culture

Fire Can’t Stop the Music: Tomorrowland Festival Reopens with New Stage

Belgium's Tomorrowland, one of the world's largest electronic music festivals, opened its doors as planned on Friday, after the event was thrown into doubt by a fire that destroyed its main stage. Organizers said an "alternative setup" was put in place to replace the "beloved main stage" that went up in flames on Wednesday. The causes of the ...

Netflix Soars: Profits Up, Ads Booming, Subscribers Engaged

Netflix reported stronger than expected second-quarter results Thursday, with profit jumping 45 percent year-over-year as the streaming giant benefited from subscription price increases and a growing advertising business. Revenue climbed 16 percent to $11.1 billion in the quarter ended June 30, beating analyst estimates and the company's own ...

Snoop Dogg Joins Swansea City as Co-Owner

Snoop Dogg has become co-owner of Championship side Swansea City in an unlikely alliance between the world of rap and football, the Welsh club has announced. The 53-year-old American star joins former Real Madrid stalwart and Croatia World Cup finalist Luka Modrić in the club's ownership structure. Snoop Dogg made a surprise appearance on the ...

Ivory Coast Bets Big on Cinema to Rival Nollywood

In the lush forests north of Abidjan, technicians were busy filming on the set of Le Testament (The Will), a comedy co-production between Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Senegal. Under a large tree, village elders gathered to discuss the death of a wealthy local cocoa planter. In the film, his children return to their native village and bicker over ...

Historic 1931 Gandhi Oil Painting Fetches £152,800 at London Auction

A rare painting of Mahatma Gandhi, believed to be the only oil portrait that the Indian independence leader ever sat for, has sold at auction in the UK for £152,800 ($205,000). The 1931 painting by British-American artist Clare Leighton fetched more than twice the estimated price when the auction closed on Tuesday in London, Bonhams auction ...

Connie Francis, First Woman to Top Billboard Hot 100, Dies at 87

Connie Francis, the beloved pop star of the 1950s and 1960s and the first woman to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist, has died at the age of 87. Her passing comes just two weeks after it was revealed that she had been hospitalized due to “extreme pain.” The news was confirmed early Thursday, July 17, by Ron Roberts, ...

Nintendo Announces Lead Cast for Epic "Legend of Zelda" Movie

Two British actors will play the lead roles in the hotly anticipated live-action film adaptation of the Legend of Zelda video game franchise, Japan's Nintendo announced. The film's release is set for May 2027, joining a stream of game adaptations from Super Mario to Sonic the Hedgehog that have stormed the box office in recent years. Bo Bragason ...

In 'Materialists,' Dakota Johnson Explores Love in the Age of Algorithms

In Materialists, Céline Song reinvents the romantic comedy with Lucy, a New York matchmaker specializing in high-end unions, who suddenly finds herself torn between two very different men: Harry, a wealthy, reassuring heir, and John, a struggling but genuine actor. Beneath its glamorous surface, the film dissects the bold machinery of an era ...

Harry Potter Stars Learn Driving Law Is No Magic

Two stars of the Harry Potter films, including actress Emma Watson, were each banned from driving for six months Wednesday after being caught speeding in separate incidents. Watson, 35, who played Hermione Granger, the friend of boy wizard Potter in the hugely popular movie franchise, was banned for driving at 38 miles (61 km) an hour in a 30-mile ...

Marina Abramovic and Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, winners of the 'Nobel Prize of the Arts' 2025

The Serbian artist Marina Abramovic and the Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker are among the winners of the Praemium Imperiale 2025, considered the Nobel Prize of the Arts, according to a press release issued Tuesday. This prize, created in 1988 by the Japan Art Association, is awarded in five categories (painting, sculpture, ...

'Severance' Leads Emmy Nominations Ahead of The White Lotus

Here is a list of the nominees in key categories for the 77th Emmy Awards, which will be handed out in Los Angeles on September 14. Apple TV’s Severance topped the nominations list with 27, followed by The Penguin with 24, and The Studio and The White Lotus tied at 23. Outstanding Drama Series Andor The Diplomat The Last of Us Paradise The ...