The Guardian Culture

Billy Strings: So Much for Goodbyes review – staggering, stirring songs of grief draw the blues out of bluegrass

(Reprise)The crossover star’s introspective sixth album is full of memories of his mother, who died in 2025, bringing his dextrous guitar to songs rooted in tradition and yearningOn the face of it, 2025 was a landmark year for Billy Strings. His fifth album, Highway Prayers, won him his third Grammy. The first bluegrass album in more than 22 years to debut at the top of the US album sales chart, it confirmed him as the genre’s biggest crossover star in decades. He was feted by everyone from Bob

entertainment  Aug 27, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Idiots review – throwback bro comedy is an entertaining summer seat-filler

Dave Franco and O’Shea Jackson Jr lead a goofy roadtrip comedy that is just sharp enough to keep you strapped inIdiots is billed as a return to the raunchy bro comedies of the 2000s like Pineapple Express and The Hangover and about halfway through there is a visual gag involving bodily functions that is so revolting, so unexpected and so genius that it comes close to them. For a moment, I was transported back to the mix of delight and disgust I felt upon watching a ‘90s Farrelly Brothers movie w

entertainment  Aug 27, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Met Orchestra/Nézet-Séguin review – messy bonbons and a hero’s triumph in a classy all-Strauss lineup

Royal Albert Hall, LondonYannick Nézet-Séguin polished up the Rosenkavalier suite then gave an exceptional reading of the composer’s self-congratulatory tone poem, while Elza van den Heever delivered a visceral account of Salome’s final sceneArtistically ambitious and with an ego the size of a small planet, Richard Strauss was rarely backwards in coming forwards. When quizzed about the wisdom of depicting his 34-year-old self in music he brushed the matter aside, declaring himself no less intere

entertainment  Aug 27, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

‘Nanny McPhee’ Musical From Emma Thompson Headed to the West End

The Oscar-winning actress, who played the magical, mischievous governess in two films, said the theater "feels like her natural home."

entertainment  Aug 27, 2026

Variety

Channel 5 Boss Ben Frow on Why He Would Never Have Commissioned a Sarah Everard Drama: ‘There Are Some Things I Just Wouldn’t Do’

Channel 5 boss Ben Frow said he would never have commissioned a drama about Sarah Everard for his network. Jeff Pope is penning a drama about the investigation into Everard’s 2021 murder for the BBC. Frow, chief content officer at Paramount-owned public service broadcaster 5, said that while he was sure Pope would do a […]

entertainment  Aug 27, 2026

The Guardian Culture

A Slow Fire review – hope flickers in Simon Stephens’ postapocalyptic bunker drama

Jermyn Street theatre, LondonTwo men shelter from catastrophe in this Beckettian tale of memory, companionship and survival, which is intelligently performed but light on tensionJermyn Street’s basement theatre provides the perfect space for Simon Stephens’ postapocalyptic play about two men hiding in a bunker after an unnamed global catastrophe. Several of Beckett’s plays have been performed on this stage in recent years and these characters are distinctly Beckettian. Ashton (Ross Gaynor) and R

entertainment  Aug 27, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Share your tributes and memories of Tim Curry

We would like to hear your tributes and memories of the performer - whether you met him or admired his workTim Curry, performer of screen and stage, who made his name as the flamboyant Dr Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show, has died aged 80.Curry got Tony nominations for his varied stage work on Broadway as Mozart in Amadeus, Alan Swann in My Favorite Year and as King Arthur in Monty Python’s Spamalot. He also made a supremely creepy Pennywise the Clown in the 1990 TV adaptation of Stephen

entertainment  Aug 27, 2026

Variety

‘Nanny McPhee’ Musical Written by Emma Thompson to Open in London Next Summer

“Nanny McPhee” is coming to the West End. A new musical, penned by Emma Thompson — who starred as the title character and wrote the screenplay for the beloved 2005 film and its sequel — is set to world premiere in London next summer. “When the mysterious figure of Nanny McPhee arrives at the Browns’ […]

entertainment  Aug 27, 2026

Variety

Sting to Narrate Documentary About ‘The Godfather’ Composer Nino Rota, Premiering at Venice Film Festival (EXCLUSIVE)

Musician and songwriter Sting will narrate Walter Fasano’s documentary “Nino – A Film About Nino Rota,” which is a portrait of “The Godfather” composer Nino Rota. The film will have its world premiere on Sept. 11 in the Open section of the 83rd Venice Film Festival. Rota, who trained under Ildebrando Pizzetti, Alfredo Casella and […]

entertainment  Aug 27, 2026

The Guardian Culture

‘We’re at a crisis point’: Chappell Roan, Shirley Manson and Eli on playing Olivia Rodrigo’s female-only festival

Ahead of playing Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields, artists explain why female-first festivals are due for a resurgenceWhen I first saw the poster for Olivia Rodrigo’s inaugural Daisy Chain Fields festival in June, I assumed it was AI. Chappell Roan, Doechii, Mitski, the Breeders, Bikini Kill and Garbage, all arranged in a neat line – and this was before I got to the words “special guests”. Karen O, Sarah McLachlan. And, to top it all off, Stevie Nicks? No.I saw the post confirmed on Rodrigo’s Instag

entertainment  Aug 27, 2026

Variety

‘Harry Potter’ Back to Hogwarts Initiative to Donate Over 200,000 Books to Schools and Hospitals (EXCLUSIVE)

With Back to Hogwarts Day – the annual Sept. 1 celebration of all things “Harry Potter” — right around the corner, publishers are introducing a new generation to the magic of reading by donating over 200,000 copies of the books worldwide. “Harry Potter” publishers Scholastic, Bloomsbury and Pottermore – as well as international publishing partners […]

entertainment  Aug 27, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

In ‘Eklipse,’ a Teen Faces Silence and Rejection After His Father Gets “the Gay Disease” (Exclusive Clip)

Austrian filmmaker Manuel Wetscher's feature debut, inspired by his own experiences and starring Moritz Hohlrieder and Finley Brown, world premieres in the Venice Film Festival's Horizons section.

entertainment  Aug 27, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

Oscars: Thailand Picks ‘9 Temples to Heaven’ as Best Int’l Feature Submission

Produced by Palme d'Or winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul, the comic but spiritual road movie debuted in Cannes in May and will make its North American premiere at the New York Film Festival this fall.

entertainment  Aug 27, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

Katy Perry Talks Justin Trudeau Romance, Dolly Parton and Embracing “Queen of Cringe” Title

The superstar singer surprised an audience at a VIP showing of 'Katy Perry: The Lifetimes Tour — Live From Paris' at The Grove where she (danced) and sat for a lively Q&A moderated by Billboard's Tetris Kelly.

entertainment  Aug 27, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Clowns, punks and a queen: Dartmoor town’s carnival days in the 70s and 80s – in pictures

Nestled in the heart of Dartmoor, Moretonhampstead carnival celebrates its 101st edition in 2026. The Scragg brothers got among the crowds with Robert Frank-like ambition to document the town’s favourite day, capturing rural creativity and chaos from one decade to the next. Here they distil some of their rare gems from 1978 to 1984. The collection fulfils a promise from one sibling, Adrian, to the other, David, who died in 2020: ‘People will see these, Dave’ Continue reading...

entertainment  Aug 27, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

In ‘I Matter,’ a Young Roma Woman Struggles to Keep Two Worlds From Colliding (Exclusive Venice Clip)

Actress Alina Șerban's feature directorial debut, inspired by her own experience and positioned as "the first film by a Roma woman to be selected for an A-list festival," premieres at Venice.

entertainment  Aug 27, 2026

Variety

Emmy-Winning Baobab Studios Lands Naver Ventures Investment, Sets ‘Shine’ as Flagship Title (EXCLUSIVE)

Baobab Studios has secured a strategic investment from Naver Ventures, the U.S.-based venture investment arm of Naver Corporation, the 10-time Emmy-winning transmedia animation studio has revealed. Naver Corporation is one of South Korea’s largest internet companies and the parent of Webtoon Entertainment Inc. Variety understands the investment is worth seven figures and values Baobab above […]

entertainment  Aug 27, 2026

The Guardian Culture

‘It’s sad to lose a really nice person’: mourners flock to Dollywood after death of Dolly Parton

A memorial at the park’s entrance held bouquets, and a child asked his mothers why so many people were cryingBecky Bullard was en route home to Austin, Texas, when she heard the news.“As soon as I heard about Dolly, I thought of you,” read a text from a close friend while she waited for her flight home from Albany, New York. Continue reading...

entertainment  Aug 27, 2026

The Guardian Culture

‘The technique was revolutionary’: Ha Chong-Hyun, the 91-year-old South Korean artist who turned painting inside out

In his trailblazing work, paint is pushed through the back of hemp to create spare, striking paintings. Abstraction is a form of rebellion, he says – and he has no intention of slowing downIn the early 1970s, the Korean artist Ha Chong-Hyun had a simple but novel idea: why not apply oil paint to the back of a surface rather than the front? Instead of canvas, he stretched pieces of hemp, a coarse and loosely woven fabric, and pushed the thick oil paint through the holes in the cloth. For each wor

entertainment  Aug 27, 2026

Variety

Miyu Distribution Acquires Fernanda Salgado’s ‘Ana, en Passant’ Starring Lauded Brazilian Actress Zezé Motta (EXCLUSIVE)

Global indie animation powerhouse Miyu Distribution has acquired international rights to Fernanda Salgado’s “Ana, en Passant” ahead of its world premiere at the Brasília Brazilian Film Festival and international premiere at the Vancouver Film Festival (VIFF). It will make history at VIFF as the first animated film to compete in its Vanguard program. The film […]

entertainment  Aug 27, 2026