Category: Trends

Empress Elisabeth of Austria, whose reign lasted from her marriage to Emperor Franz Josef in 1854 and ended with her assassination in 1898, was a European rock star of her time. She was a doyenne of fashion who outfitted herself in the latest tasteful ruffles, with hair that reached nearly to her ankles. Something of […]

As adored as she was in her lifetime, the real meaning of Whitney Houston didn’t click until she was gone. When she was alive, we knew about her extraordinary vocal range, and how electrifying a performer she was. We also knew she had substance-abuse problems, was struggling through a stormy marriage (to fellow pop star […]

The whodunnit is an especially addictive genre, especially at this time of year, when nothing sounds better than a curling up with a murder mystery, a warm cider, and a cozy blanket. New mysteries abound: Glass Onion, the first of two Knives Out sequels from director Rian Johnson hits Netflix on Dec. 23, following a […]

Sometimes, in the winter, you just want a little hygge, that sense of cozy well-being signified by balsam-scented candles, puffy coverlets, and lumpy sock knitting. For your other, darker moods, there’s Scott Cooper’s The Pale Blue Eye, a chilly murder mystery set at West Point in 1830 in which a taciturn local detective, Christian Bale’s Augustus […]

In the years since her death in 2012, the life and legacy of Whitney Houston have invoked an almost obsessive curiosity about the real person behind the larger-than-life persona of one of the world’s most talented musical artists. Her undeniable gift and glittering career catapulted her to fame, but it’s been the details of her […]

In 2020, I woke two weeks before Christmas, and my church was engulfed by flames. During the night, fire spread from an abandoned building and, by the time I woke, it was an inferno. Despite heroic work by New York City firefighters, in the morning our sanctuary was gone—breathtaking wood and stone reduced to rubble […]

FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s $250 million bail package is one of the largest in U.S. history, but it doesn’t mean he actually has to put up that kind of money. At Bankman-Fried’s bail hearing on Thursday in federal court in Manhattan, both the prosecution and defense agreed that the former billionaire’s assets have “diminished significantly.” […]

Warning: Light spoilers ahead for Glass Onion. Knives Out was a smash-hit in 2019, so it’s no wonder that so many big names jumped at the chance to be included in its sequel, Glass Onion—especially if it included a ticket to the islands of Greece where the movie filmed. In addition to new cast members […]

Despite the promised tidings of comfort and joy, twinkling lights, and gifts exchanged, the holiday season can be a great source of pain and loneliness for those of us in the LGBTQIA+ community. The reality of what many queer people experience during the holidays seldom lives up to the sense of wonder and community we […]

Comment on this story Comment KHARKIV, Ukraine — The eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv has a peculiar “cemetery,” one that recalls some of the worst damage done since the Russian invasion: the debris of rockets used against this town and its people. The graveyard has more than a thousand missiles, or parts of them. Local […]