From pop culture to politics—here's everything you need to know to be well informed

From groundbreaking Grammy nominations and political comebacks to art pieces that challenge the very idea of value, the past few weeks have been filled with stories sparking conversations across cultures. Whether it’s a world-first bill in Australia, a banana selling for millions, or a rising star in Indian cinema, we’ve got you covered on all the latest buzz. Well, nobody asked, but we’re here to keep you in the loop with the stories everyone’s talking about!

Who runs the Grammys? Let’s find out! 

 

Beyoncé has earned herself another feather in the cap—this time as the reigning queen of the 2025 Grammy nominations. Her Cowboy Carter album and its hit singles earned her a whopping 11 nods, beating her personal record of 10 from 2009. But she’s not riding solo in the spotlight. Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, and Sabrina Carpenter join her in dominating the big three categories: record, song, and album of the year. Not far behind, Charli XCX, Post Malone, and Kendrick Lamar snagged seven noms each.

No teens allowed (kinda)

 

Australia has recently approved a ‘world-first’ set of measures through a bill, which restricts social media for children under the age of 16. According to the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024, any social media platform that fails to comply will be fined up to $32 million (`2,711,216,000 approx). Having passed in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, this Bill will come into effect within a year, but the concerns around user age verification remains. Meta’s upset (shocker), stating that the law was rushed, and activists are worried this could hurt emotionally vulnerable teenagers who actually find a community online.

America loves a sequel

 

Well, would you look at that—in an interesting turn of events, Donald Trump has done the impossible! The former president is back into the White House, becoming the first Republican in two whole decades to win the popular vote. His return also makes him the second president ever to serve non-consecutive terms. Trump rallied support from big-names, including but not limited to businessman Elon Musk, and will be sworn in at the presidential inauguration on 20 January 2025.

When life gives you bananas...

 

A banana duct-taped to a wall sold for $6.2m (`525,105,063 approx) at Sotheby’s, New York—because why not? Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun snagged—and, of course, he ate it too—Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s viral sculpture ‘Comedian’, outbidding six others who presumably also wanted to pay millions for a fruit that they can get for free in my refrigerator (might be rotten though). First unveiled in 2019, the piece has sparked endless debates about “what art is” and comes with handy instructions for replacing the banana. Groundbreaking, truly.

The word(s) is out

 

It’s like Spotify wrapped, but for words! Cambridge Dictionary has declared ‘manifest’ the word of 2024, thanks to everyone visualising their way to a better life. With 1,30,000 searches, it’s a hit among hopefuls and the chronically optimistic. Other contenders included ‘brat’ (shoutout to Charli XCX), ‘ecotarian’, and ‘resilience’. On the other hand, the Oxford University Press (OUP) has announced ‘brain rot’ as the Oxford ‘Word of the Year’ for 2024. The selection process for ‘brain rot’ involved over 37,000 public votes from a shortlist of six words compiled by Oxford University.

All eyes on Kapadia

 

Director and writer Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light has snagged two Golden Globe nominations—Best Motion Picture in a Non-English language and Best Director. Already a Cannes Grand Prix 2024 winner, Kapadia will go head-to-head with The Substance’s director Coralie Fargeat and Conclave’s Edward Berger among others. On the double nod, Kapadia shared, “This is a celebration for everyone who worked so passionately on the film. To everyone in India, All We Imagine As Light is still in theatres, please go watch it and support us.” The 82nd Golden Globe Awards will take place on January 5 in Los Angeles.

Images: Gettyimages.com, Instagram/CattelanBanana

This piece originally appeared in the November-December print edition of Cosmopolitan India

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