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Executive Summary: A Misfire in Netflix’s Nostalgia PushThe streaming giant Netflix has revived a dated British comedy formula with *Ladies First*, but the Guardian finds the result an excruciatingly unfunny, high‑concept experiment that wastes the star power of Rosamund Pike and Sacha Baron Cohen.Plot Premise and Critical ReceptionThe film imagines a world where gender roles are reversed: the protagonist Damien Sachs (played by Sacha Baron Cohen) wakes up to find women dominating the workplace while men struggle for relevance. Rosamund Pike portrays a ruthless executive version of her character, yet even her performance cannot rescue the script, which the reviewer describes as a “criminal waste of talent.”Runtime and Production ContextAt a brief 84‑minute length, the movie attempts to pack a “what‑if” scenario alongside references to other gender‑swap comedies such as *I Feel Pretty* and *Isn’t It Romantic*. The review notes that the film is a remake of a French comedy, highlighting Netflix’s strategy of repurposing existing IP rather than investing in original, high‑quality content.Implications for Netflix’s Comedy PortfolioThe negative appraisal suggests that Netflix’s reliance on nostalgic, low‑budget comedies may erode its reputation for delivering fresh, engaging humor. By prioritising cheap concepts over substantive storytelling, the streamer risks alienating both talent and audiences seeking smarter satire.Future Outlook for Gender‑Satire FilmsGiven the film’s failure to blend humor with insightful commentary on workplace gender dynamics, the review predicts a cautious approach from studios and streaming platforms when green‑lighting similar gender‑swap premises. Success will likely depend on sharper writing and more nuanced performances rather than repetitive, one‑joke setups.

The Unlikely Union of Mabe Fratti and Bill Orcutt This dreamlike, intimate album unites one of experimental music's current stars with one of its most prolific veterans. During an interview promoting 2024's acclaimed Sentir Que No Sabes, 34-year-old Guatemalan cellist Mabe Fratti praised Bill Orcutt, the 64-year-old US guitarist whose disjointed, aggressive four-string playing – honed in 90s noise-rock band Harry Pussy – graces more than 100 records. Orcutt reached out, and they started sharing files. While their friendship is new, Almost Waking reveals a deep kinship between these true originals. The Album's Conversational Duets The album centres on conversational duets between Fratti's cello and Orcutt's guitar. On the overdriven Forced & Forced & Forced, Orcutt's trademark string-snapping plucking is matched by Fratti's fragmented, agitated bow-scraping. Just as both players can wrestle with their instruments, they know how to make them feel like voices. On Steps of the Sun, the cello and guitar harmonise tenderly and take turns as lead, performed with the complex phrasing and dynamism of a sung duet. Vocal Appearances and Musical Chemistry Fratti's soaring vocals appear on two tracks. El Inicio Es Cuestión De Suerte is a stately ballad set to a looping guitar melody, while Todo Puede Ser Error has more showmanship, featuring a jangling Orcutt solo. If the instrumentals reveal how naturally Fratti fits in Orcutt's spidery world – her lusher, warped art-pop shaped by the same fragmentation – these tracks prove his adversarial style can work in more melodic settings. While Almost Waking feels like an aside for Fratti and Orcutt, both are reframed in this wonderfully alive-sounding album.

The LeadAs we celebrate Miles Davis's centenary, his 1957 film soundtrack "Ascenseur pour l'Échafaud" is being repackaged with restored audio, offering a fresh look at the jazz legend's innovative approach to film scoring and improvisation. This mostly improvised soundtrack, created over one night in a Paris studio, showcases Davis's unique harmonic openness that would later influence his masterpiece "Kind of Blue."The Creative Process Behind the SoundtrackComposed by Davis from little more than a handful of chords, this music was mostly improvised straight to a screen showing budding New Wave director Louis Malle's crime thriller "Ascenseur pour l'Échafaud" (Lift to the Scaffold), over one long night in a Paris studio in December 1957. His fine local quartet included expat New York bebop drummer Kenny Clarke, and their harmonic openness created a spacey, ethereal soundworld for a story following two lovers who think they've committed the perfect murder of an inconvenient husband, and the mishaps, farces, ecstasies and fears that populate the long night of their undoing.The Musical Landscape of NoirDreamily sensual sounds mirror misplaced hopes; there are car-chase scurries (Miles's fast-bop horn virtuosity was formidable in this period), desolately bluesy accompaniments to actor Jeanne Moreau's confused wandering in search of her partner, bar-room clamour in the trumpet/tenor-sax counterpoint between Miles and saxist Barney Wilen – but all the music stands alone, without images. A quiet slow-burn, but simmering with all of Miles Davis's timelessly extraordinary light and heat.Jazz Tributes and Contemporary ConnectionsThis month marks Miles's centenary, and a clamour of celebrations of a musical life that led him to be dubbed (by Duke Ellington, allegedly) the "Picasso of jazz" for the many styles he explored. Alongside the reissue of "Ascenseur pour l'Échafaud," other artists are paying tribute: Norwegian guitarist Hedvig Mollestad's power-trio Weejuns nods to Miles Davis' 1969 "Bitches Brew" with "Bitches Blues"; guitarist Jeff Parker unveils fascinating ways of emerging from minimalism to lyricism; and Jason Miles, a former Miles Davis keyboardist, revisits that groove-centric era in his own personal way.The Legacy of ImprovisationWhen Miles Davis was dying in September 1991, an invisible, neighbouring trumpet player began playing homages to Miles' voice-like, blues-inflected melodies instead. It was a poignant personal tribute to a unique instrumental sound, and a unique imagination, that had profoundly enriched 20th-century music. The reissue of "Ascenseur pour l'Échafaud" continues this legacy, showing how Davis's approach to improvisation and harmonic openness continues to influence musicians today.

Weekly Wildlife Roundup: Top Predator StoriesThe latest Guardian wildlife column spotlights three notable predator encounters that illustrate how large and medium‑sized carnivores are adapting to a rapidly changing environment.Leopard Lurks Near Human SettlementsA leopard was observed prowling close to a rural village, prompting both awe and concern among residents.Location: Rural community bordering protected landBehavior: Stealthy movement along forest edges, no direct conflict reportedSignificance: Highlights the thinening buffer between protected habitats and human activityFox's Fortunate Encounter Highlights Urban AdaptationA fox managed to evade a potential roadkill scenario, showcasing its agility and growing comfort in suburban settings.Incident: Narrowly escaped a busy roadway after being spotted by local observersAdaptation: Utilises garden waste and small mammals in urban green spacesImplication: Demonstrates the species' resilience and the need for safe wildlife corridors in citiesCoyote's Clever Behavior Signals Expanding RangeIn a separate observation, a coyote displayed problem‑solving skills while foraging near a suburban park.Behavior: Used a fallen branch to access a bird feederRange: Sightings are moving further north than historic recordsEcological Impact: Potential competition with native mesopredatorsWhat These Predator Movements Mean for Ecosystem ManagementCollectively, the sightings point to a broader trend of predators navigating fragmented landscapes, which raises questions for land‑use planners and conservationists.Increased human‑wildlife interactions demand proactive conflict‑mitigation measuresHabitat corridors become critical for maintaining genetic flowMonitoring programs must adapt to track both apex and mesopredators across mixed‑use zonesLooking Ahead: Conservation Priorities for Apex and MesopredatorsFuture efforts should focus on integrating community education, habitat connectivity, and data‑driven management to ensure coexistence.Promote citizen‑science reporting to fill observation gapsInvest in green infrastructure that accommodates predator movementDevelop region‑specific guidelines that balance agricultural, urban, and wildlife needs

The Lead: A Bold Re‑imagining of Garland’s Final YearsThe Guardian’s review opens by noting that Drag Race star Jinkx Monsoon brings her celebrated Judy Garland impersonation to a new narrative context—a love triangle set in 1960s London. The revival of Peter Quilter’s 2005 play shifts focus from Garland’s early exploitation to her later struggles with addiction and a fraught personal life.The Production’s Narrative Twist: Love, Addiction, and Queer IconographyMonsoon’s Garland is caught between steadfast pianist Anthony (Adam Filipe) and opportunistic suitor Mickey (Jacob Dudman).The script juxtaposes private hotel scenes with public performances at Talk of the Town, highlighting the clash between fame and personal decay.Queer themes surface through Anthony’s admiration and Mickey’s homophobic contempt, underscoring Garland’s status as a queer icon.Musical Direction and Visual Design: Orchestrating EmotionMusic direction by Nick Barstow and arrangements by Leo Munby anchor the drama, with Garland’s torch songs—"Just in Time" and "You Made Me Love You"—serving as emotional pivots.Designer Jasmine Swan creates a stark white‑curtain stage, while lighting designer Prema Mehta introduces a Technicolor‑inspired transition that mirrors Garland’s cinematic legacy.Critical Reception: Performance Nuances and Structural FlawsMonsoon’s vocal performance is praised for its dynamic range, capturing both triumph and fragility.The review notes repetitive hotel scenes that, while authentic to addiction’s grind, can feel grindingly static.Supporting characters are deemed functional, serving more as narrative devices than fully fleshed personalities.Future Outlook: Potential for a One‑Woman ShowcaseThe critic suggests that Monsoon’s talent hints at a possible solo rendition of Garland’s story, which could amplify the intimate connection she already establishes with the audience. The show runs at Soho Theatre Walthamstow until 21 June, offering theatre‑goers a chance to experience this layered homage before any further developments.

The LeadA friend of mine was recently left in tears after filling up the car she relies on to drive to work. Thanks to the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, prices at the pumps have soared. She wasn't sure how her family was going to make it to the next paycheck.It is a personal story and a distressing one, but the big picture is truly obscene. Fossil fuel companies are raking in monstrous, unearned war profits taken from the pockets of people like you, me, my friend, and any of us who fills up a vehicle or pays an energy bill.The War-Profits Bonanza$30m an hour: that's the pure, unearned profits banked by the world's top 100 oil and gas companies in the first month of the conflict in Iran, purely due to the spike in the oil price. Now the first numbers are in, and that $30m may have been a major underestimate.Shell's profit for the first three months of 2026 more than doubled to $6.9bn, as did BP's, to $3.2bn. TotalEnergies profits also surged by more than 50%, up to $5.8bn. Even in the Gulf itself, where the flow of oil through the strait of Hormuz has been heavily restricted, some companies have still flourished. Aramco, the state oil company of Saudi Arabia, saw its profits soar by 26% to $33.6bn in the first quarter.The Financial Impact on ConsumersThose four companies alone, benefiting not just from the oil price hike but also bumper oil-trading profits, made $23m an hour for the whole of January, February and March. And the Iran conflict only started on 28 February.To get some idea of the scale of this, imagine I gave you $6,200. What would you do? Pay off a loan? Book a fancy holiday? A second later, I give you another $6,200; then again, for hours, weeks and months. That is the rate of profit of just those four companies.There is plenty more to come for the industry. Oil and gas supplies will take months to return to prewar levels, and reserves are getting dangerously low. Even if the oil price remains at today's level of about $100 a barrel, those 100 companies will make $234bn by the end of the year. Remember, the companies, and petrostates such as Russia, have done no extra work for this, just ridden a soaring oil price. Also remember, you are paying for this. Where I live in the UK, household energy bills are about to jump by £209 ($280) a year for the average home.The Industry's Climate ObstructionThe profits are extreme, but not new: big oil and gas has been wildly profitable for decades. It has made an average $1tn a year in pure profit for about 50 years. The fossil fuel sector also benefits from explicit subsidies that totalled $1.3tn in 2022, according to the International Monetary Fund.These riches have funded the lobbying and campaigns that block climate action and have done so for years, long after the science became crystal clear. As an example of the consequences, the UK's official climate advisers said on Tuesday that all care homes and hospitals will need air conditioning within the coming 10 years, to stop the heat killing people.The Green Transition AccelerationBut here's that silver lining I promised: these peak profits contain the seeds of their own downfall. Sky-high fossil fuel prices are pushing people, companies and nations to supercharge their rush towards green power for the simple reason that it is now cheaper and more reliable. Solar power does not need to transit through the strait of Hormuz, as Bill McKibben has observed.The numbers on the surge in renewable energy deployment, already exponential, are not yet in, but they will almost certainly be huge. Green funds are already attracting billions of dollars in new investments and one consultancy estimates that an oil price of $100 a barrel will drive $4tn of extra green investment by 2030.Big oil remains a formidable political force but, on the ground, people are already voting with their feet. Sales of new electric cars in the UK leapt by 59% in April, for example. The pain and anger of today's energy crisis may yet become a critical turning point in confronting the climate crisis.

Tragic Loss of a Racing IconThe NASCAR community is in shock after the death of Kyle Busch, a two‑time Cup Series champion and record‑holding winner across NASCAR’s three national series. He passed away at 41 following a brief hospitalization for a “severe illness.”Details of the Illness and HospitalisationBusch was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday when he became unresponsive. He was rushed to a Charlotte hospital and died the following day. The family, Richard Childress Racing, and NASCAR released a joint statement confirming his death but did not disclose a cause.Wednesday: Unresponsive during simulator test; transported to hospital.Thursday: Family announces death; no cause released.Three days before scheduled start in the Coca‑Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.Career Statistics Highlighting Busch’s RecordBusch’s achievements set him apart in modern motorsport:Combined wins: 234 across Cup, Xfinity (O’Reilly Auto Parts) and Trucks series.Cup victories: 63 wins.Xfinity wins: 102 wins (record).Truck Series wins: 69 wins (record).Championships: Cup Series titles in 2015 and 2019 with Joe Gibbs Racing.Rookie of the Year: 2005.Repercussions for NASCAR and the Racing CommunityThe loss reverberates through teams, drivers, and fans. Statements from NASCAR, teammates Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski expressed “heartbreak” and “absolute shock.” Busch’s role as an owner in the Truck Series and his outspoken personality helped build the devoted “Rowdy Nation” fan base.His career also illustrates the sport’s competitive dynamics, from early dismissal by Hendrick Motorsports to a dominant stint with Joe Gibbs Racing, and later challenges with Richard Childress Racing.Looking Ahead: Legacy and Future of the SportWhile the immediate future of Busch’s teams remains uncertain, his impact is likely to be cemented with Hall of Fame consideration and continued reverence from fans and fellow drivers. The sport may also see increased focus on driver health monitoring, given the sudden nature of his decline.

A candid kitchen conversation with Sir Derek Jacobi The Guardian’s interview captures a warm, unguarded moment as Jacobi and his husband, director Richard Clifford, share coffee and stories in their London home. Jacobi, 80, jokes about his looks, admits he never felt “movie‑star material,” and confides that he would love to reach his centenary. Career milestones and personal anecdotes 1970s breakthrough as the stammering Emperor in I, Claudius. Acclaimed stage work including Cyrano de Bergerac (Royal Shakespeare Company, 1980s) and Macbeth at the Barbican (1993). Recent TV roles in Vicious and Last Tango in Halifax. Early life in Leytonstone; rheumatic fever at nine sparked a shift from working‑class roots to a posh accent and ambition. No financial figures – cultural impact takes centre stage The piece contains no monetary data; its value lies in documenting the lived experience of a veteran actor whose voice and presence have shaped British drama for five decades. What Jacobi’s reflections mean for British theatre and aging performers Jacobi’s honesty about age, health (including his AIDS diagnosis) and self‑image highlights the often‑unspoken pressures on older actors. His partnership with Clifford, who directs and designs their home, underscores the importance of supportive creative collaborations in sustaining long‑term artistic careers. Looking ahead: the goal of hitting 100 Jacobi ends on a hopeful note, expressing a desire to “hit 100” and continue contributing to the arts. His story suggests that longevity in performance is as much about personal resilience and community as it is about talent.

The LeadGreenlanders have organized demonstrations against the opening of a new US consulate in Nuuk, the capital of the autonomous Danish territory. The protests highlight growing tensions over foreign presence in the strategically located Arctic island.The Opening of a New Diplomatic MissionThe United States recently established a new consulate in Nuuk, signaling increased diplomatic engagement with Greenland. This move comes amid heightened geopolitical interest in the Arctic region, particularly as ice melt opens new shipping routes and potential resource extraction opportunities. Greenland, while autonomous, remains under Danish sovereignty, though has been seeking greater international recognition and independence.Geopolitical Implications in the ArcticThe protest movement reflects broader concerns about foreign influence in Greenland. The island has become a focal point in strategic competition between global powers, particularly between the United States, China, and Russia. Greenland's strategic location and untapped natural resources make it a valuable asset in the evolving Arctic geopolitics. The demonstrations underscore the sensitivity of foreign diplomatic presence in the territory.Future of Greenland's International RelationsAs Greenland continues to navigate its relationship with Denmark while engaging with other international actors, the protest against the US consulate may signal a shift in how the territory approaches foreign engagement. Greenlanders appear increasingly wary of foreign powers viewing their homeland solely through a strategic lens rather than recognizing their unique cultural and political aspirations. The outcome of this diplomatic standoff could shape Greenland's international relations for years to come.