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Don Shula built plenty of great football teams over his Hall of Fame coaching career, but nothing else in NFL history comes close to what his 1972 Miami Dolphins pulled off.

That team went a perfect 17-0, becoming the only club in the league’s 100-plus year history to finish an entire season, regular season and playoffs included, without a single loss. They capped the run with a 14-7 win over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII, and to this day, no other team has matched it.

The roster wasn’t just undefeated, it was stacked. Quarterback Bob Griese, running back Larry Csonka, receiver Paul Warfield, guard Larry Little and the “No-Name Defense” anchored by linebacker Nick Buoniconti all went on to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, giving that squad six enshrined players plus Shula himself. Along the way, the Dolphins also led the entire NFL in both scoring offense and scoring defense that season.

In 2019, as part of the NFL’s 100th anniversary celebrations, an 80-person “blue-ribbon” panel made up of experts selected by the Associated Press and NFL Media set out to rank the greatest teams the league had ever seen. The 1972 Dolphins came out on top, edging out legendary squads like the 1985 Chicago Bears and the 1989 San Francisco 49ers for the No. 1 spot.

More than 30 members of that team, including Shula himself, returned to Hard Rock Stadium later that year to be honored on the field. It wasn’t the first time the team was celebrated at that level, either, President Obama invited the entire roster to the White House back in 2013, decades after their perfect season wrapped, to finally give them the recognition they’d missed out on the first time around.

The Dolphins proved their dominance wasn’t a fluke, either. The following season, they went 12-2 and won the Super Bowl again, becoming back-to-back champions.

“Fly Like an Eagle” was a rock song released by the Steve Miller Band in 1976. The song rose all the way to number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The song spent almost five months on the charts.

In an interview with CBS News, Miller admitted that the song went through three different versions. “We worked on it for years,” he said. “We were kind of like a jam band. We would play like about five hours a night, and it was about 20 minutes long.”

When speaking about the meaning behind the song during an interview with John Swenson, Miller revealed that the song was written as a political statement. “A lot of people don’t listen to the stuff,” he said. “They hear ‘Born In the U.S.A.’ and think it’s a great tune about America. Same thing with ‘Living in the U.S.A.’ It’s amazing how so many people don’t listen to the lyrics of songs. ‘Fly Like An Eagle’ is like that, and I think that’s why it’s still around, and why it’s still a great piece of music for us to play live. It’s always a really important part of our live performance.”

Miller continued, “I was trying to say these things as a young man when I was writing this stuff, and here it is 50 years later and 200 million people have heard this or more, and the songs are still around. They were always hidden in a simple shell. What they’re about was always presented in a simple way that will pull you in and hopefully make you think about what these things were really about.”

Related: 1968 Rock Song About a Real Romance, Inspired by the Beatles, Has Been Beloved for Over 50 Years

This wasn’t the only big hit for the Steve Miller Band. They released several more legendary songs throughout the years that are commonly played on the radio, such as “The Joker,” “Abracadabra,” “Rock’n Me,” and “Jet Airliner.” Miller was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 2016.

He is currently 82.

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Oddly enough, the end of summer is actually one of the best times to invest in outdoor furniture. Retailers like Amazon roll out amazing late-season discounts on highly-rated items, including patio sets that will transform your outside space. And if you live somewhere that’s warm all year-round, then shopping for the Tangkula 3-Piece Patio Bistro Set is truly a no-brainer, especially since it’s up to 39% off now. 

The set originally cost as much as $160, but has been reduced to as low as $81 in the turquoise hue during a limited-time deal. The furniture is available in 12 colors total at varying prices, with our favorites being the gray ($85), black ($160), and red ($90) colorways. The set includes two armchairs and one circular side table that’s perfect for holding food and beverages. 

Courtesy of Amazon

The “gorgeous” rattan chairs are made from a hand-crafted wicker that’s designed to be weather-resistant. Even though it can withstand the hot sun and some rain, shoppers may want to consider taking the set inside during storms to protect its quality long-term. The 20-by-20-inch glass tabletop is sturdy due to the reinforced iron legs that can hold up 170 pounds. There are even foot pads underneath the chairs and table to prevent slipping and add stability. 

Each chair can hold up to 400 pounds, and they’re a standard size at 20 inches long, 20 inches wide, and 31 inches tall. The size is great for compact outdoor areas, especially for smaller apartment patios. The seats come with a cushion, so you can customize your patio look with pops of color or neutrals. The removable cushion cover is an exciting feature because it’s easy to clean and can be replaced after some wear and tear. 

This is an Amazon’s Choice item (a badge only given to highly-rated, well-priced products that can ship immediately), and it’s a clear favorite among buyers. Shoppers described the bistro chairs as “very beautiful” and “incredibly comfortable,” with one writing that it’s still in “excellent condition” after a year of use. You will have to put the furniture together upon arrival, but one customer said that it’s “super easy” to assemble.  

• Greesum 3-Piece Rocking Wicker Bistro Set, $104 (was $130) at Amazon
• KuaiLu Flip Flops, $14 (was $23) at Amazon
• Signature Design by Ashley Bolanburg Narrow End Table, $150 (was $216) at Amazon

Buyers love that this cool bistro set looks so luxurious for bohemian-style homes while looking simultaneously affordable. With this collection, you can enjoy breakfast out on the porch or have extra seating when guests come over. Add the furniture to your Amazon cart, while it’s up to 39% off! 

Related: This Office-Ready Knit Cardigan Is Perfect for Staying Cozy Under Blasting AC Vents, and It’s 54% Off

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KISS has scored another major Billboard milestone after the band released its live album KISS Destroys Anaheim ’76.

Fourteen years after Monster climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard 200 in 2012, marking the band’s last Top 10 entry on the chart, the music legends once again showed that their rock legacy remains stronger than ever.

In a post shared by the premier music publication, Billboard announced that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees’ KISS Destroys Anaheim ’76 debuted at No. 8 on the Top Album Sales chart.

Moreover, this also marked the band’s highest-charting title on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart in more than a decade.

Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images

“The archival live project brings the band to its highest rank on the tally since 2012, when the group’s final studio album, ‘Monster,’ debuted and peaked at No. 3,” the Instagram caption reads.

Although the band, with current members Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, officially retired from touring in 2023, they have continued to remain active through various KISS-related projects and special appearances.

Among their latest projects was the live album, which was released on Aug. 21.

It showcased the historic Spirit of ’76 Tour, also known as the Destroyer Tour, that took place on Aug. 20, 1976, at a packed Anaheim Stadium.

KISS Destroys Anaheim ’76 also commemorates the 50th anniversary of the explosive show, which was attended by more than 42,000 fans.

Recalling the experience, Paul Stanley described the moment as “crazy” as he looked out at the crowd.

“That was unheard of and unfathomable for us,” he said in an interview and continued, “Often what happened was we would record shows. It wasn’t done back then; to this day it documents us better than a lot of other bands.”

With the event drawing a massive crowd, it was also KISS’ “biggest show ever” at that point.

1. Detroit Rock City
2. King Of The Night Time World
3. Let Me Go, Rock ‘N Roll
4. Strutter
5. Hotter Than Hell
6. Nothin’ To Lose
7. Cold Gin
8. Ace Frehley Guitar Solo
9. Shout It Out Loud
10. Do You Love Me
11. Gene Simmons Bass Solo
12. God Of Thunder
13. Peter Criss Drum Solo / God Of Thunder
14. Rock And Roll All Nite
15. Deuce
16. Firehouse
17. Black Diamond

Related: ’70s Rock Band Announces Update on 2026 Shows With Special Guests

Shakira has hit a lot of milestones over her three-decade career, but she just notched her 79th trip to the top of a Billboard chart, and this latest one comes with a first.

Her collaboration with Burna Boy, ‘Dai Dai,’ the official song of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, just gave her a brand-new notch: her first-ever No. 1 on the Rhythmic Airplay chart. The song jumped from No. 3 to the top spot, marking Shakira’s 12th career entry on that particular chart and just her second time cracking its top 10.

It’s the latest win in a jaw-dropping run for ‘Dai Dai,’ which has topped charts across the globe since its debut at the World Cup’s opening ceremony in Mexico City back in June. Between its radio success, sales performance and streaming numbers, the song has racked up No. 1s on more than a dozen charts worldwide, including extended stays atop the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. rankings.

With her latest Rhythmic Airplay crown factored in, Shakira’s overall Billboard tally now sits at 79 No. 1s. On the single-track side alone, she’s claimed 73 chart-toppers, including 25 on Latin Pop Airplay, 24 on Latin Airplay, 13 on Hot Latin Songs, four on Latin Digital Song Sales, two apiece on the Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts, one on the flagship Billboard Hot 100 (thanks to ‘Hips Don’t Lie’), one on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100, and now one on Rhythmic Airplay. Add in six more No. 1s across albums and touring, five on the Top Latin Albums chart and one on the Billboard Boxscore Midyear Tour chart, and the grand total climbs to 79.

Shakira has spent decades bouncing between genres, languages, and audiences, and this year’s World Cup spotlight has only added fuel to her momentum.

Kristen Wiig isn’t afraid to show off her stuff in a daring photo shoot.

Wiig, 53, rose to stardom on Saturday Night Live, where some of her most notorious characters included Target Lady and Kat of Garth and Kat. After solidifying her stardom in film roles like Bridesmaids and even slightly darker ones like The Skeleton Twins, she found her groove in a steady balance of film and television. She recently manned the leading role as Maxine Dellacorte-Simmons in the Apple TV+ series Palm Royale opposite Josh Lucas, Leslie Bibb, and Laura Dern. But in a new photo shoot captured on Instagram by Hello!, the mom of two showed off her confidence in a black bra and lace leggings. With her blonde hair as voluminous as can be, the comedy queen made it clear she’s got staying star power.

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Back in March, Wiig showed off her stuff at the 32nd Actor Awards, which were formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards. In a slinky black dress with side cut-outs, the star made it clear she’s got the fashion prowess to work the red carpet.

Neilson Barnard / Getty Images

Earlier this year, Wiig appeared on the Jan. 21 episode of the popular Las Culturistas podcast and recalled hitting a wall during her third year on Saturday Night Live.

“Three seasons in, [I was] having a breakdown, being like, ‘I’ve done every voice. I have nothing.’ ” Bowen Yang, who is a host of the podcast, said he felt similar in his second season. “That’s how you feel,” Wiig added.

“And then that’s that hump you get over with also the help of other people being like, ‘Can you play blah blah blah?’ And you’re like, ‘Well, we’ll see.’ And then you end up trying or doing it. It doesn’t always work. And then you just like find new things,” she added.

Last year, the Hollywood Reporter shared that Wiig will star in a new comedy, Epiphany, opposite Bill Murray. The duo will also executive produce. The plot synopsis identifies Wiig’s character as an heiress and fashionista whose massive fortune evaporates overnight, and she must snag a new, rich husband in two weeks. We can’t wait to see this dynamic duo on the big screen!

Related: ‘SNL’ Icon Kristen Wiig, 52, Rocks Daring Cutout Dress at the Actor Awards

Denise Richards is revealing the devastating reality of her marriage to ex-husband Aaron Phypers, recalling a relationship she says was marked by abuse, isolation, gaslighting, and threats that left her feeling trapped.

During an emotional conversation with Dr. Ramani, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star described how the relationship gradually deteriorated after they married. Richards said the verbal abuse escalated, Phypers physically assaulted her, and he repeatedly threatened her when she considered leaving.

“The person that I felt protected the most, who protected me the most, is the one I need protection from,” Richards recalled telling him.

She also opened up about hiding the abuse from her children and most of her loved ones while continuing to work and maintain a seemingly normal life.

“No one knew about the abuse,” Richards said. “Except one of my very best friends. And she also had to help cover my bruises. But I knew she wouldn’t judge me. But I didn’t tell my dad. And the girls, I hid everything.”

Richards said she even rented separate homes in an effort to shield her children from the turmoil.

“When I rented a place, I rented three of them, so that I had the girls and then he and I were into it, I would be somewhere else,” she recalled. “I could not have them be privy to it.”

Richards said Phypers was ‘very clever’ about carrying out what she described as abuse in places where no one was around, including while they were traveling.

“I felt so trapped in a hotel room,” she said.

Richards also reflected on what she described as a “trauma bond,” explaining why she remained in the marriage despite the abuse.

After Phypers allegedly hit her for the first time, Richards said she immediately remembered a warning from her father: “If a man hits you once, he’ll hit you again.”

But she said Phypers was deeply apologetic and promised it would never happen again.

“Obviously, I stayed,” Richards said, explaining that she came to understand how difficult it can be to leave an abusive relationship from the inside. “Before I was in this relationship, if I saw someone that was in an abusive relationship, from the outside, you look at someone and you go, ‘Oh, well, why would they stay?’ You never know what someone’s situation is.”

Richards said the relationship became a cycle in which she would see glimpses of the person she had fallen in love with and hold onto the hope that things could return to how they once were.

“It was a cycle,” she said.

Richards also recalled confronting Phypers about the way he treated her, saying she struggled to understand how the person she once considered her protector could become someone she feared.

“I said, if any other man talked to me this way, did anything like this to me, I don’t think that person would be here,” she recalled. “Like, why do you do this to me?”

Richards said that even when he apologized, the dynamic would ultimately turn back on her.

“When I was able to get through to him that way, he would see it and be so apologetic and, of course, blame it on other things, but then he would flip it,” she said. “And then it’s my fault, and you just don’t behave. It was like, ‘You’re not behaving.’”

Looking back, Richards said she wishes she had trusted her instincts sooner, particularly the feeling she had before marrying Phypers that something was wrong. “I wish I never married the guy,” she said. “I should have listened to that first gut instinct, something’s off.”

If you or someone you know has been a victim of domestic violence, help is available 24 hours a day through the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.

“A Beautiful Morning” was released by the Rascals in 1968. The song rose all the way to number three on the Billboard Hot 100. The hit, which was written by Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati, was featured in many different television shows throughout the years, including Scrubs, The King of Queens, and The Simpsons.

In a 2017 interview, Cavaliere spoke about the creation of the song, which took place in Hawaii. He said, “At that time, we were really flying high on the charts. We had number one records. And at that particular time, we were out on the island of Waiehu. I was madly, madly in love. I had met this woman who was the inspiration for almost every one of those love songs. And here we were in Hawaii, finding ourselves as big as The Beatles, and I said, ‘Let me write something that reflects this feeling so that other people can kinda feel like this whenever they hear it.’ And that’s what came out.”

He continued, “’A Beautiful Morning’ has survived the test of time for over 50 years now, and that has its own value, I think.”

When speaking about the wind chimes used in the song, he revealed that the Beatles inspired that creative choice. “At that time, The Beatles had a song called ‘Yellow Submarine,’ and it had bells and underwater sounds. They were creating an environment for their songs to fit into. I said, ‘What a great idea, man. Create an environment.’ So obviously, our song was a morning kinda situation. The Beatles were just phenomenal writers, and they started so many different things.”

In an interview with Gary James, Cavaliere also spoke more about the woman who inspired the lyrics. “The whole tone of the thing… I was engaged to a woman at the time, a young girl,” he explained. “All the songs that were written at that time were written about that relationship; all of the joy that was experienced through that relationship. And at that time, the relationship was starting to become a little question mark as to whether I was doing the right thing or not. Ultimately, I ended up not marrying her and not being involved with her.”

Related: 1963 Rock Song, Which Knocked the Beatles From the No. 1 Spot, Was Written in Minutes

The Rascals are also known for their hits “Groovin’,” “Good Lovin’,” and “People Got to Be Free.” In 1997, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Unfortunately, the band broke up in 1972.

Don’t you forget about Simple Minds. The band behind one of the biggest movie songs of the 1980s is back on the radar, announcing its forthcoming album, Sacrosanct, and a 2027 arena tour to support it. The new record follows 2022’s Direction of the Heart and is due Jan. 29, 2027, via BMG.

In a new post on Instagram, published Sept. 3, Simple Minds shared that they will celebrate five decades of music with The V Tour. The massive run will begin in Australia and New Zealand in February before heading to Europe in April and the U.K. and Ireland in May.

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The European leg kicks off April 5 in Porto, Portugal, before heading through Europe and the U.K., and wrapping up May 17 in Dublin, Ireland.

English jazz-funk band Level 42 is on board for the European shows, with electronic music pioneer Gary Numan set to support in the U.K. and Ireland.

“Making records and performing live is as much a part of our lives now as when we started,” founding member and vocalist Jim Kerr said, per the band’s website. “We feel grateful to those who support new music from Simple Minds and look forward to seeing you all on our upcoming tour.”

The world tour follows the band’s new studio album, Sacrosanct. According to their website, the album comprises eight “understated, ethereal songs,” with deluxe and physical editions including five additional tracks, three of which are single versions.

The album’s first single, “Beginner Boys,” was also released today (hear it below).

• “Elysium”
• “King of the Underworld”
• “Beginner Boys”
• “Jerusalem (State of Mind)”
• “Our Secrets Are the Same”
• “Songs”
• “Alive in This Moment”
• “The Next Right Thing”

Formed in Glasgow in 1977, the legendary Scottish rock band evolved from the short-lived punk outfit Johnny & the Self-Abusers. After they released their sole single, Kerr, Charlie Burchill, and their bandmates moved forward with the name Simple Minds, named after a lyric in David Bowie’s 1972 song “The Jean Genie.”

Life in a Day marked their debut in 1979, followed by Real to Real Cacophony and Empires and Dance. Their critical breakthrough came in 1982 with New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84). The record brought them widespread commercial success throughout Europe.

Global stardom came when Simple Minds recorded “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” for John Hughes’ 1985 film, The Breakfast Club. Written by Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1985.

Throughout the ’80s, they rode the momentum with Once Upon a Time and Street Fighting Years, which hit No. 1 in the U.K. and cemented the band as arena rock giants.

Today, the band continues to operate with its core duo, Kerr and Burchill.

Tickets for the European leg of The V Tour go on sale on Friday, Sept. 11. Sign up for the mailing list before 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8, to get access to the presale. Preorder for Sacrosanct is now available at store.simpleminds.com.

Related: ’60s Rock Legends Announce New Live Album, ‘Unbound and Dangerous,’ 56 Years After Their Final Tour

If you’ve ever stood beside an airport baggage carousel squinting at a blur of identical black rolling suitcases—wondering if that mildly scuffed black rectangle is actually yours—your travel gear is about to get a serious personality injection.

Viral luggage label BÉIS and boundary-pushing streetwear brand KidSuper have joined forces to launch a limited-edition nine-piece travel capsule that treats everyday bags as legitimate artistic canvases.

The collaboration first turned heads in June during KidSuper’s Spring/Summer 2027 runway show in Miami, when BÉIS founder Shay Mitchell walked the runway carrying the preview pieces. Now, the full collection is officially dropping on Wednesday, September 9, exclusively on beistravel.com.

Between saturated runway graphics and long-requested design debuts, the lineup proves functional packing doesn’t have to look sterile.

Related: Briggs & Riley’s ‘Chic’ Limited-Edition Carry-On Is Built with a ‘Secret Weapon’ for Extra Packing Space

BÉIS

The undisputed headliner of the drop is The Trunk Check-In Roller ($428), marking the first time BÉIS has stepped into the trunk-style luggage category.

Engineered with a practical 70/30 lid opening—a massive upgrade over traditional 50/50 clamshell splits that take up an entire hotel room floor just to unpack—the trunk features detachable kickstand straps, smooth braking wheels to prevent runaway bags on subway platforms, and generous internal organization built for high-capacity packing.

The collection also includes the next wave of BÉIS’ viral Hybrid Rollers, available in both a Check-In ($398) and Carry-On ($308) size. Both come equipped with the brand’s patent-pending Coupling System, which physically clicks multiple rolling bags together so you can wheel two or three suitcases smoothly as a single unit with one hand.

What makes the aesthetic hit so differently is the design narrative behind it. For KidSuper founder and creative director Colm Dillane, the collection’s Cargo print was inspired by years of traveling the world with his creative crew using beaten-up cardboard shipping boxes to haul collections between fashion projects.

That habit evolved into a cheeky, hyper-functional aesthetic that mimics the character of well-traveled shipping crates covered in hand-drawn graphics. The pieces are also offered in Dillane’s vibrant, painterly Finale artwork.

“I travel constantly, so I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of my life thinking about bags and luggage. I don’t think it’s a category that always gets treated as a creative canvas, and there’s no reason it shouldn’t be,” said Dillane. “I want my bag to be the brightest or most unique thing at the airport so I can immediately spot it. You’re taking these things all over the world with you, so they should have some personality. I love the idea of making a piece of art that then literally travels around the world with someone.”

Related: CALPAK Just Dropped an Aluminum Carry-On at a Fraction of the Cost

Rounding out the rolling luggage is a suite of everyday travel bags and accessories pulled from the BÉIS Pro Collection and wrapped in KidSuper’s custom motifs:

• The Trunk Check-In Roller: $428
• The Hybrid Check-In Roller: $398
• The Hybrid Carry-On Roller: $308
• Carryall Duffle: $188
• Pro Travel Backpack Carryall Duffle: $188
• Pro Travel Crossbody: $84
• Protective Luggage Covers: $58–$68
• Custom Luggage Tag: $34

BÉIS

Whether you are looking to treat yourself to a spacious new trunk for fall road trips or simply want a carry-on with enough color to spot from across Terminal 4, this limited-edition drop proves your luggage can work as hard as an everyday workhorse while looking like an art-gallery find.

Related: I’ve Tested Dozens of Travel Bags—These Are the Ones That Never Fail Me

Ella Langley is one of, if not the, most popular country music stars right now. While she’s all glam all the time on stage and in photos, a throwback TikTok video from 2022 recently resurfaced, and fans say she’s unrecognizable. 

Her mega-smash ‘Choosin’ Texas’ just hit its 20th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the longest-running non-holiday song chart-topper. And if it holds on for another two weeks, Langley could dethrone Mariah Carey (and her iconic ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’) for the longest run of any song in history. That makes Langley one of the most recognizable famous faces. But fans are having trouble believing what they see in the 2022 clip.

The now-viral TikTok features Langley giving a DIY makeup tutorial before opening for Big and Rich. Yes, before she was a No. 1 hit-maker, Langley did her own makeup. Not only did she do her own makeup, but according to her video, she used budget-friendly brands like NYX and E.L.F. 

doing my makeup to open for Big and Rich 🤘🏼#makeup#10MillionAdoptions#foryou#geteeadywithme

Even after giving herself a mini makeover for the camera, fans still think her look is more college co-ed than country superstar. 

“Can’t convince me this is Ella,” wrote one commenter, as others added, “THIS IS HER????”, “Who is THIS?”, “You’ve had such a glow up girl,” and “She’s so cute, good for her.”

But the comments didn’t end there. The shock and near-disbelief kept coming, with other fans sharing, “No way that is the same person”, “I’m here in 2026 cause I still can’t understand how this is Ella Langley. This can’t be the same person”, “There’s no way I’d believe this was her if she herself didn’t post it”, “No way is that her,” and “Well her team did a complete 180 from ‘22-’26!”

As it turns out, fans don’t really think Langley’s stunning transformation is necessary. “Your natural look is just so sexy. You don’t need makeup,” replied one commenter. 

“You know you’re more gorgeous without makeup!! Just saying,” pointed out another fan.

“Stunning with or without makeup,” gushed yet another of Ella’s followers. 

Of course, Langley’s signature bangs are the major change that everyone seemed to notice. Back in 2022, Ella went for a fringe-free style that gave her a completely different look. Commenters jumped on the pre-bang vibe, writing, “Hair theory is so real”, “The bangs man, they look so good that people be forgetting that she kind of mid,” and “Give her bangs and a darker dye job and it literally looks just like a younger her.”

Here’s something most people don’t know about “Crystal Blue Persuasion.”

Tommy James didn’t write it for himself. He wrote it for Alive N Kickin‘ a Brooklyn band on the same Roulette Records roster. He was their labelmate. Their producer. The guy who was supposed to deliver them a song. And by most accounts he did exactly that — handed it over, then watched them rehearse it for three months. Then, he changed his mind. It was just too good. He took it back. Tommy James and the Shondells recorded it instead and took it to No. 2 on the Billboard pop charts.

Which meant he owed Alive N Kickin’ something. Something real. So, he sat down with co-writer Bob King and wrote them “Tighter Tighter.”

It went to No. 7. Sold a million copies. Went gold. It was the only Top 40 hit Alive N Kickin’ ever had. The song is over 50 years old, and most people have never heard the story behind it.

Now here’s where it gets really interesting. James didn’t just write the song “Tighter Tighter” and hand it over. He recorded it himself first. Tried to make it work as his own release. Wasn’t happy with how it came out. So he brought in Alive N Kickin’ and had them put their vocals on the track instead. Their version went to No. 7. His version sat on a shelf.

Then in 1976, he released his own version anyway. It didn’t chart.

Let that sit for a second. The song that originally wasn’t ‘good enough’ when he sang it — then went to No. 7 for Alive N Kickin’. His version — released six years later with all the benefit of hindsight — still landed absolutely nowhere for him. The consolation prize he handed to a Brooklyn band to make up for taking their song back turned out to be better suited to them anyways in every possible way.

Related: 1983 Country Song by Alabama Becomes a Timeless Sing-Along Favorite for a New Generation

“Crystal Blue Persuasion” is dreamy and slow. Psychedelic almost. It drifts. That’s the one James decided was just too good to give away to someone else. “Tighter Tighter” is completely different from that — the beat hits first, the hook follows, and by the time the chorus arrives, you already feel like you’ve known it forever. It’s immediate in a way that “Crystal Blue Persuasion” just isn’t. James kept the subtle song and gave away the one that grabs you by the collar and metaphorically screams in your face. Whether that was genius or just a poor choice is hard to say.

For Tommy James, “Tighter Tighter” is a footnote. His discography includes “Hanky Panky,” “Mony Mony,” “Crimson and Clover,” and “Crystal Blue Persuasion.” The song he wrote to settle a debt barely registers.

For Alive N Kickin’ it’s the whole story. One song. One gold record. One chart appearance. One-hit wonder. Pepe Cardona, the lead singer, has said that even now couples will still come up to him and say that “Tighter Tighter” was playing when they started dating. The consolation prize became the song people remember. The song he took back is the one that needed an explanation.

James wasn’t chasing a hit when he wrote “Tighter Tighter.” He was settling a debt. And yet No. 7. And yet a million copies. And yet a gold record. Fifty-six years later, it’s still on streaming platforms. Sometimes the consolation prize is the one that lasts.

He’s not the only one from this era who gave away a hit. Neil Young left “Lotta Love” on a cassette in his car. Bruce Springsteen passed an unfinished song through a studio wall. The 1970s were full of musicians who gave away songs that other people turned into gold.

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One of Sex and the City‘s most unhinged moments came in season six, when the series was winding down, and features party girl Lexi Featherston, played by Kristen Johnston. The character arrives at a stuffy soiree, declares “New York is over” after being told she can’t smoke, and utters her famous last words – “I’m so bored I could die” – before tumbling out of a high-rise window and falling 18 stories to her death. It remains one of the most memorable guest appearances in the show’s history.

Now Johnston is revealing that life was imitating art more than anyone knew at the time.

The 3rd Rock From the Sun actress opened up on Chelsea Handler’s Dear Chelsea podcast about her personal struggles filming the iconic scene. “I was a hot mess,” Johnston admitted candidly, revealing she was at the height of her own addiction during production. While she stopped short of saying she was quite at Lexi’s level, she acknowledged the parallels were hard to ignore. “I was just kind of messy, like late at night after I was doing a lot of theater, a lot of drinking after theater, lots of wine, the occasional foray into cocaine, but not like [Lexi].”

Johnston’s struggles with addiction ran deep, tracing all the way back to childhood. “I just needed to escape always. I did not like being in my skin,” she told Handler. By the time she was starring on 3rd Rock From the Sun, she had revealed in her 2012 memoir Guts that she was popping as many as 30 pills a day. Her younger sister Julie died from addiction in 2020, a loss that brought the issue painfully close to home.

Now sober, Johnston reflected with humor on the adjustment of early recovery. “At a certain point at like five o’clock, you’re like, what do people do at night if they don’t get drunk?” she joked to Handler.  As for the character herself, Johnston suspects she’ll never fully escape her. “People still come up to me. It’s the first thing people say to me. It’ll probably go on my gravestone.”

There’s also a strange irony in the fact that Lexi’s complaint about New York has aged into something Johnston herself can understand. She no longer lives in the city and doesn’t party the way she once did, but she told Handler she agrees that New York has changed. “It’s all the gentrification,” she said. “There’s no more funk, just mess.”

Dolly Parton was widely known as the Queen of Country thanks to her incredible music career, but the beloved singer-songwriter was also a force of nature at the box office. While many of Parton’s hit songs soared in popularity in the days after her death, some of her hit movies took off, too.

On September 3, The Wrap reported that Parton’s first movie, the 1980 hit 9 to 5, soared to the top of the ratings for linear TV viewing in the days following her death on Tuesday, August 25. That Sunday evening, ABC aired 9 to 5 in homage to Parton, and millions tuned in.

The movie, co-starring Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda, zoomed into the No. 1 spot on The Wrap Report, an “exclusive first look at the most-watched movies and TV series of the last week.” According to the list, 9 to 5 beat out every other linear program during the week of August 24 to 31, from America’s Got Talent to Jeopardy Masters.

20th Century Fox/ZUMA Press/TNS, Houston Chronicle via Getty Images

But the renewed success of 9 to 5 isn’t just happening on network TV. The Oscar-nominated movie’s video-on-demand numbers also exploded the day after Parton’s death, according to Screen Rant. 9 to 5, about women striving for more respect and responsibility in the workplace, quickly became Apple TV‘s most-purchased video-on-demand movie in the U.S., zooming past the summer blockbuster, Toy Story 5.

Some of Parton’s other movies made it into the VOD Top 15, too: her 1982 musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas took fourth place, the 1989 tear-jerker Steel Magnolias found its way to 11th place, and Parton’s 1992 comedy Straight Talk landed at No. 14, per The Wrap.

Parton had never stepped foot on a movie set when she landed the role of witty secretary Doralee Rhodes and wrote the film’s theme song. In a joint interview with Fonda and Tomlin before the premiere, her co-stars marveled that Parton arrived to the shoot with the entire 9 to 5 script memorized — not just her parts.

“I just assumed we had to,” she said, adding that she’d rehearsed all of the lines with her own secretary.

Her process and the chemistry between the three women clearly worked. According to Forbes, 9 to 5 grossed about $103 million in the U.S., making it the second-most popular movie of 1980, just behind The Empire Strikes Back.

The trio of actresses became close while filming the movie, and their friendships spanned across decades. Both Tomlin and Fonda shared their sadness via social media after Parton’s death. Tomlin posted a black-and-white photo of her with Parton and captioned it “no words” with a broken heart emoji.

Fonda issued a lengthier statement, writing, “I am devastated. I just learned that Dolly has moved on. I know that millions are mourning and I want to say this – more than anyone I have ever known, Dolly will always be with us because she was so present, so powerful, so generous and playful that she is woven into all our lives and hearts forever.”

No more juggling two separate orders. If you’re loading up on your weekly haul of groceries and need to satisfy a sweet tooth or get an energy boost, Dunkin’ and Walmart’s newly announced collaboration has your back with a hefty selection of sweets and a jolt of caffeine.

Not only can you grab your morning cup of coffee or afternoon pick-me-up, Dunkin’s world-famous donuts (and sandwiches) are available to tack on to your grocery order, too.

Walmart revealed the service will kick off at 150 Dunkin’ locations already operating inside its stores before expanding to the majority of the coffee chain’s 10,000 standalone locations nationwide.

Related: Dollar General To Become A Real Dollar Store Again With 800 New Items for $1

Ordering is just as straightforward: Customers can shop as usual through Walmart’s app or website, add their Dunkin’ favorites to the same cart, and have everything delivered together in one order, just as if you’re making a Sam’s Club run and decide to add on a slice of pizza or cup of yogurt.

They won’t have to go searching for the option, either. Dunkin’ will automatically appear under the Restaurants tab in the app based on their delivery address, where they can browse the menu, customize their food and drinks, and check out as usual.

“By combining the strength of Walmart’s delivery platform with the appeal of our Dunkin’ menu, we can reach more guests in more moments, creating an experience that fits naturally into everyday life,” Dunkin’ Brand President and Inspire Chief Brand Officer Scott Murphy said in a press release.

Related: McCormick’s Launches 3 New Seasoning Blends Perfect for Summer Cookouts

The timing couldn’t be better either, as we officially enter the ‘bers, which, you know what that means: Pumpkin season, baby!

Dunkin’s new fall lineup consists of:

• Alix’s Earle-Y Riser Meal
• Tiramisu Cloud Latte
• Tiramisu Shakin’ Espresso
• Tiramisu Marshmallow Matcha
• Tiramisu Protein Latte
• Berry Clementine Refresher
• Berry Daydream Refresher
• Pumpkin Pie Coffee Chiller
• Pumpkin Patch Cloud Latte

Labor Day is a nice way to bid summer goodbye in the last three-day weekend of the season. Whether you use the holiday to relax or cram a ton of chores or events into three days, it’s yours to celebrate how you want! But even though Labor Day is meant to commemorate and honor workers and their rights, not all businesses are closed for the holiday.

Then again, some major businesses and services (like banks) are closed or not running on Labor Day. So, with that said, is the post office open on Labor Day? While USPS and private delivery companies like FedEx and UPS run on different schedules, they have something in common when it comes to delivering on Labor Day.

Related: 50 Uplifting Quotes To Celebrate a Happy Labor Day

On the USPS website, Labor Day—which falls on Sept. 7, 2026—is considered one of their holidays. So, no, mail is not delivered on Labor Day.

Related: Where Did the Rule About Not Wearing White After Labor Day Come From?

The United States Postal Service offices and facilities are closed on Labor Day.

According to AARP, even though USPS offices and storefronts are closed, you can still access some 24/7 services online like ordering stamps, printing shipping labels, ordering other mail supplies and requesting package pickups. If you really need stamps, you can purchase them elsewhere, like grocery stores or office supply stores, which might be open on Labor Day.

Related: 125 Labor Day Weekend Instagram Captions To Let the Good Times Roll

Photo by padnpen from Getty Images Signature/Canva

Because the United States Postal Service is a federally funded operation, it runs on the federal holiday calendar. When it comes to private delivery companies like FedEx and UPS, that’s not always the case. And while AARP reports that FedEx and UPS do have their own schedules, FedEx and UPS do not deliver on Labor Day, with the exception of “urgent and critical deliveries.”

FedEx Custom Critical and FedEx Offices will be open on Labor Day (FedEx Office has modified hours according to their website).

As for UPS, only UPS Express Critical will be open on Sept. 7 for Labor Day. Most of the regular UPS Store locations will be closed for the holiday, and there will be no UPS pickup or delivery service.

Related: 30 Recipes That Will Make Your Labor Day Barbecue the Best One Yet

Again, because USPS runs on the federal holidays’ schedule (a.k.a. it coincides with bank holidays), you can expect most major holidays and three-day weekends to mean USPS facilities and services are closed. But to lay it out for you, here are the remaining days of 2026 when mail is not delivered:

• Labor Day, Sept. 7, 2026
• Indigenous Peoples’ Day/Columbus Day, Oct. 12, 2026
• Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2026
• Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, 2026
• Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 2026

Related: 12 Amazing Appetizers That Will Take Your Labor Day Celebration to the Next Level

• New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, 2027
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 18, 2027
• President’s Day, Feb. 15, 2027
• Memorial Day, May 31, 2027
• Juneteenth National Independence Day, June 19, 2027
• Independence Day, July 4, 2027
• Labor Day, Sept. 6, 2027
• Indigenous Peoples’ Day/Columbus Day, Oct. 11, 2027
• Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2027
• Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, 2027
• Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 2027

Related: 10 Fascinating Facts You Probably Didn't Know About the History of Labor Day and the Labor Movement

British new wave veterans Squeeze canceled their Thursday night performance at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Vienna, Virginia after a worker was fatally crushed by a tour bus in the parking lot. According to police, the worker was underneath the bus when a supporting apparatus failed, causing the vehicle to collapse. The worker, whose identity has not been released, died at the scene.

It is the kind of accident that serves as a sobering reminder of the unseen labor that goes into bringing a live show to life.  The crew members, technicians, and workers who arrive hours before the crowd and long before the spotlight ever turns on.

Upon learning of the accident, the band released a statement expressing how “Squeeze are deeply saddened and shocked by an incident that occurred at the venue earlier today, which resulted in the loss of a life,” adding that their thoughts remain with everyone affected by the tragedy.

Wolf Trap echoed that sentiment on social media, cancelling the show out of respect for the worker and his loved ones. For fans who had been looking forward to the show, the band will work with the promoter and venue on rescheduling and will share more information as it becomes available. 

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The tragedy comes as the beloved British band behind classics like “Tempted” and “Pulling Mussels,” are in the midst of a U.S. tour supporting their latest album, Trixies, which arrived in March. Squeeze continue their U.S. tour with upcoming dates in Ohio and Illinois.

But for everyone at Wolf Trap Thursday night, the music was secondary to something far more important: a life had been lost, and the concert could wait.

Ricky Nelson had a long friendship with Bob Dylan, but their connection goes deeper than most fans realize. In a new interview, Nelson’s sons, Matthew and Gunnar, looked back on their late father’s career and shared the surprising story behind “Garden Party,” the 1972 song that became their dad’s final Top 40 hit.

Speaking on Billy Corgan’s The Magnificent Others podcast, Gunnar recalled the influence of their father’s famous musician friends in the early 1970s, more than a decade after his heyday as a 1950s teen idol with hits such as “Poor Little Fool” and “Hello Mary Lou.”

“I mean, we really grew up around our dad’s Stone Canyon Band that was the scene that was happening up in Laurel Canyon,” Gunnar shared. “So, we grew up around Linda Ronstadt and the Crosby Stills and Nash guys and Jackson Browne and Joni Mitchell and Dylan over at the house all the time. And our dad was during the second phase of his career with the Stone Canyon Band and playing an acoustic and singing three-part harmony all the time.”

“It was reinvention when nobody thought he was going to do anything,” Matthew Nelson added. “They thought he was washed up and done. It’s an incredible story.”

RELATED: 1967 Folk Song, Written by Bob Dylan, Was Reimagined as a Classic Rock Masterpiece

The brothers noted that Bob Dylan influenced their father “a lot,” most notably by convincing him to become a songwriter.

“I don’t think that ‘Garden Party’ would exist without Bob Dylan, to be honest,” Gunnar said. “He was at our house a lot, and according to what we heard, they had a moment together where Bob and our dad, our dad had basically gone into forced semi-retirement at that time. The world had changed. The Beatles had invaded America, everything had shifted, and the singer-songwriter thing was happening at the time, and our dad was taking some time off to have a family.”

Gunnar continued: “Apparently they had a conversation one day, and Bob just said, ‘Look, you know, I understand that the kids consider you completely over, you’re a has-been.’ He said, ‘Well, you know, thanks, Bob.’ And he said, ‘No, no, what I’m saying is it’s all about writing now. It’s all about writing.'”

Matthew added that Dylan’s pep talk inspired their dad to write.

“He said, ‘Why don’t you screw them up? Why don’t you write some songs? Can you write?’ He said, ‘I don’t know. I haven’t tried.’ And that was enough to get him to do it,” Matthew explained. “And in ’67 he started releasing songs that he wrote for the first time, you know, which was a real moment for him.”

“Garden Party” was written after Nelson was booed off the stage at Richard Nader’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Spectacular Volume IV concert at Madison Square Garden in May 1971.

“He got booed off the stage for walking on stage with long hair and looking like, you know, a cowboy hippie,” Matthew said. “They couldn’t believe that that black-and-white television, clean-cut Ricky Nelson of Ozzie and Harriet was the same dude. He wrote a song about the experience, or it basically wrote itself and he was the translator, because he said it came to him in a dream and the lyrics are all on one piece of paper. We have them on the wall at home.”

Dylan is mentioned in the second verse of Garden Party” with the lyric, “And over in the corner, much to my surprise, Mr. Hughes hid in Dylan’s shoes wearing his disguise.”

Dylan was once asked if he had a favorite song in which he is mentioned—the folk legend is name-checked in John Lennon’s “Yer Blues” and David Bowie’s “Song for Bob Dylan,” among others.

“Garden Party,” he replied in a Q&A posted on his website,

In 2025, Dylan performed a cover of “Garden Party” at the Outlaw Music Festival in Chula Vista, California, in tribute to Nelson, who died in 1985 in a plane crash. On Corgan’s podcast, the Nelson brothers called the legendary singer’s performance of the song a “full circle” moment.

Related: 1965 Rock Classic, Featuring Lyrics Inspired by Reimagined Bible Passage, Ranked Among the ‘Most American Songs of All Time’

Willie Nelson has worn a lot of hats over the decades, cowboy hat included, but one of his most surprising credits might be as a bona fide movie star with a near-perfect critical record to prove it.

The 1982 film Barbarosa holds a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the rare films that critics unanimously praised despite barely making a dent at the box office.

Directed by Fred Schepisi and written by William D. Wittliff, Barbarosa follows Karl Westover (Gary Busey), a naive young Texan who accidentally kills his brother-in-law and flees toward Mexico. Along the way, he crosses paths with the legendary outlaw Barbarosa (Nelson), a wanted man with his own tangled history along the border. What starts as a reluctant alliance built purely on survival slowly turns into something closer to family, as Barbarosa takes Karl under his wing and teaches him how to live, and steal, like an outlaw.

Set in the years surrounding the Civil War, the film leans into myth-making as much as gunfights, following the two men as they’re chased across Texas and Mexico by bounty hunters and a vengeful rancher named Don Braulito (Gilbert Roland), who wants Barbarosa dead at any cost.

Critics at the time took notice. Famed film critic Pauline Kael described the film as spirited and satisfying, and singled out Nelson’s unexpectedly strong screen presence. Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel also gave the film two enthusiastic “yes” votes on their show Sneak Previews.

Despite the acclaim, Barbarosa never found much of an audience during its original run, pulling in less than $2 million against a budget north of $10 million. It’s since developed a quiet reputation among Western fans as a hidden gem, one where Nelson, in one of his earliest film roles, proves he could hold his own on screen just as easily as he could on stage.

For anyone scrolling past old Westerns without a second thought, this one might be worth the detour.

For nearly 17 years, George Lucas chased a project that kept slipping out of reach: a museum big enough to hold every picture, comic and film frame that shaped how he sees storytelling. That museum finally opens to the public on September 22, when the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art welcomes its first visitors to Exposition Park in Los Angeles, directly across from Lucas’s alma mater, USC.

At a press preview this week, Lucas made an unannounced appearance and described just how long the journey had been, noting that eight of those seventeen years went into actual construction after earlier attempts to build the museum in San Francisco and Chicago fell apart over location and design disputes. Los Angeles was chosen in 2017, and construction began the following year, only to run into pandemic shutdowns and supply chain delays.

But the result is a five-story, 300,000-square-foot building set on a 13-acre campus of gardens and public gathering space, with more than 100,000 square feet of galleries inside. Star Wars fans will find C-3PO, R2-D2, Darth Vader, Princess Leia’s costume and Luke Skywalker’s battered landspeeder in an exhibition called “Star Wars in Motion,” along with a bronze sculpture of Leia facing down Jabba the Hutt outside. That piece, along with a companion sculpture of Padme battling a Nexu and a third life-size bronze inside the museum, was created by sculptor Mark Newman, who said on Facebook that Gio Nakpil helped sculpt Leia’s portrait and that Artworks Foundry in Berkeley cast and built the pieces over roughly the past year. There’s even a rooftop restaurant named Skywalker Grill.

But the franchise makes up only a small slice of what’s here. The inaugural galleries hold more than 1,300 objects pulled from a permanent collection topping 40,000 works, including paintings by Frida Kahlo, Norman Rockwell, Jacob Lawrence and Charles White alongside comic art, movie posters, murals and pieces by Banksy and Frank Frazetta. Lucas Museum CEO Tracey Bates has described the building as “an incredibly engaging space,” designed to make visitors feel something in every gallery rather than just look at art.

Lucas did not sugarcoat what it took to get here. “This one almost broke my will,” he told reporters gathered for the preview, before explaining why he pursued the project at all. He has said the goal is to put illustrators on the same footing as painters found in more traditional art institutions, arguing that shared pictures and stories are what let a society function as one.

Related: Star Wars Legend Closes His Studio After Almost 40 Years

General admission will run $25 when the museum opens, with visitors 17 and younger admitted free. Residents of the surrounding 90037 ZIP code can register for a separate LM37 pass offering free, year-round access with a guest, and the museum’s surrounding parks require no ticket at all.

Nearly two decades after it was first proposed, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is set to become a permanent fixture in a neighborhood that already includes the Natural History Museum and the California Science Center, giving Los Angeles a new home for the art of telling stories.

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