Culture, style, and media — the stories, sounds, and scenes shaping the conversation.

A judge on Friday heard arguments on a state coalition’s bid for a restraining order to pause the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, and said she would issue a ruling by next Wednesday. Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin suggested at one point that Paramount had conceded that it

At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, football’s biggest stars turned team arrivals and training camp entrances into their own kind of global runway. Fashion has always been embedded in the sport but this year’s tournament made the relationship impossible to ignore. Rather than just releas

The last time the sword-and-sandal epic truly conquered the Oscars, Russell Crowe stood in the Colosseum and asked, “Are you not entertained?” Ridley Scott’s 2001 blockbuster “Gladiator” won best picture that season, briefly reminding Hollywood that ancient-world spectacle could

Action star Iko Uwais is set to lead “Jakarta,” a multi-generational family crime series in development at Alcon Entertainment, with Albert Hughes attached to direct the pilot and serve as producing director. The project comes from writers Kirk Ward and Joshua W. Wagner, with War

Comedian and singer Kyle Gordon’s third album, “Kyle Gordon Is Everywhere,” will feature narration by Daniel Radcliffe. The album, which is set to be released Oct. 2, will feature Radcliffe performing a David Attenborough-esque narration during the album’s interludes. The album’s

India’s dominant media platform JioStar generated revenue from operations of INR10,946 crore ($1.14 billion) in the three months ended June 30, 2026 – a 14% year-on-year increase driven by subscription growth and a surge in digital advertising. Operating EBITDA rose 30.7% to INR9

India’s local box office closed the first six months of 2026 at INR6,398 crore ($664.7 million), the highest-grossing first half of any year since the pandemic, according to a new report from Ormax Media. The figure, which does not include global collections, surpasses the same p

Brenda Fricker, who became the first Irish actress to win an Oscar for her turn opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in 1989’s “My Left Foot” and captured hearts as the Pigeon Lady in 1992’s “Home Alone 2,” died on Thursday in Dublin. She was 81. Fricker’s agent, Phil Belfield, confirmed he

Mikel Gurrea’s “Sants,” with “The Beloved” star Vicky Luengo, joins in San Sebastian’s main competition alongside Berto Romero’s time-loop relationship comedy “Five Minutes More” and Roberto Bueso’s family dramedy “El mal padre.” Also selected for this year’s San Sebastián, playi

Annabel Scholey, the British actress most recently seen in the Disney+ hit “Rivals,” has joined the cast of Netflix’s upcoming thriller series “The Lord’s Day,” now in production in the U.K. Variety understands that Scholey, also known for BBC series “The Split,” has a key role i

A judge on Friday heard arguments on a state coalition’s bid for a restraining order to pause the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, and said she would issue a ruling by next Wednesday. Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin suggested at one point that Paramount had conceded that it

Apple is hiking the prices of Apple Music subscription plans — the tech giant’s first rate increases for the service since the fall of 2022, citing higher music licensing costs. The new pricing is effective in many of the markets worldwide where Apple Music is available, includin

Lena Headey gave a wide-ranging interview with The Telegraph and opened up about her experiences in Hollywood with nudity and predatory men. The “Game of Thrones” Emmy nominee accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment in 2017, claiming he made suggestive comments to her at th

At the Costa Rica Media Market (CRMM) to announce the launch of the Latin American offshoot of genre initiative WomanInFan, Sitges Film Festival director general Monica Garcia sat with Morbido CEO Pablo Guisa and Mexican director Luis Javier Henaine (“Disappear Completely”) to di

Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast revealed next year’s planned sets for its hit tabletop card game Magic: The Gathering and MagicCon dates and locations for 2027 during MagicCon: Amsterdam on Friday. Per Wizards, the confirmed 2027 MTG sets, which begin a new story arc in the Magic M

At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, football’s biggest stars turned team arrivals and training camp entrances into their own kind of global runway. Fashion has always been embedded in the sport but this year’s tournament made the relationship impossible to ignore. Rather than just releas

“Mortal Kombat 2,” the sequel to the hit video game adaptation released in 2021, will be available to stream on HBO Max on July 24 after earning $129 million at the worldwide box office. Director Simon McQuoid returned after making his directorial debut with the first “Mortal Kom

Oscar and Emmy winning U.S. director Daniel Junge (“Saving Face”) is executive producing the latest documentary from Panama’s Abner Benaim (“Invasion” “Plaza Catedral”) who has represented Panama three times at the Academy Awards. Still untitled, the documentary follows Panamania