The Weeknd Just Debuted an "Evangelion" Sample On Stage in Japan and Anime Stans Will Never Recover
Quick Hits
- Jhené Aiko finally has her first No. 1 album. Westside Whimsy debuts atop the Billboard 200 — long overdue, honestly.
- The Weeknd premiered an unreleased song sampling the 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' theme at the opening of the Asian leg of his After Hours Til Dawn tour in Japan. The crossover nobody predicted, everybody needed.
- Carrot Top remains hospitalized in Las Vegas, and his Monday night Luxor show has officially been canceled. Sending prop-comedy prayers.
- Pete Davidson and Colin Jost are having the last laugh on that ferry purchase — Variety has a whole scene piece on the Snapple Island Ferry Comedy Show. The guys who got clowned? Vindicated.
- Merriam-Webster added "looksmaxxing," "Sunday scaries," "California sober," and "meme coin" to the dictionary. Internet brainrot is now officially English literature.
What's Trending
- The Staten Island Ferry Redemption Arc is complete: Variety trekked downtown for the Snapple Island Ferry Comedy Show and declared that Davidson and Jost — endlessly roasted when they bought the decommissioned boat — have now proven everybody wrong. Never doubt men with a boat and a bit.
- BuzzFeed asked Brits whether sexting AI bots counts as cheating, and the survey also found almost a quarter of people in relationships say they've cheated at one point or another. Do with that information what you will.
- BuzzFeed also rounded up 32 all-time great "Family Feud" fails, and yes, "NAKED GRANDMA" still reigns supreme. A canon classic. Never not funny.
Music
- Jhené Aiko's Westside Whimsy lands at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 74,000 equivalent album units (chart dated Sept. 26) — her first-ever chart-topper. Pour one out and then celebrate.
- The Weeknd debuted the unreleased Evangelion-sampling track live at the Asian leg opener in Japan, per Billboard — the song lifts one of the most iconic pieces of music in anime history. Anime Twitter and music Twitter are currently merged into one extremely loud timeline.
- Melbourne turned out Sunday for an all-star John Farnham tribute, with Celine Dion, Keith Urban, and Chris Martin leading the lineup honoring the "You're the Voice" legend.
- Suki Waterhouse is taking the Loveland Tour to Australia: a four-date December run, her first Down Under shows for the new album, opening Dec. 8 at the Sydney Opera House. Iconic venue, deserved.
Movies & TV
- Cancellation corner, grab tissues: Netflix axed Sweet Magnolias after five seasons, with creator Sheryl J. Anderson telling fans, "I hope Serenity will always have a place in your heart." Prime Video also ended the Hannah Waddingham–Octavia Spencer buddy dramedy Ride or Die after just one season. Brutal week for comfort TV.
- Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Film Festival — the biggest film event and market in the Arab world — has scrapped its sixth edition, which was set for Dec. 3–12, with organizers saying it will return next year.
- Horror heads, eat: Mylla Films (from a "Midsommar" producer) unveiled a slate including a V/H/S Mixtape segment from Tobias Forge, Swedish horror Trespassers, and The End, directed by "Midsommar"'s production designer.
- Karan Johar's Dharma Productions confirmed a theatrical feature about Indian spymaster Rameshwar Nath Kao, founder of India's Research and Analysis Wing, targeting a 2028 release — the "K3G" universe getting a spy franchise is a genuine plot twist.
- Festival watch: bestselling Japanese novelist Maha Harada, 64, is making her directing debut with In My Father's Room, headed to San Sebastián and Busan after two decades of building scenes on the page.
Celebrity Tea
- Carrot Top update: TMZ reports his Monday night Luxor show was officially canceled while the 61-year-old remains hospitalized, and Rolling Stone relayed a rep's statement that he "is recovering in the hospital and is receiving the care and support he needs." Hoping for a speedy recovery for the king of props.
- BuzzFeed compiled 39 genuinely shocking celebrity confessions, and let's just say the Kevin Gates entry alone will have you staring at a wall for a while. Read at your own risk.
TikTok & Internet
- Merriam-Webster's annual additions — looksmaxxing, Sunday scaries, California sober, meme coin and more — sent r/popculturechat into a whole discussion about the internet graduating into the dictionary. "Sunday scaries" being clinically recognized is the most validating thing to happen to Mondays ever.
- Quiz girlies are fed today: BuzzFeed dropped a finish-the-Taylor-Swift-song challenge ("part time Swifties can still do okay," they promise, generously) and an Abbott Elementary personality quiz where you'd "better not be Janine." No, I will not be elaborating on my result.