Is This Peak Pop Culture? Minions, Haaland & Bald Caps
Did you miss me? Well I sure missed you!
Screen time
The Emmy nominations are out and, in extremely unsurprising news, The Pitt is leading the pack with 25 nominations (even though the second season didn’t hit as hard for me personally), followed closely by the final season of Hacks with 24 (that finale was the perfect bookend). HBO Max basically walked into the room and said “it’s ours”, but speaking of good, gripping television…
Let’s talk about what you should be watching, whether or not the algorithm/awards hype has shoved it in your face yet. From this side of the pond, The Other Bennett Sister is a rare gem of a show where you go in expecting “oh no, not another Austen spin‑off” and come out emotionally attached to half the supporting cast and fully invested in its quieter, more interior storytelling. We didn't yet another Sherlock adaptation on our screens, but Young Sherlock did it justice.
Both shows also double as a Donal Finn showcase, and I mean that in the “you will be seeing a lot more of him” way, not just the “fangirls will make edits” way.
And from across the Atlantic, The Testaments, the sequel series to The Handmaid’s Tale, landed a major lead actress nomination for rising star Chase Infiniti. Apple TV's Widows Bay is a horror‑comedy that snuck up on people. I've also been told to watch Pluribus (again, Apple TV, they can do no wrong, it seems) and the 18 Emmy noms clearly validate that, but I've also been told to watch Industry to fill the Succession-shaped hole in my heart (the lack of Emmy nominations in the face of extremely strong word of mouth actually kind of poetically validates it as the chaotic younger cousin the Television Academy doesn’t quite know what to do with).
The prequel series to Legally Blonde, Elle, is also now streaming on Prime Video. But if you ARE already on Prime Video, I'd suggest opting for The Sheep Detectives instead.
Screen time (but bigger)
In terms of movies, okay, hear me out. I have been on the Obsession and Backrooms train right along with everyone else, but when I tell you the new Minions and Monsters movie is amazing, please hear. me. out! 7th in the overall Despicable Me franchise and the 3rd Minion movie, this one is a surprising ode to cinema itself. With old school references galore, classic slapstick Minion comedy and friendship and passion as its beating heart, this was the second time in 2026 I left the theatre truly fulfilled (first being Project Hail Mary (now streaming on Prime Video), of course).
If we’re going to argue about “cinema is dead” every week, we should at least admit when the unexpected stuff is keeping it alive.
Follow me on Letterboxd @hyperlinked Also, Netflix, Paramount, Sony Pictures and Reddit’s co-creator are all reportedly in talks to buy the beloved film discovery/journalling/reviewing platform, Letterboxd. This is naturally raising concerns amongst users of possible paywalls, sponsored content and bias on the app. Let me tell you this, Netflix, Paramount, Sony and Reddit are definitely NOT on our four favourites.
The Odyssey releases next week. I still don't have my IMAX ticket since they were sold out a year in advance, but early reactions say exactly what we suspected: it’s huge, mythic, and pure art with brilliant performances. It's Nolan after all. It had its premieres in London and Paris (wonder why no Greece?) where Zendaya stole the show with her fashion. The Nolan of red carpets, if you will.
We also got another trailer for Dune: Part Three, and the thing people latched onto, beyond Paul/Chani emotional damage and intergalactic politics, is the lighting. For once, the nighttime shots are lit so you can actually see the actors’ faces, thanks in part to new cinematographer Linus Sandgren stepping in for this entry.
A24 and Olivia Wilde's The Invite is also out in select theatres and getting rave reviews (even possible Oscar noms for next award season?). Don't worry darling, at least this one doesn't seem to scream PR disaster.
Sports (kind of)
The FIFA World Cup 2026 is in full swing and, look, I’ll be honest: I couldn’t care less about the matches themselves, sorry. But I do care about Erling Haaland, which is apparently the correct response if you’re online right now. People are obsessed with his hilarious Snapchat stories, his nonchalance (yet greatness?) on the field, his luscious blonde hair, his Hermes Birkin bag collection worth $500k, and his Viking-like genetics, so I guess, everything about him? Tonight Norway face England, and the Haaland–Jude Bellingham bromance has been front and centre in pre‑match coverage online, with shoulder bumps, joking interviews, and enough edits to last until Heated Rivalry season 2.
Meanwhile, FIFA announced that Justin Bieber will co‑headline the World Cup Final Halftime Show alongside Madonna, Shakira and BTS, plus Burna Boy, Coldplay, Sesame Street characters and more, all curated by Chris Martin and tied to the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.
In other news
Following the much T&Talked about wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce (apparently the couple are also dog-parents now??), friend and collaborator Jack Antonoff is heading for separation with his wife, actress Margaret Qualley. Lana Del Rey famously wrote the song Margaret for the couple. I guess you DONT know when you know.
At Pitbull’s BST Hyde Park show in London on 10th July, fans set a brand‑new Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people wearing bald caps. Yes, that is a real sentence: thousands of people in faux Pitbull scalps, all in one park, in the ongoing 31°C heatwave.
Following the hype of Lego's botanicals range, Play-Doh has released "Blooms", kits where you can build flowers and bouquets out of Play-Doh clay and then display your arrangements. They’re explicitly marketed at adults and branded as “creative expression,” leaning hard into that “I have a shelf of aesthetically pleasing little guy objects” demographic (it’s me, hi).
Do I think this is a slightly sinister cash grab in cozy‑craft clothing? Absolutely. Do I also think I might cave and buy one in a month if my serotonin dips and I want a fake peony I made myself? Also absolutely.
And from the land of Twitter/X this week, these excellent posts…
This has made me the happiest ever. I really did miss you. Um? Odyssey Mumbai Premiere?