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If interior design isn’t under your list of skills, then your best bet is to turn to moguls that know exactly how to fill a room with effortlessly chic pieces. Martha Stewart, Joanna Gaines, and Kelly Clarkson all have affordable home collections at big retailers, so we’re always on the lookout for their sleekest offerings. The Martha Stewart Perry Street Sadie Round Side Table at Wayfair is our latest favorite find, and it’s up to 32% off. 

The table originally cost $110, but has been reduced to just $75 in the walnut brown hue. The furniture is also being sold in a stunning beige color, which is perfect for minimalist and modern-style homes. We love the brown for farmhouse- and country-inspired homes because it  looks slightly distressed yet luxurious. The table is 24 inches tall, 22 inches wide, and 22 inches long, so it’s a standard size that allows you to place it anywhere. 

Martha Stewart Perry Street Sadie Round Side Table, From $75 (was $110) at Wayfair

Courtesy of Wayfair

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The table only weighs around 22 pounds, so you can easily maneuver as you please. The beauty of this style is that it can support over triple that weight — 75 pounds — so you can place bulky decor pieces on it, like vases, table lamps, and coffee table books, to make it look ultra-chic. The roundtop table features a sculpted four-legged pedestal base, which adds a “unique” geometrical element to any space. 

The material is composed of solid and manufactured wood, leaving an unfinished yet clean look that offers dimension next to a couch or accent chair. Since there are plastic glides on the base to prevent floor scratches, you can even move it to the bedroom to use as a nightstand. You will have to assemble the table when it arrives, but shoppers said that it was “easy” to put together.

Other customers wrote that the versatile table is “well-made,” “very pretty,” and “sturdy.” What reviewers really like is the fact that the table is so affordable but looks designer. If you’re not in love with this side table though, but enjoy Martha Stewart’s home designs, you can check out the television personality’s other high-quality offerings. This vintage-inspired floral bedding set is so fresh and cozy, while this gorgeous leaf mirror is the perfect artistic accent piece. 

Shop More Deals 

• Costway Solid Wood Storage Bench, $120 (was $300) at Wayfair
• Puredown Hotel Duvet Insert, $131 (was $300) at Wayfair
• Sand & Stable Sevan Ceramic Table Lamp, $74 (was $144) at Wayfair

This beautiful side table will elevate your space instantly, whether you decorate it or let the piece speak for itself. Plus, a fall-inspired plant would look stunning against the natural wood. Take advantage of Wayfair’s 32% off deal while you can! 

Related: Wayfair’s ‘Adorable’ Farmhouse Nightstand Set Has a Rustic ‘Barn Look’ and ‘Lots of Storage,’ Now 57% Off

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For moviegoers of the ’80s and ’90s, few actors embodied Hollywood romance quite like Richard Gere.

Whether audiences first met him in American Gigolo, rooted for him in An Officer and a Gentleman or fell in love with Pretty Woman, Gere spent decades as one of Hollywood’s defining leading men.

Today, Aug. 31, the Oscar-nominated actor celebrates his 77th birthday, and his life looks very different from what it did at the height of his fame.

Born in Philadelphia in 1949, Gere originally attended the University of Massachusetts on a gymnastics scholarship before leaving college to pursue acting. After getting his start on stage in the early 1970s, he shot to stardom with 1980’s American Gigolo, before cementing his status as one of Hollywood’s biggest box office draws with films including An Officer and a Gentleman, Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, Primal Fear and the Oscar-winning musical Chicago.

But while millions of fans still associate Gere with his romantic leading-man roles, his life today is centered less on Hollywood glamour and more on family.

In recent years, Gere and his wife, Spanish publicist Alejandra Silva, relocated their family to Spain, a move that has allowed them to spend more time near Silva’s relatives while embracing a quieter pace of life.

Photo by Pablo Cuadra/Getty Images

That quieter lifestyle hasn’t meant stepping away from acting. He has recently starred in Paramount+’s espionage thriller The Agency.

The series also arrived at an interesting moment in his personal life, as his eldest son, Homer Gere, began pursuing an acting career of his own.

While promoting The Agency in a June interview with Argentine outlet TN, Gere shared the advice he’s given Homer about entering the business.

“My son just started acting and I told him, ‘Look, this is a job. A really wonderful job, and very few can make a living with it. Most of the actors are out of work. So having this job, being working, is something wonderful, but it’s a job.'”

(Photo by Carlos Alvarez/WireImage)

Outside of acting, the legendary leading man has spent more than four decades championing humanitarian causes. Through his Gere Foundation, he has supported human rights, refugee assistance, HIV/AIDS awareness, homelessness initiatives and environmental conservation. He is also one of Hollywood’s most prominent advocates for the Tibetan people, serving for decades as chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet and working closely with the Dalai Lama on efforts to preserve Tibetan culture and promote human rights. 

During the same interview, Gere reflected on how little fame has changed the way he views himself despite decades as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. “I’m the same person as you,” Gere said. “I go through the same problems, the same joys, the same difficulties, the same happiness and the same unhappiness.”

Everyone has their go-to Chipotle order, whether you gravitate towards a heaping chicken bowl or a burrito crammed with grilled steak, pico de gallo and a generous helping of sour cream.

As great as many of these fan-favorite Chipotle orders are in their own right, the popular Mexican restaurant chain has recently shared the news that one of their most popular protein items will be returning for a limited time this fall.

According to a new press release shared with us over email, Chipotle is officially bringing back their beloved Pollo Asado, a fabled menu item that now utilizes a fresh recipe.

Featuring freshly grilled adobo chicken seasoned with garlic, Mexican spices and hand-cut cilantro, the flavorful combination is then topped with real lime for a tangy, citrusy, unbelievably delicious finish.

If that weren’t already exciting enough, Chipotle will also be rolling out its new Chili Lime Chips for an equally limited time this fall. Inspired by the heavily customized chip recipes shared by fans online, the new chips feature a unique balance between heat and citrus, paving the way to a side dish most diners won’t want to miss out on.

“Pollo Asado delivered strong results in testing, giving us clear evidence that guests were  excited about the new recipe,” said Fernando Machado, Chief Brand Officer. “At the same time, we saw guests hacking their Chipotle orders with packaged chips and asked ourselves: What would this look like done the Chipotle way?”

“Chili Lime Chips are our answer— with no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives and an ingredient list that doesn’t require a chemistry degree to understand,” Machado continued. “One menu item generated real momentum before going national; the other was inspired directly by how our fans eat Chipotle. Together, they gave us two compelling reasons to do something we’ve never done before and launch both at once.” 

“With this new recipe, we wanted to bring more brightness and dimension to Pollo Asado while preserving its savory, smoky flavor,” said Nevielle Panthaky, Senior Vice President of Culinary at Chipotle. “The citrus finish cuts through the smoky notes of the chicken and naturally complements the tangy, spiced seasoning of our Chili Lime Chips.”

The returning Pollo Asado officially arrives on nationwide Chipotle menus on August 31. On that same day, Chipotle Rewards members will gain exclusive digital access to the Chili Lime Chips, before the chips become available on all menus starting September 4.

There’s nothing quite like the first few cooler days of fall to make a warm cinnamon roll sound even better. Soft dough, plenty of cinnamon, and a swirl of cream cheese frosting are pretty much everything you could want with a hot cup of coffee on a slow weekend morning.

What’s less appealing is spending hours in the kitchen making them from scratch. But Costco has a new freezer find that delivers that warm, gooey experience in less than a minute, with no planning ahead or sticky kitchen required.

Check them out in this post shared by @thecostcomama on August 29:

View this post on Instagram Costco’s New Sunshine Buns Cinnamon Rolls Are Ready in 45 Seconds

Matthew Clemente / 500px / Getty Images

The new Sunshine Buns Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting come fully baked and frozen, so there’s no waiting for dough to rise or even turning on the oven. Each 46-ounce bag contains 10 individually wrapped cinnamon rolls with frosting packets, making it easy to heat one at a time whenever the craving hits.

The package says they can go straight from freezer to fluffy in under a minute. Unwrap a bun, heat it in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds, and add the cream cheese icing. For a slightly crispier roll, they can also be heated in an air fryer at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes or in a conventional oven at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes.

Related: Costco’s New Mini Bakery Treat Is Like a Little Taste of Paris

Costco is selling the 10-serving package for $14.99, although prices and availability can vary by warehouse. That works out to about $1.50 per cinnamon roll, which is a pretty sweet deal compared with picking one up at a coffee shop or bakery. It’s Costco item #2067648 if you want to check local availability.

And yes, commenters noticed the nutrition label. Each frosted bun has 530 calories, prompting @mom2wavy to write, “530 🤯 bugging.”

But cinnamon rolls aren’t exactly known for being diet food, and another commenter, @romecanfinance, came to their defense: “1 Cinnabon is 880 calories just in case y’all didn’t know.”

They’re right. According to Cinnabon, its Classic Roll clocks in at 880 calories. So at 530 calories, these frozen Costco cinnamon rolls are practically diet food by comparison. Ha!

More importantly, on a chilly fall morning, they offer all the cinnamon, cream cheese frosting, and warm-from-the-oven appeal without spending half the day baking.

Princess Diana’s life touched millions around the globe, but for her brother, Charles Spencer, the anniversary of her passing remains a deeply personal day of remembrance.

For nearly three decades, the 9th Earl Spencer has served as one of the primary guardians of his sister’s legacy. Ever since his powerful eulogy at Westminster Abbey in 1997, where he vowed that Diana’s “family of origin” would protect her memory, Charles has routinely invited fans to reflect on the woman behind the global icon.

Through nostalgic family glimpses and quiet moments at Althorp Estate, the Spencer family home where Diana grew up and is ultimately laid to rest, his annual remembrances offer a rare, intimate look at the brother-and-sister bond that remained unbreakable throughout her extraordinary life.

On August 31, Spencer shared a trio of Instagram images of Althorp Estate with its flag at half-mast. He and his siblings, including Diana and their sisters Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, grew up at the palatial home.

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In the caption, Spencer wrote the following heartbreaking message. “31 August. My least favorite day.” The post appears to have comments turned off.

He referenced the day his sister died after sustaining life-threatening injuries in a car crash in Paris, France, in 1997. Diana died alongside her reported boyfriend, Dodi al Fayed, and their driver, Henri Paul. Bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones survived.

Beyond his social media tributes, Spencer frequently honors his sister’s legacy by sharing rare photos and personal memories of their childhood bond. Now, he is preparing to tell her full story on his own terms with his upcoming book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, set for release on Sept. 22.

“The aim of this book is to tell the truth about Diana from her brother’s perspective, just as I attempted to do when speaking at her funeral,” Spencer said in a press release, as shared by PEOPLE Magazine. “As with my eulogy, I want to speak on Diana’s behalf and do so in an openly positive way.”

Today, Princess Diana rests at the heart of Althorp Park’s Pleasure Garden on a serene island in the Round Oval lake. Her brother has often reflected on the comfort he finds in knowing her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, have a tranquil, private refuge where they can come and go as they choose to honor their mother.

In 2017, Spencer told PEOPLE, “I never go to Diana with them. It’s very much their time there,” said Spencer. “But I think it’s very important for them to be there with her. It is, luckily, very tranquil here, and they can come and go as they wish whenever they want. And that’s very lovely for me to know that.”

Related: Princess Diana’s Wedding Gift Gets Dramatic Makeover by Camilla Parker Bowles

When David Bowie released the album The Man Who Sold the World in 1970, it was considered a “transitional” album. Sales were initially poor, according to Ultimate Classic Rock, and the title track, which featured an ominous sound with distorted guitar and unsettling, ambiguous lyrics written by a young Bowie, went nowhere. At first.

A 1972 cover story for The History of Rock joked that The Man Who Sold the World “sold about five copies” in the UK and that “Bowie bought them.”

Bowie seemed to have mixed feelings on the music. In the same article, he was asked if there was any of his songs that he could have done better if he’d done them later, and he replied, “A lot of Man Who Sold The World, although that was one of the best albums I made. It was a whole traumatic period.”

Bowie soon became a glam rock god with the 1972 release of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, but it would be two decades before the song “The Man Who Sold the World” received mainstream attention in the U.S.

The revival for “The Man Who Sold the World” came in 1993 when Nirvana performed it in front of a live audience on MTV Unplugged. The haunting acoustic rendition of the song was one of lead singer Kurt Cobain’s last performances before his death in early 1994, becoming a posthumous gift for fans when it was included on the band’s Unplugged album. Nirvana’s “The Man Who Sold the World” became a commercial success due to heavy radio and MTV airplay.

Former Nirvana drummer Chad Channing told Songfacts he had introduced Cobain to the Bowie song a few years prior to Unplugged.

“We were in Boston and stopped by this record store, and I found this copy of The Man Who Sold The World. It was a cool copy – it had the poster in it and everything,” Channing recalled. “And those guys weren’t familiar with the record. And I inquired about, ‘What David Bowie do you like? Do you like David Bowie?’ And they’re like, ‘Well, the only David Bowie we’re familiar with is ‘Let’s Dance.’ I was surprised. I was like, ‘Really? Wow.’ I was like, ‘You’ve got to hear some early David Bowie, for sure.”

Channing later played the title track for Cobain, who was blown away.

Bowie was also blown away by Nirvana’s version of the song. In a video interview in the late 1990s, he said. “It’s a really sad rendition of course, because it’s so tied up with [Cobain’s] own life and death. So it takes on all these different shades for me.“

“Because I always sort of remember, fairly clearly, my state of mind when I was actually writing it,” Bowie shared. “Which I guess was as near to a mystical state as a 19-year-old could get into. And I remember it was at a time when I was sort of studying Buddhism. For my 15 minutes of Buddhism. So it’s interesting that it really had two mystical states—the time I wrote and recorded it and  the time when he recorded it again.”

Decades later, both versions of “The Man Who Sold the World” remain classics from the eras in which they were recorded, two different looks at the same song that get even better with age.

Related: Funk Rock Classic Ranked ‘Best No. 1 Hit’ From 1975

You know the feeling: you finally touch down somewhere wonderful, but instead of feeling ready to explore, you feel like you’re moving through airport fog. The excitement of arriving somewhere new can fade fast when jet lag hits, and the first mistake many travelers make is lying down to sleep right after they arrive.

For women over 50 especially, that pull toward the bed can feel especially convincing. Between hormonal shifts, lighter sleep, early wakeups, and the general reality that your body no longer bounces back from a red-eye the way it did at 30, a “quick nap” can sound like common sense. But sleep experts say that first-day habit can backfire, and the reason has everything to do with how your body reads the clock in a new place.

Related: 10 Travel Influencers Share Their Best Tips to Beat Jet Lag

The “Nap Trap” Is Real

It is the classic first-day vacation mistake: you check into your room after a long flight, close the curtains, kick off your shoes, and promise yourself you will just rest your eyes for 20 minutes. Three hours later, you wake up groggy, thirsty, confused about what day it is, and somehow more exhausted than before. That is the nap trap, and it is exactly the kind of well-meaning move that can make jet lag drag on longer than it needs to.

“One common mistake is taking a long nap as soon as you arrive,” says John Saito, MD, FAAP FCCP FAASM, Board Certified in Pediatrics, Pulmonary, and Sleep Medicine, of Pulmonary and Sleep Consultants in Fountain Valley, CA.  “While it may feel necessary after a long flight, sleeping during the local daytime can make it harder for your internal clock to adjust. Whenever possible, try to stay awake until close to your normal bedtime in the new time zone.”

Related: My Daughter Shared This Travel Hack With Me, and Now I’ll Never Travel Any Other Way

Why Your Body Clock Needs a Hand

Your circadian rhythm is your body’s internal 24-hour timekeeper. It helps regulate when you feel sleepy, when you feel alert, when your digestion runs smoothly, and even when your body temperature naturally rises and falls. The problem is that this clock does not instantly update just because your plane landed in Paris, Rome, or Honolulu.

It takes its cues from the world around you, especially light and darkness. So when you nap through the local afternoon, you may feel like you are being sensible, but your brain may read that darkness and sleep as confirmation that it should stay on your old schedule.

That is why daylight matters so much. In a Journal of Biological Rhythms study focused on pre-flight adjustment for eastward travel, researchers found that people who advanced their sleep schedule and used morning bright light shifted their circadian timing more than those exposed only to dim indoor light. The research tells us that the right light at the right time can help nudge your body clock in the direction you want it to go.

Related: The One Thing You Should Never Do When Vacationing with Another Couple, According to Relationship Experts

Jet Lag Is More Than Feeling Tired

Jet lag is not just sleepiness with a passport. When your body clock is out of sync, your appetite, digestion, mood, and focus can all feel off. And, if you’re over 50, that can hit harder because sleep may already be lighter or more easily disrupted. Add a time-zone jump, cabin dehydration, airport stress, and a long nap at the wrong time, and your body has a lot to sort out.

That does not mean you have to white-knuckle your way through the first day. It means you want to be strategic. If you truly cannot keep your eyes open, a short nap can be better than falling asleep face-first at dinner, but the keyword is short. Set an alarm, keep it brief, and do not let a reset turn into a full afternoon sleep session, per the American Heart Association.

“Start living on local time as soon as you arrive,” Dr. Saito advises. “Get outside for appropriately timed daylight, exercise and eat meals according to the local schedule and try to stay awake until a reasonable local bedtime. The goal is to give your body consistent signals that help reset its internal clock.”

This is where women over 50 may already have useful body awareness: sleep is influenced by more than fatigue alone. Timing, meal patterns, light exposure, stress levels, caffeine, and the body’s ability to wind down all help regulate the sleep-wake cycle. Travel disrupts many of those cues at once, so the goal on arrival day is to reintroduce them in a steady, predictable way.

Related: The One Thing You Should Never Do on a Group Trip, According to Relationship Experts

Your Day-One Game Plan

After you land, get outside if you can. Take a slow walk, sit near a sunny café window, or do something low-key that keeps you upright and exposed to local daylight. Eat at the local meal times, even if you are not wildly hungry. Drink water before you decide you “need” another coffee. Airplane cabins are dry, and dehydration can make jet lag feel heavier. Think twice about alcohol too, said the Mayo Clinic. A glass of wine may feel like a shortcut to sleep, but it can fragment sleep later, which is the last thing you need when your body clock is already asking questions.

Prep Starts Before You Leave

The smartest jet lag strategy begins before the suitcase is zipped. If you’re traveling across several time zones, try nudging your bedtime and wake time toward your destination by about 30 minutes a day for a few days before you leave. Eastward trips are often tougher because they require your body to fall asleep earlier than it wants to, so a little preparation can help. Also, do not start vacation already depleted if you can avoid it. A sleep debt does not magically disappear at baggage claim.

Once you arrive, think of the first day as a gentle reset, not a test of endurance. You do not have to conquer the city by noon or pretend you are not tired. You simply want to avoid sending your body the wrong message at the worst possible moment. Skip the long daytime nap, get some light, eat on local time, keep moving a little, and aim for a reasonable bedtime. That is not glamorous travel advice, but it works, says Dr. Saito, and it can save the first few days of a trip you have been looking forward to for months or even years.

Related: The One Question You Should Never Ask Your Hairstylist, According to a Celebrity Stylist

If you love the look and feel of Ugg slippers but not so much the Ugg price tag, big same. Luckily, Costco finally brought back its fan-fave slippers that are giving major Ugg vibes, but for a fraction of the cost.

Kirkland Signature Unisex Shearling Slippers are a cozy season must-have. These unisex slippers are available in either tan or brown and come in women’s whole sizes 6 through 13 and men’s whole sizes five through 13. Costco recommends sizing up if you are in between sizes, as the sheepskin will stretch out with continued wear; the initial fit should be snug, so don’t worry if that’s the case. It’s by design.

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Kirkland Signature Unisex Shearling Slipper, $29.99 at Costco

Costco

These comfy slippers have a lightweight outsole, meaning they won’t feel heavy when walking around your home. The embroidered collar binding is a stylish accent that adds something special to the otherwise plain slippers. The upper portion of the slippers as well as the inner lining are made out of genuine shearling, adding so much plush coziness.

Related: Costco Is Selling a Chic Pair of Clarks Boots That Are Pure Comfortcore

Shoppers love these slippers, giving them an average rating of 4.6 stars on Costco.com. Various reviewers compared the Kirkland Signature Slippers to Uggs, some even saying the Costco version was better than the name-brand Uggs!

“These feel really soft inside. Incredibly comfortable while walking around the house. I can see these being used for grabbing the mail or taking the trash can out to street. I sized down one since they stretch overtime. I like how they have a lip by the heel so your feet don’t accidentally slip out. Seem very well built and I think they will last. Very satisfied with my purchase. Definitely pick these up over the UGGs,” said one fan in a five-star review on Costco.com.

“These are my second pair, and they hold up better than any slipper I’ve had. In terms of fit, They’re unisex, so they may feel a little snug, but will stretch over time. I wear mine with the thicker white cotton Kirkland socks, and have a higher instep, so this time around I upsized, and they’re MUCH easier to slide on, as they don’t have much give, if any, when putting them on. Once you’re in..you’re all good! Hopefully they won’t end up being too loose. Someone mentioned a firm sole..you’ll notice it more if you size up, but it definitely softens over time,” said another happy shopper in a five-star review on Costco’s website.

You can find these cozy Ugg dupes at select Costco warehouses or on Costco.com. Each pair retails for $29.99.

Related: Costco Is Selling Comfortable Hiking Boots With High-Quality Arch Support

1000-Lb Sisters star Amy Slaton explained the meaning of her song “Pounds Hollow”—and her siblings shared their honest opinions of her music.

Ahead of the Season 9 premiere, TLC shared an exclusive sneak peek with Parade of Amy opening up about her new single.

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At the beginning of the clip, “Pounds Hollow” played, featuring the following lyrics: “Off of Highway 1 tucked in the pines / We’re leaving all the city and the stress behind.” The track continued, “We’ll find a little spot in the shade / Where the memories are made down in Pounds Hollow.”

Amy explained, “I wrote that song when me and Tammy were in our argument, hoping that one day that everything would be all right.”

“Pounds Hollow is just this little place in Illinois,” she continued. “It was just a free place to go as kids, you know. Mama didn’t have a lot of money, raising five of us. So that was kind of like our family’s Kokomo.”

‘1000-Lb Sisters’: Amy Slaton Explains Meaning of Her Song ‘Pounds Hollow’ (Exclusive Clip) (1:51)

When a producer asked how many songs she has written, Amy said, “Probably 300.” She admitted, however, that the only lyrics she knows are to “Pounds Hollow” and another song titled “My P—y Tastes Like a McFlurry.”

“You gotta listen to the song. It’s a good song,” Amy insisted. “Amanda loves it. She said that’s her favorite one. Like, talking about my c—er’s your favorite song? OK.”

Some of the lyrics include: “My p—y like a McFlurry, don’t be in a hurry / If you want a taste, boy, better slow down, don’t worry / Sweet like summer with a little whipped cream.”

Her sister, Amanda Halterman, confirmed this, telling producers, “I thought it was good. You know, it’s got a nice little bop to it. And I know that she’s got to go in and put her vocals with it. I think it’s fine.”

Their sister, Misty Wenworth, however, wasn’t so sure about Amy’s music. “Have you heard Amy’s music? What do you think of it?” a producer asked, to which she whispered, “Ask me off camera.”

Meanwhile, Tammy Slaton revealed, “Actually, I like a lot of her music.”

Unfortunately, their brother, Chris Combs, wasn’t sold. “Look, I don’t have a problem with her passion. But if you use AI to do anything, you didn’t do it.”

1000-Lb Sisters premieres on Tuesday, Sept. 1, at 9 p.m. ET on TLC; it’s available to stream the next day on HBO Max.

Next: 1000-Lb Sisters Season 9 Trailer: Tammy & Amy Slaton Work on Mending Relationship

Legendary musician Van Morrison has earned a plethora of awards and honors throughout his career, which has spanned more than six decades. Today, he celebrates his 81st birthday.

Born Aug. 31, 1945, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the singer-songwriter began his professional music career as a teenager in the late 1950s, when he would play instruments such as the saxophone, guitar, and harmonica for local Irish showbands.

In 1964, he formed the R&B band Them, where he sang lead on the garage-rock classic “Gloria.” Morrison wrote the track when he was 18 years old, and it is reported that lyrics were often ad-libbed during live performances, which would stretch the song out to as long as 20 minutes.

The track was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and has been covered dozens of times. Among those covers is perhaps the most notable of all — Patti Smith‘s “Gloria: Excelsis Deo,” recorded for her 1975 debut studio album Horses.

Smith’s reimagining of the song was ranked No. 97 on Rolling Stone‘s 2024 list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time,” while Collider named the song one of the “best classical rock songs” of all time.

Morrison has won two Grammy Awards over the course of his career.

In 1996, his 1989 hit “Have I Told You Lately” took home the award for Pop Collaboration With Vocals following the joint studio version with The Chieftains. Two years later in 1998, Morrison won his second Grammy, again in the Pop Collaboration With Vocals category, but this time for his work with John Lee Hooker on “Don’t Look Back.”

The singer is widely known by his nickname “Van the Man,” which he was given by Canadian-American rock band The Band. He acquired the nickname after guitarist Robbie Robertson shouted it out as Morrison left the stage after performing his song “Caravan” during The Band’s famous farewell concert, The Last Waltz, which was held at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom on Nov. 25, 1976, and filmed by Martin Scorsese.

At his 2016 knighthood, Morrison acknowledged the iconic nickname.

“Well, take your pick,” the “Brown Eyed Girl” hitmaker said when asked if fans could still address him as “Van the Man.”

Related: ’70s Singer Behind One of the Disco Era’s Defining Hits, Written by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, Turns 69

Kelly Clarkson once worked her magic on a fan-favorite Eagles track.

Widely considered to be the queen of covers, Clarkson is known for giving artists a run for their money with her powerhouse vocals and impressive musical arrangements — and when it comes to her 2023 cover of “Desperado,” she certainly lived up to her reputation.

During the “Kellyoke” segment on a December 2023 episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, the “Since U Been Gone” songstress took on the Eagles’ 1973 soft rock ballad “Desperado,” once again leaving her fans floored with her extraordinary vocal talent.

With an enchanting, stripped-down version of the song, Clarkson’s cover — featuring her show’s music director Jason Halbert on the piano — received extremely high praise from her fans.

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“This is my all-time favorite Eagles song and Kelly absolutely killed it,” one user wrote in the comment section under a YouTube video of the performance, which was flooded with messages from tons of awe-struck fans.

“I cannot stop listening to this amazing version,” one user gushed, while some users in comments even tried begging Clarkson to record and release an official cover of the beloved Eagles track.

Released in 1973, “Desperado” was the title track on the Eagles’ second studio album. It was never released as a standalone single, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming one of the most celebrated tracks by the Glenn Frey and Don Henley-fronted band.

In fact, “Desperado” has been ranked as one of the top songs from the Eagles discography, according to multiple music magazines. Rolling Stone ranked it at No. 4 on a 2019 roundup of the Eagles’ best songs, while Billboard gave it the No. 2 spot on a similar list published in 2023.

Related: Kelly Clarkson’s Show Makes Eerie Post Hours Ahead of Dolly Parton Death News

Few songs in pop history manage to conquer the charts twice, but The Carpenters‘ “Please Mr. Postman” proved to be pure magic across two very different decades.

The song returned to the spotlight in 1975, almost 14 years after the original, thanks to a reinvention by brother-sister duo Richard and Karen Carpenter. The siblings took a Motown standard to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, creating a milestone moment that defined 1970s radio.

The Marvelettes first recorded “Please Mr. Postman” in 1961. It would eventually top the Billboard Hot 100 later that same year, marking a milestone moment in music history.

In the early ’60s, Berry Gordy’s Tamla/Motown label was gaining traction with R&B hits, but it had yet to have a song claim the top spot on the main pop charts until The Marvelettes’ hit. The song broke the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1961, giving Motown its first pop chart-topper.

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Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland, and Robert Bateman wrote the song. It was Dobbins who came up with the unforgettable lyrics about a young girl pining for a love “so far away.”

According to Classic Motown, Dobbins shared the story behind the song’s iconic lyrics with Marc Taylor, author of The Original Marvelettes: Motown’s Mystery Girl Group. “I was waiting for the postman to bring me a letter from this guy who was in the Navy,” she began.

“That’s how I came up with the lyrics. Then I made up the tune. I just hummed it over and over and changed it to the way it should be. I improvised.”

The song was a career-launcher for The Marvelettes. They later had hits such as “Playboy,” “Beechwood 4-5789,” “As Long As I Know He’s Mine,” “Too Many Fish In The Sea,” “When You’re Young And In Love,” and “My Baby Must Be A Magician.”

The Carpenters reimagined the track in late 1974, and by January 1975, their version hit No. 1. According to U Discover Music, “Please Mr. Postman” was the duo’s last chart-topper of their career.

The website noted, “Richard and Karen’s Motown remake entered the US pop chart at No.77. Nine weeks later, it unseated Barry Manilow’s “Mandy” to hit the summit for a week, becoming the third song of the pop era to hit No.1 in two different versions. The others: “Go Away Little Girl” by both Steve Lawrence and Donny Osmond, and “The Loco-motion” by Little Eva and Grand Funk.”

The Marvelettes remake wasn’t the only song The Carpenters reimagined throughout their career. Other covers included The Beatles’ “Ticket To Ride,” Ruby and the Romantics’ “Hurting Each Other,” Leon Russell’s “Superstar,” Neil Sedaka’s “Solitaire,” and Herman’s Hermits “There’s A Kind Of Hush.”

Related: The Carpenters Song That Sparks Instant Nostalgia for Generations of Fans

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With summer still lingering and mild fall temperatures on the horizon, it’s highly likely that you’ve been spending more time outdoors lately. If your back or front yard needs a little refresh, the warm glow of solar lights can instantly make your space feel cozy and inviting again. This Nacome Turtle Statue Solar Light at Amazon is a great option if you’re looking to set the perfect ambiance and add a touch of whimsy to your home! 

There’s no better time than right now to snag this turtle solar light because it’s currently on sale for just $22. It’s also available in four other statue designs, including a bunny, gnome, angel, and frog, with prices varying between $24 to $35. That’s still an amazing deal considering that this accent piece has racked up over 13,000 five-star ratings! 

Nacome Turtle Statue Solar Light, $22 (was $25) at Amazon

Courtesy of Amazon

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This gorgeous piece of decor has the power to transform any drab or gloomy space into something cheerful and magical. Featuring a smiling turtle statue, this solar light piece will perk up your outdoor or even indoor space with whimsy. One side of the turtle is adorned with vibrant succulents in blue, green, and orange tones, while the other side features a realistic shell with etched decorative lines. 

Seven of the succulents feature an LED lightbulb, casting a gorgeous warm glow. A sustainable choice, this turtle statue light doesn’t require any electricity or batteries, but rather relies on solar power. The non-succulent side of the turtle is equipped with a solar panel, strategically placed so it won’t draw away any attention from the succulents. It only requires six to eight hours of sunlight to charge and glows for up to 10 hours once it gets dark. For convenience, the lights automatically turn on at dusk. Reviewers noted that it still charges and radiates light even on cloudy and rainy days. 

One reviewer said that the LED lights “create a magical ambiance” in their outdoor space. They also added that the combination of the succulents and lights “adds a whimsical and enchanting element” to their garden decor. 

“The details are beautiful, and the little succulent on its back makes it look even more special,” another shopper raved.

Handcrafted and hand-painted, this turtle statue is made from high-quality resin with a stone-like texture. Several reviewers said that it looks like it’s made from real stone! Shoppers also raved about how vibrant the hues of the succulents are and mentioned that the colors don’t fade. The resin material is weatherproof with a UV-resistant coating, designed to withstand rain, snow, humidity, and extreme temperatures, so you can keep it out year-round. 

You can place this adorable turtle statue anywhere in your back or front yard. Customers said that they’ve put it on their porch, patio, deck, and in their garden. A few mentioned that they’ve even used it as a centerpiece on their outdoor table. You can even keep it indoors and place it by your window with the solar panel facing the light.

Another reviewer commented: “This turtle makes a charming impression wherever you place it — whether on the balcony, patio, lawn, or even a wide windowsill.”

Related: Merrell’s Super Cushioned Walking Sandals Are the ‘Holy Grail’ for Arch Support, and 60% Off at Amazon

Ready to welcome some much-needed whimsical energy to your outdoor space? Head to Amazon and snag the Nacome Turtle Statue Solar Light while it’s still on sale for just $22!

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Fiona Dourif is revealing what life is really like behind the scenes of The Pitt Season 3 — and why the upcoming episodes carry special meaning for her.

The 44-year-old actress, who plays Dr. Cassie McKay on the HBO Max medical drama, told TODAY.com that Season 3 filming had already reached episode 5. Production has become a full-time, Monday-through-Friday job that lasts approximately seven and a half months.

Still, the demanding schedule hasn’t stopped the cast from having fun.

“I feel like I’m 12 years old,” Dourif said of returning to the set, which she described as “playful, medical camp.”

One Season 2 moment, however, made her anything but relaxed, she revealed.

Taylor Dearden, Fiona Dourif, Noah Wyle and Alexandra Metz at the 32nd Annual Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA held at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on March 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Earl Gibson III/Deadline via Getty Images)

In Episode 4, McKay treats a flirtatious patient with a foot injury. After clearing him to leave, she confirms they won’t see each other again — as doctor and patient. McKay then works up the nerve to suggest that he meet her at an art gallery after her shift.

Although the exchange was considerably less dangerous than the emergencies unfolding around her, Dourif said her “heart was beating out of my chest” while filming it.

Credit: HBO

Photograph by Warrick Page/HBO Max

The actress says she could relate to how vulnerable McKay felt.

 “I’m somebody who has spent decades of my life single, and I know how scary that is,” she said. “I’m actually quite bad at it. I’ve done it a couple times, but just the fear of rejection is really acute in the way that feels like a trauma bay.”

How ‘The Pitt’ Season 3 Connects To Fiona Dourif’s Late Mom

That personal connection extends far beyond McKay’s dating life.

Dourif stepped into a caretaking role during the final years of her mother Joni’s life. Her mother died in 2015 following a lengthy illness, and the actress believes that experience helped give her the empathy she brings to McKay.

“There were a few things that happened (at) the end of my mother’s life where I stepped into a caretaking role for many years before she finally passed in 2015, that gave me the quality in a very direct way for McKay,” Dourif said. “It’s the reason why I was right (for the part), without question. I knew that from the jump. I knew it from reading the initial character breakdown.”

The connection feels even more fitting because McKay said her mom loved hospital shows. Dourif believes her mother would have watched The Pitt and celebrated everything now happening in her daughter’s career.

“She would have been so proud,” Dourif said.

(Photo by Chris Delmas / AFP via Getty Images)

That success includes Dourif’s first Emmy nomination. She is nominated for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series at the 78th Emmy Awards, airing Monday, Sept. 14, on NBC and Peacock.

“It feels good,” she said of her Emmy nom. “I feel like I’m on a roller coaster. I’m 44. I appreciate every moment of it. I wasn’t expecting it. It’s delightful. It’s ephemeral. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.”

The Pitt Season 3 is expected to premiere in January 2027 on HBO Max.

Eggs are a major staple food in my household. Between baking recipes and having them scrambled or hard-boiled, my family regularly goes through five dozen eggs a week—and sometimes more. But while hard-boiled eggs make an appearance on a near-daily basis in my home, I struggle with one major issue: I completely butcher the peeling process.

Even though I know to run my newly-boiled eggs under cold water before peeling to separate the egg from the shell, there’s still a 50-50 chance that my de-shelled eggs will end up with dents and chunks taken out of them. So, I end up trying to tuck funky-looking eggs under pieces of lettuce in salads or putting the dented part in an egg cup to try to hide my mishaps.

The idea of making perfectly peeled, restaurant-quality hard-boiled eggs is a total fantasy. But, I’ve learned, it may not be that hard to achieve.

While I’ve spent years butchering eggs, I’ve simply accepted that my culinary skills are in other areas. That is, until I randomly came across a video shared by actor and content creator Adam Rose. The video promises to deliver those perfectly-peeled hard-boiled eggs of my dreams with minimal effort, so of course I had to try it.

Of all of the culinary hacks I’ve learned, this may be the most life-changing. Not only that, it’s no-brainer-level easy. Here’s why.

Related: The Clever Colander Trick We Wish We’d Known About Sooner 

What Is the Viral No-Peel Hard-Boiled Egg Trick?

It’s not clear where the video originated, but it was recently shared by Rose on Instagram. The video is simple: It says “For the people who hate peeling eggs,” before showing a woman filling a jar with water with an egg inside. She shakes it vigorously, and then pulls out a smooth-looking egg.

Rose tried the same hack at home, only to have it work—and flash a grin that can only be described as ecstatic.

Courtesy Korin Miller

I wasn’t the only person intrigued by this hack. “I got to be this age, wasting years of my life peeling hard-cooked eggs in misery, only to learn there was another way,” one person wrote in the comments. “Me watching this after ANGRY PEELING the breakfast boiled eggs,” another said.

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Related: The Genius Electric Mixer Trick We Wish We’d Known About Sooner

What You Need for the Viral No-Peel Hard-Boiled Egg Trick

You don’t need much for the viral no-peel hard-boiled egg trick:

• Hard-boiled egg
• A jar
• Water

Courtesy Korin Miller

What I Thought of the Viral No-Peel Hard-Boiled Egg Trick

First of all, this is pure genius. Putting your hard-boiled egg in water and shaking it in a glass allows you to avoid burning your fingers—another issue I struggle with—while getting a final smoothly-peeled egg. There were some specifics that weren’t spelled out, so I had to try to figure this out myself: Were we talking about a just-boiled egg or one that’s been hanging out in the fridge? What temperature should the water be? How full should the jar be? And does the type of jar matter?

I ended up using a freshly boiled egg that was still hot, with cold water in a mason jar. But I had to tinker with the water level a little to get a meaningful effect. When I first tried the hack with a full mason jar, it didn’t do much to my egg. But when I dumped out some of the water and tried again, I got a perfect-looking egg. The evidence:

Courtesy Korin Miller

While the video Rose shared showed the peel basically falling off the egg, I didn’t get the same result. Instead, my egg was cracked all over and peeled off nicely—but it didn’t fall off as soon as it left the jar.

I’m going to keep working on my technique until I get this just right.

Related: The Clever Whisk Trick We Wish We’d Known About Sooner

Tips and Tricks for the Viral No-Peel Hard-Boiled Egg Trick

I picked up a few tips while trying this out on my own:

• Leave a lot of air in your jar. In a perfect world, it would be about half full or even a little less. The goal is to have the water line be just above the egg, but not flooding it.
• Use cold water. Cold water causes a warm egg to contract slightly away from the shell, making it easier to get the peel off.
• Try a few at once. If you have a big enough jar, consider putting a few eggs in it at once to save time. You’re really only trying to crack the shell off, and gently bouncing eggs off each other can do the trick.

Up Next:

Related: I’ve Been Drinking Coffee for Years—Then I Learned Why a Tiny Pinch of Salt Changes Everything

When Peter Gabriel’s “Games Without Frontiers” was first released in 1980, listeners were captivated by its unique sound—and left puzzled by an unforgettable line in the song. Forty-six years later, fans are still debating exactly what they hear in the song’s refrain.

Written by Gabriel for his self-titled third album, “Games Without Frontiers” features a moody synth-pop sound with pulsing synthesizers, whistles, and a mechanical ’80s drum beat, leading into lyrics warning about the childish behavior of world leaders making important decisions as if it were all a game.

While Gabriel’s lyrics are debatable enough, it’s backing vocalist Kate Bush’s line that has been misheard for decades. Fans have long thought Bush is singing “she’s so popular,” “she’s so funky,” or other interpretations, and they still debate it on social media. But Bush is actually singing “Jeux sans frontieres,” the French translation of the song’s title.

Bush wasn’t the producers’ original choice for the backing vocals in ‘Games Without Frontiers’

It’s hard to imagine anything other than Bush’s ethereal voice in “Games Without Frontiers,” but she wasn’t the original backing singer for the radio hit.

“We had someone else sing the ‘Jeux sans frontieres’ line, and we realized the accent wasn’t so great,” co-producer Steve Lillywhite once told Uncut magazine, according to Songfacts. “So Peter decided to ask Kate down. It was easy, and great fun. No more than half an hour.”

In a post on his official website, Gabriel looked back on working with Bush for the first time on his third album.

“This album was the first time that I had a chance to work with Kate Bush, who was singing on ‘Games Without Frontiers,’” he shared. “I’d heard ‘Wuthering Heights,’ which I really liked; I thought she had an extraordinary, wonderful voice and was doing great things as a writer.”

RELATED: 1982 Power Ballad Written by Rock Legends Became Iconic Band’s Only Top 40  Hit

The title for ‘Games Without Frontiers’ comes from a European game show

In an interview with Grammy.com, synth player Larry Fast explained that the title for “Games Without Frontiers” was based on  Jeux Sans Frontieres, a multinational game show competition in which countries competed in games rather than war.

“So they’re ‘games without frontiers and war without tears,’“ he said. “It all factors in. But Peter was drawing these analogies between the shooting wars and the kind of games that are in the words.”

Gabriel later explained that he often liked to take titles or phrases and give them a new meaning.

“It’s a device I use quite often, taking titles or phrases from ordinary situations and trying to put them up against a slightly different background that will give them a new slant,” he told Smash Hits in a 1980 interview. “It’s an area I’m much more interested in than a totally fabricated, artificial world. For ‘Games’ I was thinking about adults behaving like kids, countries behaving like kids in the way that modes of behavior that were unacceptable in normal society were perfectly acceptable on an international scale.”

RELATED: 1981 Rock Duet Became the Biggest Hit Ever for Both Artists

Meaningless names

Gabriel also explained that the names he used in “Games Without Frontiers”  were “meaningless.”

“I just began playing in a somewhat light-hearted fashion – ‘Hans and Lottie…’ – so it looked, on the surface, as just kids,” he once explained, per American Songwriter.  “The names themselves are meaningless, but they do have certain associations with them. So it’s almost like a little kids’ activity room. Underneath that, you have the TV program [and the] sort of nationalism, territorialism, competitiveness that underlies all that assembly of jolly people.”

Nearly 50 years after its release, “Games Without Frontiers” remains one of Gabriel’s most important songs—a hypnotic track with a message about the dangerous games played by world leaders that still resonates today.

Related: 1973 One-Hit Wonder, From Dutch Prog Band, Was Written in Three Minutes and Defied Every Rock Rule

Long before TSA lines, sweatpants, and packed budget flights, boarding an airplane was a glamorous occasion.

Mid-century air travel was treated as an event—passengers put on their finest suits, dresses, and hats to step aboard, expecting a level of formality and luxury that defined aviation’s “Golden Age.”

But as these vintage photos reveal, the reality inside the cabin ranged from sophisticated high-altitude service to surprisingly rugged, unheated conditions, offering a fascinating look at what taking to the skies was really like decades ago.

Related: Pan Am’s 1970s In-Flight Dining Was Unmatched

Mid-Flight Lounge & Cocktail Service (1970s) A waitress serving snacks in an airplane Party Lounge. (Photo by Found Image Holdings/Getty Images)

Found Image Holdings Inc / Contributor

Prior to the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, the U.S. government’s Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) regulated ticket prices and routes. Because airlines weren’t legally allowed to compete on lower fares, they had to compete entirely on luxury: gourmet multi-course meals, free-flowing cocktails, generous legroom, and attentive service.

Here, passengers gather in an upper-deck lounge to socialize over drinks and snacks, highlighting the spacious, lounge-style luxury introduced during the early jet age of commercial aviation.

Related: Pan Am Made Flying Feel Glamorous—These Photos From 60 Years Ago Show Why

Flight Attendant With Passengers Flight Attendant Services Passangers (Photo by Dean Conger/Corbis via Getty Images)

Dean Conger / Contributor

Flying was an exclusive privilege reserved for the wealthy or business travelers. In the 1950s and 1960s, a domestic round-trip ticket could easily cost the equivalent of $1,000 to $4,000+ in today’s dollars. People dressed up in their finest clothes because taking a flight was often a once-in-a-lifetime or major milestone event.

Passengers in sharp suits, ties, and tailored dresses are served by a flight attendant in a classic pillbox hat. Mid-century flight culture treated air travel as a special event, prompting travelers to put on their absolute finest attire before stepping aboard.

Related: High Style: Flight Attendant Fashion Through the Years

Mid-Century Cabin Comforts Member of a LAN Airways flight crew take a cigarette break during a flight, 1960s. (Photo by WIN-Initiative/Getty Images)

Hans Neleman / Contributor

For mid-century travelers, smoking onboard was an everyday comfort rather than a safety violation. Cabin air was regularly filled with tobacco smoke, as passengers routinely lit up cigarettes, pipes, and cigars right in their seats alongside flight crew members taking a quick break.

While the glamour gets all the attention, mid-century flying came with trade-offs:

• Cabin Air Quality: Heavy tobacco smoke continuously recirculated through pressurized cabins, as early ventilation systems lacked the advanced HEPA filters used today to strip out smoke particles and odors.
• Lack of In-Flight Entertainment: There were no seatback screens or personal devices—passengers spent long flights reading books, chatting, writing postcards provided by the airline, or drinking in onboard lounges.
• Bumpy Rides: Aircraft flew at lower altitudes than today’s modern jets, meaning flights were significantly bumpier and far more prone to severe turbulence.

Runway Ready: The High-Fashion Era of Flight Attendants

Getty

Airlines enforced strict, highly gendered requirements for “air hostesses.” Flight attendants in the 1950s and 1960s were required to be single, unmarried, meet strict height/weight limits, and mandatory retirement ages were often set as low as 30 to 35.

Here, flight hostesses for Union de Transports Aériens (UTA) show off matching seasonal uniforms designed by legendary Parisian couturier Pierre Cardin—featuring light gabardine for summer and dark jersey for winter. During the peak of the jet age, flight crews were style icons mirroring the elegance expected of their passengers.

Cold Cabin of Aeroflot Ilyushin 14 (Siberian Flight)

Getty

Air travel wasn’t all luxury. On remote Siberian routes like this 1950s Aeroflot Ilyushin-14 flight, uninsulated cabins and early heating systems were no match for sub-zero Russian air outside. Passengers kept their heavy fur coats and hats on throughout the flight while stewardesses navigated frosted structural ribs and unheated interiors.

Related: I’m 45 and Officially Done with ‘Average’ Travel—My Soul Needed This One Luxury Weekend More Than Three Cheap Ones

Riddle Airlines Domestic Flight (1962) United States, 1962. Riddler Air airliner with passengers on a domestic flight over the US at 8000 meters altitude.

Getty

Passengers aboard a 1962 Riddle Airlines flight—a Florida-based carrier known for freight and charters—stay sharply dressed in suits and ties, capturing the tailored elegance expected of mid-century travelers. Unlike today’s cabin bins crammed with bulky luggage, open overhead hat racks back then were designed purely for coats, hats, and small purses, leaving heavy bags for checked cargo.

Arrival at Paris-Orly Airport (1966) Paris, Il de France, France, 1966. Passengers leave an airplane via a gangway on the airfield of Paris-Orly.

atlantic-kid

Stepping off the plane was part of the runway show. Travelers arriving at Paris-Orly Airport in 1966 descended open-air gangways directly onto the tarmac clad in tailored coats, sharp suits, and formal dresses, turning their arrival into an effortless high-fashion moment.

Related: The 5-4-3-2-1 Carry-On Packing Hack That Fits a Week of Outfits in One Small Bag

Modern Air Passenger Cabin (1972) Berlin (West), Germany, 1972. Passenger cabin with passengers during a flight of Modern Air..

Getty

By the early 1970s, the aviation industry was shifting. As wide-body jets made flying accessible to broader audiences, cabin attire began to relax slightly, replacing formal suits with vibrant 70s leisurewear and casual tailoring. Even as the Golden Age evolved into a more practical era of air travel, passengers still took pride in dressing well for the journey.

Related: Pan Am Made Flying Feel Glamorous—These Photos From 60 Years Ago Show Why

It’s hard to believe that today marks 29 years since Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris.

The Princess of Wales died at the age of 36 after a high-speed chase by the paparazzi through Paris and what the subsequent inquest described as the “gross negligence” of her driver, Henri Paul, whose blood alcohol was three times over the French legal limit.

Henri Paul and Diana‘s boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, were both killed instantly in the crash when the car spun out of control in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in the early hours of August 31, 1997.

Some of the paparazzi who had been in pursuit of Diana tried to help, while others continued taking pictures.

Diana lived for a few hours before dying of her injuries at 4:53 a.m. Her bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones survived.

Here’s everything that happened from the moment Diana was pulled from the wreckage of her car.

Firefighter Xavier Gourmelon recalled in a 2017 interview that Diana was still conscious when the response team came to her aid.

 “My God, what’s happened?” she asked him.

At Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital doctors tried “for hours” to restart her heart but she was ultimately pronounced dead.

Related: 30 Years After Diana and Charles’ Divorce, This Emotional Detail About Their Final Day Still Surprises

The news instantly started to spread with mourners gathering before the sun had even risen outside Diana’s home of Kensington Palace to lay the first of what would become a sea of floral tributes.

At 05:09 Buckingham Palace released a short statement that said, ““The Queen and the Prince of Wales are deeply shocked and distressed by the terrible news.”

At the time, Diana’s ex-husband Prince Charles and their sons Prince William and Prince Harry were with the rest of the royal family for their traditional end of summer vacation at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

Charles woke up William, aged 15 at the time, to tell him the news before telling 11-year-old Harry.

The boys had only spoken to their mother the night before, when she called them from the Imperial Suite of the Ritz Hotel in Paris, outside which around thirty paparazzi had already assembled waiting for her and Dodi to emerge.

Only a few hours later the decision was made that William and Harry would attend usual Sunday morning service at Crathie Kirk, the tiny chapel on the Balmoral estate, along with Charles and their grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and grandfather Prince Philip.

Despite the photographers who had already assembled, the royals were reported to appear “solemn but composed.”

No direct reference to Diana was made during the service but the queen’s Scottish chaplain made mention of those “whose lives are darkened by tragedy and grief [who] need to know more than human comfort and friendship.”

Charles then flew to Paris to collect Diana’s body along with Diana’s sisters Lady Jane Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale. They were joined at the hospital by French president Jacques Chirac and they thanked the doctors who had made such an effort to save Diana’s life.

Lady Sarah requested locks of Diana’s hair that she later gave to William and Harry.

Related: This Is What Princess Charlotte’s New Title Will Be When Prince William Becomes King

At around 6pm Diana’s body was flown back to the UK. Charles ordered her coffin to be draped with the royal standard.

And that’s when the royal family faced one of its most testing periods in recent history.

The days leading up to Diana’s funeral have come to be regarded as a startling departure from the notion of a British “stiff upper lip,” with an outpouring of emotion from members of the public represented by the almost one million bouquets of flowers they left outside the gates of Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace, and St James’s Palace.

In their grief the British public began to question why the queen had decided to remain in Scotland instead of coming down to London, and for not viewing the floral tributes left for Diana at the gates of Balmoral Castle.

The royal family were angrily criticized by the tabloids for their adherence to protocol, with particular ire reserved for their refusal to fly the flag at Buckingham Palace at half-mast.

The reason for this was because the only flag that is is only ever flown above Buckingham Palace is the Sovereign flag and is strictly reserved for when the monarch is in residence. When the monarch dies he or she is automatically succeeded by their heir, so there is no reason to ever fly it at half-mast.

A snap poll taken at the time showed that one in four people in the UK thought the monarchy should be abolished due to their reaction, or seeming lack of reaction, to Diana’s death.

There was also conflict within the royal family itself, with Charles insisting on a public funeral for Diana and the queen in favor of a private ceremony.

It was new prime minister Tony Blair who is regarded as having persuaded the queen to soften her approach in the chaotic days between Diana’s death and her funeral.

Related: Harry and Meghan’s Shock UK Return Could Change Archie and Lilibet’s Relationship With Their Royal Cousins

Blair had famously referred to Diana as the “People’s Princess” in a speech made on the day she died.

He later wrote in his memoir about his efforts to channel the public’s anger “before it became rage” at what was perceived as the monarchy’s insufficient response to the tragedy.

Blair said that the royal family’s response to Diana’s death was “all very by the book but it took no account of the fact that people couldn’t give a damn about the book.”

The queen would go on to take her prime minister’s advice and gave a now-famous televised speech in which she addressed the public “as your queen and as a grandmother.”

She said, “”I want to pay tribute to Diana myself.

“She was an exceptional and gifted human being. In good times and bad, she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness.

“I admired and respected her—for her energy and commitment to others, and especially for her devotion to her two boys.”

It was later revealed that the queen’s decision to remain at Balmoral was her attempt to protect William and Harry from the outpouring of mass grief, verging on hysteria, that their mother’s death had provoked. She and Philip ordered that there were to be no newspapers to be left around the castle that William or Harry might see.

In the end, Diana was given a public funeral seven days after she was killed. As a compromise regarding the flag-issue, the flag of the United Kingdom was flown at half-mast above Buckingham Palace on the day of the funeral.

The ceremony had one of the biggest viewing audiences of all time—an approximate 2.5 billion people tuned in around the world to watch the final farewell to the People’s Princess, with more than one million people lining the streets of London to watch her coffin pass on its 1-hour, 47-minute procession through the city.

The audio of people sobbing and wailing as Diana’s coffin passed has become seared into the cultural memory, as has the image of William and Harry walking behind their mother’s coffin.

Related: How Princess Diana’s Quietest Acts of Kindness Transformed the World Forever

Diana’s brother the Earl Spencer gave a searing eulogy at the funeral in Westminster Abbey, in which he castigated the press and the royal family for their treatment of Diana while she was alive.

“It is a point to remember that of all the ironies about Diana, perhaps the greatest was this—a girl given the name of the ancient goddess of hunting was, in the end, the most hunted person of the modern age,” he said.

At the time, a poll said 77 percent of British people “agreed strongly that Charles Spencer’s tribute had reflected the mood of the nation.”

Diana was buried later that day in a private ceremony in Althorp Park on the Spencer family estate. She was wearing a black woolen long-sleeved cocktail dress by Catherine Walker that she had ordered only weeks before she died, and holding a set of rosary beads that were a gift from Mother Theresa.

Today, Diana’s grave is marked by a simple white urn on an overgrown island in the middle of a lake. The path leading to the lake is lined with 36 oak trees, each of which represents a year of her life.

Although you can’t visit Diana’s grave, Althorp is open to visitors during the summer. You can look across the lake to the white memorial urn that glows among the lush greenery, and visit the lakeside temple dedicated to Diana where visitors can leave tributes.

The temple is decorated with a black-and-white cameo of the princess, as well as one of her quotes: “Nothing brings me more happiness than trying to help the most vulnerable people in society. It is a goal and an essential part of my life. A kind of destiny.

“Whoever is in distress can call on me. I will come running wherever they are.”

Next up, Meghan Markle Prayed For These Two Things On Her First Visit To Princess Diana’s Grave

Joni Mitchell has more than a series of hits in her career, and in 1974, she released a folk jazz track titled “Free Man in Paris” that was inspired by a trip and captured the hearts of multiple artists.

The singer expanded the landscape of folk music and interwove elements of jazz with her own signature twist. “Free Man in Paris” is one of those examples, as it was released on her Court and Speak album and later on her live album. It landed at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and reached No. 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Rolling Stone even ranked it on its list of the “Greatest Songs of All Time.”

“Free Man in Paris” was written by Mitchell for her friend, music agent/promoter David Geffen. The two had met in Los Angeles in 1967 while obtaining a record contract and quickly became friends. Mitchell would later sign to Geffen’s new label, Asylum Records, in 1972. Many speculated a romantic relationship between the two, but they were simply close companions.

The track itself doesn’t actually mention his name, but is based on a trip she took with him to Paris alongside The Band’s Robbie Robertson and his then-wife, Dominique. While on their trip, Mitchell was inspired by Greffen’s newfound zest for life while in Paris and how he appeared “unfettered and alive.”

“I wrote that in Paris for David Geffen. Taking a lot of it from the things he said,” Mitchell explained, according to JoniMitchell.com.

During their trip, Mitchell realized that Greffen was more at ease than he was back home, and even sings in the track that it was because “there was nobody calling me up for favors.” People close to Greffen have even commented that he appeared unhappy despite his wealth and fame.

Robertson revealed in an interview with PBS that Mitchell wrote the track in the hotel while Geffen was dealing with a payment issue at the Ritz, where they were staying, that could have landed him in jail. As they were ready to head to their next destination, Geffen appears worried as the hotel didn’t accept credit cards and didn’t know who he was to accept a check.

“In the meantime, we were leaving to go to our next destination. So he’s pacing, thinking of things. Finally, he thinks of somebody to call to tell them that he would be good for the money. He said, ‘I don’t have that kind of money in my pocket.’ Somebody did vouch for him, and in the meantime, while we were there, Joni Mitchell wrote ‘Free Man in Paris,'” explained Robertson.

According to the musician, the story gives the song a brand new meaning and context beyond it being just about Geffen’s carefree demeanor while in Paris.

“Free Man in Paris” became one of Mitchell’s hits that was well-loved by Bob Dylan. He included it in his Starbucks compilation album and said, “I’d been to Paris and understood what being a free man there was all about,” and didn’t know if he interpreted it as intended, but loved it. The song was also covered by Aimee Mann, Neil Diamond, and Alanis Morissette.

Related: 1971 Folk Ballad, Inspired by a Painful Breakup, Became an Unlikely Holiday Classic

Three of Poison‘s four members drove from Pennsylvania to Hollywood in a Ford Pinto that broke down exactly on the Sunset Strip in the summer of 1985. That’s not a metaphor. The car genuinely gave out exactly where it needed to. Lead singer Bret Michaels, drummer Rikki Rockett, and bassist Bobby Dall all rented cheap rooms on side streets off the Strip near clubs like the Troubadour and the Roxy. They weren’t going anywhere. That turned out to be the point.

It was 1985, and the Strip was the center of the glam rock universe. Every band was one-upping the previous — bigger hair, more makeup, and louder everything. Into that world came three guys from Pennsylvania whose car had just died on the side of the road. They needed a guitarist. They held auditions.

A Brooklyn kid named C.C. DeVille showed up. He’d dropped out of New York University to pursue music. He’d already been in LA since 1981. He walked into the audition and refused to play the songs Poison had given him to learn. Instead, he played a riff he’d written himself. Bret Michaels was furious. The riff became “Talk Dirty to Me.” Enigma Records signed them. Look What the Cat Dragged In became the label’s best-selling record in history.

They got into Music Grinder Studios and recorded the whole album in 12 days with producer Ric Browde. The budget was $23,000. Some of it came from the band’s own pockets. Some came from their families. Michaels later described what they made as a “glorified demo” — not a polished debut but a raw, energetic snapshot of a band that had spent years playing clubs across Pennsylvania and California. That rawness wasn’t a flaw. It was the entire point. They weren’t chasing technical perfection. They were chasing the feeling of their live shows. They got it.

Then, the first single came out. “Cry Tough” was released in August 1986 and didn’t move the needle in the US. Modest attention in the UK. Not the breakthrough anyone needed. The album needed something else. That something was “Talk Dirty to Me” — the riff DeVille had refused to hold back at his audition.

When MTV started heavily rotating the video, everything changed. The song peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 — Poison’s first top 40 hit. Album sales surged. The record climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard 200. Follow-up singles “I Want Action” and “I Won’t Forget You” kept the momentum going. By the time it was done, Look What the Cat Dragged In had sold 4 million copies worldwide and paid back every dollar the band and their families had invested.

The Album That Never Left

The glam rock race Poison helped start kept growing. Bands kept going bigger. Hair kept going higher. Makeup kept getting more elaborate. It only stopped when a bunch of artists from Seattle decided flannel was the new muscle tank top. Grunge didn’t just replace glam rock. It made glam look foolish overnight. Every hairsprayed band suddenly had nowhere to go.

Related: 1985 ‘Rocky IV’ Hit, Written on a Hotel Room Wurlitzer While Touring With REO Speedwagon, Was Blocked From No. 1 by an AIDS Charity Single

But Look What the Cat Dragged In turned 40 in May 2026. Three months after the anniversary, the conversation hasn’t stopped. That’s what happens when a glorified demo recorded in 12 days turns out to be exactly right. “Talk Dirty to Me” is still a staple of classic rock radio and 1980s nostalgia playlists. The glorified demo outlasted the era it helped create.

Poison drove from Pennsylvania to Hollywood in a Ford Pinto that broke down on the Sunset Strip. A Brooklyn kid who’d dropped out of NYU, refused to play their songs at his audition, and played “Talk Dirty to Me” instead. They recorded their debut in 12 days for $23,000. They called it a glorified demo. MTV made it a hit. Grunge came for it. It didn’t leave.

Some glorified demos last forever.

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