Culture

Spotlight'I Love Peru': Raphaël Quenard’s Biting yet Poetic Mockumentary

Marie-Christine Tayah 14/08 12:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Raphaël Quenard Film Cinema Cannes Culture Art

Balancing fiction and reality, I Love Peru, the feature debut co-directed by Raphaël Quenard and Hugo David, dives with humor and excess into the rise of an improbable leading man. From improvised shoots in hotel rooms to surreal sequences in Peru, the film reveals a character both grotesque and fragile. Premiering at the most recent Cannes Film ...

Trump Names Stallone, Strait, Gaynor Among 2025 Kennedy Center Honorees

This is Beirut 14/08 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Arts Donald Trump Kennedy Center Nominees USA Culture

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday named Rocky star Sylvester Stallone and country music great George Strait among the recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors, as he pursues a controversial overhaul of the storied arts venue. Since returning to office in January, the Republican leader has declared war on what he calls "woke" viewpoints ...

In Tripoli, One Man Keeps the Tarbouche Tradition Alive

This is Beirut 13/08 20:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Clothing Tradition Tarboosh Tripoli Lebanon Culture

Nestled among shops in a bustling market in north Lebanon's Tripoli, Mohammed al-Shaar is at his workshop making traditional tarboosh hats, keeping up a family craft despite dwindling demand. With a thimble on one finger, Shaar, 38, cuts, sews and carefully assembles the pieces of the conical, flat-topped felt hat also known as a fez, attaching a ...

In Heatwave, Romans Turn to Vintage Snow Cones to Stay Cool

This is Beirut 13/08 18:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Heat Summer Ice Italy Tradition Culture

Forget ice cream, sorbet or even the beloved Italian gelato, when Roman’s swelter in a heatwave, they turn to the traditional "Grattachecca". It may be difficult for non-Italians to pronounce think -"gratta-kekka" - but the Roman-style shaved ice is colorful, cheap and refreshing like no other. In a turn-of-the-century kiosk near the Tiber ...

SpotlightThe Many Faces of Sexual Desire: When Psychoanalysis Listens Without Judgment

David Sahyoun 13/08 17:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Psychoanalysis Desire Sexuality Rules

Psychoanalysis does not seek to confine desire within categories. It does not judge, direct, or impose a model. It listens. Since Freud, it has recognized that human desire follows neither a straight nor a strictly logical path. What we love, what we move toward, what attracts or unsettles us – all are shaped by the subject’s ...

Spotlight‘In Women’s Words:’ The Unheard Voices of Iranian Art

Marie-Christine Tayah 13/08 14:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Women Iran Exhibition Culture Art Freedom

In the hushed galleries of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (TMoCA), colors, forms and textures speak with a force that eclipses any speech or manifesto. The exhibition In Women’s Words is more than an artistic retrospective – it is a collective voice that defies decades of silence, bringing to light stories that could not always be ...

Danielle Spencer, the 'What’s Happening!!' Star, Dies After Battle with Breast Cancer

This is Beirut 13/08 13:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Actress Heritage Culture Art Death Danielle Spencer

Danielle Spencer, best known for her role as the sassy pre-teen Dee Thomas on the groundbreaking sitcom What’s Happening!!, has died at the age of 60. Spencer passed away on August 11, 2025, at a hospital in Richmond, Virginia, her former co-star Haywood Nelson confirmed. Nelson shared the news on Instagram, remembering her as “brilliant” ...

Heritage and Cool Comfort: Paris’ Underground Catacombs Treasure

This is Beirut 13/08 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Paris Catacombs Heritage History Heat Wave Culture

The moment visitors step inside the Paris Catacombs, the hundred or so people who had been waiting outside in the shade of the trees put away their caps, sunglasses, and hand fans, swapping them for sweaters and jackets in hopes of escaping the oppressive summer heat. Those dressed too lightly wrap their arms around themselves for warmth. Beatriz ...

PortraitSheila Jordan, the Voice of Jazz, Dies at 96

This is Beirut 12/08 18:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Sheila Jordan Jazz Singer Homage

The jazz world has lost one of its most singular voices. Sheila Jordan, singer, composer and educator known for her unique timbre and unmatched improvisational skill, died on August 11, 2025, in New York at the age of 96. The news was confirmed by her longtime bassist, Harvie S., on US public radio NPR, prompting a wave of tributes ...

SpotlightKim Novak, Hollywood’s Free-Spirited Star Honored in Venice

Bélinda Ibrahim 12/08 18:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Venice Film Festival Kim Novak Actress Cinema Star Hollywood

Born Marilyn Pauline Novak on February 13, 1933, in Chicago, Kim Novak was never just another actress. With her sculpted features, melancholy gaze and enigmatic screen presence, she emerged in the 1950s as one of Hollywood’s defining figures. Yet behind that meteoric rise was a fiercely independent woman who resisted the rules of the studio ...

Taylor Swift Announces 12th Album for 'pre pre-order'

This is Beirut 12/08 17:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Taylor Swift Tour Music Culture Art Singer

US popstar Taylor Swift announced her 12th album, titled The Life of a Showgirl, for "pre pre-order" just after midnight Tuesday in posts on her website. Her online shop displayed blurred images of a record, CD and cassette tape overlaid with a glittery orange lock, explaining the album artwork would be "revealed at a later date." A disclaimer ...

Harry and Meghan Renew Netflix Deal with Fewer Perks

This is Beirut 12/08 13:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Netflix Prince Harry Meghan Markle Series Culture Art

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will continue producing film and television content for Netflix, but under a more limited arrangement, the streaming giant announced Monday. Under the revised agreement, Netflix now has the right of first refusal—meaning the platform can accept or decline a project before the couple shops it to other ...