Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545608
My essentials KARL BARTOLO Musical theatre performer I frequently enjoy dabbling in musical theatre and pantomimes. 1. Book 2.TV 3.TV 4. Music 5. Place ШУМ/BABYLON. What I particularly love music-wise is when different genres of music mesh together to cre- ate something absolutely spectacular. Two particular examples of such a successful interaction of genres I would like to mention are ШУМ by Go_A and Babylon from La- dy Gaga's album Chromatica. I could honestly never tire from endlessly listening to these particular two. AUSTRIA. A while ago I had taken a trip to Austria with my family, and we had stayed in a lodge with a view of grassy plains in between two hilled forests. If the temperature and humidity are just right, you could see dense clouds of fog rolling through the trees and the hills á la Silent Hill. It was eerie but I found it to be ex- tremely serene. I would like to experience that one more time. HOMESTUCK. It's less a book and more a very long webcomic which happens to have portions of it in print. The plot is essential- ly about four kids playing a world-ending video game which goes off the rails, sur- prisingly beyond ending the world. In my opinion, one of the most absolute timeless pieces of literature ever writ- ten, and one which changed my life back when I was still a closeted teenager coming to terms with myself. DEATH Becomes Her. It is so unbelievably stupid in so many ways it makes for a very timeless dark come- dy film and, seeing as I am a fan of unbelievable stupidity and dark comedy, is one of the movies I thoroughly en- joy watching. In particular what sticks out to me is Meryl Streep sending Goldie Hawn flying into a fountain with a shotgun blast, purely because of how silly and stupid it is. A R C A N E / W A N D A V I - SION/FLEABAG: Can I have a three-way tie between these TV shows? How can I decide between one of the absolute best animated vid- eo-game series of all time, a show containing a stunning and visceral portrayal of one of my favourite Marvel Cin- ematic Universe characters, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge's perfect mix of grief, trauma and comedy? Compiled by Laura Calleja suggestions by email lcalleja@mediatoday.com 4 5 1 MaltaToday is supported by Arts Council Malta 4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 JUNE 2026 ALMANAC 3 2