Should we cheer the return of Ted Lasso?
Apple needs a guaranteed hit and audiences need a laugh
Alexander Larman
Alexander Larman is an author and the US books editor of The Spectator.
Monday
Wednesday
Megalopolis and the strange art of negative marketing
Marketeers have made up bad reviews for major works and used them to promote a new film
Monday
Is Prince Andrew finally getting the boot from Windsor?
From our UK edition
After a relatively quiet few months for Prince Andrew, there have been two recent developments that will no doubt make this famously un-sweaty man feel a nervous chill. Firstly, following the mixed response that Scoop, the first account of his notorious interview with Emily Maitlis, received, the first pictures have been released of the Amazon
Twenty years on from Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
Since its publication in September 2004, Susanna Clarke’s novel has sold millions of copies worldwide
Wednesday
The unfortunate timing of Harry and Meghan’s Colombia trip
From our UK edition
As Harry and Meghan prepare to head off on yet another quasi-regal tour, this time to Colombia, it is surely nothing more than a coincidence that their experienced chief of staff Josh Kettler – a so-called ‘executive accelerator and strategist’ – has left ‘by mutual agreement’ after a three-month trial period in the job. The
Monday
Why was Tom Cruise’s Olympics appearance so weird?
It may not have helped that, in France, Scientology is not regarded as a religion, but as a cult
Banksy’s art is overrated – and overpriced
From our UK edition
Should you be woken in the middle of the night by the sound of a hydraulic lift rising from a van, and look out of the window to see a stern-looking bearded man spray-painting something on your wall, your usual instinct might be to ring the police. These days, however, you’d be better off calling
Thursday
King Charles must break his silence on the riots
From our UK edition
After the far-right rioting of last night failed to materialise, there is hope that we have now seen the worst of the public disorder that flared up following the Southport stabbings. This is certainly what the Prime Minister will be thinking today, but his new good friend the King could well have exactly the same
Tuesday
What is the point of the George R.R. Martin extended universe?
House of the Dragon is still finding its feet and has yet to provide the visceral thrills that might be expected of it
Tuesday
It’s no surprise McDonald’s is struggling
From our UK edition
The news that McDonald’s sales have fallen by 1 per cent around the world between April and June might not seem, on the face of it, to be vastly significant. After all, surely there will always be a market for cheap and cheerful hamburgers, chicken nuggets and chips that even Michelin-starred chefs rave about? Apparently
Monday
The revival of Marvel
With Deadpool & Wolverine , Marvel is back, back, back, baby
Sunday
What happened to the Rishi Sunak I knew at school?
From our UK edition
Rishi Sunak’s political journey over the past few years was summed up by him well in a joke he made responding to the King’s speech earlier this month: ‘On the government benches, life comes at you fast…before you know it, you have a bright future behind you, and you are left wondering if you can
Friday
Prince Harry will never win his war on the tabloids
From our UK edition
The enemy of my enemy is my friend, according to the old adage; and so it stands that someone who you find generally objectionable can also, occasionally, be correct. Many people who would not count themselves fans of Prince Harry would find it hard not to sympathise with his ongoing campaign against more scurrilous elements
Monday
Glen Powell is your new favorite movie star
Twisters represents his latest assault on the box office and America’s affections alike
Thursday
Why New York is a city built on the written word
To have been born there and live there all your life? It is hard to imagine any author having a greater privilege
Wednesday
Emmy nominations 2024: shocks and surprises
Largely a fair judgement on a considerable year for television
What did Charles make of his King’s Speech?
From our UK edition
The protesters were out, as usual, but nobody was paying them a lot of attention. For all the angry bellowing and sign-waving of ‘Not my King!’ and ‘Down with the Crown’, most observers were not focusing on a small, disaffected rabble outside parliament, but instead on the constitutional and historical significance of the occasion. The
Monday
What does the future hold for Alec Baldwin?
He is now a free man and able to resume a career that has undergone some spectacular highs and lows over the past few decades
Wednesday
What will the relationship between Starmer and King Charles be like?
From our UK edition
When the King greeted Keir Starmer last Friday, his first words to him were: ‘You must be utterly exhausted and nearly on your knees’, to which the new Prime Minister replied: ‘Not much sleep.’ From the body language and easy rapport between the two men, most inferred that this was a relationship that was likely
Tuesday
Can Gladiator II save a genre — and a studio?
It would be nigh-on impossible to compete with the original
