Entertainment

Sony Continues Its War on Physical Media With Shock Crunchyroll Decision

• Crunchyroll Store to become subscriber-only from August 2026
• Only Mega and Ultimate Fan tiers can buy physical merch
• Gift cards stop working from 14 August 2026; Summer Sale now on

Crunchyroll, the Sony-owned anime streaming service, is restricting its online store to paying subscribers, meaning fans will soon need a subscription to buy physical merchandise such as DVDs and Blu-rays. The move follows PlayStation's earlier announcement that it will phase out physical game releases by 2028, adding to…

“Is What I Call Midwest Mall-Crawler Music”: The Genre Evolution Neither Linda Ronstadt nor Tom Petty Could Get Behind

• Ronstadt and Petty criticised modern country as too pop-influenced
• Ronstadt dubbed it "Midwest mall-crawler music"
• Petty called much of it "bad rock groups with a fiddle"

Linda Ronstadt and Tom Petty, both revered for their rock careers deeply rooted in country influences, expressed frustration with how modern country music has evolved into a more pop-oriented sound. Having come up during the genre's 1960s and 1970s heyday and worked alongside country greats such as Dolly…

“She blew my mind”: the 1990 movie that was a “wish come true” for Laura Dern

• Laura Dern starred in David Lynch's 1990 film 'Wild at Heart' opposite Nicolas Cage as a young woman caught in a dangerous romance
• The production marked her first major collaboration with her mother, actress Diane Ladd, who portrayed an antagonist in the story
• Dern and Ladd later became the first mother-daughter acting duo nominated for Oscars in the same film, for 1991's 'Rambling Rose'

“A Serious Medical Emergency”: The Dramatic Rescue You Didn’t See During Alan Jackson’s Final Nashville Concert

• Mounted police helped save a fan during a medical emergency at Jackson's final show
• 70,000 fans packed a Nashville bridge leaving the concert on 27 June
• Officers credited horses' calm training for enabling emergency access

Metro Nashville Police mounted officers helped emergency crews reach a fan suffering a serious medical emergency amid a densely packed crowd following Alan Jackson's final Nashville concert on 27 June 2026. The show, part of Jackson's farewell to touring as he deals with health issues, drew around 70,000…

This 1981 One-Hit Wonder Claimed This Track Was About an Ex, but His Co-Writer Said She Didn’t Exist

• "867-5309/Jenny" co-writers disagree on the song's origin story.
• Jim Keller said Jenny was a real ex-girlfriend he dated.
• Alex Call said he invented the name and number himself.

The 1981 hit "867-5309/Jenny" by Tommy Tutone became one of pop music's most notorious one-hit wonders, largely because of its unusually specific and memorable telephone number, which caused endless disruption for real people who shared it. Decades on, its co-writers, Alex Call and Jim Keller, have given conflicting…

Anne Hathaway’s 13 Best Performances: From ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ to ‘The Odyssey’

• Variety ranks Anne Hathaway's 13 best film performances to date.
• Timed to her 2026 roles in "The Odyssey" and "Prada 2".
• List spans "Princess Diaries" to her Oscar-winning "Les Misérables" role.

Variety has published a ranked list of Anne Hathaway's 13 best film performances, timed to a career-high moment as she reunites with director Christopher Nolan to play Penelope in "The Odyssey" and stars in "The Devil Wears Prada 2", both released in 2026. The retrospective traces her more…

‘John Wick’ Meets ‘The Raid’ in New Bonkers Action Thriller Blowing Up on Streaming Across America

• Hong Kong action film The Furious is a streaming hit in the US
• Compared to The Raid and John Wick for brutal fight choreography
• Holds a 98% Rotten Tomatoes score; Top 10 on major streaming platforms

A Hong Kong martial arts thriller called The Furious has become an unexpected streaming hit in the United States, drawing comparisons to genre favourites The Raid and John Wick for its brutal, hand-to-hand combat style. Directed by Kenji Tanigaki, the film premiered to widespread critical acclaim before its…

All 3 Christopher Nolan Adventure Movies, Ranked

• Collider ranks Christopher Nolan's three adventure films.
• Inception comes in third, judged least "adventure"-like.
• Piece ties to Nolan's 13th feature releasing in 2026.

- Collider film writer Jeremy Urquhart ranks Christopher Nolan's three "adventure" genre films, published to mark the release of Nolan's 13th feature in 2026, which brought his adventure-tagged filmography up to three titles worth ranking. - Inception (2010) is placed third (lowest) of the three, judged the least…

Applications close in 48 hours — here’s everything Australian founders need to know about Stripe x Startup Battlefield

• Applications for Stripe x Startup Battlefield Sydney close 20 July 2026.
• Winner gets automatic entry to TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco in October.
• Eight startups pitch in Sydney on 19 August; no application fee or equity taken.

TechCrunch is reminding Australian founders that applications for the Stripe x Startup Battlefield competition close in 48 hours, on 20 July 2026. The event, a first-time partnership between Stripe and TechCrunch, will see eight Australian startups pitch live at Stripe Tour Sydney on 19 August 2026, with the…

Olivia Dean’s First U.S. Arena Tour Is Off to a Smashing Start, With L.A. Shows Proving She’s No One-Grammy Wonder: Concert Review

• Olivia Dean's LA arena shows drew about 19,000 fans nightly.
• Rapid rise from a 1,500-cap venue a year ago.
• Tipped for major nominations at the February 2027 Grammys.

Olivia Dean's first US arena tour has opened strongly, with a two-night stand at Los Angeles's Crypto.com Arena showcasing her rapid rise from small venues to major stages within roughly a year. The performances, reviewed by Variety, dispel any suggestion that the British singer is merely a fleeting…