The WBC super middleweight title fight between Canelo Alvarez and Christian M'billi is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, streaming on DAZN; the cited records are Alvarez 63-3-2 and M'billi 29-0-1, per Variety.
Indian filmmaker Sanjay Gupta, known for “Kaante,” “Shootout at Wadala,” and “Kaabil,” died following a fall at his Mumbai residence on Oct. 30, 2026, at age 59, according to Variety/PTI.
A masterclass with Japanese director Zeze Takahisa took place at the Tokyo International Film Festival's Tokyo Talk program before a full house; Zeze directed the festival opener “Sukiyaki,” and the discussion covered his early pink and indie films, per Variety.
The report accurately describes Japan's production committee system as a co-financing and rights-sharing model, and says film funds are exploring new financing models beyond it, consistent with the Variety article.
CCulture Morning, and it's Halloween weekend — Michael Jackson's Thriller just hit a new peak on Spotify.
LOh, the King of Pop is back on top? That song owns October like Mariah owns December.
CPop Base says Thriller climbed to number two on the US chart, up eight spots, with one point three six million streams in a day.
LOne point three six million? That's a graveyard smash forty years later.
CBut is this real staying power or just the Halloween bump? Every October it spikes, then it's gone by November first.
LDoes the reason matter? The song is a masterwork. Quincy Jones, Vincent Price, that bass line. It deserves the spotlight.
CIt deserves it, but the chart is a snapshot, not a legacy. Three days of Halloween nostalgia doesn't prove the song is still relevant.
LIt proves the song never left. You don't need a billion streams year-round to be iconic. You need to matter when it counts.
CAnd it matters on Halloween. Fine. But next week it'll be back to whatever Tate McRae is doing.
LTate McRae is doing fine, by the way. Her song Housewife has been number one globally for thirteen days, according to Pop Base.
CThirteen days? That's actual staying power, not a holiday one-off.
LNow you're comparing a current pop hit to a forty-year-old classic? That's apples and zombies.
CI'm comparing chart relevance. One is current, one is seasonal. Different things.
LBoth are on the same chart, same day. That's the whole point of music discovery.
CMy point is that a Halloween spike doesn't tell us anything new about the song. It's just the algorithm doing its thing.
LThe algorithm is people choosing to listen. That IS telling us something.
CIt tells us the song is popular on Halloween. We knew that.
LThen what do you want from the chart? A song has to be new to impress you?
CI want a song that charts in March and October. Like a real classic.
LReal classics earn their status over decades, not by appearing on a weekly list every season. You're moving the goalposts.
COkay, maybe I am. The Halloween bump is a feature, not a bug. Fine.
LThank you. Now, speaking of Spotify, JISOO's new song Addicted just debuted at one ninety-five globally.
COne ninety-five for a BLACKPINK member? That seems low for a solo release from a global star.
LPop Base says one point two four million streams. Not terrible, but not the blockbuster you'd expect.
CHer fans are some of the most dedicated on the planet. They'd stream a two-minute silence if she posted it.
LMaybe they did and it still didn't crack the top fifty. The song might just be... okay.
COr maybe the rollout was messy. No music video, no big push. That matters.
LCould be. Addicted dropped quietly, almost like a B-side.
COr maybe the K-pop solo wave is cooling. We've had a lot of solo projects lately, and not all of them land.
LThat's fair. But I actually like Addicted. It's a slow-burn track. Maybe it'll climb.
CWe'll see. If it does, I'll admit I was wrong.
LI'll hold you to that.
CDeal. And while we're on animation, DiscussingFilm posted that Nintendo just dropped a Pikmin animated short, with new shorts coming monthly.
LWait, Pikmin shorts? That's adorable. But has Nintendo confirmed this?
CNo official word from Nintendo yet. Right now it's just the claim from DiscussingFilm.
LIf it's true, that's a smart move. Monthly shorts could keep the franchise alive between games.
CAnd Pikmin is perfect for short-form animation. Those little plant guys are endlessly charming.
LI'd watch it. But until Nintendo says something, I'm treating it like a rumor.
CSame here. But if they do monthly shorts, I'm in.