Entertainment & Media

San José, Costa Rica – October 02, 2026 -- Americas Cardroom has released a software update introducing Progressive Mystery Bounty tournaments, a Wild emoji collection, expanded Staking Tickets and broader mobile-table support.

Players choose between Mild and Wild emoji reactions

The Emoji Gallery now offers two collections: Mild (PG) and Wild (R). The Wild set adds more aggressive reactions and throwables, with each player's own setting controlling only what appears on their own screen. Emojis can be turned off entirely through Settings > Playing Experience > Gameplay.

Progressive Mystery Bounty spans multiple tournament days

The new format locks bounty play during Day 1. Once opening flights conclude, the bounty pool is randomly distributed among players advancing to Day 2. From that point, eliminating an opponent pays half of their bounty immediately, while the other half is added to the eliminator's own bounty.

Miami Beach – October 02, 2026 -- Apotheke South Beach, a botanical-infused cocktail lounge hidden behind an unmarked door on Washington Avenue at Moxy South Beach, opens October 16 in the Art Deco District.

The venue marks the brand's fourth location since 2008

Apotheke Mixology began behind an unmarked oak door on New York City's Doyers Street in 2008. The brand later expanded with Apotheke Los Angeles in 2018 and Apotheke NoMad New York City in 2022. Apotheke South Beach brings the concept to Florida for the first time, accessed directly from the street rather than through the hotel.

Englewood Cliffs, N.J. – October 02, 2026 -- LG Electronics has partnered with Miniclip to bring 8 Ball Pool, the mobile game with more than 1 billion downloads worldwide, to LG Smart TVs for the first time. The free-to-play title launches this week on LG Smart TVs and monitors running webOS 6.0 and above across 165 countries.

A new Couch Play Mode lets two players compete on one screen.

The game is accessible through LG Apps or the LG Gaming Portal, where users can earn badges and rewards by completing tasks.

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.

Las Vegas – October 01, 2026 -- Neon City Festival revealed its expanded 2026 lineup for a free, all-ages, three-day celebration set for Nov. 20-22 in downtown Las Vegas.

Diplo, Big Boi and Three 6 Mafia headline newly announced acts

Diplo, Big Boi, Cobra Starship, Freddie Gibbs, Joyce Manor and Three 6 Mafia join previously confirmed performers Kaskade, Subtronics and The Fray for the third annual event.

Friday's bill features Diplo and Cobra Starship

The Nov. 20 lineup includes Diplo, Cobra Starship, Freddie Gibbs, The Paradox, Babyface Ray, Summerlin House Mafia and Split Persona.

Saturday brings Subtronics, The Fray and Three 6 Mafia

Nov. 21 performers include Subtronics, The Fray, Three 6 Mafia, Slick Rick, Parachute, LUCKY, The Far Worst, Hoity-Toity and Kings/Kings, alongside the Unity Events Neon Showcase featuring Marsik, VLITO, Carson Wysocki, Allergic, Rainbolt and Shawn.

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.

Nashville, Tenn. – October 01, 2026 -- Minno, a Christian streaming platform for kids, has premiered a new animated series called Laugh and Grow Bible for Kids: Jesus Stories, with a companion book arriving October 13 and a screen-free audio version also available on the platform.

The series launched October 2 and expands Minno's existing Laugh and Grow Bible for Kids franchise, which already includes more than 65 animated episodes, a Bedtime Stories series, a Learning Series, music, holiday specials, and bestselling books translated into Spanish, Portuguese, and American Sign Language.

Santa Monica, Calif. – September 30, 2026 -- STARZ says Verizon Fios customers could lose access to all STARZ channels, STARZ On Demand and the STARZ app unless the two companies reach a new distribution agreement soon.

Negotiations remain unresolved as a deadline looms

Alison Hoffman, President of STARZ Networks, said the company has been negotiating in good faith with Verizon but warned that viewers "should be prepared for Verizon to remove STARZ" unless a deal is struck imminently.

Losing the deal would cut off several exclusive shows

A removal would block Verizon Fios subscribers from the full "Power" Universe and the upcoming "Power: Origins," every episode of "Outlander" and its prequel "Outlander: Blood of my Blood," the next season of "P-Valley," the current season of "S.W.A.T. Exiles," and the upcoming premiere of "Tip Toe."

Fans would also lose STARZ's film library, including the global hit Michael.

Shelton, Conn. – September 30, 2026 -- Timex has launched Timex Tales, an AI-powered storybook app built to teach children ages 5 to 10 how to read a traditional analog clock, using Google Gemini technology.

A Timex survey found 2 in 5 kids struggle with analog clocks

The company commissioned a survey showing that two in five children ages 6 to 9 struggle to confidently read an analog clock, a gap Timex says its new tool is designed to close.

Stories personalize learning through a cast of animal characters

Using Google's Nano Banana image generation, Timex Tales creates personalized adventures where children follow characters including a tiger, dolphin, penguin, dog, and axolotl through settings like castles, cities, and outer space. The stories teach kids to distinguish hour and minute hands, tell AM from PM, and link time to daily routines like morning and evening.

Boulder – September 29, 2026 -- The Sundance Film Festival will leave Park City after more than four decades and debut in Boulder, Colorado, running January 21-31, 2027.

Boulder's Chautauqua Auditorium becomes an official festival venue

Set beneath the Flatirons, Boulder pairs the festival's screenings and premieres with immediate access to hiking trails at Chautauqua Park. Downtown, the pedestrian-only Pearl Street will mark its 50th anniversary in 2027, and the city's dining scene has drawn recognition from the MICHELIN Guide.

Estes Park offers elk sightings and quiet winter trails near Rocky Mountain National Park

As the basecamp for Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park turns into a snowshoe-friendly landscape in winter, with elk commonly seen around town and mule deer spotted in the surrounding area. The Riverwalk trail follows the Big Thompson and Fall rivers through downtown.