The Sundance Film Festival may be a little bittersweet this year. It will be familiar in some ways as it kicks off on Thursday in Park City, Utah. There will be stars, from Natalie Portman to Charli XCX, and breakout discoveries, tearjerkers, comedies, thrillers, oddities that defy categorization and maybe even a few future Oscar nominees. The pop ups and sponsors will be out in full force on Main Street. The lines to get into the 90 movies premiering across 10 days will be long and the volunteers will be endlessly helpful and cheery in subfreezing temperatures.
But the country's premier showcase for independent film is also in a time of profound transition after decades of relative stability. The festival is bidding farewell to its longtime home and forging forward without its founder, Robert Redford, who died in September. Next year, it must find its footing in another mountain town, Boulder, Colorado.
Full Story
Ricky Martin and Hudson Williams joined a star-studded front row Monday for the first Giorgio Armani menswear runway collection under the sole creative direction of Leo Dell'Orco following the iconic designer's death in September.
The collection previewed on the final day of Milan Fashion Week was in complete continuity with Armani's heritage soft tailoring — but there were signs of a new sharpness and modernity.
Full Story
It's simple to accidentally become entranced by an endless loop of videos on Instagram or TikTok. But sometimes, that mindless scroll is interrupted by a reminder that what you thought was a 10-minute break spent on your phone was closer to 30 minutes.
Olivia Yokubonis, armed with a kind voice and scientific research, often pops up in feeds on social platforms, gently reminding viewers that they might not remember the video they saw two videos before she appeared on the screen.
Full Story
Tens of millions of dollars are on the line as Prince Harry returned to court Monday for the third and final chapter in his legal quest to tame the British tabloids.
Harry, also known as the Duke of Sussex, is the most prominent litigant in a case full of high-profile plaintiffs who accuse the publisher of the Daily Mail of invading their privacy by using unlawful information-gathering tactics to snoop on them for sensational headlines.
Full Story
With one puff of a cigarette, a woman in Canada became a global symbol of defiance against Iran's bloody crackdown on dissent — and the world saw the flame.
A video that has gone viral in recent days shows the woman — who described herself as an Iranian refugee — snapping open a lighter and setting the flame to a photo she holds. It ignites, illuminating the visage of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's highest cleric. Then the woman dips a cigarette into the glow, takes a quick drag — and lets what remains of the image fall to the pavement.
Full Story
If the byproduct of Wednesday's raid on a Washington Post journalist's home is to deter probing reporting of government action, the Trump administration could hardly have chosen a more compelling target.
Hannah Natanson, nicknamed the "federal government whisperer" at the Post for her reporting on President Donald Trump's changes to the workforce, had a phone, two laptops and a Garmin watch seized in the search of her Virginia home, the newspaper said.
Full Story
Long lines beneath I.M. Pei's glass pyramid have become as much a part of the experience as the " Mona Lisa " itself.
Now the Louvre is putting a higher price on that pilgrimage, raising admission prices on Wednesday for most non-European visitors by 45% as it tries to shore up finances after repeated strikes, chronic overcrowding — and a brazen French Crown Jewels heist that shook the institution.
Full Story
The Japanese and South Korean leaders agreed to deepen cooperation between their countries before they let loose with their own surprise cultural exchange in a surprise jam session drumming to K-pop hits.
The musical performance between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung followed Tuesday's summit in Japan's ancient capital of Nara, also Takaichi's hometown.
Full Story
Ravers danced and swayed to the loud bass at a popular night club in the heart of the city of Beirut. It was another sold-out Saturday in the party capital of the Middle East.
What was different this time was the DJ at the helm. Before putting on his headphones, he had been leading a Mass at a Lebanese Catholic university.
Full Story
Brigitte Bardot's funeral was being held on Wednesday with a private service and a public homage in Saint-Tropez, the French Riviera resort where she lived for more than half a century after retiring from movie stardom at the height of her fame.
The animal rights activist and far-right supporter died Dec. 28 at age 91 at her home in southern France.
Full Story


