The Kelly Clarkson Mechanical Bird Feud Just Entered Its Timestamped Security Footage Era, And The Toy Shop Says Staff Are Getting Threats
Where do we even begin with Kelly Clarkson versus a Brooklyn toy store. The escalation timeline, per the day's coverage: BuzzFeed surfaced the timestamped security footage showing Kelly on her phone the second she ste...
Quick Hits
- The Kelly Clarkson vs. Art of Play saga has reached the evidence-drop stage: timestamped security footage obtained/reported by BuzzFeed shows Kelly pulling out her phone immediately after leaving the Brooklyn shop at 2:54 p.m. — right around the time of her now-viral "Pretty Woman treatment" tweet — and TMZ reports the shop's co-owner says employees are now receiving threats from fans over the whole mechanical bird standoff. This is a real news cycle and it's about a toy bird.
- Greta Gerwig got Led Zeppelin — LED ZEPPELIN — to clear "Stairway to Heaven" for her upcoming Narnia trailer. Billboard notes that's "no small feat," which might be the biggest understatement of 2026.
- A$AP Rocky is publicly extending an olive branch to FERG after their awkward name-change back-and-forth, offering to distribute his new album with a simple "U Know Where Home Is." The reconciliation era is upon us.
- Hailey Bieber has delivered the greatest album review format of all time: Rosalía's LUX is making her "wanna throw up in a good way," per Billboard. Somebody put that blurb on the vinyl.
What's Trending
Where do we even begin with Kelly Clarkson versus a Brooklyn toy store. The escalation timeline, per the day's coverage: BuzzFeed surfaced the timestamped security footage showing Kelly on her phone the second she stepped out of Art of Play at 2:54 p.m., and the internet is, per BuzzFeed, "very divided" on what it all means. Rolling Stone adds that the shop's owner faced press questions Tuesday as more details emerged. And in the messiest turn, TMZ reports the co-owner believes Kelly's "bruised ego" over being refused a mechanical bird has sent her legions of fans after the shop's staff. Whatever your read on the footage — diva behavior or genuinely bad retail experience — can we all agree the employees did not sign up for this?
Music
- Lana Del Rey wasn't kidding around with her F1 Singapore headline set Sunday (Oct. 11) — Billboard says she drew an enormous crowd, noted cheekily that Max Verstappen "wasn't the only winner" that night, and she's already hinting at another Asia visit. Lana world tour conspiracy board, activate.
- Dom Dolla can officially add "label chief" to the resume: the Australian EDM superstar just unveiled Good Fortune Records, which Billboard says launches proper this Friday (Oct. 16). A very on-brand name for a guy whose whole brand is good times.
Movies & TV
- Doctor Who drama off-screen: outgoing showrunner Russell T. Davies called BBC director general Matt Brittin's comment about an AI-generated episode "clumsy," per Variety, and teased that "you'll start to see production" in summer next year. The AI discourse meets the TARDIS and honestly nobody asked for it.
- The KPop Demon Hunters merch machine will not be stopped: Billboard reports Costco now has an exclusive trading card set featuring 11 — ELEVEN — rarity levels and a character-inspired frame. The collectibles bubble is alive and well and living at Costco.
- Horror fans, Dante's Inferno is getting a supernatural modern retelling: Variety has a first look at "Invoking Yell" director Patricio Valladares' The Divine Comedy from Skincrawl Studios. Italian poetry but make it terrifying.
- In "premises we did not predict" news: Finnish comedy Crème de la Crème, about a sperm bank business, has been picked up for international distribution and is being billed as "playful and irreverent." Sure! Why not!
- French hit Bright Minds is going big for Season 7 — literally filming part of the new season in Tokyo for the first time, per Variety, thanks to its popularity. Light crime, heavy passport stamps.
Celebrity Tea
- BuzzFeed has gifted us a roundup of "absolutely surreal celebrity moments," headlined by an iconic model who killed a goose ON a roller coaster. Yes, that happened. Yes, it's real. And yes, the Jeremy Renner app made the list, because we will never, ever forget.
- On a genuinely sad note: Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber gathered at daughter Kaia's L.A. home, weeks after the death of their son and brother Presley Gerber, with TMZ noting the family is leaning on each other through the loss. Sending the Gerbers all the warmth.
TikTok & Internet
- Troye Sivan recruited Role Model for a TikTok dance to his new track "Cowboy," and Billboard says there "couldn't have been a better match" — two softboys swaying in sync is exactly the content we ordered.
- Parke's viral mockneck got CROPPED, and Rolling Stone is openly betting the new version will sell out just like the last one when the Everyday Edit drop hit Oct. 13. If you know, you know — set an alarm for the restock.
- Amazon's "Internet Famous" list is basically TikTok you can actually buy, per BuzzFeed, and it's currently serving holiday-themed Laneige and "buttery soft" Skims lookalikes. Clout chasing, but make it add-to-cart.
- Quiz corner, because it's a Tuesday: BuzzFeed wants you to rate 50 artists (overrated, underrated, or accurately rated — fight responsibly), defend cartoon characters to learn if you're a hero or villain (Doofenshmirtz truthers, rise), and is solemnly informing us that way too many people are failing basic geography tests. The map-ranking one has a "small margin for error" and honestly that feels like a threat.