Latest news with #VanLeeuwen
Time Out
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Free sports watch parties are taking over Hudson Yards this summer
Big summer energy just hit Hudson Yards—literally. The 30-foot Big Screen is back, towering over the Public Square & Gardens for a season-long run of free sports watch parties. Whether you're into F1, footy or the U.S. Open, this is your chance to watch the world's biggest events in a setting that's all vibe, no cover. Part of the Backyard at Hudson Yards programming, the Big Screen is showing a packed lineup through October. Upcoming highlights include Wimbledon (June 30–July 13), the MLB and WNBA All-Star Games (July 15 and 19), the U.S. Open (Aug. 24–Sept. 7), and the NFL Season Kickoff on Sept. 4. You'll also catch high-adrenaline events like the Tour de France, Rugby World Cups and multiple F1 Grand Prix races, including the Austin showdown on Oct. 19. And if your preferred sport is 'watching sports while snacking,' you're in luck. The surrounding plaza hosts food trucks serving gelato (Sogno Toscano), caramelized boba tea (Xing Fu Tang) and Van Leeuwen ice cream. Wells Fargo customers can also get priority seating and access to special food truck perks by showing their debit card. (Pro tip: After the game or during halftime, stroll over to the new Sailor's Choice, a dockside seafood shack built around a classic gentleman's lobster boat.) No need to squish into a dive bar or sweat it out at a rooftop when you can kick back on a lawn chair under the Vessel with the Hudson breeze in your hair. Arrive early—seating is first come, first served—and don't forget the sunscreen. This is outdoor viewing with all the drama of live sports and none of the elbowing for elbow room.
Boston Globe
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Jean Van Leeuwen, 87, dies; wrote ‘Oliver Pig' series of children's books
Advertisement Ms. Van Leeuwen had written a few books before her children were born — David Gavril, in 1972, and Elizabeth Gavril, a year later. But observing their everyday behavior inspired her to tap out a series of short stories on her portable typewriter about a little boy and girl. She turned them into animal children and then, specifically, into pigs. 'Tales of Oliver Pig' was followed by 'More Tales of Oliver Pig' in 1981 and 'Amanda Pig and Her Big Brother' a year later. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Novelist Mary Gordon, writing about 'More Tales of Amanda Pig' in The New York Times Book Review in 1985, said that 'one of the great values' of the Oliver and Amanda books 'is their ability to dramatize the ridiculous and trivial and sickeningly frequent fights that siblings engage in every day of their lives, and yet suggest the siblings' essential fondness for each other, their dependency, their mutual goodwill.' Advertisement David Gavril said in an interview that his mother was 'very observant' and had most likely been taking notes 'very discreetly' about his and his sister's lives. In a separate interview, Elizabeth Gavril said: 'I don't recall being surprised that the characters were pigs. It's a universal thing in children's publishing that animals can have human characteristics.' Schweninger, whose watercolors illustrated 18 of the 20 Oliver and Amanda books, said that over time 'the stories became a little broader than the early ones when her children were at home.' 'They were growing up, their activity levels increased and they were going to school,' she added. Ms. Van Leeuwen won the American Library Association's Theodor Seuss Geisel Award in 2006 for 'Amanda Pig and the Really Hot Day.' The award is given for contributions to beginner reader books. She also received a Washington Irving Children's Book Choice Award from the Westchester Library System in 1996 for 'Emma Bean' (illustrated by Juan Wijngaard), about a homemade stuffed rabbit and the girl who adores her. Reviewing two children's books in The Times Book Review in 1987, Ms. Van Leeuwen described how to reach young readers: 'The challenge of writing an easy-to-read book, with its strict limits of length and vocabulary, is to tell a story that is simple but not ordinary.' Jean Van Leeuwen was born Dec. 26, 1937, in Glen Ridge, N.J., and grew up in nearby Rutherford. Her father, Cornelius, was a minister, and her mother, Dorothy (Charlton) Van Leeuwen, was a teacher. Jean voraciously read the newspapers and magazines that her parents brought home. Advertisement After earning a bachelor's degree in 1959 from the Syracuse University School of Journalism (now the Newhouse School of Public Communications), she wrote for TV Guide and became a children's book editor in 1963. She worked for Random House, Viking Press and Dial Books for Young Readers for 10 years until her daughter was born. Phyllis Fogelman, a former president of Dial Books for Young Readers — who was Ms. Van Leeuwen's boss before becoming her editor, a relationship that continued for decades — told the Times in 1995 that Ms. Van Leeuwen's 'pitch is always perfect' and that 'Jean has a deft touch with characterizations.' The Times reported that the 28 books Ms. Van Leeuwen had written by that year had sold 2 million copies. Her books also include 'The Great Cheese Conspiracy' (1969), in which she introduced beginner readers to Marvin the Magnificent, a tough braggart of a mouse who hangs out with his rodent pals, Fats and Raymond. It was adapted into an animated film in 1986, in the Czech language, by director Vaclav Bedrich. In 'The Great Christmas Kidnapping Caper' (1975), the gang, which lives in a dollhouse in a Macy's toy department, sets out to rescue the man playing Santa Claus. And in 'The Great Rescue Operation' (1982), Fats disappears when his napping place, a doll carriage, is sold while he is asleep in it. Ms. Van Leeuwen also wrote 'Benjy and the Power of Zingies' (1982), about a third grader who believes that overindulging in a cereal promoted by star athletes will make him strong. Her young adult novel 'Seems Like This Road Goes On Forever' (1979) is about a minister's teenage daughter who recalls her self-destructive behavior from her hospital bed. And, in 'Across the Wide Dark Sea: The Mayflower Journey' (1995), she wrote a historical fiction picture book narrated by a boy who describes the Pilgrims' passage from England to Plymouth Harbor in 1620. Advertisement In addition to her daughter and her son — who illustrated his mother's book 'Chicken Soup' (2009) — Ms. Van Leeuwen is survived by her husband, Bruce Gavril; two grandchildren; her sister, Barbara Kossuth; and her brother, John Van Leeuwen. For many years, Ms. Van Leeuwen volunteered at the elementary school in Chappaqua that her children had attended, helping first graders with their writing. 'They didn't know her as an author; they knew her as Mrs. Gavril,' her daughter said. 'At the end of the year, they were told that Jean Van Leeuwen, whose books they'd been reading, would be speaking to the class. 'Then came the surprise reveal — that it was Mrs. Gavril.' This article originally appeared in
Buzz Feed
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
These Viral "Soup Drops" Are Stirring Up Tons Of Heated Opinions Online, So We Tried Them (And Have Thoughts)
Food stunts are so back. From the infamous Velveeta martini to Van Leeuwen's mac 'n' cheese ice cream, the past few years have been filled with some experimental (at best) food creations, and thanks to the beloved soup brand Progresso, 2025 is already off to a pretty kooky start. To be clear, I'm all for experimentation! But there's a line. The line, according to some people on the internet, was likely crossed when Progresso announced their limited release of 'soup drops' earlier this year. If you're thinking (as I initially did) that these are soup drops, as in launches of new soup flavors, you would be wrong. So, so wrong. No, these are literally soup-flavored cough drops. Chicken noodle soup-flavored cough drops, to be exact. The highly controversial soup drops quickly became a hot commodity online, with some social media users noticing that their limited stock, replenished every Thursday throughout the month of January, was often selling out in a matter of minutes. Now, the Soup Drop website reminds soup drop-seekers that they can still get a 'hot bowl of the real thing' wherever Progresso's canned soups are sold. Ultimately, that might be a blessing in disguise. Initial reactions to the Soup Drop stunt were maybe not the best overall, though plenty of people were beyond stoked to try their hand at getting a can of these bad boys. When the die-hard soup lovers are questioning things, you know you've really rocked the boat. Even Jimmy Fallon featured the chicken noodle soup-flavored drops during a segment on The Tonight Show, and the audience response what you'd imagine. Just imagine some pained groans and laughter from the audience. After seeing countless reactions to the 'crime against food' hard candies all month long, I was deeply curious, extremely excited, but ultimately terrified to the core when my personal can of soup drops arrived in the mail. So naturally, I begged my equally-skeptical coworkers to try them with me so I wouldn't have to go it alone. Ross Yoder Note: BuzzFeed was sent a complimentary sample of this product, but we were under no obligation to provide a review. Here's what we thought. First, let's get into what the heck's even in these things. 👇 Progresso's Soup Drops come in a cute little soup can-like canister. Each container packs in 20 individually wrapped drops. The main ingredients of these drops are isomalt, a sugar substitute often used for decorative purposes, and salt. They also contain ingredients like cornstarch, MSG, and some actual chicken in cooked-and-powdered form. Next, the aesthetics. They didn't look bad! Think of a cough drop-shaped Werther's caramel, flecked with little brown spots, and that's exactly what we were working with here. Not bad at all! But let's get into the taste, shall we? Ultimately, four of us were brave enough to suck on a Progresso Soup Drop, and let's just say no one lasted long. I wouldn't say they're unpalatable by any means, but they're…well, rough, to say the least. 👋 Hey you! If you're getting hungry for some really good soup recipes (in their classic format), take a quick minute to download the free Tasty app — where you can browse 7,500+ recipes and save your favorites. Lauren bravely volunteered to try them first. Right off the bat, she remarked on the palpable "chicken broth" scent as she removed the soup drop from its cellophane wrapper. But after she popped it into her mouth, the vibes turned pretty bad pretty fast. The wincing, coughing, and laughing seemed to suggest that it certainly wasn't enjoyable, but she didn't immediately spit it out, either. To Lauren, it tasted like gravy — "with a little sweetness to it," she added. "This is not a thing I could ever eat again, or continue to eat this. This is foul," she said as she spit the soup drop out. All in all, she lasted 43 seconds before spitting the soup drop back into its wrapper. Next up, Spencer. Immediately upon smelling the unwrapped drop, he noted that it smelled like a bouillon cube, which definitely makes sense, seeing as how bouillon cubes and these soup drops actually contain similar ingredients. After tasting it, his immediate reaction But then he changed his tune, citing a very specific moment in which maybe this soup drop could be of value to your average soup-loving person. ...ultimately, he was lying. He took it all back, and was genuinely curious if these drops were a "real thing" or "April Fools' gimmick." Ross Yoder Spencer spit out the soup drop at the 55-second mark — a solid 12 seconds longer than Lauren. For Meg, things started out OK! But everything went downhill from there. Meg remarked that the intense savoriness was simply just unpleasant, and likened the flavor profile to powdered miso soup. From first taste to "time to spit it out," Meg only lasted 30 seconds. Finally, it was time for yours truly to get a taste of the product I so kindly forced upon my coworkers. Terrified, I popped the drop into my mouth and immediately tasted lots of sage — like classic boxed stuffing. But pretty immediately the flavor turned into something entirely unpleasant. Ross Yoder For me, I really tasted the MSG, which is delicious in so many contexts, but altogether offputting in the form of a solid cough drop. The whole thing was too dead center between salty and sweet, so it ultimately just tasted I love chicken! But not chicken candy. Worse than the flavor of the soup drops, however, was the aftertaste. Meg and I both agreed that the sharp, slightly bitter aftertaste lingered around in our mouths for hours after our initial taste. No amount of water (or office fro-yo) could quell it. Not to toot my own horn, but I lasted a solid 63 seconds before spitting it out. So folks, there you have it. Though Progresso's soup drops are technically sold out now, should they ever decide to bring them back, the chaos of trying them might be worth attempting to snag some for yourself. After all, they're only $2.49 (plus tax). In this economy, I'll take it.
