Wreckage and its long-term aftermath have long marked the movies of Petzold, arguably Germany’s foremost filmmaker. In his finest and most exquisitely haunting film, 2014’s “Phoenix,” an Auschwitz survivor and cabaret singer (Nina Hoss, colossally good) returns unrecognized to her German hometown with a reconstructed face, to a husband who’s said to have betrayed her to the Nazis.

“Miroirs No. 3” doesn’t have that film’s grandiosity of melodrama; it’s more of a lightly enigmatic chamber piece. But it’s likewise preoccupied with piecing life together again after tragedy, and maybe finding some catharsis in music. (The title comes from a Ravel piano piece.) And its startling power will, like “Phoenix,” sneak up on you.

Laura (Paula Beer, the star of Petzold's “Undine” and “Transit”), a piano student from Berlin, is reluctantly riding in the backseat of a car. Our first glimpse of her, before this road trip, was staring blankly, maybe suicidally, into a river. With Laura is her musician boyfriend, Jakob (Philip Froissant) and a producer that Jakob is hoping to impress. As they drive through the countryside, Laura locks eyes with a solitary middle-aged woman standing outside her home. For a fleeting moment they share a mysterious connection, maybe of some shared strain of depression.

Soon after, Laura says she wants to return to Berlin and Jakob, annoyed, drives her to the nearest train station. But just after again passing the same woman’s house, they skid off the road in a wreck that kills Jakob and throws Laura from the car. The woman runs to help. After the paramedics arrive and treat a still dazed Laura, they’re surprised at her request. She asks if she can stay at the woman’s house, rather than go to the hospital.

What follows is a sweetly oblique, even dreamlike interlude of recuperation. But it’s not just Laura’s. It’s also healing for the woman who happily takes her in. Betty is her name, and Barbara Auer’s performance is as deft and delicate as any you’re likely to see this year. Their time together is spent not discussing their own traumas, but with soft, unspoken kindnesses and daily routine.

Petzold, who also wrote the script, is masterful at meting out backstory. He does it in a way that never feels like withholding to the audience or girding for a big twist, but remains tied to the psychology of his characters. As much as his films might ebb and flow with grief and recovery, their backbone is that of a thriller. Petzold, a great admirer of Hitchcock and “Vertigo,” in particular, makes movies where identity, rather than people, can go missing.

The source of Betty’s pain isn’t revealed until well into “Miroirs,” but it's not hard to guess at. We learn that her husband Richard (Matthias Brandt) and their adult son Max (Enno Trebs) — auto mechanics who look skeptically on Laura’s arrival — live separate of Betty. Meanwhile, Betty gives Laura her daughter’s clothes to wear, and encourages her to play the piano her daughter used to. Together, they paint a fence and restore a herb garden.

Strange as their domestic life might seem, something warm and good is taking place. We have the feeling Richard and Max haven’t been around much, even though their shop is just a bike ride away. But the four soon begin to almost resemble a family unit. In a movie about two women who intuitively understand each other, Brandt and Trebs are charmingly oafish as men who are eager to fix a dishwasher but less keen on how to repair trauma.

That this idyll is bound to expire, sooner or later, goes without saying. But while another filmmaker might steer such a story toward either disaster or, more likely, schmaltz, Petzold ends “Miroirs” without sacrificing the ambiguous grace that came before. And he turns “Miroirs,” a slender and sweet 86-minute puzzle, into one of the more lovely and profound little movies about how hearts can be mended by just opening a door.

“Miroirs No. 3,” a 1-2 Special release in theaters, is not rated by the Motion Picture Association. In German, with subtitles. Running time: 86 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.

Moby stated that when "Lola" appeared on his Spotify playlist, he found the lyrics objectionable. "I thought the lyrics were gross and transphobic," Moby said. "I like their early music, but I was really taken aback at how unevolved the lyrics are." Moby did not specify which particular lyrics prompted his concerns.

In response, Dave Davies called Moby "the little idiot" and expressed strong disagreement with the characterization. "I am highly insulted that Moby would accuse my brother of being 'unevolved' or transphobic in any way," Davies wrote.

To substantiate his defense, Davies shared a statement from Jayne County, a pioneering transgender punk artist and former leader of proto-punk band Wayne County & the Electric Chairs, who began identifying as a woman in 1979. County wrote that she was "both thrilled and amazed" when she first heard the song. "When I heard the song I was both thrilled and amazed that the Kinks would be singing a song about a trans person and wondered if anyone else had picked up on it!" she stated.

County emphasized the song's cultural significance for transgender visibility. "Lola will always be one of those songs that for me, broke the ice, so to speak! A song that breaks down barriers and brings a used to be, hush, hush subject to the forefront and makes it sound perfectly natural to be singing a song about a 'girl' named Lola!" she wrote. She added: "Being Trans myself, this will always be a very special song to me."

Ray Davies, the song's writer and The Kinks' lead singer, has explained that "Lola" was inspired by a real encounter in a London nightclub. "It was a real experience in a club," he told Classic Rock. "I was asked to dance by somebody who was a fabulous-looking woman. I said, 'No, thank you.' And she went in a cab with my manager straight afterwards. It's based on personal experience. But not every word." The song reached number one in the UK and the top 10 in the US.

Music historians have recognized "Lola" as an early LGBTQ+ anthem. The song's central lyrics—"Girls will be boys and boys will be girls / It's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world, except for Lola"—reflect Ray Davies' stated intention to celebrate gender fluidity and self-expression.

The Kinks' broader engagement with LGBTQ+ themes predates "Lola." Five years earlier, the band released "See My Friends," a song exploring a young man's uncertain sexual identity. Additionally, Dave Davies himself had a bisexual relationship in the 1960s, during a period when homosexuality remained illegal in the United Kingdom.

Josh Goodwin, portrayed as Jasmine Fisher's twin brother, arrived in Walford earlier that week seeking answers about his family history, including a meeting with his grandfather Patrick Truman. His debut episode on March 19 saw an initial encounter with Oscar at the market, where Josh accidentally spilled a banana milkshake on him, sparking immediate chemistry despite Oscar's recent heartbreak over Jasmine's arrest. Oscar, who had been in a relationship with Jasmine—a cisgender woman—before her imprisonment related to the death of Anthony , is now exploring a romance with Josh, introducing a bisexual dynamic to his character arc.

The kiss scene unfolded after Josh, overwhelmed by a confrontation involving his adoptive mother Sandra and Jasmine's associate Zoe at the Truemans' home, sought solace at The Albert. Oscar joined him, shifting from flirtation to deeper conversation about their pasts—ironically discussing Jasmine without realizing their connection—before the on-screen kiss. Lauren Branning, Oscar's sister, had earlier encouraged him to pursue meaningful dating rather than casual encounters, nudging him toward this development.

LGBTQ+ media outlets have praised the storyline for its chaotic yet affirming portrayal of bisexuality within a complex family triangle. Fan reactions on platforms like X and Reddit emphasize excitement over the "Joscar" pairing's chemistry, while noting the impending drama when the twins' link and Jasmine's role in Anthony's death surface. One viewer commented on X: "Josh and Oscar would be so good if it wasn’t in the middle of a goddamn love triangle and the other person was Jasmine." Another on Reddit added: "Intrigued to see where they go with the Josh/Oscar/Jasmine dynamic. Although I can’t help but think Oscar already has far more chemistry with Josh."

This narrative builds on EastEnders' history of LGBTQ+ storylines, positioning Oscar's bisexual exploration as a fresh layer amid Jasmine's innocence campaign by loved ones. Upcoming spoilers indicate the pair may spend the night together, heightening anticipation for community impacts on bisexual visibility in UK soaps. The episode also touched on parallel plots, including Honey Mitchell confiding in Billy about possible menopause and Eve urging Suki to reconcile with Vinny, but the Oscar-Josh moment dominated discourse.

EastEnders, airing Mondays to Thursdays at 19:30 on BBC One and streaming on BBC iPlayer, continues to draw global audiences with such intertwined personal and representational arcs.

In the original game developed by Naughty Dog, Lev's transgender identity is central to his storyline, particularly in his relationship with Abby, who will be played by Kaitlyn Dever in the HBO series. The casting of Kratter, identified as a cisgender girl, has ignited debate because it diverges from calls within the LGBTQ+ community for transgender roles to be portrayed by transgender actors.

Autostraddle writer Drew Gregory described the choice as "a wild choice" in 2026, noting that creators "had to know what the general reaction to this decision would be" given years of discussion around the adaptation and broader advocacy for authentic casting. Gregory emphasized that Lev's trans identity is "an important and inextricable part of his character’s story and arc," arguing that casting a cisgender actress undermines this. The piece also referenced the game's use of transgender actor Ian Alexander in the role, contrasting it with the show's decision.

LGBTQ+ media outlets echoed these sentiments. Xtra Magazine stated there is "no excuse" for casting a cisgender actor as a trans character like Lev, who features prominently in Abby's storyline. The Gamer criticized the move as potentially diluting Lev's arc, warning it feels like "the first step towards that unfortunate reality" of reduced queer representation. Comic Book Resources reported the casting as "controversial," confirming Lev remains a 13-year-old transgender boy in the show, mirroring the game.

Advocates argue this perpetuates a pattern where transgender actors are rarely cast in transgender roles, limiting opportunities despite frequent exclusion from cisgender parts. Gregory noted that even if no Asian transgender youth auditioned—a scenario deemed unlikely—casting a cisgender girl signals a misunderstanding of transgender experiences, portraying Lev as "a girl who dresses like a boy" rather than a boy assigned female at birth.

The HBO series has a mixed history with casting. Previous choices like queer actors Bella Ramsey and Isabela Merced received praise from some fans, while Kaitlyn Dever's Abby faced scrutiny over physical resemblance to the game version. No official statements from HBO, Naughty Dog, or Kratter were available in coverage at the time of reporting, leaving the network silent on the backlash.

Community reactions frame this as a "devastating blow" to authentic storytelling, especially amid broader pushes for inclusion. Transgender people and allies stress that person-first representation matters for visibility and reduces stereotypes. The decision underscores tensions in adapting beloved queer-inclusive media, with implications for how transgender narratives are handled in high-profile productions. While Kratter faces no direct criticism as a young performer, responsibility lies with adult decision-makers.

The 38-year-old Australian makes melodic rock with a slight slacker's vibe that is memorable because of her sharply observant writing — witness songs like the stream-of-consciousness ambulance visit of “Avant Gardener,” the poignant house-hunting trip of “Depreston” and the ode to keeping perspective during an argument in “Before You Gotta Go.”

Work that feels effortless rarely is, of course. Barnett experienced some of that during the three-year process of making her new album, “Creature of Habit.” It's being released Friday.

“I'd come away from a day of writing with one word that I had changed that I was happy with. People in my life who had witnessed it would say, ‘I don’t understand how you can write all day and come up with nothing,'” she said.

“I was like, ‘yeah, me too.’”

Strategies for fighting through mental blocks

Most creative people have to fight through mental blocks sometime, and all have their strategies. The late Tom Petty once told journalist Paul Zollo: “You have to remind yourself that it's a lack of confidence. If you start doubting yourself, you can get in that frame of mind. But you've got to remind yourself, ‘this is what I do, and I’ve done it a lot. And there's no reason I shouldn't be able to do it again.'”

Prior experience helped Barnett. After all, this is a woman who wrote a song called “Crippling Self-Doubt and a General Lack of Confidence.”

“Each time it happens, it can be very catastrophic,” she said. “You think, ‘this is it. This is the last one. I can’t write any more songs.' Very dramatic. I think this time, I recognized those feelings and thought, ‘well, you’ve felt this way before, multiple times now, so maybe, just maybe, if you keep working and showing up and editing and writing, you'll get past it.”

Her new song “Stay in Your Lane” is like a conversation with herself about what was happening. “Rip this thing right out of my head,” she sings, as the background chorus implores: “Please be patient.”

“Great Advice” is a sarcastic take from someone for whom songwriting is almost always a solitary, personal activity. “Appreciate your great advice,” she sings. “And I need your opinion like a needle in the eye.”

The album's cover is a close-up picture of a praying mantis because, well, the little bugger was an inspiration when she spotted one at the Joshua Tree home in California where she was doing much of her writing. She watched him go about his day. The song “Mantis” is her favorite song on the album.

“It felt like this guiding message, and it helped me finish the song,” she said. “A lot of that song feels to be about the process of writing. It wasn't the intention, but when I hear the album I hear a lot of those struggles.”

Changes to her life drive themes Barnett noticed after the fact

Despite what she went through, the music does not feel labored. If there's a central theme, it's about navigating changes in your life. That came from personal experience, too. In recent years, Barnett moved to California and shut down the record label that she had been running back in Australia.

The word “change,” in fact, appears in four of the album's 10 songs. The declaration “I'm ready for a change” is spoken defiantly in “One Thing at a Time,” where Barnett stretches out for what feels like a cathartic guitar solo.

“It's one of those things that I didn't really notice until I finished the album and was listening back,” she said. “I realized the word kept popping up. It wasn't an intentional thing that I was writing about, but it was always in the back of my mind. Now that I've finished the album, that seems to be the main direction of all the songs.”

Moving to the United States seems one of those decisions intertwined with the COVID era, a time that was depressing yet gave her a new appreciation for music. “It's like when you get an idea in your head and I was like, now it's in there and if I don't do it, I'll forever be thinking about that time I thought about moving someplace else and I didn't do it,” she said.

Barnett's new home makes it easier to bring her music to the United States, where she's touring extensively with her band in May and August.

And she's happy to have writer's block behind her.

“Where it ended up, I'm happy with it and proud of it,” she said. “I guess I was having trouble making certain decisions or admitting some things to myself. I don't quite understand what it is. There was some kind of barrier that I had to break in my own head.”

Confirming clues that have been popping up, tantalizingly, on posters around the French capital, a person involved in the planning told The Associated Press that Dion will play autumn concerts at the La Defense Arena.

The person spoke on condition anonymity to discuss the closely guarded preparations, and did not give details.

Representatives for Dion in the United States did not immediately respond to questions.

The concerts in the City of Light will come after Dion electrified the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games where she performed Edith Piaf’s “Hymne à L'Amour” (“Hymn to Love”) from the Eiffel Tower — beside a rain-soaked piano.

Mysterious posters recently affixed to lampposts around the city were emblazoned with the titles of some of her iconic songs: “Pour Que Tu M’aimes Encore” (“So That You Love Me Again”), and, in English, “Power of Love.” And the French-Canadian pop star posted a series of photos on Instagram of her in Paris at various times in her life — as a youngster and more recent high-fashion shots.

The La Defense Arena has a capacity of 40,000 spectators and was one of the venues used for the Olympics.

In 2022, Dion was diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, a rare disorder that causes muscle rigidity and spasms, affecting her ability to walk and sing. She had been absent from the stage since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the postponement of her tour, which was then suspended in the wake of her neurological disorder diagnosis.

In the inaugural episode, the video declares: “Welcome to fruit Love Island, where eight single fruits are about to flirt, fight and trust. Things get messy fast.” The original cast includes female fruits pineapple, strawberry , cherry, and kiwi, paired with male fruits banana , grape , orange , and apple. Episodes depict coupling ceremonies, hideaway visits, and bombshell arrivals like blueberry Bluebella and coconut Coconick, with recent plotlines featuring Orangelo kissing Grapenzo, fueling "Orangelo and Grapenzo drama."

By March 23, 2026, 19 episodes had been posted, released daily without a fixed schedule, keeping audiences hooked on the evolving storylines of recouplings and dumps. One episode, "FRUIT LOVE ISLAND: Episode 6 – Coconick Chaos," used original Love Island audio and teased viewer voting. The content's appeal lies in its peculiar humor: fruits talk, flirt, fight, and form relationships in a style mimicking human reality TV, created entirely with AI for voices, expressions, and scenes.

The trend extends beyond the original account, inspiring copycats and reactions. Creator @trombonechef initiated a related "sad fruit story" in late February 2026 about a strawberry cheating on her strawberry husband with an eggplant, leading to a hybrid baby drama video that exceeded 26 million views. Accounts like Ai Cinema average 15 million views per video shortly after launch, while others brand their content "Fruit Love Island." TikTokers are recreating scenes, such as @therealdrmiami rating printed AI fruits using Love Island audio on March 17, 2026, or Aspon donning a banana costume to act out a cheating skit on March 18, 2026.

Viewer engagement is intense, with comments expressing empathy for the fruits' "tragic love stories" despite their AI absurdity. One creator, Tyreak, noted on March 18, 2026, that his For You Page featured a different fruit family where a lemon son "identifies as a potato," highlighting algorithmic personalization. TikTok's algorithm amplifies the virality, as likes, shares, and reactions push content to wider audiences, with related hashtags used thousands of times.

While no official statements from Love Island producers appear in coverage, the parody's success underscores AI's role in rapid content creation and social media trends. The phenomenon demonstrates how simple, humorous AI concepts can dominate platforms, blending creativity with algorithmic boost. Community responses focus on entertainment value, with no documented LGBTQ+ specific perspectives or impacts in available sources.

The 33-year-old golfer named the USGA, the LPGA, three LPGA officials, and the Hackensack Golf Club—which hosted the qualifier—as defendants in the suit, seeking unspecified damages.

The lawsuit centers on a significant policy shift implemented in 2024. The USGA and LPGA updated their gender policies for events in 2025 and beyond, establishing that players must be assigned female at birth or have transitioned to female before undergoing male puberty to be eligible for women's competition.

Davidson, who began hormone treatments in her early 20s in 2015 and underwent gender-affirming surgery in 2021—which satisfied the LPGA's previous eligibility requirements—did not transition before puberty. She competed in a U.S. Open qualifier and LPGA Qualifying School under the prior policy in 2024, though she did not advance in either competition.

In her complaint, Davidson argues that the new policy effectively bans transgender women from competing in USGA women's events or the LPGA because many states prohibit children from accessing puberty blockers or hormone therapy. She also contends that when the USGA denied her entry into the qualifier, the Hackensack Golf Club violated the law by deferring to the USGA's eligibility decisions.

Davidson's competitive history demonstrates her commitment to women's golf. She won twice on a Florida mini-tour two years ago until that circuit announced that players must be assigned female at birth.

In response, the LPGA issued a statement acknowledging the lawsuit, saying it would "let that process play out on the proper forum." The organization emphasized that "The LPGA's gender policy was developed through a thoughtful, expert-informed process and is grounded in protecting the competitive integrity of elite women's golf."

The case represents a significant legal challenge to transgender inclusion in professional sports, raising questions about balancing competitive fairness with access and anti-discrimination protections for transgender athletes.

Roan, an openly queer artist who rose to prominence in 2024 with hits like "Good Luck, Babe!" and has been vocal about fan boundaries and personal privacy, addressed the claims in an Instagram video on March 22, 2026. Lying in bed, she clarified, "I'm just going to tell my half of the story of what happened today with a mother and child who were involved with a security guard who is not my personal security." Roan insisted she did not see the woman and child, no one approached her, and she did not instruct the guard to intervene: "I did not ask the security guard to go up and talk to this mother and child. I did not." She affirmed, "I do not hate fans of my music. I do not hate children. That is crazy," and apologized: "I am sorry to the mother and child... if you felt uncomfortable, that makes me really sad. You did not deserve that."

Catherine Harding, known as Cat Cavelli, responded on Instagram, describing the guard's "aggressive tone" in berating them after Ada simply looked and smiled at Roan. She noted uncertainty about Roan's direct involvement but stressed celebrity responsibility: "You have a responsibility... to make sure the people that work for you and that act on your behalf are acting on your behalf."

The incident quickly escalated online, with Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes announcing on March 21, 2026, that Roan would "never" perform at the city's Todo Mundo no Rio festival while he is in office, comparing her unfavorably to Shakira. Jorginho replied to the mayor's post with heart emojis. Roan, a prominent figure in LGBTQ+ music scenes for her campy, empowering anthems celebrating queer joy and identity, has previously discussed the challenges of fame, including anxiety from intrusive fans and paparazzi. This event highlights tensions between celebrity privacy needs and fan interactions, particularly resonant in LGBTQ+ communities where artists like Roan serve as role models for transgender people, queer youth, and others navigating visibility. Despite the drama, Roan performed at Lollapalooza Brazil hours after the hotel incident. Online discourse continues, with fans debating security protocols amid Roan's boundary-setting advocacy.