🔥 Trend Watch 🔥

Culture-spanning moments from the week ahead to have on your radar.

⚽ England vs. Italy — After a nail-biting penalty win over Sweden, the Lionesses head to the Euro semi-finals to face Italy.

🌌 Mercury in Retrograde — A social lightning rod for tech fails, mood swings, and cosmic blame content.

🎤 Alex Warren debut — A breakout music moment fueled by TikTok smash “Ordinary” and major collabs.

🔪 I Know What You Did Last Summer — A slasher reboot blending ’90s nostalgia with Gen Z horror hype.

🎥 Comic-Con — The year’s biggest fandom event driving reveals, cosplay trends, and viral media moments.

🚨 Trendy Cal 2.0 🚨

A quick heads-up before we dive in.

A brand-new web version is on the way with a cultural lookahead that goes all the way to 2028. I’d love to get your take on it.

It’s designed to help you plan content around key moments way in advance — not just next week, but next year (and beyond).

Want early access?

Reply to this email — I’ll send you the beta link + a 3-minute feedback form.

🌍 Global Moments

Worldwide cultural flashpoints.

🗓️ ONGOING: Alpha Capricornids are active all month — with the brightest fireballs set to light up the skies on July 30–31.

🌌 July 18 – August 11 | Mercury in Retrograde 

Mercury’s backspin in Leo sparks widespread social chatter, blamed for tech issues, miscommunication, and emotional turbulence.

🦁 July 22 – August 22 | Leo Season 

Leo Season fuels bold self-expression and viral “main character” energy across social platforms.

🌑 July 24 | New Moon 

This moonless night marks the start of a new lunar cycle—an ideal moment for intention-setting, low-light stargazing, and celestial content creation.

🎯 National Spotlights

Holidays, headlines, and more.

🎥 July 24 – 27 | Comic-Con San Diego (USA)

The world’s premier pop culture convention returns with exclusive reveals, cosplay virality, and major fandom moments. Brands activate with live coverage, influencer collabs, and real-time social drops.

⚽ Live Sport

Big sports moments happening in real time.

🗓️ ONGOING: The Open Golf (until July 20), UEFA Women’s Euro (until July 27), Tour de France & Tour de France Femmes (until July 27) and England vs India Men’s Test Series (until August 4).

ONE TO WATCH: ⚽ July 22 | UEFA Women's Euro Semi-finals 2025

After a dominant 6–1 win over Wales and a dramatic penalty shootout victory against Sweden, the Lionesses now advance to face unbeaten Italy in the Euro semi-final in Geneva. Seven standout players continue to earn top marks as England eyes the final on July 27 in Basel.

🎮 Gaming Updates

Major launches, events, and viral moments.

🎮 July 18 | Shadow Labyrinth (Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC)

A dark, atmospheric reinterpretation of classic maze gameplay, blending horror elements with Metroidvania mechanics in 4K/60fps. Strong early buzz positions it as a breakout "mascot drift" moment, with potential for viral gameplay clips and nostalgia-fueled commentary.

🎉 July 24 | Super Mario Party Jamboree: Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV (Nintendo Switch 2)

Nintendo's flagship party game returns with motion, voice, and camera-based minigames—optimized for Switch 2’s performance and social-sharing features. Expect high engagement from multiplayer streamers, party-game creators, and launch-day content across TikTok and YouTube.

🎧 Music Moments

Tours, releases and awards by kickoff date.

🗓️ ONGOING: BLACKPINK and Oasis’ tour. Oasis are currently playing hometown shows in Manchester.

🎤 July 18 | Alex Warren – You’ll Be Alright, Kid (Album Release – Atlantic Records)

Alex Warren’s debut album drops featuring 21 tracks and guest spots from Jelly Roll and Rosé. Notably, lead single “Ordinary” has been a TikTok smash—sparking millions of creations and topping charts in the U.S., UK, and beyond.

🎆 July 18 | BTS – Permission to Dance On Stage – Live (Live Album Release – Big Hit Music)

BTS’s first live album compiles 22 tracks from their global tour, including “Dynamite,” “Butter,” and the title anthem. Available in limited editions with HD footage and a deluxe photobook, it celebrates one of the group's most ambitious concert eras.

👀 What To Watch

Major movie, TV and streaming releases.

🎭 July 18 | Smurfs Musical, (Theater)

The beloved blue characters leap to the big screen in a CG‑animated musical directed by Chris Miller and co‑directed by Matt Landon, featuring Rihanna as producer, songwriter, and voice of Smurfette alongside stars like John Goodman and James Corden.

🔪 July 18 | I Know What You Did Last Summer – Reboot (Theater)

Sony’s modern slasher revival reunites Jennifer Love Hewitt & Freddie Prinze Jr. alongside rising stars, blending ’90s nostalgia and Gen‑Z edge, though early tracking suggests a lukewarm ~$10M opening.

🎹 July 18 | Billy Joel: And So It Goes, (HBO)

This all-access HBO documentary offers a rare look at Billy Joel’s life and legacy, featuring unseen archival footage and deep reflections on a career that shaped modern music. Poised for critical acclaim and fan nostalgia across generations.

🕵️‍♀️ July 22 | Trainwreck: P.I. Moms, (Netflix)

This tell-all Netflix documentary revisits the rise and fall of a 2000s reality show about suburban moms turned private investigators. Featuring behind-the-scenes revelations and a drug scandal that derailed the series, it blends true crime intrigue with sharp media critique.

🎭 July 22 | Materialists – Streaming Premiere (Prime)

Celine Song’s hit rom-com, starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal, arrives on digital VOD—available early on Prime, iTunes, and others—and is expected to hit Max later this year under A24’s distribution deal.

📺 July 23 | Shiny Happy People – Season 2 (Prime Video)

The explosive docuseries returns with new revelations about the Duggar family and broader scrutiny of reality TV's dark undercurrents. Season 2 aims to drive viral discussion and cultural commentary online.

🌍 July 23 | Washington Black (Hulu)

Adapted from the bestselling novel, this visually rich miniseries follows a young boy’s escape from slavery into a globe-spanning journey of self-discovery and reinvention. Emmy buzz is building around its ambitious scope and storytelling.

🌞 July 23 | Acapulco – Season 4 (Apple TV+)

Maximo’s sun‑soaked resort saga concludes in a fourth and final season, blending 1980s nostalgia, retro drama, and heartfelt fun as he fights to restore Las Colinas to its former glory.

🎢 July 24 | Epic Ride: The Story of Universal Theme Parks (Peacock)

This three-part docuseries offers a behind-the-scenes look at Universal’s most iconic rides—from Jaws to Jurassic Park. A nostalgia-driven deep dive designed to engage fans of theme parks, film history, and immersive storytelling.

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