insert_link Entertainment Hollywood didn’t know exactly what to do with Donald Sutherland – so they did everything with him By Daryl Sparkes, University of Southern Queensland I don’t think Hollywood knew what to do with Donald Sutherland, who has died at age 88. He was not your classically handsome A-list actor like contemporaries Warren Beatty or Robert Redford, nor was he solely suited to the “tough guy” roles such as Robert De Niro, Al Pacino or Gene Hackman. Instead, his early film […] today26 June, 2024
insert_link Africa Mauritius’ next growth phase: a new plan is needed as the tax haven era fades By Pritish Behuria, University of Manchester Mauritians will head to the polls by November 2024 and politicians are considering the economic direction of the island country. For the last two decades, the country’s economic growth has depended heavily on its offshore sector – the provision of financial services by banks to foreign firms. As an isolated country located in the south-western Indian Ocean, Mauritius has […] today18 June, 2024
Entertainment Alert level raised for Philippine volcano after ‘explosive eruption’: volcanology agency The alert level for a Philippine volcano was raised Monday after an "explosive eruption" sent a plume of ash, gas and steam five kilometres (three miles) into the sky, the volcanology agency said. Mount Kanlaon on the central island of Negros erupted shortly before 7:00 pm (1100 GMT), prompting warnings for nearby residents to wear facemasks due the threat of volcanic gases and falling ash. "When it […] today3 June, 2024
insert_link Entertainment Was Beethoven truly the greatest? A portrait of the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven in 1818. 12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images By Philip Ewell, Hunter College On May 7, 1824, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony premiered in Vienna, Austria. On its 200th anniversary, much was made about this seminal achievement of a composer routinely touted as the greatest master who ever lived. In an essay for The New York Times, conductor […] today22 May, 2024
insert_link Entertainment Bridgerton season three – all the usual froth, but a more mature edge as Regency fears of spinsterhood explored By Danielle Mariann Dove, University of Surrey Note this piece contains spoilers for seasons two and three of Bridgerton Netflix’s Regency-inspired romance series Bridgerton has returned in all its garish glory (at least if you’re a Featherington) for the show’s much-anticipated third season. Transporting viewers once again into the glittering world of high society scandal, gossip and romantic intrigue, this latest instalment shifts the focus […] today20 May, 2024
insert_link Entertainment Taylor Swift has got the 1830s all wrong By Emily Ireland, University of Liverpool Taylor Swift has become incredibly popular as a documenter of her dating history. But in her new album, The Tortured Poet’s Department, she tries her hand at writing about actual history. In the second verse of “I Hate it Here” (track 23 on the mammoth 31-track anthology version of the album), Swift sings about playing a game that involves […] today15 May, 2024
Africa From eco-friendly roofing and waste collection to AI-powered healthcare and farming, 2024 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation finalists revealed Four innovators from Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire and Uganda have been selected from a shortlist of 16 to compete for the £50,000 Africa Prize in its tenth anniversary year · Their innovations address recycling in construction, AI tools for healthcare and farming, and reengineered waste collection · The three runners up will each receive £15,000, and a £5,000 prize – titled ‘One to Watch’ – will be awarded to […] today14 May, 2024
insert_link Entertainment Universal’s music is returning to TikTok, ending a spat that hurt fans more than anyone By James Hall, Edith Cowan University A longstanding feud between TikTok and Universal Music Group seems to have finally reached an end, with both parties signing a deal that will see Universal-backed music returned to the social media platform. Universal first removed its artists’ work from TikTok about three months ago, restricting access to tunes from household names such as Billie Eilish, Adele, Harry Styles, Drake, Kendrick […] today6 May, 2024
insert_link Entertainment AI can now generate entire songs on demand. What does this mean for music as we know it? PeamDesign / Shutterstock Oliver Bown, UNSW Sydney In March, we saw the launch of a “ChatGPT for music” called Suno, which uses generative AI to produce realistic songs on demand from short text prompts. A few weeks later, a similar competitor – Udio – arrived on the scene. I’ve been working with various creative computational tools for the past 15 years, both as a researcher and a producer, and the […] today6 May, 2024
