On Sunday night, we watched one of the darkest chapters in Australian history unfold in Bondi, where two gunmen claimed 15 innocent lives in an act of terrorism. The targeted antisemitic attack is Australia’s worst mass shooting since Port Arthur in 1996.

After what has felt like a surreal and unbearable week, I hope today’s newsletter will serve as a welcome distraction from the news cycle.

In the hardest times of my life, I’ve always found comfort in culture — whether watching a beloved film from my childhood, laughing until I cry with a good stand-up comedy set, or crying until I laugh to my favourite sad album.

The Culture newsletter is taking a short intermission after today, but we’ll be back on 8 January. Please take care of yourself and your loved ones, and I’ll see you in 2026.

“I share these scars with many women I love. And I'm always moved when I see other women share theirs.”
Actor Angelina Jolie has shared her scars publicly for the first time since undergoing a preventative double mastectomy in 2013, in a new interview with TIME France.

One million.
The number of copies of the late Virginia Giuffre’s memoir that have sold since it was published in October. ‘Nobody's Girl’ was published posthumously and gives Giuffre’s account of being trafficked by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Her family have described the memoir’s international success as a “bittersweet moment”.

The ‍Louvre in Paris closed this week after workers began strike action. Staff at the world's most-visited museum are demanding better working conditions and urgent renovations.

The Oscars will air on YouTube from 2029 under a new deal with the video platform.

The annual awards ceremony, held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), has aired on Disney-owned network ABC in the U.S. since the 1970s.

It will remain on ABC for the next three ceremonies before the switch.

AMPAS says the move is aimed at making the Oscars more accessible to a “growing global audience”.

The next Oscars will be held on 15 March 2026.

The Oscars are officially called the Academy Awards. No one knows the exact origins of the nickname.

The first Academy Awards ceremony was held in 1929. It celebrates “excellence in the motion picture arts” from the previous year.

Today, AMPAS has an international membership of more than 11,000 people from the film industry.

Under the new deal, which runs through to 2033, YouTube will stream the Oscars ceremony, the red carpet, behind-the-scenes footage and other related content.

The platform will also have exclusive rights to publish other AMPAS events and programs. The Oscars YouTube channel has more than three million subscribers.

The agreement also gives YouTube access to AMPAS’ archives and includes support to help digitise parts of its collection of 52 million film-related items.

“ABC has been the proud home to The Oscars for more than half a century,” the network said in a statement.

“We look forward to the next three telecasts, including the show's centennial celebration in 2028, and wish the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences continued success.”

Reporting by Achol Arok.

If you’re always on the hunt for your next repeat listen, meet Balu Brigada

The breakout alt-pop duo have just dropped Portal – their long-awaited debut album – and it’s worth opening the door for. Built over three years across Auckland, Berlin and New York, the record blends indie-rock grit with glossy alt-pop energy.

You’ll recognise breakout tracks like “So Cold”, “Backseat” and “What Do We Ever Really Know?”, but the full album hits even deeper.

Fresh, emotional and a little existential – Portal is officially out now.

Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were found dead at their Los Angeles home on Sunday (local time).

The LA Sheriff’s Department said on Monday their 32-year-old son Nick had been arrested and charged with their murder.

U.S. President Donald Trump has since taken to social media to suggest the alleged murder was related to Rob Reiner’s progressive political views.

Rob Reiner, the son of comedian and writer Carl Reiner, rose to fame acting in the 1970s sitcom ‘All in The Family’.

He made his directorial debut with the 1984 mockumentary ‘This Is Spinal Tap’, which he also appeared in.

Reiner went on to direct ‘The Princess Bride,’ ‘Misery’, and ‘A Few Good Men’.

He was also known for his political activism and support for Democratic candidates.

Rob was married to fellow director Penny Marshall in the 1970s. He adopted her daughter from a previous marriage, Tracy.

Rob married Michele Singer in 1989, who he met while he was directing the rom-com ‘When Harry Met Sally...’. He credited falling in love with Michele with the film’s happy ending.

Michele was an actress, photographer, and producer. Together, they had three children: Jake, Nick, and Romy.

Nick had publicly talked about his addiction to drugs in past years. He and Rob worked together on a film partly based on his life, ‘Being Charlie’, in 2015.

Emergency services were called to the Reiners’ home in Brentwood, California on Sunday afternoon (local time).

U.S. media reports Romy Reiner found her parents’ bodies.

Their son, Nick, was arrested several hours later in connection with their deaths, and charged with two counts of murder on Tuesday.

In a post to Truth Social, Trump alleged Reiner’s death was “due to the anger he caused others through his… mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.”

“He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump,” the post said.

Reiner had been a vocal critic of the President. In 2017, he told Variety that he believed Trump “is the single-most unqualified human-being to ever assume the Presidency of the United States.”

A range of political figures, including Republicans, denounced Trump‘s statement.

Republican representative Thomas Massie said it was “inappropriate and disrespectful discourse about a man who was just brutally murdered.”

Democrat Senator John Hickenlooper called the post “heartless.”

During a press conference in the Oval Office, Trump doubled down on his comments, saying Reiner was “a deranged person” who was “very bad for our country.”

Some of Reiner’s closest friends, including actors Billy Crystal, Albert Brooks, Martin Short and Larry David, have released a statement mourning the loss of a Hollywood great.

“Absorbing all he had learned from his father Carl and his mentor Norman Lear, Rob Reiner not only was a great comic actor, he became a master story teller. There is no other director who has his range. From comedy to drama to 'mockumentary' to documentary he was always at the top of his game. He charmed audiences. They trusted him. They lined up to see his films,” the group said in a statement.

“His comedic touch was beyond compare, his love of getting the music of the dialogue just right, and his sharpening of the edge of a drama was simply elegant.”

Reporting by Elliot Lawry.

With just one week until Christmas, we’re bringing you a festive-themed recommendation roundup from the TDA team.

Emma: “At this time of year, it’s hard to look past two of my childhood favourites. ‘Elf’ and ‘Home Alone 2: Lost in New York’. You can’t go wrong with these absolute classics. No hate to the first Home Alone film but there’s something about Christmas in Manhattan that just feels right.” You can watch Elf on Netflix and Prime Video. Home Alone 2 is streaming on Disney+.

Belle: “My Mum and I are obsessed with Cadbury Magic Elves!”

Mia: “Sparkling Shiraz is my favourite festive tradition and more people need to know you actually can drink red wine with your Christmas roast on a 31 degree day. It just needs to be sparkling. And chilled.”

Antonia: “They say to never judge a book by its cover, but boy does good wrapping paper make all the difference to a gift. If you want to up your gift-giving game this holiday season head to Dymocks for their absolutely DIVINE wrapping paper. I promise it’s worth it.”

Lucy: “In 1996, famed RnB singer Patti LaBelle was invited to sing 'This Christmas' at the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony at The White House. Absolutely nothing went to plan.” Watch it here.

Elliot: “Wombat Divine by Mem Fox is the most heartwarming Aussie Christmas book. I make my mum read it to me every year on Christmas Eve.”