This is Beirut - culture

Russian Ballet Patriarch Yuri Grigorovich Dies at 98

This is Beirut, 19/05 17:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Russia Ballet Yuri Grigorovich Death Bolshoi Theatre Culture

Legendary Russian ballet figure Yuri Grigorovich, who was for three decades the lead choreographer at Moscow's famed Bolshoi Theatre, has died aged 98. Born in the Soviet city of Leningrad to a ballet family, Grigorovich's career - as a dancer then choreographer - spanned 80 years. For much of it, he was the artistic powerhouse behind ...

Jim Morrison Bust Returns to Père Lachaise, 37 Years After Theft

This is Beirut, 19/05 16:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

France Police Jim Morrison Bust Investigation Music Culture

French police have recovered by chance the long-lost bust of American singer Jim Morrison that once adorned the grave of the iconic frontman of The Doors, 37 years after it was stolen from a Paris cemetery. The sculpture, missing since 1988, was found during a search tied to a fraud case led by the Paris public prosecutor's office, a source ...

Wes Anderson’s Starry Cast Shines Bright at Cannes

This is Beirut, 19/05 12:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Wes Anderson Cinema Cannes Film Festival Culture Cannes France

US director Wes Anderson brought his latest A-list cast led by Benicio del Toro to the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, ramping up the star power as the competition reaches the halfway mark. Anderson's typically whimsical The Phoenician Scheme, which also finds roles for Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson and Kate Winslet's daughter, Mia Threapleton, ...

Cannes Charity Gala to Award Kevin Spacey Lifetime Honor

This is Beirut, 19/05 11:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Cinema Kevin Spacey Culture Cannes Cannes Film Festival France

Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey is to be given a lifetime achievement award on the fringes of the Cannes Film Festival Tuesday. The Better World Fund told AFP on Sunday that the actor — who was acquitted of nine charges of alleged sex offenses in Britain last year — will be recognized "for his decades of artistic brilliance" at a charity gala in ...

Jennifer Lawrence Stuns Cannes in 'Die, My Love'

This is Beirut, 18/05 14:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Jennifer Lawrence Cannes Cannes Film Festival France Culture Cinema

Jennifer Lawrence gives a raw, unflinching performance in Die, My Love, screened Saturday night in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. The American actress plays a mother losing her grip on reality, opposite British actor Robert Pattinson. The film marks the eighth Cannes appearance for Scottish filmmaker Lynne Ramsay, a festival ...

JJ, the Pop-Opera Angel Who Won Eurovision for Austria

This is Beirut, 18/05 09:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Eurovision Contest Music JJ Culture Austria

With his falsetto voice and angelic smile, JJ has given Austria its first Eurovision victory since bearded drag queen Conchita Wurst won eleven years ago. With Wasted Love—a track that soars with soprano highs between soft ballad refrains and climaxes in a techno finale—Austria took a risky but ultimately rewarding gamble. The song earned 436 ...

Fatih Akin Fears Jail, Blasts Turkish Government at Cannes

This is Beirut, 17/05 17:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Fatih Akin Cannes Film Festival France Cannes Cinema Culture

Acclaimed film director Fatih Akin said he fears ending up behind bars if he returns to Turkey, with his manager there in jail accused of attempting to overthrow the government. The Turkish-German auteur — a hero to many in the country for films like Head-On, In the Fade and the Istanbul music documentary Crossing the Bridge — told AFP late ...

Culture Wars and Chaos: Joaquin Phoenix Stars in Satirical 'Eddington'

This is Beirut, 17/05 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Cannes Cannes Film Festival France Culture Stars Cinema

Joaquin Phoenix stars in the darkly satirical Eddington, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday, a biting take on America's culture wars set in a small New Mexico town. The film by fast-rising American director Ari Aster is an unsettling but often amusing Western-style thriller set amid America's toxic politics and conspiracy ...

From Power Ballads to Pyrotechnics: Europe Takes the Stage at Eurovision

This is Beirut, 17/05 12:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Eurovision Europe Contest Sweden Culture Music

In a blaze of laser lights, artists from 26 countries were preparing to rip the roof off at Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest final, the world's biggest live music television event. An estimated 160 million people across Europe and beyond are expected to tune in for the TV extravaganza, where kitsch, drama, pyrotechnics and histrionics take ...

Rushdie's Attacker Sentenced to 25 Years in US Prison

This is Beirut, 17/05 11:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Salman Rushdie US Iran Freedom Culture Writer

Hadi Matar, the American-Lebanese man who stabbed Salman Rushdie in 2022, was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison in the United States. Rushdie, a symbol of freedom of expression, sustained serious injuries in the knife attack. Matar, 27, who grew up in the U.S., was found guilty in February of attempted murder and assault by a jury following ...

Eurovision 2025: Will Celine Dion Return?

This is Beirut, 16/05 17:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Celine Dion Eurovision Prague Culture Music Art

As excitement builds for Saturday's Eurovision final, one question looms large: could superstar Celine Dion, now in fragile health, make a show-stopping appearance, 37 years after winning the competition? Dion became a global music icon, selling albums by the millions and staging groundbreaking sell-out concerts around the world. But she has ...

Eurovision Returns to Switzerland: A Legacy of Song Evolution

This is Beirut, 16/05 15:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Eurovision Switzerland Europe Music Culture Art

Switzerland is hosting Eurovision for the third time, with the extravaganza a world away from when it staged the inaugural competition in 1956—and also from 1989 when Celine Dion starred. The 2025 edition on May 17 in Basel will draw an expected TV audience of around 160 million, with viewers worldwide casting their votes. Here is a look back ...

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