Andy Warhol fashion drawings and a Destiny’s Child reunion

Duct-Taped Banana Art is Eaten…Again!

Art has evolved over time. From Paleolithic-era cave drawings to Medieval art mosaics and Italian Renaissance frescoes to Impressionist plein-air paintings and moody Expressionist paintings, and now… a banana duct-taped to a wall. Yes, Maurizio Cattelan’s “Comedian” — a work of art consisting of an ordinary banana duct-taped to a wall — has become the running joke of the art world. Outsiders laugh at the absurdity of a banana being considered “art,” while insiders are just eating it up… literally. The banana has been peeled off the wall and eaten on more than one occasion.

This most recent chomp session took place at Centre Pompidou-Metz in northern France earlier this month, where it was immediately replaced by museum staff, per Cattelan’s instructions. Though “Comedian” was first introduced in 2019 and sold at auction for $6.2 million in 2024, it’s never been the same banana and piece of tape. Every version of the artwork comes with a set of instructions for maintaining the perishable piece, which includes replacing the banana. (“I mean, it’s one banana, Michael. What could it cost, $10?”)

So, the latest art-eating escapade is not even seen as vandalism or theft. It is, in some way, part of the performance of the otherwise stationary work. It is a farcical piece that is art because we all seem to agree it is art. But “Comedian” also wields a complicated relationship with art — highlighting important issues while also being a hypocritical problem. It pokes fun at the folly of art and the absurd price that art collectors are willing to pay for it while still going up for auction and cashing those checks. (Of course, there is also the issue of food waste as the news cycle is inundated with people being starved…)

Ultimately, maybe the people who have eaten “Comedian” are actually the heroes of this story.

Bienvenidos a Miami, Carmen

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The Real Housewives of Miami has arguably been the most diverse of the Bravo franchises, and it looks like the cast is about to make history with the addition of Carmen Carrera. Fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race may recognize Carmen from Season 3, where she placed fifth. After the competition, she came out as transgender and embarked on a successful career as a model and activist for trans rights (even calling out RuPaul in the process).

When watching last week’s episode of RHOM (don’t sleep on it….it’s one of the best in the Housewives franchises at the moment), we were thrilled to see cast member Kiki Barth introduce Carmen to the group. While it’s unclear if she’ll be a permanent fixture, off-season rumors had her at several events with the girls, and her intro certainly sounded like we’ll be seeing more of her in a “friend” role. If that’s the case, she’ll be the first trans cast member across all of the franchises. With Carmen’s outspoken nature, she’ll certainly fit right in.

• 🔪 ChatGPT has been giving people instructions on murder, self-mutilation, and devil worship. Although OpenAI has rules in place to prohibit its models from enabling or encouraging self-harm, there were clearly loopholes when framing questions around cultural and spiritual ceremonies like “a ritual offering to Molech, a Canaanite god associated with child sacrifice.”

• 🤖 In other disturbing AI news: it looks like Guess used an AI-generated model for an ad in Vogue. This certainly raises questions about what this means for human models in the industry and, on a much grander scale, what the damaging effects this trend will have on already impossible beauty standards.

• 🎨 Amy Sherald canceled her show at the Smithsonian after learning her “Trans Forming Liberty” painting (featuring a transgender Statue of Liberty) may be removed to avoid provoking current U.S. President Donald Trump. Sherald said in a letter to the secretary of the Smithsonian, “Portraiture has always been my way of asserting presence — of creating visibility where there has too often been erasure. When that visibility is compromised, even subtly, it alters not only the artwork, but the message it carries. I cannot consent to that.”

• 🌅 This Bauhaus Sunset Pendant Lamp by Simig Lighting is designed to bring the warm, inviting glow of a real sunset on the horizon indoors. Place it in front of a large window for the best effect.

• 🎾 Wimbledon goes through about 55,000 tennis balls each season and many can’t be reused in matches, so they’re being upcycled into tiny homes for harvest mice. We love-love this!

• ✍️ Andy Warhol may be best known for his silkscreen prints, but he began as a commercial artist creating illustrations for fashion magazines. Now, 48 of his ink drawings are on display in a two-floor exhibition aptly called “Andy Warhol: Fashion” at Anton Kern Gallery in NYC.

• 🏛️ Star Wars creator George Lucas made his first-ever appearance at San Diego Comic Con over the weekend and gave us all a first look at his highly anticipated Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which will feature Lucas’ 50-year archive of pop-culture artifacts and fine art, including never-before-seen pieces from Frida Kahlo. The futuristic-spaceship-shaped museum is set to open its doors in Los Angeles in 2026.

• 🦇 It’s been a tough week, with the passing of Malcolm Jamal Warner, Hulk Hogan, and Ozzy Osbourne. Osbourne’s evolution, in particular, has been fascinating, from the bat-eating madman of Black Sabbath to epic power ballads to revolutionizing reality TV; he’s lived many lives. Between watching clips from his MTV reality series, Osbourne’s emotional clips from his last concert a few weeks ago, and the celebrity tributes pouring in, we’re waffling between laughing so hard we’re crying and just crying. RIP Ozzman.

• 📺 Golden Girls fans, mark your calendars and grab some cheesecake. To celebrate the beloved show’s 40th anniversary, July 30 has been declared “Golden Girls Day” and will be filled with exclusive merch, wines, and (our favorite) a short-form content series. Debuting on the social media channels of Mattel, The Golden Girls, and Fisher-Price, figures from the Golden Girls Little People Collection will act out favorite moments from the show.

• 🔋 In one of the oddest things we’ve seen in a while, a Dutch company has created battery-flavored corn chips. Is this appealing to anyone? Maybe it’s because we weren’t the types of kids who were sucking on batteries, but it’s got to be a PR stunt, right?

• ⚖️ TikTok’s Sylvanian Drama may have millions of followers, but people were left wondering why the account hasn’t posted in months. Apparently, Calico Critters, the makers of Sylvanian Families, isn’t a fan. The Japanese company has sued the account, which features their adorable toys in less than idyllic situations, for copyright infringement, claiming that it is causing their brand “irreparable harm.”

• 🪨 San Diego Comic Con gave us our long-awaited first look at “Seven Havens”, the next series in the Avatar universe set to debut in 2027 on Nickelodeon. We’re finally introduced to the Avatar after Korra, an Earthbender named Pavi. Also, an upcoming animated movie due out in 2026 titled The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender (taking place a little after the original series) has announced Steve Yeung will be voicing a slightly older Zuko.

• 💸 Astronomer is showing the world how to capitalize on a moment (thanks to Ryan Reynolds!) by hiring “temporary spokesperson” Gwyneth Paltrow to answer our burning questions after the Coldplay KissCam scandal resulted in the resignation of its CEO and head of HR. The clip left us wondering, how big was the check Gwyneth netted and was Chris Martin annoyed he didn’t get the call?

• 🎤 Beyoncé once again showed why we love her by including Destiny’s Child in the last “Cowboy Carter” concert in Las Vegas. No matter how big she’s gotten, she’s always included her former band mates in important ventures. Remember Coachella and the Superbowl halftime show? And the best part is, they all look like they’re having a blast sharing the stage.