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May 2, 2026

Welcome back to The Weekender, where you’ll find a batch of the week’s top stories about culture and the way we live today.

Keep a group text running long enough and some subjects will always come back around. In mine, we regularly revisit where to find the best sheets and skin care — and whether a show is too dark to watch. We’re not talking about subject matter, though. It’s the actual lack of brightness. (Why are the faces blurry? Why can’t I see trees in nighttime scenes? Is it my TV?) So I was both excited and validated to see our Culture desk put a reporter on the case of the murky movies. The article, which is below, was inspired in part by online reactions to the trailer for “The Devil Wears Prada 2.” Or, as one viral post called it, “the heartbreaking story of a woman who can no longer afford lamps in her office.”

Also, in this edition, find out why stores throw away perfectly good products, spend some time with our list of the 30 greatest living American songwriters and read Joe Coscarelli’s take on his interview with Taylor Swift, who is one of them. I’ll see you next weekend(er).

— Farah

Getty Images ‘SHE COMING’ Beyoncé is returning to the Met Gala. Here’s what she wore in the past. →

20th Century Studios BRIGHT IDEAS Are movies really getting darker? Let’s shine some light on the issue. →

Xia Gordon THE RISE OF GLP-1S Now that “food noise” is being turned off, researchers want to understand it. →

Annemarie Conte/NYT Wirecutter, Dana Davis/NYT Wirecutter TRASH TREASURES She went dumpster diving to find out why stores throw away so many perfectly good products. →

Ellen Silverman for The New York Times WASABI WOES Why do the top sushi restaurants leave us so bored, and so broke? →

Tonje Thilesen for The New York Times ZZZ’S Will supplements help you sleep? Here’s what to know. →

AT HOME WITH Take a tour of Constance Zimmer’s Los Angeles home. →

Thea Traff for The New York Times ROUNDTABLE The stars of the “The Devil Wears Prada” discussed making the sequel and who’s mean in real life. →

Photo illustration by Kensuke Koike AGING BACKWARDS Longevity science is overhyped. But this research really could change humanity. →

Bryan Anselm for The New York Times 31 VICTORIES A humble “Jeopardy!” champ ends his run. →

HIGHWAY 1 RETURNS You can finally drive the full length of this scenic road in California. →

The New York Times GIFT GUIDE Need a Mother’s Day present? We’ve got books for every type of mom. →

Stefan Ruiz for The New York Times THE NEW SONGBOOK These are the 30 greatest living American songwriters. →

Let’s keep the conversation going

The writer Joe Coscarelli joined Times readers in the comments to talk about interviewing Taylor Swift for the project. (You can watch the full video here.)

Joe Coscarelli Culture reporter and Popcast co-host Taylor Swift doesn’t do many interviews these days, but I somehow convinced her to sit down for this project. I interviewed her about songwriting in 2019, but that was forever ago — another era — in the Swift arc. Joe Coscarelli Culture reporter and Popcast co-host I’ve been following Swift’s career since I was a teenager, as a listener then a journalist. I’ve rarely heard her speak about craft in as much detail as she did here. It makes sense that she was passionate about the conversation: songwriting is literally her life’s work, the thing she spends the most time obsessing over. She spoke about her country beginnings in Nashville, the influence of emo music on her lyrics (a real lightbulb moment for me!) and how she uses criticism as creative fuel. R Roberta Broussard Cibolo, Texas @Joe Coscarelli I’m so glad you did this interview. I’m a novelist, but I feel like a creative like Taylor who is so passionate about her songwriting has so much to give other artists with her knowledge. Just her advice about using criticism to fuel your art was exactly what I needed to hear as someone who has spent 30 years trying to develop a thick skin. Not to mention her attention to detail and her immersion in her craft really shine through in this interview. Thanks for getting Taylor to talk about her craft. It takes a good interviewer to go past superficial stuff and get to the meat of what motivates an artist and you did just that.

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This edition of The Weekender was edited by Farah Miller and Kellina Moore. Reach our team at weekender@nytimes.com.

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