It's one of the country's best-loved songs – but the US national anthem, recently performed by The Chicks at the Democratic National Convention, has an unexpectedly colourful past.

Music critics weigh in on what to expect from Kacey Musgraves' forthcoming album Deeper Well.

Music critics weigh in on what to expect from Kacey Musgraves' forthcoming album Deeper Well.

While presidential hopeful Nikki Haley proposes a rise in Americans’ retirement age, retirement differences around the world point to one thing: the age doesn't matter.

A tourist recently uncovered a 7.46-carat diamond in an Arkansas state park, but it turns out there are plenty of other places where travellers can unearth these hidden gems.

Earlier this year, producer Ian Brennan visited the notorious Mississippi State Penitentiary, aka Parchman Farm, to record inmates singing. Graeme Thomson reports on the results.

BBC Culture asked readers to share which films they think should’ve been on the list of the 100 greatest American films ever made. Here’s what you chose.

The HBO programme dazzled audiences a year ago, but its second season is a disappointment that shows how tough it is for TV to rise to the level of cinema, writes Owen Gleiberman.