The Brief

If you’re hanging out in downtown Burbank this weekend, you might run into a group of friends wearing a mix of bespoke suits and bright pink ensembles.

Ian Zandi has a tradition of getting his friends to dress up and go out for his birthday. In 2021, they dressed as Ryan Gosling. In 2022, it was Tom Hanks.

This year, his birthday weekend coincides with the release of two highly anticipated summer blockbuster films — “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.” With his 30th birthday approaching, it was go big or go home.

He sent out a Facebook invite, “We all dress up and see BARBENHEIMER double feature.” The plan: to watch both movies back-to-back dressed as either a character from Barbie’s DreamHouse, or a far grittier WWII-era Los Alamos.

Zandi’s event is open to the public, but he’s definitely not the only person planning to view the movies together. As you may know by now, “Barbenheimer” is a full-blown internet phenomenon.

The Barbenheimer phenomenon

“I didn’t know they were using that specific phrase,” Zandi says. “It just happened by coincidence. I planned this a few months ago, I had no idea.”

“Barbie” is a feminist telling of the story behind the Mattel Barbie doll from indie director Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, Little Women). “Oppenheimer” is a dark, historically-grounded drama on the man behind the Manhattan Project and invention of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer, from director Christopher Nolan (Inception, Interstellar, Memento).

The two movies opened on July 21. This idea of two blockbuster films catered to different audiences being pitted against each other on opening weekend is not a novel concept. It actually has a name — counterprogramming.

But, despite their diametrically opposed aesthetics and themes, the hype behind the two films is deeply intertwined.

Social media is overrun with memes around Barbenheimer. Fans of Nolan v. Gerwig, the film-bros v. the girlies, and on top of it all the most important question: which one are you watching first?

Thousands of Americans have purchased their tickets to see “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” opening weekend. AMC has reported that 40,000 of its reward members have tickets to both. After many dormant years at theaters, this weekend is headed to be one of the largest in recent history.

In L.A. — the home of Hollywood — the impact is apparent.

Tickets to see “Oppenheimer” in its intended IMAX 70mm at AMC Universal City and the TCL Chinese Theater (two of 30 theaters offering the format in the US) are sold out for the weekend, and beyond. “Barbie” is plastered on bright pink benches in the city, and there’s a real-life Barbie DreamHouse in Malibu on AirBnb.

Counterprogramming turned “complementary-programming”

Barbenheimer is the newest entry in the strategy of counterprogramming. Once relatively common, counterprogramming is when two studios release very different movies on the same weekend. The intended effect is to provide two distinct audiences a movie to see that weekend, driving up box office numbers on a whole. Stereotypically, it would look like pairing a high-octane action film with a girly romcom.

A popular example is the 2008 opening weekend of “The Dark Knight” and “Mamma Mia.” The two movies saw an epic box office battle — “The Dark Knight” won with $155.3 million, followed by “Mamma Mia” with a substantial $27.6 million.

However, over the past decade, counterprogramming has fell out of fashion. Some blame the towering popularity of superhero movies in the 2010s — particularly from Marvel — for decimating competition between other blockbusters. Additionally, with the pandemic’s blow to the theater industry, it’s no surprise that blockbusters are not often making it to movie screens on the same weekend.

But, Barbenheimer has brought counterprogramming back to theaters, at least for this summer. The two films come from competing studios — Barbie distributed by Warner Bros. and Oppenheimer by Universal. Yet, they’re a unique entry to the strategy’s cannon.

“We don't view it as a competition or counterprogramming. We view it more as complementary programming,” says Mia Lee Vicino, the West Coast Editor for Letterboxd, and a co-host of The Letterboxd Show podcast. (Letterboxd is a social media platform that hosts an online community of avid movie watchers.)

Unlike counterprogramming of the past, Barbenheimer has become a full-blown double feature. They’ve been grouped together as an inseparable viewing pair, instead of alternative film-going experiences.

On Letterboxd, “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” are neck and neck. Ahead of the release, 240,000 users had “Oppenheimer” on their watchlist, while 290,000 included “Barbie.”

How did Barbenheimer develop this shared fanbase?

“Comedy can come from incongruence,” explains Vicino. “Barbenheimer is simply funny.”

It’s true: the internet loves contrast. Think of those two neighboring houses in Santa Monica — one colorful, and the other completely black — that make their rounds online. (Yes, they are attached to a Barbenheimer meme now too.)

Beyond the humor, Vicino also cited Nolan and Gerwig’s reputation and their star-studded casts as drivers of popularity. Both directors are Oscar winners, and early reviews have awarded “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” with an 89 percent and 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively.

The industry has high hopes that this weekend’s face-off might be the jump start theaters across the country need. Nolan’s last film “Tenet,” released in 2021, saw dismal performance in the box office with viewers largely opting to view it on streaming. Movie theater attendance has long been facing a decline with people opting to stay home, even before the pandemic

Family-friendly Barbie is looking to rake in $110 million opening weekend, and Oppenheimer is expected to generate $50 million.

There’s no doubt that the online phenomenon around the films is what’s drawing people to the theaters.

“I think if it is successful — and I think it will be — studios will try and replicate it,” Zandi noted. “But, you can't replicate naturally what the audience wants.”

It’s unclear whether “complimentary programming” will stick around. Memes have already started to pop up pairing the upcoming winter releases of the whimsical “Wonka” movie starring Timothee Chalamet and the historical drama “Napoleon” starring Joaquin Phoenix.

Barbenheimer is set to have a dramatic impact on the industry, and could alter culture around going to theaters for the foreseeable future.

So, put on your sparkliest outfits or classiest fedora, and head to your local theater this weekend.

California can continue its long-held policy of allowing transgender student athletes to play on girls’ and women’s sports teams, under a U.S. Supreme Court ruling issued Tuesday.

“With this ruling, schools and states like California can continue to adopt inclusive policies that ensure every student is treated with dignity and respect,” Tony Hoang, executive director of the LGBTQ advocacy group Equality California said. “Inclusive policies are working across the country, including here in California, where transgender young people have participated in school sports for years without incident.”

The court’s 6-3 decision allows – but doesn’t require – states to bar transgender student athletes from playing on girls’ and women’s sports teams, upholding state laws in Idaho and West Virginia. Including California, 23 states let transgender students play on teams that align with their gender identity.

Proponents of a ban also celebrated the court’s ruling, saying it’s a major step forward in their fight to keep transgender athletes out of girls sports, and it potentially opens the door to restrictions in the future.

“The Supreme Court just delivered a major victory for girls and for common sense,” said Sonja Shaw, a Chino Valley Unified school board member who’s running for state superintendent. She added that “California should be leading the nation in protecting girls, not forcing them to surrender their rights … We will continue fighting until every girl has the opportunity to compete on a level playing field.”

California, an epicenter of the LGBTQ rights movement, has long maintained policies that protect transgender students in K-12 schools. The California Interscholastic Federation, which oversees high school sports in the state, also allows transgender students to play on sports teams that align with their gender identity.

Nationwide, LGBTQ advocates decried the court’s ruling as a blow to transgender peoples’ rights generally, especially in states that currently restrict – or are leaning toward restrictions of – those rights.

“The SCOTUS majority decision furthers the Trump administration’s widespread attack on civil rights protections and continued attempt to erase transgender individuals from society, including through distorted interpretation of law,” said Noreen Farrell, executive director of Equal Rights Advocates. “(We) will continue fighting for trans equality and trans rights.”

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.

A wave of relief moved through L.A. communities on Tuesday after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship.

The 6-3 decision to affirm the nation’s 158-year-old legal standard also rejected an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Jan. 20, 2025, moments after his inauguration. Had the Supreme Court upheld the executive order, citizenship for anyone born in the U.S. would have depended on their parents’ nationality and residence history.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer, who argued on behalf of the Trump administration, said the nation’s longstanding practice has incentivized foreigners to travel to the U.S. to have babies — including some from “hostile nations.”

“ For more than a century and a half, our laws have reaffirmed that fundamental right. Today's ruling is a long overdue message to Donald Trump: No president can pretend to erase a bedrock constitutional guarantee with the flick of a pen,” said Alvaro Huerta, director of litigation and advocacy at Immigrant Defenders Law Center.

“We're relieved that the Supreme Court firmly rejected the Trump administration's overreach and reaffirmed what frankly should never have been in question,” he added. “ Today, we can breathe a sigh of relief.”

Angelenos respond to SCOTUS

In Los Angeles, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights spoke to reporters at its headquarters, inviting fellow advocates and local residents of all ages to celebrate the majority opinion.

“ The decision today carries profound meaning for all of us,” said Dahni Tsuboi, CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Southern California, which was among dozens of advocate groups that filed a brief in support of immigrant families.

“More than 60%of Asian Americans in this nation were born somewhere else. So for us, immigration is not a policy debate . . . It is our story of how we came here, how we created home here, how our children's dreams took shape,” she said.

“ The Trump administration tried to challenge the 14th Amendment, which initially guaranteed birthright citizenship in the aftermath of slavery, ensuring that formerly enslaved Black people and their descendants could not be denied membership in the nation that they built,” added Maraky Alemseged, an organizer with the Black Alliance for Just Immigration.

The Supreme Court’s ruling on birthright citizenship, they noted, comes on the heels of its decision to allow the Trump administration to cancel temporary protected status for Haitians and other groups, without being subject to review in federal courts. The administration has also moved to cancel naturalization ceremonies for people who hail from countries it’s deemed to be “high-risk.”

In response, Alemseged called for continued advocacy and “a broader vision of belonging, one where humanity is not contingent on [immigrant] status.”

Why it matters

Cecilia Wang, national legal director of the ACLU, represented families who could have been affected. The nonprofit sued the Trump administration almost immediately after the president signed the executive order.

When speaking before the Supreme Court in April, Wang — herself a birthright citizen — pointed to some of the darkest moments in U.S. history to bolster her argument.

“ Even in World War II, when the United States was detaining Japanese nationals who were deemed ‘enemy aliens’ of the United States, when those ‘enemy aliens’ had babies in these detention camps, everyone agreed that those babies were U.S. citizens,” she said.

Wang also cited United States v. Wong Kim Ark, a landmark case involving a Chinese American man from California. In that 1898 case, Wang noted, the court ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees citizenship to almost anyone born in the country, regardless of their parents' nationality or immigration status.

In 2023, birthing people who were undocumented immigrants or who had legal temporary status had 320,000 babies, representing about 9% of all the 3.6 million children born in the U.S. that year. According to the Pew Research Center, about 260,000 of those babies would not have qualified for birthright citizenship if Trump’s executive order had already been in effect.

Immigrant advocates feared such children would become part of a permanent underclass. The United Nations has signaled that when people are rendered stateless, they can encounter a host of challenges — everything from barriers accessing education and healthcare to the inability to travel freely. Arguing on behalf of the Trump administration, Sauer dismissed those concerns as alarmist “ end-of-the-world type predictions.”

LeBron James will not be back with the Los Angeles Lakers and plans to play a record-extending 24th NBA season elsewhere.

His decision is perhaps the biggest domino that will fall during the NBA’s offseason player movement window, alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo being traded by Milwaukee to Miami — one of James’ former stops.

The Lakers released a statement Tuesday thanking James for his eight seasons with the club.

“LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in history,” said Jeanie Buss, part of the Lakers’ ownership group. “We will always be thankful for his eight years with the Lakers, including the title he led us to in 2020 under the toughest imaginable circumstances, and the countless records he broke in purple and gold. We wish him all the best in the future, both on the court and off. He will always be a cherished part of the Lakers family.”

ESPN, citing James’ longtime agent and Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, first reported James’ plans.

James can begin talking officially to new clubs after 3 p.m. PDT on Tuesday, when the league’s free agent period opens. He will not be able to sign with a new team until the league’s offseason moratorium is lifted on July 6.

A slew of options will be available to James on the open market, including Golden State. Longtime Warriors forward Draymond Green did not exercise his $27.6 million option for this coming season earlier this week in large part to allow his team flexibility to make other roster moves.

“Personally, I’m always willing to work with the team on whatever is best, especially at this point in my career,” Green said on the latest episode of his podcast, which was released Tuesday. “So my decision to opt out was for a few reasons. As you all know, I’ve always taken the approach of working with the organization. I’ve been in one place for 14 years. It’s more of a family to me than anything.”

It could be the move that convinces James to go to Golden State — a franchise he faced four times with Cleveland in the NBA Finals. He also has close relationships with Green, Stephen Curry and Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

James spent eight seasons with the Lakers, the longest he spent in one stint with one NBA team and led them to the 2020 NBA championship. He became the NBA’s all-time points leader while wearing a Lakers uniform and surpassed a slew of other records while in purple and gold.

He spent the first seven years of his career in Cleveland, then left for four years in Miami where he won the first two of his four championships. That was followed by another four-year stint with the Cavaliers, and in 2018 he joined the Lakers.

James is the NBA’s oldest active player; he turns 42 in December. He was the first player in league history to log 23 seasons; he’ll add at least one more to that this season. He also became the first player in the league to have a son as a teammate, with Bronny James playing alongside him with the Lakers.

The list of James’ accolades to this point are beyond comparison.

He’s a 22-time All-Star, a 21-time All-NBA selection, a four-time Most Valuable Player, a four-time NBA Finals MVP, a three-time All-Star Game MVP, and was part of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team. He’s coming off a season where he averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game, and for his career, he’s averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists in more than 1,600 games.