What a Tragedy!
...of the World Cup, Greek and Parasitic variety.
It’s not coming home but…
England lost 2–1 to Argentina in the World Cup semi‑finals, who will now be facing Spain in the final on Sunday, which would already be huge… except some people discovered the most cursedly perfect backstory: In 2007, a 20‑year‑old Lionel Messi did a UNICEF photoshoot where he held and bathed a baby as part of a charity campaign. That baby turned out to be Lamine Yamal, Spain’s current teenage sensation. Straight out of the third act of a movie.
Meanwhile, England decided to cope with the semi‑final loss by hosting a Jude Bellingham lookalike contest in London, drawing a huge crowd and a very convincing “Jude” who walked away with £1,966 worth of Deliveroo vouchers as the prize.
And post‑tournament, Erling Haaland went home to Norway carrying a stuffed raccoon clutching a bottle of alcohol.
Absolute cinema👐🏻
People are posting short-form videos recreating Zendaya’s The Odyssey London premiere look with the white inner corner crease eyeshadow, as she continues to stun in more looks, most prominently an angelic get-up, fitting for her Athena portrayal, by the brand Matières Fécales (Fecal Matter when translated from French, odd name I know, but eerily foreshadows pop culture this week…keep reading to know more) at the NYC premiere.
The Odyssey is finally here, but given the limited number of IMAX screens and sold-out screenings for the real IMAX 70mm experience, cinephiles are frustrated at not being able to watch the Greek mythological epic, as Nolan intended.
Then there’s Tom Cruise, Patron Saint of the Movies, showed support to The Odyssey by going to watch it in IMAX and rounded up AMC employees to watch it with him!
Speaking of, we just got our first look at Tom Cruise’s next project, Digger. Buried under makeup as Digger Rockwell, Cruise plays “the most powerful man in the world” trying to prove he’s humanity’s saviour. And there’s a funny-looking cat.
Avengers: Doomsday revealed its first concept art and confirmed a runtime of 2 hours and 45 minutes, with ticket pre‑sales going live next week.
The Batman: Part II has been delayed yet again, now landing on February 18, 2028. To soften the blow, Matt Reeves dropped a moody camera test of Robert Pattinson in his updated batsuit (pointier bat ears!)
We’re also getting an Alvin and the Chipmunks reboot in 2028, and Alvin’s new design has been revealed, and the internet had thoughts…
And on the nostalgia front, it’s been 10 years since La La Land! And the US and UK are getting a re-release to celebrate.
Celeb shenanigans
Gap partnered with Hailey Bieber on The Hailey Jean, a limited‑edition capsule reworking relaxed denim fits, extra baggy and low‑rise loose, with ‘90s‑inspired details. And unsurprisingly, it sold out within minutes. The Hailey effect needs to be a branding case study for real.
Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty signed its first celebrity ambassador: Ella Bright, of Off Campus fame, fronting the new Soft Pinch Liquid Blush campaign.
Ariana Grande is reportedly back together with her ex-boyfriend, dancer Ricky Alvarez.
As Kris Jenner confirmed that her mother, MJ, passed away at 91, Kim Kardashian posted a photo dump with boyfriend Lewis Hamilton and her kids (sans North West, who was spotted hanging out with her dad, Kanye). Meanwhile, Kendall Jenner was spotted with her new boyfriend, Jacob Elordi.
At Jay‑Z’s 3-night Yankee Stadium concerts, he brought out Beyoncé, Rihanna, Usher, Pharell and more collaborators on stage as surprise guests. Rihanna made her long-awaited stage appearance for the first time since she did the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show.
Lana Del Rey revealed that she’s made two new albums: Stove and Spyda. She says Spyda needs about a month of finishing touches before she sends both off to vinyl, describing them as some of her most beautiful work yet.
Gracie Abrams released her new album, Daughter from Hell. As a full project, it doesn’t radically shift anything for me personally, but there are a couple of standouts: “Minibar” and “Imaginary Friend”, the latter co-written with boyfriend, actor Paul Mescal.
Oddities
The rizzler continues rizzing people with his appearance on the short-form social media show Subway Takes. Delivering a very simple opinion, with which I wholeheartedly agree (I’m allergic to peanut butter).
Sydney Battle@SydneyBattlethis is the first time i’ve heard him speak in sentences and now i finally understand the obsession. he lights up a room
SubwayTakes with Kareem Rahma @SubwayTakesPeanut butter is overrated!! Feat. The Rizzler6:38 AM · Jul 16, 2026 · 3.94M Views51 Replies · 3K Reposts · 84.9K LikesIn the background of all of this, there’s a very unglamorous story quietly threading through the news: a parasite outbreak in America giving people, in official wording, “explosive diarrhoea”. Early investigations suggest salad greens may be involved, but no single product or supplier has been identified yet. Tragic, or one might say, a shitty situation.
