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Katy Perry ‘Deeply Appalled’ After White House Uses ‘Firework’ in Military Strikes TikTok Video
Katy Perry has criticised the White House for using her song “Firework” in a TikTok video featuring footage of US missile strikes on Iranian port targets. She said she had neither approved nor been asked about the use, and argued that pairing the song with violence contradicted its intended message of hope, healing and self-worth.…
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10 Most Influential Horror Books of All Time
Collider ranks ten horror novels it considers especially influential, tracing the genre’s development from Gothic fiction to modern psychological and supernatural horror. – ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ is praised for making terror emerge from isolation, distrust and ambiguity. – ‘The Exorcist’ combines demonic possession with questions of faith, suffering and scepticism. – ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’…
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Biden ghostwriter tapes to be released
Former President Joe Biden has dropped his legal attempt to prevent the release of audio recordings and transcripts of conversations with the ghostwriter of his memoir. The decision clears the way for the Trump Justice Department to provide the material to a Republican-led congressional committee and the conservative Heritage Foundation, following an appeals court ruling…
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I thought I understood Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, then I watched it a second time
The article argues that Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is more rewarding on a second viewing, despite having a comparatively straightforward plot. It says the film initially makes Odysseus’s decisions appear improvised or fortunate, but revisiting key scenes reveals that his intelligence and manipulation have been carefully signposted. Examples include Odysseus planning his escape from the…
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‘Weird Al’ Yankovic says he walked away from a seven-figure comedy festival offer in Saudi Arabia
“Weird Al” Yankovic said he rejected a seven-figure offer to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia. His decision is notable because the festival has attracted criticism over Saudi Arabia’s human-rights record and restrictions on free expression. The article places Yankovic’s decision in the context of wider debate surrounding performers appearing at the…
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Swedish Pop Duo Roxette Cancels 40th Anniversary North American Tour
Roxette’s planned 40th-anniversary North American tour has been postponed after Live Nation US cited logistical challenges and sharply increased touring costs. The decision matters because the US is Roxette’s largest streaming market, yet the reconfigured act has not substantially tested its live drawing power there since the 1990s. The 14-date September and October itinerary had…
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Ridley Scott’s Terrifying Sci-Fi Sequel Is Being Wiped From Streaming
Alien: Covenant, Ridley Scott’s 2017 science-fiction horror sequel and prequel, will leave HBO Max at the end of July. Its removal matters to subscribers because it narrows access to a divisive but visually ambitious entry that connects Scott’s Prometheus with the original Alien. Set at the start of the 22nd century, the film follows a…
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10 Best Thriller Movies in Film History
Collider ranks ten thriller films it considers the greatest in cinema history, arguing that the genre endures because it combines suspense, high stakes, twists and surprise. The selections span animation, classic Hollywood, South Korean cinema and modern filmmaking, presenting thrillers as both entertaining and thematically ambitious. – 10. *Perfect Blue* (1997): Satoshi Kon’s animated psychological…
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EU says TikTok hasn’t done enough to ensure minors’ safety
The European Commission has preliminarily found that TikTok is not doing enough to protect minors’ privacy and safety under the EU’s Digital Services Act. It says young users’ accounts and content can be exposed too widely, potentially increasing risks including unwanted contact, cyberbullying and predatory behaviour. The Commission highlighted that minors can make accounts public…
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Katy Perry condemns White House use of Firework in Iran strikes video
Katy Perry has said she is “deeply appalled and angry” that the White House used her song ‘Firework’ in a TikTok video featuring US military strikes in Iran. She said she had not been asked for approval and did not condone the use, arguing that linking a song about hope and self-worth to violence distorted…