Culture

Disney’s 'Zootopia 2' Leaps to the Top of the North American Thanksgiving Charts

This is Beirut 12:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Film North American Box Office Animation Canada US Culture

Disney's feel-good animated sequel Zootopia 2 ruled the Thanksgiving box office in North America, taking in $156 million over the five-day holiday weekend, industry estimates showed Sunday. Zootopia 2, the buddy cop comedy featuring a menagerie of talking animals battling stereotypes, is the much-anticipated follow-up to the 2016 hit, which won ...

‘End of an Era’: MTV Pulling Plug on Global Music Channels

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

Farewell Culture MTV Music Music Europe

MTV kick-started a new era of music and pop culture in 1981, when it went on air for the first time, emblematically playing Video Killed the Radio Star as its debut music video. More than four decades later, the channel, now owned by US media giant Paramount Skydance, will wind down its international music broadcasting by the end of the year as ...

Speedy by Louis Vuitton: Audrey Hepburn’s Nomadic Elegance

Bélinda Ibrahim 30/11 18:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Louis Vuitton Bags Audrey Hepburn Iconic Fashion Speedy

Within the world of luxury leather goods, few pieces have endured with the same grace and universal appeal as the Speedy. It has graced the arms of both everyday sophisticates and Hollywood legends. But behind its clean, understated silhouette lies a surprisingly rich story. At once a reflection of its era and a catalyst for change, the Speedy has ...

Word of the week“Pontiff”: from Bridge Keeper to Head of the Church

Sana Richa Choucair 30/11 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Pope Leo XIV Rome Supreme Pontiff Roman Empire Lebanon

Pope Leo XIV’s arrival to Beirut for a three-day apostolic visit offers the perfect opportunity to revisit a word that spans the religious and political history of the West: pontiff. Now reserved for the head of the Catholic Church, it is inherited from a far older – and originally non-Christian – function. Roman Origins: The Pontifex The ...

Paris Arthouse Cinemas Reinvent Themselves to Survive the Attendance Slump

This is Beirut 29/11 14:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Paris Cinemas Culture

Paris is one of the world's arthouse cinema hotspots, but falling attendance levels mean beloved independent operators must innovate and invest to survive. The centre of the City of Light has the highest density of silver screens in the world per capita and arguably one of the most cinephile local populations. That has long supported its dense ...

Saida Designated 2027 Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue

This is Beirut 28/11 18:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Saida Mediterranean Capital 2027 UfM Dialogue Culture

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has congratulated the city of Saida for its designation, alongside Córdoba (Spain), as the “Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue for 2027.” “Saida, the gateway to the South and a regional capital connected to all of Lebanon, reaffirms its historic role in culture, dialogue, and diversity,” the ...

Convicted French Rapist Dominique Pelicot Seeks Publisher For Prison Writings

This is Beirut 28/11 13:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Gisèle Pélicot Women rights Culture Publishing Justice

Frenchman Dominique Pelicot, convicted of organizing the rape of his then-wife, Gisèle Pelicot, by dozens of strangers, is seeking a publisher for writings he penned behind bars, his lawyer said Friday. Dominique Pelicot, 73, was jailed for 20 years after admitting to drugging her with sedatives and inviting dozens of strangers to rape and abuse ...

Rare Fabergé 'Winter Egg' Expected to Break Records in London

This is Beirut 28/11 10:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Auction The Winter Egg Fabergé History Britain Culture

The Winter Egg, one of Faberge's most dazzling creations, is due to be auctioned in London next week and set another sales price record for the legendary jeweler of Imperial Russia. The egg, commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II in 1913 as an Easter gift to his mother, is expected to fetch at least £20 million ($26 million), according to Christie's ...

Johnny Depp Calls Life With Vanessa Paradis “Bliss” in Rare Interview

This is Beirut 27/11 18:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Actor Johnny Depp Vanessa Paradis Japan Culture

Johnny Depp's life with former French partner Vanessa Paradis and their two children was "bliss," the US actor told AFP in an interview on Thursday. "I have nothing but incredible memories from those days. They gave me time to be a tour father," Depp said in Tokyo. "Vanessa was doing her shows, you know, various tours. I got to be just Daddy for ...

ExplainerLove Bombing: Irresistible Pull of Excess

David Sahyoun 26/11 18:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Psychonalysis Love Bombing Relationships Love Culture

In digital culture as in everyday language, love bombing is quite literally a “bombardment of love.” The term describes a seduction phase in which someone is overwhelmed with attention, declarations, and conspicuous displays of interest (streams of messages, unexpected gifts, sudden plans, sweeping promises). It is less the passion or joyful ...

Maroon 5 to Headline Chambord Live in Only French Date of 2026

This is Beirut 26/11 13:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Maroon 5 Concert Culture Art Music France

Maroon 5 will perform their one and only French show of 2026 on June 27 at the iconic Château de Chambord, organizers AZ Prod confirmed Tuesday to AFP. Known for their signature blend of pop, funk and R&B, and for global hits like Sugar, Memories and Girls Like You, the American band will take the stage in one of France’s most celebrated ...

Boualem Sansal Calls for Bold Steps Toward Franco-Algerian Peace

This is Beirut 26/11 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Algeria France Boualem Sansal Culture Art

“If there’s the will,” reconciliation between Algiers and Paris “can move very fast,” says French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal in an interview with AFP. According to him, Algerians “are eager for peace” with France. Released on November 12 after nearly a year in detention in Algeria, the novelist says it is up to leaders in both ...