Flipboard Culture Desk

Why would an unassuming mid-century house with tan siding become a historic landmark in Los Angeles? Here’s the story, from @Smithsonianmag:

https://flip.it/F2NNFL

#Culture #Entertainment #TV #70s #TheBradyBunch

The 2026 Winter Paralympic Games opened today in Milan. A Russian team is present for the first time since 2022 and was greeted by boos as they entered the arena. Teams from seven nations including Ukraine boycotted the ceremony in protest against Russia's participation. Here's more from […]

Gulf Arab states continue to strengthen their ties with U.S. entertainment, from the acquisition of Electronic Arts to the upcoming Disney theme park in Abu Dhabi. Experts are concerned that those states will eventually want influence or control over what their partners do. Case in point: David […]

Camels at beauty pageant disqualified after using hump-plumping injectables Camel owners had used injections to enhance the camel’s lips, dermal fillers around their noses and silicone wax to enlarge the humps

An injectable filler scandal has hit a beauty pageant... for camels. @Independent reports that 20 competitors in the 2026 Camel Beauty Show in Oman received filler injections for their lips, nose and humps, as well as Botox in their faces.

https://flip.it/Q5hxt8

#Lifestyle #Beauty #Animals

Bernard LaFayette, Selma voting rights organizer, dies at 85 Voting rights organizer Bernard LaFayette has died. LaFayette's son says his father died Thursday morning of a heart attack. He was 85.

Bernard LaFayette, a civil rights activist and key figure in the voter registration campaign in Selma, Alabama, has died at age 85. Here's more from @AssociatedPress.

https://flip.it/TK1wA_

#RIP #InMemoriam #BlackMastodon #BlackHistory #BernardLaFayette

The U.S. Authors Guild has expanded its "Human Authored" certificate program, which launched in beta last year for its members, and is now available to any author whose books are published in the United States. "It's our firm belief that reading is about human connection and readers want books […]

All the New Science Fiction Books Arriving in March 2026 - Reactor This March will see sentient spaceships, psychic space monsters, humans and spiders working together, and more…

Sentient spaceships, spiders and psychic space monsters, oh my. Here's Reactor with all the new science fiction books being published this month.

https://flip.it/5BJbOZ

#Books #Bookstodon #ScienceFiction #SciFi

There were once 12 movie palaces across an eight-block stretch of Downtown Los Angeles. Now, none of them still operates as a full-time commercial cinema. For The Ankler, Matthew Frank takes a look at these relics of a different era, and some of the efforts to save them.

https://flip.it/T_FBlf […]

Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, a California/Nevada affiliate of the national sexual and reproductive healthcare provider, is now offering Botox. Stacy Cross, the organization's president and CEO says the goal is to raise money to keep the doors open at their 30 clinics. Fiorella Valdesolo […]

How are library workers in the United States coping with reduced budgets, layoffs, increased workloads, book bans, and being called groomers for championing inclusivity? BookRiot's Kelly Jensen surveyed 213 people to find out. “We are not social workers, but we’re forced to act like them," said […]

The inspiring and tragic story of Mabel Stark, America’s most famous female tiger trainer Long before Joe Exotic became Tiger King, Mabel Stark reigned as Tiger Queen.

Mabel Stark was born in 1888 or 1889 and grew up in Princeton, Kentucky. She trained as a nurse, and then, she became a tiger trainer. @ConversationUS tells the story of her courage and kindness.

https://flip.it/IOddv6

#MabelStark #WomensHistoryMonth #History #Histodons

A "Game of Thrones" movie is in the works at Warner Bros., @THR reports. Here's everything we know so far, from the vision, to who they've picked to write it.

https://flip.it/i9nBvb

#Movies #Cinema #Film #GameOfThrones

What is Looksmaxxing, who is Clavicular and what was wrong with The New York Times' most recent story about both? Digital culture expert Jamie Cohen breaks it down in this Medium post.

https://flip.it/cQbIZq

#Looksmaxxing #Clavicular #Media #NewYorkTimes #Culture #InternetCulture

Dream engineering aims to craft what people dream about, with a view to reducing nightmares, and cultivating calm sleep to help with waking health and creativity. Karen Van Kampen talked to some of the scientists working on it for her upcoming book, "The Brain Never Sleeps," excerpted in The […]

When Snail Mail first broke through nearly a decade ago, singer-songwriter Lindsey Jordan was viewed as part of a burgeoning new sub-genre: “angsty indie music led by young (often queer) women such as Phoebe Bridgers, Soccer Mommy, Lucy Dacus, or Mitski,” Louis Chilton writes. But the label […]

“Thanksgiving Day,” Igor Alferov’s short film, won first prize at the inaugural Frame Forward AI Animated Film Festival last week. Part of the prize involved getting a national two-week run in theaters with several major chains, including AMC Theaters. But after a moviegoer revolt, AMC said it […]

Being part of the awards show conversation was all Teyana Taylor wanted. And now it’s happening for the “multihyphenate, who just hit two decades in the entertainment business in just about every position — from Grammy-nominated musician, to director, dancer, choreographer, reality TV […]

It’s Saturday night across much of the world. How many of you are ready to taste some booze? And what if that hootch was 150 years old? A bottle of what’s being called a “mystery drink” was discovered last summer in Utah, where construction workers were installing snowmaking pipes at Alta Ski […]

“Rob Zombie, with his signature dreadlocks, clavicle-length beard, and X-marked forehead, has looked 60 since he was 30, but whatever chemical he’s incorporated into his self-care routine has worked wonders,” music reviewer Eli Enis writes. Zombie’s new album, “The Great Satan,” is a spiritual […]

Paramout Skydance finally outbid Netflix this week for Warner Bros Discovery, committing to paying $111 billion. But that doesn't mean CNN will be owned by the Ellisons tomorrow. @Slate says that there are multiple uphill slogs ahead before the deal goes through, including legal challenges from […]

Neil Sedaka, legendary singer-songwriter behind hits like “Love Will Keep Us Together” and “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” has died at 86. Over the course of his six-decade-plus career, Sedaka was nominated for five Grammy awards (including one at the second-ever edition of the show in 1959). He […]

If you've requested automated service in Spanish when you call the Washington state Department of Licensing, you get an AI-generated voice speaking English with a Spanish accent. Here's the story from @AssociatedPress, including a recording.

https://flip.it/wsCA4w

#USNews #Tech #AI #Language […]

Warner Bros. Discovery signs merger agreement with Paramount Skydance The deal was inked just a day after Netflix abruptly announced it was pulling out of the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming assets.

Warner Bros. formally signs merger agreement with Paramount a day after Netflix abruptly dropped out of the bidding war. Read more from NBC News:

https://flip.it/78VM9C

#News #Media #WarnerBros #Paramount #Business #Entertainment

Jonathan Majors was supposed to be the next great Marvel star. But after being found guilty of domestic violence, he was dropped from his role as Kang the Conqueror. Now, @AVClub reports that he is making a comeback, filming a still-untitled action movie, produced by Daily Wire founder and […]

RE: https://flipboard.social/@CultureDesk/116139184857154530

Update: Netflix is declining to raise its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing the way for Paramount Skydance to take over the studio. Here's more from @THR.

https://flip.it/JEJfbQ

#Media #Entertainment #Paramount #Netflix […]

Warner Bros. Discovery Declares New Paramount Bid a ‘Superior Proposal’; Netflix Has Four Business Days to Match The Warner Bros. Discovery board says the latest offer from Paramount is 'superior' to its deal with Netflix, which now has four days to counter.

Warner Bros. Discovery says Paramount Skydance's latest offer is a "superior proposal" to its existing agreement with Netflix. Netflix now has four days to make a counteroffer. Here's more from @Variety.

https://flip.it/9sMeEm

#Media #Entertainment #Paramount #Netflix #WarnerBros

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, civil rights and me: How to process the death of a legend in a turbulent time? I only met the Rev. Jackson a couple of times. But I'm still struggling to figure what his death means at a time when the fight to uphold his legacy has never felt more important.

What does the death of Rev. Jesse Jackson mean for public policy, the civil rights struggle, and journalism? @Edeggans writes about the importance of the fight to uphold Rev. Jackson's legacy.

https://flip.it/8_Gt02

#BlackHistory #JesseJackson #CivilRights #BlackMastodon

The Met Gala theme this year will be Costume Art and the co-chairs will be Beyonce, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour. So far, so normal. However, the event is garnering criticism and calls to boycott because of its lead sponsors, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos. Here's more […]

RE: https://flipboard.social/@CultureDesk/116128359777212906

Update: @Variety interviewed John Davidson about this incident and he gave some deeper explanation of his condition and what happened. According to this conversation, this was not the only offensive word he shouted that evening, and […]

Tourette syndrome is a deeply misunderstood condition. Rena Zito, an associate professor of sociology, writes for @TheConversationUS about coprolalia — the involuntary offensive speech tic that John Davidson displayed at the BAFTA Awards — and why the word he used doesn't necessarily mean he's […]