Celebrities & Pop Culture

Miami – October 02, 2026 -- Royal Caribbean will debut the first-ever at-sea production of "The SpongeBob Musical" aboard Hero of the Seas, its fourth Icon Class ship, when the vessel sets sail from Miami in August 2027.

The show, inspired by the Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical and the Nickelodeon animated series, will run in the ship's Royal Theater. It brings the undersea world of Bikini Bottom to the stage with original songs, elaborate sets and the story of SpongeBob and his friends racing to save their town from destruction.

Royal Caribbean frames the show as entertainment for every generation

"'The SpongeBob Musical' delivers on that by bringing generations together through a story families know and love, while showcasing the creativity, cutting-edge technology and world-class production that can only be experienced on a Royal Caribbean vacation," said Christi Coachman, Royal Caribbean's vice president of entertainment.

Kansas City – October 01, 2026 -- America Haunts has named its top five haunted attractions for 2026, recognizing the mega-haunts that deliver the Best Scream for Your Buck through year-round preparation and large-scale production.

Erebus leads with nearly 30 years of immersive horror

Erebus Haunted Attraction in Pontiac, Michigan, takes guests on a four-story descent through more than half a mile of indoor sets centered on Dr. Colber's world of experimentation. The attraction has operated for nearly 30 years, drawing Halloween fans from throughout Metro Detroit.

New York – October 01, 2026 -- Pop star Tate McRae has launched her first signature fragrance, TATE 01, developed with Scent Beauty, Inc. and priced from $30 to $82 for sizes between 10ml and 100ml.

The scent blends bergamot with amber and sandalwood

Perfumers Adriana Medina and Antoine Maisondieu of Givaudan built TATE 01 around a top note of sparkling bergamot and clary sage, moving into white florals before settling into amber, tonka bean, sandalwood and soft woods. The formula is anchored by ISO E Super, a molecule designed to interact with individual skin chemistry so the scent shifts slightly from wearer to wearer.

McRae said she wears the fragrance during rehearsals, describing it as a layer that "warms up and moves with my body" rather than sitting on top of it.

New York – September 22, 2026 -- J.Crew is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its Barn Jacket by photographing 160 people across five U.S. cities and launching a new 2026 collection priced from $98 to $898.

The brand shot 160 people in five cities for the campaign

Photographer Robert Nethery captured subjects in New York City, Los Angeles, Austin, Boston and Chicago in intimate portraits. The cast mixes open-cast discoveries with athletes, artists, musicians and designers, including names like Spike Lee, Chance the Rapper, Scottie Pippen, Bowen Yang, Jenny Slate and Dave Franco.

Each portrait shows a different way of wearing the same jacket. Julia Collier, Chief Marketing Officer of J.Crew, said the 160 participants across five cities demonstrate how one design takes on a different life depending on who wears it, adding that the jacket has moved across wardrobes and generations for 40 years without being tied to one moment.

Los Angeles – September 20, 2026 -- Digital IP entertainment company IPX has launched the third MIGHTEEZ collection, a character line created with K-pop group ATEEZ, exclusively through LINE FRIENDS SQUARE US Online starting September 18.

MIGHTEEZ characters transform into rockstars alongside ATEEZ

The 'MIGHTEEZ Rock The Stage POP-UP' reimagines the superpowered fairy characters as they prepare for a rockstar debut, mirroring ATEEZ's own on-stage transformation. ATEEZ members took part in an exclusive photoshoot built around the 'Rock The Stage' concept, linking the artists directly to their animated counterparts.

The release follows ATEEZ's 14th EP reaching number one on the US Billboard 200.

Columbus, Ohio – September 19, 2026 -- Garage Beer has launched "Terrors of the Tailgate," a Halloween-themed trading card campaign with Kingsford that turns football fan rituals into collectible monster characters, with packs selling for $5.99 at drinkgaragebeer.com.

The limited-time-offer cards draw on '90s-style sports marketing and monster collectibles, casting everyday tailgate behavior as legendary creatures. Jason Kelce, billed as the "King of the Tailgate," leads the lineup as the campaign's central figure.

Five monster characters represent classic tailgate archetypes

The set includes The Table Smasher, The Face Paint Fanatic, The Cooler Raider, The Parking Lot Prophet, and Kingsford's The Flamekeeper, described as the fan who "controls the meat, controls the fire and controls the vibe."

Vancouver – September 15, 2026 -- Indochino has launched Hold the Room, its Fall/Winter 2026 campaign and collection, built around the idea that tailoring should serve an entire season of evenings rather than a single occasion. The made-to-measure menswear brand, which operates showrooms across the US and Canada, is rolling out the collection now both in stores and at indochino.com.

The campaign follows four friends across a single weekend, told in three chapters that move from a rainy afternoon arrival to a formal dinner on the final night.

Irvine, Calif. – September 15, 2026 -- Taco Bell is inviting everyday customers to compete against celebrities and pro athletes on a golf course, launching the inaugural Live Más Open at The Ranch at Laguna Beach on November 2.

Kevin Hart hosts a 36-player tournament built around wild-card challenges

The nine-hole event pairs qualifying fans with celebrities, pro athletes and creators across nine foursomes in a live draft format. Global superstar Kevin Hart, an avid golfer, is hosting the tournament, which Taco Bell describes as designed to "go off-script" from traditional tournament golf.

Clermont, KY – September 15, 2026 -- Jim Beam is rewarding fans every time an NFL kicker clangs a field goal off the goalpost, launching a season-long sweepstakes tied to the sound known as the "doink."

The "Hit the Beam" campaign debuts today ahead of the NFL season kickoff game, with a spot featuring comedian Ben Marshall coaching former NFL kicker Kai Forbath on how to intentionally miss and hit the upright instead of clearing it.

Every missed kick becomes a chance to win an 85-inch TV

Throughout the regular season, each time a kick strikes the goalpost, fans get an entry into a weekly drawing for an 85-inch television, with up to five TVs given away per week. Winners are chosen at random based on how many doinks occur that week; if no kicks hit the post, entries roll over to the following week.