This is Beirut - Culture

'Michael' Sparks Jackson Fever Ahead of Release

Bélinda Ibrahim, 15/11 19:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Michael Jackson Michael Biopic Movie Culture Music

At dawn on November 7, the numbers made headlines. Less than 24 hours after its release, the trailer for the biopic Michael had already racked up 116 million views worldwide. The figure is more than a digital milestone. It underscores Michael Jackson’s enduring presence in popular memory, fifteen years after his death, and places the King of Pop ...

US Museums Reopen as Tourists Celebrate Washington’s Cultural Revival

This is Beirut, 15/11 14:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Museum Culture Art US Washington

Nick Adams couldn't help but smile as he showed his son the planes hanging in Washington's Air and Space Museum, which reopened Friday after a month closed due to the US government shutdown. "We had been planning this trip for a little while and were nervous with everything shut down, but were excited to see everything open up again," said the ...

Michelle Yeoh to Receive Lifetime Achievement Honor at 2026 Berlin Film Festival

This is Beirut, 15/11 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Film Berlinale Festival Michelle Yeoh Award Germany Culture

Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh will be honored with a lifetime achievement award at next year's Berlinale film festival, organizers said Friday. Yeoh, 63, will receive the Honorary Golden Bear in recognition of her "outstanding achievements in film and cinema," the festival said in a statement. "Michelle Yeoh is a visionary artist and performer ...

Alcohol at School: The Untouchable Taboo in Anglo-Saxon Countries

Bélinda Ibrahim, 14/11 18:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United Kingdom United States Alcohol School Culture

Some contrasts say everything about a nation. While France long poured wine into schoolchildren’s glasses, Anglo-Saxon societies have always firmly and unequivocally banned any form of alcohol at school. This difference is not merely legal: it reflects distinct national histories, collective beliefs, and radically different views of childhood ...

YouTube Star MrBeast Brings 'Beast Land' to Riyadh Season Festival

This is Beirut, 14/11 17:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

YouTuber Superstar MrBeast Entertainment Saudi Culture

MrBeast, the world's most followed YouTuber with over 450 million subscribers, opened a temporary amusement park in Riyadh on Thursday, the latest celebrity drawn to Saudi Arabia as it aspires to become a major entertainment hub. Eager for a chance to meet the social media star, families and teenagers gathered at "Beast Land," a venue featuring ...

How Embracing ‘Ickiness’ Helped Writer Szalay Win Booker Prize

This is Beirut, 14/11 13:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Literature David Szalay Booker Prize Winner Hungary Britain Culture

Writer David Szalay deliberately dared his readers to face up to the "ickiness" of an affair between a 15-year-old boy and his much older married neighbor in the first chapter of his new book, Flesh. And it worked, winning him Britain's top literary award, the Booker Prize, this week with his "extraordinary" story of a Hungarian immigrant who ...

Bad Bunny Dominates Latin Grammys With Landmark Wins

This is Beirut, 14/11 10:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Music Culture Art Bad Bunny Prize Grammy Latino

Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny enjoyed a victory lap Thursday night at the Latin Grammys, the biggest celebration of Spanish- and Portuguese-language music. The reggaeton star won five awards from 12 nominations, including the coveted Best Album prize — a category in which he is also competing at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards in February. Bad ...

Spotify to Launch Music Videos in North America for Premium Members

This is Beirut, 13/11 17:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Music Spotify Streaming Videos USA Canada Culture

Audio streaming platform Spotify will be adding music videos "in the coming weeks" for paying subscribers in the United States and Canada, a spokesperson said Wednesday. The development marks a significant expansion by the Sweden-based audio platform into video, which until now has primarily been limited to video podcasts. The Spotify ...

Nintendo Marks 40 Years of Mario with New Movie Trailer

This is Beirut, 13/11 13:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Entertainment Games Film Nintendo Japan Culture

Super Mario fans got a first look on Wednesday at the sequel to the megahit movie based on Nintendo's top video game franchise that turned 40 this year. US star Brie Larson joins Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Jack Black in the voice cast of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, a CGI animation set for release in April 2026. It follows the huge ...

Pope Leo XIV Shares His Favorite Films Ahead of Vatican Hollywood Audience

This is Beirut, 13/11 10:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Film Pope Leo XIV Vatican Italy Culture

Pope Leo XIV has revealed his four favorite films ahead of a special audience with Hollywood celebrities and Oscar-winning directors at the Vatican. Leo, the first pope from the United States, picked tearjerkers, including Frank Capra's classic 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life with James Stewart, in which an angel is sent from heaven to help a ...

Behind the Charts: The Real Cost of Brexit and AI for UK Artists

This is Beirut, 12/11 19:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Music AI Growth Britain Culture

Britain's music industry contributed £8 billion ($10.5 billion) to the UK economy in 2024, but the effects of Brexit and AI have clouded the sector's outlook, an industry report showed Wednesday. UK tours by Taylor Swift and Take That helped lift the industry's contribution to the UK economy last year, according to the annual report from UK ...

'Intersections': The Uk Film Festival in Lebanon Launches its First Edition in Beirut

This is Beirut, 12/11 14:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Cinema Beirut Film Culture UK Metropolis

Beirut welcomes a new landmark cultural event this November: Intersections – The UK Film Festival in Lebanon, a major collaboration between the British Council, the British Embassy in Beirut, and the Metropolis Cinema Association, supported by the UK Government’s Great Britain and Northern Ireland Campaign. Running from 13 to 19 November 2025 ...

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