How racism sparked the myth that MSG is unhealthy
Many people still believe that the umami-rich seasoning monosodium glutamate (MSG) is bad for their health. This longstanding myth was born out of anti-Asian racism and has since been disproven by science. Let’s investigate its story. Salt, salt, salt… who doesn’t love it? It brings to life the natural flavours of...
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Life is Strange highlights TV’s blind spot towards game creators
The 2015 hit narrative game is getting its own television series courtesy of Amazon. But Story Kitchen and LuckyChap have opted not to collaborate with the original writers at Don’t Nod. Is this repeating mistakes of the past? Life is Strange caught everyone off guard in 2015. Interactive drama games...
What Rylan Clark tells us about the failure of government communication
The presenter’s stance on immigration has caused widespread backlash. But is the response a sign that the immigration debate is shifting? When Rylan Clark first appeared on the X Factor in 2012, sporting a set of blinding white veneers and a wotsit shade of spray tan, it was hard to...
‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ gets standing ovation at Venice Film Festival
The docufilm reconstructs the final moments of a five-year-old Palestinian girl, Hind Rajab, as she was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza along with six other members of her family. On Wednesday night at the Venice Film Festival, a sobbing audience gave a 23-minute standing ovation to a new docufilm...
Opinion – nobody can relate to TV’s mega-rich
Almost everywhere we look, TV and film are hell-bent on portraying characters with exorbitant amounts of wealth. I’m tired of it. And Just Like That, the Sex and the City reboot, has had largely negative – if not heavily mixed – reviews since it premiered a few years ago. And for...
Will Smith appears to use AI generated crowd in tour videos
As part of the promotional material for his ongoing tour, Will Smith has been accused of posting AI generated images of crowds. The videos show hands with extra fingers and additional limbs. Actor and musician Will Smith has been facing criticism online for what appears to be AI generated...
Lil Nas X arrested and hospitalised for ‘possible overdose’
The pop star and singer was found wandering the streets in LA in his underwear, before charging at police officers who attended the scene. He has been hospitalised for a ‘possible overdose’ with his second album scheduled to release later this year. Rapper, singer and musician Lil Nas X has reportedly been arrested and hospitalised following an incident in LA. The artist was seen walking around Ventura Boulevard at 05:30...
Is ‘mankeeping’ a common dynamic straining straight relationships?
Researchers have finally named the phenomenon experienced by heterosexual women who’ve been told at least once in their lives, ‘You’re not his therapist.’ Angelica Ferrara and Dylan Vergara from Stanford University published an article on ‘mankeeping,’ which theorizes heterosexual men’s growing dependency on their partners for their emotional needs. According to Theorizing Mankeeping: The Male Friendship Recession and Women’s Associated Labor as Structural Component of Gender Inequality research, ‘the...
Kai Cenat and the influencer charity controversy
Kai Cenat is under scrutiny again, but this time it’s not about setting off fireworks in his room or being shite at Elden Ring. It involves a school in Nigeria, and we’re trying to find the line between philanthropy and clout chasing. Earlier this year, Kai travelled to Nigeria with fellow creators Fanum and Duke Dennis. During the visit, he revealed he’d funded the construction of a new school,...
Cancelling ‘The Late Show’ is a sign of troubling times
Stephen Colbert’s exit marks more than TV’s end. It signals the unsettling ‘Trumpification’ of mainstream media under political pressure. CBS’s decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert – a late-night institution that, in Colbert’s own words, ‘isn’t being replaced’ – marks the end of a 33-year legacy and a moment of uneasy reflection for American media in the time of Trump. The network attributes the cancellation to longstanding financial...
