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Tuesday, June 09, 2026
RACE RESULT
Antonelli Claims Youngest Monaco GP Winner Title With Fifth Consecutive Victory of 2026 Season
Kimi Antonelli claimed his fifth consecutive Formula 1 victory of the 2026 season at the Monaco Grand Prix, surviving a chaotic red-flagged race to become the youngest winner in the event's history at just 19 years old. The Mercedes driver converted pole position to victory after managing a restart situation and multiple safety interventions, with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton finishing second and Red Bull's Isack Hadjar completing the podium. The result extended Antonelli's Drivers' Championship lead to 66 points over Hamilton. Russell, who was second in the championship before Monaco, dropped to third after finishing 13th following a double penalty.
Red Bull Identify Cause of Verstappen's Monaco DNF, Plan Replacement Engine for Barcelona
Red Bull have identified the cause of Max Verstappen's Monaco Grand Prix retirement and will fit a replacement power unit for the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. Verstappen felt a problem developing during the formation lap before his engine "just dropped dead" on lap one, forcing an immediate retirement from dead last. Team principal Laurent Mekies said: "We have identified what the issue is," adding that the planned engine change will take place ahead of this weekend's Spanish GP. Verstappen sits seventh in the Drivers' Championship on 43 points, as championship leader Kimi Antonelli extended his lead to 156 points with his Monaco victory.
Mercedes Take Full Blame After Double-Penalty Disaster Ruins Russell's Monaco Grand Prix
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has taken full responsibility after George Russell received a drive-through penalty at the Monaco Grand Prix due to the team's failure to hold the car in the pits. Russell was initially issued a five-second time penalty for exceeding the pit lane speed limit by just 0.1km/h. When the car was returned to the track without the penalty being served, stewards escalated the punishment to a drive-through. "Clearly our mistake," Wolff said. Radio transcripts also revealed Russell had urged the team to serve the original five-second penalty at the time it was issued, but Mercedes overruled him. Russell finished 13th.
Russell Defiant Despite 68-Point Gap as Coulthard Warns Barcelona Is Last Chance to Save Title Hopes
George Russell insists he "can still become F1 world champion in 2026" despite sitting 68 points behind Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli following a catastrophic Monaco Grand Prix. However, former driver and broadcaster David Coulthard has warned Russell that only a win over Antonelli in Barcelona can preserve his title hopes. "If he doesn't beat Kimi, it's over — no World Championship," Coulthard said on the Up To Speed podcast. Russell has endured bad luck across the season's first six rounds, but with Antonelli winning his fifth consecutive race in Monaco, the pressure on Russell to deliver in Barcelona this weekend is now acute.
McLaren Principal Stella Admits Customer Team Status Has Become a Disadvantage in 2026
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has admitted that being a Mercedes power unit customer has become a competitive disadvantage in 2026, the first time this has been the case in the partnership. Norris retired from Monaco with a power unit failure, compounding a gearbox DNF in Canada, and Stella cited fewer opportunities to integrate chassis and engine development as a key factor. "Never before have we felt that being a customer team has put us on the back foot," Stella said, while stressing Mercedes HPP is not to blame. McLaren CEO Zak Brown has indicated the team could consider building its own engine in the longer term.
Ferrari Brake Supplier Brembo Disputes Leclerc's Monaco Crash Claims; Driver Switches to Hamilton's Setup
Ferrari's brake supplier Brembo has dismissed Charles Leclerc's suggestion that equipment failure caused his race-ending Monaco Grand Prix crash. Leclerc retired at Turn 19 during the restart, insisting he had "no brakes" as he locked up into the barriers. Brembo said it was "premature to comment" without the full data, and that the company was "astonished" by the claims. Leclerc has since confirmed he will switch to team-mate Lewis Hamilton's preferred brake configuration for the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona this weekend, with the change aimed at addressing the braking concerns he raised after Monaco.
Hamilton Says Maiden Ferrari Win "Couldn't Be Closer" After Monaco P2 Moves Him Up in Championship
Lewis Hamilton has said his maiden victory for Ferrari "couldn't be closer" after finishing second at the Monaco Grand Prix behind Kimi Antonelli. Hamilton has yet to win a race since joining Ferrari, but his Monaco podium moved him above team-mate George Russell in the Drivers' Championship. Hamilton is now second in the standings with 90 points, 66 behind championship leader Antonelli. In Monaco, Antonelli extended his winning run to five consecutive victories as the 19-year-old converted pole position to victory in a chaotic, red-flag-affected race. Hamilton heads to Barcelona this weekend still searching for his first Ferrari win.
Alpine File Right of Review Over Monaco Penalties After Telemetry Shows Gasly Below Speed Limit
Alpine have filed a formal right of review request over the pit lane speed penalties that cost Pierre Gasly a podium finish at the Monaco Grand Prix. Radio messages from the race reveal that Alpine engineers repeatedly warned Gasly not to exceed the 60km/h pit lane limit, yet the team say their car telemetry shows Gasly was actually running within the limit during the penalty-incurring runs. Alpine are presenting this on-board data as the new evidence required to overturn the decision. Gasly received two separate speed penalties during the race and dropped from third on the road to seventh in the final classified results.
Drivers' Championship
1. Kimi Antonelli — 156 pts
2. Lewis Hamilton — 90 pts
3. George Russell — 88 pts
4. Charles Leclerc — 75 pts
5. Oscar Piastri — 60 pts
6. Lando Norris — 58 pts
7. Max Verstappen — 43 pts
8. Isack Hadjar — 29 pts
9. Liam Lawson — 26 pts
10. Pierre Gasly — 26 pts
Constructors' Championship
1. Mercedes — 244 pts
2. Ferrari — 165 pts
3. McLaren — 118 pts
4. Red Bull — 72 pts
5. Alpine — 41 pts
6. Racing Bulls — 39 pts
7. Haas — 21 pts
8. Williams — 11 pts
9. Audi — 2 pts
10. Aston Martin — 1 pt

GAME RECAP
Golden Knights Survive Double Overtime to Take 2-1 Series Lead Over Hurricanes
Shea Theodore’s shot caromed off the end boards and deflected in off goalie Brandon Bussi’s skate at 5:38 of double overtime Saturday, giving the Vegas Golden Knights a 5-4 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena. Vegas now leads the best-of-seven series two games to one. The win came despite the Golden Knights surrendering a four-goal lead in the third period, with the Hurricanes forcing overtime before Theodore’s fortuitous bounce ended the longest game of the series. Marner led Vegas with a hat trick and four points, while Andrei Svechnikov tied it late for Carolina.
Marner Sets Fastest Hat Trick in Stanley Cup Final History, Breaks 69-Year Record
Mitch Marner scored three goals in six minutes and ten seconds in the second period of Game 3 on Saturday, recording the fastest hat trick in Stanley Cup Final history. The Vegas Golden Knights forward eclipsed the previous mark of six minutes and twenty-one seconds set by Maurice (Rocket) Richard in 1957. Marner’s natural hat trick gave Vegas a four-goal lead before Carolina’s third-period rally. The 29-year-old also became only the second player in Final history to score a natural hat trick in a single period, joining Ted Lindsay in 1955. Marner leads all 2026 playoff scorers with 28 points.
Hurricanes’ Three Goals in 39 Seconds Sets Final Record, But Vegas Survives in 2OT
Carolina engineered the largest third-period comeback in Stanley Cup Final history during Game 3 Saturday, erasing a four-goal deficit before ultimately falling 5-4 in double overtime. Jordan Martinook, Taylor Hall, and Jordan Staal scored within thirty-nine seconds of each other in the third period — the three fastest goals in Final history — cutting the Vegas lead to 4-3. Andrei Svechnikov then tied the game at 4-4 on a rebound with under two minutes remaining and the goalie pulled on a power play. Despite the remarkable comeback, Shea Theodore’s double-overtime winner denied Carolina a second consecutive road victory.
Andersen Pulled in Game 3, Hurricanes’ Game 4 Goaltending Start Remains Undisclosed
Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour has not revealed his Game 4 starting goaltender after Frederik Andersen was replaced by Brandon Bussi to open the third period of Game 3 on Saturday. Andersen, who had started all sixteen playoff games, allowed four goals on fourteen second-period shots before being pulled. Bussi made eighteen saves on nineteen shots in relief, allowing the Hurricanes’ historic comeback before surrendering the double-overtime winner on a deflection. Brind’Amour confirmed Monday that he has made a decision on the starter for Tuesday’s game at T-Mobile Arena but declined to announce it publicly.
Game 4 Tonight: Golden Knights Can Push Hurricanes to Brink of Elimination
The Vegas Golden Knights host the Carolina Hurricanes tonight in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena (8 p.m. ET, ABC), with Vegas holding a two-games-to-one series lead. A Golden Knights win would push Carolina to the brink of elimination; teams leading three-to-one in the Final hold a 38-1 all-time record. Carolina’s goaltending situation remains unresolved, with Brind’Amour declining to confirm whether Andersen or Bussi will start. Mitch Marner, leading all 2026 playoff scorers with 28 points, is the series’ dominant presence. Two of three games have gone to overtime, with Saturday’s double-overtime finish setting multiple Final records.
McKenna Tops VO2 Test at NHL Scouting Combine Ahead of June 26 Draft in Buffalo
Gavin McKenna stood out at the 2026 NHL Scouting Combine at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, leading all prospects in the VO2 Max Aerobic Fitness test with a score of 65.0 and finishing in the top eight in four testing categories overall. The Penn State center, ranked first among North American skaters heading into the June 26-27 draft, measured at five-feet eleven-and-a-quarter inches and 170 pounds. Other notable performers included Ilia Morozov of Miami University, who finished top ten in six events, and OHL prospects Pierce Mbuyi and Cole Zurawski. The Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks hold the top two picks following the May 5 lottery.
Utah Mammoth Sign KHL Forward Vadim Moroz to Two-Year Entry-Level Contract
The Utah Mammoth signed Belarusian forward Vadim Moroz to a two-year entry-level contract on Sunday, the club announced. The deal carries a cap hit of approximately $1.01 million per season and runs through the 2027-28 campaign. Moroz, 22, spent four seasons with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL, recording 29 points in 54 games in 2025-26 and setting a franchise record with 44 points by a player under 23 the prior season. Utah selected Moroz in the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft. He is expected to begin in the AHL before competing for NHL minutes with the Mammoth.
RECAP
Freeman’s 2,500th Hit Fuels Dodgers’ 12-3 Rout of Pirates
Freddie Freeman cemented his Hall of Fame résumé Monday night in Pittsburgh, lacing a two-run double in a ten-run seventh inning that served as his 2,500th career hit — a milestone reached by fewer than 200 players in major-league history. The 36-year-old first baseman connected during a stunning rally as Los Angeles erupted for a 12-3 victory over the Pirates. Paul Skenes gave Pittsburgh six solid innings and surrendered just two earned runs, but had no answer for the Dodgers’ explosion late. Los Angeles improved to 43-24, maintaining the best record in the National League.
Cease Fans 11 in Return, Blue Jays Nip Phillies 3-2
Dylan Cease made a triumphant return from the injured list Monday, striking out eleven Phillies batters across six innings of two-run ball on just 91 pitches. The right-hander, sidelined with a back strain, surrendered only four hits and looked sharp throughout in a 3-2 Toronto win. Closer Duran notched his first blown save of 2026 before the Blue Jays held on to secure the victory. The win moved Toronto to 33-35, keeping them in the AL Wild Card conversation as the second half approaches. Philadelphia’s offense managed little against Cease’s precise command all evening.
Chisholm’s Go-Ahead Homer Lifts Yankees Past Guardians 3-2
Jazz Chisholm Jr. provided the decisive blow Monday, crushing a go-ahead home run to give the Yankees a 3-2 win over Cleveland. Gerrit Cole turned in four innings and allowed two earned runs before departing early, taking a no-decision. New York’s bullpen shut the door the rest of the way as the Bombers improved to 40-26, keeping a firm grip on the AL East lead. The Guardians fell to 37-32 after dropping the series opener in the Bronx. Chisholm’s power stroke continues to be a catalyst for New York’s lineup.
Top Prospect Braden Montgomery Makes His MLB Debut for Chicago
The White Sox promoted 23-year-old outfielder Braden Montgomery ahead of Monday’s series opener against Atlanta, giving the organization’s top hitting prospect his long-awaited major-league debut. The 12th overall pick in the 2024 draft out of Texas A&M — acquired in the Garrett Crochet trade — slashed .314/.422/.548 with a .970 OPS, ten home runs, and 41 RBI across 56 games in Double-A and Triple-A this season. MLB Pipeline ranked him No. 21 overall among all prospects. Chicago looks to the right-handed hitter as a cornerstone of their ongoing rebuild going forward.
May Earns First Win Since April, Cardinals Blank Mets 7-0
Dustin May snapped a lengthy winless skid Monday, tossing six innings of shutout ball as St. Louis blanked the Mets 7-0 at Citi Field. May, who last won on April 21, scattered four hits while the Cardinals offense exploded for four runs in the third inning off Freddy Peralta. Alec Burleson delivered three RBI including a two-run homer in the fifth and an RBI double in the seventh. Newly activated Nathan Church went three-for-three and made a sensational basket catch. The Cardinals extended their winning streak to five games, moving to 36-28. New York dropped to 29-37.
Arozarena Walk-Off HR in 10th Sends Mariners Past Orioles 6-5
Randy Arozarena led off the tenth inning Monday by depositing a 0-1 Rico Garcia slider over the right-field fence for a two-run walk-off homer, scoring automatic runner Julio Rodriguez and lifting Seattle over Baltimore 6-5. It was Arozarena’s seventh homer of the season. Mitch Garver also went deep earlier, and Coby Mayo’s two-run blast in the ninth forced extra innings. Ryan Bliss made a key defensive stop on a 110-mph grounder. Seattle won eleven of its last fourteen games, improving to a season-high four games over .500 at 36-32. Baltimore fell to 31-37.
Martinez Deals 7 Strong, Baker Records 18th Save in Rays’ 4-3 Win
Nick Martinez worked seven innings of three-run ball, and Bryan Baker nailed down his 18th save as Tampa Bay defeated Boston 4-3 Monday, sealing the series. Ryan Vilade reached base three times and scored in the fourth inning, while Ben Williamson and Nick Fortes each added RBI doubles. Payton Tolle allowed nine hits and four earned runs across six innings for the Red Sox. Marcelo Mayer’s RBI double in the eighth brought Boston within one, but Kevin Kelly pitched a hitless eighth to hold the lead. Tampa Bay improved to 38-25; Boston slipped to 27-37.
SOFTWARE
IOCCC 2025: The Most Gloriously Unreadable C Code on Earth
The 2025 International Obfuscated C Code Contest results are in, showcasing the most creatively convoluted C code the programming world has to offer. Highlights include Yusuke Endoh's “Most Likely to Shock” — a program that renders Lichtenberg figures (branching lightning patterns) in ASCII art — and Nick Craig-Wood's “Best Real Emulator,” a fully functional Game Boy emulator crammed into a few kilobytes. All entries must fit within 4,993 bytes of source code with binary output under 2,503 bytes, using the C11 standard. The IOCCC celebrates the kind of programming wizardry that makes compilers weep and humans marvel.
Hidden 176-Bit Mystery Field in Every GPS Broadcast Finally Under the Microscope
For nearly two decades, a mysterious 176-bit field buried inside every GPS broadcast has gone unexplained — until now. UCL researcher Steven Murdoch analyzed 12 million GPS packets spanning 2007–2026 and identified “Subframe 4, Page 17,” officially marked only as “special messages” in the GPS specification. Murdoch's best hypothesis: the field is used for cryptographic rekeying of military receivers. Intriguingly, the field changed format in 2023. Full packet analysis code is available on Zenodo for researchers to explore further. It's the kind of deep RF archaeology that reminds us the airwaves hide more than meets the eye.
YouTuber Berm Peak Jailbreaks the Reevo Hubless E-Bike — Protocols Reversed, Files on GitHub
The Reevo is a hubless e-bike that suffered from poor build quality and software lock-in — YouTuber Berm Peak took it on for a full overhaul. After opening the controller and finding well-labeled PCBs, Berm Peak reverse-engineered the communication protocols and bypassed the touchscreen display, which relied on an unavailable app. Physical shrouds, fasteners, and fastener holes all needed complete replacement. All the work has been published to GitHub, making this a compelling right-to-repair example: a commercial product brought back to life through persistent documentation, creative reverse engineering, and elbow grease.
“Lathe” Prompts LLMs to Teach Instead of Build — A Smarter Use for AI Coding Assistants
Developer Deven Jarvis built “Lathe,” an open-source project on GitHub (devenjarvis/lathe) that flips AI-assisted coding on its head. Instead of asking an LLM to write production code, Lathe prompts the model to generate learning tutorials — step-by-step explanations for topics that lack good existing documentation. Jarvis' example use case is slicer software design, a domain where tutorials are sparse and learning by reverse-engineering source code is painful. By separating the “make me a thing” use case from “teach me how to make a thing,” Lathe offers a more honest framing for AI's current capabilities — solid at explaining, still sketchy when it has to get something right.
Ken Shirriff Powers Up a 1948 IBM 604 Thyratron Module — History Lives Again
Ken Shirriff has done it again — this time taking a deep dive into a pluggable thyratron module from the 1948 IBM 604 Electronic Calculator, the accounting machine that bridged electromechanical tabulators and the dawn of fully digital computers. The IBM 604 used around 1,250 vacuum tubes, all housed in easily swappable plug-in modules — a design philosophy that would show up across computing history, from early personal computers to modern expansion cards. Shirriff not only documented the module's circuit but powered it up, switching a lamp on and off with the thyratron. Full write-up at righto.com.
Revisiting AI Coding Assistants: Are You Holding It Wrong, or Is It Just Wrong?
Following spirited feedback on her earlier piece about AI coding assistants, Maya Posch returns with a deeper look — this time exploring whether the “you're using it wrong” criticism holds water. She surveys multiple frontends and models, investigates prompt engineering best practices, and examines the popular framing of LLMs as “junior developers.” The conclusion is measured: while AI assistants automate away tedium and can help junior developers grow faster, they still confabulate regularly, can't ask for clarification, and require substantial human oversight to catch errors. For makers who write embedded firmware and one-off scripts, understanding these limits is essential before trusting generated code in hardware.
Armbian Imager 2.0 Supports 338+ SBC Boards with Custom Profiles and Dark Mode
Armbian, the popular Debian/Ubuntu distribution for single-board computers, has released Armbian Imager 2.0 — a full rewrite of its GUI flashing tool. The new version supports over 338 boards from 64 SBC vendors, covering a wide range of boards across the Armbian-supported ecosystem. The revamped interface includes dark mode, 18 auto-detected languages, and a custom user profile system for pre-configuring Wi-Fi credentials, SSH keys, usernames, timezones, and locale — making headless first boots considerably smoother. Builds are available for Linux (x64/arm64), Windows (x64/arm64), and macOS (x64 and Apple Silicon). A welcome upgrade for anyone running an SBC-heavy lab.

POLICY
New Data on the Legacy IRA Act Makes the Case for the Charity Parity Act
New data from the American Council on Gift Annuities' 2025 survey—106 charities, $1.8 billion in CGA reserves—shows the Legacy IRA Act is already working: 74% of responding organizations completed at least one QCD-funded charitable gift annuity last year, and QCD-funded CGAs now account for 27% of all new gift annuity activity. The Association of Fundraising Professionals is using this evidence to push for the Charity Parity Act, bipartisan legislation introduced May 13 that would extend qualified charitable distributions to employer-sponsored 401(k)s and 403(b)s. Millions of older donors currently must first roll funds to an IRA—an added step the bill would eliminate.
5 Takeaways from the 2026 DAF Fundraising Report
A new report from K2D Strategies and Chariot—based on 54 national nonprofits with $3.3 billion in collective DAF revenue—finds donor-advised fund giving growing far faster than conventional philanthropy. From 2022 to 2025, these organizations saw 75% median growth in DAF revenue versus just 12% non-DAF growth. Median DAF revenue share rose from 7% in 2021 to 11% in 2025; for small organizations under $10 million, it jumped from 13.7% to 24.1%. The average DAF gift grew from $2,995 to $3,934—12 times the median non-DAF gift—and DAF donors show retention rates 13 percentage points above non-DAF donors.
Could States Lead Climate Justice Funding?
As federal climate regulatory authority narrows, states are becoming key implementers of climate justice funding. In 2025, the DOJ sued New York and Vermont over “climate superfund” laws and moved to block Hawaii and Michigan from pursuing fossil fuel litigation—yet states continue pressing ahead. Federal climate spending under the Inflation Reduction Act (2022) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (2021) flows largely through state agencies, giving governors and legislatures significant influence over which communities receive clean-energy and resilience investments. Programs like the Justice40 Initiative—targeting 40% of certain federal climate benefits toward disadvantaged communities—depend on state-level execution to determine who actually receives those benefits.
On the Heels of ICE Raids, Minnesota Also Fights to Save a Wilderness
Congress has nullified a 20-year federal mining ban protecting Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. H.J.Res. 140, signed April 27 as Public Law 119-85, reversed protections for the BWCA—over 1.1 million acres in the Superior National Forest where leases were first issued in 1966. Chilean company Antofagasta (Twin Metals) acquired those leases in 2012. Environmental and tribal organizations—Friends of the Boundary Waters (since 1976), Save the Boundary Waters, Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters, and the Fond du Lac Band—are fighting back, even as Minnesota communities simultaneously face intensive immigration enforcement operations.
NPQ and Liberation Ventures Partner to Highlight “Visions of a Repaired Future” for America’s 250th
Nonprofit Quarterly and Liberation Ventures have announced a landmark editorial partnership for America’s 250th anniversary. Their “Week of Repair” runs June 19 through July 4, 2026—a 16-day takeover of the WetheCivic platform focused on repairing harm from the last 250 years. Dozens of partner organizations will contribute essays, op-eds, poetry, and visual art built around four pillars: Repair is Personal, Repair is Love, Repair is Community, and Repair is the Future. “Official commemorations are never neutral—they are arguments about who belongs,” said NPQ Interim CEO Sara Hudson. Submissions are open at wethecivic.org using the hashtag #WeekOfRepair.
Georgia’s Judicial Industry Is Built on the Backs of the Incarcerated Poor
Georgia’s judicial industry—prisons, courts, community supervision, and private detention—generates approximately $5.98 billion annually. A 2025 DOJ investigation found conditions in state prisons constitute cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment. Between 2018 and 2023, 142 people were killed inside Georgia’s prisons; 2024 set a record of 330 deaths. The state’s incarceration rate of 968 per 100,000 exceeds any democratic nation, while parole grants were cut in half from 2020 to 2025. This incarcerated journalist’s account traces the system to post-Civil War convict leasing—an industry still built on the coerced labor of poor, disproportionately Black Georgians.
Before the State Showed Up: Black Mutual Aid as the Infrastructure of Our Democracy
Long before the nonprofit sector was professionalized, Black communities built parallel civic systems that functioned as democratic infrastructure. The Free African Society—founded in 1787 by Richard Allen and Absalom Jones—pooled resources for widows, sick residents, and the formerly enslaved. Black churches organized food, legal aid, and political mobilization throughout segregation; by the early 1970s, the Black Panther Party’s Free Breakfast for Children Program was feeding thousands weekly across dozens of cities. As the US approaches its 250th anniversary, this NPQ analysis argues that mutual aid—not elections alone—has sustained democracy for communities excluded from formal political power.

BOX OFFICE
“Scary Movie” Franchise Sets Record With $55M Domestic Opening Weekend
“Scary Movie” opened to a $55 million domestic debut , setting a new franchise record and posting a franchise-best $105.5 million worldwide opening from 53 markets . Paramount and Miramax launched the comedy-horror revival in 3,490 theaters , with EntTelligence tracking 3.76 million admissions for the weekend — 41% of Saturday’s gross fell after 8 PM, pointing to a strong late-night audience skew. Director Michael Tiddes and star-writer Marlon Wayans delivered the result on a lean $30 million production budget. Overseas earnings reached $26 million, with $21.5 million from European markets leading the international haul.
“Michael” Becomes Lionsgate’s All-Time Highest-Grossing Film With $854.6M Global
Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” has crossed $854.6 million globally , claiming the title of Lionsgate’s all-time highest-grossing film — in reach of surpassing both The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($865 million lifetime) and Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 ($868.5 million lifetime worldwide). Now deep into its seventh week of release, the film starring Jaafar Jackson, Colman Domingo, Miles Teller, and Nia Long has accumulated $346.6 million domestic through Thursday, June 5. Japan opens June 12, providing additional upside to a run that launched with a $97.2 million domestic opening weekend .
FX Releases Final-Season Trailer for “The Bear” — All 8 Episodes Land June 25
FX released the trailer for The Bear Season 5 , confirmed as the show’s final chapter. Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) steps into the head chef role, steering the restaurant through overlapping crises — flooding, a suspended delivery account, a threatened building sale, and a critical funds shortfall. Former head chef Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) returns, delivering the line: “I look at you all, and I love you so much.” Creator Christopher Storer and co-director Hiro Murai helm the run, with all 8 episodes debuting on Hulu and FX on June 25, 2026 .
OpenAI’s TBPN Talk Show Pivots Emmy Campaign to Outstanding Variety Series
OpenAI’s tech talk show TBPN made a last-minute pivot in its Emmy campaign, shifting from the emerging media category to “ Outstanding Variety Series ” (talk track). Acquired by Sam Altman’s OpenAI in March 2026 , the daily three-hour program has broadcast live from Hollywood since January 2025 with hosts Jordi Hays and John Coogan . Its guests have ranged from Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman to Satya Nadella and Mark Cuban. The 11-person operation, led by president Dylan Abruscato, backed its Emmy push with Los Angeles billboards — a conventional campaign move for a decidedly unconventional show.
AMC’s Campaign for “The Vampire Lestat” Combines Rock Concert, Sphere Placement, and Faux Magazine Cover
AMC’s campaign for “ The Vampire Lestat ” — the retitled third season of Interview With the Vampire — centered on a June 2 rock concert at New York’s Beacon Theatre, where star Sam Reid performed six original songs composed for the series by Daniel Hart. AMC CMO Kim Granito oversaw the effort, which included Sphere Las Vegas placement, an Amazon Music Times Square billboard, a faux Rolling Stone cover, and the release of five songs via Lakeshore Records , accumulating roughly 3.5 million Spotify streams. The series premiered June 7 on AMC and AMC+.
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