All Arts & Culture
First LookAretha Franklin stirred America's soulAt a time of rebellion and division in the 1960s, Aretha Franklin's hit records were a musical union of the church and the secular, man and woman, black and white, North and South, East and West. Ms. Franklin's legacy spans a half century and dozens of hits showing her sophisticated and eccentric taste.聽
In a WordThe many ways 鈥�-ing鈥� makes a wordA reader recently asked why a building is called a building. The answer has to do with the great variety of functions that '-ing' performs in modern English.
Can 鈥楥razy Rich Asians鈥� help redefine how Hollywood portrays Asians?Historically, Hollywood has misrepresented Asians. Understanding how offers lessons on more authentically portraying minorities, eventually making movies like 鈥楥razy Rich Asians鈥� expected rather than exceptions.聽
In MoviePass morass, lessons about risks, opportunities of industry changeMoviePass hoped to fundamentally change the moviegoing experience. A series of problems has put the company in jeopardy, but its bold experiment may help disrupt the movie theater industry. 聽
Landmark cast, high expectations for 'Crazy Rich Asians'The film, which opens Aug. 15, is an extreme rarity 鈥� the first movie from a major Hollywood studio with Asian-Americans at its center since 鈥淭he Joy Luck Club鈥� in 1993.聽According to a study released by the University of Southern California鈥檚 Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, 4.8 percent of speaking characters in Hollywood films in 2017 were Asian.
First LookFans, artists advocate against sexual misconduct at festivalsThe #MeToo movement has emboldened music fans and artists to voice their concerns about sexual harassment and groping at music festivals. With increased attention but little data on the issue, they are pushing the industry to make real change.聽
'BlacKkKlansman' tells a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction story about the KKKIn the early 1970s, African-American police officer Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) joins the Ku Klux Klan, with fellow officer聽Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), who is white and Jewish, impersonating Ron.
鈥榃hat Will People Say鈥� presents a cultural divide with urgencyNisha (Maria Mozhdah) is a 16-year-old girl who lives on the outskirts of Oslo with her tightknit Pakistani immigrant family until her misbehavior causes her father to take her to live in Pakistan.
Top Picks: John Coltrane's 'Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album,' 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society' on Netflix, and more top picksAstronaut聽Drew Feustel聽has been posting fun updates via Twitter about plants that fellow astronaut Ricky Arnold has been growing on the International Space Station, director Steven Spielberg helmed the adaptation of Ernest Cline鈥檚 bestselling novel 'Ready Player One,' which is available on DVD and Blu-ray, and more top picks.
What are you watching? Readers recommend 'Parks and Recreation,' 'NewsRadio'Monitor TV and movie fans share what they've been watching lately.
In a WordWhy can鈥檛 the English ... speak as we do?Differences between British English and American English can often be worked out from context and are unlikely to offend.聽Some, however, have the potential to embarrass.
First LookOscar's new popular film category sparks backlashFacing declining viewership, the Academy of Motions Pictures Arts and Sciences has created a popular film award category. The move led questions over the category well-reviewed blockbusters such as "Black Panther" would fall under.聽
First LookLittle, free pantries feed the food-insecure in Wyoming communityTiny food pantries, operating similarly to little free libraries for book sharing,聽are up and running in a community in Wyoming. The effort aims to help struggling families in emergency situations and increase the visibility of food insecurity.聽
Sweet 'Christopher Robin' has impressive voice workThe film takes a while to get going.
First LookBroomsticks at the ready: Quidditch and other kids' games go proGames popularized in parks, schoolyards, and novels 鈥� including dodgeball, foosball, Quidditch, and kickball 鈥� all now have international professional sports leagues.聽
'Far From the Tree' chronicles very different children, parentsAuthor and psychologist Andrew Solomon鈥檚 bestselling 2012 book 'Far From the Tree' chronicled some 300 case histories of families in which a child and the child鈥檚 parents were vastly unalike. Rachel Dretzin鈥檚 documentary draws on his book.
Top Picks: The Fiat Lex podcast, Culture Pass, and moreThough late to the music streaming party, YouTube Music has its charms, civic engagement just became easier with the聽Countable app, and more top picks.
First LookHuge sea-life sculptures made from plastic waste shock, amazeIn an effort to raise awareness about plastic entering the ocean, an artist is transforming beach trash into sculptures of sea creatures ranging from great white sharks, made partly of bottle caps, to a jellyfish constructed of cut-up water bottles.聽
Theater students empathize, trust themselves at JimmysThe high-schoolers, coaches, and choreographer of the Jimmy Awards say that what matters to them about theater is learning to empathize with characters and bringing audiences into that process. It鈥檚 an experience they say matters even more in the current political climate and during the complex years of high school.聽
First Look'Filthadelphia' cleans up its actPhiladelphia, renowned for its piles of litter, has begun an initiative to clean up its streets, starting with taking down ubiquitous, illegal signs, which will be handed over to local artists to be transformed into public artwork.聽
