An embarrassed Lady Liberty and a Top Model memoir

Ed Sheeran Goes From Pop Charts to Pops of Paint

Vincent van Gogh is one of the most famous artists known worldwide…today. But, he was famously unknown in his time. He lived a penniless life, epitomizing the “starving artist” trope. But who is the Van Gogh of today? Who is painting something right now that will only be appreciated 100 years in the future? That is yet to be determined, but you know who is painting right now and getting attention for it? Ed Sheeran.

Yes, the British singer-songwriter and one-time Game of Thrones actor Ed Sheeran is dipping his proverbial toe in the art world. During his downtime from touring, Sheeran has been creating Jackson Pollock-style paintings. His paintings, which very clearly echo Pollock’s drip technique, are part of a series called “Cosmic Carpark Paintings,” now showing at Heni Gallery in London. In conjunction with the exhibition, limited-edition prints of his paintings are being sold for £900 ($1,250) each, and 50% of proceeds will go to the Ed Sheeran Foundation, which provides music education grants to UK state schools and grassroots programs.

While fans may appreciate the color and charisma, art insiders remain divided on whether Sheeran’s artistic venture goes deeper than a mere side project. Some critics argue the work lacks depth and emotional grit compared to true abstract expressionism, labeling it a well-meaning but surface-level celebrity experiment.

Big Brother is Back for Its 25th Year

Summer is in full swing, and for reality TV fans, that can only mean one thing — Big Brother is back! Once considered the overlooked guilty pleasure of competition shows, Big Brother has evolved into the must-see TV event of the summer for anyone who loves strategic gameplay, social dynamics, and a little showmance. This season’s theme, Hotel Mystere, promises twists and turns but let’s see if it enhances the game or turns out to be a huge flop. (Anyone remember BB12’s “Sabateur” twist that quickly fizzled out?)

Incredibly, it’s been 25 years since Julie Chen first uttered the line, “Expect the unexpected,” and we can only hope that season 27 delivers. (Check out some of Chen’s favorite past moments.) The wild thing about the show turning 25 is that we now have lifelong fans playing the game — almost a third of this season’s cast wasn’t even born when the show first premiered! With so many fresh faces in the mix, it’s hard to say whether this will be a good or bad season. BUT with walking catch phrase Rachel “Floaters Grab a Life Vest” Reilly entering as a returning player, there’s a good chance we’ll get some drama and quotable one-liners.

As this season kicked off on July 10, one thing that was initially missing was the live feeds. Though it’s a core part of the game for die-hard fans, CBS made the odd decision to keep the live feeds off for the first 100 hours of gameplay, effectively locking us out of early connections. Whether you get your feed fill live, through constantly refreshing Joker’s Updates, or listening to RHAP Daily Feed Recaps, there’s no denying that they add a whole layer to the game.

Even though the decision for the live feed blackout seemed to be connected to the mysterious “Accomplice” twist, Sunday night’s episode unmasked the player in a matter a minutes and proved we could’ve spent days watching these players plotting and scheming. Luckily, they’re up now and we won’t know what sleep is for the next 3 months.

The most recent episode left off with HOH Vince nominating Zae, Ashley (who was thrown under the bus for showering too long), and Amy (the Accomplice who has gone undetected). This will shake up after the Veto and BB Blockbuster, so let the mess begin!

• 📖 NPR asked the age-old question: Does listening to an audiobook count as reading? They found that a majority of people say yes, and the minority (40%) who say no happen to most likely be over 65, male, and without a four-year degree. (Full disclosure: I listened to this article, and yes it counts!)

• 🎨 Artist Lino Lombardi revitalized an Italian “ghost town” by launching a street art festival. Now, there are over 140 murals beautifying the town of Stornara, boosting tourism, sparking new businesses, and attracting young families back to the area.

• 🇬🇧 The Bayeaux Tapestry will finally be returning to the UK after over 900 years. It will be loaned to the British Museum as part of a cultural exchange with museums in Normandy.

• 👜 Nik Bentel Studio has unveiled two electronic handbags. The limited-edition pieces include the Speaker Bag (a Bluetooth-enabled wearable boombox) and the Mixer Bag (a portable 4-channel audio mixer). It’s hi-tech fashion meets absurd design.

• 🪑 Wanna take a seat? You’ll need to solve a puzzle first. The Rubik’s Cube Chair designed by coeonnnn is a giant Rubik’s Cube with legs that need to be turned and twisted into place before you can actually sit on it. Fun or frustrating?

• 🏚️ Abandoned shopping malls are being resurrected as creative hubs for artists. Across the globe (in the US, Canada, Singapore, and now Australia), these giant empty retail spaces are finding new purpose for art communities.

• 🗽 Dutch artist Judith de Leeuw unveiled “The Statue of Liberty's Silent Protest” — a monumental mural in France of Lady Liberty covering her face in shame. It made its debut on July 3 (a day before the US’ Independence Day) in response to the current US administration’s stance on immigration and the ICE raids taking place across the country.

• 💄 If anyone else loved America’s Next Top Model in its heyday and is now horrified by how they treated the contestants, raise your hand. 🤚🤚Sarah Hartshorne, who competed on Cycle 9, has a new memoir out, You Wanna Be On Top?, that exposes all the secrets, likening it to a “cult.”

• 💪 It’s hard to believe that it’s already been a year since we lost Sweatin’ to the Oldies mastermind and fitness guru Richard Simmons. There are so many questions about what happened to him once he left the spotlight, and now, for the first time, his longtime housekeeper breaks her silence in an interview with TODAY.

• 🍔 Feel like a burger? Let Tomosteen, a master of LEGO culinary creations, whip one up for you.

• 📺 Bingeable TV has made our appetite insatiable. But is there such a thing as too much? The Guardian thinks so. Writer Stuart Heritage’s interesting opinion on episode overbloat and how it’s taking away from the enjoyment is food for thought.

• 🫠 Shiny Happy People pulled back the curtains on the Duggar family in 2023, and now it’s back for round two. This season will tackle evangelical millennials, and the fascinating trailer has us counting the days until it premieres, July 23 on Prime Video.

• 🦸‍♂️ James Gunn’s DC Universe is here and off to an incredible start, with Superman bringing in over $200 million in its opening weekend. The film has been getting rave reviews, except on the right, which can’t help but call it everyone’s favorite buzzword: “woke.”

• 🎬 In the never-ending branding saga that no one ever asked for, Max is going back to its roots and returning to what everyone always called it — HBO Max.