Latest news with #World'sFair
Daily Tribune
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Tribune
Tom Hanks returning to the stage in new Off-Broadway production
Bang Showbiz | Los Angeles Tom Hanks is to star in an off-Broadway play he has co-written. The Oscar-winning star will be making a return to the stage for the first time since his 2013 Broadway debut in 'Lucky Guy' - for which he was nominated for a Tony Award - when he appears in 'This World of Tomorrow' at the 550-seat theatre The Shed in New York City. The production will premiere on 30 October and run for eight weeks until 21 December, and is described as a blend of romance and history with a dash of science fiction. The story follows a lonely scientist from the future who travels back in time to find love at the 1939 World's Fair in Queens and will feature a cast of 10 to 12 actors, with some taking on multiple roles. The 'Forrest Gump' actor said in a statement: 'To explore the themes of love and yearning, and the struggles of Today as we carry with us the eternal memories of the Past, in such a place as The Shed, strikes me as a one-of-a-kind experience not unlike the World's Fair of 1939.'
The Star
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Japan Expo 2025 draws five million visitors in first six weeks
Crowds queuing up for events at various pavilions during the 2025 Osaka Expo in the city of Osaka on May 21, 2025. - AFP TOKYO: The World Expo in Japan's Osaka has welcomed five million visitors in its first six weeks, organisers say, despite lukewarm enthusiasm for the event ahead of its opening. A Mars meteorite and a beating artificial heart grown from stem cells are among the displays at Expo 2025, where more than 160 countries, regions and organisations are taking part. The event opened on April 13 and runs until mid-October, with most of the pavilions encircled by the world's largest wooden architectural structure, a latticed "Grand Ring". On Monday (May 26), the five millionth visitor entered the vast waterfront site, organisers said in a statement. "The number of visitors to the Expo... increased from four million to five million in seven days," they said, adding that more visitors were coming "with each passing day". So far 12.4 million tickets have been sold to the event. Organisers have set a total target of 23 million. Also known as a World's Fair, the Expo phenomenon, which brought the Eiffel Tower to Paris, began with London's 1851 Crystal Palace exhibition. It is now held every five years in different locations around the globe. Osaka last hosted the Expo in 1970 when Japan was booming and its technology the envy of the world. It attracted 64 million people, a record until Shanghai in 2010. Opinion polls before Expo 2025 opened showed low levels of public enthusiasm, with analysts saying inflation and high accommodation costs due to a record influx of foreign tourists to Japan could put people off buying tickets. - AFP
Japan Today
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Osaka Expo draws 5 million visitors in first six weeks
So far nearly 9.1 million tickets have been sold to Expo 2025 in Osaka The World Expo in Osaka has welcomed five million visitors in its first six weeks, organizers say, despite lukewarm enthusiasm for the event ahead of its opening. A Mars meteorite and a beating artificial heart grown from stem cells are among the displays at Expo 2025, where more than 160 countries, regions and organizations are taking part. The event opened on April 13 and runs until mid-October, with most of the pavilions encircled by the world's largest wooden architectural structure, a latticed Grand Ring. On Monday, the five millionth visitor entered the vast waterfront site, organizers said in a statement. "The number of visitors to the expo... increased from four million to five million in seven days," they said, adding that more visitors were coming "with each passing day". So far 12.4 million tickets have been sold to the event. Organizers have set a total target of 23 million. Also known as a World's Fair, the expo phenomenon, which brought the Eiffel Tower to Paris, began with London's 1851 Crystal Palace exhibition. It is now held every five years in different locations around the globe. Osaka last hosted the expo in 1970 when Japan was booming and its technology the envy of the world. It attracted 64 million people, a record until Shanghai in 2010. Opinion polls before Expo 2025 opened showed low levels of public enthusiasm, with analysts saying inflation and high accommodation costs due to a record influx of foreign tourists to Japan could put people off buying tickets. © 2025 AFP
USA Today
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
12 classic desserts that have stood the test of time
Cheesecake reached classic dessert status in the 1980s thanks to The Cheesecake Factory – Photo courtesy of LauriPatterson / E+ This article was originally published in January 2021 and updated in May 2025. Desserts change, but our sweet tooth doesn't. Our taste for fatty, sweet, creamy, salty, chocolatey treats is a part of our collective DNA. But what desserts we crave aren't just dictated by our hunger, but also by trends. Here are some of the most popular classic desserts broken down by decade since 1900. 1900s | Ice cream cones No classic desserts list can be without ice cream – Photo courtesy of ahirao_photo / iStock Via Getty Images The World's Fair was responsible for many advancements in food technology, and the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri, is the best example. We have the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Expo to thank for introducing puffed rice cereal, French's mustard, and the popularization of cotton candy and hot dogs. Advertisement However, one of the most notable inventions of that show was the ice cream cone — an accidental invention. The story goes that an ice cream vendor ran out of cups to serve ice cream, and a pastry maker in a neighboring booth offered him a thin waffle cone to serve ice cream in. So the next time you grab an ice cream cone, remember you're holding a classic dessert born of ingenuity and innovation. 1910s | Strawberry shortcake The trinity of cake, strawberries and whipped cream come together in this classic dessert – Photo courtesy of ASIFE / iStock Via Getty Images Shortcakes date back to at least the Elizabethan era. But the modern concept of strawberry shortcake, layering slices of strawberries with sponge cake and whipped cream, came about when a French pastry chef replaced the customary sugary frosting topping with heavy whipped cream instead. The classic dessert became so beloved that during the 1910s, you could find it on menus throughout the United States. Advertisement 1920s | S'mores S'mores is short for "some more" which is true because who can ever eat just one of these? – Photo courtesy of bhofack2 / iStock Via Getty Images Thank the Girl Scouts for inventing camping's favorite bonfire treat. The first recipe for s'mores arrived in the 1927 Girl Scout guidebook 'Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts.' The combination of chocolate, marshmallow, and graham crackers was already popular, thanks to Mallomars, which first appeared in 1913, and Moonpies, which launched in 1917. So the world was already hungry for the treat by the time s'mores came around. 1930s | Mock apple pie Frugality was a hallmark of the decade between the two world wars, and the Great Depression meant doing without many things. Clever home cooks, however, always found ways to bring something sweet to the table, and mock apple pie became a staple during these challenging times. Apples were expensive then, so apple pie wasn't the most economical dessert to make. But in the 1930s, someone discovered that the combination of buttery Ritz crackers, lemon, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon resembles the taste and texture of real apple pie, and it became a popular dessert that grew in popularity during World War II. Although Ritz removed the recipe from the back of its cracker box in 1993, it's still available so you can make the classic dessert today. Advertisement 1940s | Twinkies with vanilla filling Twinkie, the famous cream-filled sponge cake, used to be filled with banana cream – Photo courtesy of bhofack2 / iStock Via Getty Images Did you know that, before the 1940s, Twinkies had banana cream filling? But a banana shortage during World War II forced the company to develop a vanilla filling instead. Twinkies have had vanilla filling ever since. In recent years, Hostess has brought back the banana cream-filled Twinkies, but they are not as popular as the tried-and-true vanilla-filled ones. 1950s | Jell-O salads Jell-O salads, including ambrosia, are quintessential classic desserts – Photo courtesy of bhofack2 / iStock Via Getty Images Though Jell-O salads are mostly known as mid-century dishes, they appeared decades earlier and became wildly popular, especially during the Great Depression. Depression-era home cooks trying to stretch their ingredients relied on Jell-O to make food last longer. Of course, a Jell-O salad isn't the type of salad most think of today. They don't usually have greens — unless you mean lime-green Jell-O — but sometimes include vegetables, like carrots. These jiggly creations start with flavored gelatin mixed with a creamy element, fruits, sometimes marshmallows or nuts, and became popular in the 1950s for their ease and fun taste. Today, Jell-O salads are popular throughout the Midwest and the South, especially at church picnics and on holiday tables, served as dessert or salad. 1960s | Pineapple upside-down cake Pineapple upside-down cake is a perennial favorite – Photo courtesy of manyakotic / iStock Via Getty Images The pineapple upside-down cake had a moment in 1925, when the Hawaiian Pineapple Company held a contest to see who could make the best pineapple recipe, inviting nearly 2,500 pineapple upside-down cake entries. But the delightful dessert made a big comeback in the 1950s and 1960s. Advertisement The gorgeous presentation of caramelized pineapples adorned with cherries atop a vanilla cake made it a popular dessert for parties. You were considered the host with the most when you brought your guests a pineapple upside-down cake. 1970s | Carrot cake Despite not being the healthiest dessert, carrot cakes were part of the "hippie food" health craze – Photo courtesy of bhofack2 / iStock Via Getty Images It's believed that carrot cakes derived from carrot puddings made in Europe during the Middle Ages. Carrot cakes became very popular in the 1970s, during what's referred to as the 'hippie food' era. The rise in alternative lifestyles and the focus on health and wellness led to more vegetarianism and more fruit- and vegetable-based diets. Carrot cakes are not considered healthy, especially by today's standards, but they are still one of the decade's most popular desserts. 1980s | Cheesecake The cheesecake possibilities are virtually endless – Photo courtesy of LauriPatterson / E+ Cheesecakes aren't new, but in the 1980s, there was a cheesecake renaissance in the United States. Several cookbooks were published focusing solely on cheesecake and the many ways it can be made and enjoyed. Advertisement In 1972, the Cheesecake Factory opened, slowly expanding over a decade, opening America's eyes to the numerous cheesecake possibilities. Plus, delis and diners across the nation had cake displays filled with eye-catching cheesecake desserts. It truly was a decadent decade. 1990s | Ice cream cakes The ice cream cake is one of the best classic desserts through history – Photo courtesy of Victor Yee / iStock Via Getty Images For millennials, nearly every childhood birthday party memory involves an ice cream cake. Ice cream cakes were all the rage during the 1980s and 1990s, thanks to companies like Friendly's and Carvel. The height of ice cream cake excellence was the Viennetta, a sophisticated ice cream cake made of layers of fudgy chocolate and vanilla ice cream arranged in an ornate design. While the latter is no longer widely available, ice cream cakes still reign supreme in grocery stores and shops nationwide. Advertisement 2000s and beyond | Gourmet cupcakes Cupcakes have always been a classic dessert, but gourmet cupcakes really took off in the early 2000s – Photo courtesy of YinYang / E+ Cupcakes have been around for over 200 years — the first-known cupcake-like dessert appeared in an 18th century cookbook — and kids and adults have been devouring them at school functions, bake sales, potlucks, team picnics, and holidays for generations. But we can thank Carrie Bradshaw and her "Sex and the City" Magnolia Bakery cupcake for the gourmet cupcake craze that swept the nation at the turn of the (current) century. That vanilla cupcake with pink buttercream started a trend of (sometimes) enormous confections made with top-notch ingredients in new flavors like bourbon-vanilla, red velvet with cream cheese, and tiramisu. Entire cupcake shops and mail-order businesses became the norm. Gourmet cupcakes are still going strong today. Cronut Crossing a donut with a croissant put the Cronut in classic dessert status – Photo courtesy of martiapunts / iStock Via Getty Images In 2013, pastry chef Dominique Ansel dropped his latest creation at his New York City bakery: a croissant-donut hybrid that took the city and the world by storm. The Cronut — made of flaky, buttery croissant dough that's deep-fried like a donut, then filled with flavored cream, rolled in sugar, and glazed — took months of development before Ansel unleashed it. Advertisement
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tom Hanks to Star in ‘This World of Tomorrow' Play, Which He Wrote, This Fall
Tom Hanks will wear many hats this fall when he stars in a new off-Broadway play, This World of Tomorrow, based on his own short stories via a script he co-wrote with playwright James Glossman. Kenny Leon, who directed the production of Othello starring Denzel Washington and a recent revival of Our Town, will also direct. The plot centers on Bert Allenberry (Hanks' character), a time-traveling scientist from the future visiting the 1939 World's Fair in Queens in search of true love. Allenberry makes the trip through time again and again in the play, which will get its world premiere at the New York City venue, the Shed. Previews begin Oct. 30 and the production will run through Dec. 21. Tickets go on sale July 24. More from Rolling Stone Chet Hanks Reenacts 'Forrest Gump' Alongside Tom Hanks In New Music Video How to Watch the Tom Hanks-Narrated Wildlife Series 'The Americas' Online Brandi Carlile Premieres Nature-Inspired Track 'Wandering' 'To explore the themes of love and yearning, and the struggles of Today as we carry with us the eternal memories of the Past, in such a place as The Shed, strikes me as a one-of-a-kind experience, not unlike the World's Fair of 1939,' Hanks said in a statement. 'It will be a joy to experience Tom leading the cast on stage in this time-traveling adventure of the limitless power of love and the distance one is willing to go for it,' Leon said. 'This story explores a fascinating tale of the echoes of past generations, the often-surprising collisions between them, and what is carried forward with an authentic humor I can't wait to bring to life in the [Shed's] Griffin Theater.' Hanks last took the stage a little over a decade ago in Lucky Guy, a play written by Nora Ephron (who directed Hanks in Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail). Hanks' performance in that play garnered Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle, and Tony Award nominations. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Best 'Saturday Night Live' Characters of All Time Denzel Washington's Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best 70 Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century
