Cruise's Oscar, Mamdani's Charm Offensive: The Lush Life ft. Hunger Games and ...cheese?
Vol. 2 Issue 41 – 24th November 2025
The Viral Moments That Defined This Week
Tom Cruise Gets His Oscar (26 Years Later)
Tom Cruise received an honorary Oscar at the 2025 Governors Awards on November 16th, marking the first time the 63-year-old action star has held the golden statuette. Despite four competitive nominations, including Best Actor for Magnolia (1999), Jerry Maguire (1996), and Born on the Fourth of July (1989), plus Best Picture for Top Gun: Maverick (2022), Cruise had never won.
“Making movies is not what I do, it’s who I am,” Cruise said, visibly emotional during his speech. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu, who presented the award and is currently shooting a film with Cruise, hinted this might be “the first of many Oscars” for the actor.
Zohran Mamdani Charmed Donald Trump (and the Internet Is Confused)
New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani met with President Donald Trump at the White House on November 21st in what became a surprisingly cordial encounter. Despite Mamdani calling Trump a “fascist” and “despot” during his campaign, and Trump threatening to revoke federal funding if Mamdani won, the two found common ground on New York’s affordability crisis.
“What he accomplished is remarkable,” Trump said, noting Mamdani surged from 1% in the polls to defeating Andrew Cuomo. When asked if he still believes Trump is a fascist, Mamdani confirmed but Trump jokingly interjected, “That’s OK, you can just say it. It’s easier than explaining it”. The clip of Trump looking lovingly at Mamdani and posting pictures with him on Truth Social has become the springboard for many jokes on Twitter.
The Hunger Games Teaser Breaks Records
The teaser trailer for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping dropped November 20th, exactly one year before the film’s release, and racked up 109 million views in its first 24 hours, making it Lionsgate’s second-biggest trailer launch ever (after Michael, which hit 116 million).
The prequel, based on Suzanne Collins’ novel published in March, is set during the 50th Hunger Games and follows a young Haymitch Abernathy played by newcomer Joseph Zada.
Zara Larsson’s “Lush Life” Gets a Second Life (Thanks to One Fan)
At Zara Larsson’s concert in Amsterdam on November 15th, she invited 16-year-old Julia Sophie Coster onstage to dance to “Lush Life”, and Julia absolutely demolished the choreography. The video went viral, racking up nearly 15 million views on TikTok, with fans calling Julia a “pro dancer” and Larsson herself praising her.
The moment has sent “Lush Life”, originally released in 2015, climbing the charts again, proving that sometimes one perfect fan moment can reignite an entire song’s cultural relevance.
The Quarter Zip Takeover: How One Piece of Clothing Became a Cultural Moment
The quarter zip has officially taken over menswear, and it’s not just your finance bro’s favorite layering piece anymore. Gen Z, particularly young Black men, have declared it’s a “quarter zip winter,” trading in Tech Fleece hoodies for this preppy staple. What was once Wall Street uniform is now streetwear gold.
Music Moments
Taylor Swift’s Secret Christmas Music Video Shoot in London
Taylor Swift allegedly spent a week in the UK filming a Christmas-themed music video for “Opalite” from her recent album The Life of a Showgirl. The $1 million production was shot at the Whitgift Centre shopping mall in Croydon, South London, as well as the Mildmay Club in Stoke Newington.
Security was described as “a military operation,” with Swift and her cast assigned numbers instead of names and transported under umbrellas and screens to avoid detection. Extras wore retro clothing, and festive props included Christmas trees, glitter cannons, and tinsel. Some shops were told filming was for an “insurance commercial” to avoid arousing suspicion.
Lewis Capaldi and Domhnall Gleeson are rumored to make cameos. The video is expected to drop before Christmas.
Billie Eilish’s James Cameron 3D Concert Film Drops March 2026
Billie Eilish announced her 3D concert film, co-directed with Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron, during the final show of her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour in San Francisco on November 23rd. Paramount will distribute Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) on March 20, 2026.
Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet Tour Wraps
Sabrina Carpenter performed her final show of the Short n’ Sweet Tour on November 23rd at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, closing out 70 sold-out dates spanning a year. Carpenter ended the 70th show, with a fitting Juno position: reaching the “finishing” line after 69 positions (obviously).
During the final shows, Carpenter “arrested” celebrity guests including SZA, Dakota and Elle Fanning, Maya Rudolph, and Miss Piggy, with fuzzy pink handcuffs.
Ariana Grande: The Eternal Sunshine Tour Is Her “One Last Hurrah”
Ariana Grande told Amy Poehler on the Good Hang podcast that her 2026 Eternal Sunshine Tour will be her “one last hurrah” before stepping back from touring for “a long, long, long, long time”. “I’m very excited to do this small tour, but I think it might not happen again for a long time. So I’m going to give it my all and it’s going to be beautiful,” she said. Grande is currently shooting Focker-in-Law, the fourth film in the Meet the Parents franchise.
Movie Magic
Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet Is Getting Oscar Buzz
Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet is earning rave reviews and major Oscar buzz after its Telluride and Toronto premieres. The film, starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal as Shakespeare’s wife Agnes and Will, tells the untold love story that inspired Hamlet. Critics are calling it a “masterpiece,” with Buckley predicted to win Best Actress. The emotional final 15 minutes reportedly had entire theaters in tears. It opens Thanksgiving 2025.
Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery Drops Its Trailer
Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery dropped its trailer November 16th. Daniel Craig returns as Benoit Blanc to investigate an “impossible crime” at a small-town church with a dark history, teaming up with an earnest young priest (Josh O’Connor). The cast includes Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, and Cailee Spaeny. It hits select theaters November 26th and Netflix December 12th.
Now You See Me 4 and Knives Out 4 Already in Development
Right as Now You See Me 3 has hit theatres, and even before the release of Knives Out 3!
Zendaya as Athena in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey
Zendaya’s first look as Athena in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey was revealed in new images November 19th. She plays Athena, the goddess of wisdom and Odysseus’ divine protector, while Robert Pattinson plays Antinous, one of Penelope’s suitors. The first full trailer, featuring a full Battle of Troy action sequence, will screen ahead of Avatar: Fire and Ash next month. The film hits theaters July 17, 2026.
Pixar’s Hoppers Brings Animal Communication to Life
Pixar’s Hoppers dropped its official trailer November 19th, revealing a legendary voice cast including Meryl Streep, Jon Hamm, Dave Franco, Melissa Villaseñor, and Bobby Moynihan. The film follows Mabel, an animal lover who uses new technology to “hop” her consciousness into a robotic beaver to communicate with animals and uncover mysteries in their world. It opens March 6, 2026.
Project Hail Mary Starring Ryan Gosling trailer drop
Phil Lord & Chris Miller’s Project Hail Mary starring Ryan Gosling dropped a new trailer November 17th. Based on Andy Weir’s bestselling novel, the film follows a science teacher who wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no memory, tasked with saving Earth from extinction. Early buzz suggests it’s a strong 2026 Oscar contender, with comparisons to Arrival, Interstellar, and The Martian. It hits theaters March 20, 2026.
You, Me & Tuscany: A Rom-Com That Loves Italy as Much as Romance
Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page star in You, Me & Tuscany, a rom-com about a woman who crashes at an Italian villa and pretends to be the owner’s fiancée when his mother shows up unexpectedly. The trailer dropped November 16th. It opens April 10, 2026.
Moana: The Live-Action Question Nobody Asked
The live-action Moana teaser dropped November 16th, and fans are asking one question: Why? Less than a decade after the 2016 animated film (and just one year after Moana 2), Disney is releasing a CGI-heavy live-action remake starring Catherine Laga’aia as Moana and Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as Maui. “It looks exactly like the animated film. What’s the point?” one commenter wrote. The film hits theaters July 10, 2026.
Letterboxd Video Store Launches December
Letterboxd Video Store launches in early December 2025, allowing users to rent hard-to-find films directly on the platform. It’s not a subscription service, you pay per rental, like a classic video store. The curated selection will feature festival standouts, long-watchlisted titles, restorations, and limited-time drops of unreleased gems. It’ll be available on web, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, and AirPlay. A win for cinephiles everywhere!!
Timothée Chalamet’s 18-Minute Chaotic Marketing Video
Timothée Chalamet posted an 18-minute video to Instagram of a chaotic Zoom call with A24’s marketing team for Marty Supreme. In the satirical sketch, Chalamet pitches increasingly absurd promo ideas, painting the Statue of Liberty orange, dropping ping pong balls from a blimp at Tyler, The Creator’s festival, while the marketing team tries to stay composed. The video has racked up nearly 10 million views on Instagram and perfectly skewers Hollywood self-importance and corporate brainstorming sessions. Marty Supreme opens December 25, 2025.
Michelle Yeoh’s “Madame Morrible” Takeover on the Wicked: For Good Press Tour
Michelle Yeoh has been absolutely unhinged during the Wicked: For Good press tour, constantly riffing on her character Madame Morrible’s name by saying “Madame Morrible MM flip it around... Wicked Witch!” during interviews. The viral moment has become the press tour’s defining bit, with Yeoh leaning into the absurdity of her character’s name while promoting the film.
Celebrity & Fashion
Vanity Fair’s All-Male Hollywood Issue
Vanity Fair‘s 32nd Hollywood Issue features 12 male actors across three covers: A$AP Rocky, Riz Ahmed, Jonathan Bailey, Austin Butler, Harris Dickinson, Andrew Garfield, Michael B. Jordan, Paul Mescal, Glen Powell, LaKeith Stanfield, Callum Turner, and Jeremy Allen White.
Beyoncé Stuns at F1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas
Beyoncé and Jay-Z made a rare joint appearance at the F1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas on November 22nd. She and Jay-Z each took a hot lap around the track with Lewis Hamilton.
Met Gala 2026: Jeff Bezos Is Sponsoring Fashion’s Biggest Night
The Met Gala announced its 2026 theme—“Costume Art”—and revealed that Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos will be the lead donors for the exhibition and gala. The billionaire couple’s involvement has sparked massive backlash online. “With Bezos sponsoring, we truly are witnessing late-stage capitalism. Billionaires supporting other billionaires for their extravagant gatherings,” one Instagram user wrote. Saint Laurent is the lead fashion sponsor, making Zoë Kravitz, Hailey Bieber, Austin Butler, and Rosé strong candidates for co-chair roles. The gala takes place May 4, 2026.
Cultural Reflections
Cambridge Dictionary’s Word of the Year: Parasocial
Cambridge Dictionary named “parasocial” its Word of the Year for 2025, defined as “involving or relating to a connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they do not know, a character in a book, film, TV series, etc., or an artificial intelligence”.
The term saw massive spikes in searches this year, particularly around celebrity relationships and AI chatbots. Professor Simone Schnall of the University of Cambridge noted: “We’ve entered an age where many people form unhealthy and intense parasocial relationships with influencers. This leads to a sense that people ‘know’ those they form parasocial bonds with”. The word’s evolution from academic jargon to mainstream usage reflects how AI and celebrity culture are reshaping human connection.
Parmigiano Reggiano Gets Glam
In possibly the most 2025 headline ever, Parmigiano Reggiano—yes, actual cheese—has signed with United Talent Agency (UTA) to secure product placement in films, TV shows, and streaming projects.
The Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium announced that UTA will “leverage its expertise and global connectivity across entertainment and culture to introduce Parmigiano Reggiano to a wide pool of partners, to further its message of gastronomical excellence”.
