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.

    • What I track in a day

      Victoria Song describes the extensive health and fitness data she tracks each day as a wearables reviewer, stressing that her routine is designed to test products and their claims rather than to provide a model for ordinary users. She argues that the pursuit of a highly quantified lifestyle can become excessive, particularly as health technology…

    • I visited Samsung’s foldable-themed pop-up pub and its alcohol-free beers tasted terrible

      Samsung has opened the Fold Inn, a foldable-phone-themed pop-up pub in Soho, London, to promote its new Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 devices, smartwatches and forthcoming smart glasses. The Engadget writer found the activation visually inventive but criticised its three branded alcohol-free beers, describing them as unpleasant and noting that Samsung would…

    • The big Final Fantasy 7 Revelation interview

      Eurogamer’s interview with Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi presents Square Enix as aiming to build on the strengths of Remake and Rebirth while avoiding familiar role-playing game conventions becoming stale. Hamaguchi says the team is refining Rebirth’s combat, reconsidering fast travel to preserve player agency, and using both nostalgia and new ideas as…

    • Madison Wells Balances Art, Commerce and Audience Demands as Gigi Pritzker’s Banner Backs Movies, TV Shows, Live Events and More

      Madison Wells Media chief Gigi Pritzker and new president and chief content officer Dan Steinman say the independent producer is adapting to a volatile entertainment market by combining creative ambition with commercial discipline. Their approach matters because the company is seeking wider opportunities, including a stronger role in international film sales, while retaining its established…

    • Kelsea Ballerini and Patrick Droney Duet on Tender New Single ‘Math of Us’

      Kelsea Ballerini has joined singer-songwriter Patrick Droney on ‘Math of Us’, a reflective duet from Droney’s newly released album Made You Look. Accompanied by a video filmed in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, the collaboration explores fear, presence and the desire to hold on to meaningful relationships. Ballerini said she was immediately drawn to the song’s emotional…

    • In Praise of a 90-Year-Old Song That Simply Never Ages

      ‘The Way You Look Tonight’, written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields, marks 90 years since its copyright and remains one of the most enduring songs of the 1930s. First performed by Fred Astaire in the 1936 film Swing Time, it became a standard across film, jazz and popular music, demonstrating its unusual ability to…

    • The ‘challenging’ opposition tactics SWFC are preparing for this season – thestar.co.uk

      Sheffield Wednesday are preparing for a demanding tactical adjustment as they enter League One, where opponents may use different styles to disrupt Henrik Pedersen’s preferred approach. The focus is on ensuring the rebuilt side can respond effectively rather than being caught out by unfamiliar or more pragmatic game plans. Pedersen has been gathering information on…

    • The first Tom Waits album he ever enjoyed: “Trying too hard”

      Tom Waits has said he did not enjoy his own records until the 1983 album ‘Swordfishtrombones’, describing his earlier work as feeling like it was “trying too hard”. The comment highlights the sharp creative change represented by the album, which began the experimental, rough-edged style that became central to his later reputation. Before ‘Swordfishtrombones’, Waits…

    • 9 New Albums You Should Listen to Now: Charli XCX, the Strokes, Tyla, and More

      Pitchfork recommends a selection of newly released albums spanning pop, indie rock, Afrobeats and hip-hop. – Charli XCX’s Music, Fashion, Film is described as a garage-rock-leaning, vulnerable follow-up to BRAT. – The Strokes’ Reality Awaits is their seventh studio album and first full-length release in six years. – Tyla’s sophomore album A*Pop reflects on global…

    • NONPOINT Drops Two Versions Of New Single ‘Red Yeti’ From Upcoming ‘The Last Word’ Album

      NONPOINT has released two versions of its new single, “Red Yeti”, ahead of its eleventh studio album, “The Last Word”, which is due on 18 September through the band’s independent label. One version features the band alone, while the other includes Skye Sweetnam of SUMO CYCO; the release signals the group’s next creative phase and…