Culture

\
"Jerusalem", A Song to Promote Peace

A song titled “Jerusalem” by vocal artist Carine Bassili has been widely circulating on social media over the past few days. Sung in English, Arabic, and Hebrew, the piece aims to promote peace across faiths and borders.  

Selena Gomez: When Intimacy Becomes Performance
PortraitSelena Gomez: When Intimacy Becomes Performance

Not long ago, Selena Gomez was, for many, simply Disney’s newest rising star. Classic recipe: a soft voice, a radiant smile, hits perfectly calibrated for global youth. But behind the pop persona, another figure slowly emerged, one that ran counter to celebrity convention: a woman who reveals her fragilities, shares her storms, and speaks to her ...

Funk Legend George Clinton Brings Psychedelic Energy to Paris Gallery
Funk Legend George Clinton Brings Psychedelic Energy to Paris Gallery

At 84, George Clinton is a funk legend, ubiquitous hip-hop sample source, father of psychedelic Afrofuturism — and now, a painter with a show opening in Paris. Through it all, the self-taught American artist, the force behind the celebrated groups Parliament and Funkadelic, has hewed to his signature vision: “Gotta have that funk.” A life ...

Rachida Dati’s Plan to Protect France’s Cultural Crown Jewel
Rachida Dati’s Plan to Protect France’s Cultural Crown Jewel

France's culture minister said Friday anti-ramming devices would be set up around The Louvre by year's end, after a high-profile heist at the famed museum reignited debate over its security. The announcement comes after four thieves parked a truck with a moving lift under one of its windows during opening hours on October 19, then used cutting ...

Kim Kardashian: Queen of Visibility
PortraitKim Kardashian: Queen of Visibility

In the early 2000s, Kim Kardashian lingered on the edges of the celebrity world, known for her influential friends and low-key ventures. Everything changed in 2007 with the launch of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which transformed family intimacy into a public drama. It was no longer just about appearances; it had become a lifestyle staged as a ...

Lagos Fashion Week Spotlight: Onalaja Puts Nigerian Heritage at the Heart of Fashion
Lagos Fashion Week Spotlight: Onalaja Puts Nigerian Heritage at the Heart of Fashion

Models strutted down the runway, their beaded and sequined dresses evoking the traditional facial scarring still done in some parts of Nigeria. Others donned outfits paying homage to adire, a traditional Yoruba indigo fabric long prized for its craftsmanship. Kanyinsola Onalaja's show kicked off Lagos Fashion Week in style, in what has been a ...

Richard Linklater Says AI Can’t Capture Human Genius in Film
Richard Linklater Says AI Can’t Capture Human Genius in Film

Can great art be made without human genius and all its flaws? It's a vital question at a time when artificial intelligence threatens to subsume Hollywood. Through new movies Nouvelle Vague and Blue Moon, director Richard Linklater offers an answer—delving into the lives of two brilliant, volatile men whose films and plays shaped French New Wave ...

Inside Egypt’s Grand Egyptian Museum: A Monument to History
Inside Egypt’s Grand Egyptian Museum: A Monument to History

Near the ancient Pyramids of Giza just outside Cairo, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is gearing up for a lavish opening on Saturday after two decades of delays. Massive statues and historic artefacts from the country's ancient civilization will be on display across the 24,000 square meters (258,000 square feet) of permanent exhibition space. Here ...

The Sound of Heritage: Noel Anderson and Ireland’s Last Handmade Harps
The Sound of Heritage: Noel Anderson and Ireland’s Last Handmade Harps

"It's never too late to start a new hobby," says 89-year-old Irish harp maker Noel Anderson, one of only a few making the intricate instrument, a national symbol of Ireland. A retired wood and metalwork teacher, Anderson only took up the niche craft seven years ago, making his first harp at age 82. "It doesn't matter what age I am, really; I ...

Universal Music and Udio Partner to Launch Licensed AI Music Platform
Universal Music and Udio Partner to Launch Licensed AI Music Platform

Recording industry giant Universal Music Group said Thursday it had struck a licensing deal with AI music generation startup Udio, in an industry-first tie-up aiming to launch an AI creation platform next year. Universal and Udio said in a statement that their platform, as yet unnamed, "will be powered by new cutting-edge generative AI technology ...

Behind Bars, On Screen: Inside the San Quentin Film Festival
Behind Bars, On Screen: Inside the San Quentin Film Festival

Held inside a notorious prison among some of California's most dangerous felons, the San Quentin Film Festival is not your typical Hollywood affair. Red-carpet interviews take place just yards (meters) away from a now dormant execution chamber where hundreds of death-row inmates met grisly ends. Convicted murderers sit alongside famous actors ...