TOK: The Arts
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The writer: ‘Rejection sets you on the path’
What does it take to work in the media? Lollie King is a writer and TV presenter. Whether she’s hosting a radio show or interviewing celebrities on the red carpet, every day is different.
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Shock findings: Junk TV undermines democracy
Is trashy television partly to blame for populism? Research shows that politicians peddling simple messages and easy answers are boosted by public exposure to “brain-numbing”, mindless TV.
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It’s the circle of life: The Lion King returns
Are there only seven basic stories? After a long wait, Disney’s all-star, live action remake of the classic film is in cinemas. For many, the story’s timeless familiarity is its greatest appeal.
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Android artist’s show makes over £1 million
Can robots create art? One AI artist created by Oxford scientists has just completed her first solo exhibition and sold over £1 million worth of paintings. But some say it isn’t real art.
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Terror for teen heroes as Stranger Things returns
Is horror the best way to explore adolescence? After a two-year wait, Stranger Things 3 is here. It is the latest of many shows to probe teenage anxiety through darkness, death and monsters.
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Stormzy rocks at the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’
Do experiences matter more than things? According to millions of posts today, this year’s Glastonbury Festival will be the memory of a lifetime for many fans. Is this part of a deeper trend?
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Imagine there’s no Beatles. It’s easy if you try.
How would the world have looked without the Fab Four? That is the question posed by Richard Curtis’s new film, Yesterday. Pop, protest and the sexual revolution might have been very different.
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#KimOhNo: Star’s new brand name sparks backlash
Is Kim Kardashian West disrespecting Japanese culture? The decision to call her shapewear brand ‘Kimono’, like the traditional Japanese robe, has prompted cries of cultural appropriation.
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Lipman attacks ‘silly’ Rylance for BP protest
Are celebrity resignations a waste of time? Oscar-winning Mark Rylance has left the Royal Shakespeare Company over BP funding. Maureen Lipman says he will live to “kick his own britches”.
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Toy Story 4 explores what it means to be alive
Why are we alive? This is the surprisingly existential question posed by a new character in Toy Story 4, released today. The new film tells the story of a plastic spork that comes to life.
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Anne Frank: Portrait of an icon as a young woman
Should we all keep a diary? An important part of Anne Frank’s writing is that she captures so much of what it is to be a teenager, even with secret pages musing on puberty and prostitutes.
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Climate change, #MeToo and Game of Thrones
Blood. Ice. Death. Fire. Revenge. Last night, after eight years on our screens, the epic fantasy series finally reached its end. But what was Game of Thrones really about?
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Music, peace and a flicker of hope in Israel
Can Eurovision help solve the Israel-Palestine conflict? An absurd suggestion, perhaps. But, this weekend, all eyes are on Tel Aviv as it hosts the world’s biggest, glitziest talent contest.
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Reality TV probe as Kyle show is cancelled
MPs are to probe the reality TV industry after the suspected suicide of a guest who was publicly humiliated for lying on the Jeremy Kyle Show. A judge has called it “human bear-baiting”.
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Killing Eve’s murderous women break TV taboo
Today, female characters can be bold, brave and strong — but what about violent? Killing Eve, which dominated the BAFTAs, is a story of complex women who are as bloodthirsty as any man.