Taylor Swift has unveiled a whimsical new music video featuring an unexpected and much-loved cast, with broadcaster Graham Norton and Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi both making memorable appearances alongside Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson.

The video for Opalite, which premiered on Friday, leans into surreal storytelling and gentle humour. Gleeson stars as a lonely man whose life is transformed after he sprays a mysterious magic potion on his cherished cactus, inadvertently summoning Swift into his world. What follows is a charming, off-beat romance that unfolds with a distinctly cinematic feel.

Capaldi appears as an eccentric photographer who becomes fascinated by the unusual couple, while Norton plays a smooth-talking salesman who insists he can undo the spell that brought Swift into Gleeson’s life. Each cameo adds a layer of warmth and personality, turning the video into a playful ensemble piece rather than a traditional solo showcase.

Sharing the backstory on Instagram, Swift said the idea for the video was born during a previous appearance on The Graham Norton Show. She described Norton as an “insanely charismatic and lovable host” and said she felt “ridiculously lucky” to have shared the sofa with such a lively group of guests that evening.

“When we were all talking during the broadcast, Domhnall made a light-hearted joke about wanting to be in one of my music videos,” Swift wrote. “I was instantly struck with an idea.”

She explained that just a week later, Gleeson received a script she had written specifically for Opalite, casting him in the lead role. Swift added that she then decided it would be even more fun if everyone who had appeared on the show that night — including Norton himself — could be part of the project.

Norton said keeping his involvement secret was no small task. Appearing in the video, he said, was “the thrill of a lifetime and the hardest secret I’ve ever had to keep!”

Adding a final nostalgic touch, the original conversation from The Graham Norton Show plays over the end credits of Opalite, neatly closing the loop between spontaneous studio banter and a fully realised creative collaboration.

With its humour, star power and sense of fun, Opalite has been warmly received by fans, highlighting Swift’s flair for turning casual moments into imaginative, feel-good storytelling — and proving that sometimes, a joke really can become reality.

Nearly three decades after his death, Nigerian music icon Fela Anikulapo Kuti has achieved a historic milestone, becoming the first African to be awarded a Grammys Lifetime Achievement Award — a moment widely seen as long-overdue global recognition of his immense influence.

Long celebrated by fans worldwide as the undisputed pioneer and king of Afrobeat, Fela will receive the honour posthumously at the upcoming Grammy Awards. He died in 1997 at the age of 58, but his music, message and cultural impact have only grown stronger with time.

The recognition has been warmly welcomed by those closest to the late artist. Rikki Stein, Fela’s long-time friend and manager, described the honour as “better late than never,” noting that African music had historically received limited attention from major Western institutions.

That shift has become increasingly visible in recent years. The global explosion of Afrobeats — a genre directly inspired by Fela’s groundbreaking fusion of jazz, funk, highlife and African rhythms — has reshaped international music charts and award platforms. In recognition of this momentum, the Grammys introduced the Best African Performance category in 2024.

This year, Nigerian superstar Burna Boy is also nominated in the Best Global Music Album category, further underlining Africa’s growing presence on the world’s biggest music stage.

Despite these advances, Fela’s honour remains uniquely significant. Since the Lifetime Achievement Award was first introduced in 1963, beginning with American singer and actor Bing Crosby, no African artist had previously received it. Fela now joins an illustrious list of this year’s honourees, which includes Carlos Santana, Chaka Khan — widely known as the Queen of Funk — and Paul Simon.

Members of Fela Kuti’s family, alongside friends and collaborators, are expected to attend the Grammy ceremony to accept the award on his behalf, celebrating a legacy that transcends borders and generations.

Catherine O’Hara, the beloved Hollywood and television star whose career spanned decades and generations, has died at the age of 71, leaving behind a legacy defined by fearless comedy, warmth and remarkable versatility. Best known to global audiences as the frazzled but unforgettable mother in the Home Alone films and the flamboyant Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek, O’Hara remained creatively active and deeply admired until the very end of her life.

True to her lifelong dedication to her craft, O’Hara was working almost until her death. Just last year, she starred in Seth Rogen’s critically acclaimed Hollywood satire The Studio, where she played Patty Leigh, a long-serving studio boss whose firing at the start of the series sets the story in motion. The role once again showcased O’Hara’s ability to balance sharp satire with humanity, as Patty later reinvents herself as a successful producer behind some of the industry’s biggest hits.

Beyond her iconic turn as Kevin McCallister’s overwhelmed mother in Home Alone, O’Hara carefully built a zany, self-aware persona that became one of the most delightful fixtures in Hollywood. With roots in improvisational comedy, she brought spontaneity and intelligence to every performance. Whenever the Canadian star stepped onto an awards-show stage, even the most jaded viewers could expect something memorable.

One standout moment came during the socially distanced 2020 Canadian Screen Awards, when O’Hara joked about “enjoying the great indoors” and delivered her acceptance speech from home. Fully committing to the gag, she played herself off with music — then continued singing her speech to the tune, embodying the eccentric charm fans had come to adore, particularly through her portrayal of Moira Rose.

That same year, when she won the Emmy for lead actress in a comedy, O’Hara celebrated the chance to portray “a woman of a certain age — my age — who gets to fully be her ridiculous self.” Appearing from a Toronto viewing party during Covid restrictions, she turned a virtual ceremony into an intimate, joyful moment. The following year, her reunion onstage with Schitt’s Creek co-stars Dan Levy, Eugene Levy and Annie Murphy was warmly received, especially as the group lovingly teased Eugene Levy in front of a global audience.

O’Hara continued to steal the spotlight in later years. At the 2024 Emmy Awards, she memorably delayed presenting an award by asking, “Must we really choose one winner?” before theatrically ripping up the envelope. At the Oscars that same year, she reunited with her Beetlejuice co-star Michael Keaton to present the make-up and hairstyling awards, joking that “the last thing we want is for anyone to know what we actually look like or the squalor in which we actually live.”

Her partnership with Seth Rogen also extended beyond The Studio. Last year, the pair presented together at the Golden Globe Awards, delivering a rambling, self-aware routine about Canada’s imaginary awards shows that ran long but earned plenty of laughs, particularly for its affectionate digs at Americans and the excesses of awards culture.

In The Studio, O’Hara’s Patty Leigh shone brightest during an episode set entirely at the Golden Globes, where her character effortlessly schmoozed a room full of Hollywood stars and power brokers. The performance earned O’Hara a Golden Globe nomination earlier this month, and she is also nominated for best female comedy performance at the forthcoming Actor Awards (formerly the SAG Awards). That honour, now awarded posthumously, carries a bittersweet poignancy.

Catherine O’Hara’s death marks the loss of a rare talent — an actress who embraced age, absurdity and reinvention with joy, and who consistently elevated every project she touched. While she is gone, the laughter she created, the characters she embodied and the generosity she brought to her art ensure that her presence will continue to be felt, celebrated and cherished for many years to come.