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A classic scene from 'Elf' was almost scrapped at the request of Macy's, according to the director

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:05 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Santa doesn’t smell like “beef and cheese” as far as Macy’s is concerned.The 2003 Christmas film “Elf” produced a number of now-classic scenes, including Buddy’s first taste of the “World’s Best” coffee and his attempt to hug a feral raccoon. But arguably the most memorable scene — when Buddy exposes a department-store Santa as an imposter — was almost scrapped before it was filmed.In a 2013 interview with Rolling Stone, “Elf” director Jon Favreau explained that the scene was nearly nixed in order to appease Macy’s, which had offered to let the production film at Santaland inside its flagship location on 34th Street in Manhattan.Macy’s, however, didn’t like the idea of being associated with an “imposter” Santa Claus, according to Favreau. So if “Elf” wanted to film at the Santaland in Macy's, or even mention Macy’s in the movie, the scene had to go.“We had to think long and hard about it,” Favreau told Rolling Stone in 2013. “We ended up filming it in the cafeteria of a ...

Unique items from various countries all under one roof at Latin American Marketplace

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:05 GMT

A one- of- kind marketplace is coming to Aurora next the weekend of December 16.From hand- crafted clothing, to pastries unique items from various countries will all be under one roof at the Latin American Marketplace at Fox Valley Mall.Shaiska Malca from the DuPage Hispanic Alliance joined the WGN Morning News to talk about the show.

Comedy and stunts at Leah Orleans 'Tiny Girl Big Show'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:05 GMT

A unique one- woman comedy stand-up is happening Saturday at the Raven Room.Unlike your typical comedians, she'll be pulling off some jaw- dropping stunts.Creator and star of the "Tiny Girl Big Show" Leah Orleans joined the WGN Weekend Morning News to talk about her show.           

Federal court convicts Round Rock man of stealing $600k through wire fraud

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:05 GMT

ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) – A federal court convicted Friday a Round Rock man of wire fraud, sentencing him to two years in prison.Daniel Akira Mills, 22, participated in a wire fraud conspiracy that involved “SIM card swaps” and defrauding people of hundreds of thousands of dollars. A SIM card swap attack involves a perpetrator gaining control of a victim’s mobile phone, which allows the actor to access accounts linked to their phone number, according to the United States Department of Justice.The actors in this case were accused of posting messages to victims’ social media accounts, disseminating private photographs taken from celebrities' accounts, and stealing over $600,00 in cryptocurrency from dozens around the country, according to the DOJ. “We now run much of our lives through smartphones. From social media to managing our finances, they have become essential tools. This can be very helpful, but also comes with many risks,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western Dis...

Texas' best chain restaurant locations, according to TripAdvisor

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:05 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Picking a new restaurant can be intimidating, especially for people who want something they know they'll like. But if you look at most review websites, you might notice most people just don't bother rating chain restaurants.And while review sites, like TripAdvisor, are a wealth of information for discovering great eats from independent businesses, they can also offer insight into which chain restaurants get high marks. What’s Texas’ most popular Christmas song? So in case you've ever wondered, here are TripAdvisor's highest rated chain restaurants in Texas. But first a quick note on the methodology: in order to be considered, a business needed to have at least 10 relatively recent reviews. Because of this, there may potentially be locations that have higher bubble ratings than the top locations listed, however, the volume and date of their ratings may not have met these criteria for inclusion.When possible, we've taken care to highlight restaurants with technically low...

Letters: Among metro transit-rail systems, ours is an outlier — to ill effect

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:05 GMT

Control access, collect the fare, improve safetyDuring part of my career I had to travel a great deal. Mostly to our larger metropolitan cities. Many of which had light rail or subway systems incorporated into their mass transit system. New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Atlanta to name a few. All have things in common. A combination of above- and below-ground routes. Their routes were determined by geography and impact on the community. For the most part it seems it was thought out and laid out well before it was built.They all have one thing in common: You pay for your ride as you enter the station or facility. A controlled entry point to collect the fare. Which in larger stations acts as a security checkpoint as well.The question I have is this: When the developers of our light rail debacle did their research, what led them to believe that an honor system would work to collect passenger fares or have any impact on the safety of those using the trains?I have ridden the s...

Working Strategies: Change is possible at any age

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:05 GMT

Amy LindgrenSecond Sunday Series – Editor’s Note: This is the fourth of 12 columns on making a career change which appear the second Sunday of the month, from September through August. Last month’s column presented 10 ideas for choosing a new career, while the months before offered a sample timeline and questions to consider when changing careers. Have you ever wondered how career change in your 60s would compare to changing careers in your 40s or 50s? That’s easy: It’s the same, only different.The same? Process. No matter your age, you’ll still need to identify the next work and find a way to get started. Different? The steps might be speeded up and the stakes could feel higher. At this stage, you don’t have the same margin for error as when you were younger. For example, while long-term retraining wouldn’t be off the table, it needs to be weighed carefully to ensure the payoff.It would be hard to estimate how many people make this leap in their seventh decade (or later), partly be...

Benefit for kitten rescue at Frog Alley Brewing Dec. 17

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:05 GMT

CAPITAL REGION, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A local band is getting ready for a holiday benefit concert, featuring more than a dozen other local musicians. It's all to raise money for a non-profit animal rescue. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! Members of Lucid Street put together the show set for December 17th at Frog Alley Brewing Co. in Schenectady. The money raised at the event will go to AnimaLovers, a Capital Region-based organization that provides cat adoption and rescue services. While it’s about help good cause, it’s also a chance to shine a spotlight on the 518 music scene.

Temple Israel shooter in court

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:05 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - The man accused of firing his shotgun near the Temple Israel was in federal court Friday morning and NEWS10 has the latest on the charges he is facing. Route 50 Diner to reopen 28-year-old Mufid Alkhader could be seen leaving federal court less than 24 hours after he allegedly fire shots at temple Israel. Alkhader was born in Iraq is now a us citizen and living in Schenectady.  Police say he fired his shotgun two times in the air in front of Temple Israel. He was arrested shortly thereafter in a nearby lot. Police say they are investigating this as a hate crime. “We were told by responding officers that he made a comment ‘free Palestine’," said Chief Eric Hawkins.Courts documents obtained by NEWS10 reveal Alkhader also told police that the conflict in the middle east has had an impact on him and he also admitted to being a regular marijuana user. Feds want lead out of water pipes within 10 years Investigators concluded the gun used came from out of s...

Nuggets’ Michael Malone on Jamal Murray’s late-game ejection vs. Rockets: “He was getting choked”

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:05 GMT

Not for the first time this season, the defending NBA champions have gripes with the way they’re being officiated.Tensions were already high Friday night as the Nuggets were attempting to overcome a seemingly insurmountable 25-point deficit in the last nine minutes. With an 18-0 run, they finally got a stir out of Ball Arena, a justifiably lifeless building for the first three quarters given the home team’s performance. The Rockets were perhaps tensing up a bit. This game had everything. Except a referee controversy.In the final four minutes, Jamal Murray was ejected after picking up two technical fouls in quick succession, Michael Porter Jr. was handed a technical for slamming the ball in response to a foul call, and it was a miracle Nikola Jokic didn’t get one or two of his own after he vehemently argued whistles (or the lack thereof) during his post battles with Alperen Sengun.Murray joined Jokic and coach Michael Malone in the Nuggets’ club of ejectees th...