Art

Madonna, BTS and Muppets headline first World Cup halftime show

• Spain beat Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final after extra time
• First official FIFA half-time show featured Madonna, BTS, Shakira and Muppets
• The Cure publicly slammed the "groundbreaking spectacle" as excessive

The 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina was preceded and interrupted by a star-studded musical spectacle, including the first-ever official World Cup Halftime Show, held on 19 July at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Spain went on to beat defending champions Argentina after extra time,…

Netflix paid $587M for Ben Affleck’s AI filmmaking startup

• Netflix paid $587m for Ben Affleck's AI post-production startup InterPositive
• Deal announced in March; Affleck now a senior Netflix advisor
• Netflix says roughly 300 titles have already used generative AI

Netflix has disclosed in a regulatory filing that it paid $587 million in cash to acquire InterPositive, an AI filmmaking startup co-founded by actor and director Ben Affleck. The deal, first announced in March, sees the entire InterPositive team join Netflix, with Affleck taking on a senior advisory…

It’s Giuliani (extra) time

• Andrew Giuliani hoped the World Cup final would reach extra time.
• He hailed Spain and Argentina’s meeting as a landmark sporting occasion.
• Giuliani singled out Messi’s decisive talent.

Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House task force for the 2026 World Cup and son of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, said he hoped the final between Spain and Argentina would go to extra time. His remarks underlined the scale of anticipation around the match,…

This unpronounceable series of glyphs is an incredible side project from Kieran Hebden (aka Four Tet)

• Four Tet quietly released an album under an unpronounceable glyph alias.
• The project racked up millions of streams before being formally revealed.
• Reviewer calls it polished, danceable, and available on major streaming platforms.

Kieran Hebden, best known as Four Tet, has released a full album under a secret alias whose name is a string of unpronounceable glyphs and symbols, informally dubbed "Wingdings" by The Verge. The project had reportedly amassed millions of streams on services like Spotify while its creator remained…

The artist who kick-started “the beginning” of Billy Gibbons’ career

• Elvis Presley inspired Billy Gibbons to pursue music.
• Gibbons saw Presley perform aged five.
• The experience led him towards rock and blues.

The article identifies Elvis Presley as the performer who sparked Billy Gibbons’ ambition to become a musician. It argues that seeing Presley as a child shifted Gibbons from an early interest in country music towards rock ’n’ roll, helping to set the future ZZ Top guitarist on his…

3 Years Later, Netflix’s 8-Part Fantasy Book Adaptation Deserves a Second Chance

• Netflix cancelled Lockwood & Co. after just one season.
• The finale ends on a major unresolved cliffhanger.
• Article argues the hit fantasy show deserved a second season.

Netflix's fantasy series Lockwood & Co., adapted from Jonathan Stroud's novels, was cancelled after a single eight-episode season despite strong performance on the platform. The show topped the streaming charts in numerous countries and earned a "Best TV Drama Series 2023" nomination at the National Film Awards, yet…

4 Must-Have Albums To Start Your Billy Joel Vinyl Collection

American Songwriter has published a guide recommending four essential Billy Joel albums for anyone starting a vinyl collection, tracing his artistic and commercial development from the mid-1970s through the early 1980s. The list matters to fans and collectors because Joel released 13 studio albums over his career, making…

Jim Gilstrap, Stevie Wonder and ‘Good Times’ Vocalist, Dies at 79

• Session singer Jim Gilstrap has died aged 79 in Los Angeles
• Sang lead on Wonder's "Sunshine" and Good Times theme
• Worked with Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston

Jim Gilstrap, the session vocalist best known for singing lead on Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and co-leading the theme song for the TV series Good Times, has died aged 79. He died of natural causes in Los Angeles on 18 July, closing out…