Art & Culture

Woodinville – September 18, 2026 -- PowerA has released a new line of officially licensed Harry Potter gaming accessories for Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox, marking the start of a multi-year partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products.

Four Hogwarts houses get their own Switch 2 gear

The debut lineup includes a Nintendo Switch 2 Advantage Wireless Controller priced at $69.99 and Nintendo Switch 2 Protection Cases at $24.99, each themed around one of the four Hogwarts houses. The designs let fans display their house pride directly on their gaming setup.

Xbox controllers feature Chibi art and Quidditch styling

An Xbox Wired Controller, priced at $34.99, depicts Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and other characters in a Chibi-inspired art style. A pricier Xbox Advantage Wireless Controller, at $99.99, draws on the visual language of Quidditch and includes gold-accented details.

Nazareth, Pa. – September 18, 2026 -- C. F. Martin & Co. has launched a refreshed 16 Series of all-solid-wood acoustic-electric guitars, handcrafted in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and available starting September 15, 2026.

New gloss finishes give the lineup a bolder visual identity

The refreshed series introduces gloss-top finish options including Blue Denim, Cherry Cola, Cream, Black Smoke, and 1935 Burst. The GPC and Grand J 12-string models retain a more traditional natural top with a vintage tint.

St. Louis – – September 18, 2026 -- Nearly 40 years after Illinois alternative rock trio Lucky Mary Blonde broke up, a long-lost 1988 live recording is streaming worldwide today as the album "Lucky Mary Blonde LIVE!" on Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music.

A single cassette from a 1988 Carbondale show survived by chance

The band released "Let the Moonlight Burn" in December 1987 and toured Midwest college venues from Chicago to Memphis before disbanding in late 1988. Private cassette recordings from one of its final Carbondale, Illinois performances were made directly from the soundboard and stage microphones, then forgotten. Decades later, a friend of the band located one tape and sent it to drummer John Baldus in St. Louis.

Los Angeles – September 17, 2026 -- KidsTopia, an AI-powered kids platform, has earned the kidSAFE SAFE CERTIFIED Seal, a global child online safety designation awarded after a review of its chat, reporting, and AI safety practices.

The service is operated by Inculab plus, a company spun off from LG U+. KidsTopia had previously held the lower-tier kidSAFE LISTED Seal before advancing to the SAFE CERTIFIED designation.

KidsTopia operates in 11 countries including the US, Japan, and Korea

The edutainment platform lets children play, learn, explore virtual spaces, and interact with AI characters. It is currently available in 11 countries, including Korea, the United States, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore.

Los Angeles – September 17, 2026 -- Kaiju No. 8 THE GAME, the mobile and PC title co-produced by Akatsuki Games, TOHO, and Production I.G, added a new playable character today as part of its first-anniversary celebration.

A new five-star fighter joins the roster on September 14

The character, called [Unorthodox Pursuit] Suited, wields a Hammer-type weapon and draws power from a creature identified in the game's lore as Dimensional Identified Kaiju A. According to the character's in-game backstory, she wears a prosthetic eye made from the Kaiju's cells, which has also altered her hair color and placed strain on her body -- effects she reportedly embraces despite the risks. A matching five-star Hammer weapon, HM-Spolcyc, launches alongside her.

Players get a login bonus tied to a new anime episode

To mark the release of the second episode of the tie-in short anime "Narumi's Week at Work,

New York – September 17, 2026 -- A kitchen staple just walked the streets of Manhattan during New York Fashion Week, as If You Care unveiled a fully wearable dress made entirely from its Parchment Baking Paper.

Actress and longtime If You Care fan Busy Philipps debuted the custom piece, calling the concept "a fun, unexpected way to show what this everyday kitchen staple can actually do."

The dress is built from the same parchment used in home kitchens.

If You Care Parchment Baking Paper is designed to prevent sticking and ease cleanup for roasting, baking, and sheet-pan meals. The paper is unbleached, chlorine-free, non-toxic, and compostable after use -- properties the brand carried directly into the fashion piece.

Hong Kong – September 17, 2026 -- Luxury Group by Marriott International and Sotheby's have expanded their global partnership into Asia Pacific for the first time, launching a new masterclass series called "The Art of Knowing." The program combines short digital videos with exclusive in-person events, giving hotel guests closer access to rare craftsmanship, collecting, and connoisseurship.

The initiative follows last year's debut of private tours at Sotheby's Maison during Sotheby's Hong Kong's Luxury Week.

New York -- September 14, 2026 -- Khloé Kardashian's fragrance portfolio officially launched at Sephora on September 14, 2026, bringing her three scents to 1,300 Sephora US and Sephora Kohl's doors nationwide. The rollout, done in partnership with Luxe Brands, also makes Sephora the exclusive Canadian retailer for the collection.

Three scents anchor the retail debut

The lineup includes XO Khloé, Almost Always, and the newly launched XO BLUE. All three are now available both on Sephora.com and in physical stores starting September 14, 2026.

The US launch is a springboard for global expansion

Luxe Brands and Kardashian are using the North American rollout to set up further expansion into Mexico, Brazil, India, and markets across Asia. The strategy leans on Sephora's retail visibility to gauge consumer demand before scaling internationally.

Philadelphia – September 17, 2026 -- Urban Outfitters is launching UO Game Day 2026, a free three-city campus tour featuring live concerts, giveaways, and pop-up shops at the University of Arizona, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Rutgers University this fall.

The tour, now in its third consecutive year, is sponsored by Nike, Levi's, and Converse, brands the retailer credits with shaping sneaker, denim, and sportswear culture on campus.

Free concerts kick off in Tucson before moving to Wisconsin and New Jersey

UO Live shows run September 18 in Tucson, AZ (6-9pm) with Alison Wonderland; October 1 in Madison, WI (7-10pm) with The Linda Lindas and Mack Keane; and October 30 in New Brunswick, NJ (6-9pm) with DJ Miss Milan. Each tour stop includes in-store events, campus pop-ups, and sponsored student-section giveaways running from September 17 through October 31 across the three locations.

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. – September 17, 2026 -- The Magic of Disney Animation, a new collection of interactive experiences, has opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

The building echoes Disney Animation's real-world Burbank headquarters

The structure draws its design from the iconic Roy E. Disney Animation Building in Burbank, California, and features artwork representing all 65 Walt Disney Animation Studios feature films, including the studio's upcoming 2026 release, "Hexed."

The experience is built on an Emmy-winning short film

The attraction takes inspiration from Disney Animation's Emmy Award-winning short "Once Upon a Studio," with director Dan Abraham working alongside Walt Disney Imagineering's Daniel Handke to shape the project.