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Culture
Entertainment and culture with enough context to care — releases, industry shifts, and the stories shaping the feed.
My Chemical Romance scores first No. 1 album with ‘The Black Parade,’ 20 years later
My Chemical Romance’s “The Black Parade” jumped from No. 139 to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 after a 20th anniversary reissue, giving the band its first No. 1 album, Billboard reported.
‘Heat’ director Michael Mann hurt in accidental gun-range shooting
Film director Michael Mann, 83, accidentally shot himself in the leg Saturday at a Los Angeles gun range, Variety and ABC7 Los Angeles reported. His representatives called the wound a superficial injury and said he was being released from the hospital.
Juan Atkins, Detroit techno pioneer and Cybotron co-founder, dies at 64
Juan Atkins, one of the founders of Detroit techno, has died at 64, The Guardian and Billboard reported. The Guardian called him the first person to use the word “techno” for the hard electronic style he helped create. His agency, Greensmith Artists, announced the death on Sunday. No cause has been reported.
You Can See Everything edges Clayface in a slow Halloween box office weekend
A24’s documentary You Can See Everything was on track to lead a slow Halloween weekend at the domestic box office with about $10.8 million in its third weekend, just ahead of Warner Bros. and DC’s Clayface at about $10.4 million, according to Deadline’s Saturday estimates. These are early estimates; studio figures come later.
Patrick Stewart, the Shakespearean actor who played Star Trek’s Captain Picard, dies at 86
Patrick Stewart, the classically trained British actor known for the Star Trek franchise and the X-Men films, died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles at 86, AP and The Washington Post reported. A statement shared on his social media accounts said he died after a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia.
Kathleen Kennedy to lead the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics ceremonies, replacing Peter Rice
Kathleen Kennedy, the former president of Lucasfilm, has been named head of ceremonies and content for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games, Variety reported Wednesday. She replaces Peter Rice, who was hired this week as Netflix’s chief content officer. Rice will stay involved with LA28 as an executive producer, Variety reported.
Netflix’s “The One About Matthew Perry” tells the Friends star’s story through family and friends
“The One About Matthew Perry,” a three-part Netflix documentary series about the late Friends actor, is now streaming, Variety reported. Directed by Mary Robertson, it charts Perry’s rise and his long struggle with addiction through his half-sister, close friends and former partners. Critics at the Guardian and Variety called it intimate and sad, though Variety noted none of his Friends castmates were interviewed.
Walter Koenig, Star Trek’s original Chekov, dies at 90
Walter Koenig, who played the Russian navigator Pavel Chekov in the original Star Trek series and seven Star Trek films, has died at 90, the BBC and the Los Angeles Times reported. His representatives said he died of old age at his home in North Hollywood on Sunday, surrounded by his daughter and niece.
‘Clayface’ opens at No. 1 with about $24 million; ‘You Can See Everything’ grows 25%
Warner Bros. and DC Studios’ Clayface opened at No. 1 with an estimated $24 million, according to Sunday studio estimates reported by Deadline and The Numbers. A24’s documentary You Can See Everything took $19.5 million in its second weekend, up 25% from its opening. These are Sunday estimates; actual figures are due Monday.
‘Clayface’ on track to win the weekend box office as ‘You Can See Everything’ grows
Warner Bros. and DC Studios’ Clayface took $10.4 million on Friday, including previews, and is projected to open with $24 million to $25 million, Deadline reported. A24’s documentary You Can See Everything is projected to rise in its second weekend to $19 million to $20 million. These are Saturday projections; studio estimates for the full weekend are due Sunday.
‘Clayface’ leads Friday box office as ‘You Can See Everything’ expands
Warner Bros. and DC Studios’ R-rated Clayface took an estimated $9.5 million on Friday, including previews, and is on track for a $23 million to $25 million opening weekend, Deadline reported. A24’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary You Can See Everything is heading for about $19 million in its second weekend. These are early estimates, not final weekend totals.
Laika’s ‘Wildwood’ opens as a test of PG-13 animation at the box office
“Wildwood,” the stop-motion fantasy from Laika, the studio behind “Coraline,” opens in U.S. theaters on Friday as its first PG-13 film and its first new release in seven years, the Los Angeles Times reported. The industry is watching whether a darker animated film can find an audience, according to the Times.
Kid Cudi says he will write, direct and star as Basquiat in “Jean”
Musician and filmmaker Kid Cudi announced on Instagram that he will play the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in “Jean,” a film he wrote and will direct, Variety and Deadline reported. He said filming will begin in 2027.
Netflix says softer U.S. viewing drove its leadership shake-up as forecast disappoints
Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters acknowledged on Tuesday’s earnings call that a slowdown in U.S. viewing and ad sales was behind the recent overhaul of the streamer’s content leadership, Variety reported. Netflix shares fell 6% in premarket trading Wednesday after its fourth-quarter revenue outlook missed estimates, Yahoo Finance reported.
Netflix and Globo sign their biggest licensing deal, bringing 18 Brazilian titles including I’m Still Here
Brazil’s Globo and Netflix announced the largest content licensing agreement ever signed between the two companies, putting 18 Globo productions on Netflix starting in December, Netflix said Monday. The package is led by Walter Salles’ Oscar winner I’m Still Here, Variety reported.
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ logs a 15th week at No. 1 after her first full-band show since the Eras Tour
Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” spent a 15th non-consecutive week atop the Billboard 200, Variety reported Sunday, a day after she gave her first full-band performance since the Eras Tour at the Academy Museum’s 6th Annual Gala in Los Angeles.
‘You Can See Everything’ heads for one of the biggest documentary openings ever as ‘Street Fighter’ leads the box office
A24’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary “You Can See Everything” is on track for $12 million to $14 million in its opening weekend from 855 theaters, which Deadline said would be the second-best start ever for a documentary, behind “Fahrenheit 9/11.” Paramount and Legendary’s “Street Fighter” is headed for a No. 1 debut of about $31 million.
Netflix names former Disney TV chief Peter Rice content chief as Bela Bajaria exits
Netflix said Thursday that Peter Rice, the former chairman of Walt Disney Television, will become chief content officer on Oct. 26, replacing Bela Bajaria after nearly 10 years at the company. The shakeup comes days after Netflix cut about 1,000 jobs and days before its third-quarter earnings report on Tuesday.
Street Fighter opens with about $4M in Thursday previews; weekend eyed near $30M
Paramount and Legendary’s PG-13 Capcom adaptation took roughly $4 million in U.S. Thursday previews and is tracking for a domestic opening north of $30 million — and a global start near $70 million — as one of the first theatrical releases in the Paramount–Warner Bros. post-merger era.
Netflix to cut about 1,000 jobs, roughly 6% of staff, in steepest layoff since 2022
Netflix confirmed it will lay off close to 1,000 employees — about 6% of its workforce — mainly in product, technology, legal and human resources, as the streamer faces slower growth and tougher competition from YouTube, TikTok and rivals.
BTS's 'Arirang' passes 5 billion Spotify streams, the most for any album released in 2026
BTS's fifth studio album, "Arirang," has topped 5 billion streams on Spotify, its label BigHit Music said Wednesday. That puts it about 2 billion ahead of the next most-streamed 2026 album, Olivia Rodrigo's "you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love."
Max Richter to receive Ivor Novello Award for Innovation days before new album
The Ivors Academy will present composer Max Richter with an Ivor Novello Award for Innovation at The Ivors Composer Awards in London on November 17. The news lands days before his new album, While The Flood Rages, arrives on Decca on October 16.
Brad Bird’s ‘Ray Gunn’ premieres at London Film Festival; Netflix sets December release
Brad Bird’s long-gestating animated feature “Ray Gunn,” his first film since “Incredibles 2,” has premiered at the 2026 London Film Festival. Netflix will open it in theaters Dec. 4 and stream it from Dec. 18.
Project Hail Mary composer and "Golden" win at World Soundtrack Awards
Daniel Pemberton was named Film Composer of the Year at the 26th World Soundtrack Awards in Ghent for Project Hail Mary and other scores, while “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters took Best Original Song. Jeff Russo won for television; Trevor Jones received a lifetime honor.
Absolute Batman, Billy Bat and Spider-Noir take top Harvey Awards at NYCC
The 2026 Harvey Awards, announced Friday night at New York Comic Con, named Absolute Batman Vol. 1: The Zoo Book of the Year. Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki’s Billy Bat won Best Manga; Spider-Noir won Best Adaptation.
Canadian poet Anne Carson wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature
The Swedish Academy awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature to Anne Carson, 76, citing her inventiveness and dialogue with the classical tradition. The Canadian-born poet and essayist was in Iceland when she learned the news.
Eva Marie Saint, Oscar winner for “On the Waterfront” and star of “North by Northwest,” dies at 102
Eva Marie Saint, who won an Academy Award for her very first film role opposite Marlon Brando and later starred with Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest,” died Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 102.
The Emmys leave broadcast TV for Prime Video in a six-year deal, and the show will be free to watch
Starting in 2027, Amazon’s streamer will be the exclusive home of the Primetime Emmys through 2032. It ends the four-network “wheel” that has rotated the show since the mid-1990s and makes the Emmys the first EGOT award show to go streaming-only.
Skydance names its leadership as Paramount–Warner Bros. merger set to close; Casey Bloys gets HBO Max and Paramount+
David Ellison’s combined studio, Skydance Corp., is set to start trading Tuesday under “SKYD.” Paramount’s film chiefs will run the merged movie group, Warner Bros.’ film heads are out, and HBO’s Casey Bloys signed a new multiyear deal to oversee both streamers.
“Verity” opens at No. 1 with $32.6 million as Tom Cruise’s “Digger” stumbles
Amazon MGM’s Colleen Hoover adaptation, starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, led the domestic weekend, while Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s political satire opened fifth.
Taylor Swift shares eight-minute making-of for ‘Patient Zero’ video
Swift posted an Instagram Stories link to an Apple Music expanded video that walks through directing Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell in the VMA-premiered clip.
Metallica opens Life Burns Faster Sphere residency in Las Vegas
Night one turned …And Justice for All, Ride the Lightning, and Master of Puppets covers into immersive dome visuals; Night 2’s unique set lands Saturday.
Ye’s sold-out St. Petersburg concerts cancelled after weeks of uncertainty
Promoter Say Agency confirmed the Oct. 10–11 Gazprom Arena dates will not go ahead; Russia’s foreign ministry had called the shows unacceptable over Ye’s praise of Hitler.
BTS’s Arirang tour tops $500 million, the first pop group to hit the mark
Billboard Boxscore shows the world tour has crossed half a billion dollars since April, with about 40 shows still ahead and a possible path toward $1 billion.
Judge clears the way for Paramount’s $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery takeover
A federal judge approved Paramount’s settlement with 12 state attorneys general, removing the last obstacle to a merger that puts HBO, CNN, CBS and two major film studios under one roof. Closing is set for Oct. 6.
‘Avengers Endgame: Encore’ tops weekend box office with about $86 million global
Disney and Marvel’s Endgame re-release led the Sept. 25–27 weekend with an estimated $86 million worldwide, pushed the MCU past $35 billion, and teased Avengers: Doomsday.
Madonna takes Artist of the Year as Taylor Swift wins Video of the Year and makes VMA history
At the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, Madonna won three trophies including Artist of the Year, while Taylor Swift took Video of the Year and became the most-awarded VMA artist of all time.
MTV VMAs return with Madonna opening, Taylor Swift making history, and Nirvana honored
The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards air tonight from Los Angeles with Snoop Dogg hosting, Madonna opening the show, Taylor Swift set for a new honor — and Nirvana receiving the Video Vanguard Award. Winners are still ahead; this is a how-to-watch and stakes preview.
U2 announce ‘Carnaval de Luz,’ with Dolly Parton’s final recorded performance
The Irish band’s first album of new material in nearly a decade arrives November 13 and closes with “Torn,” a duet between Bono and the late country icon.