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The “Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade” will be televised Dec. 25, and it will feature performances from all four Walt Disney World theme parks and other attractions.

Viewers will see Lady A sing “Winter Wonderland” from  Epcot’s World Celebration Gardens, Bebe Rexha perform “Last Christmas” at Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom, Coco Jones with “This Christmas” from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Mariah the Scientist with “Please Come Home for Christmas” at the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Other performers will include Nicole Scherzinger as well as Gwen Stefani from Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland and Iam Tongi performing from Aulani, the Disney resort in Hawaii.

The prerecorded broadcast is hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro (“Dancing With the Stars”) and Ginnifer Goodwin (“Zootopia 2”). Maia Kealoha, the 9-year-old actress who plays Lilo in the 2025 live-action film “Lilo and Stitch,” serves as “parade correspondent,” Disney says.

The production also includes parade footage from Magic Kingdom’s Main Street USA with floats and Disney characters. It airs on Disney-owned ABC at 10 a.m. on Christmas Day, then streams on Disney+, Hulu and the Disney YouTube channel at 11 a.m. The broadcast remains available for streaming through Jan. 4.

Folks wanting a real-life parade experience at Magic Kingdom can see “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade” at noon and 3 p.m. daily through Dec. 31 at the theme park. It is staged like it is during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.  The park is running its “Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away” parade, which debuted this year, at 7 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.

Also still streaming is “The Wonderful World of Disney: Holiday Spectacular,” which originally aired Dec. 1.  The show — also available on Disney+, Hulu and YouTube — features entertainers such as Trisha Yearwood, Good Charlotte and Aloe Blacc, plus appearances by Ke Huy Quan and Nate Torrence from “Zootopia 2.”  The show is narrated by Goodwin and hosted by Derek Hough, who also dances in the program.

dbevil@orlandosentinel.com

Slow Burn Theatre Co.’s high standards for assembling top-notch casts glow red-hot in its enthralling presentation of “Disney’s Frozen,” playing through January at Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center for the Performing Arts.

Directed with finesse by Patrick Fitzwater, this rendition clicks all the boxes with superb singing and acting; sharp dancing choreographed by Cat Pagano; excellent stagecraft including lighting, set design and projections; and magnificent costumes. Fitzwater, Slow Burn’s artistic director and co-founder, seamlessly manages his cast of 32 with precision.

The musical features a book by Jennifer Lee (who also wrote the 2013 Disney film) and original songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. Surely by now, most people — at least those who see movies, attend theater or don’t live under a rock — have heard of “Disney’s Frozen,” or at least its most famous song, “Let It Go.” As with many Disney works, “Frozen” can be enjoyed by children and adults alike.

At its heart, “Disney’s Frozen” is about family bonds, especially those between sisters, as well as finding and accepting your identity, embracing kindness and positiveness, and letting go of negativity. These are timeless themes. And the song “Let It Go” adds another level — it’s a showstopper that’s an anthem about the future, about growing up and taking responsibility.

“Disney’s Frozen” revolves around two sisters and princesses: Elsa and the younger Anna. Elsa’s magical powers can create ice and snow, which entertain Anna (“Do You Want To Build a Snowman?”). But after Elsa accidentally harms Anna, nearly killing her, their parents separate the sisters and close the castle to the community to keep the princesses safe. (In addition to healing Anna, the leaders of a nearby troll community also erase her memory.)

Then the king and queen of Arendelle die in a storm at sea, but the sisters’ separation continues until Elsa is crowned queen when she is 21. At the coronation, Anna meets dishy Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. It’s love at first sight. He proposes. She accepts. But Elsa refuses to give her permission, urging her not to marry someone she just met.

The sisters quarrel, causing Elsa’s powers to erupt, which puts Arendelle in permanent winter. Elsa flees to the mountains, planning to live alone. Anna follows with the help of ice harvester Kristoff, his reindeer, Sven, and Olaf the snowman.

Lea Marinelli as Elsa and Kristi Rose Mills as Anna exude chemistry, making the audience believe they truly are sisters and best friends with a deep love for each other. Marinelli’s powerful voice commands the stage. She also is steely and, of course, icy in order to protect Anna, her community and herself. Mills’ strong voice is the definition of exuberance as she is both playful and determined. Marinelli’s rendition of “Let It Go” is indeed a showstopper — in several ways. (No spoilers!)

They receive terrific support from Jason Ivan Rodriguez as Kristoff, Milo Alosi as the charismatic Hans, and Aaron Atkinson as the puppeteer maneuvering reindeer Sven. Comic relief and constant smiles shine from Kalen Edean as Olaf and John Luis Mazuelos as Weselton (a dignitary from a neighboring kingdom). The trolls, Bulda (Kareema Khouri) and Pabbie (Jarod Bakum), are high energy.

The large ensemble is on point, with an extra boost from several performers who have had starring roles in Slow Burn productions, such as Mikayla Cohen and Jerel Brown. The child actors alternate. One night, Blaire DiMisa played a young Elsa and Penelope Martone was young Anna — both were delightful.

The production staff deserve many kudos, visualizing the constant swirling snowfall, flashes of a storm through the sky, Elsa’s ice palace and the mountains. These are brought to life by scenic designer Nikolas Serrano, with lighting by Eric Norbury, projections by André Russell, sound by Dan Donato, and Timothy Shaun Dickey as technical director. Wilhelm Peters as production stage manager and Jolie Rubinchik as assistant stage manager keep the production running smoothly.

Rick Peña’s costumes are nothing short of magnificent. He worked more than a year on them, from the beautiful gowns of Elsa and Anna to the outfits worn by the servants, mountain people and others. (This includes a jaw-dropping stunner.) His hard work shows.

Slow Burn again has produced a highly entertaining show. Sing “Let It Go,” but do not let “Disney’s Frozen” go without seeing this musical.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: “Disney’s Frozen,” presented by Slow Burn Theatre Co.

WHEN: Through Sunday, Jan. 4

WHERE: Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale

COST: Starts at $91.45, available by calling 954-462-0222, visiting browardcenter.org or going to Broward Center’s AutoNation Box Office

INFORMATION: slowburntheatre.org

A version of this review ran in floridatheateronstage.com.

By LEANNE ITALIE

NEW YORK (AP) — With Labubus hanging from our bags, Dubai chocolate in our bellies and “6-7” ringing in our ears, it’s almost time to bid farewell to a few things that went hard in 2025.

Scat. Don’t follow us into the new year. You’ve had your 15 minutes. We’re over you.

Deep six the ‘6-7’ gripes

The young have made up slang for centuries. For Gen Alpha and their juniors, it’s skibidi and rizz and, yes, “6-7.” The numbers come with a juggling-esque, palms-up hand gesture and serve to annoy lots of teachers and parents (it’s the frequency, group pile on and decibel level that really gets ’em).

Just breathe, dear grownies. Your youth-speak also served to annoy. It’s just, that was a long time ago and you don’t really remember it. But wait. There’s a whole ‘nother contingent of adults who are all in on “6-7.” Please stop. It’s not yours. You don’t get to say it. You receive zero cool parent points.

Like most memes, there’s an origin story: rapper Skrilla’s “6-7” lyric in “Doot Doot (6 7),” for starters, along with Charlotte Hornet LaMelo Ball’s height. The 6-7-ness of it all blew up on TikTok and stayed put throughout 2025.

So what does it actually mean? Nothing, but it serves its purpose: To be random and to confuse the unfamiliar. It also did well as clickbait for Dictionary.com, which made the two numbers its word of the year.

Mission accomplished, “6-7.” Farewell.

Positive vibes only?

Maintain a positive mindset. At all times. No matter what.

Sorry, toxic positivity people, but that’s not how human emotion works, especially in these divisive times. Emotion shaming, in many ways, was on the march in 2025.

“Good vibes only.” “Don’t be so negative.” “It could be worse.” Sounds harmless, or even helpful, with empathy. Often, though, those words are shot like arrows to quelch legit feelings for no good reason.

Optimism in itself is a great thing, with numerous studies over the decades demonstrating a link between a positive outlook and good health outcomes. That said, check your “positive vibes only” demand at the door as we head into a new year. In other words, just let them…

Feel the feels. Get help if you need it. Suppression is oppression.

Protein, protein everywhere

Protein is a fundamental building block. We need protein. But does the average healthy adult need THIS much added protein? Big Food has produced an onslaught of high-protein processed foods, from Starbucks foam for drinks to Pop-Tarts, popcorn, cookies and muffins.

Here’s the thing, according to nutritionists: Your body is pretty good at making protein. You do need a small amount from food, unless you’re bulking or maxing. In which case, do you.

The amount of protein you need depends on your age, weight and personal nutritional needs. It’s especially important to make sure children and older adults get enough protein-rich foods.

That said, let’s leave behind the mass commodification of added protein in processed foods that just might not be so healthy to begin with.

Logic.

Say bye-bye to Labubu

The plush toy/charm/collectible famously known as Labubu has been around for a decade, but it’s only in the last year or so the thing reached craze level in the U.S.

China’s Pop Mart began U.S. sales of the furry little monsters on key rings back in 2023. Now, they’re everywhere. Labubu hashtags on TikTok and Instagram have morphed into numerous search word combinations with millions of hits.

Boomers on down to kids collect Labubu and its pals, all of which sport pointy ears and serrated teeth. Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and Lisa of Blackpink have shown theirs off. So have David Beckham and Dillon Brooks.

Thank you Kasing Lung. Back in 2015, the Hong Kong-born artist and illustrator raised in the Netherlands created the character and a universe of monsters for picture books inspired by the tales of Nordic mythology he enjoyed as a child.

Peak saturation has been achieved. The new year may be just the right time to say labu-bye.

Taking sides to the nth degree

“There is unrest in the Forest. There is trouble with the trees. For the Maples want more sunlight. And the Oaks ignore their pleas.”

Consider that a parable, courtesy of a little band called Rush in the 1978 song “The Trees.” Sound familiar?

If 2025 was anything, it was about taking sides, as opposed to, oh let’s see, meaningful negotiation, civil discourse. How about just plain manners?

We fought over The Cracker Barrel logo. There was a protracted U.S. government shutdown amid the high-stakes schism that is politics and culture war in America.

We’re a house haunted by taking sides. We all know the issues. Will it take a generation to get us back to the table? Here’s hoping it happens sooner rather than later. While unlikely, we implore: Do better 2026.

“There is trouble in the Forest. And the creatures all have fled. As the Maples scream, ‘Oppression!’ And the Oaks, just shake their heads.”

You’re a barrel and you’re a barrel

They hug the hips. They widen at the thighs. They reach peak circumference around the knees. They taper at the ankles.

So wrote Vogue in 2023 about barrel jeans, a puzzling style then and now. The stakes got higher for the divisive look when Alaïa put them on the runway for fall-winter that year. There were others, too, with some saying the look was reminiscent of jodhpurs and 1920s workwear.

As Vogue noted, quite a few fashion editors loved them. So did Gigi Hadid and Blake Lively. Could it have anything to do with the notion that barrel pants look good on exactly one body type: theirs. Tall. Slim. Leggy.

Here in 2025, the rest of us try. We really, really do. Amplified volume is just so, well, troubling, for oh so many.

So where will our pants go in the new year? Somewhere a little less, well, weird would be nice.

Dubai chocolate, oh boy

When we weren’t navigating Labubu mania this year, what were we doing? Why, eating, making and procuring Dubai chocolate, of course. Or some variant thereof.

Dubai chocolate is to 2025 what sourdough starter was to pandemic lockdowns. Relentless. And, really, does anybody like/need that much filling in chocolate bars?

What is pistachio cream, tahini and crunchy kataifi pastry for the original filling has spun off wildly into other flavor profiles and products, including milkshakes and brownies. Amazon, Trader Joe’s, Walmart and Costco are in on the bonanza.

How did it all begin? With a pregnancy craving for Sarah Hamouda, the British Egyptian co-founder of FIX Dessert Chocolatier. She wanted creamy, crunchy and familiar, and came up with the “Can’t Get Knafeh Of It” chocolate bar in 2022, with help from chef Nouel Catis Omamalin.

Knafeh is a traditional Middle Eastern treat made of noodle-shaped toasted kataifi with a cheese layer, all soaked in a sweet syrup. Kataifi is a type of phyllo dough.

Hamouda and her husband, Yezen Alani, were working full-time corporate jobs in Dubai but left those gigs once their chocolate took over the world. They were helped along in a huge way by ASMR TikToker Maria Vehera, who crunched her way through one of their bars in 2023.

Vehera’s video has been viewed more than 140 million times.

Stuff yourselves silly with Dubai chocolate if you must, for now. But let’s modulate the craziness when 2026, and the next big thing, rolls around.

Over It runners-up

I’m available: Don’t be a 24-hour availability person in the new year. It’s not good for your health, and it shouldn’t be necessary to get ahead in life. Break the cycle!

AI slop: There’s no escaping AI, it seems, so get it right. Quality matters. Effort matters. Substance counts. Verbosity. Fabrications. Junk AI no more in 2026.

Sneaky little terms of agreement: Especially the ones that say, in their own words, “We can harass you with texts and emails forever, even if you unsubscribe.” Be gone!

‘The Award’ by Matthew Pearl; Harper; 256 pages; $30

Satire and mystery swirl with arrogance, the creative process and unchecked ambition in Matthew Pearl’s amusing and realistic “The Award.”

Pearl turns a delightfully poisoned pen toward writers and the writing life — subjects he knows quite well — for a story that seems a bit over the top but, at the same time, realistic. “The Award” has a slow-burn plot, but it never drags.

David Trent doubts himself and his talents every day, as his insecurities stymie his attempts to finish the novel he’s been working on for years. David is approaching 30, worried about being financially dependent on his loving girlfriend, Bonnie, who believes in his talent. She seems to be only one who has faith in him. He certainly doesn’t as he struggles against a colossal writer’s block. Perhaps that’s unfair — he can write, but the words don’t go anywhere. He’s increasingly depressed because the other writers who also work at the various coffee shops he frequents seem to be doing better.

He and Bonnie almost pass on a new apartment in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The place is roomy enough and the rent reasonable. But it’s on the third floor, reachable only by a rickety, slippery and steep outside staircase. Then, he learns that award-winning novelist and New Yorker editor Silas Hale lives on the first floor.

Suddenly, those stairs are not an obstacle as David fantasies about Silas being his mentor, his champion, praising his work to influential agents and editors, helping him get published, inspiring him to work. David’s dream disappears when Silas proves to be a nasty, arrogant, self-centered and petty person. On their first meeting, Silas calls David “nothing,” forbidding David to even talk to the Hales. Against the odds, David finishes his book, then wins a prestigious award that Silas had won decades before. But being a published author doesn’t go smoothly, as David encounters several setbacks, then there is a fatality.

Pearl, who grew up in Davie and still lives in Broward County, delivers an evocative look at the oddities of life in Cambridge, beginning with the quirky apartments in the Victorian townhouse. The stairs are too treacherous to bring up furniture, so items must be hoisted through floor openings that start in Silas’ apartment. Heat is controlled only through Silas’ thermostat. The snow seems heavier, the temperatures more extreme — all of which is chalked up to the constant refrain: “It’s Cambridge.”

Pearl smoothly incorporates his characters into the plot. Silas thrives on being mean, charging guests to attend his annual party, refusing to allow heat in David’s apartment (even when it’s freezing), and belittling everyone he sees. Silas’ personality contrasts with David’s as Pearl slyly shows how ambition and a hint of fame can change a person.

Guilt & grief

‘Friends and Liars’ by Kit Frick; Atria/Bestler; 272 pages; $18 

Tragedy can bring people together, or tear them apart, with grief and guilt taking center stage, as Kit Frick explores in “Friends and Liars,” her second adult novel.

In college, Harper, Luca, Sirina, David and Clare were a close-knit group, sharing the most intimate thoughts and flaws with unconditional acceptance. While they were from different backgrounds, they treated each other as equal. However, Clare Monroe’s family wealth surpassed all of them.

Her invitation to her friends to celebrate New Year’s at her family’s luxurious palazzo — yes, they have a palazzo — in Lake Como, Italy, was met with excitement. But by the end of the day, Clare was dead. Her father, Samuel Monroe, a powerful Hollywood venture capitalist, maintained his daughter’s death was an accident and pressured the police not to investigate to prevent scandal.

Now, five years later, the surviving friends are invited to a celebration of Clare’s life at Lake Como, all expenses paid. The friends, who have not kept in touch, are reluctant at first. Each is wracked by grief and guilt, wondering if they somehow played a part in Clare’s death. But curiosity and, perhaps, a bit of atonement override their hesitation. Needless to say, the trip doesn’t go well.

Friends gathering to mourn a death they may have prevented has become a category of mysteries in recent years. Yet Frick, best known for her young adult novels, makes “Friends and Liars” fresh with her energetic storytelling. Even the one plot twist that almost strains credibility works. The group’s friendship and reconnection are believable. The Italian backdrop and the palazzo are breathtaking.

Frick proved her prowess at adult mysteries in her outstanding 2024 novel, “The Split,” in which she played with different timelines and scenarios while exploring the complicated relationship of two sisters and their contrasting versions of events. “Friends and Liars” again proves she is adept at writing for different ages.

This is “Small Bites,” a South Florida Sun Sentinel feature with tiny tidbits on the food and beverage scene — because we know that sometimes you just don’t have room for a long article. You want a little news brief instead, an amuse bouche of information, if you will. Enjoy!

WHAT: As if a tropical menu, Polynesian show and tiki-rrific cocktails weren’t enough, now the Mai-Kai in Oakland Park has gotten spirited with the launch of its own rum.

Called Mai-Kai Old Style Special Rum Number 1, it is available for purchase at the gift shop of the iconic island-chic eatery.

Pia Dahlquist, the Mai-Kai’s director of public relations, explains how it all came to be: “We [once] used a rum called Dagger Rum that was made in Jamaica … We were the biggest buyer of Dagger and it was used in many of our signature cocktails. When [it stopped being produced], we had to scramble to find a substitute.

“Our guests noticed that our drinks had changed and didn’t taste the same and that was true since we were missing a vital ingredient,” she adds. “Hence the search for a replacement that took years to find, and Mai-Kai Rum Number 1 is as close as you can get. It is a mixing rum, but a lot of people order shots as well, as it is surprisingly smooth to be a 100 proof.”

The new rum arrives roughly a year after the kahuna hotspot — officially called Mai-Kai Restaurant and Polynesian Show — debuted a $20 million+ makeover featuring a redesigned exterior/interior, revamped stage show and renewed food/cocktail menu.

WHERE: Mai-Kai Restaurant and Polynesian Show, 3599 N. Federal Highway, Oakland Park

COST: $75 for 1-liter bottle; $400 for a case of six

INFORMATION: 954-563-3272; maikairum.com

EXTRA TIDBITS:

• According to the Mai-Kai, the rum opens with aromas of banana, black treacle and fruit over toasted oak and vanilla toffee. On the palate, there’s a taste of “musty oak and bold funky fruit blend with baking spices, dark cane syrup and vanilla custard, finishing with notes of fruit cake and brown butter. At 50 percent ABV, it offers bold flavor with a smooth, well-balanced finish.”
• Some of the components come from refurbished copper stills that revive historic Caribbean rum flavors, the Mai Kai adds. “The blend brings together robust, funky and fruity notes from the Gregg’s Farm pot still at West Indies Rum Distillery in Barbados with high ester rums from the legendary pot stills of Long Pond Distillery in Jamaica,” according to a news statement.

SantaCon is here, as the Claus-clad masses gather for bar crawls in Delray Beach and Fort Lauderdale to celebrate in public displays of, um, holiday spirit? Not to sound like your mom or Father Christmas, but can we remember that when you don the red-and-white you are repping a cherished brand and an image. Nobody wants to see stumbling drunk Santa, especially when there are kids around. Be jolly, not Blitzened.

THURSDAY

Don’t Miz out: This is opening weekend for the Broadway touring production of epic Tony-winning musical “Les Misérables” at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale, with performances through Dec. 28. Weekend shows will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $54.58 at Ticketmaster.com. For more information, visit BrowardCenter.org.

Booting up: Charismatic country star Jon Pardi (“Head Over Boots,” “Dirt on My Boots,” “Last Night Lonely”) brings The Christmas Show to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood at 8 p.m. Thursday. Along with seasonal themes, he’ll also have music from new album “Honkytonk Hollywood.” Tickets start at $39.80 at Ticketmaster.com.

Cool sounds: Electro-pop musician Helado Negro (known as Roberto Carlos Lange when he was growing up in South Florida with his Ecuadorian parents) brings music from his new album, “The Last Sound on Earth,” to buzzy Miami music venue ZeyZey on Thursday at 7 p.m. The evening also will include a DJ set by singer-artist Devendra Banhart. General-admission tickets start at $42. Visit ZeyZeyMiami.com.

Delray Santas: SantaCon returns to downtown Delray Beach on Thursday beginning at nightclub Honey at 10 p.m., with the costumed bar crawl scheduled to hit hotspots Good Night John Boy, Wine & Spirits Kitchen, Throw Social, Coco Sushi and The Office. Registration begins at 7 p.m. General-admission tickets cost $19.10, with VIP access available. Proceeds from the event provide toys for local kids, and organizers also ask participants to bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate. VIsit SantaCon.info.

Twain shall meet: Emmy-winning actor Richard Thomas (yes, the “The Waltons” star, of “Good night, John Boy” fame) returns to the role of writer, humorist and social critic Mark Twain in the one-man show “Mark Twain Tonight!” at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach on Thursday at 2 p.m. Tickets for the show start at $40.25 at Kravis.org.

A “Wonderful” old time: Local theater ensemble New City Players will create a nostalgic radio-play version of the classic Frank Capra film “It’s a Wonderful Life” at General Provision Downtown in Fort Lauderdale. Performances will be at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday (sold out), 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 3 p.m. Sunday, with tickets starting at $30. There will be a fun menu of casual food and drink, including the Bailey’s Building & Loan Latte. You get the drift. Visit NewCityPlayers.org.

Jolly jaunt: The third annual Jolly Jog 5K Fun Run & Toy Drive returns to The Wharf in downtown Fort Lauderdale on Thursday at 7 p.m. to benefit local nonprofit HANDY. Basic registration is sold out, but premium registration is available for $24.36, and includes a race bib, Santa hat, Christmas lights necklace, finisher medal and complimentary cocktail at the after-party. New, unwrapped toy donations for HANDY will be accepted. Visit TheJollyJog.com.

Ticket window: The powerful pairing of singer-actors Josh Groban and Jennifer Hudson is coming to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on June 20, with tickets available in a series of presales, including a venue presale at 10 a.m. Thursday. The general on-sale begins at 10 a.m. Friday. Visit Ticketmaster.com.

FRIDAY

Night of Wonder: The intrepid Nu Deco Ensemble returns to the Arsht Center in Miami on Friday, joined by Grammy Award winner PJ Morton (Maroon 5) and others for an evening of music that will include a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the monumental Stevie Wonder album “Songs in the Key of Life.” Tickets for the 8 p.m. concert start at $35.10 at ArshtCenter.org.

Merry Creed-mas: Scott Stapp and Grammy-winning rock outfit Creed will play two weekend shows at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, joined by Sevendust. The Tallahassee-spawned band, with hits including “With Arms Wide Open,” “My Own Prison,” “What’s This Life For” and “Higher,” will perform at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets start at $102.35 (more availability on Friday). Visit MyHRL.com.

Sweet sip: James Beard-winner Michelle Bernstein’s revered Calle Ocho cocktail space Cafe La Trova (this year named one of the 50 best bars in North America) is pouring some holiday spirit with a limited-time-only Cuban Coquito. Served through year’s end, the festive drink is a mix of Bacardí Ocho Rum, Cardenal Mendoza Angelus, pandan syrup, condensed milk, coconut milk, cream of coconut, orange blossom water, cinnamon, nutmeg and a touch of salt. Cost: $13. You also can take home a 500 ml bottle for $25. Visit CafeLaTrova.com.

Friday night live: Brock Butler and Perpetual Groove bring their sprawling, genre-defying sound to the Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale on Friday. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. General-admission tickets cost $30.55 at Ticketmaster.com. … Local funkateers The Heavy Pets will celebrate their first 20 years with a show at the historic Miami Beach Bandshell (great venue for them) on Friday at 7 p.m., with an opening set by Guavatron. Tickets start at $35.43. Visit MiamiBeachBandshell.com. … Colombian rockers Aterciopelados will be at ZeyZey in Miami on Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $60. Visit ZeyZeyMiami.com.

SATURDAY

Matisyahu’s light: South Florida favorite Matisyahu will celebrate Hanukkah at the Miami Beach Bandshell on Saturday and Sunday. Each of his Festival of Light performances will include two sets, beginning with a 20th anniversary return to his career-changing album “Live at Stubb’s,” followed by a closing mix of other hits, fan favorites and new material. Tickets cost $59.23. Visit MiamiBeachBandshell.com.

Local shopping: Some people (ahem) are not quite done with their holiday shopping. Good news: The Rust Market is back on Saturday in the Lake Park Arts District. Running from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and hosted by Kelsey Vintage Goods and its discerning owner, Jesse Furman, the market will include 115 booths set up in the alley and streets around the shop, along with live music and food vendors. Visit Instagram.com/therustmarket.

Saturday laughs: Comedian and master storyteller Ali Siddiq, who recently published a new book, “Applied Advice,” brings his In the Shadows tour to the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach at 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets start at $40.26 at Kravis.org.

Las Olas Santas: SantaCon comes to Las Olas Boulevard in downtown Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, beginning at 6 p.m. at a festively designed YOLO and continuing at O Lounge Las Olas, Rooftop @1WLO and The Wharf. It’s free, with drink specials for registered participants dressed in holiday attire. For registration, visit Eventbrite.com.

Taylor made: Sing along to some of the most singiest songs of the past decade when the Taylor Swift celebration The Taylor Party takes over Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. Tickets for the 18-and-older show cost $29. Doors open at 8 p.m. Visit Ticketmaster.com.

Balling out: The Y100.7 Jingle Ball returns to Miami‘s Kaseya Center at 7:30 p.m. Saturday with a lineup that includes Nelly, Kehlani, BigXthaPlug, mgk, Feid, Monsta X and Zara Larsson. Tickets are available, starting at $47.35, at Ticketmaster.com.

Christmas picnic: New World Symphony will offer its “Sounds of the Season” concert with a range of holiday music, including familiar melodies from “The Nutcracker,”  “The Polar Express,  ”Greensleeves” and traditional carol “Sleigh Ride” at the New World Center on Miami Beach at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The concert is sold out, but it can be enjoyed for free during a WALLCAST screening, with picnic-style viewing on the side of New World Center at wired-for-audio SoundScape Park. For WALLCAST information, visit NWS.edu.

SUNDAY

Bowlful of Bocelli: Poperatic singing star Andrea Bocelli will express the joy of the season as only he can during a concert at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Seats are available, starting at $111.10, at Ticketmaster.com.

Sister brother: The buzz for solo shows by Drew Copeland (Sister Hazel) is very good, so catch him at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center on Sunday at 7 p.m. General-admission tickets cost $43.60 at Ticketmaster.com.

Green day: Local entertainment royalty TP Lords will host the Grinch Drag Brunch at the Fort Lauderdale Improv in Dania Beach at noon Sunday. Tickets start at $24.90 at ImprovFTL.com.

LOOKING AHEAD

Holiday sweat: The Holiday Ugly Sweater Run will take place at Tarpon River Brewing in downtown Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Like it sounds, most of the fun is dressing the part for this free, 2-mile run. And there’s beer at the end. Visit TarponRiverBrewing.com.

A pair of Matzoballs: The energetic Jewish singles mixer on Christmas Eve known as the Matzoball will take place in two South Florida locations on Wednesday. There’s a Matzoball planned at Boca Luna Luxe Lounge in Boca Raton at 9 p.m. (tickets start at $55) and at LIV nightclub at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach at 10 p.m. (tickets start at $65). Visit Matzoball.org.

Three nights with Shakira: You can still get tickets to see Colombian pop star Shakira when she plays three consecutive nights at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, beginning on Dec. 27. Tickets start at $169 on Dec. 29, $215.10 for the other shows. Visit MyHRL.com.

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on IG: @BenCrandell. 

By JAKE COYLE, AP Film Writer

In a seismic shift for one of television’s marquee events, the Academy Awards will depart ABC and begin streaming on YouTube beginning in 2029, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday.

ABC will continue to broadcast the annual ceremony through 2028. That year will mark the 100th Oscars.

But starting in 2029, YouTube will retain global rights to streaming the Oscars through 2033. YouTube will effectively be the home to all things Oscars, including red-carpet coverage, the Governors Awards and the Oscar nominations announcement.

“We are thrilled to enter into a multifaceted global partnership with YouTube to be the future home of the Oscars and our year-round Academy programming,” said academy chief executive Bill Kramer and academy president Lynette Howell Taylor. “The Academy is an international organization, and this partnership will allow us to expand access to the work of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience possible — which will be beneficial for our Academy members and the film community.”

While major award shows have added streaming partnerships, the YouTube deal marks the first of the big four — the Oscars, Grammys, Emmys and Tonys — to completely jettison broadcast television. It puts one of the most watched non-NFL broadcasts in the hands of Google. YouTube boasts some 2 billion viewers.

The Academy Awards will stream for free worldwide on YouTube, in addition to YouTube TV subscribers. It will be available with audio tracks in many languages, in addition to closed captioning.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

“The Oscars are one of our essential cultural institutions, honoring excellence in storytelling and artistry,” said Neal Mohan, chief executive of YouTube. “Partnering with the academy to bring this celebration of art and entertainment to viewers all over the world will inspire a new generation of creativity and film lovers while staying true to the Oscars’ storied legacy.”

The Walt Disney Co.-owned ABC has been the broadcast home to the Oscars for almost its entire history. NBC first televised the Oscars in 1953, but ABC picked up the rights in 1961. Aside from a period between 1971 and 1975, when NBC again aired the show, the Oscars have been on ABC.

“ABC has been the proud home to The Oscars for more than half a century,” the network said in a statement. “We look forward to the next three telecasts, including the show’s centennial celebration in 2028, and wish the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences continued success.”

The 2025 Academy Awards were watched by 19.7 million viewers on ABC, a slight increase from the year before.

Chinese takeout food delivers more than just containers filled with piping hot wonton soup, savory fried rice and egg foo young smothered in gravy.

For many, it’s comforting, convenient — and a popular culinary choice during the holiday season.

That’s why we asked you, our readers, to tell us your favorite go-to spots for the last installment in this year’s Best of South Florida Dining series.

After a two-week nomination round, with the opportunity to rave about your must-order dishes and appetizers, we now have the top five finalists. They are, in alphabetical order:

• Bamboo Wok (Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Coconut Creek)
• Hong Kong City BBQ (Tamarac)
• Lotus Chinese Kitchen (Fort Lauderdale)
• SunRice Chinese Restaurant (Fort Lauderdale)
• Wan’s (Fort Lauderdale)

What the readers say

In her nomination form for Bamboo Wok, diner Annette Bartol said she orders a house specialty for either lunch or dinner at the Boca Raton location. “Happy Family, very flavorful and full of different meats and shrimp,” the Boca Raton resident wrote.

Fran Schwartz, of Lauderhill, heads to Hong Kong City BBQ for two dishes: crispy boneless duck and Cantonese shrimp and wonton soup. She lauded the soup’s “rich broth and fresh bok choy.”

“I pick up the bowl to drain every last drop,” she wrote. “It’s enough for four servings.”

For the duck dish, she substitutes snow peas for broccoli and dips it into sweet-and-sour or hoisin sauce.

“I could also go on about HKCBBQ’s Peking duck, because it’s scrumptious!” she added in her form.

At Lotus Chinese Kitchen, Pompano Beach resident Charlie Siegel said he must have the barbecue spare ribs because they’re “the best in town.”

“They are meaty, moist and flavorful but not fatty or greasy,” he wrote. He also likes their moo shu chicken and fried rice for dinner.

Meanwhile, for Oakland Park resident Angel Bailey, the mandatory dish at SunRice Chinese Restaurant is the “delicious” beef chow mein.

“Full of beef and veggies cooked just right in their brown sauce with generous serving of pork fried rice,” Bailey said.

In her nomination form for Wan’s, Fort Lauderdale resident Suzan Pollack wrote that she loves the shrimp with lobster sauce: “The sauce is perfectly seasoned and served with plenty of jumbo shrimp, also perfectly cooked.”

She also orders the “light and fluffy” steamed dumplings,” wonton soup and fried rice.

Let the voting begin

So, which restaurant on the list do you think deserves to be named the best? It’s up to you to decide!

Voting is open through Tuesday, Dec. 23, by using the form below. (If you can’t see it, click here.)

Thank you for participating! And don’t miss previous votes:

Top subs

Top matzo ball soup

Top waterfront restaurant

Top food truck

Top brunch

Top sushi

Top craft beer

Top steak

Top Cuban sandwich

Top ice cream

Top pizza

Top burger 

Top donut

Top BBQ

Top bagel

Top fried chicken

Walk up a marble double staircase, step off onto the second floor and follow the faint scent of perfume to the fragrance counter. You may be tempted to shop but, our apologies, your credit card is no good here.

The display filled with handpainted perfume bottles is just the first stop in Flagler Museum’s newest exhibit, “May I Help You, Madame? The Making of the Modern Department Store,” which is on view through May 24 in Palm Beach.

As the holiday shopping season heads into its final chaotic stretch, the exhibit reminds us of how society’s love affair with department stores began. Visitors can step back in time to when these stores emerged, becoming not only places to shop but also “theaters of modern life,” as Campbell Mobley, the museum’s chief curator, calls them.

Along the walls of the exhibit space are historic advertisements and architectural renderings, fashion displays and cases featuring shoes, hand fans, hats, hatboxes and hatpins, beaded purses and gloves — along with original store ephemera that give a glamorous glimpse into an era that became the blueprint for modern consumerism.

What’s the connection between the museum and the department store?

For starters, it’s less than a mile away from Worth Avenue, the world-renowned luxury shopping destination, in the heart of the affluent barrier island.

Also, the mansion known as Whitehall, which was the winter retreat of American industrialist Henry Flagler and his wife Mary Lily, was built during the Gilded Age around the same time the department store concept was revolutionizing retail in Paris.

And thanks to letters from the museum’s extensive archives, we know the Flaglers liked to shop till they dropped at Lord & Taylor near their home in New York City — “a reminder that no one, however grand, was immune to the allure of display and abundance,” according to the exhibit’s welcome message.

A kismet moment

Mobley and Amanda Skier, the museum’s executive director and CEO, were set on a department store-themed fall exhibition inspired by the innovation of Le Bon Marché in 19th-century Paris and themes in Émile Zola’s novel “Au Bonheur des Dames.”

But a chance encounter in Palm Beach one afternoon turned their idea into “one of those kismet moments,” Mobley said.

While having lunch, Skier casually mentioned their upcoming project to a man who turned out to be Palm Beacher Simon Doonan, the author, fashion commentator and former creative director of Barneys New York.

He’s famously known as the designer of Barneys New York’s eye-catching holiday window displays, dressing them with life-sized caricatures of icons of music, movies, television, fashion and pop culture, among others, from the mid-1980s until 2019.

“So [Amanda] introduced him to me and we immediately started talking about the rise of the department store,” Mobley said.

They bonded over their appreciation of Zola’s book and quickly found “they were finishing each other’s sentences,” she said. “While Simon is so talented and such a creative, he is brilliant.

“He awoke something in us here in the curatorial department to be as creative as possible and to think about the design of this show. It’s very different than shows that we have had in the past. It’s very focused on the design, because when you go to these department stores, it’s all about the displays that they have done. It’s not just the windows, so that’s what we were able to play with.”

Let’s go shopping

With the goal to build an exhibit around a complete department store experience, they decided to incorporate the senses — something they’ve never done before. Think a colorful silk scarf designed by Liberty of London in 1949 for Flagler’s granddaughter, Jean Flagler Matthews, draped over a ribbon-lined box, with piano and organ music that would have been played live in-store coming from the speakers and a scent machine releasing a waft of perfume near the fragrance counter.

“Like Simon says, when it comes to the windows themselves, or even the way we’ve thought about the design of this show, it’s almost a treat for the guests,” Mobley said. “It’s about that experience from those little luxuries in life.”

Once visitors learn about the history of the Parisian department store, it’s time to head back to the United States where modern Americanized versions were popping up in big cities: Wanamaker’s in Philadelphia, Marshall Field’s in Chicago and Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Peruse the pages of a mail-order catalog and learn about other technological advances that helped department stores serve their customers, including the paper bag, telephone, electric light, elevators, escalators and the typewriter.

Take a moment to pay homage to the backbone of the department store — the shopgirl — who stood steadfast behind the counter as “part employee, part performer and all modern woman,” according to the exhibit.

There’s also a spot devoted to the role of women as consumers for whom shopping became “both leisure and liberation.”

The fashion focal point

No department store exhibit would be complete without an actual window display, and Doonan was happy to lend his legendary talents to the effort, Mobley said.

“It’s a feast for the eyes,” she said. “This was such a wonderful experience to build upon with Simon alongside my curatorial staff,” including archivist Paige Cochran and research librarian Victoria Lemell.

Making their choices through “Simon-colored lenses,” Mobley said, they pulled pieces from the permanent collection to create “Flagler A LA MODE,” a mélange of clothing and accessories from the 18th to mid-20th centuries that are too fragile to display year-round. Then Doonan sprinkled in the “touches of surrealism and eccentricity” that he’s known for.

Some of the items belonged to the Flagler family and its descendants, such as Mary Lily and Matthews, while others came from the museum being “a repository for some donations by great Palm Beachers,” Mobley said.

Among them, Iris Apfel, the interior and fashion designer known for her flamboyant style and signature oversized glasses who died in Palm Beach in March 2024 at age 102. Her vintage moiré purse, adorned with steel sequins and metallic threads, is dangled by a mannequin in the back of the display.

“No detail went unnoticed,” Mobley said. “Even the wallpaper that we made specifically for this is the ‘F’ that’s above the fireplace that we then made into this kind of caning pattern.”

Here’s a tip: Scan the QR code on the wall to learn more about key pieces in the window display.

Simon and a Sharpie

The day before opening the exhibit to the public, Mobley asked Doonan to come “zhuzh some things up.” Wielding a Sharpie marker, he put his own finishing touches on the collaboration, drawing frames around vintage B. Altman & Co. ads, writing “J’adore le shopping” on the mirror of a vanity desk piled high with hatboxes, and scrawling fashionable quotes from the famous on shoe boxes. (“Time wounds all heels!” from Dorothy Parker, for example.)

What does the future have in store?

Despite the growth of e-commerce and the closure of some major stores in recent years, Mobley said people still want to have that luxury experience.

“I think people do like to touch the fabrics,” she said. “Yes, we’re doing so much online shopping and that sort of thing, but I think there’s something really special about going in, feeling the fabrics, really seeing these pieces and trying things on. And it connects us, to go shopping with other people.”

Tales from another window dresser

The Urban Electric Co. will premiere its behind-the-scenes documentary, “Street Theater,” with a lecture at 6 p.m. Jan. 7 at the museum. The film follows design editor Robert Rufino, who formerly directed visual merchandising at Henri Bendel and Tiffany & Co., as he creates window installations for The Current on 10th Street in New York City. A cocktail reception is set for 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 for nonmembers, $30 for members below patron level and their guests, and free for patron level members and above. Visit flaglermuseum.org.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: “May I Help You, Madame? The Making of the Modern Department Store”

WHEN: Through May 24

WHERE: Flagler Museum, 1 Whitehall Way, Palm Beach

COST: Museum admission is $28 for guests age 13 and older, $14 for children ages 6-12, and free for those age 5 and younger.

DON’T MISS: The Flagler Museum Café offers a seasonal assortment of gourmet sandwiches and Gilded Age-style Tea Service (select days). Holiday Evening Tours are available Dec. 18-23. Extra fees apply.

INFORMATION: flaglermuseum.org

 

By JOCELYN NOVECK

A pair of mini-toothbrushes. A set of kids’ socks, fresh from the dryer. It’s often the tiniest things in the debris field of a failed relationship that trigger the most pain.

Bradley Cooper clearly believes this, and repeatedly goes for the smaller-scale choice in “Is This Thing On?,” his third feature as director — a deeply felt film about one teetering marriage, and a work whose power sneaks up on you slowly.

And Cooper the director includes Cooper the actor in that strategy, opting to play a secondary role and let his stars, Will Arnett and Laura Dern, shine. Which they certainly do. Rarely does a foundering relationship seem so naturally observed, and so lacking in forced drama or artifice.

Arnett, who co-wrote here, plays Alex Novak, a name that seems to epitomize everyday-ness. Alex is a suburban New York dad who works in finance. His wife Tess (Dern) is a former Olympic volleyball player who’s traded glory on the court for domestic life, running a household of two 10-year old sons — “Irish twins” — and one dog.

The demise of their marriage comes right at the beginning. “We need to call it,” Tess says one night, brushing her teeth. “I think so too,” Alex says, just as sensibly.

Keeping it all amicable, they say nothing to their best friends, Balls (Cooper) and Christine (Andra Day) as they arrive for a “last hurrah” dinner party. In any case, Balls, an actor scraping by on small jobs, sucks up most of the air in the room, what with his copious facial hair and jovial clumsiness (we first meet him falling flat on his face, spilling a large carton of oat milk).

Later, accompanying Tess to her commuter train back to the burbs, Alex almost hops on himself — he forgets he’s now living in the city, on his own. Wandering later through the streets, he tries to stop for a drink at a comedy club. But there’s a $15 cover charge and he doesn’t have cash. The only choice is to put his name on the open mic list.

This is a fictionalized version of the Comedy Cellar, a place Cooper knows well, and where Arnett tried out material for weeks, (Real-life manager Liz Furiati makes an appearance, and comedians Jordan Jensen, Chloe Radcliffe and Reggie Conquest play club regulars.) Alex has no idea what to do when he steps up to the mic. He just wanted that drink.

“I think I’m getting a divorce,” he says, to awkward titters, the camera keeping him in tight profile throughout. “What tipped me off is that I’m living in an apartment on my own.”

The story is based on the true tale of Joseph Bishop, a pharmaceutical representative in Manchester, England, who some 25 years ago found himself falling into standup comedy — because, yes, he couldn’t scrape up the cover charge. Bishop, too, was going through a breakup, and found the standup routines a form of therapy.

Alex goes back again, and again. Meanwhile, he and Tess are trying to settle into separate lives. The sadness pops up at odd moments. The act of folding his visiting sons’ laundry makes Alex tear up. The same happens to Tess when, visiting Alex’s apartment one day, she spies the kids’ little light-up toothbrushes in his bathroom.

Alex’s friends and family have differing reactions to news of his unexpected foray into comedy. His mother, a delightful Christine Ebersole, has the best response: “I had no idea your life was so bad!”

But Alex persists, as Bishop did in Manchester, when his wife unwittingly dropped in and witnessed his set. And that happens here, too, as Tess happens to pop in with her date (a volleyball coach played by veteran NFL star Peyton Manning.)

Watching Dern’s face here is like watching weather change, gradually. First, the shock. Then, anger and embarrassment — he’s talking about what it was like to sleep with a new woman.

And then, a faint smile. After all, Alex is saying the whole experience made him miss his wife. The two meet later on the street. Tess, still stunned, nonetheless confesses it was “hot” to see him up there.

It would be churlish to reveal more about what happens to the marriage — except maybe to note that Cooper takes great care to ensure both partners are deserving of our empathy. Maybe that’s why it’s funny, but also poignant, when one chides the other for sleeping with somebody else “in front of our armoire,” which has been retrieved from storage. You kind of understand both sides of it.

Arnett has been thinking about this story for years, and it shows in the nuance he invests in Alex, a loving family man who can’t quite figure out what went wrong. “I don’t know what happened to my marriage,” he tells a room of strangers, an admission heartbreaking in its mundanity.

And Dern, who won an Oscar as a smooth divorce lawyer in “Marriage Story,” projects no such steel here. She, too, isn’t quite sure what she needs, and when offered a choice, can do no better than say: “I’ll think about it.”

Isn’t this, though, probably how most breakups and makeups work: in fits and starts, with people saying things they regret and doubting what it is they want, anyway? We’ll take it, if we get to watch these two actors trying to figure it out.

“Is This Thing On?,” a Searchlight Pictures release, has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association for “language throughout, sexual references and some drug use.” Running time: 120 minutes. Three stars out of four.