January 2026 Pop Culture Recap
- Zoey Daniels
- 3 days ago
- 11 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
So I guess these are monthly now?
Are you tired of reading about the dictator next door and the countless arrests and murders of innocent people? You deserve a break, so take your mind off of that stuff with some different "news" events that truly don't matter at all... except for Heated Rivalry. Heated Rivalry matters so much.
Heated Rivalry becomes even more of a cultural phenomenon
There's honestly so much here, it probably should have been it's own blog post, but whatever. A ton of stuff is going on, and I'm almost definitely missing some of it (although this was curated, so some was intentionally kept out), but here's what's mildly important to know:
Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie have become two of the most talked about names in the entertainment industry this month. The amount of excitement these actors are met with is like One Direction mania in 2013, except the fans are full grown adults, not eleven-year-old girls. Earlier this month, Williams and Storrie made their late night talk show debuts on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers respectively. The videos of them walking from their cars to the door of 30 Rock are truly insane. Keep in mind, their appearances were days apart, meaning these were two separate crowds gathering to watch a three-second walk.
As bizarre as I think this is, I'd be lying if I said I couldn't relate even a little bit to these crazy fans. Heated Rivalry has become basically all I think about, and has taken over my social media. I deleted Instagram for a bit, just to get a break from it, but I couldn't stay away for that long. I know I write these recaps and stuff, but there's something that feels icky about being so obsessed with someone you don't know. Still, there's so much truly entertaining promotional content featuring Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, it feels impossible to only be interested in the show without getting invested in their celebrity personas. I think the word "unhinged" is used too liberally nowadays, but I can't think of another word that encapsulates Hudson Williams' interview behaviour so perfectly, not to mention his brilliant digital footprint. It's truly deranged in the absolute best way possible. Yet, despite how funny both Williams and Storrie are (and they're not too bad-looking either), I'm ready for these two men to get off my Instagram Explore page for a while.
Storrie and Williams were torch bearers for the upcoming Olympics in Italy, so that's cool. Although I will say the videos of them walking with them are so fucking awkward. Why don't they play some music or something?
Connor and Hudson present together at the Golden Globes, which feels like a missed opportunity to recreate the scene from the show where the two awkwardly present an award together, but whatever.
We're getting some official Heated Rivalry merch, as the campaign to #releasethefleece has worked. Fans became obsessed with the Team Canada jacket Shane Hollander wore while at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. A Change.org petition got thousands of signatures. Fans made enough of a fuss that the show partnered with Canadian brand Province of Canada to make these niche dreams a reality. On a personal level I'm super torn about this, because on one hand I love the jacket, but on the other hand, would I actually ever wear it? I don't know, but stylistically it's something I could have totally seen my mum wearing all winter long.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is getting in on the action, as on the red carpet of the Prime Time screen and media industry conference gala, he was gifted the legendary fleece by Hudson Williams, and the two had a very interesting photo op.
Carney also made a speech at the event praising Heated Rivalry and Canadian media for not toning the show down like potential American funders wanted to do. The speech is very cute, and I would recommend giving it a watch. Carney admitted to only being on Episode 5 though, so I guess he doesn't get his own cottage reference.
Ottawa's mayor Mark Sutcliffe declares January 29th 'Shane Hollander Day' in a funny statement read by the show's creator Jacob Tierney.
Also, Rachel Reid, author of the Game Changer series in which the Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander-focused books Heated Rivalry and The Long Game are numbers two and six, announces the seventh book Unrivaled, which will continue to follow the beloved couple.
If you know me in real life, please read The Long Game so I can talk to you about it. I read Game Changer books 1, 2, and 6 to avoid having it spoiled for me, but now I'm dying trying to not spoil it for others. Someone please get on my level so I can relax.
Harry Styles announces his upcoming album
We're getting some new music from Harry! Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally will be the singer's fourth studio album as a solo artist, coming to us March 6th. The first single, Aperture, was released on January 22nd (if you go by eastern time). Styles' last album Harry's House was released almost four years ago, and the cultural phenomenon that was Love On Tour ended in summer 2023. For this next album, I hope he takes the disco part seriously. The man does already have the outfits for it.
Ashley Tisdale has mom group drama
Though I can't say I personally care at all, Ashley Tisdale was getting a lot of attention for publicly breaking up with her friend group of famous moms. Tisdale wrote an essay for The Cut (that I didn't read because it's behind a paywall) where she said, "I thought I found my village. Instead I was back in high school." In an earlier version written for her blog (which I did read because it was short and free) she wrote, "in my mom group, I started to notice that certain people would get talked about when they weren’t present, and not in a positive way. I realized that there were group text chains that didn’t include everyone, which led to cliques forming within the larger group." It sounds like pretty much any other large circle of friends. I guess Ashley's above talking shit about people you don't like... unless you're publishing it on your website. At least in the version I read, Tisdale didn't say anything that damning about anyone. She didn't mention names, but this mom group had been pretty public on social media, so people knew it included celebrities like Hilary Duff, Mandy Moore, and Meghan Trainor. The only interesting thing about this was that days later, Hilary Duff's husband Matthew Koma, posts a photo on his Instagram story parodying Tisdale's article, changing the title to "When You’re The Most Self-Obsessed Tone Deaf Person On Earth, Other Moms Tend To Shift Focus To Their Actual Toddlers."
Awards season begins again
January had both the Critics' Choice Awards and the Golden Globes. To me, there's not much worth noting yet, as it's basically just a pre-show for the Oscars. Yes, they do TV as well, but honestly I don't care this year, however I will say good for Owen Cooper!
The only thing I feel like talking about from these events was when Hacks' Meg Stalter and Paul W. Downs showed up to the Critics' Choice Awards in exact replicas of what Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner wore to the Marty Supreme premiere. I've never seen Hacks, so I had no idea who these people were, but they really stole the show. This was so funny. I just wished Downs had brought his mom along in a matching outfit, because that's what Chalamet did. Matching with your son can be cute, but I wonder if anyone got a photo of just Kylie with Timothée's mom.
I'll write about the Oscar nominations shortly, so don't complain about me not talking about it here. It will get its own post eventually. Oh I said shortly above. Shit, okay. It will get its own post shortly then.
Some musical theatre news
It's announced that Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George will be coming to the West End in summer 2027. The show will be led by Wicked costars Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey (again, the actor, not my parents). I bet this thing will sell out the moment tickets are released.
As always, there's some casting news. Six has a whole cast coming in, though not all are new to the show. Adrianna Hicks, Anna Uzele, and Olivia Donalson are returning to Six, with two newcomers Abigail Barlow (a Grammy-winning artist known for writing the Unauthorized Bridgerton Musical and the songs for Moana 2) and Dylan Mulvaney (TikTok star, and the writer/star of the acclaimed autobiographical one-woman show The Least Problematic Woman in the World). Mulvaney's casting was criticized by transphobes and they can suck it. I think she'll do great as Anne Boleyn, and hopefully this controversy will only help her get into character.
Peyton List joins the Off Broadway cast of Heathers as Heather Chandler.
Helen J Shen and Darren Criss announce that they will depart from Maybe Happy Ending on February 15th and May 17th respectively.
The leads for the live action remake of Tangled are announced to be Teagan Croft and Milo Manheim. Though I do not believe a remake of Tangled, one of my favourite movies, is necessary in any way, I am happy this casting is over with, because I have been seeing so many videos of fan casting and speculation about this project for literal years. Though I don't know anything about Teagan Croft, I am fond of Milo Manheim, and he's my current pick to play Billy Joel in the biopic I bet they will eventually make, which is a pretty big honour coming from me.
Brooklyn Beckham exposes his parents' poor behaviour
Brooklyn Beckham, the eldest child of David and Victoria Beckham, posts several Instagram Stories about his relationship with his parents, and their horrible behaviour to him and his wife, Nicola Peltz. Beckham alleges that his parents have gone out of their way to spread lies in the press, and have tried to control him his whole life. They have tried to sabotage his relationship with Peltz, and intentionally make her feel as unwelcome as possible. According to Brooklyn, Victoria was supposed to design Nicola's wedding dress, but pulled out at the very last minute, and then stole their first dance. I'd recommend reading the posts above if you're interested because he gives many more examples of his parents' bad behaviour.
Though neither parent have commented on their son's statement, Victoria's 2001 song Not Such an Innocent Girl becomes number one on the iTunes chart in the UK and Ireland, posing the question: people are still buying music on iTunes?
Bruno Mars starts his solo comeback
Bruno Mars announces his first solo album in nearly a decade. The Romantic comes out in February, and the first single I Just Might was released on January 9th.
Disney Channel nostalgia
High School Musical turned twenty on January 20th, and they released some dolls to celebrate. Honestly, they're not nearly as cute as the Barbie dolls from back in the day that I still own. I had Sharpay's golf cart. Also, the new Troy and Gabriella come as a set for $130 USD. I don't know how much my Barbies from 2007 cost, but I'm sure it was a whole lot less.
Miley Cyrus teased the twentieth anniversary of Hannah Montana with a return to the blonde bangs.
Hilary Duff performed What Dreams Are Made Of from The Lizzie McGuire Movie live while on tour.
A new Phineas and Ferb movie is announced, which though was not part of my official predictions survey, I did write it in when I filled the form out myself.
Euphoria trailer
It's been four years since Season 2 came out, and there's been a time jump. I guess the actors being four years older might make them less believable as high schoolers, but also they were never believable as high schoolers, and the show never made sense as a high school show. If it hadn't been announced that this was the last season, I'd give up on the show, but I can probably stick it out for a few more episodes.
Rachel McAdams gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Did you know that for the Hollywood Walk of Fame, you have to pay to get a star? That makes it so much less impressive. Like congrats, you had $85,000.
Free Solo
Alex Honnold climbs Taipei 101, a building nearly as tall as the CN Tower, without a rope. The climb is broadcast on Netflix with a 10-second delay, presumably to cut away if he fell. Honnold completes the climb in approximately an hour and a half.
Bridgerton returns
Dearest Gentle Reader,
Netflix's hit Bridgerton returns for its fourth season, and it's Benedict's turn to wed. Thus far I have only seen Episode 1, but there is definitely some Cinderella inspiration. Frankly, so much so it's practically plagiarism, but I'm here for it.
Jennette McCurdy debut novel
Former iCarly star Jennette McCurdy releases her debut novel Half His Age. McCurdy is perhaps best known for her acclaimed 2022 memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died, but now the author is diving into fiction. The novel currently has a 3.55 rating on Goodreads, which is quite mediocre, especially compared to her memoir's 4.43.
Catherine O'Hara passes away
Canadian actress Catherine O'Hara passes away at the age of 71. O'Hara was best known for her role as Moira Rose on Schitt's Creek, but she was also Kevin's horrible mother in the first two Home Alone movies, and she played the iconic Delia Deetz in both Beetlejuice movies. She will also be remembered for her time on SCTV, as well as a variety of other projects.
Internet Girl
International girl group KATSEYE releases the single "Internet Girl." I think all the members are so talented and I can't deny it's a bop, but God, I wish HYBE x Geffen hired songwriters who speak English. Like what the fuck are they talking about when they repeatedly sing "eat zucchini?" I swear the members of KATSEYE don't even know what it's supposed to mean.
The Beauty
For better or for worse, Ryan Murphy is back with new show The Beauty. As always, the cast is full of stars, including Meghan Trainor in her acting debut.
Queer Eye drama... again
I find the Queer Eye group so uninteresting, yet I feel like I'm always hearing about drama going on between them, even though I haven't watched the show since probably Season 4. While promoting their final season, culture and lifestyle expert Karamo Brown was noticeably missing from a variety of interviews. He allegedly skipped out due to fear of being bullied by his castmates. Queer Eye's entire appeal is the positivity displayed on screen, especially between the cast members. So does this ruin the show? I don't know, but I doubt it because it's over anyway.
Wonder Man
Something Marvel is getting good reviews in 2026? Yes, Wonder Man is Marvel's newest miniseries on Disney+ and it seems to be doing well with audiences and critics alike. I thought my Marvel days were in the past, but the clip of him singing the first verse of "My Year" from the DCOM Z-O-M-B-I-E-S has me intrigued.
The Moment
The Moment hits theatres. The mockumentary follows Charli XCX playing a fictionalized version of herself as her Brat era comes to an end.
Glambot drama
This was a controversy that feels so random, I never would have predicted it. Cole the Glambot guy is in hot water for being rude to a woman over email in 2019.
Let's back this up a bit. The Glambot is something that appears at most major televised red carpet events. It's a camera that while recording pushes up super quickly to create a cool slow-motion effect. Cole Walliser is the director of the Glambot and frequently posts behind-the-scenes videos of celebrities posing fot it. Walliser posted a bts video of Jennifer Lopez doing the Glambot, and viewers started calling her out for being rude to Walliser by completely ignoring him. Walliser then makes a video defending Lopez, saying that she didn't have to stop for it at all, and she could have just kept walking.
Then, a woman named Yinka Animashaun posts an email thread between Walliser and her, were she is inquiring about renting the Glambot for her wedding, and Walliser is so needlessly rude. They have a back-and-forth with Animashaun trying to get a quote, and Walliser essentially saying it doesn't matter because you couldn't afford it. He eventually quotes her $300,000 which is insane, as people figured out that you could buy all the equipment for around $17,000, and there's no way labour would cost $283,000. Some people accused Walliser of racism, as Animashaun is a Black woman, but this was all through email, so like, did he even know that?
It then comes out that Walliser is not the inventor of the Glambot, and Joseph Kahn did the original design. I don't think Walliser ever took credit for designing it, I think people just assumed he did, as he's always the one associated with it.
Walliser posts a video apologizing for his "dismissive and curt" emails, which gets mixed reactions from fans.
At Spotify's Best New Artist party, they have a 'Stun Cam,' which is a Glambot dupe.
Thanks for reading. See you next month... maybe.
