If you’re trying to stretch your budget on gadgets and home tech, this week’s roundup is packed with options worth a look. According to the report, the featured deals span everything from Apple’s back-to-school offers and Samsung’s newest devices to Microsoft Surface computers, the GoPro Max 2, and other popular tech categories. The selections were checked with price-tracking tools to help confirm that the markdowns are legitimate, not just temporary hype.

Among the biggest headlines are several Apple and Samsung promotions. The roundup mentions a MacBook Air deal that comes with a $100 Apple Gift Card, plus discounts on Apple’s AirPods Max 2. Samsung shoppers can find offers tied to the Galaxy Watch Ultra2, Galaxy Watch 9, Galaxy Z Fold8, and Galaxy S25+, with some listings including gift cards and others showing notable savings off the regular price. Microsoft’s Surface lineup also gets attention, with a free pair of Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones included with select Surface Pro and Surface Laptop purchases.

One of the strongest home-and-living picks is the Neomow X SE Robot Lawn Mower, which the report says is $700 off thanks to an on-page coupon. The mower is described as a wire-free model designed to simplify setup, and it uses 3D LiDAR and AI vision for mapping and obstacle avoidance. It also includes all-terrain wheels, support for 4G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, plus GPS anti-theft tracking and an IPX5 waterproof rating for outdoor use. For readers who prefer indoor convenience, the 2024 Kindle Paperwhite is also highlighted at a record-low price, with Best Buy offering the 16GB model for $124.99 and the 32GB version for $144.99.

The Kindle Paperwhite is presented as a strong choice for most readers because of its larger seven-inch screen, faster performance, waterproof design, and generous storage. Taken together, this week’s deals lean heavily toward everyday tech people actually use at home, on the go, and in their routines—whether that means reading, working, listening, or taking care of the yard.

Source: lifehacker.com

The post This Week’s Best Tech Deals Include Apple, Samsung, Surface, and More appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

Across the five modern mainline Grand Theft Auto games, beginning with GTA 3, there are 346 story missions in total. Some are forgettable detours, but others have become defining moments for the series, thanks to Rockstar Games’ mix of cinematic presentation, criminal set pieces, and sandbox mayhem. According to the report, the most memorable GTA missions are the ones that turn a simple objective into something much bigger, whether that means a tense heist, a chaotic escape, or a mission structure that pushes the series in a new direction.

One of the earliest examples is GTA 3’s “Give Me Liberty,” which serves as the player’s first mission after Claude is freed from his prison transport. The task itself is basic: get to a safehouse, then head to Luigi’s. But its importance comes from how it introduces the world and tone of the game. Rather than relying on punishing tutorials, it gives players a cinematic welcome to Liberty City, with rain-soaked streets, moody lighting, and a sense that the series was moving toward something more ambitious than the earlier top-down entries.

GTA 4’s “Museum Piece” stands out for a different reason. What begins as a deal involving stolen diamonds quickly collapses into a gunfight inside The Libertonian, a museum inspired by real New York institutions. The mission sends players through marble halls, past shattered exhibits, and even into a sequence where a dinosaur skeleton is destroyed. It also matters because it connects multiple GTA stories: Niko Bellic shares the mission with Johnny Klebitz, while the sniper who interrupts the exchange is Luis Fernando Lopez. That overlap gave players an early taste of the multi-perspective storytelling later used more prominently in GTA 5.

Then there is GTA: San Andreas, a game known for its range, from kart races and house robberies to remote-controlled chaos and long-distance flights. “Black Project” fits that spirit by shifting into stealth-driven action more reminiscent of a tactical espionage game than a typical GTA mission. The report highlights it as one of the clearest examples of San Andreas’ willingness to experiment, showing how the series could move from open-world crime fantasy into something that felt closer to a spy thriller without losing its identity.

Taken together, these missions help explain why Grand Theft Auto has remained such a major force in gaming culture. They are not just objectives on a map; they are carefully staged moments that blend atmosphere, action, and personality in ways that have shaped how players remember the series.

Source: ign.com

The post The GTA Missions That Helped Define the Series appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

Charli XCX has made an expanded version of her latest album, Music, Fashion, Film (B-Sides Edition), available on iTunes, giving fans a digital release that had not originally been part of her rollout. The new edition arrived on Sunday and adds three extra songs to the project: “I Keep On Thinking Bout You Every Single Day and Night,” “Playboy Bunny,” and “If You Take the Music Then What Has She Got?”

Those tracks were already familiar to fans through Charli’s @b.sides Instagram account, where she had shared them earlier. They also appeared as b-sides on limited-edition 7-inch singles tied to “Rock Music,” “SS26,” and “Camera,” and were included in the physical box set for Music, Fashion, Film. In her Instagram explanation, Charli said she created the b-sides to sit alongside the album’s lead songs as companion pieces rather than as full parts of the record. She also said she had not intended to put them on streaming, but chose to do so after fans asked for them, calling the move “begrudgingly” made.

The iTunes version is priced at $4.99 and includes the album’s original 11 tracks along with the three b-sides and their music videos. Charli released Music, Fashion, Film, her seventh studio album, on Friday. In a recent Rolling Stone cover story, she said she sees a pattern of opposites across her albums and noted that she did not want to repeat herself creatively after the success of Brat. She is also preparing to tour the album, with festival dates and arena shows planned in cities including Brooklyn and Los Angeles.

Source: rollingstone.com

The post Charli XCX releases ‘Music, Fashion, Film (B-Sides Edition)’ on streaming after initially holding it back appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

Skims is giving Tracy Nguyen a bigger seat at the table. The intimate apparel label founded by Kim Kardashian and Jens Grede has promoted Nguyen to chief communications officer, a newly created position that widens her responsibilities across the brand.

Nguyen, who joined Skims in 2024 as executive vice president of communications and entertainment, will continue to oversee global communications while also taking charge of entertainment, sports and brand partnerships. According to the report, she has played a key role in shaping Skims’ communications strategy and helping build the brand’s cultural profile. One of her most notable contributions was helping steer the Skims x Nike partnership, after which she was named co-general manager of the venture in 2025. She will keep that NikeSkims role as part of her expanded remit.

In her new position, Nguyen will also lead celebrity, talent and sports partnerships, along with brand collaborations and cultural activations. The move underscores Skims’ continued push to position itself at the intersection of fashion, entertainment and sport. Kardashian praised Nguyen as a trusted advisor and said the promotion reflects confidence in her strategic and creative instincts, while Grede called the expansion of her role a natural next step for the company.

Nguyen is based in New York and reports to Kardashian and Grede. Before joining Skims, she served as chief brand officer for KKW Brands beginning in 2017, working closely with Kardashian across her business interests. She also co-founded Industry Public Relations, where she spent more than a decade, and previously held roles at People’s Revolution, 5W Public Relations and Sunshine Sachs.

Source: wwd.com

The post Skims Promotes Tracy Nguyen to Chief Communications Officer appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

Lifehacker’s Big Guessing Game is back for another round, giving Apple watchers a fresh chance to test their predictions and enter for a prize. The contest is part of a broader giveaway run with other CNET Group sites, and this phase focuses on Apple hardware rumors and announcements.

According to the report, the second round ran from July 7 through July 21 and asked participants to make guesses about products such as iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, and Vision Pro. Each round includes five questions, and every correct answer counts as one entry toward the grand-prize drawing. The prize at the end of the contest is the latest version of an Apple Watch.

How the contest is structured

The guessing game is scheduled across three rounds in 2026. The first round, which ended June 2, centered on Apple’s software announcements, while the third round is set for Aug. 18 through Sept. 1 and will focus on Apple’s fall event. The report notes that all CNET Group sites are participating, including CNET, Mashable, PCMag, and ZDNET, creating a total of 75 possible questions across the full contest.

Eligibility is limited to legal U.S. residents who are at least 18 years old and live in one of the 50 states or Washington, D.C. Entrants can answer any or all of the questions, but each person is eligible to win only one prize. The winner for each site’s contest is expected to be announced shortly after Apple’s fall event. An update in the article says the second round has already ended, and readers are being told to return on Aug. 18 for the next round.

Source: lifehacker.com

The post Lifehacker’s Apple Guessing Game Moves Into Round 2 appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has built its reputation on a looser, more episodic format than the franchise’s recent Paramount Plus era, mixing standalone adventures with longer character arcs. But according to the review, season 4 continues a frustrating pattern: the show can be funny, moving, and inventive, yet it often puts high-concept episode ideas ahead of real development for parts of its ensemble.

One of the biggest examples is the season’s noir-style black-and-white episode, which centers Una Chin-Riley in a story about doppelgängers. The review says the premise is odd to the point of making little sense, and that it does not add much to Una beyond what earlier episodes already established. Similar issues are noted for other crew members, including Nyota Uhura, whose season 4 storyline is tied to mentoring a dismissive Vulcan cadet, and La’An Noonien-Singh, who is pushed back into brooding over her connection to Khan. Erica Ortegas also remains underwritten, with her main role reduced to pushing the Enterprise too far and irritating Montgomery Scott.

That said, the review argues that Strange New Worlds still works best when the weekly concept and the characters reinforce each other. A tense real-time episode uses its pace to land emotional payoff for Chapel and M’Benga, while a body-horror-leaning story gives the cast room to confront their fears. The strongest of the early episodes, according to the review, is the one where almost the entire Enterprise crew is turned into puppets, a ridiculous setup that still manages to reveal more about Spock’s inner conflict than some of the season’s more serious plots.

Overall, season 4 is described as a mix of the series’ best and worst instincts. It can still deliver the kind of identity, duty, and ethics stories that have long defined Star Trek, but the review concludes that the showrunners have not solved the problem of what to do with several members of the cast, leaving the season feeling at times more like a collection of genre exercises than a fully satisfying character-driven drama.

Source: polygon.com

The post Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 leans hard on gimmicks while key characters stall appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

Cruz Beckham is shifting his attention from football season to music, and he’s opening up about the support system behind his next move. In a recent interview with SiriusXM Hits 1 Miami hosts Mack and Jen, the 21-year-old discussed his upcoming debut EP, Wear & Tear, and explained how advice from his parents, Victoria and David Beckham, has helped him build confidence as a performer.

According to Beckham, both parents have pushed him to keep improving and focus on his craft. He said they have encouraged him to keep working until he becomes the strongest version of himself at what he does, and that their guidance has mattered as he gets ready to perform onstage with a guitar. When asked whose advice he trusts most, he gave the edge to his mother, saying she tells him to do things to the best of his ability and to relax because everything will be fine. He also noted that he values her perspective because she has performed for huge audiences, even if she did not have to play guitar onstage herself.

Beckham also said he listens closely to his girlfriend, who is a songwriter. His new project, Wear & Tear, gathers songs he has been developing over the past two or three years and includes the previously released title track, which leans into a Britpop sound. He said he’s eager to release a full body of work rather than just a couple of songs. To support the EP, he will launch his first U.S. headline tour on July 28 at The Atlantis in Washington, DC, before dates in Brooklyn, Toronto, Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, and festival stops including Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Shaky Knees, Reading, Leeds, and Rock’N’Roll Circus.

Source: billboard.com

The post Cruz Beckham Says His Parents’ Advice Is Helping Shape His Music Career appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

With artificial intelligence now able to handle much of the job-application process, the face-to-face interview has become even more important in fashion hiring. According to the report, employers and applicants are both navigating new questions about how much AI should be used, and whether it can blur the line between polish and authenticity. Daniel Peters, who founded Fashion Minority Report after working at Burberry and Selfridges, says candidates who lean too heavily on AI may struggle to speak naturally about their own experience once they are in the room.

For students and recent graduates, that makes the interview a rare chance to stand out. The article notes that AI-generated applications can make candidates look increasingly similar, while an in-person meeting allows designers to bring something tangible to the table. Parsons graduate Quinn Fertig says she values interviews because she can present physical work, especially since her designs rely heavily on texture and color. Career advisers also encourage applicants to show their process, while creative director Nicolas Aburm of Area emphasizes that candidates should be precise about their contributions rather than overstating what they did.

What you wear is part of the conversation

In fashion, interview dressing is not treated as a minor detail. Fertig says she plans her outfits carefully and often wears her own designs, even describing one pleated skirt she made for a pitch competition before going on to win it. She believes dressing in a way that reflects the company is important, and that clothing can help break the ice while also revealing how a candidate thinks creatively. In her view, an outfit can function almost like an extension of a portfolio, showing a manager how someone translates ideas into form.

The report also highlights how storytelling can shape an interview. Peters argues that AI may open doors for applicants who are neurodivergent or otherwise underserved, but he still encourages candidates to build a clear narrative around who they are and what they can do. He points to personal histories, family craft traditions, and early creative experiences as useful material. He also cites Tavi Gevinson’s early fashion blogging as an example of a self-made journey that created momentum. Finally, headhunter James Stuart advises job seekers to research employers as carefully as companies research them, including the culture and leadership style of the organization.

Source: vogue.com

The post What Fashion Interviewers Really Want to See, According to Industry Insiders appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

Apple Music has become more expensive, with the company raising prices across nearly all of its subscription options. According to the report, the changes took effect today and affect most users who pay for the standalone music service or for Apple One bundles that include it.

The individual Apple Music plan has gone from $10.99 to $11.99 per month. Student subscribers are seeing the same $1 jump, with the monthly price moving from $5.99 to $6.99. Family plans took the biggest hit, rising from $16.99 to $19.99 per month.

There is one notable exception: the individual Apple One plan still costs $19.95. Other Apple One tiers are not exempt, though. Family Apple One now runs $27.95, up from $25.95, while the Premier plan has increased to $39.95 from $37.95. Apple said the higher pricing is tied to rising licensing costs.

For people who have never subscribed before, Apple still offers a one-month free trial. The company also provides a three-month trial with eligible new devices, including iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Apple TV, AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, Beats headphones and speakers, and HomePod models.

Source: lifehacker.com

The post Apple Music Raises Prices, but One Apple One Tier Stays Put appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is being positioned as a major theatrical event, with the report noting that the film’s IMAX presentation and large-scale sound design make it especially suited to the big screen. Even so, fans looking to watch it at home already have a rough idea of when it may show up across digital platforms, streaming services, and physical releases.

For digital rental or purchase, the article points to Universal Pictures’ usual five- to six-week gap between theaters and VOD, while also noting that Nolan has secured a longer theatrical window for this film. Based on that pattern, the report suggests The Odyssey may not arrive digitally until November. Physical media could follow a few weeks later, though Nolan’s history with Oppenheimer shows that digital and disc releases can also line up at the same time. The article adds that collectors may want to preorder if they plan to buy it on Blu-ray or DVD.

Streaming is expected to take even longer. Because Universal titles typically spend time on Peacock before moving to Netflix, the report says The Odyssey will likely land on Peacock in early 2027. After that, it is expected to reach Netflix in summer 2027 under Universal’s existing streaming arrangement, which gives Peacock an exclusive window before films rotate over to Netflix and then eventually return to Peacock.

Source: polygon.com

The post The Odyssey release window: when Christopher Nolan’s epic could reach digital, Peacock, Netflix, and disc appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

If you’re trying to stretch your budget on gadgets and home tech, this week’s roundup is packed with options worth a look. According to the report, the featured deals span everything from Apple’s back-to-school offers and Samsung’s newest devices to Microsoft Surface computers, the GoPro Max 2, and other popular tech categories. The selections were checked with price-tracking tools to help confirm that the markdowns are legitimate, not just temporary hype.

Among the biggest headlines are several Apple and Samsung promotions. The roundup mentions a MacBook Air deal that comes with a $100 Apple Gift Card, plus discounts on Apple’s AirPods Max 2. Samsung shoppers can find offers tied to the Galaxy Watch Ultra2, Galaxy Watch 9, Galaxy Z Fold8, and Galaxy S25+, with some listings including gift cards and others showing notable savings off the regular price. Microsoft’s Surface lineup also gets attention, with a free pair of Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones included with select Surface Pro and Surface Laptop purchases.

One of the strongest home-and-living picks is the Neomow X SE Robot Lawn Mower, which the report says is $700 off thanks to an on-page coupon. The mower is described as a wire-free model designed to simplify setup, and it uses 3D LiDAR and AI vision for mapping and obstacle avoidance. It also includes all-terrain wheels, support for 4G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, plus GPS anti-theft tracking and an IPX5 waterproof rating for outdoor use. For readers who prefer indoor convenience, the 2024 Kindle Paperwhite is also highlighted at a record-low price, with Best Buy offering the 16GB model for $124.99 and the 32GB version for $144.99.

The Kindle Paperwhite is presented as a strong choice for most readers because of its larger seven-inch screen, faster performance, waterproof design, and generous storage. Taken together, this week’s deals lean heavily toward everyday tech people actually use at home, on the go, and in their routines—whether that means reading, working, listening, or taking care of the yard.

Source: lifehacker.com

The post This Week’s Best Tech Deals Include Apple, Samsung, Surface, and More appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

Across the five modern mainline Grand Theft Auto games, beginning with GTA 3, there are 346 story missions in total. Some are forgettable detours, but others have become defining moments for the series, thanks to Rockstar Games’ mix of cinematic presentation, criminal set pieces, and sandbox mayhem. According to the report, the most memorable GTA missions are the ones that turn a simple objective into something much bigger, whether that means a tense heist, a chaotic escape, or a mission structure that pushes the series in a new direction.

One of the earliest examples is GTA 3’s “Give Me Liberty,” which serves as the player’s first mission after Claude is freed from his prison transport. The task itself is basic: get to a safehouse, then head to Luigi’s. But its importance comes from how it introduces the world and tone of the game. Rather than relying on punishing tutorials, it gives players a cinematic welcome to Liberty City, with rain-soaked streets, moody lighting, and a sense that the series was moving toward something more ambitious than the earlier top-down entries.

GTA 4’s “Museum Piece” stands out for a different reason. What begins as a deal involving stolen diamonds quickly collapses into a gunfight inside The Libertonian, a museum inspired by real New York institutions. The mission sends players through marble halls, past shattered exhibits, and even into a sequence where a dinosaur skeleton is destroyed. It also matters because it connects multiple GTA stories: Niko Bellic shares the mission with Johnny Klebitz, while the sniper who interrupts the exchange is Luis Fernando Lopez. That overlap gave players an early taste of the multi-perspective storytelling later used more prominently in GTA 5.

Then there is GTA: San Andreas, a game known for its range, from kart races and house robberies to remote-controlled chaos and long-distance flights. “Black Project” fits that spirit by shifting into stealth-driven action more reminiscent of a tactical espionage game than a typical GTA mission. The report highlights it as one of the clearest examples of San Andreas’ willingness to experiment, showing how the series could move from open-world crime fantasy into something that felt closer to a spy thriller without losing its identity.

Taken together, these missions help explain why Grand Theft Auto has remained such a major force in gaming culture. They are not just objectives on a map; they are carefully staged moments that blend atmosphere, action, and personality in ways that have shaped how players remember the series.

Source: ign.com

The post The GTA Missions That Helped Define the Series appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

Charli XCX has made an expanded version of her latest album, Music, Fashion, Film (B-Sides Edition), available on iTunes, giving fans a digital release that had not originally been part of her rollout. The new edition arrived on Sunday and adds three extra songs to the project: “I Keep On Thinking Bout You Every Single Day and Night,” “Playboy Bunny,” and “If You Take the Music Then What Has She Got?”

Those tracks were already familiar to fans through Charli’s @b.sides Instagram account, where she had shared them earlier. They also appeared as b-sides on limited-edition 7-inch singles tied to “Rock Music,” “SS26,” and “Camera,” and were included in the physical box set for Music, Fashion, Film. In her Instagram explanation, Charli said she created the b-sides to sit alongside the album’s lead songs as companion pieces rather than as full parts of the record. She also said she had not intended to put them on streaming, but chose to do so after fans asked for them, calling the move “begrudgingly” made.

The iTunes version is priced at $4.99 and includes the album’s original 11 tracks along with the three b-sides and their music videos. Charli released Music, Fashion, Film, her seventh studio album, on Friday. In a recent Rolling Stone cover story, she said she sees a pattern of opposites across her albums and noted that she did not want to repeat herself creatively after the success of Brat. She is also preparing to tour the album, with festival dates and arena shows planned in cities including Brooklyn and Los Angeles.

Source: rollingstone.com

The post Charli XCX releases ‘Music, Fashion, Film (B-Sides Edition)’ on streaming after initially holding it back appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

Skims is giving Tracy Nguyen a bigger seat at the table. The intimate apparel label founded by Kim Kardashian and Jens Grede has promoted Nguyen to chief communications officer, a newly created position that widens her responsibilities across the brand.

Nguyen, who joined Skims in 2024 as executive vice president of communications and entertainment, will continue to oversee global communications while also taking charge of entertainment, sports and brand partnerships. According to the report, she has played a key role in shaping Skims’ communications strategy and helping build the brand’s cultural profile. One of her most notable contributions was helping steer the Skims x Nike partnership, after which she was named co-general manager of the venture in 2025. She will keep that NikeSkims role as part of her expanded remit.

In her new position, Nguyen will also lead celebrity, talent and sports partnerships, along with brand collaborations and cultural activations. The move underscores Skims’ continued push to position itself at the intersection of fashion, entertainment and sport. Kardashian praised Nguyen as a trusted advisor and said the promotion reflects confidence in her strategic and creative instincts, while Grede called the expansion of her role a natural next step for the company.

Nguyen is based in New York and reports to Kardashian and Grede. Before joining Skims, she served as chief brand officer for KKW Brands beginning in 2017, working closely with Kardashian across her business interests. She also co-founded Industry Public Relations, where she spent more than a decade, and previously held roles at People’s Revolution, 5W Public Relations and Sunshine Sachs.

Source: wwd.com

The post Skims Promotes Tracy Nguyen to Chief Communications Officer appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

Lifehacker’s Big Guessing Game is back for another round, giving Apple watchers a fresh chance to test their predictions and enter for a prize. The contest is part of a broader giveaway run with other CNET Group sites, and this phase focuses on Apple hardware rumors and announcements.

According to the report, the second round ran from July 7 through July 21 and asked participants to make guesses about products such as iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, and Vision Pro. Each round includes five questions, and every correct answer counts as one entry toward the grand-prize drawing. The prize at the end of the contest is the latest version of an Apple Watch.

How the contest is structured

The guessing game is scheduled across three rounds in 2026. The first round, which ended June 2, centered on Apple’s software announcements, while the third round is set for Aug. 18 through Sept. 1 and will focus on Apple’s fall event. The report notes that all CNET Group sites are participating, including CNET, Mashable, PCMag, and ZDNET, creating a total of 75 possible questions across the full contest.

Eligibility is limited to legal U.S. residents who are at least 18 years old and live in one of the 50 states or Washington, D.C. Entrants can answer any or all of the questions, but each person is eligible to win only one prize. The winner for each site’s contest is expected to be announced shortly after Apple’s fall event. An update in the article says the second round has already ended, and readers are being told to return on Aug. 18 for the next round.

Source: lifehacker.com

The post Lifehacker’s Apple Guessing Game Moves Into Round 2 appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has built its reputation on a looser, more episodic format than the franchise’s recent Paramount Plus era, mixing standalone adventures with longer character arcs. But according to the review, season 4 continues a frustrating pattern: the show can be funny, moving, and inventive, yet it often puts high-concept episode ideas ahead of real development for parts of its ensemble.

One of the biggest examples is the season’s noir-style black-and-white episode, which centers Una Chin-Riley in a story about doppelgängers. The review says the premise is odd to the point of making little sense, and that it does not add much to Una beyond what earlier episodes already established. Similar issues are noted for other crew members, including Nyota Uhura, whose season 4 storyline is tied to mentoring a dismissive Vulcan cadet, and La’An Noonien-Singh, who is pushed back into brooding over her connection to Khan. Erica Ortegas also remains underwritten, with her main role reduced to pushing the Enterprise too far and irritating Montgomery Scott.

That said, the review argues that Strange New Worlds still works best when the weekly concept and the characters reinforce each other. A tense real-time episode uses its pace to land emotional payoff for Chapel and M’Benga, while a body-horror-leaning story gives the cast room to confront their fears. The strongest of the early episodes, according to the review, is the one where almost the entire Enterprise crew is turned into puppets, a ridiculous setup that still manages to reveal more about Spock’s inner conflict than some of the season’s more serious plots.

Overall, season 4 is described as a mix of the series’ best and worst instincts. It can still deliver the kind of identity, duty, and ethics stories that have long defined Star Trek, but the review concludes that the showrunners have not solved the problem of what to do with several members of the cast, leaving the season feeling at times more like a collection of genre exercises than a fully satisfying character-driven drama.

Source: polygon.com

The post Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 leans hard on gimmicks while key characters stall appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

Cruz Beckham is shifting his attention from football season to music, and he’s opening up about the support system behind his next move. In a recent interview with SiriusXM Hits 1 Miami hosts Mack and Jen, the 21-year-old discussed his upcoming debut EP, Wear & Tear, and explained how advice from his parents, Victoria and David Beckham, has helped him build confidence as a performer.

According to Beckham, both parents have pushed him to keep improving and focus on his craft. He said they have encouraged him to keep working until he becomes the strongest version of himself at what he does, and that their guidance has mattered as he gets ready to perform onstage with a guitar. When asked whose advice he trusts most, he gave the edge to his mother, saying she tells him to do things to the best of his ability and to relax because everything will be fine. He also noted that he values her perspective because she has performed for huge audiences, even if she did not have to play guitar onstage herself.

Beckham also said he listens closely to his girlfriend, who is a songwriter. His new project, Wear & Tear, gathers songs he has been developing over the past two or three years and includes the previously released title track, which leans into a Britpop sound. He said he’s eager to release a full body of work rather than just a couple of songs. To support the EP, he will launch his first U.S. headline tour on July 28 at The Atlantis in Washington, DC, before dates in Brooklyn, Toronto, Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, and festival stops including Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Shaky Knees, Reading, Leeds, and Rock’N’Roll Circus.

Source: billboard.com

The post Cruz Beckham Says His Parents’ Advice Is Helping Shape His Music Career appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

With artificial intelligence now able to handle much of the job-application process, the face-to-face interview has become even more important in fashion hiring. According to the report, employers and applicants are both navigating new questions about how much AI should be used, and whether it can blur the line between polish and authenticity. Daniel Peters, who founded Fashion Minority Report after working at Burberry and Selfridges, says candidates who lean too heavily on AI may struggle to speak naturally about their own experience once they are in the room.

For students and recent graduates, that makes the interview a rare chance to stand out. The article notes that AI-generated applications can make candidates look increasingly similar, while an in-person meeting allows designers to bring something tangible to the table. Parsons graduate Quinn Fertig says she values interviews because she can present physical work, especially since her designs rely heavily on texture and color. Career advisers also encourage applicants to show their process, while creative director Nicolas Aburm of Area emphasizes that candidates should be precise about their contributions rather than overstating what they did.

What you wear is part of the conversation

In fashion, interview dressing is not treated as a minor detail. Fertig says she plans her outfits carefully and often wears her own designs, even describing one pleated skirt she made for a pitch competition before going on to win it. She believes dressing in a way that reflects the company is important, and that clothing can help break the ice while also revealing how a candidate thinks creatively. In her view, an outfit can function almost like an extension of a portfolio, showing a manager how someone translates ideas into form.

The report also highlights how storytelling can shape an interview. Peters argues that AI may open doors for applicants who are neurodivergent or otherwise underserved, but he still encourages candidates to build a clear narrative around who they are and what they can do. He points to personal histories, family craft traditions, and early creative experiences as useful material. He also cites Tavi Gevinson’s early fashion blogging as an example of a self-made journey that created momentum. Finally, headhunter James Stuart advises job seekers to research employers as carefully as companies research them, including the culture and leadership style of the organization.

Source: vogue.com

The post What Fashion Interviewers Really Want to See, According to Industry Insiders appeared first on toppoptoday.com.

Apple Music has become more expensive, with the company raising prices across nearly all of its subscription options. According to the report, the changes took effect today and affect most users who pay for the standalone music service or for Apple One bundles that include it.

The individual Apple Music plan has gone from $10.99 to $11.99 per month. Student subscribers are seeing the same $1 jump, with the monthly price moving from $5.99 to $6.99. Family plans took the biggest hit, rising from $16.99 to $19.99 per month.

There is one notable exception: the individual Apple One plan still costs $19.95. Other Apple One tiers are not exempt, though. Family Apple One now runs $27.95, up from $25.95, while the Premier plan has increased to $39.95 from $37.95. Apple said the higher pricing is tied to rising licensing costs.

For people who have never subscribed before, Apple still offers a one-month free trial. The company also provides a three-month trial with eligible new devices, including iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Apple TV, AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, Beats headphones and speakers, and HomePod models.

Source: lifehacker.com

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Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is being positioned as a major theatrical event, with the report noting that the film’s IMAX presentation and large-scale sound design make it especially suited to the big screen. Even so, fans looking to watch it at home already have a rough idea of when it may show up across digital platforms, streaming services, and physical releases.

For digital rental or purchase, the article points to Universal Pictures’ usual five- to six-week gap between theaters and VOD, while also noting that Nolan has secured a longer theatrical window for this film. Based on that pattern, the report suggests The Odyssey may not arrive digitally until November. Physical media could follow a few weeks later, though Nolan’s history with Oppenheimer shows that digital and disc releases can also line up at the same time. The article adds that collectors may want to preorder if they plan to buy it on Blu-ray or DVD.

Streaming is expected to take even longer. Because Universal titles typically spend time on Peacock before moving to Netflix, the report says The Odyssey will likely land on Peacock in early 2027. After that, it is expected to reach Netflix in summer 2027 under Universal’s existing streaming arrangement, which gives Peacock an exclusive window before films rotate over to Netflix and then eventually return to Peacock.

Source: polygon.com

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