2026's Entertainment Elite: From Corridors to Courtside Chaos
The Guardian and THR reveal what's consuming celebrities this year—whether it's post-apocalyptic gaming, Soderbergh's dark comedy, or courtside NBA drama with Trump and Taylor Swift.
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It's mid-2026 and entertainment critics are collectively losing their minds over what's actually good right now. The Guardian has spent the first half of the year cataloging cultural wins across every medium: games that let you tear through Japan's open roads, films featuring Jessie Buckley getting literally unearthed to marry Christian Bale (yes, really), and albums ranging from Thundercat's all-star funk sessions to Kacey Musgraves' meditations on solitude. Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter is reminding us that the real spectacle isn't always on screen—it's in the stands at the NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs, where celebrities are the actual entertainment.
Speaking of those Finals: THR's roundup proves that star power transcends the court. Timothée Chalamet, Spike Lee, Ben Stiller, and Tracy Morgan were the usual suspects, but the real plot twist? President Donald Trump, Taylor Swift, and a who's-who of A-listers showed up to turn playoff basketball into a celebrity velvet rope moment. The outlets differ slightly in their focus—The Guardian zeroes in on what people are *consuming* (games, films, music), while THR captures what people are *performing* (being seen at major events). Both tell the same story, though: entertainment in 2026 is fragmented, ambitious, and impossible to ignore.
What's wild is the breadth of it all. The Guardian's praise for Steven Soderbergh's dark comedy pairing Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel as "the double act of the year" sits in the same cultural moment as The Guardian's deep dive into film corridors ahead of the *Backrooms* release. Meanwhile, gaming and music aren't getting sidelined—they're featured as equally worthy of critical real estate. The message is clear: 2026 isn't about one medium dominating. It's about excellence spreading across every platform, from hallways in cinema to open roads in virtual Japan to the literal hallways celebrities are walking through to get better seats at Madison Square Garden.