Latest news with #WestVillage
New York Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
This ‘Buena Vista Social Club' Star Knows She's Intimidating
As she exits the stage door of 'Buena Vista Social Club,' the Broadway actress Natalie Venetia Belcon can see it in their eyes. The waiting fans thrust Playbills and pens into the hands of her co-stars, but when Belcon comes down the line, she senses their shyness, their wariness. 'They're afraid,' she said. 'It's so weird. I'm like, 'You guys, I'm pretending!'' Onstage, Belcon, 56, plays the middle-aged version of Omara Portuondo, the famed Cuban singer known as 'the queen of feeling.' (Isa Antonetti portrays the teen version.) Belcon's Omara is stately, imperious. 'You're not the kind of woman one forgets,' a bandmate in the show tells her. She can dismiss a person with a tilt of the head, a wave of the hand. The role has earned Belcon a Tony nomination, her first, for best performance by a featured actress in a musical. Belcon is, she insists, not Omara, but some of this same majesty was evident even over a casual afternoon snack of calamari and plantains at Cuba, a restaurant in Manhattan's West Village neighborhood. The waiter seemed honored to shake up a mojito for her. Belcon, dressed like some expensive, resplendent bird in a blue-and-yellow skirt and matching jewelry, looked regal as she sipped it. Then she pointed to the stalk of sugar cane in the glass. 'Oh, I love sugar cane!' she said delightedly. 'I grew up chewing on it. Then you catch yourself in the mirror, like, 'That doesn't look sexy!'' Belcon insists that in her downtime, offstage, away from journalists, she is an everyday sort of woman who prefers oversize T-shirts and yoga pants. She loves to put on her bunny slippers and watch the UFC. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Major Taylor Swift News Breaks After Big Career Announcement
Major Taylor Swift News Breaks After Big Career Announcement originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Friday was a day that Taylor Swift and her fans won't soon forget. Less than 12 hours after being spotted out in New York City at Italian hotspot Via Carota in West Village without boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who was in Kansas City training with the Chiefs having started OTAs, Swift made a major personal announcement on Instagram. In news that some of her fans expected thanks to a previous report from Page Six, Swift announced that she bought back the masters of her first six albums, 'Taylor Swift,' 'Fearless,' 'Speak Now,' 'Red,' '1989' and 'Reputation.' Billboard reported the acquisition cost Swift a hefty $360 million. Swift also revealed that while most of her fans were anxiously awaiting her to announce the release date of her 'Reputation (Taylor's Version)' album that she had some disappointing news for them. 'I know, I know. What about Rep TV?' Swift wrote. 'Full transparency: I haven't even re-recorded a quarter of it. The Reputation album was so specific to that time in my life, and I kept hitting a stopping point when I tried to remake it. 'All that defiance, that longing to be understood while feeling purposely misunderstood, that desperate hope, that shame-born snarl and mischief. To be perfectly honest, it's the one album in those first 6 that I thought couldn't be improved upon by redoing it. Not the music, or photos, or videos. So I kept putting it off. With news that a re-release of 'Reputation' likely wasn't happening, Swift's fans took matters into their own hands, and some pretty big news broke after she announced she had bought back her masters. 'Taylor Swift's 'Reputation' has returned #1 on US iTunes following masters announcement,' the @ChartData X account posted. Swift dethroned Morgan Wallen's 'I'm the Problem' album, which debuted at No. 1 on May 16. Released in 2017, 'Reputation' spent four weeks at No. 1 on the iTunes chart after its release. The album went three times platinum and has sold 2.478 million copies in the United States. Though Swift has been doing her best to stay out of the spotlight following Super Bowl LIX, it's clear following Friday's announcement that's no longer the case. She and Kelce were spotted having a public date night last weekend, and with the NFL season right around the corner, fans will likely see her at Arrowhead Stadium quite a bit in story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Taylor Swift Wears $34K Outfit During Night Out Without Travis Kelce
Taylor Swift Wears $34K Outfit During Night Out Without Travis Kelce originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Pop star Taylor Swift was spotted enjoying a quiet dinner at the popular West Village restaurant Via Carota and while her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, was nowhere in sight, all eyes were on her eye-catching $34,000 outfit. Swift kept it chic and elegant for the evening, wearing a black floral dress called the Benoit dress in Noir Wild Rose, which sells for $298. She added a modern twist with the Phoenix leather belt priced at $155 and stepped out in stylish Condora sandals by Christian Louboutin, worth $895. Her accessories, however, took the outfit to another level. Swift carried a Balmain mini anthem bag priced at $1,995, a Western-inspired handbag in slouchy black leather. Around her neck, she wore the luxurious Never Not Travel 'Night and Day' necklace, valued at $21,838. She also added sparkle with three designer rings: a FoundRae heart sealed gemstone crest rose gold ring priced at $2,050, a Tiffany & Co. diamond wire ring at $2,925 and a Louis Vuitton Le Damier small ring at $3,950. In total, Swift's dinner outfit came to an eye-popping $34,106. Swift's look was shared by Taylor Swift Updates on X. This rare solo outing marks Swift's first major appearance since her Super Bowl trip in February, where she cheered on Kelce and the Chiefs. Although the couple has been seen on quiet dates this May, including a Mother's Day dinner in Philadelphia and a night out in West Palm Beach, this time Swift dined without Kelce. The 'Karma' singer looked relaxed as she arrived in silence. She was joined by her brother Austin Swift, actress Dakota Johnson and Johnson's brother Jesse. For now, Swift's quiet night out gave fans something to talk about not just because of her look, but also because it reminded everyone: when Taylor Swift shows up, she does it in story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
This ‘Mountainhead' Star Only Looks Like a Nihilist
Cory Michael Smith was disappointed. 'I'm a big fan of pepperoni with a little more constitution,' he said, looking down at the slice of pizza on his plate. 'These are tired. They're tired cups.' This was the day after the premiere party for 'Mountainhead,' the Jesse Armstrong movie that premieres Saturday on HBO. A Vantablack comedy of wealth, power and moral negligence, it evokes Armstrong's earlier fable of the megarich, 'Succession,' but is more explicitly attuned to current anxieties about Silicon Valley oligarchs. Smith stars as a social media mogul named Venis (rhymes with menace), a pampered edgelord holed up in a cartoonishly swank chalet (the Mountainhead of the title) with other tech machers, played by Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman and Ramy Youssef. Venis's content creation tools have destabilized much of the global South, but he remains mostly unbothered. 'Nothing means anything, and everything is funny and cool,' he tells his fellow founders, as they swipe past scenes of chaos. In person, Smith, 38, was not quite so nihilistic, though he had dressed the part, a man in black on black on black — pants, coat, shirt, tie, shoes. Offscreen, Smith is abidingly polite, with a wide smile that narrows his eyes to slits. He lives in the West Village, though increasingly work keeps him away. He had flown in for the premiere and soon he would fly out again, to Alaska where he is shooting a film that he was forbidden to discuss. Smith ('Gotham,' 'Carol,' 'May December') is suddenly so in demand that he had to miss Cannes, at which 'Sentimental Value,' a movie in which he co-stars, was awarded the Grand Prix. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Le Chêne Brings Cozy Chic Parisian Dining To The West Village
A new French restaurant on Carmine Street adds an extra touch of charm to the West Village. Le Chêne, which opened on May 23, marks the first solo project from chef Alexia Duchêne (previously of Margot, Frenchie in London, Passerini and Taillevent in Paris), and her husband Ronan Duchêne Le May (previously of Café Boulud). Duchêne, a semi-finalist on Top Chef France, envisioned the restaurant as a fresh take on French fare, with a New York City twist. 'We really thought of Le Chêne as the restaurant we dream of going to, a place where the food is centered about amazing ingredients cooked simply with an elegant platting,' said Duchêne. 'We like places that have this cozy Parisian chic atmosphere but doesn't feel like its overly designed, white tablecloth, nice lighting, cozy banquettes for comfort, amazing art and a tailored playlist to bring some fun to the evening.' Le Chêne's menu focuses on recreating traditional French dishes with local, seasonal New York ingredients anda. bit of extra Manhattan-specific flare. Currently, Duchêne is channeling her love for market shopping at the Union Square Greenmarket, where she's partial to the herbs, summer squash and peas. Later this summer, she looks forward to fresh sumac, to infuse stocks with for an unexpected sour note. Green Bean Beignets at Le Chene Andrew Bui 'Le Chêne will bring a different vision of French food, something a bit more Parisian, bringing back old school dishes but with a modern touch," Duchêne said. "We also focus on sauce a lot and for me that is what makes a good dish, sauces are addictive and I can't wait to show what we can do in this department.' The menu, which is serve ala carte starts with snack-style amuse-bouches including a sweet shrimp tartlette with crème fraiche, maple, and shiso; uni French toast topped with roasted pepper cream and bone marrow; and crispy but light green bean beignets served three to an order with tarragon sauce. Appetizers include Foie Gras Lucullus, Duchêne's take on foie terrine inspired by her time in Copenhagen with toasted brioche and sea buckthorn gelée; oeuf mayonnaise with confit tuna and mimolette cheese, an homage to the tuna melt, one of Alexia's favorite NYC dishes; and crab thermidor in a creamy vadouvan sauce. Halibut and scallop quenelle at Le Chêne Andrew Bui Larger Main Courses include halibut and scallop quenelle with dry-aged halibut topped with caramelized onions and sauce vin jaune, an iconic French sauce dear to Duchêne; lamb saddle, served with summer squash, huckleberry and mint sauce; and Pithiviers terre and mer, served on an elegant platinum-trimmed Bernardaud porcelain plate, is a riff on surf-and-turf, with puff pastry layered with potato gratin, pork and smoked eel, and a side of vinegary crisp green salad and beetroot - a staple during Duchêne's time working in France and during her residency at Fulgurances. 'It's something that takes a lot of time, and truly shows what French food is to us: craft, great sourcing and decadence,' she said. One the side, many potatoes, including French fries; patates gratinées, using Chef Joël Robuchon 1980s era recipe; and seasonal greens. Desserts include tarte au chocolat, with cocoa nib and maple potato ice cream; rice pudding, Duchêne's father's favorite dessert, made with mango caramel and toasted buckwheat; and a sundae d'été, made with goat milk, macerated strawberries, honey and sweet peas, round out the menu. With the check, come complimentary sour huckleberry pâtes de fruits. Inside Le Chêne Andrew Bui 'For us the perfect restaurant is a the perfect blend of great food, an amazing wine list and a cozy ambiance and that was really our only focus for Le Chêne, to show our version of hospitality as two French people living in NYC and wanting to bring a piece of home in the vibrant city," said Duchêne. 'We want guests to feel seen and understood, the experience at Le Chêne will be focused on attentive service, a tailored wine pairing, fun and playful food as well and just having a good time. We take our jobs seriously but not ourselves and we don't want this restaurant to feel pretentious. We believe in a laid back fun setting with amazing food and wine, people want that, we want that ourselves and that is what we will be offering.' Le Chêne is open at 76 Carmine St., Tuesday - Saturday from 5pm to 10pm with reservations available via Resy. Bar seats will be reserved for walk-ins from 5-7pm. The restaurant will open for lunch on the weekends in the coming months.
