Ian McKellen And You

PRESENTED BY 1440 MEDIA

Welcome to a new week, Future Party. If you happened to be on Netflix this weekend, you may have stumbled across one of the wildest things ever filmed: a man climbing the 11th-tallest building in the world, Taipei 101, without any harnesses. The climber was Alex Honnold of Free Solo fame, who somehow secured permission to pull off the death-defying stunt… and did it in just over an hour and a half. Why do it? He told The NYT, “My hope is that people watching it will at least see the joy in it. Like when you’re a kid and look around and think, ‘It’d be amazing to climb up there.’”

Turns out Marie Kondo’s “spark joy” philosophy can apply to a lot more than just what you keep in your closet.

A new play starring legendary actor Ian McKellen is the first to use mixed-reality tech to blend digital performances with a full-scale physical production.

The Big Picture: Mixed-reality technology has opened up exciting new artistic possibilities in recent years, most of them focused on cinematic content that immerses the viewer. But bringing XR into live theater has the potential to draw audiences deeper into the story and introduce boundary-pushing VFX overlaid onto the physical world.

Behind The Curtain: An Ark wants to reprogram the proscenium.

Final Scene: An Ark was put together by mixed-reality production company Tin Drum and the technical team at 4DViews, which used 52 cameras to record full 3D volumetric captures of the performances across the entire play. It was a bit like making a movie, with Sheehy telling The NYT that they focused on the cameras “as if those were the audience member’s eyes.”

Talk about intimate.

Next Up: Because actors working on XR plays don’t have to make long commitments to the show, expect some big A-list film and TV stars to sign on for leading roles as a way to dip their toes into stage work while still maintaining their busy schedules.

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Gen Z is discovering they don’t need to get into the most exclusive clubs or impossible-to-book restaurants… it’s pretty satisfying to just become a regular at your local café or bar.

Why It Hits: Some call it a “normcore lifestyle”; others call it “regularmaxxing.” Whatever label social media wants to prescribe, it shows that young people are craving what Insider calls “their own version of Central Perk or Cheers.” Why? After years of trying to capture the internet’s attention, people just want to feel connected to their neighborhood.

Between The Lines: Young people want to trade viral likes for friendly waves.

Last Call: Of course, if there’s a trend taking off, Silicon Valley isn’t far behind. Several platforms are hoping to capitalize on young people’s desire to be known somewhere, including Blackbird (which is testing a new feature that sends restaurants a summary of patrons so they can know them better) and Bilt (which provides rewards for eating at the same restaurants). A 2025 report from the National Restaurant Association found that a majority of restaurants — from quick-service to fine dining — said having a rewards program led to higher foot traffic. For a sector notorious for operating on razor-thin margins, that loyalty could be the deciding factor between success and failure.

There’s big business in getting people to become regulars.

Next Weekend: Between Gen Z’s new trends of going analog and becoming a regular, the next dating trend could be connecting with someone reading the same book as you at the local coffee shop or joining a team at your neighborhood bar’s trivia night. What’s old is new again.

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27.4% of you voted Yes, at home/streaming in Friday’s poll: Have you seen Sinners?

“Yes, it was pretty violent...”

“It was an interesting movie with excellent acting, though I was distracted by Coogler’s choice to use every genre in one movie.”

“I don’t think it’s an all-time great (it missed the mark on some things for me), but it was definitely an excellent vampire movie. As a vamp movie fan, the acting, the period drama, and the music were all top-tier.”

“It’s a modern masterpiece and one of the greatest works of Southern Gothic ever made. It deserves all the nominations and awards.”

“Delroy Lindo! Delroy Lindo! Delroy Lindo!”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

💿 The Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits 1971-75 is the first record ever to go quadruple diamond, meaning it has sold over 40 million copies.

🍿 Two Sleepy People, the debut feature from creator-focused production company Creator Camp, has received backing from Kickstarter itself to support a wide theatrical release.

📺 Substack, the newsletter platform, now has a TV app.

🤖 Apple is reportedly working on an AI-powered wearable pin to directly rival OpenAI.

🦾 Elon Musk claims that Tesla will start selling Optimus robots to customers by the end of 2027.

🚀 Startup Space Beyond wants to help people scatter their loved one’s ashes in space.

🛒 Paypal is acquiring e-commerce startup Cymbio to expand its AI shopping features within popular chatbot platforms.

💸 JPMorgan reports that retail investors are buying stock dips at a record clip, demonstrating that more everyday people are trying to get in on the stock market.

🥤 Young people don’t want diet soda… but they do want zero-sugar versions.