Culture

The Disco French Touch Revolution: A Legacy Revived
The Disco French Touch Revolution: A Legacy Revived

A close relative of soul and funk, disco was born in the United States, yet several French musicians and producers helped define its signature sound. One of its most recognizable names is Patrick Hernandez, who set dancefloors on fire in 1978 with Born to Be Alive. However, the true pioneer of this movement—now honored by the Philharmonie de ...

The Hasanlu Lovers: An Embrace That Defies 3,000 Years of History
StoryThe Hasanlu Lovers: An Embrace That Defies 3,000 Years of History

In 1973, a team of archaeologists excavating the ancient site of Teppe Hasanlu in Iran uncovered a discovery both startling and poignant. Amid the ruins of a city destroyed around 800 BCE, two skeletons lay locked in a final embrace, frozen in time by tragedy. Known as the Hasanlu Lovers, their remains continue to spark debate about their ...

HaHaHouse Museum in Croatia Turns Laughter Into a Remedy
HaHaHouse Museum in Croatia Turns Laughter Into a Remedy

A new museum of laughter is offering to put people through the spinner to wash away the negativity of modern life. Visitors to the HaHaHouse in the Croatian capital, Zagreb, are blasted with a puff of white smoke once they step inside to blow away their worries before climbing into a "giant washing machine." The "centrifuge of life" then whips ...

Two Lebanese Short Films Win Awards at Clermont-Ferrand Festival
Two Lebanese Short Films Win Awards at Clermont-Ferrand Festival

Lebanon was the guest of honor at this year’s 47th edition of the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, with a rich program featuring films, discussions and cultural events highlighting Lebanese cinema and its talents. The event was co-organized with the Beirut Film Society, an organization supporting film production and distribution in ...

Chopin's Fourth Ballade: The Voice of Exile Finds Its Way Back to Warsaw
SpotlightChopin's Fourth Ballade: The Voice of Exile Finds Its Way Back to Warsaw

It was a calm winter morning in Paris in 1842. The biting wind blew through the cobblestone streets, spreading the season's cold. In the musician's apartment, a soft warmth emanated from the hearth: the flames danced and crackled, brilliant and lively. Leaning over his Pleyel piano, a man brought music to life. His fingers caressed the ...

Transforming Trash into Music: A Paraguayan Orchestra's Journey
Transforming Trash into Music: A Paraguayan Orchestra's Journey

Two years ago, Lucas Cantero knew nothing about music. This 16-year-old Paraguayan recently performed in the Lancaster House in London, playing his drum made entirely of recycled waste. "I never imagined music could come from pieces of wood and old X-rays," said Lucas, a member of the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura. This group hails from Cateura, ...

'Dog Man' Leads Box Office Despite 'Super Bowl' Weekend
'Dog Man' Leads Box Office Despite 'Super Bowl' Weekend

Dog Man, a superhero comedy from Universal and DreamWorks based on popular kids' novels, held its lead in North American theaters for a second straight weekend, earning an estimated $13.7 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said Sunday. The animated movie, a spinoff from the best-selling Captain Underpants series of graphic novels, saw ...

Schiaparelli and Dalí: An Eternal Alliance of Art and Surrealism
Schiaparelli and Dalí: An Eternal Alliance of Art and Surrealism

This year’s haute couture week in Paris opened with Elsa Schiaparelli’s Icare collection, a tribute to the past, brimming with crinolines and corsets. Inspired by ribbons from the 1920s and 1930s, American designer Daniel Roseberry expressed his "desire to travel through time and craft silhouettes that echo the haute couture of the past," as ...

L'Oréal Partners with Jacquemus: Entering Beauty Sector with Exclusive Fragrances
L'Oréal Partners with Jacquemus: Entering Beauty Sector with Exclusive Fragrances

L'Oréal announces a strategic partnership with the fashion house Jacquemus, acquiring a 10% minority stake in the brand founded by Simon Porte Jacquemus. This collaboration, valued at nearly 100 million euros, marks the entry of the cosmetics giant into the world of fashion, with the goal of creating exclusive perfumes for the brand. This ...

Ice Dancing Reimagined: Papadakis and Hubbell Make History
Ice Dancing Reimagined: Papadakis and Hubbell Make History

Olympic champions Gabriella Papadakis and Madison Hubbell took to the ice at a figure skating gala in Zurich on Thursday, aiming to "push the limit" of the sport as a same-sex pair performing together. In 2022, Skate Canada became the first governing body to allow same-sex duos to compete at the national level. However, Papadakis and Hubbell are ...

Attend the Paris Opera Ballet in the Intimacy of Rehearsals
MiscellaneousAttend the Paris Opera Ballet in the Intimacy of Rehearsals

The Paris National Opera, a prestigious cultural institution founded in 1669 during the reign of Louis XIV, is renowned worldwide for the rigor of its artistic programming, particularly the excellence of its Ballet. Each season, tens of thousands of spectators flock to attend performances on the legendary stages of the Palais Garnier and the ...

Demi Moore’s Stunning Critics Choice Win Dominates Award Season Buzz
Demi Moore’s Stunning Critics Choice Win Dominates Award Season Buzz

Demi Moore took home the Best Actress award at the Critics Choice Awards on Friday, cementing her position as the favorite for the Oscars. Her win came during a tumultuous week that saw scandal engulf her Emilia Perez rival, Karla Sofia Gascon. Moore’s critically acclaimed horror film, The Substance, also earned Best Original Screenplay at the ...