As a child, one of my favorite thought experiments is to imagine who would win in a fight between my favorite characters at the time and a number of other random beings. For example, will Superman prevail against 100 Magnetos? Those are the ways I kept my young mind occupied. Now, as a former child, I still do the same thing but with more realistic people, like imagining if Steph Curry can win against 100 high schoolers. This week, ESPN and Disney+ are making one of those imaginary fights real: Formula 1 legend Max Verstappen versus 100 go-karters.

In an upcoming live event streaming exclusively on Disney+, Max vs 100 will pit the four-time world champion against 100 go-karters from everywhere in pop culture. This gaggle of 100 will include popular content creators such as Twitch streamer ExtraEmily, car photographer Larry Chen, and NBA shooting coach Chris Matthews.

All 101 drivers will race around one of the most iconic tracks in Formula 1 history, Silverstone in England. The track will be reconfigured to match the special race.

Of course, this is more than just a parade of go-karts. Max Verstappen will start at the back of the grid, meaning he has to overtake all 100 racers to win. Now, the Dutch driver is no stranger to winning from the back. In 2024, he won the Sao Paulo Grand Prix despite starting from P17 (out of 20 racers). Max vs 100, though familiar for the driver, presents a different challenge. Can he overtake 100 times to win the race?

Max vs 100 will stream live through Disney+ on September 17, 12:00am PHT.

SEE ALSO: Disney+ is moving to a global app experience

Cosmic Orange had a good run. For one generation, Apple’s “brave” iPhone Pro color turned into the flex color of 2025, and Android brands spent the better part of a year chasing that same citrus glow on everything from budget phones to tablets.

That cycle just repeated itself, except this time the copying started before the original even launched.

Apple made it official recently: the iPhone 18 Pro’s flagship shade is Burgundy, a deep red that leans warm and shifts toward purple depending on the light.

It’s the successor to Cosmic Orange, and Apple’s own language calls it “sophisticated.” Fair enough.

But Burgundy didn’t sneak up on the industry when Apple’s event wrapped. It’s been the worst-kept secret in tech since spring, when the first “dark cherry” and “deep red” leaks started making rounds.

By the time Apple actually confirmed the color on stage, at least four other phone makers had already shipped something wine-toned of their own.

Xiaomi got there first, on purpose

The Xiaomi 18 Fold, the company’s first wide-format foldable, launched with a Cherry Red colorway that multiple outlets pointed out looked a lot like Apple’s rumored shade, months before Apple confirmed anything.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Xiaomi timed the whole announcement to land just ahead of Apple’s own event, essentially racing to market with the same design language and a matching color story.

Whether that’s coincidence or a very calculated troll depends on how cynical you want to be about the smartphone industry, and honestly, you should be pretty cynical about it.

HUAWEI’s been circling this shade for a while

HUAWEI didn’t need to react quickly because it was already in the neighborhood.

The Pura X Max shipped in a Bordeaux Red, and the newly launched Pura X View came in a Shadow Red variant that sits comfortably in the same wine family.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

HUAWEI has actually been rotating red-adjacent colorways across the Pura X lineup since last year, with Stylish Red and Stylish Orange finishes added as running refreshes rather than one-off marketing stunts.

TECNO didn’t just match the color, it named the reference

The TECNO Camon Slim 5G might be the most self-aware entry in this whole cycle.

It launched at IFA with a Burgundy Red option sitting alongside artist-inspired finishes like Van Gogh Blue and Neo Mondrian, and GSMArena‘s own unboxing coverage flat out called the color “iPhone 18-anticipatory.”

TECNO wasn’t hiding what it was doing. It saw the leaks, built the phone, and then, shipped it before Apple’s event even happened.

This isn’t Burgundy’s first lap

Wine-colored phones aren’t new, they just don’t usually get a moment like this.

Samsung quietly ran a Burgundy Red Galaxy S8 as a limited South Korea release back in late 2017, then brought the same shade back for the Galaxy S9 and S9+ the following year alongside Sunrise Gold.

A Burgundy Galaxy Z Fold4 later became an online-exclusive color that didn’t cost extra despite the exclusivity. None of those got the fanfare Apple’s version is getting now, mostly because Samsung treated Burgundy as a nice-to-have rather than the hero shade.

Burgundy used to be the tasteful alternative color buried three options deep in a lineup. Now, it’s the one every brand wants on the box art.

Why burgundy, and why now?

The appeal is pretty straightforward once you look at what came before it. Bright colors like Cosmic Orange photograph well but can feel a little loud on a device you’re carrying around all day.

Burgundy splits the difference. It reads as premium in product shots and it doesn’t look like a toy in person. Yet, it still stands out next to a wall of black and silver phones on a shelf.

It’s the color equivalent of a phone trying to look expensive without trying too hard. And after a year of neon everything, that’s clearly what buyers and brands both wanted.

Whether Burgundy becomes as inescapable as Cosmic Orange did remains to be seen. But for a color Apple hadn’t even confirmed until its event, it’s already had one of the busiest years any smartphone shade has had in a while.

The Philippines will be celebrating its first ever National Cinema Day on September 12. On this day, movie tickets will go for as low as PhP 100 (US$ 1.60) at regular 2D cinemas.

The campaign aims to make moviegoing more accessible to audiences. This includes families, friends, students, and cinephiles in general.

Such initiative has been a staple in other countries, like the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and more. The same concept applies, with movie tickets going on sale for a lot less.

What’s great about the celebration is that all movies scheduled for exhibition on September 12, whether local or international, shall get the special admission price.

Advanced tickets sales have already begun. Customers can purchase through participating box offices, official websites, mobile apps, and authorized platforms.

Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis and remain subject to theater capacity. Prices vary for other viewing formats like Director’s Club or IMAX, for instance.

The campaign is organized by the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines (CEAP), along with industry and government partners.

The initiative is supported by the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP), Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), and the Metro Manila Film Festival through the MMDA.

Participating cinemas include Ayala Malls Cinemas, SM Cinemas, Robinsons Movieworld, CityMall Cinema, Megaworld Cinemas, and more.