The Guardian Culture

‘We can find renewal despite the bullshit we navigate as Black women’: Kelela on stan armies and speaking up for Gaza

The genre-bending R&B artist’s new album finds fresh focus for her uncompromising vision, blending soul, sex and shoegazeMore than most musicians on a typical promo cycle, Kelela has been appearing on my social feeds in increasingly surreal combinations. In one clip, she blows kisses to an enormous crowd of onlookers on the streets of Soho New York; another sees her posing for fans against a fog-strewn background somewhere between South Central and survivalist video game Silent Hill. In the

entertainment  Jul 12, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Love’s Labour’s Lost / Much Ado About Nothing review – breezy double bill brings out the best in both

Braboeuf Manor, GuildfordElegantly stitching the plays into two parts of the same continuing story, Tom Littler’s sunny al fresco productions play every possible tragicomic noteTwo Shakespearean comedies dated to the last decade of the 16th century each seem to lack something. Love’s Labour’s Lost (c 1595) feels in need of a sequel, ending abruptly, with the usual climactic marriages suddenly deferred to the future. Much Ado About Nothing (c 1598) could use a prequel: there is clearly a tantalis

entertainment  Jul 12, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Fun Home review – Alison Bechdel’s musical memoir feels every emotion

Royal Exchange, ManchesterA celebration of the cartoonist’s sexual awakening and queer identity as well as an investigation of darker family dynamics, this soulful show wears its heart on its sleeveThe “fun” in the title is short for funeral, a reference to the family undertaking business inherited by Alison Bechdel’s father. But there is some fun, too, in this heart-filled musical adaptation of the cartoonist’s illustrated memoir. First seen in the UK in 2018 and now revived by director Sarah F

entertainment  Jul 12, 2026

The Guardian Culture

‘People treat each other as disposable’: dating columnist turned novelist Annie Lord on love and sex in the age of apps

Her breakup memoir and Vogue column made her the voice of modern dating. As her debut is published, she talks about single life, oversharing and why she still believes she’ll find loveThere is a scene in Annie Lord’s novel that will be instantly familiar to any young person who has spent time at a pub or nightclub recently. Daisy and Maya, two best friends in their mid-20s, are lamenting the paltry state of the dating market.“It’s just shit out there,” Daisy sa

entertainment  Jul 12, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Why do free speech debates make us so angry?

We try to pin down definitions and enforce rules – but often what we’re really arguing about is characterIn January 2015, two members of al-Qaida gunned down cartoonists at the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo in retaliation for their publication of cartoons of the prophet Muhammad. In the following weeks, my Facebook page split in two. Many of my childhood friends (I grew up in France and went to school near Paris) expressed their sadness at the death of artists they had been familiar wi

entertainment  Jul 12, 2026

The Guardian Culture

The Importance of Being Earnest review – gloriously madcap opera achieves new heights of delirium

Garsington Opera, StokenchurchGerald Barry’s take on Wilde’s comedy is even wittier and zanier in Jack Furness’s hyperactive staging – complete with a grand piano on stilts, a herd of cows and a kangaroo that meets a grisly endAnyone who has seen the opera before will recognise the tall rack of white dinner plates, stacked and primed for you-know-what. Anyone who knows Oscar Wilde’s play will recognise its punchlines, transposed by composer Gerald Barry into a kind of staccato mashup between spe

entertainment  Jul 12, 2026

The Guardian Culture

‘More postmodern than ancient’: why the Odyssey is everywhere, from Oz to Westeros

Christopher Nolan’s take on the Odyssey is set to break box-office records. What made the director so determined to adapt the ancient Greek epic? And why does a poem from 600BC hold a vice-like grip on pop culture? Warning: contains 2,600-year-old spoilersChristopher Nolan’s Odyssey movie has all the hopes of a summer blockbuster pinned to it, and all the promise – as the trailers have showed – of magnificent effects, shocks and thrills. You will be taken inside the cave of the terrifying one-ey

entertainment  Jul 12, 2026

The Guardian Culture

‘Unchained Melody makes me want to live out my Swayze fantasies’: Gary Jarman’s honest playlist

The Cribs man had a youthful Bee Gees obsession and loves one particular 80s power ballad. But which song does he say is too rude for his funeral?The first song I fell in love with Only You by the Flying Pickets – at least according to my mother, who says [my twin brother and bandmate] Ryan and I would sing along to it on the Christmas Top of the Pops. We now use it as our walk-on song and it makes my mum quite emotional.The first single I bought Somewhere in My Heart by Aztec C

entertainment  Jul 12, 2026

Variety

‘Five Years, Four Months’ Review: Moving Portrait of a Grieving Colombian Mother Demonstrates an Impressive Control of Tension

Thousands of people in Colombia have been “forcibly disappeared”, as the euphemistic expression goes, since conflicts began in the mid-1960s between the Colombian government and various paramilitary and guerilla groups. This reality is well-known, and has been so for a while — an awareness that, over such a long period of time, may dim the […]

entertainment  Jul 12, 2026

The Guardian Culture

TV tonight: a twisted drama about a serial killer in Scotland

Laura Donnelly and Helen Baxendale star in ITV’s gripping series The Dark. Plus: Claudia Winkleman’s new search for a great pianist. Here’s what to watch this evening9pm, ITV1 Continue reading...

entertainment  Jul 12, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

‘The Westies’ Review: J.K. Simmons and Titus Welliver Lead MGM+’s Handsome but Generic Gangster Drama

The drama about the conflicts within and between Irish and Italian crime organizations in 1980s New York hails from 'Narcos' and 'Godfather of Harlem' co-creator Chris Brancato.

entertainment  Jul 12, 2026

Variety

Jay-Z Celebrates ‘The Blueprint’ 25th Anniversary With Eminem, Pharrell Williams and Slick Rick at Yankee Stadium

Jay-Z was almost entirely truthful to the source material for his 25th anniversary Yankee Stadium show on Saturday to celebrate “The Blueprint,” setting guests artists to high wattage but low frequency as he trotted out Eminem, Pharrell Williams and Slick Rick for a curtailed 90-minute set. The Brooklyn native had already established a tall precedent […]

entertainment  Jul 12, 2026

The Guardian Culture

The Westies review – this violent New York mob drama is like Peaky Blinders meets The Sopranos

Expect bloody chaos in this drama about a real-life 80s Irish-American gang – featuring JK Simmons as a gang leader – and their dealings with an Italian-American crime family The Peaky Blinders effect lingers on. More than a decade after Tommy Shelby’s debut, TV still loves a real-life gangster crew, especially with Blinders creator Steven Knight having recently repeated the based-on-truth trick with A Thousand Blows. What other IRL historical crime crews are still available? All this time, the

entertainment  Jul 12, 2026

Variety

‘Love Island USA’ Contestant Corbin on His ‘Humiliating’ Elimination, the Nickname ‘CorbinGPT’ and His Friendship With Sincere: ‘I Forgive But I Don’t Forget’

“Love Island USA” Season 8 contestant Corbin admits his elimination felt “humiliating.” But unlike other recently dumped couples like Jen and Gal, Corbin left feeling hopeful for the future while holding hands with his Casa Amor connection, Parmida. “I see this connection going super far,” Corbin tells Variety. “Her mindset, oh my gosh! She’s an […]

entertainment  Jul 12, 2026

Variety

Tech Investor Vinod Khosla to Acquire the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks for $9.6 Billion

Tech billionaire Vinod Khosla and his family have reached an agreement to buy the Seattle Seahawks for $9.6 billion, according to people familiar with the details, as reported by Variety‘s sibling sports news outlet Sportico. The deal marks one of the largest valuations ever for a sports team in a control transaction, nearing the $10 […]

entertainment  Jul 12, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

Patti LuPone’s Gay Cruise Ship Blocked (Again) From Entering Egypt

Only July 2, the Tony Award winner shared that the cruise was turned away by Turkey.

entertainment  Jul 11, 2026

Variety

Emmy Nominations Roundtable: ‘The Pitt’ and ‘Hacks’ Dominate, But ‘Widow’s Bay’ and ‘Pluribus’ Are Waiting in the Wings

At 25 noms, is “The Pitt” heading toward its second consecutive drama win? In breaking the record for most comedy noms ever, is “Hacks” a shoo-in? What happened to “Half Man”? How did “Dancing With the Stars” end its ten-year nomination drought? What can we expect from Emmys host Mariska Hargitay? Those questions, and a […]

entertainment  Jul 11, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

Argentina vs. Switzerland: Where to Watch the World Cup Quarterfinal Match Online

The July 11 game rounds out the 2026 tournament's quarterfinal matchups.

entertainment  Jul 11, 2026

Variety

Jack White Keeps Rock ‘n’ Roll on the Front Burner in ‘Frozen Charlotte,’ His Heavy and Blazingly Worthy ‘No Name’ Followup: Album Review

The first question most Jack White fans are looking to have answered to when it comes to his new album, “Frozen Charlotte”: Is it effectively a “No Name 2.0”? Nearly everyone is hoping for a “yes,” on that one. In his solo career, White spent a few years notably bouncing around, veering between acoustically oriented […]

entertainment  Jul 11, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

Christopher Nolan Addresses ‘The Odyssey’ Backlash, Explains Why Film Uses Modern Dialogue

The epic starring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Lupita Nyong'o, Elliot Page and more, arrives in theaters July 17.

entertainment  Jul 11, 2026