapolis oval in 2024. 'Last year, everything went smooth,' Larson said. 'This year, I crashed on Fast Friday. I had yet to make a complete qualifying run. Our first run was pretty slow, so I was a bit nervous. But we got some speed in and qualified for the race. It was a relief to not have to worry about Bump Day. I was thankful for that, because with the crash on Fast Friday and during the open test, if you crash again, you might not make it.' Larson's future of attempting The Double is uncertain. He inked a two-year deal with McLaren for the Indianapolis 500 prior to his bid in 2024, and this is the second of those attempts. 'I love to race and I love that event,' Larson said. "I feel like I'd have FOMO at this point. It takes a big financial undertaking for Rick to do this. I'm just happy he has the trust in me to do it. 'I'm just focused on this weekend. I'm trying to do a great job. We'll see where it goes from there.' Two-time Cup champion Kyle Busch revealed on Denny Hamlin's 'Actions Detrimental Podcast,' last week that he was in position to secure the same Arrow McLaren entry for the Indianapolis 500 prior to Larson. But he lost out on the opportunity due to Larson's deal being multiple years. '[Busch] would do an amazing job at it, so I'd love to see him do it,' Larson said. 'I remember at the time, hearing we were going for the same ride. Thankfully, we were able to get our deal done. Unfortunately, they weren't able to have it go exactly how they needed it to. I hope some day, we'll see him do it. It's a really cool event. He would have no problem transitioning." Though Busch had talks to do The Double, Larson said Busch nor any other driver has discussed attempting it with him. 'I haven't had anybody come up to me and say they want to do it,' Larson explained. 'I have drivers who are curious about what it feels like, what are their differences and similarities, how's my week going, stuff like that.' To top off the hoopla, Prime Video is following Larson around for a feature-length documentary, set to debut in 2026. It has video from his first attempt, too. 'It's huge having Amazon Prime follow us around and document this whole thing,' Larson said. 'They've been following me for two and a half years at this point. They have a ton of footage to sift through. I'm excited to see how this turns out and excited for fans, my family and friends, and everybody who may have been involved or not involved and live through my eyes. You'll see what it's like to do The Double outside of just the races itself.' Best of all, Katelyn and their kids, Owen, Audrey and Cooper will be with him for both races.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
George Clooney's black hair dye fades back to gray for Tony nominee luncheon
George Clooney resembled his old silver foxy self while attending the 78th Annual Tony Awards Nominees Luncheon, which was held at 30 Rock's Rainbow Room in Midtown Manhattan on Monday. The 64-year-old first-time thespian has clearly been using temporary black hair dye to stain his signature gray locks in order to more authentically embody Edward R. Murrow in Good Night, And Good Luck. George - who kept his baseball cap on - impressively scored a Tony nod for best performance by a leading actor in a play for his Broadway debut as the late broadcast journalist interviewing Senator Joseph McCarthy. Clooney rubbed elbows with Broadway legends like Harvey Fierstein, who will receive the Tony Award for lifetime achievement in the theatre when the ceremony airs June 8 on CBS. The two-time Oscar winner was all smiles while chatting with Sunset Boulevard star Tom Francis, who's nominated for best actor in a musical. George was joined by his lead producer Sue Wagner as they chatted up Purpose star Kara Young, who's nominated for best featured actress in a play. Clooney will face heavy competition for the prize against Oh Mary's Cole Escola, Purpose's Harry Lennix, Purpose's Jon Michael Hill, Yellow Face's Daniel Dae Kim, and Stranger Things' Louis McCartney. The $4M-grossing play is also up for best scenic design, best costume design, best lighting design, and best sound design of a play at the Tonys. On June 7, CNN will make history as the first network to air a play live when they broadcast Good Night, and Good Luck. 'I can't tell you how exciting it is to do something that's never been done,' the Wolfs producer-star said in the press release. 'CNN is the perfect place to bring this story of courage to so many more people than we could have ever hoped. Live TV. No net. Buckle up everyone.' Director David Cromer's 1954-set drama, set in CBS Studios at Grand Central, runs through June 8 at the Winter Garden Theatre in Midtown Manhattan. George previously directed David Strathairn in the same exact role in his 2005 film Good Night, and Good Luck while he took on the role of Fred W. Friendly, a producer friend of Murrow's. Clooney will next take on the titular role in Noah Baumbach's heartbreaking comedy Jay Kelly, which hits limited US theaters November 14 before streaming December 5 on Netflix. Jay Kelly will also feature Adam Sandler, Billy Crudup, Laura Dern, Greta Gerwig, Isla Fisher, Riley Keough, Emily Mortimer, Patrick Wilson, Stacy Keach, and Jim Broadbent. George was joined by his lead producer Sue Wagner (R) as they chatted up Purpose star Kara Young (L), who's nominated for best featured actress in a play On June 6, the Nespresso brand ambassador and his second wife Amal Alamuddin will celebrate the eighth birthdays of their fraternal twins - son Alexander and daughter Ella. Last Saturday, the 47-year-old human rights lawyer daringly broke the Cannes Film Festival dress code by donning a black archival John Galliano gown for Christian Dior featuring a since-banned train. Amal glammed up to attend the world premiere of Apple TV+ documentary Bono: Stories of Surrender, which captures the U2 frontman's Beacon Theatre performance. The married couple of a decade - who began dating in 2013 - have been friends with the 65-year-old Irish rocker for years attending each other's birthdays, weddings, and Easter celebrations.
