Category: 5. Entertainment

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All the answers here are linked in some way. Once you’ve spotted the connection, any you didn’t know the first time around should become easier.

1. Which 19th-century figure has a UK university named after him — and was played by Kenneth Branagh in the opening ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics?

2. Which now common two-word phrase for a specific American disaster was coined by the journalist Robert Geiger in 1935?

3. Which now common two-word phrase is derived from a Greek myth about the king of Phrygia?

4. The four suits in a standard tarot pack are cups, swords, pentacles — and what?

5. Which 1998 novel by Margaret Atwood shares its name with that of a road safety device?

6. Which of the “rude mechanicals” in A Midsummer Night’s Dream shares his name with that of a musical instrument?

7. What first became a feature of the annual Oscar ceremony in 1961 and is now 900 feet long?

8. The 1982 film E.T. did much to popularise which annual autumnal children’s activity in the UK?

9. According to Shirley Conran’s 1975 housework manual Superwoman, “Life is too short to stuff a . . . ” what?

10. Which of the 11 London Underground lines has the fewest letters in its name?

Click here for the answers

James Walton is co-host of “The Booker Prize Podcast”

LONDON – John Cena and Idris Elba embark on a wild friendship journey in the action-adventure comedy Heads Of State.

American actor Cena plays Hollywood action hero turned US President Will Derringer, while English actor Elba stars as the experienced and cranky British Prime Minister Sam Clarke, an army veteran. When a tense meeting between the two disparate leaders is followed by an attack that threatens to blow up the world order, they must come together to save the day.

The pair, who also executive produced the movie that is showing on Prime Video, previously worked together on the 2021 superhero film The Suicide Squad.

“Honestly, our time on screen is effortless. He brings the best out of me and, in his words, I try to do my best to provide an environment where he can shine,” Cena said at Heads Of State’s London premiere on July 1.

“I love the friendship nature of this film,” he added.

The movie is directed by Russian film-maker and musician Ilya Naishuller (Nobody, 2021), who said Cena, 48, and Elba, 52, brought a realness to their roles.

“They feed off each other as any good couple would, and they know how to argue together in such a way where this is the perfect combination of the American happy-go-lucky, optimistic president and the prime minister who is real about the job and how difficult it is,” said Naishuller, 41, adding he set out to make a summer blockbuster in the vein of the buddy action comedies of the 1980s and 90s.

“The goal was, I want to do an hour and 45 (minutes) of the highest quality entertainment I can do and just do a crowd-pleaser and make sure that the people sitting at home on July the 4th are going to be united and having a great time,” he said, referencing the United States’ Independence Day.

Heads Of State also stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas in the role of the pun-loving top MI6 agent Noel Bisset.

“It was really different, because it was a comedy. Most of the action I’ve done has been in drama and thrillers,” the 42-year-old Indian actress said.

“I mean, listen, I love a good pun. You’ve got to be smart to be punny.” REUTERS

Heads Of State is showing on Prime Video.

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There are a few wardrobe staples that can make a break a workwear outfit, especially when being fashion-forward (yet functional) is the main objective. Chief among them are the right shoe, be it a walkable sandal or stylish sneaker, the perfect trousers, both for comfort and for commuting, and the right work bag.

Vogue’s Favorite Summer Work Bags:

Styles that balances practicality with personality are key, and the totes you’ll find perched by our desks blend polished design with real-world utility—fitting laptops, notebooks, beauty essentials, and even a pair of kitten heels for post-office events and meetings. They need to be spacious, but not too big for lugging onto the train, nor too heavy to carry up several flights of stairs. And, they need to be on-trend without being overtly so—who wants to damage a precious new piece?

Some prefer a designer from a specific era, like Phoebe Philo’s Celine—a legacy shaped over ten years, from 2008 to 2017. Others would take anything from Mary-Kate and Ashley’s The Row, a coveted brand known for the longevity and timelessness of its accessories. Think of buttery leathers, clean lines, and subtle luxury—bags that whisper style rather than shout it. Whether it’s a structured top-handle bag or a slouchy bucket style, these carryalls reflect the editor’s curated life: always sophisticated and always prepared to work.

Ahead, shop the summer work bags that Vogue editors use for the office, and beyond.

Libby Page, Vogue executive shopping director

I am a true Phoebe fan and am forever scouring for her oldie-but-goodie heritage bags. In the summer, I wear a lot of white cotton, and I love the way this burgundy style will pop against any full-white look. It’s sturdy and very roomy for a crossbody bag, perfect for work. The two-tone tote I have had on my wish list since well…2010, when it launched, between this and the Bottega Andiamo, they’re the perfect laptop-friendly-but-still-chic bags! Lastly, this little Loewe. I hate riffling through handbags for keys, wallet, phone, cash, so I’ll throw them across my body to have them easily accessible.

Madeline Fass, associate fashion director

For the days you don’t need to carry a computer, The Row’s Park tote in small is the perfect little bucket bag. With an open top and roomy interior, it fits all of your everyday necessities and can take you from day to night because while it’s tote-shape, it doesn’t come across as a 9-to-5 commuter bag. I love this green shade, we shot the larger size for a springaccessory story a few seasons back and have had my eye on it ever since. The Hermès Garden Party tote, however, will forever be on my wish list. It’s timeless, classic, and does fit that laptop.

Cortne Bonilla, senior shopping writer

I’ve never been a small bag kind of gal—if anything, the bigger the better! My work bags have quickly transitioned into my everyday bags thanks to my desire to carry everything dear to me. Whether I have a brand dinner after work or a Pilates reformer class beforehand, I’d rather strengthen my shoulders than carry several bags at once. Vintage Bottega Veneta bags are my thing—I own several shoulder bags and totes already. There’s plenty of room inside for a pair of emergency ballet flats, an army of lip glosses, sunglasses, my laptop, and a pair of leggings, if needed. The same can be said for Khaite’s Frida tote—it’s the perfect shape for a small computer.

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Identify the three charts below, send your answers to alphaville@ft.com, put “Quiz” in the subject line, say if you don’t want to be identified, do it by noon UK time on Monday:

If you get all of them right, your name gets put in a random draw for the exclusive FTAV prize-winner T-shirt.

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An international team of researchers may have just cracked the code for what makes someone “cool.”

And no matter where you live, the personality traits that make someone “cool” appear to be consistent across countries, according to the study, published this week in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.

The researchers found that, compared with people considered to be “good” or “favorable,” those considered “cool” are perceived to be more extroverted, hedonistic, powerful, adventurous, open and autonomous.

“The most surprising thing was seeing that the same attributes emerge in every country,” said Todd Pezzuti, an associate professor of marketing at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Chile who was a co-lead researcher on the study.

“Regardless of whether it’s China or Korea or Chile or the US, people like people who are pushing boundaries and sparking change,” he said. “So I would say that coolness really represents something more fundamental than the actual label of coolness.”

‘Cool’ isn’t the same as ‘good’

The researchers – from Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, the University of Arizona and the University of Georgia – conducted experiments from 2018 to 2022 with nearly 6,000 people across a dozen countries: Australia, Chile, China, Germany, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey and the United States.

The participants were asked to think of a person in their lives whom they perceive to be “cool,” “uncool,” “good” or “not good.” They were then asked to rate that person’s personality using two scales: the Big Five Personality scale, a widely used scientific model that helps describe personality traits, and the Portrait Values Questionnaire, intended to measure an individual’s basic values.

The study participants consistently associated being calm, conscientious, universalistic, agreeable, warm, secure, traditional and conforming with being a good person, more than with being a cool person. Being capable was considered to be both “cool” and “good” but not distinctly either. But the formula for being “cool” was having the six character traits – more extroverted, hedonistic, powerful, adventurous, open and autonomous – no matter the person’s age, gender or education level.

Pezzuti doesn’t think these “cool” traits are something that can be taught.

“We’re born with those attributes,” he said. “Five of those attributes are personality traits, and personality traits tend to be fairly stable.”

The research showed that cool people and good people aren’t the same, but there may be some overlapping traits, said co-lead researcher Caleb Warren, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Arizona.

“To be seen as cool, someone usually needs to be somewhat likable or admirable, which makes them similar to good people,” Warren said in a news release. “However, cool people often have other traits that aren’t necessarily considered ‘good’ in a moral sense, like being hedonistic and powerful.”

A limitation of the research was that only people who understood what “cool” means were included in the study. Pezzuti said it would be interesting – but difficult – to determine whether the findings would be similar among more traditional cultures or remote groups of people who may be less familiar with the term.

“We don’t know what we would find in supertraditional cultures like hunting-and-gathering tribes or sustenance farming groups,” Pezzuti said.

“One thing we would propose is that in those cultures, ‘cool’ people don’t have as important of a role because innovation, or cultural innovation, isn’t as important in those cultures,” he said. “So I would say that cool people are probably present in those cultures, but their role isn’t as big, and they’re probably not as admired as they are in other cultures.”

‘Cool’ can be controversial

When asked to think of a public figure or celebrity who embodies “coolness” based on his research, Pezzuti immediately said Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

“He’s a controversial figure, but someone who comes to my mind is Elon Musk,” Pezzuti said, adding that he checks all the boxes of the six attributes identified in the study.

Musk is “undeniably powerful” and autonomous, he said, and appears to be extroverted due to his presence on social media platforms and in the media.

“I hear that he’s timid, maybe more timid than he seems, but from an outsider, he seems very extroverted. He’s entertaining. He’s on podcasts and always in front of cameras,” Pezzuti explained.

Some of Musk’s behavior also appears to be hedonistic, he said. “He smoked marijuana on the most popular podcast in the world, ‘The Joe Rogan Experience.’”

And Pezzuti added that Musk’s ideas about colonizing Mars show him to be open and adventurous.

The new paper is one of the few empirical studies that examines what exactly makes people “cool,” said Jonah Berger, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

“While people have long wondered (and theorized) about what makes people cool, there hasn’t been a lot of actual empirical research on the topic, so it’s great to see work exploring this space,” Berger, who was not involved in the new paper, wrote in an email.

“While coolness might seem like something you are born with, there are certainly steps people can take to try and move in that direction,” he said. “Given how many people want to be cool, and how much money is spent with that goal in mind, it certainly seems worth studying.”

Future research in this space could evaluate coolness in tandem with goodness and badness rather than in isolation from it, said Jon Freeman, an associate professor of psychology at Columbia University.

“In real life, coolness can be a positive quality but can also have a negative connotation in certain social contexts. It may be valuable for future work to examine the differences between good coolness and bad coolness, and this study’s approach offers a great foundation,” Freeman, who also was not involved in the new study, wrote in an email.

“From a scientific standpoint, cool would seem far more a product of inference and social construction than genetics, although low-level temperament informed by genetics could feed into ongoing personality construction,” he said.

“‘Cool’ is deeply ingrained in our social vocabulary because it serves as a shorthand for complex inferences. It encapsulates signals of status, affiliation, and identity in ways that are instantaneous yet deeply stereotyped. From a scientific perspective, studying coolness is important precisely because it reveals how rapid, schematic trait inferences influence behavior and social dynamics, especially in the age of social media and influencer culture.”

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The BBC announced that Last Pundit Standing – an exciting new competition series from BBC Creator Lab and BBC Sport that’s set to shake up the punditry game – will premiere on Monday 7 July on BBC iPlayer.

Episodes 1 and 2 will be available from 6am on Monday 7 July with new episodes dropping on iPlayer each week until the final on Monday 11 August. Each episode will also be available to watch on the BBC’s TikTok and YouTube channels.

Fronted by footballing legend Troy Deeney and renowned football YouTuber and presenter James Allcott, the seven-part digital-first series follows 12 of the UK’s most passionate football fanatics, who love creating content about the beautiful game on their social media channels, as they compete to become BBC Sport’s next big football content creator.

But they won’t be facing the challenge alone.

Joining the game are some of football and broadcasting’s most iconic figures, who will be setting tasks and offering expert insight. Star guests include Max Fosh, Martin Keown, Sami Mokbel, Rebecca Welch, Calum Leslie, Robbie Savage, Chris Sutton, Kelly Somers, Sean Dyche and Alex Scott.

These well-known names will be challenging the contestants to prove they have what it takes to inform, educate and entertain football fans across the UK.

Selected through BBC Creator Lab’s nationwide talent search — in collaboration with TikTok — the 12 contenders represent a new generation of digital-native football voices.

BBC Creator Lab is a talent search scheme, in collaboration with TikTok, for social and digital creators with an interest in developing a career in television.

The Last Pundit Standing line up has been confirmed as:

• Toby Addison @blindtobes
• Ally Tomlinson @ally.tom7
• Cathal Traquair @calluketraquair
• Fuad Abdul Aziz @vipersport
• Rukiah Ally @Rukiah.ally2
• Jess Watkins @_jesswatkins
• Raees Mahmood @pythaginboots
• Reggie Yembra @reggieyembra
• Nancy Baker @nancebaker
• Nahyan Chowdhury @nahyan.chowdhury
• Lia Lewis @lia.lewis
• Oscar Browning @oscarbrowning

Filmed at legendary football locations and packed with high-stakes challenges, Last Pundit Standing promises to bring fresh perspectives and exciting drama to the world of sports punditry.

Last Pundit Standing (7×20’) is a co-production between Boom Social (part of ITV Studios) and JLA Productions for BBC Three and BBC iPlayer. The series was commissioned by Fiona Campbell, BBC Controller of Youth Audience, BBC iPlayer and BBC Three, and Alex Kay-Jelski, BBC Director of Sport. The Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Nasfim Haque, Head of Content, BBC Three, with Ciara Murray and Maeve McLoughlin as BBC Commissioning Executives. Cai Morgan is Executive Producer for Boom, with Luke Rudland and Trent Williams-Jones as Series Producers and Katie Fazackerley Mason as Head of Production.

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Isabel Marant blended her signature softness with an edge for resort, in a collection that took notes from Victorian romanticism and 1980s attitude.

Building on the strong tailoring seen the previous season, artistic director Kim Bekker softened the silhouette ever so slightly with flowing fabrics, rounded shoulders, and subtle detailing such as lace and delicate, fabric-covered buttons.

Faux fur coats were cinched at the waist and came with voluminous, rounded sleeves as a nod to Victorian fashion, while leather jackets adopted an ’80s edge, softened by delicate embroidery and laser-cut floral patterns.

The collection leaned heavily into textiles for a relaxed, feminine feel: think washed cotton-linen blends, soft velvets, laser-cut lace, and guipure bobbin stitching motifs for added depth and dimension. Bekker played with prints, mixing Western-inspired and petite Victorian florals, as well as motifs in metallic studs.

The brand’s bestselling low-heeled, slouchy boot was reimagined this season with laser cutouts, in a cute heart motif or a half-moon shape that breathed with swish and movement.

Matching the men’s collection, colors were toned-down and dusty, such as a soft pink and a sandy beige.

Bekker said sales of accessories and jewelry have been strong across seasons, and faux fur coats from the winter collection sold particularly well. However, buyers are more cautious and seeking out essentials that strongly communicate the DNA of the brand.

“They want to have the total look, or the one iconic piece that really reflects the brand or the season,” she said. “And we try to play into this.”

Hence the new twists on Marant’s elevated classics that appeal across markets. The collection carried all the markers of the label’s Parisan cool-girl, boho chic look, with an on-trend cowboy edge.

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My cello studies began when I was seven years old after my parents surprised me by giving me a cello.  My mother died two years later, but my closeness to the cello has always had a profound resonance which strengthens the connection between my mother and me.  

When I was fifteen years old, my former teacher Joseph Saunders arranged for me to play for Starker in Bloomington, Indiana, where Starker taught since leaving the Chicago Symphony in 1959.

My father drove us to Bloomington on a cold Saturday in February 1965, and we went directly to Starker’s studio, room 155 in the round School of Music building at Indiana University. After he welcomed us, I played the Prelude and Allemande from the Sixth Cello Suite by Bach and a little of the Lalo Concerto.

Starker then said ’If an angel should come down and tell you that you could be anything you want, what would you say?’ I replied without hesitation ’I would say that I would like to be like you.’ He didn’t seem to mind my answer and invited my father and me to stay for his weekly masterclass.

A few of his students played in the class, and as always, Starker demonstrated to illustrate his comments. He also would talk to the students while he was playing, able to speak with clarity and play impeccably at the same time, a virtual impossibility for most human beings.

When the students finished, Starker looked at me and said ’Play the Prelude for us,’ which was totally unexpected. I realised later that this had been a test to see what would happen under that pressure. The Prelude is a very difficult piece, originally written for viola pomposa, an instrument with five strings, and I played it boldly. When I finished, Starker said ’It’s nice to know that there is good cello playing somewhere besides Bloomington.’ This comment was unusual from someone who almost always confined his remarks to critical observations and suggestions for improving technical issues.

Studying with Starker was astounding in every way. In just a few months, my playing became more relaxed and refined. I tried his patience many times by my inconsistent work ethic, but he always tried to be supportive while insisting on discipline. I had enormous respect for him but was not afraid to ask him to clarify instructions that I didn’t understand. When I did that, he would usually say ’What….I….said…was….,’ and then he would repeat it, slowly and with exaggerated simplicity. Even though he acted a little irritated, I know he was pleased that I was brave enough to ask him to repeat himself. After all, his goal was always to communicate and be understood. Starker became like a second father to me, treating me with firm but loving encouragement.

Starker became like a second father to me, treating me with firm but loving encouragement

At my second lesson, Starker asked me ’Are you left-handed?’ I replied that I was ambidextrous and that I played tennis and batted a baseball right-handed but wrote with my left hand and threw a ball with my left hand. Starker said ’I thought so. Don’t be the victim of the left-handed syndrome.’ So, I asked what that was, and he said ’You are always leading with your left hand and thinking about your left hand.’ Of course, he was absolutely right, and I often thought although most people are right-handed, I found it strange that all string instruments are bowed with the right arm because the demands required of the left hand seemed to far outweigh those of the bow. Clearly, I had no idea what I was doing with the bow, and I have been thinking about my right arm every day for the last 59 years.

After studying with Starker for a year, I played the first movement of Brahms F Major Sonata in a masterclass in Bloomington. Starker was joined by Mihaly Virizlay, a fine cellist and principal cellist of Baltimore Symphony. Virizlay had also been Starker’s first student when he was five and Starker was eight years old. In the months leading up to that summer I had listened to Starker and György Sebők’s recording of that Brahms Sonata dozens of times, and after playing it for the class, Virizlay said very dryly ’It sounded like a caricature of the record’ which elicited some gasps from the students who attended. After a moment, Starker said ’Well, everyone needs a point of departure.’ While it was something of an acknowledgement of Virizlay’s opinion, it also felt like he was defending me on some level, and I appreciated it.

When Piatigorsky was honoured by a special concert in Bloomington in 1967, Starker assigned me Piatigorsky’s own Variations on a Theme by Paganini, a treacherous and wonderful piece. In the weeks before the concert, my preparation was uneven, and Starker became a bit impatient with me, deservedly so. I survived the concert and on the whole, played fairly well. After the performance, I was walking in the hallway near the auditorium, and there was Piatigorsky, towering over Starker. As I passed, Piatigorsky said ’Bravo!’ I looked over at Starker. He gently slapped my face and said ’Idiot!’

On another occasion, I slept late and had to call Starker at 10:10 am to say ’I don’t know what happened. My alarm didn’t go off.’ He was not happy and said ’Well, I was here at 10. It was my first lesson of the day.’ This happened a couple of times. Then I was in a lesson playing the Schumann Concerto. We were going through the second movement, a glorious Andante. After the first long melodic statement, the orchestra plays a few chords leading to the cello entering with a poignant descending line of five notes. Starker said ’These five notes begin with “why?”, so tell me what words you would choose.’ I said right away ’Why am I like that?’ Starker looked at me and said ’That’s funny. I was thinking ”Why aren’t you HERE yet?”’ A great example of his humour as well as compassion toward me in a vulnerable moment.

During that time, it was arranged that I play in two of Starker’s masterclasses at Ravinia during the summer. I had prepared Divertimento by Haydn/Piatigorsky and the Vitali Chaconne in a transcription from the violin piece. As I drove north to Ravinia, I had a vivid feeling that my mother was in the passenger seat, and it was very comforting. I was scheduled to play first in the opening class, and Starker asked what I would play. I explained that I had the Divertimento and the Chaconne and planned to play the Chaconne in the first class.

Starker said ’Play the Haydn.’ I objected and said I was all set to play Chaconne, and Starker said ’What’s the matter? You nervous and want to begin with big, broad strokes?’ Then he turned to my pianist, indicated me and said ’Leave it to this guy to come up with the one piece I don’t play.’ Of course, I played the Haydn. Starker was very kind during the class and said ’It’s good to hear what you can do when you’ve been working. It was real cello playing.’ A few days later I played the Chaconne in another class, and Starker demonstrated parts of it flawlessly.

In 1993 I released my second solo CD, Jubilatum which opened with the Largo and Allegro Vivo from Francoeur’s Sonata in E Major, a piece I came to know at the age of thirteen on Starker’s record Around the World with Janos Starker: Music of France.

The next year in 1994 I was finally able to attend an Eva Janzer gathering. I arrived a day early and was invited to a small dinner party at the home of Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Starker’s assistant in the 1960s and my teacher for two years in the early 1970s. I rarely drink alcohol, but I honoured Starker’s affection for Scotch by having some myself when I visited Bloomington. So, after Starker said some nice things about my new CD, I had enough courage to ask ’Did you hear any of yourself in my recording of Francoeur?’ His response: ’Well, it’s in tune.’ A perfect non-sentimental Starker answer and something of a compliment on a few levels.

Here is the Allegro Vivo from my Francoeur recording:

In 2001, Starker played a solo recital at Portland State University, and we played the Boccherini Duo and Popper Suite for two celli. The experience of playing duos with him was unforgettable, and fortunately it was videotaped, which you can see below:

Starker frequently would address everyone after the big dinner during the Eva Janzer gatherings. He would speak to all of us before leaving, getting emotional and expressing his appreciation for his huge ‘cello family’ and reminding us to stay true to ’the cause.’

Hamilton Cheifetz is professor emeritus and Florestan professor of cello at Portland State University and cellist of the Florestan Trio.

Images courtesy Hamilton Cheifetz.