Essential Arts & Culture: Frida As Opera, Julius Caesar Continued, Taylor Mac's Day-long Songfest

Though Phoebe Robinson and Alex Edelman have opposing opinions on ice cream principles, both stand-up comedians believe in the importance of reaching people through the power of making them laugh. Robinson, who is also an author, podcast host and was the co-star of HBO’s “2 Dope Queens” joined Edelman, whose most recent Broadway show Just for Us recently premiered on HBO, at the TIME100 Summit on Wednesday in a conversation moderated by TIME Editor in Chief Sam Jacobs. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “If you’re making people laugh, they’re listening, and they’re receiving.

Actor and climate activist Jane Fonda called for Americans to vote for “climate champions” up-and-down the ballot on Wednesday at the TIME100 Summit. “Joe Biden provides us a context in which we can fight and he can be pressured,” Fonda said. “The orange guy, forget it. There’s no space to fight or disagree.” [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] While Fonda did not explicitly touch on Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, her comments seemed to be targeted in part to those on the left frustrated with the Biden Administration’s reluctance to call for a permanent ceasefire and its continued military aid to Israel as it carries out what critics see as a genocide.

The BeyHive is convinced Beyoncé will be making a surprise appearance at Stagecoach in Indio, California, under the moniker DJ Backwoods Barbie. Theories surrounding the superstar’s alleged appearance started to make the rounds on TikTok as the country music festival prepares to kick off on Friday. Keeping on theme with the album about reclaiming space for Black people in the country music space, Beyoncé making a surprise appearance would make more than enough sense. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] @hiveat9 is #Beyonce going to be DJing at #stagecoach ???

Authors Margaret Atwood and Lauren Groff agree: it can be more effective to write truthfully about the contemporary world by situating stories in the past or in the future. Both writers discussed their creative choices in conversation with TIME correspondent Eliana Dockterman on Wednesday at the TIME100 Summit in New York City.

Jimmy Kimmel is still a favourite for Emma Stone.  In fact, the actress just shut down speculation that the Jimmy Kimmel Live host offended her during the 2024 Oscars. "No!" Emma told The

Billie Eilish continues to do what she wants when she's wanting to.  And recently, for the "Bad Guy" singer, that's meant getting candid about her sexuality. After she played a snippet of her