CHICAGO - Starbucks Corp., the world's largest coffee-shop chain, will sell beer and wine at more locations to lure customers during the slower afternoon and evening hours.
The chain, which first served alcohol in October 2010 at a Seattle store, will sell beer and wine in as many as 25 locations by the end of this year, the Seattle-based company said in a statement Monday. Stores in Chicago, Atlanta and Southern California are among the new locations, Starbucks said.
The specific stores have been "carefully selected" and are larger and have more seating than regular Starbucks sites, Clarice Turner, senior vice president of U.S. operations, said in an interview Monday. Starbucks also is selling fruit-and-cheese plates and focaccia with olive oil at the stores that serve alcohol, she said. The company isn't considering the concept for the whole chain, Turner said.
"It won't be at every Starbucks store ever," she said.
At the six stores that now sell alcohol in Seattle and Portland, Oregon, beer is $5 and glasses of wine are $7 to $9. Starbucks is creating the bar menu "so it's relevant to local taste preferences," Turner said, declining to name specific brands that the stores will carry.
"They have plenty of business in the morning," Sara Senatore, a New York-based analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. said in an interview. Starbucks isn't making full use of its workers and real estate in the later part of the day, she said.
Other restaurants, such as Dunkin' Donuts, have introduced non-breakfast foods to attract people after the morning hours. McDonald's sells coffee drinks, smoothies and McSnack wraps during its slower afternoon time.
Selling alcohol probably won't hurt profit at Starbucks, Senatore said. Most alcoholic beverages have about a 75 percent margin, which is comparable to coffee drinks, she said.
There could be some additional expenses for bartenders, insurance and licensing, Senatore said.
"The incremental costs are really going to be about labor," she said.
There are more than 10,700 Starbucks cafes in the United States and about 6,200 internationally.
What do Zooey Deschanel, Keith Olbermann and Billy Bob Thornton have in common?
Aside from fame, the trio reportedly suffer from food sensitivities and allergies that limit what they can eat. And they aren't alone. It's no secret that serious food allergies are on the rise. Between 6 and 8 percent of children suffer from potentially fatal reactions to food -- as do about 4 percent of adults, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. And while between 100 and 200 people die each year in the United States from allergic reactions to food, extreme reactions don't tell the whole story of food sensitivity in America. Conditions like Celiac disease, which is a profound gastrointestinal intolerance for gluten, has quadrupled in the past 60 years, according to recent research.
That means alternatives to gluten, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts and other common irritants and allergens are more important than ever. And the public face of food allergies is as well: a 2010 study published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the journal from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, found that 35 percent of school-aged children with food allergies are bullied specifically about their limitations.
On the other hand, constant discussion of food allergies in the media can influence the way we perceive reactions to food: while only about 4 percent of adults actually have food allergies, about 15 percent believe they have them.
Make sure to see a specialist to determine if a reaction is truly due to a food allergy or sensitivity before eliminating a food group from your diet. But, in the meantime, 16 celebrities to keep company with the food intolerant among you:
January 23, 2012 (WHEATON, Ill.) (WLS) -- A judge sentenced a west suburban man to 40 years in prison for killing his mother after she refused to buy him concert tickets.
Robert Lyons, 39, formerly of Carol Stream, stabbed Linda Bolek, 61, to death in March of 2008.
Prosecutors say he got into an argument with his mother after she refused to call a friend to obtain skybox tickets for him to an upcoming Avril Lavigne concert. Lyons then hit Bolek with a cognac bottle, stabbed her repeatedly and poured chemicals like Tile-X, Drain-O and Rapid insecticide over her body.
He was found several hours later at a Hooters restaurant.
"Today, Mr. Lyons learned that he will spend the next 40 years of his life behind bars for the vicious murder of his mother," State's Atty. Robert Berlin said in a statement. "Linda Bolek did not deserve to die that day by the hands of her own son. She did not deserve to be beaten, stabbed and have chemicals poured over her as she lay helpless on the floor. "Mr. Lyons however, deserves this punishment. He has earned it and he deserves to spend what likely amounts to the rest of his life removed from society," Berlin said.
A Saudi woman who defied a driving ban in the kingdom was injured and her companion killed when their car overturned in the northern Hael province, a police spokesman said on Monday.
"One woman was immediately killed and her companion who was driving the car was hospitalised after she suffered several injuries" when their four-wheel-drive vehicle overturned late on Saturday, said police spokesman Abdulaziz al-Zunaidi.
Ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are not allowed to drive. However, they get behind the wheel in desert regions away from the capital. There have been several incidents reported in recent years of women being killed in accidents while driving despite the ban, one of a host of restrictions imposed on women in the kingdom.
In November 2010, a Saudi who defied the driving ban was killed along with three of her 10 female passengers when her car overturned in a crash.
A group of activists launched an internet campaign last year urging Saudi women to defy the ban on driving.
The icon of the campaign, Manal al-Sherif, a 32-year-old computer security consultant, was arrested on May 22 and detained for 10 days after posting on YouTube a video of herself driving her car around the eastern city of Khobar.
Since then, women regularly get behind the wheels of their cars, according to the activists.
Five Saudi women were arrested while driving in late June in Jeddah.
Women in the kingdom who have the means hire drivers while others must depend on the goodwill of male relatives.
They are also obliged to be veiled in public, and cannot travel unless accompanied by their husbands or a close male relative.
Wow. Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi from Jersey Shore actually looks semi-normal when you strip away the fake eyelashes and several gallons of lipstick and bronzer.
Seriously, she's demonstrably average looking!
The 24-year-old drunken maniac / reality star tweeted this all-natural photo of herself earlier today, with the caption "no make up today, and IDC [I Don't Care]."
Doesn't she look surprisingly decent? And probably 10 pounds lighter when you take off all that crap?
You tell us. Check out these Snooki pics decide for yourself which is the better look. We think without.
Like mother, like daughter.
Kaia Gerber, the 10-year old child of superstar runway icon Cindy Crawford, has been selected as the face of Donatella Versace's new childrenswear line.
"I'm so thrilled that Kaia was chosen to be part of the first Young Versace Campaign," said Cindy Crawford. "I have so many fond memories of the times I spent with Gianni and Donatella. There is something so very special about the House of Versace.
Being on set with my daughter and watching her in front of the camera was a fantastic experience. I am so proud of her." Because we asked when Kendall Jenner struck a few modeling poses - although she did so in a bikini - we must now remain consistent and inquire: 10 years old? Is that too young to be placed in this kind of position?
A-ha! The puzzle has been solved. The National Enquirer has discovered the identity of Khloe Kardashian's father, and the answer is a killer:
O.J. Simpson!
Following the ridiculous, unproven rumor that Khloe is the product of an affair between Kris Jenner and a mystery man, this tabloid has now published an equally ridiculous and unproven rumor: that the former Buffalo Bills running back and likely murderer was that man.
The cover story should actually come as good news to the family. It's given Kim Kardashian a chance to prove she's not a robot, as she actually made us laugh with the following Tweet in response to this report:
"It makes sense now. Khloe u are so tan!"
It may be the job of Jennifer Lopez to give her opinions on season 11 of American Idol - which kicks off tonight - but the singer's boyfriend has comforting news for all that don't receive Golden Tickets:
It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks!
"Age, status, n opinions of others are irrelevant," Casper Smart Tweeted this morning. "Our hearts are endless and our souls infinite. Our ages are mere reminders of the hours logged on this earth and the precious time remaining."
The 24-year old dancer added: "We should all honor our time here by indulging our passion and dreams. So, close your ears and open your hearts; Love and be happy!"
J. Lo proceeded to reTweet the messages, meaning... we have no idea actually. But, hey, as long as these two are enjoying themselves!
Brad Pitt does three things when starring in a movie: dive into his character, look really handsome.. and eat.
It's been well documented by now how frequently the two-time Oscar nominee chows down on film; from his earliest roles to his most recent two films, Pitt seems to always be chewing and/or slurping. In fact, the writers at NY Magazine's Vulture blog put together a master list of all his eating scenes, coming up with over 50 different dishes on the Pitt menu, including three different kinds of sandwiches and carrots cooked in multiple ways.
Now, MovieClips.com has put together a supercut montage of many of his eating scenes, which will make you hungry in more ways than one.
We have some more details on that Louboutin strip show!
Christian Louboutin is indeed directing a show at Crazy Horse, “the most avant-garde cabaret in Paris”. Here are the facts:
1. It’s called Feu, which means fire in French, and will run from March 5 to May 31.
2. The show consists of four tableaux, which (as we learned last week) involve naked ladies who don’t move.
3. Managing Director Andrée Deissenberg thinks it’s a natural fit: “Christian Louboutin and Crazy Horse Paris are symbols of Parisian life whose worlds know no borders; symbols of the world of creativity, wonder and modernity. They share the same sources of inspiration — women, of course, but also the world around them —and both are exceptionally skilled at producing unique and surprising creations.”
4. David Lynch and Swizz Beats composed original music for Feu.
5. And this is a photo of the designer with naked Crazy Horse dancers who appear to lack nipples though they do have Loubs:
While it’s true that skin lightening is a common and despicable tool that photo manipulators use to make brown people look more white (and therefore more “relatable” and “commercial”, at least as far as closeminded white people are concerned), it’s also true that skin lightening is a comprehensive process. After all, you can’t forget that someone is Black if half of them is white and the other half of them is brown. And that’s what’s going on here. Beyonce’s face, arms and decolletage are washed out, but her hips and thighs are the same rich brown that they’ve always been.
And that indicates to us that there’s no foul play going on here. The photographer probably got his lighting kit too close to Beyonce’s upper half and washed her out a touch too much. And we get that that won’t be a good enough explanation for some people who see the ad and cry wolf — some may even see it as a pathetic excuse for an abhorrent practice designed to make people with brown skin look like something they’re not. And at face value, that’s exactly what happened.
But we don’t think that was anyone’s intent with this photo. Beyonce has never been more herself or more in control of her image than she is right now. This album, 4, is probably one of the most revealing personal statements of an album than any other released by a pop star in the last year — and that’s because Beyonce was in control of all of it. And we just don’t think she would lie about herself to promote something so real by altering the way she looks.
It's no secret that Jenelle Evans is on a downward spiral.
A rep for the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ the Teen Mom 2 star was arrested Monday in North Carolina for violating a domestic violence protective order. The 20-year-old single mother was immediately taken into custody.
Details surrounding Evans' recent arrest are unclear, though she was arrested six days earlier for allegedly harassing her ex-roommate, Hannah Inman.
On Sunday, Evans attended church with boyfriend Gary Head before going to "shoot guns for the first time with him," according to her official Facebook page.
Evans -- mom to son Jace, 2 -- is still on probation for her involvement in a 2011 street fight.
Ready to see David Beckham's chiseled abs in action?
In addition to finding out which team becomes the NFL's 2011-2012 champs and Madonna's buzzed-about halftime performance, H&M is providing an additional reason to tune into Super Bowl XLVI.
On February 5 during the second quarter of the game, H&M will debut a 30-second ad starring Beckham himself to launch their new David Beckham Bodywear collection -- a first for both the brand and the L.A. Galaxy soccer star.
"We're thrilled with this campaign and excited to captivate viewers' attention during the Super Bowl, the biggest stage in the world to unveil our ad campaign." Steve Lubomski, Director of Marketing for H&M North America, said in a statement.
The underwear line, which Beckham and his in-house creative team designed, includes briefs, boxers, T-shirts, pajamas and long johns for men and will hit H&M stores February 2.
"The underwear is totally my designs, and are things that I like to wear," Beckham, 36, told U.K. newspaper The Sun. "I sometimes wear them to go to sleep -- they're very cool," he explained.
Amber Rose made headlines earlier this month when she claimed that Kim Kardashian was responsible for her split from then-boyfriend Kanye West. The model/singer called the reality star a "home wrecker" in a tabloid interview and stuck by her claims when he stopped by Access Hollywood Live on Tuesday.
"The story I said in Star magazine is very true. It's a very, very true story," Amber claimed to Billy Bush and Kit Hoover.
In the interview with Star, Amber alleged that Kim hooked up with Kanye while she was dating the rap star.
According to the 29-year-old, her emotions got the best of her which led to her comments.
"I didn't want to stoop down to that level by calling her a home wrecker. I kind of just spoke on my emotions at the time," Amber, who is now dating rapper Wiz Khalifa, continued. "I'm not upset about what happened anymore because I got past it. I was just upset that every interview I've had, they ask me why was I the cause of her and Reggie [Bush] breaking up, and it was just not true."
Adding," I have a reputation. Also, and I just had to set that straight for people to know exactly what it is. I wasn't the one that did that to her, she actually did that to me."
Amber, who just released her first single, "Fame," with Wiz Khalifa, admitted she doesn't even know the reality star.
"I've never been friends with Kim, I don't know her personally," she told Billy and Kit. "I didn't want it to look like I was just going after Kim... and just like, kick her when she was down. I just wanted to set the record straight."
A rep for Kim was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Access Hollywood .
The mystery surrounding the real identity of Khloe Kardashian's biological father can be solved with a simple DNA test, and RadarOnline.com has learned there's a $250,000 offer on the table.
Sirius XM Satellite personality Gregg 'Opie' Hughes of The Opie & Anthony Show announced on Tuesday morning that he would ante up a quarter of a million dollars if Khloe, 27, would take a DNA test to prove that the late Robert Kardashian is her father.
If Khloe accepts, the $250,000 will be donated to a charity of her choice.
As Star magazine revealed in a blockbuster exclusive, two of Robert's previous wives — both after his marriage to Kris Jenner ended — have come forward claiming the late attorney told them Khloe is not his biological daughter and she is in fact the result of an affair on Kris' behalf.
"Robert did question the fact that Khloe was his. Any normal man would if they knew their wife had cheated on him," Robert's widow, Ellen Kardashian, told Star.
“He never would have considered a DNA test. He loved her very much."
And while Robert may not have cared about a DNA test, it seems the public is very interested!
Adding fuel to the faux fire, Humphries tweeted last week, "I can't wait for the truth to come out! People will be surprised or maybe they won't."
It's only a matter of time before Humphries tells all -- unless that is, "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" producers get to him first.
Check out Humphries' bended knee moment below:
In the clip, Obama writes a postcard making the request to White, then enjoys the soothing tune "Thank You For Being A Friend," on his iPod.
We're not sure how many hipster votes Obama just re-won with this, but considering the write-in campaign that got Betty White a hosting gig on "SNL", it's probably a lot.
Watch the videos below of the official video message from the President and a short interview with Betty White.
The singer nabbed the "Best Original Song" Golden Globe last night for her ballad "Masterpiece," which she co-wrote and sang for her film "W.E." to the chagrin of many, especially Elton John's husband David Furnish.
"Madonna winning Best Original Song truly shows how these awards have nothing to do with merit," Furnish wrote on his Facebook page. "Her acceptance speech was embarrassing in its narcissism. And her critisism of Gaga shows how desperate she really is."
But Madonna doesn't take insults lightly. When Ricky Gervais introduced Madonna as being "just like a virgin" as she headed to the stage to present the award for "Best Foreign Language Film" she said, "If I'm still just like a virgin, Ricky, then why don't you come over here and do something about it? I haven't kissed a girl in a few years -- on TV."
Of course, her recent slam against Lady Gaga for her 2010 tune "Born This Way," thought to be transparently similar to Madonna's "Express Yourself," can't be forgotten. "I thought, this is a wonderful way to redo my song," she told ABC News in an interview with "20/20." "I mean, I recognized the chord changes. I thought it was... interesting."
The pop legend has had a busy start to the year. In addition to basking in the glory of her directorial debut, her album "M.D.N.A." is set to hit in March.
Lindsay Lohan may have gotten off the hook in court on Tuesday morning, but the actress is now facing a possibility scarier than jail time: Losing the role of Elizabeth Taylor to Megan Fox in the upcoming Lifetime movie "Liz and Dick."
Last week, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Lohan was in early talks to immortalize the Hollywood legend, but it was recently reported that the deal is far from done.
"I've been talking to Lindsay Lohan directly, and with her reps, and have been in conversation with other actresses, including Megan Fox," the movie's executive producer Larry Thompson told E! News. "It's a very serious selection. It's like casting Hollywood royalty."
While Fox is appearing in "Friends With Kids" alongside Jon Hamm and Kristen Wiig and "This Is 40," out next December, Lohan's biggest project at the moment is clearing her criminal record and getting her career back on track. According to TMZ, a decision is rumored to be made early next week.
When her one-time fiancee Heath Ledger passed away in 2008, the paparazzi swarmed on Williams, and as she tells GQ in their new cover story, it became a nightmare to deal with.
"It was making me crazy. I felt like I was going crazy. It was too much -- trying to deal with what had happened and trying to deal with what was at our doorstep," she tells the magazine. "I just felt trapped. And it's not just me -- there's somebody else who I'm trying to protect, and I can't. I can't make it stop, I can't make it go away. Trying to find ways to explain it or shield her from it. It's like you're trying to go about your life, and make dinner...but the roof is off of your house, and the walls are falling down."
Williams, who thanked her six-year-old daughter during her acceptance speech on Sunday night, told the audience at the show that Matilda's "bravery and exuberance is the example that I take with me in my work and in my life" and told the audience that the thought of Ledger still brings her to tears. Reuniting with him, she said, is "one of my favorite things to imagine."
Soon after his passing, Williams went to work on Martin Scorsese's thriller "Shutter Island," in which she co-starred with Leonardo Di Caprio. After about a year of Williams' avoiding work, director Derek Cianfrance came calling, asking her to fulfill her commitment to star in "Blue Valentine." She said no at first -- she couldn't stand the thought of moving to California for the shoot -- but finally agreed when Cianfrance offered to shoot the picture on the east coast, never more than an hour from her Brooklyn home.
Now, she stars in "Marilyn," taking on the iconic actress and sex symbol. As the Hollywood Foreign Press Association can attest, she nailed with remarkable accuracy Monroe's sex appeal -- along with her mental anguish and manic personality. Doing so was an out of body experience, as she told Vogue last year.
"I do remember one moment of being all suited up as Marilyn and walking from my dressing room onto the soundstage practicing my wiggle," she said. "There were three or four men gathered around a truck, and I remember seeing that they were watching me come and feeling that they were watching me go--and for the very first time I glimpsed some idea of the pleasure I could take in that kind of attention; not their pleasure but my pleasure. And I thought, Oh, maybe Marilyn felt that when she walked down the beach."
That fit right in with her approach to sexuality in film. Following a role as a risque teenager in "Dawson's Creek" and a small stage play in New York in which she had to strip on a nightly basis, Williams long held a pledge to herself.
"When you play sexy you're kind of playing just for men. That is something you have to police and turn it on its head," she says.
Her next role is decidedly clothed and unsexy; she plays Glinda the Good Witch in "Oz: The Great and Powerful," Disney's prequel to "The Wizard of Oz." That film, she's said time and time again, is for her daughter; after starring in such mature films as "Brokeback Mountain," "Blue Valentine" and "Synecdoche, New York," she'd like Matilda to be able to see her mom star in a film.
After all, Matilda already inspires all of her mother's other films.
When the comedic actor stepped on stage to present the award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture- Comedy or Musical with Kate Beckinsale, he started off by simply introducing himself. But it only went downhill from there.
"Hello, I'm Seth Rogen and I am currently trying to conceal a massive erection," he seemingly read of the teleprompter. A clearly uncomfortable Beckinsale chuckled nervously and mouthed, "How nice" as the audience laughed uproariously.
And though that might have been the highest level of awkwardness the Golden Globes achieved -- sorry, Ricky Gervais -- there certainly were others. From Rob Lowe and Julianne Moore's teleprompter malfunction to a "Downton Abbey" winner's trip up the stairs, check out the video above to see which moments from the ceremony left the audience cringing.
