Culture (Page 345)

Recommended reads for the school summer holidaysContinue Reading

Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster film “Barbie” has brought the legacy of the popular yet controversial doll back into the limelight.  With the release of the film, Gerwig has made history: “Barbie” took $377 million (£294 million) at the box office on its opening weekend around the world, making it the biggest debutContinue Reading

During the colonial period, when Africa was almost entirely divided up by European powers, “the camera became something of an imperial device”, said Sarah Cascone on Artnet. Western photographers’ images told stories “about the history, culture and identity of the African continent” – often portraying it and its inhabitants as exoticContinue Reading

It does what it says on the tin, but this novel about a romance between Sally, a comedy writer, and Noah, a pop star, “feels not only deliciously bingeable, but fresh”, said The Observer. Curtis Sittenfeld “explores the worlds of celebrity, modern dating, lockdown and Covid-19 with wit, humour and often profundity”, said The Independent. “A light-heartedContinue Reading

“For those yet to fall for its ample charms, ‘The Great’ plays hard and fast with the rise of Catherine the Great, Empress of all Russia,” said Rebecca Nicholson in The Guardian. “Newcomers should not start with season three”, however, but go back to the start to see “how everybody gotContinue Reading

The blockbuster musical “Miss Saigon” ran for ten years in London and New York following its launch in 1989, but it was always controversial, said Paul Szabo on What’s On Stage. A spin on Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” transposed to wartorn Vietnam, written by “Les Misérables” creators Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, it was accused of misogyny, racism, and of perpetuating racist stereotypes – andContinue Reading

Nearly three decades after the murder of hip-hop superstar Tupac Shakur, Las Vegas police have reopened their investigation into the unsolved case.  Police issued a search warrant on Tuesday in connection with Shakur’s death. They raided a house in Henderson, 15 miles southeast of Las Vegas. There is no statute of limitationsContinue Reading

Q ueen have been recognised with a Brit Billion Award for achieving the milestone of being streamed more than one billion times in the UK. The British rock band, which consisted of lead singer Freddie Mercury, guitarist Sir Brian May, bassist John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor, have been presentedContinue Reading

GB News presenter Dan Wootton has admitted he has made “errors of judgement” but denied any criminality after allegations emerged that he offered colleagues tens of thousands of pounds in return for sexual material. The broadcaster and former tabloid journalist told viewers on his nightly show he has been theContinue Reading

E ngland’s Lionesses kick off their Women’s World Cup 2023 campaign in Australia and New Zealand on Saturday and are being cheered on by a team of singers known as Hope FC.  The supergroup of pop stars and rock singers assembled to record Call Me a Lioness, which includes aContinue Reading