Talk Fuse

    Topic: Entertainment

    Entertainment brings together the latest from film, television, music and gaming, tracking everything from big studio releases and streaming hits to the smaller stories behind the scenes. Expect a mix of reviews, interviews and features that look at how films and shows come together, the choices actors and musicians make along the way, and how decisions by studios and networks play out once viewers get involved.

    The topic also keeps an eye on the business and cultural side of the industry: how streaming services are reshaping what gets made and watched, the sometimes tangled relationship between entertainment and technology, and the moments when a franchise, format or platform doesn't go the way its backers hoped. Older films, shows and songs feature too, revisited with the benefit of hindsight on decisions that looked different at the time.

    For readers, it's a way to keep up with what's actually worth watching or listening to, understand the reasoning behind the projects that shape popular culture, and see how the industry's bigger shifts affect the entertainment on offer day to day.

    • Comically chaotic chat with no boundaries: best podcasts of the week

      The Guardian’s weekly podcast round-up highlights five picks, led by the return of comedians Fern Brady and Alison Spittle’s freewheeling chat show for a second series. The selection spans comedy, quiz formats and personal storytelling, reflecting the breadth of the current podcast landscape. Standouts include the relaunch of Joe Bloom’s viral “red telephone” series A…

    • Semenyo hails Maresca style of play as ‘music to my ears’

      Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo has praised new manager Enzo Maresca’s attacking approach, describing it as “music to my ears” following his first appearance under the Italian. City lost on penalties to Inter Milan in Maresca’s opening match in charge during a pre-season tour of Hong Kong, but the performance offered an early glimpse of…

    • The legendary movie character Edgar Wright would love to take a crack at: “I do have a take”

      Edgar Wright has said he would like to make a film featuring the legendary detective Columbo, revealing that he has a specific interpretation of the character. The director’s comments matter because they suggest renewed interest in adapting a much-loved television figure whose distinctive, understated style has remained influential. Wright made the remark while discussing potential…

    • China Box Office: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Swings to Massive $121 Million Five-Day Opening

      “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” has swung to the top of the mainland China box office, taking $121.3 million in its first five days of release. Sony Pictures’ latest superhero instalment posted the biggest Imax opening weekend in the franchise’s Chinese history, underlining Hollywood’s continued pulling power in the market even as the country’s overall cinema…

    • ‘I did my first book signing in a police custody suite’

      Steve Cavanagh, a former Belfast solicitor turned crime writer, has released his tenth novel featuring conman-turned-lawyer Eddie Flynn, having now sold more than five million books worldwide and reached the Sunday Times bestseller list. He says the idea began while cross-examining a witness in court, when he realised that con artists and trial lawyers rely…

    • TV tonight: Strictly’s Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu join Celebrity Hunted

      Tonight’s TV highlights include the return of Celebrity Hunted for a seventh series on Channel 4, featuring Strictly Come Dancing’s Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu among a group of celebrities evading capture. Elsewhere, BBC One’s Panorama investigates a multi-academy trust in Devon and Cornwall accused of overly strict disciplinary measures, while BBC Two continues its…

    • House of the Dragon: Alicent Discovers Aemond and Alys’ Plot to Seize Westeros Power

      In the penultimate episode of House of the Dragon’s third season, Alicent Hightower travels to Harrenhal to confront her son Aemond, only to discover that he has forged an unsettling alliance with Alys Rivers, the castle’s enigmatic resident. Over a tense dinner shared by all three characters, Alicent realises that Aemond and Alys are not…

    • Chicken factory to meet MP over ‘bad smell’ in town

      A chicken processing factory in Thorne, near Doncaster, is to meet the local MP after residents complained of persistent bad odours they believe are coming from the site. Doncaster Council has opened an environmental health investigation, and Chesterfield Poultry Ltd has agreed to work with the authority and MP Lee Pitcher, who says the smell…

    • Robyn and Zara Larsson Reunite for New Collaboration ‘Talk To Me, Zara’

      Robyn and Zara Larsson have released “Talk To Me, Zara,” a collaborative single reworking a track from Robyn’s latest album. The two Swedish pop stars debuted the song live in Copenhagen in July before its official release, marking their second creative pairing and reflecting a strengthening working relationship between two of Sweden’s leading pop exports.…

    • What song was number one in the charts when Live Aid took place in 1985?

      This piece explores a quirky footnote to Live Aid’s history: while the 13 July 1985 charity concerts at Wembley and JFK Stadium dominated global attention, the UK and US singles charts that day were topped by songs largely forgotten in the shadow of the event. Sister Sledge and Duran Duran each held the number one…