How did Rhaenyra take the ratings throne?

Queen’s Landing takes the throne

House of the Dragon is having a strong third-season run. The second episode, Queen’s Landing, debuted with a 9.4 rating on IMDb, making it the highest-rated episode of the series so far.

In the second episode of House of the Dragon Season 3, Rhaenyra faces a devastating personal loss after the Battle of the Gullet, which pushes her toward decisive action. As Alicent tries to honor her deal and save her family, the Greens’ hold on King’s Landing collapses, and Rhaenyra finally takes the Iron Throne.

The rating may still change as more viewers vote.

Venom on the mic

Tom Hardy has announced the album Czarface Meets Frankie Pulitzer, recorded under his musical alias Frankie Pulitzer.

The project, created with hip-hop group Czarface, is set for release on August 28. The first single, Brothers Grimm, is already out. Czarface includes Inspectah Deck of Wu-Tang Clan, Esoteric and 7L, while the album also features Method Man, Busta Rhymes and EL-O.

Hardy was already making rap music back in the 1990s under the name Tommy No. 1 and has collaborated with Czarface in recent years.

Reading is the new rebellion

Dua Lipa has taken her book club offline. The singer opened the Manifesto Library inside Portugal’s Livraria Lello, making it the first physical space for her Service95 book club.

The library brings together nearly 100 books that have been banned, challenged or restricted around the world. Among them are The Handmaid’s Tale and works by Salman Rushdie and Olga Tokarczuk.

According to Dua Lipa, the project is dedicated to disappeared books, brave authors and readers who want to decide for themselves what to read.

Big love, bigger venue

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding celebration is expected to take over Madison Square Garden this week.

According to CNN, two events are planned at the New York arena: a smaller rehearsal for about 100 guests on Thursday and a much larger celebration on Friday, described by sources as a massive cocktail party.

Around 1,000 guests are expected to attend. For Swift, who has performed at Madison Square Garden several times, the venue may be less about romance and more about security.

Kill Bill, but make it Wimbledon

Naomi Osaka appeared on court in a white kimono-inspired look created by Tokyo designer Hana Yagi.

The outfit referenced traditional Japanese ceremonial dress and Lucy Liu’s character O-Ren Ishii from Kill Bill. It featured crane and cherry blossom embroidery, while underneath Osaka wore a custom Nike dress with kirigami-inspired details.

Osaka defeated France’s Elsa Jacquemot 6-1, 7-5 in the first round.

Mob drama fixed

According to Deadline, Tom Hardy is expected to return for the third season of MobLand alongside Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan.

His future on the Paramount+ crime drama had been uncertain after reports of behind-the-scenes tension with showrunner Jez Butterworth. But after a meeting in London, the issues were apparently resolved.

Season 3 has not been officially announced yet, but writers are already working on it with Hardy’s Harry Da Souza still at the center.

Good 4 LEGO

LEGO five collectible sets created with Olivia Rodrigo, making her the first music artist to receive several dedicated LEGO sets at once.

The collection includes a vinyl record, flower bouquet, concert moon, secret storage set and dual guitar. Each set is packed with references to Rodrigo’s music, tours and signature style, from handwritten lyrics to hidden Easter eggs.

Pre-orders are already open, with the collection set to launch on August 1, 2026.

Timothée Chalamet and Selena Gomez meet aliens

The first teaser trailer for Not Alone has been released, giving audiences a look at Illumination’s new animated alien adventure.

The film is set to premiere worldwide on April 16, 2027.

BTS rolling past the Stones

BTS have broken a seven-year Billboard Boxscore record previously held by The Rolling Stones.

According to Billboard, the group’s Arirang World Tour earned $127.8 million and sold 641,000 tickets across 12 shows in May, becoming the biggest monthly gross by a group since the chart launched in 2019.

The previous record belonged to The Rolling Stones, who grossed $95 million in August 2019.

You can read last week’s edition of Popcorn in form here.