Laura Studarus

It’s 5 p.m. on Aug. 1, and the entire area around Warsaw’s Rondo Dmowskiego roundabout has come to a halt. Sirens sound; hordes of motorcyclists begin revving their engines. Head bowed, locals hold up smoke sticks, creating a “fog of war” effect. This is a celebration of “W” Hour, a one-minute remembrance of the heroes of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, a 63-day act of military resistance to Nazi occupation that ended with much of the city being destroyed. It’s also a compelling reminder that Warsaw is a city still finding ways to embrace the future while honouring its past.

Inara George is calling from the road. Her solo tour for the recently released album Songs of Douglass & Littell, a reimagining of theatrical music written more than 30 years ago by George’s longtime friends Eliot Douglass and Philip Littell, has become a family affair. As George tells Shondaland, she’s enjoying how having her children on the road with her has changed the dynamic.

Peter Morén and Björn Yttling met in school, bonding over their shared love of power pop and guitar rock. Then in 1999, the duo met John Eriksson, who would become the percussionist of their new band in Stockholm, Sweden. They kept it simple and named their group after themselves: Peter Bjorn and John. And the trio toiled away, releasing two albums that were enjoyed mainly by Scandinavian indie-pop fans.

When Little House in the Big Woods hit bookshelves in 1932, it launched a literary franchise that would shape the myth of the American frontier for generations. For decades, author Laura Ingalls Wilder's semiautobiographical book series has been celebrated as the embodiment of the pioneer experience and American exceptionalism.

Mat Kearney’s life changed forever in 2006. While the Oregonian musician’s songs have accompanied many unforgettable Grey’s Anatomy moments, there was one in particular that every fan will instantly recognize: when Izzie chose to get up from the bathroom floor after the death of Denny Duquette to the powerful chorus of “All I Need.”

Katie Herzig is well aware that her belief in mystical coincidences might be a step too far for more logical folks. She’s even still figuring out how to explain it.

If Grey’s Anatomy has an unofficial theme song, it’s the Fray’s “How to Save a Life.” It’s been played over a montage of the doctors racing to help patients, sung by the cast during the infamous musical episode, and stripped down by singer-songwriter Nilu and used as a tear-jerking soundtrack in the aftermath of Derek Shepherd’s shocking death. And it even returned in episode 400.

If you are looking to dive in Okinawa, you have found a true divers’ paradise. Located 400 miles south of mainland Japan, the prefecture is made up of 160 islands. It’s scattered across 620 miles between Japan and Taiwan.

In the 19th century, Manifest Destiny emerged as a powerful justification for westward expansion of the United States—a belief that citizens were divinely appointed to spread west across North America. Hundreds of thousands of people packed their lives into canvas-covered wagons, driven by the promise of land, gold and a fresh start. They braved cholera outbreaks, treacherous river crossings and dangerous mountain passes.

When we met Mellie Grant (Bellamy Young) on Scandal, she was painted as a superficial villain — a bitter, inconvenient obstacle standing in the way of Fitz and Olivia’s romance. But Mellie was always too big to be just a scorned wife. Over seven seasons, we saw her transform her profound grief and brutal personal sacrifices into the fuel to drive herself directly to the highest office in the land.

When we met Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III (Tony Goldwyn) in Scandal, he was the ultimate political golden boy. The charming 44th president of the United States looked and spoke like a picture-perfect commander in chief. But an avalanche of assassination attempts, secret military operations, and toxic power struggles forced him to break from his predetermined legacy.

I came to Shirakawa-go because it was striking but left with a deep appreciation for life in the Japanese countryside. I am huffing and puffing up a hill in Gifu, Japan, with seven kilograms of camera gear and a fading sense of my own fitness. The climb isn’t excessively steep, but it is persistent – the kind of physical tax one pays for a legendary view. Then, the tree line breaks. The sight of more than a hundred A-frame houses and farmland, surrounded by a ring of colourful fall foliage and mountains, literally takes my breath away.

Tokyo is a city best seen from above. While Japan’s capital city boasts an impressive metropolitan population of over 37 million people and stands as the most populous urban area on Earth, it takes a higher vantage point to truly understand how this massive urban sprawl connects from neighborhood to neighborhood.

From soaring open-air observation decks and high-altitude cocktail lounges to hotel rooms and suburban gems suspended in the sky, looking down on Tokyo turns a potentially overwhelming megacity into a living, hypnotic work of art. Here are the best places to catch a bird's-eye view.

Naoshima is one of Japan’s best destinations for art lovers. Previously, this island in the Seto Inland Sea was a copper-smelting hub, but it suffered a population decline as younger generations left for the mainland. However, in the early 1990s, the land was reenvisioned as an open-air museum. Now the island is home to 15 galleries and creative outdoor spaces, and art is the common thread through it all, from the local bathhouse to high-end hotels.

E.R. Fightmaster is currently having the best month of their life. You might recognize them as Dr. Kai Bartley, Grey’s Anatomy’s first nonbinary character. Or perhaps you’re a fan of their podcast Jockular, a queer-friendly look at sports they host alongside Tien Tran and Katie Kershaw. But this summer is all about their Fightmaster musical project. There’s a new album, Tolerance, which was released on June 5, and a tour, and of course it’s Pride Month, which means there are more than a few celebrations along the way.

While other characters on Scandal chose to step into Washington, D.C.’s mud for power or ambition, Huck (portrayed by Guillermo Diaz) was dragged into the dark, stripped of his humanity by B613, and rebuilt as a lethal weapon. But instead of a modern-day terminator, we were given the portrait of a man desperate to reclaim his humanity.

We were introduced to the world of Scandal through the eyes of Quinn Perkins (Katie Lowes), a wide-eyed rookie who believed she had just landed the job of a lifetime with Olivia Pope & Associates. Her naivete colored everything from the first near-mystical meetings with the Gladiators to her shock at their moral shortcuts. But she was taken enough with their status in Washington, D.C., to join in.