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Janie Bradford Hobbs, the songwriter behind Motown‘s first hit, “Money (That’s What I Want),” has died at 87 following an extended illness at Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Hospital, her family announced Saturday, Aug. 22, according to Rolling Stone. Born in Charleston, Missouri, before later moving to Detroit, Bradford’s path to music history began almost by chance, when neighbor and singer Jackie Wilson introduced her to a young Berry Gordy in the late 1950s.

What started as a receptionist job at Motown quickly became something much bigger. “She became Motown’s first receptionist, but her talents quickly took her far beyond that desk,” Gordy said in a statement. “Janie was smart, clever, witty, and fun. She was also talented and determined.”

That talent showed in 1959, when Bradford joined Gordy at the piano and added the now-iconic line, “Your love gives me such a thrill, but your love don’t pay my bills. Gimme some money baby!” The result, “Money (That’s What I Want),” became Motown’s first hit single and was later covered by both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, cementing its place as one of the most influential songs of the era. (*Later covers by both John Belushi and The Flying Lizards would give their own spin on the hit.)

Bradford’s songwriting reach extended well beyond that hit. Over her quarter-century at Motown, she co-wrote “Too Busy Thinking About My Baby” for Marvin Gaye, “Your Old Standby” for Mary Wells, and songs for the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, and the Temptations, helping shape the sound that defined a generation.

“Janie was one of a special group I have always thought of as the Original Motown Family – the unsung heroes who believed in the dream before anyone knew what Motown would become,” Gordy said, according to Billboard.

Bradford later led Writer Relations for Motown’s publishing company and founded the Heroes and Legends Awards, honoring music icons and funding scholarships for nearly 30 years. She was recently inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame and is survived by her husband, Wardean Hobbs, daughter Nicole Hobbs, son Lance Finney, and two grandsons. 

Before there was a “sound of young America,” there was Janie Bradford – one of the unsung architects who helped write it.

When Martin Scorsese made The Departed in 2006, he hid a visual clue throughout the movie that many viewers probably didn’t notice the first time.

The letter X repeatedly appears in the film’s architecture, lighting and production design, often just before a character is killed. There are X-shaped beams at Logan Airport, an illuminated X on a wall, taped windows forming Xs, an X behind Billy Costigan’s head in the elevator and an X pattern in the hallway before Colin Sullivan’s final confrontation.

The filmmakers weren’t simply decorating the movie with random Xs. Scorsese specifically asked production designer Kristi Zea to incorporate them throughout the film. Zea recalled that Scorsese wanted Xs used “wherever we could,” including on windows, walls and floors.

The idea was simple but effective: when you see the X, something bad is coming.

The motif works almost subliminally. Even if viewers don’t consciously register every X, the repeated visual language creates a feeling of danger and impending doom.

Scorsese Was Paying Tribute to Scarface

The most fascinating part is that Scorsese didn’t invent the idea.

The X was a deliberate homage to Howard Hawks’ 1932 gangster classic Scarface. In Hawks’ film, Xs similarly appear as visual markers associated with death. The motif could appear in the architecture, shadows or objects within the frame, turning an otherwise ordinary shape into a warning for the audience.

Scorsese was famously steeped in film history, so The Departed became an opportunity to quietly communicate with an earlier generation of filmmakers.

The result is a cinematic inside joke that works on two levels. Someone watching The Departed without knowing the reference can simply experience the growing sense of danger. A viewer who knows Scarface can recognize what Scorsese is doing: He’s borrowing a visual language from one gangster movie and bringing it into another.

That makes the X more than an Easter egg. It’s a piece of film history being passed from one director to another.

The X Makes The Departed Fun to Rewatch @brock.swinson

In The Departed, Martin Scorsese places physical “X” marks before characters die as visual foreshadowing. Inspired by the 1932 gangster classic Scarface, which used Xs to mark violent moments, Scorsese instructed his production designer to include “a lot of Xs” throughout set design. The marks appear subtly in backgrounds, windows, walls, and lighting right before major deaths. Once noticed, this small detail becomes impossible to unsee throughout the film.

♬ original sound – Brock Swinson

This is perhaps the best part of the trick.

Once you know about the X, The Departed becomes a different movie on a second viewing. Suddenly, the background matters.

The X doesn’t necessarily give away every death in a way that makes the plot predictable, but it creates an ominous visual countdown. The audience can start looking for the shapes and asking a very simple question:

Who’s marked for death?

The cinematography team worked surprisingly hard to make the motif appear naturally. Xs were created through architecture, set design and lighting, including shadows deliberately shaped into Xs.

That’s why the device has endured as one of the movie’s most discussed visual details. It rewards viewers who go back looking for something they missed the first time.

Related: 1956 Western Epic, With One of Cinema’s Greatest Final Shots, Ranked John Wayne’s Best Film

Scorsese Has Always Loved Movie History

The X is also very representative of Scorsese’s filmmaking.

He has spent much of his career openly communicating with the movies that influenced him. Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino, The Aviator and The Irishman are filled with visual, musical and thematic references to earlier cinema.

In The Departed, the Scarface tribute is particularly appropriate because the movie itself is a gangster story. But Scorsese has also borrowed from filmmakers including Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford and Jean-Luc Godard. One documented example is Taxi Driver, which contains visual and thematic echoes of Ford’s The Searchers.

So the X isn’t an isolated gimmick. It’s part of a larger Scorsese habit: He makes movies while carrying decades of movies with him.

Other Directors Have Their Own Visual Motifs

Scorsese is hardly alone in using recurring visual ideas.

Alfred Hitchcock

Hitchcock may be the ultimate example. Film scholars have identified numerous recurring motifs across Hitchcock’s films, including staircases, keys, handbags, art, guilt and confession. The motifs weren’t simply Easter eggs; they became part of the visual vocabulary Hitchcock used to explore recurring themes.

Stanley Kubrick

Kubrick repeatedly used visual symmetry, geometric compositions, corridors and mirrors to create an unsettling sense of control and psychological disorientation. His films often feel as though the sets themselves are telling part of the story.

Wes Anderson

Anderson’s visual motifs are considerably more obvious and playful. Symmetry, centered compositions, recurring colors, carefully arranged objects and distinctive costumes have become part of his instantly recognizable visual language.

Steven Spielberg

Spielberg has also developed recurring visual ideas, particularly the use of silhouettes, light and framing to emphasize wonder, fear or isolation. His famous “Spielberg face”—a character looking upward in awe or terror—is almost a visual signature.

Christopher Nolan

Nolan frequently returns to motifs involving clocks, circular structures, mirrors, doubles and distorted perceptions of time. In his films, the repeated imagery often reinforces the larger puzzle the audience is trying to solve.

That’s what makes motifs so much fun for movie audiences: Once you learn a director’s visual language, you start seeing movies differently.

The Lasting Legacy of Scorsese’s X

Nearly two decades after The Departed was released, the X remains one of those movie details that makes fans want to go back and watch again.

It connects a 2006 Oscar-winning crime thriller to a 1932 gangster classic. It demonstrates how filmmakers can communicate with one another across generations. And it turns something as ordinary as a window frame, beam or shadow into a warning.

Most importantly, it gives The Departed an additional layer that doesn’t require dialogue to explain.

Scorsese didn’t need a character to announce that death was coming.

He just put an X in the frame.

Related: 1968 Western With an 11-Minute Intro Was Just Named the Greatest Movie Opening of All Time

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Back in the day, before Charlotte Stewart ever became a household name with her breakout role on Little House on the Prairie, the ’70s sweetheart ran a little boutique in Los Angeles, Calif., smack dab in the middle of a budding rock n’ roll scene.

Her shop, called Liquid Butterfly, was across the way from Elektra Records, and one day, the lead singer of The Doors, Jim Morrison, took refuge within, sparking an unexpected acquaintanceship between the troubled rocker and the soon-to-be beloved actress.

One morning, Stewart arrived to work to find the “Riders on the Storm” singer gazing out of her window, looking out at the record label, she recently told her former costar, Patrick Labyorteaux, on an episode of his podcast The Patrick LabyorSheaux. “Do you mind if I’m here?” Morrison asked her, kicking off a whirlwind friendship that Labyorteaux describes “very close and fun.”

She and Morrison began going out with a handful of other unnamed folks, “walk[ing] down the street on La Cienega Blvd. [to] go out to lunch, have some drinks.” Then, it morphed into Morrison “basically [becoming her] drinking buddy, because he didn’t want to drink alone.”

“He would come into the store at five, six o’clock and say, ‘You want to go?’” she continued.
“And I said, ‘Okay.’ So we would go. Then he would get so drunk that I would have to drive him home,” Stewart recalled. “I didn’t want anything from him; he was my drinking buddy,” she emphasized. “So I took care of him.”

Morrison reportedly struggled with drug use, and had several run-ins with the law throughout his short career, becoming the first rocker to be arrested mid-performance, and racking up charges for lewd behavior, indecent exposure, profanity and drunkenness throughout his career, with Stewart helping him evade police once upon a time.

In a similar vein, The Doors were even banned from perfoming on one live TV show in 1967.

Eventually, two years before his death, the unlikely friends hit the road together for a “spicy adventure,” which is further detailed in her 2016 memoir memoir, Little House in the Hollywood Hills: A Bad Girl’s Guide to Becoming Miss Beadle, Mary X, and Me.

Morrison asked Stewart to get out of town with him when he needed a break, and they drove up the California coast together for four days, where he flew under the radar and enjoyed a little anonymity and peace before dropping her safely off at the store. It was the last time she saw him before he sadly died under uncertain circumstances at the age of 27.

Three years after his death, she went on to play the kindhearted schoolteacher, Eva Beadle-Simms, on the hit TV series Little House on the Prairie.

Hayden Panettiere was just 8 months old when her mom, Lesley Vogel, decided to kick start her career in show business.

While their relationship struggled in later years, ultimately resulting in their estrangement, Vogel claims she never anticipated her daughter would make it a lifelong career.

“She started with Wilhelmina at eight months old because she’s a beautiful baby. I mean, really beautiful baby,” Vogel told Daily Mail on Saturday, August 22, nearly one week after her daughter’s death. “My thought then was, let her do some stuff, we’ll put it in her college fund, and she’ll go to college and she’ll have this. I never expected her to be a professional actor, never.”

Despite their troubled relationship, Vogel maintains that she was not an abusive parent.

“I was strong, definitely, but I was not abusive by any stretch of the imagination,” she continued. “I think that Hayden put a pressure on herself. I know that she has mentioned, you know, always had to please Mom, or make sure it was, you know, I succeeded or whatever. I didn’t put that on her. I think she put that on herself.”

As Parade previously reported, the Ice Princess actress was found unresponsive inside a Greenville, South Carolina, apartment on Sunday, August 16. Despite efforts to resuscitate her, Panettiere was pronounced dead at the scene.

After an initial autopsy did not find signs of foul play, an investigation into her death commenced.

The Remember the Titans actress opened up about her estrangement in her May 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, and later on an episode of Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast.

“Whether or not my mom approved of my performance made or broke it,” she wrote. “I either got love and pride, or I got shame.”

At 19, after nearly two decades of being managed by her mother, Panettiere recalled telling Vogel, “I don’t want us to work together anymore. I just want you to be my mom.”

“I remember being hopeful,” she told Shetty. “But I also wasn’t expecting the reaction that I got, which was, ‘You owe me.’ And that’s all she said. And she walked out.”

Throughout the 1970s, music enthusiasts were treated to countless song releases that are now considered the classics. Because many view the ’70s as a decade when quite a few popular musical artists put out their most notable works, it’s difficult to narrow down the era’s very best. However, the publication Collider did just that and released a ranking of the “10 best songs of the 1970s.”

The list, released in July 2026, included ’70s hits like “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin from 1971, Fleetwood Mac‘s 1977 tune “Dreams,” 1975’s “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen, and Derek and the Dominos‘ “Layla” from 1970. According to the publication, “the best song of the 1970s” is David Bowie‘s 1977 hit, “Heroes,” co-written by Brian Eno.

During a 1977 interview, Bowie gave some insight into the song. Bowie noted that the 1977 Heroes album was produced in West Berlin, 12 years before the fall of the Berlin Wall. He said he had been “watching the Wall every day about 12 o’clock midday to about 1 o’clock” and noticed that “a boy and a girl would meet under the Wall, under the guard, under the gun, on a park bench.” Bowie surmised that the pair, whom he said would “kiss and cuddle,” “were carrying on some kind of affair,” which they possibly felt was “an act of heroism” due to their meeting location.

However, Louder reported that in a 2015 interview with Classic Rock, Bowie admitted he’d been inspired to pen the hit after becoming aware of his then-married producer Tony Visconti‘s affair with his German girlfriend Antonia Maass, “that he’d met while [they] were in Berlin.”

According to Louder, Bowie, who died in 2016 when he was 69, suggested that recording in West Berlin impacted his songwriting for his Heroes album during an interview.

“I find that I have to put myself in those situations to produce any reasonably good writing. I’ve still got that same thing about when I get to a country… I have to put myself on a dangerous level, whether emotionally or mentally or physically, and it resolves in things like that: living in Berlin, leading what is quite a spartan life for a person of my means, and in forcing myself to live according to the restrictions of that city,” said Bowie.

In addition, during the 1977 interview, Bowie said that recording in West Berlin, “about 30 or 40 meters away from the Wall,” gave him a “kind of friction that [he] need[ed].”

With summer coming to a close, things can start feeling a little bittersweet. On the one hand, the change of season brings sweater weather, Halloween and beautiful autumnal colors, while on the other, our favorite summer flavors begin to take a back seat to cozy fall recipes.

While I for one would never turn down any of my favorite fall bites, it’s seasonal finds like Trader Joe’s Lemon Ricotta Pancake Mix that instantly have me wishing I could stretch summer out just a little bit longer. 

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Lemon Ricotta Pancake Mix, $3.99 at Trader Joe’s

Courtesy Nathan Hutsenpiller

Here till the end of September, this rich and creamy $4 mix brings together a satisfying combination of flavor and texture, pairing the mild, subtly sweet nature of ricotta cheese with the timeless appeal of a fluffy stack of pancakes. And after seeing it pop up enough times on my Explore page, I had no choice but to take advantage of its final month on shelves and see exactly what I’d been missing out on all summer long.

What I wasn’t expecting, however, was the moist and tender mouthfeel the simple addition of ricotta cheese would add to pancakes. And with a touch of lemon flavor mixed in, the mix delivers bright, citrusy notes in each bite, needing only milk, eggs and oil to bring it to life.

How to Make Trader Joe’s Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Courtesy Nathan Hutsenpiller

Start by heating a skillet or griddle over medium-low heat and gathering a whisk, mixing bowl and measuring cups. Whisk one egg until well blended, then slowly whisk in half a cup of milk and two tablespoons of oil. When ready, fold in one cup of Lemon Ricotta Pancake Mix until just combined. The batter should be thick and lumpy.

Courtesy Nathan Hutsenpiller

Now for the fun part. Pour roughly a quarter cup of batter per pancake onto the hot pan and cook until the sides are just set and bubbles on top start to pop. Gently use a spatula to flip the pancake and cook the second side until golden brown. Between each pancake, start a stack on a serving plate, then add your preferred toppings once your stack is as tall as you want it to be. Serve warm and enjoy.

Related: I Made the Retro School Cafeteria Pizza We All Remember—Here’s Why It Still Holds Up

Is This One Worth Stocking Up On?

Courtesy Nathan Hutsenpiller

Coming from someone who could probably devour pancakes on a daily basis for the rest of time, I feel a little biased in saying this mix absolutely blew my socks off. But I’d be lying if I told you anything otherwise. For starters, the batter comes together in a flash, needing just a couple of minutes of your time before you’re pouring it onto the hot skillet.

Secondly, these pancakes are seriously delicious enough to eat on their own. While butter, maple syrup, blueberries and some whipped cream are certainly excellent ways to elevate their taste, these soft and fluffy flapjacks are packed with a world of summer-adjacent flavors that really deserve to be enjoyed year-round.

Courtesy Nathan Hutsenpiller

So, if you’re asking me if you should pick up a box yourself, my answer is an unequivocal yes. In fact, I have half a mind to go and stock up on more boxes to help get me through the rest of the year.

Don’t waste any time sniffing out a box upon your next Trader Joe’s visit and give yourself one last decadent taste of summer before we head full speed into pumpkin spice lattes, apple cider and all things fall. While you’re there, also look out for Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Mango & Passion Fruit Creme Thin Cups and Mandu Korean Kimchi Potstickers for more tasty bite ideas.

Related: Trader Joe’s New $3 Deli Chips Are a Dangerously Zesty Summer Sandwich Upgrade

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There’s no denying the conversation around hair loss has gotten louder. Scroll through social media or stroll down the beauty aisle and you’ll find an ever-growing lineup of supplements, serums, scalp treatments and high-tech gadgets promising to tackle thinning and shedding. And the interest isn’t just anecdotal: A Google Trends analysis found worldwide search interest for “hair loss treatment” rose roughly 204% between 2018 and 2023.

Whether the culprit is stress, genetics, a condition such as alopecia or even shedding associated with GLP-1 weight loss medications, the common denominator is the same: Hair loss can be incredibly frustrating.

When you’re constantly spotting more strands in the shower drain, your hairbrush or on your pillowcase, finding a solution can quickly become all-consuming, which is why we turned to experts in the hair space for answers.

“Scalp health is having its moment because we’re finally catching up to what dermatologists have known for years: your scalp IS skin, and it deserves the same level of care we give our faces,” Utah-based celebrity hairstylist and Laced Hair founder Lacy Gadegaard West, tells Parade. “You wouldn’t expect a garden to thrive in dry, neglected soil. Your scalp is the soil. If it’s clogged, inflamed or dehydrated, your hair simply cannot grow to its full potential.”

New York City-based celebrity hairstylist Jerome Lordet agrees.

“People are becoming more aware that healthy hair starts at the scalp,” he says, noting that clients are now “much more focused on long-term hair health rather than just styling.”

And while the right scalp products can help, he stresses that healthy hair isn’t solely an outside job: “It’s also important to remember that a balanced diet and hydration also play a big part in scalp health and overall hair strength.”

Related: This Simple Nightly Scalp Trick May Boost Hair Growth After 50

What In-Shower Step Can Help With Shedding and Scalp Issues?

“One of the most important in-shower steps for reducing shedding and supporting stronger hair is properly cleansing the scalp to remove buildup, excess oil and dead skin that can disrupt hair health over time.” Lordet tells Parade.

The secret? Adding a little exfoliation to your wash-day routine.

Lauren Paglionico, master colorist and founder of LRN Beauty, swears by RŌZ Detox Clarifying Shampoo & Salt Scalp Scrub for gently clearing away buildup without overdoing it.

“It removes buildup in a gentle way without stripping your scalp of its natural protective oils,” she says. Even better, she notes that “it works on all hair types, textures and is safe for color-treated hair.”

For flakes, itchiness or more stubborn buildup, Paglionico suggests pairing it with RŌZ Willow Glen Pre-Wash Treatment Oil. “The oil helps break down buildup and works especially well for those who have flakes or itchiness,” she says.

Her advice: Use the oil once a week before going in with the scrub.

Getty

Signs That You May Want To Include a Scalp Scrub in Your Hair Routine

Not sure if a scrub belongs in your routine? Your scalp may already be telling you. Beauty expert and Keranique Brand Ambassador Melissa Peverini says common signs include “a tight, sensitive scalp” or shedding that feels excessive.

Celebrity stylist (to stars like Emma Watson and Toni Collette) and owner of Cutler Salons Rodney Cutler concurs, pointing to dry, dull hair, an increase in split ends and flaking or buildup at the scalp as other telltale signs. His only caveat? Don’t overdo it.

“You don’t want to overuse these products,” he says, recommending a hair mask, scalp scrub or serum “once a week.”

Related: 11 Best Hair-Growth Serums for Thicker, Healthier Locks, Tested by Trichologists

How Long Before You Start Seeing Results?

While scalp care isn’t exactly an overnight fix, you may see improvements sooner than you think once you make a buildup-busting exfoliator part of your shower rotation.

“Most of my clients notice a difference in how their scalp feels within the first week,” says West. “The itching stops, the flaking calms down and their scalp feels lighter and healthier.”

But before you slack off on your new desloughing program, remember that consistency is key. “For visible changes in shedding reduction and new growth, I tell clients to give it 8 to 12 weeks of consistent use,” she adds.

“Hair grows in cycles, so the products need time to influence the growth phase. Supplements and vitamins in particular need a full 90-day window to show their full impact,” West says. “Think of it like starting a workout routine: you feel better immediately, but the visible results take a few months.”

Related: 14 Best Scalp Serums for 2026, According to a Dermatologist

8 More Scalp Products That Reduce Shedding While Encouraging Growth, According to Hair Experts

Ready to take your healthy hair journey a step further? These are the scalp-supporting products our experts swear by.

1. Keranique Regrowth System, $49

Amazon

Shop It on Amazon

For Peverini, tackling shedding starts with a clean, healthy scalp—and a routine that works together from wash day onward.

She calls the Keranique shampoo a “multi-task cleanser” that “strengthens the follicle” while gently removing buildup from styling products and minerals in water. Follow with the Follicle Strengthening Conditioner, which she loves for its peppermint sensation that “stimulates the scalp” while delivering “amazing scalp-friendly volume.”

Her preferred order? Start with Keranique Radiant Repair Oil as a pre-wash scalp treatment, then shampoo, exfoliate with the Keranique Scalp Therapy Manual Massager and finish with conditioner. Peverini recommends shampooing and conditioning at least three times a week, while the oil can be used as a weekly pre-shampoo treatment.

2. Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate 5-Minute Liquid Mask, $44

Redken

Shop It on Amazon

Dry, stressed or breakage-prone strands need a little more TLC, and Cutler recommends swapping your standard conditioner for a moisturizing mask once a week. His pick is the Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate 5-Minute Liquid Mask, which he says “does a great job to combat dry hair” and can be applied “from roots to ends or from midlength to ends” before rinsing.

3. Davines Naturaltech Energizing Seasonal Superactive, $62

Davines

Shop It on Amazon

When seasonal shedding hits, Lordet recommends reaching for Davines Naturaltech Energizing Seasonal Superactive and, most importantly, sticking with it. He says the targeted treatment is “best used consistently during periods of shedding” to give the scalp extra support when hair needs it most.

For Lordet, it all comes back to his signature wash-and-wear philosophy: keeping the scalp “clean and balanced” while preserving the hair’s natural texture and movement.

4. Davines Naturaltech Calming Superactive, $47

Amazon

Shop It on Amazon

If your scalp is sending out an SOS, Lordet suggests Davines Naturaltech Calming Superactive, which he says can be used as needed whenever the scalp feels irritated or unbalanced.

Rather than overcomplicating your routine, Lordet’s approach is to restore balance while letting your natural hair do its thing. The goal, he adds, is hair that looks “effortless, healthy and easy to style every day.”

5. The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Serum for Hair Density, $24

Amazon

Shop It on Amazon

Your skincare routine doesn’t have to end at your hairline. West loves applying this peptide-packed serum right out of the shower while her scalp is still slightly damp. Its lightweight blend of peptides, caffeine and biotinoyl tripeptide-1 supports the appearance of thicker, fuller hair without weighing down your roots.

“Think of it as your moisturizer step, but for your scalp,” she says. If thinning or excessive shedding is your main concern, West recommends making it a consistent part of your post-shower routine.

6. Drybar Detox Reset Revive & Restore Scalp & Hair Treatment, $33

Amazon

Shop It on Amazon

Consider this a reset button for oily, buildup-prone scalps. “One of my favorite in-shower products right now is the Drybar Detox Reset Revive & Restore Pre-Shampoo Cleanser because healthy hair really does start with a healthy scalp,” says Parker Carr, Drybar training and education specialist. “As someone who sheds constantly and has an oily scalp, this is the first place I start for a refresh.”

Carr especially loves this scalp treatment (that doubles as a hydrating mask) for creating the best foundation for a lasting blowout. The built-in nozzle makes it easy to apply directly to the scalp and massage in before raking the formula through your lengths and letting it sit for one to three minutes.

“When your scalp is balanced and clean, the style just holds better,” she says. Reach for it between salon appointments when your scalp needs some extra love—or your blowout could use more staying power.

7. Viviscal Women’s Hair Growth Supplements, $40

Amazon

Shop It on Amazon

While not technically an in-shower product, West pairs these scalp-supportive supplements with her shower routine because hair health is an inside-out game.

“Viviscal is one of the most clinically studied hair growth supplements out there, formulated with their proprietary AminoMar marine complex plus biotin, zinc and vitamin C,” she says. “They target the biological factors behind thinning and shedding at the follicle level, and after taking two tablets daily, most clients start noticing a difference within three to six months.”

8. Advanced Trichology HairStem Laser Cap, $895

Advanced Trichology

Prefer a more hands-free approach to your healthy hair journey? Laser caps are one of the latest high-tech tools designed to encourage growth and help keep shedding at bay. “Equipped with state-of-the-art Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT), this medical-grade device helps revive dormant hair follicles and stimulate new growth—right from the comfort of your home,” says William Gaunitz, FWTS, the certified trichologist who created the HairStem Laser Cap.

According to Gaunitz, the laser light helps stimulate circulation and cell turnover while decreasing inflammation, which can “directly improve the volume of hair being produced from the hair follicle” and help reduce shedding. He adds that improved microcirculation can also lead to a healthier, more balanced scalp microbiome.

And using it is just as effortless: Charge the cap, position it on your scalp, press a button and let it do its thing. Gaunitz recommends two 10- to 15-minute sessions per week for the first 90 days, leaving two to three days between treatments. After 90 days, bump sessions up to 15 to 20 minutes while sticking to the twice-weekly schedule.

Up Next:

Related: 11 Best Hair-Growth Serums for Thicker, Healthier Locks, Tested by Trichologists Themselves

Sources:

• “Hair Loss Treatments: A Google Trends Analysis Worldwide of the Past 5 Years (2018–2023)”, published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.
• Lacy Gadegaard West, Utah-based celebrity hairstylist and founder of Laced Hair, one of the original luxury hair extension brands, whose work has been seen on Sabrina Carpenter, Alix Earle and Gwen Stefani.
• Jerome Lordet, NYC-based celebrity hairstylist and owner of Jerome Lordet Salon and founder of Love Is in the Hair, with a celebrity clientele that has included Sandra Bullock, Bianca Jagger and Jessica Simpson.
• Lauren Paglionico, NYC-based master colorist and founder of LRN Beauty, known for her expertise in balayage, blondes and maintaining healthy, natural-looking color.
• Melissa Peverini, celebrity hair designer and beauty expert located in Palm Beach, Florida, with more than 25 years of experience spanning editorial, red carpet, film and television.
• Rodney Cutler, celebrity hairstylist, Redken Brand Ambassador and founder of Cutler Salons.
• Parker Carr, Drybar training and education specialist.
• William Gaunitz, FWTS, certified trichologist, hair-loss expert and founder of Advanced Trichology.

Happy heavenly birthday to Layne Staley of Alice in Chains.

The Seattle rock legend would have been 59 today (Aug. 22), had he not died from a drug overdose in 2002.

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Layne Staley was born on Aug. 22, 1967, and went on to fame fronting the Seattle grunge band Alice in Chains but along with success came a drug habit that ultimately cost him his life. He was found dead from a mixture of heroin and cocaine at his home on April 5, 2002.

In an eerie coincidence, Staley’s body was found eight years to the day after Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain died from a self-inflicted gunshot on April 5, 1994, after he too battled drug addiction and struggled to come to terms with his newfound fame. Cobain’s body was found at his Seattle home three days later.

Singer Staley, guitarist Jerry Cantrell, bassist Mike Starr, and drummer Sean Kinney, formed Alice in Chains in early 1987. Two years later, the band was signed to Columbia Records.

Alice in Chains gained notice with the release of two EPs and their debut album, Facelift, in the early ‘90s, but the band really began to take off after a few of their songs were included in films. The track “Would?” turned up in Cameron Crowe’s 1992 film Singles, which chronicled the love lives of a group of twentysomethings using the Seattle music scene as a backdrop.  AIC also had two songs featured on the soundtrack to The Last Action Hero in 1993.

That set the stage for Jar of Flies, which became the first EP to top The Billboard 200 when it debuted at No. 1 the week of Feb. 12, 1994, knocking Mariah Carey’s Music Box from the top spot.

Alice in Chains hit the top spot again a year later with their self-titled album. Before he recorded that album with his main band, Staley experimented with the side project Mad Season, featuring Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, the Screaming Trees’ Barrett Martin and John Baker Saunders.

“Layne had pretty much creatively cleared himself with Mad Season, but that was ultimately good for this record,” Cantrell said in an interview for The Billboard Book of Number One Albums. “When you put yourself in the situation where you don’t know what the f–k you are going to do, you come up with some of your best work off the top of your head and off the cuff. Other than ‘Grind’ and ‘Over Now,’ the rest of the stuff was all just music and riffs that we pieced together in the studio.”

The strategy worked, giving Alice in Chains their second title to enter at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 the week of Nov. 25, 1995.

Sadly, the band could not continue that success, and Staley eventually succumbed to his drug addiction. However, Alice in Chains regrouped in 2006 with new frontman William Duvall and remains active to this day.

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There’s something to be said for the Mediterranean aesthetic. Featuring eclectic ornamental tiles, breezy coastal pieces, and earthy decor, this trend elevates everyday life and captures a relaxed lifestyle that oozes quiet luxury. If you’re looking for a stylish yet practical way to bring some Mediterranean-inspired charm into your home, this Vancasso Malacasa 12-Piece Dinnerware Set is definitely worth checking out at Walmart. Adorned with a colorful, ornate design, this dinnerware set can instantly transform your dining room, kitchen, or patio into a Spanish bistro. 

@lamaisonlongco

Always looking for inspo for our Mediterranean, Spanish revival style house 😍 #spanishrevival #1930shome #interiordesignideas #historichome #eclecticdecor #mediterraneanhome

♬ Mambo #5 – Peréz Prado

There’s no better time than right now to snag this dinnerware set because it’s currently on sale. Normally retailing for $69, you can now score it for just $54, which means you’re getting each piece for less than $5! This 12-piece set is available in three vibrant multicolored styles. One set has blue as its base color, another set has orange as its base, and the third set boasts various hues, 

Vancasso Malacasa 12-Piece Dinnerware Set, $54 (was $69) at Walmart

Courtesy of Walmart

Shop at Walmart

Reminiscent of backsplash tiles found in Morocco, Mexico, and Spain, this dinnerware set features an ornate symmetrical pattern filled with geometric and floral motifs that fill the entire surface. The cohesive design will make your dining setup feel effortlessly put together, elevating every at-home meal.

“The absolutely gorgeous and vibrant design makes for a beautiful table setting!” one Walmart reviewer raved. Another shopper described the design as “elegant” and said that it’s “perfect for everyday meals and special occasions.” A third customer said this dinnerware set gives them “joy and happiness.” 

From casual alfresco lunches to fancy dinners, this set comes with everything you need for a complete meal, including four dinner plates, four salad plates, and four bowls. For size reference, the large plates have a 10.5-inch diameter, the smaller plates have an 8.5-inch diameter, and the bowls have a 6.3-inch diameter and are 2.7 inches deep. 

Vancasso Malacasa 12-Piece Dinnerware Set, $54 (was $69) at Walmart

Courtesy of Walmart

Shop at Walmart

Designed to keep your surfaces clean, the plates have a slightly curved silhouette to prevent sauces and liquids from spilling over the sides. The dinner plates are ideal for your main course. Whether you’re having steak, creamy pasta, or a juicy burger, they offer plenty of space for your food without feeling cramped. You can use the smaller plates for appetizers like salads and calamari, or for desserts like cake and pies. The bowls are a great size for soup, cereal, and ice cream, but you can also use them as a vessel for your snacks during movie nights. 

Made of stoneware, this dinnerware set is lead-free, giving you peace of mind. Shoppers commented that the dishes have a nice weight to them, making them feel expensive. These pieces are microwave- and oven-safe, allowing you to easily heat up food. Because of their non-porous and heat-resistant properties, these dishes are dishwasher-safe. Reviewers noted that they wash well in the dishwasher and don’t scratch. 

While these dishes deserve to be displayed, you can easily store them away if need be. The bowls and plates have a stackable design, minimizing the space they take up in your cabinets. 

Shop More Deals 

• Better Homes & Gardens Ceramic Lemon Candle, $8 (was $10) at Walmart
• Lovecasa 16-Piece Botanical Dinnerware Set, $60 (was $94) at Walmart
• Unbranded Olive Ceramic Plant Pot, From $32 (was $37) at Walmart

Related: Pyrex Has Been the ‘Gold Standard’ of Glass Bakeware Since 1915, and You Can Snag a 2-Piece Set for Just $12

Whether you want to make your dining table feel a bit more put together or just want to bring some practical Mediterranean-inspired charm into your home, don’t hesitate to snag the Vancasso Malacasa 12-Piece Dinnerware Set at Walmart while it’s still on sale for just $54!

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Country music may be synonymous with the American South, but new search data suggests that reputation doesn’t quite match what Americans are actually looking for online.

A new study from SeatPick analyzed Google search interest across 18 music genres in every U.S. state and found that country music (despite being America’s most-searched genre by a huge margin) comes out on top in just four states: West Virginia, Tennessee, North Dakota and South Dakota.

And Texas? Country doesn’t even make the state’s top three.

Country music doesn’t even crack the top three most-searched genres in Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma or Louisiana.

Instead, pop is the No. 1 genre in Texas, as well as in 12 other states. Pop tops more states than any other genre, with Taylor Swift ranking as its most-searched artist nationally.

Country music’s strongest showing comes in West Virginia, which recorded the highest search interest for the genre, followed by Tennessee, North Dakota and South Dakota.

But country isn’t the only genre defying expectations. Metal ranks No. 1 in 11 states, including Wyoming, Montana, Alaska, Idaho, New Mexico, Maine, New Hampshire, Kansas, Ohio, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.

Montana is particularly surprising. Metal’s search interest there beats country music by 13 points.

The study also found that several states are most interested in genres with deep roots in their own musical histories. Kentucky leads the country in bluegrass searches, Louisiana tops jazz, Mississippi leads in gospel, Missouri leads in blues, Georgia leads in R&B and Maryland leads in hip hop.

Meanwhile, Hawaii is the top state for reggae searches, while Nevada leads in EDM.

Country music still dominates the nation in overall search volume, with more than 500,000 monthly U.S. searches and Morgan Wallen as its most-searched artist. But the state-by-state results suggest that America’s musical map may look very different from what many people expect.

RELATED: Bryan Adams Brings Pat Benatar Onstage for Surprise Stevie Wonder Cover

Let’s hear it for the lazy Susan: the humble household hero that has been quietly saving us from cabinet chaos and awkward reaching for generations. Sure, at its most basic, it’s a turntable. But calling a lazy Susan just a turntable is like calling a cake stand just a plate with a little confidence. A good lazy Susan is equal parts convenience and style, putting everything you need within easy spinning distance.

Tucked into a pantry, it can keep oils, spices and sauces from disappearing into the dark abyss behind the cereal boxes. (Why does this always happen in my house?) On a kitchen counter, it corrals everyday essentials while making them look properly arranged rather than randomly abandoned. And on a dining or coffee table, it can become a decorative moment all its own, displaying candles, vases or a carefully curated collection of things that make you look far more organized than you may actually be.

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Acacia Wood Scalloped Lazy Susan, $49.99 at World Market

World Market

That’s the beauty of the lazy Susan: It works hard, looks good and asks very little in return. And when it comes with a pretty scalloped edge and charming wood finish, as this lovely World Market Acacia Wood version does, well, suddenly getting organized feels cute.

It measures 16 inches in diameter and 1.75 inches high, offering plenty of room for things like condiments and sauces on a dining room table to snacks on a kitchen counter, all while bringing a little warmth to the space.

Related: Sam’s Club’s Stunning Pre-Lit Topiary Brings Vibrant Color and a Cozy Glow to Your Porch

Naturally, it does the thing a lazy Susan does best—that full 360-degree rotation which puts whatever you need at arm’s length, no cabinet excavation required. When it needs a little cleanup, just give it a quick wipe—no elaborate maintenance routine is necessary.

A pretty wood version like this one can actually pull its weight all over the house without looking like an organizational tool. On a bathroom counter, it holds skincare and perfumes, while on a vanity, it keeps jewelry and hair accessories from wandering off. Even an entryway could benefit from one as a landing spot for keys, sunglasses and all those little things that somehow end up scattered everywhere.

Related: This Pretty 4-Piece Porcelain Chinoiserie Bowl Set at IKEA Is Versatile, Beautiful and Durable

Days of Our Lives star Annalynne McCord received backlash after news broke that she was “crowdfunding” her wedding to former rugby star Danny Cipriani. According to the bride, the couple even received death threats.

“People actually donated ten dollars towards the wedding so they could write on the site that Danny and I were disgusting,” McCord, 39, told The Sun on Sunday, on Saturday, August 22. “There were even death threats.”

McCord — who is scheduled to wed her British beau on Saturday in Los Angeles — launched a HoneyFund on her wedding website in which guests could contribute to their nuptials.

“Gift any amount, contribute to our journey! Help us create our dream wedding and honeymoon experience with any amount of donation,” the website reads.

Options for guests to contribute towards their marriage license, reception music, photography, catering, and wedding cake were among the items listed with specific dollar amounts.

Ahead of their nuptials, however, the 90210 alum claimed, “Everyone was asking what they could give us. I was like, I have five blenders. I have everything for my home. I’m getting married at 39. I don’t need another item. I am very blessed.”

She added that it wasn’t until a costar asked about the registry that she realized it was “an open link.”

The couple rekindled their romance in 2024 after splitting four years prior.

“On Christmas Day there were rose petals everywhere and Danny got on his knee in front of the tree. We started planning the wedding quickly after that,” she told The Sun of their engagement.

Following their Los Angeles nuptials, the pair have plans to tie the knot a second time in London, and a third in Cambodia.

Bette Midler expressed her disdain for an AI-generated song currently making waves in the industry. While the four-time Grammy Award winner largely received support from artists with similar feelings, one star pushed back.

“This song, currently on the charts, is AI generated,” Midler, 80, shared via Instagram on Friday, August 21, referring to IngaRose’s “Celebrate Me.”

She continued, “It’s a good song, created and sung by a machine that stole every lick, every riff, every thought, phrasing style, every choke in the voice, every sorrowful sound from thousands of human artists since the beginning of recorded music, with zero compensation for the artists on whom they trained the machine.”

According to Midler, “This is [cultural genocide].”

According to IngaRose’s official Instagram page — which boasts more than 400,000 followers — her songs are all “human-written” but generated using the AI platform Suno.

Pop artist Natasha Bedingfield claimed the song, which is gaining popularity on iTunes, “sounds like a lot of [Olivia Dean’s] voice.”

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“They could be curing diseases and instead we get this,” another artist wrote.

Grammy nominee and Fast and Furious star Tyrese Gibson, however, had other thoughts.

“Ai isn’t going anywhere….” he commented under Midler’s post. “Complain complain and it just makes it more popular…. This song is actually a great song. I know it’s Ai so many are so many depressed, divorced, and discouraged 🫤 this song has inspired even ME!!!!!!”

He continued, “The last song that inspired me from a real artist that was ON MESSAGE was AUDRA DAY!!! What HUMAN writer and SINGER IS gonna write a song that’s better than this?? Don’t complain…. Just step your shhhhhhhh up…. The world needs HOPE…..”

In 1971, John Prine turned memories of his family’s Kentucky roots into a song that would follow him for the rest of his career.

“Paradise” appeared on Prine’s acclaimed self-titled debut album, pairing an affectionate portrait of childhood visits to Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, with a much darker story about what coal mining had done to the landscape. Over the decades, the song became a country and folk standard, eventually earning a memorable interpretation from Johnny Cash.

“I wrote it for my father mainly so he would know I was a songwriter,” Prine told Performing Songwriter. “When I recorded the song, I brought a tape of the record home to my dad; I had to borrow a reel-to-reel machine to play it for him. When the song came on, he went into the next room and sat in the dark while it was on. I asked him why, and he said he wanted to pretend it was on the jukebox.”

For Prine, the inspiration was deeply personal.

His parents were from western Kentucky, and as a child, Prine traveled from the family’s home in Illinois to visit relatives there. “Paradise” looks back on those trips through images of the Green River and the town of Paradise before confronting the environmental destruction caused by the Peabody Coal Company and strip mining.

“The few times I’ve had access to a boat in the latter years and been able to go down the river, it surprisingly looks a lot like it did when I was a kid,” Prine told Nashville Scene in 2017. “Because when you’re on the river, everything’s grown up, the grass and the bushes, and you can’t see all the damage that’s been done. Except when you go right by where the town sat. You know, of course, the coal chutes and everything are on the river where they loaded the barges up.”

That combination of beauty and destruction gave the song unusual staying power.

Rather than simply romanticizing the past, Prine placed nostalgia alongside loss. The refrain’s longing to return to Muhlenberg County becomes more poignant as the song reveals that the Paradise of his childhood memories had been irrevocably changed.

“Paradise” soon traveled well beyond Prine’s own catalog.

Artists including John Denver, The Everly Brothers and Lynn Anderson recorded the song, helping establish it as a modern country standard. Johnny Cash later included his version on the 2002 album American IV: The Man Comes Around, bringing Prine’s story to another generation through the weathered voice of one of country music’s most revered performers. For Prine, who idolized Cash, the cover was nothing short of an honor.

“When I turned 40, I invited Johnny Cash to my party, even though I knew there was gonna be 200 people, roasting a pig and wild as can be,” Prine told Rolling Stone. “He didn’t come, but the next day, I got a bowl of chili he’d made and a note that said, ‘John, I’d love to come to your party, but that would mean I would have to leave my house.’ I still have it somewhere, probably pressed inside a Bible or something.”

“Paradise” also took on special significance in Kentucky. In 2020, following Prine’s death, members of his family honored his wishes by scattering some of his ashes in the Green River near the former site of Paradise, a poignant connection between the songwriter and the place he had immortalized decades earlier.

Fifty-five years after “Paradise” first appeared, its portrait of home, memory and irreversible change remains strikingly relevant. What began with John Prine looking back at childhood trips to Kentucky became a song embraced by generations of performers, including Johnny Cash and one of the defining compositions of Prine’s extraordinary career.

Related: 1978 Pop Song, Written by Barry Gibb, Became a Career-Defining No. 1 Hit

It wasn’t an automatic yes for David Boreanaz when he was asked about taking on the role of private investigator Jim Rockford in the NBC update of the hit series The Rockford Files, scheduled to premiere in early 2027.

Rather the Bones and SEAL Team alum had a couple of conditions, one of which was to get the approval of James Garner’s daughter, Gigi Garner. It was Garner who originated the role of the ex-con falsely accused of the crime for which he went to prison, on the critically acclaimed series, which aired on NBC from Sept. 13, 1974, to Jan. 10, 1980.

As luck would have it, about 15 years ago, Boreanaz purchased a bit of Garner memorabilia and, surprisingly, the email he had for Gigi from that time still worked. She replied and they set up a phone call.

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“I called her up and I said, ‘You know that NBC is bringing back The Rockford Files? She said, ‘Yeah, I don’t know who’s going to play my father.’ And I said, ‘Well, they offered me the role.’ And the first thing I said to her is, ‘I need your blessing, but first and foremost I’m not going to play what your father did. What your father did is iconic and he’s already climbed that mountaintop. I inspire to do the same with this character, but I’m not imitating him. I’m not going out, looking at episodes.’”

It turns out that Boreanaz was more into The Six Million Dollar Man and Charlie’s Angels than Rockford, so while he found James Garner inspiring, he didn’t watch the series. Needless to say, Gigi gave him her blessing.

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Then there’s another twist to the story. There’s the added fact that Boreanaz’s mother had once told him that he needed to follow in Garner’s footsteps.

“When I started Bones, my mother said, ‘David, you need to play something of Jim Garner. You have to. You look just like him. You resemble him. Somehow, you have to do something.’ So, within those 15, I don’t know, 20 years, of doing Bones and then doing a military show for seven years, which I call it the boot camp to get to this show, my mother’s spirit obviously brought that to light somehow. So, I thank my mom a little bit for that energy.”

The second thing that Boreanaz had hoped for and which came to pass when The Rockford Files was awarded a tax credit by the state of California was to film in Los Angeles, which is a huge character in the series, and one that they plan to take advantage of.

“I don’t think you can shoot The Rockford Files anywhere else,” he says. “We would have tried. It probably would have been in Australia. I don’t know. I don’t know where.”

The official storyline for The Rockford Files reads: “Newly paroled after doing time for a crime he didn’t commit, James Rockford returns to his life as a private investigator using his charm and wit to solve cases around Los Angeles. It doesn’t take long for his quest for legitimacy to land him squarely in the crosshairs of both local police and organized crime.”

“For me, it’s really tapping into the vulnerability of this character,” Boreanaz says of playing the character. “That’s a big goal of mine for me for him, is to wear that mask of vulnerability.”

As for Rockford’s other qualities, Boreanaz says, “He’s confident. He’s savvy. He’s fun to watch. He’s interesting. Sure, he can be a little curmudgeon at times, but he gets the job done — not necessarily with his fists, but he walks with his fists in mind. So, there’s a lot of ways that he can get information and get things done using his fists some other way, with his mind or whatnot.”

The Rockford Files, also starring Michaela McManus and Jacki Weaver, will join the NBC 2026-2027 schedule in midseason.

Next, NBC Announces Fall 2026-2027 Schedule, Including The Rockford Files Reboot and Civilian Traitors

If you’re expecting in the coming months, then you’re probably thinking about both first names and middle names for your newborn. Perhaps you’ve been browsing the naming websites and books to see what’s trending or what sticks out to you. That said, you might be stuck in a rut of not wanting to choose a baby name, including (and maybe especially) a middle name, that is either dated or overused. 

“Middle names are a really special part of a child’s name because they’re often where families can add meaning, honor loved ones or choose something a little more unexpected,” says Nikki Terrell, baby name consultant and founder of Names By Rose. “The best name combinations aren’t always the trendiest ones—they’re the ones that feel right for the family choosing them.”

But if you don’t have a family connection to work with or a middle moniker in mind, where do you even start? It’s kind of a personal journey, but what you can start with is what middle names to stop using based on trends or how overused they are.

With that in mind, Parade spoke with two professional baby name consultants about the two middle names you’ll want to steer clear of if you can help it. Spoiler alert: a flower moniker is indeed on this list. Plus, some good rules to remember when choosing a second name for your baby, including how to make it flow.

Related: 9 Baby Names Nobody Was Using 5 Years Ago—but They’re About To Be Everywhere

The Middle Name Dilemma: What Are the 2 Names Consultants Want You To Skip?

When it comes to middle names that parents should stop using, our baby name experts have two: Mae and Rose.

Now, there’s no denying that they are absolutely beautiful; however, they have become the “Marie” and “Lynn” of the 2020s. In other words, they’ve become filler names that have lost their spark.

The Rise of ‘Mae’ for Girls: Why It’s Time To Retire the Trend

If you’re thinking about “Mae” for your baby’s middle name, then you might want to reconsider.

“Mae has such a sweet vintage charm, and I completely understand why parents love it,” says Terrell. “At the same time, it has become one of those easy-to-pair middle names that shows up very often. I’d love to see parents look beyond the most familiar choices and find names that feel uniquely theirs.”

Related: 125 Weird Baby Names for Parents Who Think Outside the Box

Breaking Free from ‘Filler’ Names: How To Move Past ‘Rose’

There’s no denying that “Rose” is a beautiful, timeless name, but it’s become almost like the default middle name for girls.

“It’s so common that it often feels like a placeholder rather than a meaningful choice,” says Greer Lane, a baby name consultant. 

The Art of the Perfect Flow: 3 Rules for Pairing First and Middle Names

If you’re thinking about middle names for your baby, then there is a bit of a soft science behind it in terms of flow, according to our experts. Here are three rules for pairing first and middle names that they recommend. 

• The syllable bounce: Pay attention to syllables and how the names sound together. “A first and middle name often flow best when they have different rhythms rather than matching too closely,” explains Terrell. “For example, a two-syllable first name often pairs beautifully with a one- or three-syllable middle name, and the variation creates a natural ‘bounce’ when you say the full name aloud.” 

• Mix the style: Lane suggests trying to combine names from different styles. “A vintage first name with a modern middle (or vice versa) creates a combination that feels unique without being overdone,” she explains.

• Say the name aloud: “A name can look beautiful written down but sound completely different when spoken. Saying it aloud helps you catch awkward transitions or sounds that run together like Elise Elaine or Parker Patrick,” says Terrell.

Related: 75 Most Popular Baby Names in France Right Now

15 Sophisticated, Expert-Approved Middle Names To Use Instead

If you’re looking for other middle names to consider for your baby, here’s a list of 15 that our baby name consultants love.

Middle Name

Vibe/Style

Why Consultants Love It

Claire

Refined

Simple, elegant and timeless

Catherine

Sophisticated

Classic, regal and full of history

Sky

Free-spirited

Light, fresh and unexpected

Summer

Romantic

Warm, cheerful and full of personality

Pearl

Delicate

Vintage and distinctive with a soft elegance

Selene

Mystical

Celestial, elegant and a little unexpected

Blair

Chic

Polished, preppy and modern

Maeve

Irish

Strong while still feminine

Dove

Ethereal

Soft, peaceful and distinctive

Lux

Sleek

Bold, modern and memorable

Lane

Minimalist

Sleek, understated and versatile

August

Literary

Warm and quietly sophisticated

Troy

Stately

Strong and timeless with a vintage charm

Duke

Distinguished

Bold and has a polished Southern feel

Bea

Charming

Sweet, simple and full of character

Up Next:

Related: 75 Most Popular Baby Names in the Midwest Right Now

Sources:

• Nikki Terrell is a baby name consultant and founder of Names By Rose.
• Greer Lane is a baby name consultant.

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Over the last several decades, IKEA has built a very convincing case for affordable furniture that looks more expensive than it has any right to be. With that said, the Swedish retailer’s recent tableware offerings might be some of its most impressive work yet (like a set of high-gloss stoneware bowls that scream fall). It has been busting out both gorgeous solid pieces and intricate printed patterns with a decidedly old-world feel. You know the look—the kind that makes you wonder if you should be browsing a fancy china shop instead of making a beeline for the Swedish home goods giant.

And that’s part of the fun. Chinoiserie has long been associated with beautifully decorated ceramics and elaborate motifs. IKEA just introduced a set of bowls that bring a little of that decorative drama to the table without requiring you to inherit a sprawling estate—or spend a small fortune at an antiques shop.

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ENTUSIASM Bowls, Set of 4, $19.99 at IKEA

IKEA

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The IKEA ENTUSIASM Bowls may look like they belong in a much fancier china cabinet, but they’re perfectly happy handling the everyday stuff. Made from durable feldspar porcelain, the four-pack features a petite 4 ½-inch diameter and a 10-ounce capacity, making it just the right size for everything from a scoop of ice cream to a handful of berries or whatever snack is calling your name.

Asking yourself what the heck feldspar is? It’s just a mineral that helps give the material its characteristic strength, hardness and smooth, glass-like finish.

Related: Sam’s Club’s Stunning Pre-Lit Topiary Brings Vibrant Color and a Cozy Glow to Your Porch

While their decorative look may inspire you to treat them like precious heirlooms, there’s no need to baby these bowls: They’re both microwave-safe and dishwasher-safe. In other words, you get all the charm without the “hand-wash only and definitely don’t breathe near it” drama that comes with actual rare pieces.

What are IKEA shoppers saying about the ENTUSIASM bowl set? They’re all in.

“Cute bowls perfectly sized,” writes one reviewer. “Ice cream, yogurt, nuts, M&Ms … a million uses. But they get pretty hot in the microwave.”

Another customer loves the variety.

“I love the size and the shape of the bowls,” they said. “Each has a different pattern and all of them are gorgeous.”

IKEA also sells mugs and salad plates in this design, so you can build out a larger collection if you wish.

Related: Martha Stewart’s 3-Piece Quilt Set Brings a Calming Sage Green to Your Bedroom

There was a time when ordering a pizza at McDonald’s wasn’t a joke, a strange internet rumor or a piece of fast-food folklore. In parts of the United States, customers could walk into their local Golden Arches and order an actual McPizza—complete with a crisp crust, tomato sauce, melted cheese and classic toppings like pepperoni.

For a generation that grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, it was simply another option on the McDonald’s menu. For everyone else, it has become one of the chain’s most intriguing stories with fans wondering if it really ever existed.

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The McPizza was McDonald’s ambitious attempt to take on the booming pizza business, but it didn’t fit neatly into the company’s famously fast operating model. Unlike a burger or order of fries, pizza required specialized preparation, equipment and considerably more time. The company experimented with different formats and expanded the concept to hundreds of restaurants, but the pizza eventually disappeared from most locations by the end of the 1990s.

And yet, decades later, McPizza refuses to disappear from the public imagination. Ask people who remember it, and you’ll get wildly different reviews. Some recall it as surprisingly good, cheap and satisfying. Others remember it as mediocre at best. But even people who never tasted it seem fascinated by the idea of McDonald’s selling pizza.

On Reddit, fans have described the McPizza as one of their fondest fast-food memories, with several commenters saying they would gladly order one again if McDonald’s brought it back.

So, what happened to McDonald’s pizza, and why are people still talking about it? Here’s the history and lore of the rise and fall of the McPizza.

When Did McDonald’s Sell Pizza? A Brief History

McDonald’s experimentation with pizza dates back to the 1980s, but the concept became much more prominent toward the end of that decade and into the early 1990s. Select restaurants began testing pizzas, and by the early 1990s, the company had expanded testing to hundreds of locations. The goal was obvious—McDonald’s wanted a piece of the enormous pizza market.

The original concept wasn’t necessarily the individual pizza many people remember. McDonald’s initially experimented with larger, family-style pizzas before developing personal-sized versions that were easier to sell in individual portions. The personal pizza became particularly associated with the 1990s.

That ambition made sense on paper. McDonald’s already had an enormous customer base, thousands of restaurants and a recognizable brand. Why shouldn’t someone be able to get a burger, fries or pizza under the same roof?

The problem was that pizza didn’t behave like the rest of the McDonald’s menu.

Making a pizza required considerably more time than preparing the chain’s signature burgers. Sources commonly cite cooking times of roughly 11 minutes for the McPizza, although the exact preparation process varied during the product’s development. That was a major problem for a restaurant whose entire identity was built around speed.

There were logistical headaches too. McDonald’s had to develop specialized ovens and make room for additional equipment. Even the pizza boxes presented problems at some restaurants because of their size and difficulty moving through drive-thru windows. By the late 1990s, McDonald’s was largely moving on from the McPizza.

Related: The Truth Behind the Wendy’s Logo

Why Did McDonald’s Pizza Actually Fail?

The simplest explanation is that McPizza was a bad fit for the McDonald’s operating system.

McDonald’s had spent decades perfecting an assembly-line approach to fast food. Customers expected to place an order and receive it quickly. Pizza disrupted that rhythm. A customer ordering a Big Mac could be served relatively quickly; a customer ordering a pizza could be waiting several minutes longer. That difference mattered.

There was also the issue of kitchen space. A McDonald’s restaurant is designed around a limited number of ingredients, appliances and procedures. Adding pizza meant introducing another production system into an environment optimized for burgers, chicken, fries and breakfast.

The pizza also put McDonald’s in direct competition with established pizza chains. Customers already had Pizza Hut, Domino’s and local pizza restaurants when they wanted a pie. McDonald’s had the brand recognition, but pizza wasn’t what customers traditionally associated with the Golden Arches.

And while nostalgia has made the McPizza sound like an undiscovered masterpiece, contemporary and retrospective opinions have always been mixed.

Reddit provides a particularly entertaining snapshot of that divide. In a Reddit discussion about McPizza, one commenter called it “so good,” while another said it was “surprisingly good.” Another remembered it as better than Pizza Hut’s personal pan pizza. Others were more restrained, describing it as decent but not exceptional and suggesting nostalgia may have improved people’s memories of the taste.

Still, the enthusiasm is hard to miss. One commenter wrote that the McPizza was a fond food memory shared with their grandfather, adding that they returned every week until it was discontinued. Another remembered the distinctive cornmeal on the bottom of the crust. Yet another said they would choose McPizza over other discontinued McDonald’s favorites if given the opportunity.

In other words, McPizza may not have been universally loved, but for the people who loved it, it was really loved.

Related: McDonald’s Discontinued These 7 Items in the ’80s, and Fans Are Still Begging for Them

Where Can You Still Get McDonald’s Pizza? View this post on Instagram

For years after McDonald’s pulled pizza from most restaurants, a tiny number of locations kept the tradition alive.

The most famous holdouts were restaurants in Orlando, Florida, Pomeroy, Ohio, and Spencer, West Virginia. Those locations continued serving McPizza long after the product had vanished from the vast majority of McDonald’s restaurants. Fans reportedly traveled significant distances just to try one.

That era eventually ended. The Pomeroy, Ohio, location sold its final McPizza on August 31, 2017. Local reporting at the time described it as the end of an era, noting that the restaurant had been one of the last two McDonald’s locations in the country serving the pizza.

There is, however, a strange footnote to the story. The giant McDonald’s restaurant in Orlando, Florida, commonly known as the world’s largest McDonald’s or “Epic McD,” has been associated with pizza and other specialty menu items. However, the pizza served there is not necessarily identical to the classic McPizza that fans remember from the 1980s and 1990s. Redditors who have tried the Orlando version have specifically noted that it isn’t quite the same as the old pizza.

So, if you’re hoping to recreate your exact childhood McPizza experience, there is no guarantee that a trip to Orlando will deliver it.

Related: 7 Forgotten Kitchen Trends From the 1980s That Are Secretly Making a Massive Comeback

Other Discontinued ’90s McDonald’s Menu Items Fans Want Back

McPizza wasn’t the only strange and ambitious menu experiment McDonald’s tried during the 1990s. The decade was packed with products that have since become nostalgia bait.

McDLT View this post on Instagram

The McDLT was technically introduced before the 1990s, but it remained a memorable part of the era’s McDonald’s mythology. Its gimmick was its packaging—the hot hamburger patty was separated from the lettuce and tomato so customers could put the burger together themselves. The slogan promised to keep the “hot side hot” and the “cool side cool.” It was discontinued as McDonald’s moved away from the polystyrene packaging it used.

McLean Deluxe View this post on Instagram

The McLean Deluxe was McDonald’s answer to the low-fat craze. Introduced in 1991, it was designed as a healthier alternative, using a much leaner beef formulation. It ultimately failed to become a major hit and disappeared in the mid-1990s.

Mighty Wings View this post on Instagram

Mighty Wings arrived in 1990 and brought bone-in, spicy chicken wings to McDonald’s. Unlike some failed products, the wings developed a cult following and remained around for years, even returning for limited runs. Their cost and operational complications ultimately worked against them though.

Arch Deluxe View this post on Instagram

Then there was the Arch Deluxe, perhaps the most famous McDonald’s flop of the decade. Introduced in 1996, it was marketed as a burger for adults, featuring ingredients such as bacon, lettuce, tomato and a mustard and mayonnaise-style sauce.

McDonald’s reportedly invested hundreds of millions of dollars into research and promotion, making the product one of the company’s most expensive failures. It eventually disappeared completely.

Reddit nostalgia threads show that the Arch Deluxe, Mighty Wings, McDLT and other discontinued items still generate plenty of affection today. In one Reddit discussion about forgotten 1990s McDonald’s food, commenters specifically called out Mighty Wings, Chicken Fajitas and the Arch Deluxe, while another person simply declared that “Pizza was never forgotten.”

Why Fans Still Want McPizza Back View this post on Instagram

The McPizza story is more interesting than simply “McDonald’s tried pizza and it failed.” It is really a story about how fast food changed.

In the 1990s, McDonald’s was willing to experiment with its menu on a massive scale. The company tried pizzas, adult-oriented burgers, wings, healthier burgers and other products that stretched far beyond its traditional formula.

Some succeeded. Many didn’t. But McPizza occupies a special place because it feels almost impossible today. McDonald’s is now so strongly associated with burgers, fries, nuggets, breakfast sandwiches and a relatively streamlined menu that the idea of walking into a restaurant and ordering a full pizza seems almost surreal. That’s probably why the Reddit nostalgia never quite goes away when it comes to the McPizza.

In the McPizza discussion, one fan said they would “actually go for a McPizza again” if it returned. Another simply wrote, “I miss it.” Someone else called it one of the best items they’d ever had from McDonald’s.

Even people who admit the pizza wasn’t objectively great seem to understand the appeal. It was inexpensive, familiar and connected to a very specific period of childhood and adolescence. And perhaps that’s the real secret behind the McPizza’s longevity.

The pizza didn’t survive because it was McDonald’s greatest menu item. It survived in people’s memories because it was unusual, fleeting and personal. For some customers, it was the pizza they ate with their grandparents. For others, it was a road trip stop or a favorite after-school meal.

McDonald’s may have abandoned pizza decades ago, but its former customers clearly haven’t. As long as people keep remembering that strange pie from the 1990s—and asking, “Why did they ever get rid of it?”—McDonald’s most unlikely menu experiment will remain one of fast food’s most enduring pieces of nostalgia.

Related: McDonald’s Discontinued These 7 Items in the ’80s, and Fans Are Still Begging for Them

In August 1976, ABBA unleashed a song that would become not only one of the Swedish group’s biggest hits of all time, but one of the most joyful hits in pop history. “Dancing Queen,” a shimmering Europop disco classic that helped define an era, is celebrating 50 years, and somehow, it still sounds every bit as exhilarating as it did when it first hit the airwaves.

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Though the song is forever linked to August 1976, the world actually got its first taste of “Dancing Queen” two months earlier, when ABBA performed it at a televised gala honoring Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and his bride-to-be, Silvia Sommerlath, on the eve of their wedding.

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“When Sweden threw a televised all-star gala at the Royal Swedish Opera on the eve of the wedding, the guest list wrote itself,” the Scandinavia Standard wrote. “ABBA—two years past their Eurovision win with ‘Waterloo’ and by then Sweden’s most famous export—were invited as the night’s only pop act, surrounded by opera singers and orchestras.”

The song—with its driving, syncopated rhythm inspired by George McCrae’s 1974 song “Rock Your Baby” and lush, operatic vocal harmonies, sweeping strings, and triumphant grand piano—wasn’t actually written for the future Queen of Sweden, though. It was written a year earlier and held for release on the band’s fourth studio album, Arrival.

According to Songfacts, ABBA finally released the song as a single in August of that year, and it began climbing the charts, making its debut on Billboard‘s Hot 100 in December then peaking in April 1977 at No. 1. The song spent one week at the top, but enjoyed a 22-week chart run and became the only one of ABBA’s 14 Top 40 hits to make it to the pinnacle spot.

The U.S. wasn’t the only country that was a massive fan of “Dancing Queen.” In England, the late Queen Elizabeth II reportedly once joked that she always tried to dance when she heard the song, with former royal aide Angela Kelly confirming the queen’s fandom with People. Plus, the song hit No. 1 in Australia, Belgium, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, its native Sweden, and so many other countries.

“I knew it was absolutely the best song ABBA had ever done,” ABBA’s Benny Andersson told The Guardian in 2014.

Andersson’s love for the song is echoed across music history, with artists from all ages, genres, and backgrounds making the disco tune their own. Chris Stein of Blondie, per Songfacts, confessed that his band’s 1979 hit “Dreaming” owes its existence to “Dancing Queen,” while Carol Douglas just missed the Hot 100 in 1977 with her infectious cover.

Further covers include the A*Teens’ 2000 version and the 2011 iteration performed by the cast of Glee. But one of the most memorable covers ever comes courtesy of legendary Irish rock band U2, who covered it during their Zoo TV Tour in 1992.

The Joshua Tree rockers were joined onstage by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson in Stockholm for an impromptu performance of the song.

“ABBA have a purer joy to their music,” U2 frontman Bono said in the documentary ABBA: The Winner Takes It All, “and that’s what makes them extraordinary.”

Today, ABBA and all four of its members—Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad—continue to keep their music alive. And 50 years later, “Dancing Queen” remains exactly what it was always meant to be: a song that makes you want to get up and dance.

Related: ‘1984’ Rock Hit, Revived 20-Plus Times by Its Own Band, Marked the End of an Era

In the summer of 1978, one of pop music’s most recognizable voices returned to the top of the charts with a song written by another music legend.

Frankie Valli scored the biggest solo hit of his career with Grease, the infectious title track to the blockbuster film Grease. Penned by Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the defining hits of 1978.

The collaboration brought together two of the decade’s biggest musical forces. At the height of the Bee Gees’ extraordinary run following Saturday Night Fever, producer Robert Stigwood asked Gibb to write a theme song for Grease.

“How in heaven’s name do you write a song called Grease?'” Valli said in an interview with The New York Times. “I remember walking around on the dock, and it suddenly occurred to me that it’s a word, and you’ve just got to write about the word.”

Although the film was set in the 1950s, Gibb chose a contemporary disco-pop sound rather than trying to recreate the era, giving the movie a modern anthem that stood apart from the rest of its retro-inspired soundtrack.

Gibb’s bold move paid off.

Released ahead of the film, “Grease” spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became an international hit, helping build anticipation for what would become one of the highest-grossing movie musicals of all time.

“Barry Gibb called and said, ‘I wrote a song. I think it’s for you. It’s going to be the title song for this motion picture,” Valli told Billboard. “My manager at the time was Allan Carr, who was partners in Grease with Robert Stigwood. He called and said, ‘What do you want to do? Do you want to be in the movie? Or sing the title song?’ Well, I had already heard the title song, and I loved it. I called [famed arranger] Don Costa up and told him to come over right away and hear this song. He said, ‘If you don’t record this song, you’re crazy.'”

For Valli, the song marked a remarkable career resurgence.

Already famous as the unmistakable falsetto voice of The Four Seasons, he had enjoyed a successful solo career throughout the 1970s. But “Grease” became his biggest solo achievement, giving him his first, and ultimately only, No. 1 hit as a solo artist. It also proved to be the final chart-topper of his storied career.

Its success highlighted Barry Gibb’s extraordinary songwriting streak during the late 1970s. In addition to writing hits for the Bee Gees, he penned chart-toppers for artists including Yvonne Elliman, Samantha Sang, and later collaborated with Barbra Streisand, cementing his reputation as one of pop music’s premier songwriters.

More than 45 years later, “Grease” remains inseparable from the beloved film and continues to introduce new generations to Valli’s soaring vocals. For a singer whose career had already produced countless classics, it became one final chart-topping triumph and a career-defining No. 1 hit that still resonates with audiences today.

Related: 1972 Soft Rock Song, Produced by Brian Wilson, Became a Collector’s Item Despite Never Reaching No. 1