

scene report
‘The Brontë Sisters Are Rolling in Their Graves’
NYC theatergoers are arriving in droves to judge Jacob Elordi and masturbation on the moors.ByRachel Handlerq&a
A Grand Theory of Celebrity and Who-dom
What does fame mean today? The hosts of the popularWho? Weekly podcast have written a book that explores the question.ByNicholas QuahLatest The Feed
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Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas Is Cooler Than Awards Season“It’s not a real competition. We made something months ago, and now we’re putting it in a pot, and somebody’s going to choose one.” - more plz
Yaaaay!The Muppet Show Revival Is a Ratings Success.We’re wiggling our arms, Kermit style, in triumph. - movies
Why Gore Verbinski Disappeared From HollywoodHis movies made billions, until they didn’t. Why it took almost ten years for thePirates of the Caribbean director’s comeback. - regency romance
Dearest Reader, This Cinderella Story Is Getting Sexier by the MinuteBridgerton teases a big romantic monologue in its new trailer. - long-term goals
BTS Isn’t Preoccupied With the Grammys Anymore“We don’t want to be desperately eager for it.” - live at the rivoli
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie Defies GravityHow Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol turned their cult web series turned TV show into a feature film, one shot at a time. - the grub street diet
Just a Dash’s Michelle Rabin Heads to Rolo’s From the Airport“I study the menu in the taxi. When we sit down, it’s as if my order’s already been decided for me.” - vulture 10x10
The Romantic Puzzle19-Across, Three Letters: Number of reasons Tracy Chapman wants you to give her - vulture games
Cinematrix No. 689: February 13, 2026Can you name a Jacob Elordi or Will Smith movie starring Margot Robbie? - you wanna be on top?
Tyra Banks Threatens Us With anAmerica’s Next Top Model Reboot“You have no idea what we have planned for cycle 25.” - celebrity breakup randomizer
Mikayla Nogueira Is Getting a DivorceThe beauty influencer was married to Cody Hawken for two years. - olympics 2026
Madison Chock and Evan Bates Felt a ‘Roller Coaster of Emotions’ at Olympics“It’s a subjective sport. It’s a judged sport.” - online feuds
Homeland Security Is Posting Like Nicki MinajThe government-run social-media account is getting into an endless back-and-forth with Cardi B.
- overnights
Love Story Series-Premiere Recap: Shiny People, Shiny ProblemsRyan Murphy’sLove Story is here to canonize the ’90s’ most iconic couple — and the “corseted” demands of the Kennedy family tree. - overnights
The Traitors Recap: Thin IceThe newest Traitor joins the turret, and their first order of business is helping Rob terrorize the figure skaters. - overnights
The Pitt Recap: The Groundskeeper at Three Rivers StadiumPTMC feels like a powder keg this week as the Fourth of July heat wave pushes the staff to their limits. - overnights
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Recap: Manifest DestinyKyle and Dorit’s friendship is officially beyond repair, but that’s only half the story. - overnights
Southern Charm Recap: Itchy Grass Is GreenerAusten seems to be prioritizing literally anyone else over his friendship with Shep and Craig — and for good reason. - overnights
Love Is Blind Season-Premiere Recap: Group TherapyWhile six couples are doing shots in Mexico, one pair is inexplicably hiding in Malibu. - overnights
Vanderpump Rules Recap: The Rule of 3A hot-mic confession from the cousins leads to a classic existential question: Are we watching real people or reality-TV actors playing characters? - overnights
Tell Me Lies Recap: Mind GamesIt brings me no pleasure to report that Pippa has turned to the dark side. - overnights
Below Deck Down Under Recap: I’ve Never Met Such a Person in My LifeTheRHOSLC ladies are officially driving theBelow Deck team to the brink. - overnights
All Creatures Great & Small Recap: Down at the Dog TrackIt’s an amazing episode for Siegfried and Mrs. Hall shippers — complete with sexual cribbage innuendo. - overnights
RuPaul’s Drag Race Recap: Honey, This Is How You Throw a Party in Mykonos, BitchAthena Dion is the undisputed main character of the season—and she just proved that you don’t need to be the best at the challenge to winDrag Race. - overnights
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Recap: Oak and IronDunk will still be fighting on the jousting grounds. But now it’s not just his livelihood at stake, it’s also his life. - overnights
Industry Recap: Father, Partner, Mentor, FoeWith a margin call looming, Harper and Eric find that their professional ruthlessness is no match for their decaying personal lives.
- berlinale 2026
‘Do You Think I’m Going to Hell?’The new filmMouse, starring Sophie Okonedo, takes the saddest, most familiar of subjects and brings forth something quietly revelatory. - theater review
Sean Hayes’s Theme and Variations:The UnknownHe inhabits more than a dozen characters in David Cale’s slick, unsettling play. - tv review
ThisLove Story Isn’t SpecialBeneath a careful re-creation of ’90s New York, Ryan Murphy’s take on JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette lacks a big idea and, more fatally, actual feeling. - post game analysis
Social Media Is SuffocatingThe TraitorsFrom cast members airing grievances to conspiracy theories and claims of bullying, the discourse is threatening to overshadow the game. - theater review
The Other Place Is a Low-StakesAntigoneStripping the ancient Greekness out of Sophocles saps the tension and conflict. - movie review
Finally, a Smooth-BrainedWuthering HeightsEmerald Fennell’s Emily Brontë adaptation is brave enough to just be about two messy bitches. - review
Bad Bunny Made MAGA Look StupidHe refused to let a baseless culture war over his halftime show be the story. - movie review
Sirāt Has the Most Brutal Rug-Pull You’ll See This YearOliver Laxe’s desert rave thriller brilliantly depicts trying to dance while the world ends. - movie review
Alexander Skarsgård Does a Lot Without Words in This Salty-Sweet BDSM RomancePillion is an unexpectedly sweet movie about a young man meeting the leather daddy of his dreams. - theater review
High Spirits Has Just Enough FizzIt probably wouldn’t sustain a full-scale revival. But it’s perfect for the two-week Encores! series — especially with Andrea Martin. - sundance 2026
This Year’s Sundance Was Full of Failed AdultsRun Amok,Josephine, and many other films on this year’s lineup focused on adults who, under the guise of helping kids, ultimately fail them. - close read
The 2026 Grammys Needed More Naming and ShamingPolitics was on almost everyone’s mind, but most kept their statements vague. - sundance 2026
WithZi, Kogonada Strikes BackThe director’sA Big Bold Beautiful Journey was one of the bigger disappointments of 2025. But his latest feels like anartiste’s penance. - sundance 2026
Sundance WinnerShame and Money Deserves Your AttentionIts perspective is unlike any I’ve seen in recent years.
Most Popular
Interview
The Traitors’ Candiace Dillard Bassett Is Rooting for ‘Everybody But Rob’ ByRebecca Jennings
- Love Story(S1/E1)
Shiny People, Shiny ProblemsRyan Murphy’sLove Story is here to canonize the ’90s’ most iconic couple — and the “corseted” demands of the Kennedy family tree. - The Traitors(S4/E9)
Thin IceThe newest Traitor joins the turret, and their first order of business is helping Rob terrorize the figure skaters. - The Pitt(S2/E6)
The Groundskeeper at Three Rivers StadiumPTMC feels like a powder keg this week as the Fourth of July heat wave pushes the staff to their limits.
Manifest DestinyKyle and Dorit’s friendship is officially beyond repair, but that’s only half the story.- Southern Charm(S11/E11)
Itchy Grass Is GreenerAusten seems to be prioritizing literally anyone else over his friendship with Shep and Craig — and for good reason. - Love Is Blind(S10/E1)
Group TherapyWhile six couples are doing shots in Mexico, one pair is inexplicably hiding in Malibu. - Vanderpump Rules(S12/E10)
The Rule of 3A hot-mic confession from the cousins leads to a classic existential question: Are we watching real people or reality-TV actors playing characters? - Summer House(S10/E2)
A House DividedSummer House should be fun. Kyle and Amanda? Not fun! - Tell Me Lies(S3/E7)
Mind GamesIt brings me no pleasure to report that Pippa has turned to the dark side. - More Recaps
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Streamliner
now streamingThe 16 Best Movies and TV Shows to Watch This Weekend Let’s get freaky.BySavannah Salazar
now streamingThe 18 Best Movies and TV Shows to Watch This Weekend Olympics, Muppets, and a Bad Bunny performance? Let’s ride.BySavannah Salazar
sport invernaliWhat We’re Obsessively Watching at the 2026 Winter Olympics A (slightly) curated schedule, because we really can’t miss curling.ByEric Vilas-Boas
streamlinerIt’s a Great Time to Finally Buy a TV Antenna Meet your ticket to free broadcasts. A good one costs less than $20.ByRebecca Alter
- Every Sam Raimi Movie, Ranked
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- EveryGodzilla Movie of the Past 40 Years, Ranked
- Every Stanley Kubrick Movie, Ranked
- Ring In 2026 With 15 Essential New Year’s Eve Movies
- Every Timothée Chalamet Movie, Ranked
- Every Gwyneth Paltrow Movie Performance, Ranked
Features
theater reviewSean Hayes’s Theme and Variations:The Unknown He inhabits more than a dozen characters in David Cale’s slick, unsettling play.ByJackson McHenry
backstoriesFarewell to a Frequent Flier The cast and crew ofThe Pitt debrief on season two’s most heartbreaking good-bye.ByRoxana Hadadi
two bogansMargot Robbie and Jacob Elordi Are More Fun to Watch When They’re Weird More singing Cher and crazy outfits, less pretend flirting.ByFran Hoepfner
Movies

norway's finest
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas Is Cooler Than Awards Season
“It’s not a real competition. We made something months ago, and now we’re putting it in a pot, and somebody’s going to choose one.”ByJason P. Frank
moviesWhy Gore Verbinski Disappeared From Hollywood His movies made billions, until they didn’t. Why it took almost ten years for thePirates of the Caribbean director’s comeback.ByChris Lee
berlinale 2026‘Do You Think I’m Going to Hell?’ The new filmMouse, starring Sophie Okonedo, takes the saddest, most familiar of subjects and brings forth something quietly revelatory.ByBilge Ebiri
now streamingThe 16 Best Movies and TV Shows to Watch This Weekend Let’s get freaky.BySavannah Salazar
live at the rivoliNirvanna the Band the Show the Movie Defies Gravity How Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol turned their cult web series turned TV show into a feature film, one shot at a time.ByFran Hoepfner
two bogansMargot Robbie and Jacob Elordi Are More Fun to Watch When They’re Weird More singing Cher and crazy outfits, less pretend flirting.ByFran Hoepfner
diatribesI Need Tommy Lee Jones to Read Margaret Qualley’s Text-Message Manifesto “Smokey, dog, god.”ByJason P. Frank
vulture recommends2011’sWuthering Heights Is the Horny, Twisted RomanceSaltburn Wishes It Was Andrea Arnold’s adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic is a hauntingly kinky Valentine’s Day watch.ByRoxana Hadadi
it never endsBlake Lively and Justin Baldoni Could SettleIt Ends With Us Legal Battle TheIt Ends With Us legal drama did not end with them Wednesday.ByFran Hoepfner andBethy Squires
TV

more plz
Yaaaay!The Muppet Show Revival Is a Ratings Success.
We’re wiggling our arms, Kermit style, in triumph.ByBethy Squires
regency romanceDearest Reader, This Cinderella Story Is Getting Sexier by the MinuteBridgerton teases a big romantic monologue in its new trailer.ByJason P. Frank
you wanna be on top?Tyra Banks Threatens Us With anAmerica’s Next Top Model Reboot “You have no idea what we have planned for cycle 25.”ByAlejandra Gularte
backstoriesFarewell to a Frequent Flier The cast and crew ofThe Pitt debrief on season two’s most heartbreaking good-bye.ByRoxana Hadadi
tv reviewThisLove Story Isn’t Special Beneath a careful re-creation of ’90s New York, Ryan Murphy’s take on JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette lacks a big idea and, more fatally, actual feeling.ByNicholas Quah
encounterThe Royal BratA Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is Daniel Ings’s third attempt at a George R.R. Martin adaptation, and he’s not wasting a single shit-eating grin. ByShannon Keating
hosting dutiesAll theSaturday Night Live Season 51 Hosts and Musical Guests Two pretty blond boys will take on hosting duties next: Connor Storrie and Ryan Gosling.ByJason P. Frank
alone togetherLove Is Blind Sent One Couple to Malibu on Purpose, Apparently According toLove Is Blind creator Chris Coelen, it’s been a question of resources.ByKathryn VanArendonk
post game analysisSocial Media Is SuffocatingThe Traitors From cast members airing grievances to conspiracy theories and claims of bullying, the discourse is threatening to overshadow the game.ByLouis Peitzman
tributesJames Van Der Beek Remembered by Friends, WB Alumni Tributes from Sarah Michelle Gellar, Krysten Ritter, Kevin Smith, and more.ByBethy Squires
Music

long-term goals
BTS Isn’t Preoccupied With the Grammys Anymore
“We don’t want to be desperately eager for it.”ByJason P. Frank
online feudsHomeland Security Is Posting Like Nicki Minaj The government-run social-media account is getting into an endless back-and-forth with Cardi B.ByAlejandra Gularte
drummeramaJosh Freese Still Doesn’t Understand Why Dave Grohl Fired Him “I think I have a pretty good read on people, and I did not see that coming.”ByDevon Ivie
on that noteWhen Is a Band Not the Same Band Anymore? From Foreigner to Lynyrd Skynyrd, a number of legacy acts are touring without any of their original members. Audiences don’t seem to care.ByDevon Ivie
karaokeKid Rock Says He Didn’t Lip-Sync During His All-American Halftime Show He says it was “prerecorded but performed live.”ByAlejandra Gularte
celebrity unfollowing randomizerCardi B and Stefon Diggs Unfollowed Each Other After the Super Bowl Twisting the knife a little after his Super Bowl loss.ByAlejandra Gularte
departuresChappell Roan Leaves Wasserman Agency Post–Epstein Files CEO Casey Wasserman had flirtatious emails with Ghislaine Maxwell.ByAlejandra Gularte
stalled roll outJelly Roll Missed His Deadline The country-music superstar failed to deliver on his post-Grammys promise to share his political opinions “in the next week.”ByHershal Pandya
alert the dudeAre the Eagles Already Gone? Don Henley says 2026 will be their final year and warns fans: “I guess they’ll just have to listen to the records.”ByDevon Ivie
Comedy

r.i.p.
Catherine O’Hara’s Cause of Death Confirmed
She died from a pulmonary embolism and suffered from rectal cancer.ByJason P. Frank
this week in late nightAn Absurdly Permissive Seth Meyers Won Late Night This Week Plus Ian McKellen getting Shakespearian on ICE and a free and frisky Amanda Batula onWWHL.ByBethy Squires
smoothie kingConan O’Brien Wants Hailey Bieber’s Smoothie Erewhon, you’re leaving money on the table.ByBethy Squires
post-mortemRon Funches Is Done Defending HimselfThe Traitors’s most misunderstood Faithful believes he played the game right, even when he was wrong.ByRoxana Hadadi
last night on late nightSNL’s Ashley Padilla Is a Mom Seeing the Light About Trump But she still thinks he’s a good businessman, for the record.ByBethy Squires
last night on late nightPete Davidson Calls Out ICE inSaturday Night Live Cold Open “Y’all are making me look like the upstanding, reasonable adult in the room. That’s crazy!”ByBethy Squires
vulture listsWhere to Watch Catherine O’Hara’s Best Work The late actor’s unique comic sensibility has shown up in some of the most beloved movies and TV shows of the past five decades.ByBrian Tallerico
ripCatherine O’Hara’s Friends and Collaborators Pay Tribute “Mama,” Macaulay Culkin, her son inHome Alone, wrote. “I thought we had time.”ByJason P. Frank
remembranceCatherine O’Hara Was Everyone’s Mom FromHome Alone toSchitt’s Creek, her characters were a monument to the endlessly radical idea that mothers are people, too.ByKathryn VanArendonk
Theater

theater review
Sean Hayes’s Theme and Variations:The Unknown
He inhabits more than a dozen characters in David Cale’s slick, unsettling play.ByJackson McHenry
theater reviewThe Other Place Is a Low-StakesAntigone Stripping the ancient Greekness out of Sophocles saps the tension and conflict.ByJackson McHenry
theater reviewHigh Spirits Has Just Enough Fizz It probably wouldn’t sustain a full-scale revival. But it’s perfect for the two-week Encores! series — especially with Andrea Martin.ByJackson McHenry
egot watchSteven Spielberg EGOTs at the 2026 Grammy Awards Technically, he’s an EEEEGOOOT.ByBethy Squires
theater reviewWhen Bad Forces Happen to Good People:Blackout Songs andData Two new plays about addictive substances: one about booze, another about money and ambition.ByJackson McHenry
hello 12 hello 13Just How Long Could an Adrien Brody Tonys Speech Be?He’s making his Broadway debut inThe Fear of 13 alongside Tessa Thompson. ByJason P. Frank
it’s just a jump to the leftAre There Any CelebritiesNot Starring in theRocky Horror Show Revival? Stephanie Hsu, Juliette Lewis, Rachel Dratch, Josh Rivera … shall I go on?ByJason P. Frank
theater reviewThe Disappear Vanishes Up Its Own Navel In Erica Schmidt’s drama, the characters are meant to be self-absorbed but also visionary artists. They’re good at the first part.BySara Holdren
theater review‘An Ark’ at the Shed Is All Headsets, No Heartbeat Mixed reality yields full banality. Plus: Better ideas at the January theater festivals.BySara Holdren
move onLook, Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey Are Making a Hat TheWicked co-stars will play George and Dot in the West End revival ofSunday in the Park With George.ByJason P. Frank
Books
emergency conversationYou Don’t Have to ReadWuthering Heights To SeeWuthering Heights The literacy crisis is real, but watching one horny movie adaptation without experiencing the source material is not a crime.ByJackson McHenry,Kathryn VanArendonk,andAlison Willmore
chapters‘If It Isn’t Fun, It Goes’ How Nintendo’s trust in “Miyamoto magic” changed video games forever.ByKeza MacDonald
must reads8 New Books to Read This February A close study of Toni Morrison, a Richard Hell reissue, and a novel about a woman trying to live without love.ByEmma Alpern andJasmine Vojdani
controversiesNeil Gaiman Denies Sexual-Assault Allegations The author posted on Bluesky for the first time since 2024, linking to a Substack project investigating his innocence.ByJason P. Frank andFran Hoepfner
Art
2026 preview10 Art Shows We Can’t Wait to See in 2026 Will the New Museum actually reopen?ByJerry Saltz
art reviewThe Crazed Cataclysms of Nicole Eisenman Her paintings at David Zwirner are delirious indictments of politics, art, and money.ByJerry Saltz
furnitureBianca Censori Made Some Medical Sex-Dungeon Furniture The designer and wife of Kanye West says it’s about “collapsing the distinction between object, body, and idol.”ByClio Chang
reasons to love new yorkHow the Painter Sasha Gordon Marshaled Her Monsters “People assume I’m a bitchy, confident artist when I’m actually really afraid of everything.”ByAdam Moss
ripFrank Gehry, World-Famous Postmodern Architect, Dead at 96 Gehry is one of only two architects to guest star onThe Simpsons.ByBethy Squires





















































