This Month
How Advent calendars got out of control
What began as a form of religious expression has morphed into a weeks-long festival of consumption and an orgy of unboxing.
November
The chopped chive test that broke the internet (and some chefs)
From dogs to pedestrians’ walking styles, the internet is full of offbeat ratings. Now social media has made precision herb-chopping the measure of a good cook.
Word of the year revealed … but do you know what it means?
“Parasocial” saw off competition such as “slop” and “memeify” in the Cambridge Dictionary list.
How did Naomi Watts get caught up in this car crash TV?
All’s Fair, also featuring Kim Kardashian, is essentially the world inside your phone made into a TV show. The dire reviews have made the show a must-watch.
How Facebook’s dating app became a surprise hit
The service has amassed more than 21 million daily users, making it one of the most popular options for online match-ups.
October
Network Ten pins hopes on local version of BBC hit
“Ghosts Australia” is the latest international franchise of the much-loved British comedy. But star Mandy McElhinney says it has a distinctly Australian flavour.
These bars are banning phones. People love it
Eager for escape from digital overload, drinkers at these pubs are embracing the chance for random human connection by locking away their phones at the door.
This actor will reprise an icon’s best role, and play her co-lead too
Director Dean Bryant has done nine plays with Christie Whelan Browne, and wanted to “raise the bar” for their latest. To Bette Davis height.
This drama confirms Adolescence’s Owen Cooper as a future A-lister
“Film Club” brings together the Emmy-winning young actor and “White Lotus” favourite Aimee Lou Wood as vulnerable souls in an overwhelming world.
Ethan Hawke takes a beating on the trail of the truth
As “truthstorian” Lee Raybon in “The Lowdown”, the actor has a character that fits his late-career strengths like an old pair of jeans.
September
Frida Kahlo self-portrait could sell for $91m and shatter records
“El sueño (La cama)” – or “The Dream (The Bed)” – may surpass the top price for a work by any female artist when it goes under the hammer on November 8.
David Bowie’s secret projects revealed in new archive
The 90,000 items acquired from the singer’s estate by London’s Victoria and Albert Museum include handwritten notes for a movie featuring Major Tom.
Banksy’s latest work could lead to his unmasking
A police investigation into graffiti at a London court complex could mean the famously anonymous street artist will be forced to disclose his name.
The servo is getting a glow-up
Electric vehicle drivers are demanding a more pleasant experience while they wait for their cars to charge.
August
How KPop Demon Hunters conquered the world
The animated film has become a megahit for Netflix, and parents are engaging with it as much as – or even more than – their children.
The highest-grossing animated film ever is coming to a cinema near you
Ne Zha 2 is a Chinese blockbuster that has earned $3.4 billion. That figure is about to rise, thanks to an English-language version featuring Michelle Yeoh.
Social media is already spoiling the Devil Wears Prada sequel
Photos of Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci and Anne Hathaway filming in New York have caused an outcry from fans, who are pleading for an end to paparazzi shots.
Why brands love Sydney Sweeney
The actress seems to be everywhere, fronting dozens of ad campaigns from Korean skincare to American Eagle jeans.
July
Australian lawyer turned playwright storms West End stage again
In her follow-up to the award-winning Prima Facie, Suzie Miller puts the legal system in the dock again, but also digs deeper.
Facing a low bar for sequels, Happy Gilmore 2 is par for the course
Adam Sandler returns as the hotheaded golfer in a follow-up that, while diverting enough, neglects to carve out an identity of its own.