Category: Entertainment News

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: Paul Simon’s Quiet Celebration Live Album Arrives Oct 9

Eight years ago, Paul Simon said goodbye. Now he’s saying something better: hello again.

On October 9, Simon releases “Paul Simon: The Quiet Celebration Concert,” a nearly two-hour live album capturing his return to touring after years away from the stage — and after coming to terms with hearing loss that could have ended his performing career for good. It arrives as a 3 LP vinyl set, a 2 CD set, and across all digital and streaming platforms via Owl Records and Legacy Recordings.

The immediate taste is already out: “Under African Skies,” a gorgeous duet with his wife Edie Brickell, is streaming now. And the full package looks like a landmark document of one of the most quietly remarkable comebacks in recent music history.

What the album captures

The recording was made at McCaw Hall in Seattle, near the close of the first U.S. leg of Simon’s Quiet Celebration tour — a 58-date run that drew praise from Rolling Stone, the Los Angeles Times, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The album opens with a full live performance of “Seven Psalms,” the 33-minute continuous piece Simon released in 2023, composed and arranged specifically to be heard and seen live. From there it moves through reimagined classics, deep cuts, and fan favorites — two hours of a songwriter revisiting his own catalog with the curiosity of someone hearing it fresh.

A companion concert film, “A Quiet Celebration,” premiered on Disney+ and Hulu on June 26, giving fans a visual companion to the audio. But the album is the thing purists will reach for: Simon live, unadorned, doing what he does.

The music itself

For listeners who haven’t kept up: “Seven Psalms” is worth understanding on its own. The 2023 piece is a single 33-minute composition — one continuous flow of music that Simon wrote in a dreamlike burst and arranged specifically for live performance. Hearing it open this album isn’t a gimmick. It’s the thesis statement: this is an artist working at the height of his powers, not coasting on memory.

The rest of the set reimagines the catalog — not greatest-hits renditions frozen in amber, but new arrangements built for the musician Simon is now. For longtime fans, that’s the real draw. Anyone can play “Graceland” the way it sounded in 1986. Simon would rather find out what it sounds like in 2026, played by a man who had to relearn how to listen.

The comeback behind the concert

This tour was Simon’s first extended outing since 2018, when he embarked on what was billed as a farewell tour. In the years between, he confronted a hearing loss severe enough to make live performance feel impossible. Most artists would have stopped there. Simon instead rebuilt how he plays — new arrangements, new stage setups, new ways of hearing the music and his band.

In the concert film, he reflected on what the return has meant. “It’s enabled me to play with musicians again. I really missed it,” he said. “Everybody has enjoyed the experience so much, there’s been a feeling of camaraderie and elation that we were playing this piece of music that we were really interested in, and that had a significant effect on me. It made for one of the most extraordinary tours I’ve done — maybe the most joyous.”

Read that again: “maybe the most joyous.” At 84, after a career spanning six decades and more honors than fit on a shelf, Paul Simon is calling his comeback tour the most joyful of his life. That’s not a marketing line. That reads like a man who got something back that he thought was gone.

Why it lands right now

There’s a reason this story resonates beyond Simon’s fan base. It’s about adaptation — the very human art of finding a new way when the old way stops working. Simon didn’t pretend the hearing loss wasn’t happening, and he didn’t try to perform exactly as he did in 1975. He composed new music designed for how he hears now. He reimagined the old songs for the same reason. The result, by all accounts, is some of the most alive music of his career.

That spirit — joy after setback — is in short supply and high demand. October has plenty of chances to catch it in the air, from the masked disco party taking over Burg Perchtoldsdorf on Oct 9 to a packed week of live music and festivals around New York. Simon’s album is the weekend’s quiet anchor: proof that some of the best live music this fall comes from a man who almost couldn’t hear it.

Takeaways

Don’t miss the “Under African Skies” duet. It’s streaming now, and if the rest of the album matches it, the vinyl will sell out fast. Pre-orders are open.

The 3 LP set is the one for collectors. Nearly two hours of music means the vinyl edition will be a proper listening-room experience — and “Seven Psalms” as a continuous live piece deserves the full-side treatment.

The bigger lesson: Simon’s return is a template for anyone who’s been told their best years are behind them. Sometimes the adaptation becomes the art.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: Behemoth Review: Pedro Pascal Shines in Tony Gilroy Drama

Fourteen years is a long time to wait. Tony Gilroy, the writer-director behind Michael Clayton and the creative force that elevated Andor into prestige television, has not directed a feature since 2012’s The Bourne Legacy. His return, Behemoth!, premiered October 2 as the centerpiece of the 64th New York Film Festival, and it was worth every year of the wait.

Searchlight Pictures opens the film theatrically on December 4, right in the heart of awards season. After watching the first reactions roll in from the NYFF premiere, that placement makes perfect sense. This is a film built for the season: a grown-up drama about music, family, and the people who make the movies sing.

A cellist’s homecoming

Pedro Pascal stars as Alex Serian, a renowned cellist and third-generation Hollywood studio musician who returns to Los Angeles to compose film scores and celebrate the artists who create them. Set against the world of music and movies, the story follows Alex as he confronts a fractured family history, a possible daughter he never knew, and the question of where he truly belongs.

Pascal stepped into the role after Oscar Isaac exited due to scheduling, and by all accounts, he made it his own. He described the script as a puzzle and threw himself into preparation with characteristic intensity. “The cello was the main character of my life for several weeks leading up to shooting,” he said. “I took it with me everywhere.” That commitment shows. The first reactions out of NYFF single out his performance as mesmerizing, the kind of lived-in, fully embodied work that reminds you why he became one of the most in-demand actors on the planet.

The ensemble around him is superb. Olivia Wilde plays Carol, a wealthy patron from Alex’s past. Eva Victor is Nadia, his old flame and fellow cellist. Will Arnett plays Alex’s brother Andy, in scenes reshot after David Harbour departed the project. Hank Azaria is Alex’s father Peter, JoBeth Williams his mother Ginnie, with Alexa Swinton as the 15-year-old pop prodigy who may be Alex’s daughter. It is a deep bench, and Gilroy gives everyone a moment to shine.

The music is the movie

Here is the boldest thing about Behemoth!: the score was written by nine of the most celebrated film composers alive. The Behemoth! Collective includes Michael Giacchino, James Newton Howard, Michael Abels, Emily Bear, Lukas Frank, Henry Jackman, Nami Melumad, Brandon Roberts, and Alan Silvestri. They wrote the scores for the fictional films Alex works on within the story. Then 303 AFM musicians in Los Angeles performed the on-screen musical sequences.

Read that again. Nine Oscar-caliber composers. Three hundred musicians. For a drama about a cellist.

It pays off enormously. Every review out of the festival, even the mixed ones, agrees the music is outstanding. The film is structured like a piece of music itself, intercutting present-day scoring sessions with flashbacks across Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles. Some critics found the time-jumping fussy. But when the music swells and Pascal is lost in a performance, the structure stops mattering. You feel it instead of following it.

Gilroy’s patient craft

What is most striking about Behemoth! is how unhurried it feels. At 124 minutes, Gilroy lets scenes breathe. He trusts his actors’ faces. He trusts the music. This is the work of a filmmaker who spent a decade and a half writing some of the most precise dialogue in television and came back to cinema with something to say about the people behind the curtain.

At the film’s press conference, Gilroy said he had “never wrote a character quite like this before.” You can feel that discovery in every scene. Alex Serian is not a hero or an antihero. He is a working musician, gifted and flawed, trying to make peace with his past while the orchestra tunes up around him. It is the kind of character the movies do not make enough of anymore.

The film also serves as a love letter to an invisible workforce. Session musicians are the unsung heroes of Hollywood, playing on scores heard by billions without ever being seen. Behemoth! puts them center stage, and the tribute lands because it comes from a filmmaker who clearly reveres the craft.

The verdict

Behemoth! is a warm, beautifully acted, musically glorious return for one of Hollywood’s finest filmmakers. Pascal delivers one of the best performances of his career, the score is a once-in-a-generation achievement, and Gilroy directs with the confidence of a man who waited until he had something worth saying.

Could the structure be tighter? Perhaps. But films this humane, this well-crafted, and this full of love for their subject do not come along often. When it opens December 4, go hear it in a theater with good sound. Your ears will thank you.

For more on this year’s prestige slate, read our take on Sorkin’s awards-season drama The Social Reckoning and Michelle Yeoh’s TIFF triumph in The Surgeon. And for a very different kind of December release, Johnny Depp’s haunted Ebenezer arrives just in time for the holidays.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: Best Things to Do in NYC This October: Halloween Parades, Food Festivals and Fall Fun

October might be the best month to be in New York City

Fall is in full swing, the streets are packed with festivals, and Halloween is right around the corner. Whether you’re into morning dance parties, Japanese street food, open-air art studios, or a good old-fashioned parade, there’s something happening nearly every weekend this month. Here’s what’s on the calendar.

Oct 10 — DAYBREAKER ALIVE at Brooklyn Bridge Park

The early-morning dance party returns to Brooklyn Bridge Park on October 10. Wake up, get outside, and dance it out as the sun comes up over the skyline. It’s the kind of morning that sets the tone for the whole weekend.

Oct 10 + 11 — JAPAN Fes

Japanese food, snacks, and street culture take over for two days on October 10 and 11. If you’ve been meaning to try something new from a vendor you’ve never heard of, this is your chance. And if food festivals are your thing, our roundup of 15 of the best pizza places in NYC will keep the theme going.

Oct 10, 17, 24 + 31 — Queens Night Market

The Queens Night Market keeps its Saturday run going through October 31. Four more Saturdays of food vendors from around the world, cheap eats, and a crowd that shows up hungry. Mark every one of those dates.

Oct 16–18 — Open House New York Weekend

One of the city’s best weekends for the curious: buildings, studios, and spaces that are usually closed to the public open their doors from October 16 to 18. Tours fill fast, so plan ahead.

Oct 17 — Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade

Dogs in costumes. That’s the whole pitch, and it’s perfect. The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade returns October 17 in the East Village, and it’s one of the most purely joyful traditions in the city.

Oct 17–18 — Gowanus Open Studios

Brooklyn artists open their studios to the public on October 17 and 18. Wander Gowanus, meet the people making the work, and see the neighborhood’s creative scene up close.

Oct 23–25 — City of Gods Halloween Festival

Three days of Halloween programming from October 23 to 25. Details are still trickling out, but it’s one of the bigger Halloween events on the October calendar. Pair it with our guide to 20 haunted houses in and around NYC for the full spooky-season treatment.

Oct 24 — Bronx Halloween Parade

The 41st Annual Bronx Halloween Parade marches on October 24. Four decades in, this Bronx tradition is still going strong — costumes, music, and a whole borough celebrating.

Oct 31 — A triple-header of Halloween

October 31 is stacked. Three events land on Halloween day itself:

  • Halloween Harvest Festival at Socrates Sculpture Park — fall fun with a Halloween twist at the park in Astoria.
  • Village Halloween Parade — the famous march down Sixth Avenue, still the centerpiece of NYC Halloween.
  • House of Hallucinations at House of Yes — Bushwick’s House of Yes closes out the month with its signature Halloween night.

If you’re already planning ahead for what’s next, our list of 10 of the best Christmas events in NYC for the 2026 holidays is ready when you are.

Don’t sleep on October

This is the month when the city really shows off — food festivals, open studios, parades, and Halloween doing the heavy lifting at the end. Pick your weekends, grab your friends, and get out there. And for ideas this very week, check out what’s happening around NYC today too.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: Avengers Doomsday: Marvel’s Biggest Gamble Yet Explained

December cannot come fast enough. Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel Studios’ next team-up epic, has already crossed $40 million in domestic advance ticket sales, shattering presale records nearly three months before release. For a franchise some pundits spent the last two years eulogizing, that is quite the answer.

The film reunites the Russo brothers, Joe and Anthony, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the first time since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Their return alone would be news. What they are building, though, is bigger than a reunion. It is a full-scale reimagining of what an Avengers movie can be.

Doctor Doom steps out of the shadows

The headline casting remains the boldest move Marvel has made in years. Robert Downey Jr., the man who built the MCU as Tony Stark, returns as Victor von Doom. The Russos have spoken about the emotional resonance of the choice: the most beloved hero in franchise history now wearing the mask of its most feared villain.

Recent comments from the directors have only deepened the intrigue. They hinted that Doom’s interest extends beyond Bruce Banner, lending weight to fan theories about the villain collecting MCU heroes, with Spider-Man’s name surfacing in speculation. Whether or not those theories pan out, Marvel is clearly playing a longer, stranger game than usual.

The studio has also been tidying up loose ends in public. When online speculation swirled about the roles of Captain Marvel and Thor, insiders moved quickly to address it. Marvel wants the conversation focused on Doom, and honestly, Doom is big enough to carry it.

The Encore strategy

One of the smartest things Marvel did this fall had nothing to do with Doomsday directly. The studio put Avengers: Endgame back in theaters as the Encore Edition, complete with new scenes, and it worked spectacularly. The re-release topped the domestic box office in late September, edging out Sony’s Resident Evil in its second weekend.

Those new scenes were not filler. Leaks and reports indicate they contain direct connective tissue to Doomsday, essentially turning a re-release into a stealth prequel. It is a clever piece of franchise management: remind audiences why they loved these characters, then hand them a reason to come back in December.

The Encore’s success also says something about theatrical appetite. A seven-year-old movie, even with new footage, does not top the box office unless audiences are genuinely hungry for the big-screen experience. Marvel read that hunger correctly.

A production like no other

The road to Doomsday has been anything but conventional. The Russos have been open about beginning production without a completed screenplay, a decision that raised eyebrows across the industry. It is a gamble, but it is worth remembering who is taking it: the directors of Winter Soldier, Civil War, Infinity War, and Endgame have earned the benefit of the doubt.

There are also reports that audiences may get to see the film two days before its official wide release, a sign of the confidence rippling through Disney’s distribution team. When a studio starts talking about early access for a December tentpole, it believes it has something special.

What it all means

Doomsday arrives at a fascinating moment for the genre. Marvel spent the last few years rebuilding, experimenting, and occasionally stumbling. Sony’s Spider-Man universe keeps expanding on its own track, as our coverage of Alan Ritchson’s Helldivers casting shows. DC is betting big on horror-tinged comic book films. The superhero landscape is crowded again, which makes Marvel’s return to its flagship team-up feel like a statement.

The $40 million presale figure is the number that matters most. Advance sales that strong, that early, do not happen for movies audiences feel lukewarm about. They happen for events. Doomsday is being treated as an event, and Marvel has spent the entire fall making sure it earns the title.

The verdict

Everything about Avengers: Doomsday suggests Marvel understands the assignment. Bring back the directors who defined the franchise’s peak. Cast the most shocking villain choice imaginable. Prime the audience with a record-breaking re-release. Then let December do the rest.

It is the biggest gamble the studio has taken since the original Avengers, and if the presales are any indication, it is about to pay off enormously. The MCU’s next chapter starts in weeks. We will be there opening night.

For more on the year’s biggest franchise plays, see our breakdown of Takashi Yamazaki’s giant-robot epic Grandgear and Sorkin’s Facebook sequel. Hollywood’s heavy hitters are all swinging for the fences this season.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: The Mummy 4: Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz Reunite

Some reunions take a quarter century. Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are filming The Mummy 4 right now in the UK, and the first set photos have fans of Universal’s adventure franchise losing their minds. After 25 years apart on screen, Rick and Evelyn O’Connell are back.

Fraser revealed to Canal+ that cameras started rolling on September 7, saying that returning feels like reuniting with an old friend. The photos tell the story: Weisz, 56, spotted outside the British Museum in a mustard-yellow polka-dot skirt, cropped brown jacket, and wide-brimmed hat, clutching a vintage leather briefcase and an old-fashioned transistor radio. Fraser, 57, was photographed days later at a former military base in Suffolk, in a black leather coat, filming what looks like a record-speed trials sequence with a silver-and-red rocket car.

This is not a reboot. This is a homecoming.

The gang’s all here

The legacy reunion goes far beyond the two leads. John Hannah is back as Jonathan Carnahan, Evelyn’s mischievous brother. Oded Fehr returns as Ardeth Bay, the Medjai warrior. Kevin J. O’Connor reprises Beni Gabor from the original film. New additions include Numan Acar and Michael Johnson.

That casting tells you exactly what kind of movie this is. Universal is not distancing itself from the franchise’s past; it is embracing it. The original 1999 film, released 27 years ago, turned Fraser and Weisz into adventure-movie royalty. The Mummy Returns followed in 2001. Weisz sat out the 2008 third chapter, with Maria Bello stepping in, and fans never quite forgave the swap. Now the original chemistry is back where it belongs.

The period details in the set photos offer clues about the timeline. The original was set in 1926, the third film jumped to 1947, and the costumes here suggest the early-to-mid 1950s. Rick and Evelyn, older, wiser, and presumably still bickering beautifully. There is something deeply satisfying about watching these characters age in real time alongside the actors who play them.

Radio Silence takes the helm

Behind the camera, Universal made an inspired choice. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the Radio Silence duo behind the recent Scream films and Ready or Not, are directing from a script by David Coggeshall. Producer Sean Daniel, who has worked on every installment since 1999, returns, with Fraser himself serving as executive producer.

Radio Silence understands exactly what this franchise needs. Their Scream work proved they can honor beloved legacy characters while delivering genuine scares and big crowd-pleasing moments. The Mummy films were always horror-adjacent: cursed priests, flesh-eating scarabs, supernatural dread wrapped in matinee adventure. A directing team fluent in both horror and fun is the perfect fit.

The franchise has grossed $1.8 billion worldwide, and Universal clearly wants this chapter to feel like an event. Moving the release date up from May 19, 2028, to October 15, 2027, is a statement of confidence. Studios do not move blockbusters forward seven months unless they like what they are seeing.

Why this reunion matters

Fraser’s career renaissance has been one of Hollywood’s best stories. From his Oscar win to his carefully chosen recent roles, he has rebuilt himself as one of the industry’s most beloved figures. Returning to Rick O’Connell, the role that made him a star, is not a step backward. It is a victory lap.

And Weisz never really left the cultural conversation, but her return as Evelyn rights a 17-year wrong. The Bello substitution in 2008 remains one of the franchise’s sore spots. Seeing Weisz back in period costume, briefcase in hand, outside the British Museum, feels like the timeline correcting itself.

There is a broader trend here too. Hollywood’s legacy sequels work when they respect what came before and bring back the people who made it special. The 24 Jump Street team reuniting Tatum and Hill for December 2027 follows the same playbook. Audiences do not just want the IP; they want the people.

What we still don’t know

Plot details remain tightly under wraps. Universal has not confirmed a final title, and beyond the inevitable tombs, curses, and marital banter, nobody outside the production knows what supernatural threat Rick and Evelyn will face. Given the 1950s setting, the Cold War era offers rich territory for an adventure story.

What we do know is enough. The cameras are rolling. The cast is back. The directors are right. And October 15, 2027, cannot come soon enough.

The verdict

The Mummy 4 is shaping up to be the legacy sequel done right: original stars, original producer, horror-savvy directors, and a studio confident enough to move the date up. Some franchises chase nostalgia. This one is earning it, one set photo at a time.

For more on Hollywood’s franchise renaissance, check out our coverage of Johnny Depp’s haunted Christmas tale Ebenezer and the holiday return of the Angry Birds flock. The old gangs are all getting back together, and honestly, we love to see it.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: Jurassic World Sequel: J.A. Bayona Eyed to Direct Return

The dinosaurs are getting a familiar shepherd. Universal Pictures has zeroed in on J.A. Bayona to direct the next Jurassic World film, the follow-up to 2025’s Jurassic World Rebirth, according to The Hollywood Reporter’s Borys Kit, who confirmed the news on October 2. It would be a homecoming eight years in the making.

Bayona directed 2018’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the gothic-tinged entry that took the dinosaurs out of the park and into a haunted mansion auction. The film divided critics and delighted audiences on its way to more than $1.3 billion worldwide. Now, with Gareth Edwards having exited the Rebirth sequel over creative differences, Universal wants a director who already knows where the raptors are buried.

A franchise that refuses to go extinct

Let’s appreciate the run this franchise is on. Jurassic World Rebirth pulled in $869 million globally last year, powered by Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey. That is a number most franchises would kill for in their seventh film, and it is why Universal is moving at pace on the next one rather than letting the grass grow.

David Koepp, who wrote the original Jurassic Park back in 1993 and returned for Rebirth, has already finished the script for the sequel. When the writer of the most beloved dinosaur movie ever made hands you a finished screenplay, you do not sit on it. Johansson, Ali, and Bailey are all expected to return, schedules permitting, which means the new era’s core trio stays intact.

Steven Spielberg and producer Frank Marshall remain involved as well. That continuity matters. Whatever directors come and go, the franchise has always been steered by its original architects, and that steady hand is a big reason the series has survived five different filmmaking teams across seven movies.

Why Bayona fits

Bayona is not yet in formal talks, per THR, but he is at the top of Universal’s list, and it is easy to see why. Before Fallen Kingdom, he directed The Impossible, the 2012 survival drama that earned Naomi Watts an Oscar nomination and announced him as a filmmaker of uncommon emotional force. After Jurassic, he directed the first two episodes of Amazon’s The Rings of Power and then made Society of the Snow for Netflix, the harrowing true story of the 1972 Andes flight disaster that became one of the streamer’s most acclaimed films.

That is a director who can do spectacle and soul in the same frame. Fallen Kingdom’s best stretches, the volcano evacuation and the shadowy mansion climax, showed a filmmaker who treats dinosaurs as animals with weight and menace, not just pixels. Society of the Snow proved he can wring genuine human drama out of impossible situations. A Jurassic film needs both, and Bayona has both on his resume.

The InSneider’s Jeff Sneider first floated the news, noting Universal had previously considered Twisters director Lee Isaac Chung before turning to Bayona. TheWrap separately confirmed Bayona as the frontrunner. When the trades line up like that, the deal is usually a matter of when, not if.

The Edwards exit, in context

Gareth Edwards leaving over creative differences two months ago could have been a crisis. Instead, Universal turned it into an opportunity. The franchise has always thrived on fresh eyes: Spielberg to Joe Johnston to Colin Trevorrow to Bayona to Edwards. Each brought a different flavor, and the series is stronger for the variety.

There is a lesson in how quickly the studio moved. A finished Koepp script, a willing cast, and a shortlist topped by a proven franchise veteran. That is a studio that learned from the stop-start development cycles that have slowed other mega-franchises. It is the confident, no-drama way to run a billion-dollar series.

What we want from the next chapter

Rebirth worked because it went back to basics: a small team, a dangerous island, dinosaurs that felt dangerous again. The sequel should keep that discipline. Bayona’s horror instincts, honed on The Orphanage and Fallen Kingdom’s mansion sequence, are perfect for making the creatures scary in a way the franchise sometimes forgets.

The returning cast gives him a head start. Johansson brought movie-star authority to Rebirth, Ali brought gravity, and Bailey brought charm. A director who knows how to direct actors, not just effects, will get more out of all three. Bayona is exactly that kind of director.

The verdict

This is Universal making the smart, steady choice. A finished script from the franchise’s founding writer, a cast audiences already love, and a director with a $1.3 billion Jurassic hit and an Oscar-nominated drama on his resume. The dinosaurs are in good hands. We cannot wait to see what Bayona does with them this time.

It is also a reminder of how strong the studio’s franchise bench is right now. Between this and the Miami Vice revival revving up for 2028, Universal is playing the long game beautifully. And for pure blockbuster spectacle, our look at Takashi Yamazaki’s Grandgear shows the giant-monster crown is still very much up for grabs.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: New York City Is the Museum Capital of the World

Museum buildings and galleries across New York City Manhattan

New York doesn’t just have museums. It has more than 170 of them — and depending on how you count, the number gets much bigger. The city’s Economic Development Corporation puts the five boroughs at more than 800 museums and galleries combined, and the Museums Council of New York City alone speaks for 117 organizations. Whatever the official figure, the point is the same: no other city on earth collects culture quite like this one.

And it’s not confined to one district. The museums stretch through Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island — a city built from distinct neighborhoods, and generations of people arriving from across the country and around the world.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art sits at the center of it all, with collections spanning more than 5,000 years. You can walk from ancient Egypt to Greek and Roman art, European painting, Asian art, American decorative arts, fashion, musical instruments, arms and armor, and a contemporary show — all in a single visit. Few cities let you meet civilizations separated by centuries and continents within a few rooms of each other.

The Museum of Modern Art tells a different story. Founded in 1929 around new art, MoMA helped make modernism a central part of international cultural life, and its reach runs from photography and architecture to design, film, and media. Nearby, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum pairs modern and contemporary art with one of the most recognizable museum buildings in New York, while the Whitney Museum of American Art concentrates on American work from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

But New York’s museum story isn’t only about the famous names. The American Museum of Natural History, founded in 1869, pairs public exhibitions with real scientific research, from fossils and biodiversity to human origins and planetary science. The Met Cloisters in northern Manhattan offers medieval European art and architecture — a world away from the Midtown crowds. The Tenement Museum preserves immigrant and working-family history through everyday lives rather than monumental art. The Museum of Chinese in America connects a national story to Chinatown’s living history, the Museum of Jewish Heritage grounds Jewish history before, during, and after the Holocaust, and the museum at Ellis Island tells immigration on a national scale, in the harbor where millions arrived.

Some museums are the city itself. The New York Transit Museum sits inside a decommissioned subway station in Downtown Brooklyn, turning daily infrastructure into an account of engineering, design, and labor. The Museum of the City of New York examines the city’s past and its changing identity. The New York Historical approaches American history through art, manuscripts, and archives. And across the East River, the Brooklyn Museum proves this culture was never Manhattan’s alone, with collections running from ancient cultures to contemporary art.

The city backs this up with real support. The Department of Cultural Affairs supports more than 1,000 cultural nonprofits, and its Cultural Institutions Group — 39 organizations in city-owned facilities across all five boroughs — traces its roots to the nineteenth century. Programs like Culture Pass give New York City library cardholders access to more than 100 participating institutions.

That’s the real secret. A museum in New York is rarely just somewhere to look at objects. It’s a record of a neighborhood, an archive of migration, a working research center, a preserved piece of infrastructure — or five thousand years of art under one roof. Together, they give the city the deepest and most varied cultural landscape in the world.

If you’re planning your next New York day out, we’ve recently covered why World Animal Day means so much to animal lovers everywhere and the return of the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular to Radio City — two more reasons to get out and explore the city this season.

Museum buildings and galleries across New York City Manhattan

Originally published on Times Square Chronicles.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: Star Wars Episode X: Jon Watts to Direct Skywalker Return

Star Wars is going home again. After years of streaming series, spin-offs, and start-stop feature plans, Lucasfilm is returning to the numbered chapters that built the franchise, and it has tapped one of the most reliable blockbuster hands in the business to lead the charge.

According to reporting first broken by Knight Edge Media on September 27 and confirmed by both The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline, Jon Watts is attached to direct the first installment of a new Star Wars trilogy written by Simon Kinberg. The film is expected to continue the Skywalker saga beyond 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, making it, in effect, Episode X. It would be the tenth chapter of a story that began with a farm boy staring at twin suns in 1977.

That is a big swing by any measure. The sequel trilogy ended seven years ago and the conversation around it has never fully cooled. Choosing to pick the numbering back up instead of starting fresh tells you everything about Lucasfilm’s confidence right now: this isn’t a side quest, it’s the main event.

Why Jon Watts makes sense

Watts arrives with credentials few directors can match. His Spider-Man trilogy for Marvel Studios grossed more than $3.9 billion worldwide between 2017 and 2021, and No Way Home remains one of the most beloved franchise films of the modern era. He knows how to balance fan expectation with genuine surprise, and he does it without losing the human story underneath the spectacle.

He’s also a known quantity inside Lucasfilm. Watts co-created Skeleton Crew, the Disney+ series that followed four kids through the New Republic era with the warmth of an Amblin adventure. The show drew a small audience but glowing reviews, and it proved Watts can speak fluent Star Wars.

The industry has noticed the pattern. Watts walked away from the Marvel machine, and this Star Wars assignment explains why. Filmmakers of his caliber don’t leave the biggest franchise on the planet unless the next offer is bigger.

The Kinberg plan and Rey’s return

Simon Kinberg has been quietly writing this trilogy since late 2024. He co-created Star Wars Rebels and wrote X-Men: Days of Future Past, so he understands both galaxy-sized mythology and the character work that makes it land. Per THR, the trilogy is being developed as the next chapter of the Skywalker saga itself, continuing the story of the family that has anchored all nine episodic films.

Daisy Ridley is expected to return as Rey in some capacity, though the size of her role is still unclear. Knight Edge Media reports that Lucasfilm is looking at relatively unknown actors for the male and female leads, with Rey potentially starting in a smaller role that grows across the three films. It’s a smart structure if true: pass the torch on screen the way the franchise once passed it from Luke to Rey.

That approach also appears to resolve the long, winding road of the standalone Rey film. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy was announced as director at Star Wars Celebration 2023, and the script passed through several writers before the project stalled. Several outlets now report that film is on hold so Episode X can move first. One door closes, a much bigger one opens.

What comes next

Let’s keep expectations honest, because the trade reports are careful on this point: Disney has not greenlit the film yet. THR describes the project as still in development, though further along than any Lucasfilm feature other than Starfighter, the Ryan Gosling-led film arriving May 28, 2027. There is no release date and no official title, and Lucasfilm declined to comment.

Still, this is the most concrete the theatrical future of Star Wars has looked in years. Filming could begin as early as next year, according to early reports. And the timing couldn’t be better. The franchise spent the last half-decade rebuilding its television wing; now the big screen gets its turn, with the kind of marquee numbering that turns opening weekends into cultural events.

It mirrors what we’re seeing across the industry. Universal is moving fast on its next Jurassic World chapter, Paramount keeps doubling down on franchise revivals like Miami Vice, and legacy IP is the surest bet in town. Star Wars isn’t following that trend. It started it.

What this trilogy has to get right

The lesson of the last decade is that Star Wars works best when it trusts new voices inside a familiar frame. Skeleton Crew did it on a small canvas. Episode X has to do it at the largest possible scale: honor the Skywalker name without being trapped by it.

Watts has a real gift for that balance. His Spider-Man films kept Peter Parker grounded while the multiverse cracked open around him. If he brings that same instinct to Rey and a new generation of Jedi, the saga’s next act could feel less like a victory lap and more like a genuine new beginning.

There is also a practical reason for optimism. Kinberg has had nearly two years on these scripts. That is not the rushed timeline that burned the franchise before. It is the kind of runway that lets a trilogy actually be planned as a trilogy.

The verdict

This is the announcement Star Wars fans have been waiting for since the sequel trilogy wrapped. A director with a $3.9 billion track record, a writer who knows the lore cold, and a genuine continuation of the Skywalker story. There are still miles to go before cameras roll, but the galaxy finally has a direction again. And for the first time in a long time, that direction feels exactly right.

For a reminder of how the franchise machine keeps evolving, our look at Sam Raimi’s Every House is Haunted landing at a new studio shows just how competitive the IP landscape has become. Star Wars, though, remains the one that started it all.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: Fun Things Happening in NYC This Week, Oct. 5–11: Zumba, House Dance, African Restaurant Week and More

Monday, October 5th, and the city is already warming up for another packed week. If you’re the type who needs a plan before the coffee kicks in, this one’s for you — seven days of dance classes, screenings, festivals, and rooftop mornings, laid out day by day.

Monday & Tuesday: Move First

Start the week on your feet. Monday brings Zumba at Brooklyn Bridge Park — open-air, waterfront views, and a crowd that’s in it for the energy. Then Tuesday hands the floor to House Dance at Lincoln Center, which is about as New York as a Tuesday night gets.

Wednesday & Thursday: Laughs and a Classic

Wednesday splits the difference between comedy and jazz across Brooklyn and Manhattan — pick your borough, pick your poison. Thursday closes the workweek out strong with an outdoor screening of Stop Making Sense followed by a dance party. Talking Heads under the stars, then dancing. Not a bad Thursday.

Friday: The Weekend Ignites

Friday does double duty. The African Restaurant Week Festival kicks off and runs Friday through Sunday — three days of food worth planning around. And Friday night itself, Rosa Perreo takes over House of Yes in Brooklyn, which should tell you everything you need to know about how the night ends.

Saturday & Sunday: Sunrises and Tango

Saturday morning starts early and loud with DAYBREAKER ALIVE back at Brooklyn Bridge Park — sunrise, music, and a dance floor that doesn’t care what time it is. Sunday gets its own lineup: the NYMS Fungus Festival at The Battery, plus free tango and milonga at Essex Market to close the week out properly.

And threaded through all of it, the usual October extras: street fairs, open streets, live music and more all weekend. Wander without an agenda and you’ll still land somewhere good.

The Plan

Want the week in one sentence? Monday Zumba, Thursday’s Stop Making Sense screening-and-dance-party, Friday at the African Restaurant Week Festival, Saturday’s sunrise Daybreaker, and Sunday tango at Essex Market. That’s a week worth having.

If you’re still hungry for plans, our guide to today in NYC covers street festivals and rooftop dancing, and last weekend’s food festivals and live music roundup is worth a look too. Fall fans should check the best apple picking near NYC, and spooky season’s official 20 haunted houses lineup is already live.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: Fun Things to Do in NYC Today: Sunday, October 4th — Street Festivals, Japanese Culture & Rooftop Dancing

Sunday, October 4th has that perfect early-October feel to it: crisp air, golden light, and a city that refuses to stay in. Whether you’re up early or easing into the afternoon, there’s something happening in just about every corner of New York today. Here’s your guide to the best of it, hour by hour.

Morning: Markets, Music and Pow Wow

The day gets going at 10 AM with the Queens Agricultural Fair, a lovely way to lean into fall with farm-fresh goods and seasonal fun. Also at 10, the Lenape / Lunáapeew Nations Pow Wow brings Indigenous music, dance and tradition to Prospect Park — a genuinely meaningful way to spend a Sunday morning.

By 11 AM, Smorgasburg is back in Prospect Park with its usual spread of the city’s best food vendors, and the Bush Cook Festival fires things up with music and food of its own.

Midday: Festivals Take Over

Noon is when Sunday really opens up. The Atlantic Antic, Brooklyn’s beloved street festival, takes over Atlantic Avenue with blocks of vendors, live performances and food. It’s one of the biggest outdoor events of the fall, and the highlight pick of the day.

Japan lovers get two great options: Fun Fest Japan starts at noon, and Iyasaka Matsuri kicks off at 2 PM — another top pick, packed with Japanese culture, music and celebration. Over on Randall’s Island, the Harvest Festival starts at noon too, leaning all the way into the season with autumn activities and family-friendly fun.

At 1 PM, the Mystic Mega Market opens its doors for anyone hunting down candles, crystals and one-of-a-kind finds.

Afternoon & Evening: Dancing Into the Night

At 3 PM, Mister Sunday returns to Nowadays for an afternoon of dancing in the open air — the third top pick of the day, and a Sunday institution at this point. Also at 4, the Disco Tehran Rooftop Party brings the sunset vibes, and the day closes out at 5 PM with Corazón Cumbiambero, full of rhythm and dancing.

The Plan

Want to keep it simple? Hit the Lenape Pow Wow in the morning, the Atlantic Antic for the afternoon, and dance your way into the evening at Mister Sunday. That’s a Sunday worth writing home about.

Looking for more to fill your weekend? Check out our guide to fun things happening in NYC this weekend, and if fall is your favorite season, our roundup of the best apple picking near NYC is calling your name. And with spooky season officially here, don’t miss the 20 haunted houses in and around NYC — October doesn’t last forever.