The Guardian Culture

Little Animals review – Motherland milquetoast creates a clever climate plea

Traverse at Royal Lyceum Studio, EdinburghPaul Ready’s playwriting debut expertly utilises his bumbling acting persona to examine what is enough in our response to climate emergencyNobody does self-effacement as well as Paul Ready. The Motherland/Ann Droid actor excels at playing the kind of man who apologises for his own existence, well-meaning, but insecure – often comically so. He hesitates, smiles sheepishly, backtracks and gabbles to fill the silence. He, he, he is forever launching, launch

entertainment  Aug 20, 2026

The Guardian Culture

The best books to read in August: new paperbacks from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Salman Rushdie and Werner Herzog

Looking for a new reading recommendation? Here are some wonderful new paperbacks, from a short story collection by a literary great to razor-sharp criticism*** Continue reading...

entertainment  Aug 20, 2026

Variety

Netflix’s Engaging Crime Drama ‘Blood Sacrifice’ Spotlights Inept Policing: TV Review

“Hijack” and “Lupin” creator George Kay is no stranger to engrossing dramas, and in his newest Netflix series, “Blood Sacrifice,” a grisly Swedish crime thriller, Kay unpacks the unending mental toll of police work. It’s a psychological load that extends beyond law enforcers and spills onto their closest friends and family members. Intense, bloody and […]

entertainment  Aug 20, 2026

Variety

Brand Marketing Veteran Justin Breton Joins Gap to Drive Original Content

Walmart marketing alum Justin Breton has joined Gap Inc. to drive original content across a range of genres and platforms to support the apparel giant’s “Fashiontainment” business initiative. Starting Aug. 31, Breton will serve as Gap’s VP of development, reporting to Pam Kaufman, the Nickelodeon and Viacom alum who joined the company in February as […]

entertainment  Aug 20, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

Anya Taylor-Joy on the Bittersweet ‘Lucky’ Finale and Why ‘Dune 3’ Exceeded Expectations

Taylor-Joy also discusses key changes made to Jonathan Tropper's adaptation of Marissa Stapley’s novel, before revealing what made her first day on set acutely emotional.

entertainment  Aug 20, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

Chelsea Freeman Signs With The Team (Exclusive)

The influencer and wife of Dodgers star Freddie Freeman is looking beyond the ballpark to expand her presence in the sports, fashion, lifestyle and family content spaces.

entertainment  Aug 20, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

Netflix’s ‘Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story’ Trailer Teases Ella Beatty, Charlie Hunnam, Rebecca Hall in Bloody Tale of Infamous Axe Murders

The fourth installment of the anthology series stars Beatty as the first female "Monster," while Hunnam and Hall play her father and stepmother, respectively. The Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan series will launch on the streamer Sept. 17.

entertainment  Aug 20, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Amy Lee of Evanescence: ‘I could happily do an entire album of nothing but Portishead covers’

As her band hits the road, the metal trailblazer answers your questions on sexualisation in show business, finding inspiration in dreams and Spinal Tap moments on tourYou wrote Bring Me to Life when you were 19. When you perform it now, how do you relate to the younger you? becgoldsmithI was in an abusive relationship, so Bring Me to Life was partly about processing the reality of that abuse and asking myself, what are you gonna do about it? Like, pick yourself up. I wrote it when I was crushing

entertainment  Aug 20, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Abigail’s Party review – Tamzin Outhwaite’s Bev is Madame Bovary with a Cinzano

Harold Pinter theatre, LondonOuthwaite’s performance as Beverly, a precision-tooled showcase in hidden anger and longing, is a triumph in this eternally resonant suburban dramaAlison Steadman has cast a long shadow over the suburban gargoyle-cum-bored-housewife in Mike Leigh’s social satire about 1970s social mobility. So much so that her name is almost always invoked in relation to Beverly. Tamzin Outhwaite’s incredible achievement is that she banishes Steadman’s original portrayal of Bev as th

entertainment  Aug 20, 2026

Variety

Most Americans Have Not Seen Stories of People Living With HIV in Media in the Last Year: GLAAD Report

GLAAD reported on Thursday that most Americans say they have not seen stories about people living with HIV in the media. In its sixth annual State of HIV Stigma report, GLAAD says, “72% of Americans report they have not seen stories featuring real people living with HIV in the media over the past 12 months, […]

entertainment  Aug 20, 2026

Variety

ESPN Will Test ‘Alumni Cast’ for MLB Little League Classic

ESPN has tapped Pixar and Marvel characters in sundry bids to create new ways for viewers to watch their favorite games. Now the sports-media giant will investigate the use of a different kind of character. While the ninth annual MLB Little League Classic airs August 23 on ESPN, ESPN2 will feature an “alumni alt-cast” of […]

entertainment  Aug 20, 2026

Variety

‘Widow’s Bay,’ ‘Heated Rivalry’ and ‘The Pitt’ Among Winners at 42nd Annual Television Critics Association Awards

The Television Critics Association has unveiled the winners for the 42nd Annual TCA Awards, which honor exemplary series and stars from the 2025-2026 TV season. HBO’s “Heated Rivalry” took home the top prize, Program of the Year, while “Widow’s Bay” had the most wins of the night with three. The Apple TV horror-comedy won for […]

entertainment  Aug 20, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

‘Widow’s Bay,’ ‘Heated Rivalry’ Take Top Honors at 2026 TCA Awards

The Apple TV horror comedy earns three awards, and 'Heated Rivalry' takes home program of the year.

entertainment  Aug 20, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

Jonah Hauer-King Joins Season 2 of Rose Ayling-Ellis Drama ‘Code of Silence’ for ITV, BritBox

New cast members of the Mammoth Screen series, created by Catherine Moulton, also include Jo Joyner ('Little Disasters'), Sophie McShera ('Downton Abbey') and John Hollingworth ('The Crown').

entertainment  Aug 20, 2026

Variety

Soccer Drama ‘Forza’ Sets Indonesia Release, Global Rollout (EXCLUSIVE)

“Forza,” a family sports drama from Riva Studios, will open theatrically in Indonesia in late 2026, with an international rollout to follow in early 2027. The studio also released the film’s teaser. “Forza” marks Riva Studios’ first live-action feature. The independent production company was co-founded by Balsamo and Tara Sibel Demren and has bases in […]

entertainment  Aug 20, 2026

Variety

The Freyas, a New Awards Ceremony Celebrating Nordic Film and TV Talent, to Launch in Helsinki (EXCLUSIVE)

Helsinki is to host a new awards ceremony, to be known as The Freyas, which will celebrate Nordic film and TV talent, bringing together the region’s leading filmmakers as well as international industry guests. The first-ever edition of The Freyas – also known as the Nordic Film & TV Awards – will launch on Sept. […]

entertainment  Aug 20, 2026

Variety

Felicia Day’s ‘The Guild’ Movie Breaks ‘Veronica Mars’ Kickstarter Record, Raising More Than $5.7 Million

Huzzah! With 38 hours remaining in its campaign, Felicia Day’s “The Guild” reunion movie has broken the record for highest crowdfunded movie in history, which was set by the “Veronica Mars” film project with $5,702,153 in 2013. As of Thursday at 8:30 am ET, Day’s “The Guild: Ren Faire’d” hit $5,704,000 raised by a combined […]

entertainment  Aug 20, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Hazy sunshine, factor-50 smiles and Cliff Richard at the wheel: the 20 best summer holiday movies – ranked!

From feelgood romances to heated interactions, here are the films that best capture the seasonal momentLet’s begin at the end. 2 September 1962: the final night of the summer vacation; one last big blowout before adult life intervenes. George Lucas’s rambunctious salute to footloose youth paints vivid vignettes of Modesto, California, rocking around the clock with its loose-knit gaggle of characters. But this has one eye on the metre and knows that time is running short. Continue reading...

entertainment  Aug 20, 2026

Variety

Charter Closes $34.5 Billion Cox Deal in Cable Megamerger, Company to Adopt Cox Communications Name

Charter Communications, already the No. 1 cable operator in the U.S., closed its acquisition of Cox Communications, creating a cable giant with operations in 45 states serving roughly 37 million customers. The closing of the deal, valued at $34.5 billion, comes after the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) last week voted to approve the transaction, […]

entertainment  Aug 20, 2026

Variety

Christine Vachon on Why Landing Pedro Pascal to Replace Joaquin Phoenix in ‘De Noche’ Gave Todd Haynes the ‘Happy Ending’ He Deserved

“Being a film producer is like childbirth. You really have to forget the pain or else you wouldn’t keep doing it.” So claimed Christine Vachon, speaking at the Variety Lounge at Edinburgh International Film Festival, where the prolific indie film icon gave a brief insight into the pain — but also joy — of producing. It’s something she’s famously […]

entertainment  Aug 20, 2026