ZOOMER Magazine

While the alternative history Netflix show Bridgerton gives us a sparkling version of the British Regency era, what’s missing is queer and trans culture. There are a few queer characters, and the upcoming fifth season of Bridgerton (slated for 2027) promises a central romance between two women — the grieving widow Francesca Bridgerton (played by Hannah Dodd) and John Stirling’s cousin, Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza). But the richer history remains offscreen.

We began worrying about access to fresh food during the pandemic, and now, in 2026, our grocery bills are jaw-dropping, as food prices rise faster than inflation. The obvious answer: Start a kitchen garden. Hard times breed ingenuity, and today’s kitchen gardens harken back to relief gardens planted during the Great Depression and the backyard victory gardens sowed during both world wars.

“I can be smart when it matters, but most men don’t like it,” says Lorelei Lee in the 1953 comedy musical, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. This famous quip from Howard Hawks’ film sums up for us the fate of the star who uttered it. Marilyn Monroe confronted the pitilessness of the 1950s Hollywood studio system during her short career as an actor (1946-1962). Today she is primarily remembered for her highly sexualised glamorous star image rather than her intelligence, skill and political acumen.

Last year was one of Canada’s strongest tourism years on record. The sector generated nearly $60 billion in revenue between May and August 2025, a six per cent year-over-year increase, according to Destination Canada. Several forces drove that surge, including a continued post-COVID rebound and persistent trade tensions between Canada and the United States that encouraged Canadians to explore the nation’s provinces and territories.

Trees and flowers aren’t the only things popping this time of year. Local superfoods are now making long-awaited appearances at farmers’ markets, grocery stores – and in some cases your own backyard. Julie Daniluk, a Toronto-based registered nutritionist, health educator, writer and TV personality is a big believer in the ability of food to maximize health – and the more seasonal it is the better.

My grandmother Leontina, who recently turned 100, still lives independently and remembers the birthday of everybody in her village. She is enviably healthy, has a remarkably sharp memory, and is likely a prime example of what scientists call a “super-ager”: someone over 80 with the memory of a 50 year old. These gifted seniors have attracted the attention of scientists for decades, but a recent study has revealed new details about their exceptional brains.

While Vancouver and Toronto host matches and World Cup fever takes hold, there is plenty of non-soccer-related TV – from rock ’n’ roll vampires and vengeful prisoners to nostalgic summer romance and high-society drama – to keep you entertained the whole summer. Javier Bardem steps into the skin (and tattoos) of vengeful psychopath Max Cady in this serialized remake produced by Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese.

One hundred years after her birth and 64 years after her death, Marilyn Monroe remains a champagne supernova that explodes into our collective consciousness when we need her most. In 1953 – as the smiling nude on the cover of Playboy magazine’s premiere issue – she heralded the move away from stultifying, post-war societal mores into the sexually liberated ’60s.

Pull out the cocktail shaker, polish the crystal and get set to embrace some fresh thinking. However you celebrate the pleasure of each other’s company — brunch, aperitivo hour or dinner-party soirées — it’s time to jump on the latest in food, drink and ambiance to transform yourself into the host with the most. 1. Collaborative Dining Life is about experiences, not stuff. Such is the mantra of gen-Z and millennials and the truism is influencing our adventures in dining and cocktailing, too.

It was October 1963, She Loves You was at the top of the charts in the U.K., and the term Beatlemania was used for the first time in the British press. Someone at Pentax was thinking ahead: the company sponsored the four fabulous lads and gave them brand new SLR cameras to do with what…