Quick Hits

• Spidey is Back: First reactions to Spider-Man: Brand New Day are in, and critics are saying Tom Holland has "never been better" in a wildly grounded, multiverse-free sequel.
• AHS Assembles: Ryan Murphy is going full Marvel. American Horror Story Season 13 isn't a Coven sequel—it's all the seasons mashed up, with Sarah Paulson playing up to six different roles.
• Heartbreaking Music Loss: The music world lost two absolute legends today. Kavinsky, the French electro producer behind the iconic Drive opening track "Nightcall," died at 50, and Glen Hansard, the Irish musician who won an Oscar for "Falling Slowly" from Once, died at 56 in a motorcycle crash.
• Festival Season Rages On: Lollapalooza is kicking off in Chicago this weekend, but the rest of the summer and fall are packed, with John Summit leading Australia's Lost Paradise and Dua Lipa curating the London Literature Festival.
• TikTok is Having a Meltdown: App users are mass-reporting sudden shadowbans and useless customer support, while everyone else is spiraling over a viral video exposing the "biggest lie on the world map."

What's Trending

• The World Map is Apparently a Lie: A woman on TikTok just exposed the biggest lie on the world map, and millions of Americans—including very stressed homeschool moms—are officially at their wits' end. Throw out your globes, we’ve been living a lie!
• TikTok Support is Non-Existent: If your FYP has been looking a little dry today, you aren't alone. Users are flooding Reddit to complain about getting absolutely zero views on new videos, suspecting massive shadowbans. Worse? Reaching out to TikTok support is apparently a completely useless battle right now.
• Influencer Drama Continues: Following weeks of intense backlash, influencer Emilie Kiser finally responded to a video of her toddler son not wearing a life jacket on a boat, exactly one year after her 3-year-old son tragically died in a drowning incident.

Movies & TV

• Tom Holland Swings Back: The film press has finally seen Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and the hype is very real. Critics are calling Tom Holland's fourth standalone movie a "grounded Spider-Man tale" that successfully ditches all the exhausting "multiverse tedium." They say Tom has literally never been better.
• The Avengers of Horror: Ryan Murphy just dropped massive details about American Horror Story Season 13. He confirmed it’s not just a Coven sequel, but literally "all the seasons" combined. Sarah Paulson is reportedly playing five or six roles. It’s giving cinematic universe, but make it haunted.
• Broad-Bound Westeros: The Game of Thrones stage play, The Mad King, just had its first preview and got a standing ovation. This is a huge win considering they had to cancel their entire first week of performances before finally getting the curtain up.
• Directors Bowing Out: Acclaimed director Mike Leigh says it’s "very likely" he’ll retire after his next film due to ongoing illness, closing out a wildly impressive six-decade career.
• Korean Box Office is Booming: Over in Korea, local films are driving a massive post-pandemic box office recovery, led by the smash hit The King’s Warden. Industry revenue is up nearly 42% year-on-year.
• Summer Shark Thrillers: If you need a dose of summer terror, The Devil’s Mouth is here to deliver. The new thriller throws cave swimmers into extra-claustrophobic shark chum. Because apparently, we can never have enough shark movies!

Music

• RIP to Absolute Icons: Today is a profoundly sad one for music fans. French producer Kavinsky died at 50. His hypnotic anthem "Nightcall" became a cult classic opening 2011's Drive. Meanwhile, Glen Hansard, who starred in the beautiful 2007 film Once and won the Oscar for Best Original Song for "Falling Slowly," passed away at 56 following a motorcycle crash. Both will be deeply missed.
• Pop Girlies Unite: Swedish pop royalty is officially linking up! Zara Larsson and Robyn just announced a brand-new collaboration, which is set to drop on July 28.
• Dua Lipa, Bookstagram Queen: Dua Lipa is expanding her Service95 Book Club empire by curating the lineup for the 2026 London Literature Festival. Running from Oct. 20 to Nov. 1, Dua promises we’ll be joined by "icons." Literature’s loss is pop music’s gain!
• Festival Check: It's a massive week for live music. Lollapalooza is taking over Chicago this weekend to kick off the real meat of summer. Looking ahead, John Summit, Skepta, and KI/KI are leading Australia's Lost Paradise festival, while London’s legendary Ministry of Sound is throwing a massive 35th-anniversary weekend party with Andy C, Kerri Chandler, and Moodymann.
• Megan Moroney Powers Through: Country star Megan Moroney had to make the "hardest decision" of her life, cutting her Denver Cloud 9 Tour stop short due to an unspecified illness. Send some good vibes her way.
• BTS vs. The Grammys: BTS are officially pushing back against the Grammys. They’re joining a long list of artists who have spoken out about the awards process, giving a massive shoutout to their ARMY for having their backs.

Celebrity Tea

• Tom Brady to the WWE?! The internet is losing its mind over rumors that Tom Brady and Logan Paul are in talks to squash their beef in a WWE ring. Former NFL star Patrick Peterson is begging the GOAT to "just let it be" and stay on the couch. Honestly? Let him have his fun.
• D4vd's Leaked Texts: Prosecutors presented an 18-month text message trail between indie darling D4vd and Celeste Rivas, detailing everything from pregnancy scares to the progression of their relationship. The timeline is officially out there for the world to read.
• Jealous Partners & Natural Teeth: Over at BuzzFeed, they're rounding up 13 times actors' on-screen chemistry was so scorching hot that their real-life partners legitimately got super jealous (one husband even turned off the TV!). Also, in a celebration of authenticity, fans are obsessing over the celebrities who refused Hollywood veneers and kept their natural teeth for the spotlight. Fix your grill, babe!
• Bobby Berk's Origin Story: TMZ dropped a throwback photo of a "summer kid posing with freshly picked veggies." Turns out, it’s Queer Eye's Bobby Berk! Before he was a famous interior designer, he was just growing up in Missouri and working as a telemarketer. We love a glow-up!