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Tag: Alex Cohen

  • Sweets rank as top gift for Valentine’s Day this year, retail group says

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    Nothing says I love you like chocolate, which is why it comes as no surprise that candy tops the list of this year’s popular Valentine’s Day gifts. 

    Cards and flowers also rank high, as does jewelry, according to the National Retail Federation.

    What You Need To Know

    • Candy tops the list of this year’s popular Valentine’s Day gifts

    • Cards and flowers also rank high, as does jewelry, according to the National Retail Federation

    • With the holiday falling on a Saturday, experiential gifts are a big hit

    • The National Retail Federation says 83% of those celebrating will buy gifts for romantic partners, but plenty of others will spend on friends and coworkers, and a record 35% of Valentine’s Day shoppers are projected to spend a whopping $2.1 billion on their pets

    “In terms of spending and category, jewelry absolutely wins the love leaderboard,” said Michelle Dalton Tyree, a retail and trend expert. “Here’s what I think is funny. Only 25% of people are actually buying jewelry, but that jewelry that they are buying makes up $7 billion of that Valentine’s Day pie.” 

    Most shoppers prefer buying online, but department stores are a close second, and for many, Valentine’s goodies don’t come in heart shaped boxes or any box at all. 


    With the holiday falling on a Saturday, experiential gifts are a big hit. 

    “Couples don’t have to squeeze in something in the middle of the week,” Dalton Tyree said. “This is a perfect time to do experiences, to go out to dinner, to go for a weekend getaway. So it really comes at an ideal time this year. And who doesn’t love a fun, frivolous escape?” 

    One possible excursion is a trip to White Castle. For the 35th-year running, 300 locations of this fast-food franchise will turn into “Love Castle,” offering table-side service and special decor. 

    Pizza Hut is selling heart shaped pies, and McDonald’s offered a special Valentine’s Day kit. 

    “This included caviar from Paramount Caviar, a $25 McDonald’s gift card, creme fraiche and even a traditional mother-of-pearl caviar spoon,” Dalton Tyree said.
”It sold out in minutes.”

    The National Retail Federation says 83% of those celebrating will buy gifts for romantic partners, but plenty of others will spend on friends and coworkers, and a record 35% of Valentine’s Day shoppers are projected to spend a whopping $2.1 billion on their pets. 

    “One of the things driving this is we saw, obviously, a pandemic pet explosion,” Dalton Tyree said. “And a lot of those pets during the pandemic became people’s SOs. That was their significant other. And Gen Z’s and millennials are really, really driving this trend.”


    Consumers are expected to spend $200 per person — the highest amount ever seen — showing that even in times of economic uncertainty, Americans love to love.

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    Alex Cohen

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  • A look back at pop culture in 2025

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    From a wedding engagement that blew up the internet to the final chapter of one of TV’s most beloved franchises, 2025 was a huge year for pop culture that was chock-full of surprises.

    What You Need To Know

    • From a wedding engagement that blew up the internet to the final chapter of one of TV’s most beloved franchises, 2025 was a huge year for pop culture that was chock-full of surprises

    • The White Lotus” entranced millions of viewers, and the year saw some special movie releases, including “Sinners,” “Wicker for Good” and “KPop Demon Hunters”

    • An Instagram post revealing the engagement between pop star Taylor Swift and tight end Travis Kelce earned more than 30 million likes in less than 24 hours

    • A moment captured on the kiss cam at a Coldplay concert, when a CEO was seen embracing his date, who was not his wife, went viral
    • The fifth and final season of “Stranger Things” gave fans one more look at the “Upside Down”

    The year kicked off with a bang in Bangkok, as the third season of HBO Max’s hit show “The White Lotus” entranced millions of viewers with its story of meditation and murder. 

    2025 was the year of streaming content. According to an Associated Press poll, 70% of adults chose to watch movies in the comfort of their own homes instead of in theaters, which comes as no surprise to film correspondent John Horn. 

    “Ticket prices are really high,” Horn said. “If you take a family of four, especially in a city like Los Angeles or New York, it’s a hundred bucks.”

    Between that and the amount of pre-movie ads theaters show, Horn said, a film this year had to be really special to get audiences to venture out. 

    2025 did have some very special films, like Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners”; the sequel to last year’s holiday hit, “Wicked for Good”; and the Netflix animated movie that took the world by storm, “KPop Demon Hunters.” 

    This image released by Universal Pictures shows Cynthia Erivo, left, and Ariana Grande in a scene from “Wicked for Good..” (Universal Pictures via AP)

    The “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack also went viral, with each of its 12 original songs going platinum.

    Another astronomical musical achievement was Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” album. Her tour grossed more than $400 million, becoming the highest-grossing country tour in history. 

    An Instagram post revealing the engagement between pop star Taylor Swift and tight end Travis Kelce earned more than 30 million likes in less than 24 hours.

    Another musical milestone came in a moment captured on the kiss cam at a Coldplay concert, when it showed a CEO embracing his date, who was not his wife. The incident resulted in both resigning from their roles. 

    Tragedy hit Hollywood when Rob Reiner, director of “When Harry Met Sally” and “The Princess Bride,” and his wife were killed in their home. 

    And in the legal spotlight, rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs was found guilty of two counts in a sex-related felony case.

    Only display Labubu dolls are left at the Pop Mart store at American Dream mall in East Rutherford, N.J., on Saturday, July 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

    Only display Labubu dolls are left at the Pop Mart store at American Dream mall in East Rutherford, N.J., on Saturday, July 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

    In the world of pop culture, a creature named Labubu became a top trend thanks in part to celebrity endorsements from Rihanna and Kim Kardashian and an appearance at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. 

    Also seen at the parade — and on breakfast cereal boxes and footwear — was “Stranger Things.” The fifth and final season of the Netflix hit gave fans one more look at the “Upside Down.” Nearly 40% of U.S. households binged all four of the first episodes within 48 hours of release. 

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    Alex Cohen

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