The Guardian Culture

Sweeney Todd review – Sondheim’s demon barber is still a cut above

Birmingham RepWith tremendous singing from Ramin Karimloo and Meow Meow, Joe Murphy’s superb staging of the story is full of dark gothic humourStephen Sondheim was drawn to fairytales – and not just in the storybook theme of Into the Woods. The origins of Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street, lie in Victorian melodrama, but in the hands of the composer, working with book writer Hugh Wheeler in response to a play by Christopher Bond, it is steeped in the tropes of folklore.The story of

entertainment  Jul 16, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Emergencies on planet Earth: images from the climate crisis – in pictures

From fierce flooding and escaped pigs to birds that can’t fly due to the weight of plastic in their stomachs, mankind’s biggest challenges are on stark display at Summit Photo 2026 Continue reading...

entertainment  Jul 16, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Up All Night by Imogen Willetts review – a seductive history of going out

From 18th-century pleasure gardens to Studio 54, the story of nightlife in all its hedonistic – and political – gloryIn this fabulous alternative history of the modern world, the academic and “party historian” Imogen Willetts looks at the last 500 years of civilisation through the sometimes blurry lenses of its after-dark scenes, with fascinating results. She begins by trying to capture what it feels like to go on a big night out, focusing on a phenomenon that, in 1912, the sociol

entertainment  Jul 16, 2026

The Guardian Culture

TV tonight: Jennifer Garner and Chloë Sevigny star in glossy girlie trip drama

Five wealthy women set off for a weekend where everyone has something to hide. Plus: Dan Snow follows in Odysseus’s wake. Here’s what to watch this evening9pm, Sky AtlanticThis glossy drama about wealthy women who head off on a girls’ weekend is the perfect chaser for anyone who raced through Two Weeks in August. After her husband dies, celebrity cook Hollis Shaw (Jennifer Garner) organises a bougie trip with four friends: the school mom, the college bestie, the sort-of sister and the fan who re

entertainment  Jul 16, 2026

Variety

Hal Williams, ‘227’ Star and ‘Sanford and Son’ Regular, Dies at 91

Hal Williams, the TV veteran who appeared in American sitcom staples like “227” and “Sanford and Son,” had died, according to his manager. He was 91. “227” ran from 1985 to 1990, and followed a group of middle-aged tenants living together in an apartment building. Williams starred as Lester Jenkins, who, in the show, was […]

entertainment  Jul 16, 2026

The Guardian Culture

‘The minute I had success, I stopped taking drugs’: John Waters on 60 years of screen carnage

As Hairspray and his ‘angriest movie’ Desperate Living are rereleased, the ‘Pope of Trash’ reflects on dead dogs, dirty rats, ‘that lunatic RFK’ and why there are no novelty dances any moreJohn Waters still remembers the day his 1988 comedy Hairspray was awarded a PG certificate. “It was horrible,” he says.Until then, Waters, christened the “Pope of Trash” by the novelist William S Burroughs, was notorious for filming the unfilmable. In Eat Your Makeup, he recreated JFK’s assassination only five

entertainment  Jul 16, 2026

Variety

‘Motor City’ Review: Potsy Ponciroli’s Audacious Thriller — a Scorsese Opera without Dialogue — Announces the Arrival of a Startling Voice

At times, "Motor City" is like a silent movie directed by Scorsese. It draws us in because it’s got a glittering underworld-opera surface, but also because the audience needs to use its noodle a bit to participate in the film’s telling.

entertainment  Jul 16, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

Lamorne Morris, Abby Elliott Join Heidi Gardner in Dramedy ‘The Swimming Lesson’ (Exclusive)

Michael Strassner and Joey Bicicchi have also been cast in writer-director Casey Twenter's feature that co-stars William H. Macy.

entertainment  Jul 16, 2026

Variety

Quentin Tarantino Plans to Retire After His Next Movie. Christopher Nolan Hopes He ‘Won’t Stay True’ to His Word

If Quentin Tarantino remains committed to retiring from filmmaking after his 10th feature film, then whatever movie the Oscar winner decides to make next will be his swan song from the big screen. Christopher Nolan is disappointed. “I think it’s dangerous to look at it that specifically,” Nolan recently told The Telegraph about Tarantino’s long-discussed […]

entertainment  Jul 16, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

‘Hijamat’ Review: A Gay Muslim and His Family Face Conflicts of Duty and Desire in Uneven Jafar Panahi-Produced Drama

The Iranian Palme d'Or winner also edited writer-director Nader Saeivar's film, which premiered at Karlovy Vary and features a striking cameo from Nastassja Kinski.

entertainment  Jul 16, 2026

Variety

Who Will Take Home the Claret Jug? Here’s How to Watch The Open Championship 2026

The final major championship of the 2026 golf season is here as the world’s best players head to Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, for the 154th playing of The Open Championship. Golf’s oldest major returns to one of its most historic venues, where players will compete for the coveted Claret Jug before the PGA Tour […]

entertainment  Jul 15, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

Scott Bryce, Actor on ‘As the World Turns’ and ‘Popular,’ Dies at 68

A son of ‘Guiding Light’ star Ed Bryce, he also played the husband of Nancy McKeon on ‘The Facts of Life’ and Faith Ford on ‘Murphy Brown.’

entertainment  Jul 15, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

The Best 4K Smart TVs for Watching Live Sports

There's nothing like watching sports on the best big screen TVs that let you keep up on the action in stunning, stutter-free 4K Ultra HD picture quality.

entertainment  Jul 15, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

Olivia Dean Brings Old-School Star Power to Los Angeles With Art of Loving Tour

Dean's two-night arena stand reflects just how fast the British singer has gone from promising rising act to bona fide superstar.

entertainment  Jul 15, 2026

Variety

‘Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed’ Creator on the Finale’s Cliffhanger, Season 2 Plans and Tatiana Maslany as an Antihero

SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for “Queens,” the Season 1 finale of “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed,” now streaming on Apple TV. At the moment we think that Paula Saunders has finally gotten her life together, things get sent reeling once more. Over the course of the first season of Apple TV’s “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed,” Paula […]

entertainment  Jul 15, 2026

Variety

Vincent D’Onofrio, Kate Mara, Clancy Brown Among Five Cast in Netflix Las Vegas Drama ‘The Roman’

The upcoming Netflix drama “The Roman” has added five new cast members, Variety has learned. The show, which is set in the world of Las Vegas casinos, has cast Vincent D’Onofrio (“Daredevil: Born Again,” “The Beauty”) and Kate Mara (“A Teacher,” “Imperfect Women”) in series regular roles. Clancy Brown (“I Will Find You,” “The Penguin”) […]

entertainment  Jul 15, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Edvard Munch and the Chocolate Factory: the bitter truth behind the Freia frieze

New exhibition in Oslo connects artist’s 1922 public work with the history of cocoa, the labour movement and women’s emancipationAt first, to be among Edvard Munch’s Freia frieze is almost to be swept up by a dance. Across the 12 canvases on display at Oslo’s Munch museum, fruit pickers’ arms reach with balletic poise, water flows from watering cans in unison, farewells are dramatically bid and synchronised couples move across a beach arm in arm. Even Munch’s brushstrokes, dominated by blues and

entertainment  Jul 15, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

‘The Valley’ Picks Up Season 3 Filming to Capture Fallout of Jax Taylor Being Spotted With He and Brittany Cartwright’s Publicist

The Bravo series had already shot its full season and reunion, but resumed production to document the cast's reaction to the 'Vanderpump Rules' alum being papped looking cozy with Lori Krebs, he and his ex-wife's longtime publicist.

entertainment  Jul 15, 2026

Variety

ESPY Awards 2026 Livestream: Here’s How to Watch the Sports Awards Ceremony Online

With comedian Marcello Hernández to host, the biggest names in sports are set to attend the 34th annual ESPY Awards to recognize nominees and honorees in more than 20 categories, including best athlete, men and women’s sports, breakthrough athlete and many others. The ESPYS takes place at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center […]

entertainment  Jul 15, 2026

Variety

Spain’s World Cup Victory Over France Averages 11.5 Million Viewers on Fox, Most-Watched Semifinals Game Ever on English-Language U.S. TV

The FIFA World Cup 2026 continues to break records on English-language U.S. TV. Tuesday’s match between Spain and France averaged 11.462 million viewers this Tuesday on Fox, making it the most-watched FIFA Men’s World Cup semifinals telecast in U.S. English-language TV history. That record-breaking audience watched watched Spain knock out France and move on to […]

entertainment  Jul 15, 2026