The Guardian Culture

Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) review – Tyshawn Sorey’s meditations yield their mysteries slowly

Sorey/BBC Singers/Tines/Gibson/GBSR DuoSt Giles’ Cripplegate, LondonThe Pulitzer-winner’s sprawling amalgam of Morton Feldman and African American spiritual felt meandering, but the GBSR duo, the BBC Singers and Ruth Gibson’s viola were luminous and charismatic Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) by Pulitzer-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist Tyshawn Sorey demands patience. Subtitled “A meditation on Morton Feldman’s Rothko Chapel”, the work uses a similar ensemble – percussion, keyboards,

entertainment  Jun 23, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

‘Toy Story 5’: Meet the Voices Behind Each Animated Character

The fifth installment in Pixar's franchise arrives more than 30 years after the original 'Toy Story' was released and welcomes Bad Bunny, Conan O'Brien, Alan Cumming and more to the franchise.

entertainment  Jun 23, 2026

The Guardian Culture

How to Live on Earth review – Benedict Cumberbatch exudes positivity in response to the climate crisis

An antithesis of the doom and gloom docs about environmental destruction, Cumberbatch and expert contributors look at how we can all help to protect itThere is value in a documentary about the environment and the climate crisis that does not simply indulge in hand-wringing, anger and despair. Fredi Devas’s film, presented by Benedict Cumberbatch in London’s National History Museum and composed of segments from different contributors, focuses on real, positive measures that individuals and commun

entertainment  Jun 23, 2026

Variety

Brooke Shields Named New Host of First Responders Series ‘Hearts of Heroes’

Brooke Shields has been named host of “Hearts of Heroes,” the weekend educational/informational series from Hearst Media Production Group that is back for Season 8 on Saturday, July 11. Shields takes over for previous host Ginger Zee (“Good Morning America”) as “Hearts of Heroes” returns to the “Weekend Adventure” kids block on ABC stations. Shields […]

entertainment  Jun 23, 2026

Variety

StoReel Launches Canvas, AI Production Platform Targeting Microdrama Creators (EXCLUSIVE)

StoReel, the AI-native short-form drama platform, has unveiled Canvas, an end-to-end production and monetization environment aimed at the next wave of microdrama creators. The launch comes on the heels of a $34 million seed and user-acquisition financing round and represents the company’s push toward a full-stack ecosystem linking creators, technology, and audiences. Canvas collapses what […]

entertainment  Jun 23, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

Ado, Chart-Topping Japanese Singer, Signs With WME (Exclusive)

The singer, who shot to the top of Japanese music charts as a teenager and has never publicly revealed her identity, released her first live-action music video earlier this year, shown in shadow or from the side.

entertainment  Jun 23, 2026

Variety

Buddy Guy 90th Birthday Concert, Starring Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Jon Batiste and More, Scheduled for October

Legendary bluesman Buddy Guy — who starred in Ryan Coogler’s Oscar-winning film “Sinners” and was honored at Variety’s Hitmakers event last year — will receive what may be his greatest honor to date on Oct. 1 at New York’s Radio City Music Hall: “Buddy’s Got the Blues: A 90th Birthday Concert Celebration,” with a lineup that truly […]

entertainment  Jun 23, 2026

Variety

How Jane Fonda Came to Star in Katie Camosy’s Greenpeace-Produced Directorial Debut ‘Gaslit’

It is not everyone who can say Jane Fonda stars in their feature directorial debut, an honor Katie Camosy boasts in “Gaslit.” The documentary follows the iconic actor and activist as she takes a road trip through the oil and gas fields of the Southern U.S., visiting communities most affected by the air and water […]

entertainment  Jun 23, 2026

The Guardian Culture

‘Sheer genius’: your best TV of 2026 so far

From gripping medical dramas to thrilling crime shows nearly impossible not to devour in one go, it’s already been a great year for television. Here are Guardian readers’ top shows of the yearThe best TV of 2026 so farI absolutely loved Legends. It was tense, thrilling and even funny in bits, with an evocative early-90s soundtrack. The acting was all top quality, especially Johnny Harris [as Eddie McKee], who gave another great, morally nuanced performance. Although fictionalised, it brought wel

entertainment  Jun 23, 2026

Variety

‘Sholay’ to Make ‘Films in Concert’ World Premiere at London’s Royal Albert Hall

The 1975 Indian cinema landmark “Sholay” will make its “Films in Concert” world premiere at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Oct. 10, with Melvin Tay conducting the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra performing R. D. Burman’s score live to screen. Sippy Films and esk are producing the event. The screening will present “Sholay: The Final Cut,” […]

entertainment  Jun 23, 2026

The Guardian Culture

The experience that coloured everything Britten went on to write

Three months after Bergen-Belsen was liberated, Britten and Yehudi Menuhin performed there. Survivor and cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch was ‘transfixed’ – as she told the composer when they played together decades laterIn 1945, the violinist Yehudi Menuhin was on a short tour of Germany, offering recitals to survivors of the concentration camps. On Friday 27 July 1945 he reached Bergen-Belsen, liberated three months earlier, and gave two concerts, in the cinema at the camp. The experience had a

entertainment  Jun 23, 2026

Variety

Stephen Chow Makes His Return to the Sport With ‘Kung Fu Soccer,’ Closing International Rights Deal More Than Two Decades After ‘Shaolin Soccer’

Singapore-based Encore Films has secured worldwide theatrical distribution and related rights outside Mainland China for “Kung Fu Soccer,” the new feature from filmmaker Stephen Chow. The action comedy – a China-Hong Kong co-production – follows the Emei Women’s Football Team as it battles through the fictional “Supreme Invincible Cup” tournament, blending martial arts with sport. […]

entertainment  Jun 23, 2026

Variety

Alex and Diego Barragán Discuss Crafting Genre-Bending ‘Jardines del Bosque,’ About Mexico’s Disappeared: ‘Far More Frightening Than Any Horror Story’

In “Jardines del Bosque,” brothers Diego and Alex Barragán drink from the fountain of classic coming-of-agers such as Rob Reiner’s “Stand by Me” and Sofia Coppola’s “The Virgin Suicides” with a touch of great horrors like George Sluizer’s “The Vanishing” to craft a genre-bending look at the normalization of violence in their home country of […]

entertainment  Jun 23, 2026

Variety

Joseph Zentil and ‘Halloween’ Star Dylan Arnold on Championing American Biker Culture With ‘Born to Lose,’ ‘Chemistry’ With ‘Love Story’ Breakout Sarah Pidgeon

Director Joseph Zentil always knew he wanted to direct a feature film. Watching a close friend persevere through recovery following a major motorcycle accident proved the right inspiration for his feature directorial debut, “Born to Lose,” starring “Halloween” and “Oppenheimer” breakout Dylan Arnold, and playing in competition at the Raindance Film Festival.  The American drama […]

entertainment  Jun 23, 2026

Variety

Variety Teams With Edinburgh Film Festival to Launch Variety Lounge at 2026 Edition

The Edinburgh Intl. Film Festival and Variety have announced a new partnership to deliver the first-ever Variety Lounge in the U.K. at this year’s EIFF, supported by VisitScotland. The Variety Lounge, a regular fixture at other major international film festivals including Sundance and Toronto, will be hosted by Variety’s Alex Ritman and capture exclusive in-depth […]

entertainment  Jun 23, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

Oprah Winfrey Admits: “I Didn’t Want to Be a Brand”

At Cannes Lions, the icon also shared that she learned to “not just let television use me,” why she stopped signing autographs and the importance of authenticity.

entertainment  Jun 23, 2026

Variety

Oprah Winfrey Says Whitney Houston Once Fell Off Stage During ‘Oprah Show’ Performance and She ‘Begged’ Audience Not to Leak It to the Press: ‘I Knew She Would Be Destroyed by That’

Oprah Winfrey turned her Cannes Lions appearance into a call for creators to use their platforms for good, talking with festival chair Phil Thomas about philanthropy, legacy and her improbable path from rural Mississippi to becoming one of the most powerful self-made figures in media. Inside the Lumière Theatre, where she received the festival’s LionHeart Award, […]

entertainment  Jun 23, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Childbirth room? It’s next to the period room … the astonishing Kerala homes designed for women’s bodies

The tharavad is a traditional style of housing designed for and run by women. Our writer went on a pilgrimage to find her own family’s – and uncovered a way of life fast disappearingA chance conversation with a distant family member led me to Palayil, the name bestowed on my ancestral tharavad. The latter is the name given to a house designed around women. Ours had stood, in some form, since at least the 17th century. My great-grandmother, Palayil Sreedevi, was the last woman in my line to live

entertainment  Jun 23, 2026

Variety

German Actor Jonathan Berlin Sets Directorial Feature Debut ‘Mio’ With Taddeo Kufus, Barbara Auer and Godehard Giese to Star (EXCLUSIVE)

German actor and director Jonathan Berlin (“The Forger”) is set to write and direct his first feature “Mio”, a queer coming of age drama about a teenager who must embark on a journey into the unknown after his parents disappear. Set in a small Spanish town, Mio undertakes an odyssey between childhood and adolescence that […]

entertainment  Jun 23, 2026

Variety

Cinderella’s So-Called Evil Sisters Shine in Netflix Title ‘Steps,’ Sneak Peeked at Annecy

Opening Annecy’s 2026 work-in-progress sessions, where both animation fans and curious professionals get a glimpse of the animated features of tomorrow, Netflix Animation Studios unveiled “Steps” in an in-depth behind-the-scenes session filled with delightful insights, humor and stunning visuals. On stage, directors Alyce Tzue, John Ripa, art director Dan Casey and head of character animation […]

entertainment  Jun 23, 2026