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Judges announce 13-strong Booker Prize longlist, snubbing favourites
The Booker Prize longlist for 2026 has been unveiled, featuring 13 novels from authors including Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout and previous Booker winners Douglas Stuart and Marlon James. Judging chair Mary Beard described the selection, dubbed the “Booker Dozen”, as “dynamite” with “something for everyone”, while high-profile names such as Maggie O’Farrell, Ann Patchett,…
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Previous winners Douglas Stuart and Marlon James lead a Brit-heavy Booker prize longlist
Booker prize judges have named their 2026 longlist, with previous winners Douglas Stuart and Marlon James both featuring alongside three-time nominee Elizabeth Strout. The 13-strong selection, revealed on Tuesday and chaired by classicist Mary Beard, spans authors of seven nationalities across three continents, with almost half based in the UK, and is being praised for…
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Anna Kendrick Thriller Series ‘Embassy’ Lands on MGM+ in the U.S.
US streamer MGM+ has acquired the six-part action thriller “Embassy” for American audiences, alongside a slate of other territories including Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Argentina. Led by Anna Kendrick as an American diplomat caught up in a hostage crisis at the US embassy in London, the series brings together…
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‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Review: Tom Holland Returns in a ‘Mature’ Adventure That for All Its Good Action Is Trying Too Hard
Variety’s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman reviews “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, which finds Tom Holland’s Peter Parker as an isolated, workaholic crime-fighter after the memory-wiping ending of “No Way Home.” The critic praises the film’s attempt at a more thoughtful, “mature” tone compared with its predecessor but argues it strains…
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Ariana Grande Launches Mental Health Initiative to Help Music Industry, Starting With Eternal Sunshine Tour Crew
Ariana Grande has partnered her newly launched Brighter Days Ahead Foundation with the music-industry nonprofit Backline to provide mental health support to every dancer, band member and crew member on her Eternal Sunshine Tour. The initiative reflects a growing push within the music industry to formalise care for touring staff, whose demanding schedules can take…
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Out-of-her-depth Seattle mayor loses cool at press conference after mass shooting as city’s police chief unveils woke new term for ‘gangs’
Seattle’s mayor, Katie Wilson, is reported to have become visibly frustrated during a press conference held in the aftermath of a mass shooting in the city. The same briefing saw Seattle’s police chief introduce a new term to replace the word “gangs”, a move criticised in the article as an example of overly cautious, politically…
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Only takes a spark to start a wildfire, crews warn
Fire services across Yorkshire have launched a joint campaign warning that disposable barbecues and open campfires risk sparking devastating moorland wildfires, after 342 such fires were recorded across England and Wales since January. The warning follows a record-breaking 2025 wildfire season nationally, and officials say even a single spark can smoulder unseen in peat before…
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A strong earthquake shakes part of southern Japan but no tsunami detected
A strong earthquake struck Kumamoto on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu on Tuesday afternoon, causing widespread damage and dozens of injuries, though officials found no major public infrastructure damage. The quake prompted a temporary tsunami advisory, the suspension of train services, and airport closures, evoking memories of the devastating 2016 Kumamoto earthquake that killed more…
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19 Years Ago Today, Someone Else’s Girlfriend Inspired One of the Biggest Love Songs of the 2000s: “I Didn’t Really Know the Girl”
On 28 July 2007, Plain White T’s reached No. 1 on the US Hot 100 with “Hey There Delilah”, a track that would go on to become one of the decade’s defining love songs and earn the band two Grammy nominations. The twist behind its enduring status as an anthem for long-distance couples is that…
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‘I would be ashamed to have written any part of this’: Odyssey translator BLASTS Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster – and complains it lacks sex scenes
Emily Wilson, the classicist known for her acclaimed English translation of Homer’s “The Odyssey,” has strongly criticised Christopher Nolan’s forthcoming film adaptation, saying she would be “ashamed” to have contributed to it. Her comments add a prominent literary voice to the scrutiny surrounding one of the year’s most anticipated blockbusters, raising questions about how faithfully…