Entertainment

Orchid is a delightfully retro and approachable hipster synth

• Telepathic Instruments' Orchid is a modern digital chord organ made with Tame Impala's Kevin Parker
• Costs $649; lets users play full chords via simple button presses
• Reviewed positively for ease of use, though pricey with a one-octave keyboard

The Verge has reviewed the Orchid, a new digital chord organ from Telepathic Instruments made in collaboration with Tame Impala's Kevin Parker. Inspired by vintage electric chord organs from the 1960s, which fell out of fashion in the 1980s as digital keyboards took over, the Orchid aims to…

Born in the Twin Cities 79 Years Ago Today, the Country-Rock Pioneer Who Co-Founded One of the Best-Selling Bands of All Time

• Eagles co-founder Bernie Leadon turns 79 today.
• He shaped the band's early country-rock sound before leaving in 1975.
• Also played with Flying Burrito Brothers and as a session musician.

Bernie Leadon, the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist best known as a founding member of the Eagles, was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on 19 July 1947 — 79 years ago today. Before helping form one of the best-selling bands in history, he built his reputation through a string of…

Peter Berg confirms Call of Duty film set in Modern Warfare

• Call of Duty film confirmed to be set in Modern Warfare universe
• Announcement made by director Peter Berg at Fanatics Fest
• Release date remains 30th June 2028; no further details shared

Director Peter Berg has confirmed that the forthcoming Call of Duty film will be set within the Modern Warfare universe, revealing the news at Fanatics Fest. The confirmation, delivered via a social media post from Call of Duty's official account, gave fans their first concrete detail about the…

4 Meg Ryan Movies That Are Perfect From Start to Finish

• Collider lists four Meg Ryan films praised as near-perfect performances.
• Covers "When a Man Loves a Woman" and "You've Got Mail" in detail.
• Argues Ryan's charm was backed by real emotional depth.

The article is a Collider listicle highlighting four Meg Ryan films the writer considers flawless examples of romantic comedy and drama craftsmanship, arguing that Ryan's on-screen charm was underpinned by genuine emotional nuance rather than mere likeability. It uses these films to make the case that Ryan's peak…

Conservatives Admit The Odyssey Was “Really Really Good”

• Nolan's *The Odyssey* wins praise from conservatives after earlier casting backlash.
• Film heads for a $120m US opening and 97% audience Rotten Tomatoes score.
• Ben Shapiro rated it 9/10, despite criticising Elliot Page's casting.

Christopher Nolan's film adaptation of *The Odyssey* has won unexpected praise from conservative commentators, months after right-wing figures criticised the casting of trans actor Elliot Page as Sinon and Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy, with some predicting it would flop commercially. The film has instead performed strongly,…

Hollywood stopped making action heroes like Alan Ritchson

• Alan Ritchson revives the old-school, muscle-bound action hero archetype.
• Hollywood shifted towards relatable, witty or vulnerable protagonists since the 1990s.
• Superhero VFX and films like "Taken" changed audience expectations of action stars.

Actor Alan Ritchson has become an unexpectedly popular action star by embodying a throwback style of hero rarely seen in modern Hollywood: a hulking, physically dominant figure in the mould of 1980s and '90s icons like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jean-Claude Van Damme. This matters because the genre has…

How Some Canadian Connections Helped Glass Tiger Land Their First Smash Single in 1986

• Glass Tiger's 1986 hit was produced by Bryan Adams collaborator Jim Vallance.
• Bryan Adams sang backing vocals on "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)".
• The single hit No. 2 in the US, launching Glass Tiger's career.

This article explores how the Canadian band Glass Tiger, formed in Ontario in 1981, achieved their breakthrough US hit in 1986 with the help of fellow Canadians. Songwriter and producer Jim Vallance, best known as Bryan Adams's chief collaborator, spotted the band's potential from their demo tapes and…

10 iconic UK recording studios and the immortal songs they created

The article text you provided only contains the page's navigation/header ("MusicFilmTravelArtNews Shop Mailing List..." and "Cover Story | Yard Act") — none of the actual list content about the 10 studios or songs came through. I attempted to fetch the full page myself, but that request wasn't approved.…

20 Best Sword-and-Sandal Films, From ‘The Odyssey’ to ‘Gladiator’

• Variety ranks the 20 best sword-and-sandal films, prompted by Nolan's "The Odyssey"
• List spans Troy, Noah, Caligula, Conan the Barbarian and Gladiator
• Nolan's Homer adaptation stars Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland

Variety has published a ranked list of the 20 best "sword-and-sandal" films, timed to the release of Christopher Nolan's new adaptation of Homer's "The Odyssey," starring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland. The piece argues Nolan's film reinvigorates a genre that has produced few major titles in…