Parade

The 1990 movie Pretty Woman not only became a major box-office hit but also propelled young Julia Roberts to Hollywood stardom as she starred alongside A-lister Richard Gere.

Directed by Garry Marshall, the film wasn’t a typical meet-cute romantic comedy, as the story focuses on a wealthy corporate raider named Edward, played by Gere, who hires a charismatic sex worker, Vivian Ward, to join him at high-profile social events for a week.

What starts as a very unlikely pairing, given their different social statuses, leads the two to get to know each other on a deeper level.

Edward falls genuinely in love with Vivian despite their different social backgrounds.

The budding romance between them makes both Vivian and Edward rethink their lives and what they truly want for the future.

Buena Vista/Getty Images

Pretty Woman was so well-loved at the time that it grossed over $463 million worldwide, as cited by Box Office Mojo.

With the massive reception from the public, Walt Disney proclaimed the film as “the highest-grossing film in the studio’s 67-year history,” as mentioned by Variety, alongside Ghost and Home Alone.

The two stars were the producers’ first choice for the movie. However, Gere initially passed on playing Edward because of the character’s image.

After the script underwent significant changes, including Edward’s character, Gere finally said yes, partly because of his co-star.

“So I’m talking to Gary, and [Roberts is] on the other side of the desk, and she’s writing something on one of my Post-its,” Gere shared on The Tonight Show in November 2024. “Then she turns around and puts it down, and I read it, and it says, ‘Please say yes.’ So I said, ‘Gary, I think I just said yes.’ “

As for Roberts, her one condition to play the role was having no naked scenes, but the production instead used a double for some parts, per BBC.

From being a box-office hit, Pretty Woman also catapulted Roberts to superstardom.

she delivered the line of the century ☝️ #PrettyWoman #JuliaRoberts

She won her first Best Actress in a Motion Picture at the 1991 Golden Globe Awards.

The then-21-year-old actress, during the filming, also earned multiple Best Actress nominations, including at the Academy Awards and BAFTA Awards.

Decades after its release, Pretty Woman continues to charm audiences and is still regarded as one of the best rom-coms of all time, ranking No. 4 on Decider’s list and No. 2 on The Ringer’s 50 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time.

Related: 1972 Hit Drama Film Named Among ‘Best Movies of the ’70s’ Still Holds a Perfect Rating

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry‘s return to the UK sparked a series of rumors that the former actor and ex-royal will revive her acting career. Reports claimed that Markle was in talks to join The Gentlemen Season 3, but star Theo James says otherwise.

The Netflix series based on Guy Ritchie‘s 2019 film of the same name has premiered its second season. Before the release of the new installment, it was also announced by the streaming platform that it was greenlit for a third season. Rumors circulated that part of Markle’s return to the UK was based on the possibility of her being considered for an unknown role in the new season.

Markle nor Netflix has confirmed speculations, with Netflix’s scripted chief in the UK, Manda Levin, having given a cryptic response about ongoing talks. James, who stars in The Gentlemen as Edward “Eddie” Horniman, says it’s all just rumors.

When talking about the second season and the greenlit third installment, James chimed in on Markle’s rumored casting. He told Town & Country that Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, would “be playing [his] love interest.”

James seemingly confirms that Markle has no set role in The Gentlemen Season 3, and even adds, “Yes, Fergie is joining.” The Divergent star also said that the circulating speculations are “mainly hot air.” The cast and crew are more focused on one thing, and it’s not the ex-royal.

“At the moment, we’re just trying to get as many eyes on Season 2, and then Season 3 will happen soon,” said James.

Reports claimed that Markle’s role was still being written, with nothing being officially confirmed. According to Tina Brown, former editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, she also revealed that Markle was dropped from starring in the series and that the casting was “withdrawn.” She claims it was due to the backlash she’s received for moving back to the UK.

“The backlash in the U.K. was so intense, it became untenable to go forward. This does not bode well for Meghan’s acting comeback in the U.K.,” she said.

James also revealed their ambitions for The Gentlemen and their desire to “expand the world, go to different countries.” As of right now, it’s “still very much up in the air.”

Related: ‘Terminator 2’ Star Reveals Billy Idol Was in the Running to Play the Role of T-100

Baskin-Robbins‘ new limited-time Biscoff ice cream is taking over its entire menu—and fans are not mad about it.

Over the last 24 hours or so, videos of the new Baskin-Robbins Biscoff Cookie Cake in a Box have popped up everywhere, from Facebook to TikTok and YouTube. The responses have been overwhelmingly positive, with some social media users admittedly drooling over the creation online. And in case you didn’t know, there’s more Biscoff cookie pieces on the menu than just an entire ice cream cake (which, we agree, looks incredible).

In an email shared with Parade on Thursday, Sept. 3, Baskin-Robbins revealed it’s bringing a “touch of adventure” and a whole lot of Biscoff to its menus for a limited time this fall.

If you’re wondering, “what is Biscoff?” its a brand of European spiced shortbread cookies (known as a speculoos biscuit) commonly serves on some airlines as a in-flight snack. It’s rich, warm, sweet flavor has become a cult-favorite across the globe, inspiring spinoffs like speculoos cookie butter, cheesecake recipes, secret Starbucks menu items, and now, the entirety of Baskin-Robbins’ menu.

Related: Baskin-Robbins Fans Are ‘Running’ to Try Viral New Sundae

As part of a new collaboration, Baskin-Robbins is launching a Biscoff Crème Brûlée Ice Cream, Biscoff Cookie Signature Shake, Biscoff Cookie Layered Sundae, Biscoff Novelty Bar and of course, that now-viral Biscoff Cookie Cake in a Box to menus for a limited time this fall.

• Biscoff Crème Brûlée Ice Cream: French Custard Ice Cream with Biscoff Cookie Pieces and swirls of caramelized sugar flavor. 
• Biscoff Cookie Signature Shake: A smooth blend of Biscoff Crème Brûlée Ice Cream, milk and simple syrup, topped with whipped cream and finished with a Biscoff cookie garnish. 
• Biscoff Cookie Layered Sundae: Three scoops of Biscoff Crème Brûlée Ice Cream, layered with Biscoff Cookie Butter topping and chopped Biscoff cookies, finished with whipped cream, an extra drizzle of Biscoff Cookie Butter and a Biscoff cookie. 
• Biscoff Novelty Bar: Biscoff Crème Brûlée Ice Cream coated in what looks like a smooth layer of cookie butter frosting and a Biscoff cookie.
• Biscoff Cookie Cake in a Box: Layers of white cake, chopped Biscoff cookie pieces, Biscoff Crème Brûlée Ice Cream, whipped frosting and Biscoff Cookie Butter topping, all packed into a convenient re-closeable box.

So far, reviewers are saying the ice cream itself is actually the “star of the show,” as food blogger MorganChomps put it in a recent review of the new Cake in a Box flavor, noting it feeds about 11 people and cost about $35 at their store (prices may vary).

“It’s delicious,” and “beautiful,” another influencer known online as @trinhdoesthings added.

And fans are even more hyped, with one admitting they already stopped in to their local Baskin-Robbins to enjoy it in peace. “I went on my day off alone to be gluttonous,” they teased alongside a photo of the sundae.

“The most big back and I will acquire it,” another joked.

“Sounds delish!!!” one more declared. “Cookie butter is one of man’s best creations. The top looks like dirt and worms lol.”

Baskin-Robbins’ new Biscoff menu is available now at scoop shops nationwide, but only for a limited time.

Next: Starbucks Just Teased New ‘Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown’ Merch—and Fans Are Already Obsessed

Trying to find where to watch our favorite broadcast shows is getting harder. Streamers give with one hand and take with the other, and that’s been the case for NCIS over the last few years.

After just a year on the streaming platform, two seasons of NCIS are departing. Both NCIS Seasons 18 and 19 are scheduled to leave on Oct. 1, 2026.

This is expected, as most of these deals with Paramount are for just a year now. Originally, Netflix was the streaming home for the popular CBS crime drama, but the first 11 seasons were removed in 2024. Seasons 12 to 15 remained, and then 16 and 17 were added.

Then a year later, the next two seasons were added, giving fans a chance to catch the final episodes with Bishop and Gibbs. The first five seasons were also added back on the streaming giant at the same time as Seasons 18 and 19 were added. While the two latter seasons are leaving, there is no word on what’s happening with the first five seasons, suggesting that they are under a different licensing agreement.

So, does this mean you’re platform hopping to watch the entire show? The good news is there’s one streaming platform that has every single season of the series. All 23 seasons so far are available to stream on Paramount+, and when NCIS Season 24 premieres on Oct. 11, 2026, that will also be added to Paramount+.

The new season will see the return of Michael Weatherly, who left the series after NCIS Season 13. He did return during the tribute to Ducky, marking David McCallum’s death, but then he landed his own spinoff with Cote de Pablo, NCIS: Tony & Ziva. After the cancellation after one season, eyes were on whether the characters would return to the flagship, and that’s slowly happening.

It’s not the only big show leaving Netflix in October 2026. Currently, Shameless, Dawson’s Creek, and Halo are all scheduled to leave the platform. Some of those may be saved if the streaming giant can extend the licenses, but it’s unlikely to happen for some of them, including NCIS. After all, that’s a huge show that CBS doesn’t need the Netflix Effect.

Related: 1995 Tom Hanks Movie, With 100% Rotten Tomatoes Score, Ranked Among Best Movies of All Time

There would be no Elle Woods without Gloria Steinem, at least according to Reese Witherspoon.

Following the death of the beloved feminist and activist at the age of 92, Witherspoon took to Instagram to pay tribute to Steinem and share a surprising connection to her movie, Legally Blonde.

Related: Meghan Markle Reveals Sweet Nickname for Her ‘Mentor’ Gloria Steinem in Heartfelt Tribute

“Gloria Steinem changed how women saw themselves and what was possible…I was one of them,” she wrote. “When I was deciding whether to do Legally Blonde, I watched a documentary where Gloria spoke about the importance of seeing an underestimated woman become the hero of her own story. Her words changed how I saw Elle Woods and helped me say yes.”

Witherspoon went on to share that years later she was able to tell Steinem about her impact on her acting career.

“Thank you, Gloria, for your courage, your commitment, and everything you made possible for all women, Witherspoon ended her post. “What a legacy.”

This is not the first time Witherspoon has revealed Steinem’s influence on Legally Blonde. In an interview from 2005, she said it was Steinem talking about Goldie Hawn’s performance in Private Benjamin that got her to accept the role of Elle Woods.

“And then I saw Gloria Steinem talking about Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin on Bravo — it was like a biography,” Witherspoon said at the time. “And she was talking about the impact of that film and how important it was for women to see a woman who was underestimated rise above everything and become the hero of her own life. And it just rung in my ears, and I immediately saw the connection to Legally Blonde.”

Steinem also gets a shout-out in the Legally Blonde musical, where Elle Woods attends the costume party as an undercover Steinem dressed as a Playboy Bunny, referencing her real-life 1963 investigative piece “A Bunny’s Tale.”

Parade aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission.

On a camping trip last winter, the sole of my beloved hiking boots finally gave out. I couldn’t walk, let alone hike, through the Texas hill country with the detached footbed flopping around, so I headed to the only store within a 50-mile radius: Walmart. Luckily, I was able to find some genuinely great replacement boots in my size that were just as comfortable as the pricey pair I’d spent years breaking in. The best part? They were under $50. 

While these aren’t the exact boots I found that day on my Walmart run, the Gexuosn Outdoor Hiking Boots have a similar lightweight design with durable tread and proper ankle support — exactly what you need to navigate rocky trails or challenging terrain. And even better than my under-$50 Walmart boots, this pair is currently marked down to just $35 in three colors! 

Courtesy of Walmart

Twisting your ankle when you’re exploring a remote area is a recipe for disaster, but investing in a sturdy pair of hiking boots can ensure you stay safe out on the trails. With mid-top ankle support and laces that go all the way to the top, these boots offer ample support to help keep your feet stable, even when the terrain isn’t. The uppers are made from a combination of durable synthetic leather and breathable mesh with reinforced stitching that should keep these boots in good condition, even through multiple seasons.

These boots feature treaded soles with an anti-collision rubber toe stop and deep grooves to provide excellent traction on slippery surfaces. Made of lightweight thermoplastic rubber (TPR), the soles were designed to absorb the impact of every step, hop, and jump. 

Courtesy of Walmart

Walmart shoppers said their “feet felt comfortable” wearing these boots, even on longer hikes. Reviewers said they felt “sturdy on uneven trails” and provided “good support on the ankles.” The “cute” style, available in all-black, gray and pink, or purple and gray, comes in half sizes from 5.5 through 9.5.

• Clarks Breeze Derby Boots, $48 (was $64) at Walmart
• Ecetana Waterproof Hiking Boots, $32 (was $46) at Walmart
• Gexuosn Hiking Shoes, $34 (was $59) at Walmart

Related: Shoppers Battling Back Pain and Swollen Feet Say These ‘Cushy’ $11 Slides Feel ‘Better Than’ Designer Styles

You won’t want to miss the chance to snag the Gexuosn Outdoor Hiking Boots for just $35 at Walmart. Select sizes are already sold out, so if you want to get your hands on a pair of these boots, now is the time!

Don’t miss future deals! Sign up for Parade Picks to receive our commerce team’s curated selection of discounts and sales, twice a week. 

There’s no denying that Patrick Swayze starred in some of the biggest romance cult classics during the span of his career, and one 1990 sleeper hit is considered to be one of the best romance storylines.

Variety developed a list of some of the greatest movies released in the romance genre, and fans can likely guess which Swayze films fit the criteria. Having originally gotten recognition in the drama and action films The Outsiders and Red Dawn, the actor solidified himself as an on-screen heartthrob with Dirty Dancing.

While Swayze made hearts swoon in a leather jacket and with his dance moves in 1987, Variety ranked Ghost at No. 7 on its list of the greatest romance movies of all time. The 1990 supernatural romance starred the actor opposite Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, and Tony Goldwyn in what would become the highest-grossing film of the year that unexpectedly outperformed several blockbusters.

Directed by Jerry Zucker, Ghost was a surprise from a director who was known for spoof comedy hits like Airplane! The Naked Gun and Police Squad! The director was looking to simply make a good drama movie and developed the film alongside writer Bruce Joel Rubin.

Ghost follows Swayze as Sam Wheat, a banker whose murdered and comes back as a ghost with unfinished business. He’s unable to communicate with the living world until finding a psychic con artist, Oda Mae Brown (Goldberg). Along the way, he uncovers the truth about his death and tries to communicate with his girlfriend, Molly Jensen (Moore), to warn her.

“The way Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore bond across the ectoplasmic divide is at once thrilling and moving (true love, it seems, knows no restrictions, from either physics or the spirit world). The film turned the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” into a retro smash, but only because of how it tapped the film’s emotions: intimate, operatic, quavering with devotion,” said Variety.

The film would end up making over $505 million at the box office on a $22 million budget, and would earn five Oscar nominations. It would win Best Supporting Actress for Goldberg and Best Original Screenplay.

Before Swayze, the role almost went to Bruce Willis, who was married to Moore at the time. He told a New York Times reporter that he was a “knucklehead” for having turned down the role.

“I just didn’t get it. I said, ‘Hey, the guy’s dead. How are you gonna have a romance?’ Famous last words,” he joked.

Swayze once revealed his love for romance and goosebumps, with the script for Ghost having left him “boo-hooing” and set on making the film. He even called the film’s iconic pottery scene one of the “sweetest, sexiest love scene that I’ve ever been involved with.” Ghost also left a lasting impact that he felt 100% proud of, especially its subject matter of death.

“Ghost was the first movie I’ve ever done that really changed me as a person because it’s about taking the love with you after you die,” he told the Los Angeles Times.

He once told People it was “about living your life for the moment, because that’s all you’ve got … If you don’t communicate with the people you love, you set yourself up for incredible pain if you lose them.” 

Related: Jane Fonda Recalls Getting Scolded by Dolly Parton While Filming ‘9 to 5’

TLC is currently on tour with fellow ’90s girl groups Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue. However, during a recent show in New York, Chili (real name Rozonda Thomas) updated fans on T-Boz’s health after she was forced to miss the show due to a sickle cell flare-up.

“As you guys know, my sister, T-Boz, has sickle cell, that’s not a secret, and sometimes those flares come, and this is that time,” Chili told the audience during a break in the performance. “So, I’m going to hold it down for my sister, and I’m gonna ask each and every one of you to help me hold it down tonight, OK.”

T-Boz (real name: Tionne Watkins) was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia as a child and has been in and out of hospitals since she was 7 years old. The now 56-year-old has always been very open about her health struggles, including a brain tumor she had removed in 2011.

Chilli recently held it down for T-Boz by performing solo at their recent show in New York while T-Boz recovered from a sickle cell disease flare-up that forced her to miss the show, as TLC continues their “IT’S ICONIC” tour with Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue. pic.twitter.com/M44JXLmEmI

T-Boz previously spoke out about being hospitalized while on tour, and how she manages her condition today.

“Early on, it wasn’t managed at all. That’s why I ruined every tour and got sick every time,” she said in an interview. “Everything is strategically planned out, as far as how long travel is, what days I’m off, and what cities we do or don’t go to.”

She continued, “Sometimes, yeah, I have to work 10 times harder than the average artist to do what I want to do, but that’s what I want. So I’m not gonna sit down and let a disease take over my life.”

According to a statement from her manager, T-Boz was hospitalized, but is “currently recovering and regaining her strength.”

“Sickle cell is a serious illness, so we ask everyone to please keep the prayers coming as Tionne continues to recover,” the statement read. “We are immensely grateful for the love and support.”

Though their name may not be as instantly recognizable to the rock world as much as a band like Yes or Genesis, there is no doubt that King Crimson remains as one of the most important prog rock bands of all time. Preceding the ’70s boom of prog with their landmark 1969 debut “In the Court of the Crimson King,” the English rock group positioned themselves as one of the foremost prog bands of the era. As the ’70s went on, the band went through lineup change after lineup change, all hurtling them toward an eventual collapse. Before the band would temporarily disband, they managed to create one more album, and that was 1974’s “Red.”

“Red” gets its name from the VU meters in the studio constantly being in the red during the recording of the album, which is a perfect way to introduce the sound of this record. King Crimson had gotten heavy on previous projects, but this album was a whole new sound entirely. It’s dark, angry, and massive sounding. All of this is encapsulated by the standout closing track “Starless,” which Collider ranked as the best classic rock song of the ’70s.

Overall, I really don’t hear many people talk about “Red” as much as they do with other King Crimson projects, but I do hear plenty of discussion around this song. It’s a twelve and a half minute epic that transitions from a ballad, to an experimental rock piece, to a jazz fusion metal song, and back to a ballad. It’s a bit difficult to describe the masterpiece that is this song without just having you listen to it. It’s a musical journey that every rock fan has to embark on. The band is at a level creatively here that is near unparalleled.

My one issue is that the rest of the album is just as remarkable as this song, and yet this song gets all of the attention. “Red” has always been my favorite King Crimson album because of how massive the whole thing sounds. The opening title track is another example of this. The album opens up in a similar way to a SWAT team blowing a door down. The instrumentation just beats you right over the head with its volume and width. The bass has a massive, hulking tonality the rumbles beneath the shrieking guitars like an earthquake, and the drums cascade all over the song creating a musical maelstrom that instantly draws you into the record.

“Red” is a rock masterpiece. If the little snapshot I’ve given into the record is any motivator at all, please go check it out. It’s one of the band’s best, and one of the greatest rock records ever made. There’s not much that sounds like it that you’ll find anywhere else.

Related: 1969 ‘Awful Sounding’ Rock Album, a Favorite of Tom Waits, is Preserved in the Library of Congress

🎬SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬

These days, it’s never too early to prepare for the season ahead. And with fall on the horizon, the holiday season is nearly upon us, which means shoppers are already racing to Costco to stock up on the latest festive finds beginning to take over the retailer’s oversized shelves. 

Our favorite new arrival? The Pandex Holiday Icon Glass 4-Pack set retails for just $24.99 and bears a striking resemblance to an Anthropologie-style set that costs nearly three times as much. Sporting a festive Christmas theme perfect for cocktails, gifts and adding flair to your dinner table, this glassware set is well worth snatching up before the holidays.

😋😋 SIGN UP to get delicious recipes, handy kitchen hacks & more in our daily Pop Kitchen newsletter 🍳🍔

Costco just brought out the cutest holiday glasses that are a total Anthropologie dupe. Pandex Holiday Icon Glass 4-Pack is just $24.99, and it’s already showing low stock at some stores. Follow for more Costco deals and finds! 🤗 #costcofinds #costcodeals #holidayglassware #costcochristmas #anthropologiedupe

Currently available in select stores only, with online availability still uncertain, the Pandex Holiday Icon Glass 4-Pack requires a little legwork to secure, though its charming design and $25 price tag make it totally worth it. Made of soda-lime glass, the set features a distinct three-dimensional holiday icon fused directly into each glass, with gingerbread man, candy cane, Christmas tree and gift box styles making up the set. 

Ideal as a cocktail glass for cold beverages, each glass in the set measures 3.45 inches in diameter and 3.9 inches in height, giving it a compact yet commanding presence that blends wonderfully with holiday decor. With a 14-ounce capacity, they’re also comfortable to hold in your hand, whether you’re serving cocktails, mocktails, juice, water or any cold beverages you’d normally serve over ice.

Related: Costco’s Nifty New Gadget Turns Every Special Moment Into a Keepsake

Compared to their higher-priced Anthropologie counterparts, these glasses offer the same elegance and charm, but at a price tag anybody can stomach. And considering just one retails for $16, this Costco deal is even harder to pass up. Plus, the 3-D glass icons are just as vibrant, colorful and securely attached as those on the designer version, so you really can’t go wrong shopping at Costco instead. Even better, the glasses are dishwasher-safe, so with the right care, you can expect them to elevate your seasonal spirit for the long haul.

It might feel criminally early to start buying things for Christmas, but a find like this is always worth snatching up immediately. With in-store-only availability at the moment, you can expect them to be a popular pick for shoppers trying to get ahead of the holiday rush, so keep your eyes peeled on your next Costco run so you can snatch them up yourself. 

While you’re at it, don’t forget to check out Costco’s Signature Housewares Christmas Mugs, yet another four-pack worth grabbing while you can.

Related: Aldi’s $8 Pumpkin Butter Dish Looks Just Like a Le Creuset Style Over 9x the Price

Nearly every surviving cast member of “Mallrats” stood together on a stage in New Jersey last weekend, and for longtime fans of Kevin Smith’s cult comedy, it was a reunion three decades in the making. The gathering, held Aug. 29 at the Super Jersey Summer Spectacular in Hillsborough, brought together Smith, Jason Mewes, Jason Lee, Jeremy London, Joey Lauren Adams, Ethan Suplee, Renee Humphrey, Priscilla Barnes and Brian O’Halloran, all posing for a single group photo that organizers called one of the largest Mallrats cast gatherings in the film’s history.

Mallrats almost never got the chance to build the following it has today. Smith’s 1995 follow-up to Clerks opened on 852 screens and pulled in just over 2.1 million dollars worldwide against a 6.1 million dollar budget, a box office disaster Smith has never shied away from discussing in interviews over the years. He has recalled a radio DJ trashing the movie the same weekend he flew to Los Angeles for its premiere, and admitted he assumed his filmmaking career was finished before it really began. Instead, home video and cable reruns slowly turned Brodie Bruce, T.S. Quint, Gwen Turner and the rest of the mall’s misfits into fixtures of the View Askewniverse that Smith kept building for the next thirty years, long after critics had written the film off.

Related: Kevin Smith Calls Out Cheers Star as the Rudest Celebrity He’s Met

Organizers spent months adding names one at a time, first confirming a handful of supporting cast members before eventually landing all nine credited actors for a single afternoon session, an outcome many longtime fans had assumed would never happen given how scattered the cast’s individual careers have become since the film’s release. The Hillsborough show has grown quickly since its debut, moving to a larger venue after drawing a record crowd the year before this reunion took shape.

The reunion tour is not stopping in New Jersey. Smith heads to San Antonio this week for Kings of Horror programming at the Wonderland of the Americas, including an evening event and additional Mallrats appearances scheduled through the weekend, according to his own tour listings. The back to back stops suggest the cast, and the fans who kept the movie alive long after its brief and unsuccessful theatrical run, are not finished marking an anniversary that arrived three decades late but has clearly been worth the wait.

It seems that thirty one years later, the mall doors are still open, and apparently nobody involved is in a hurry to close them again.

🎬SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬

By 1969, Simon & Garfunkel were no strangers to ambitious studio work, but “The Boxer” pushed that experimentation well beyond the confines of a conventional recording studio.

Parts of the folk-rock classic were recorded inside St. Paul’s Chapel in New York City, where the building’s natural reverberation helped give the song its expansive sound. Written by Paul Simon, “The Boxer” reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and later appeared on Bridge Over Troubled Water, the duo’s blockbuster final studio album.

Simon wrote the song during a complicated period in the pair’s career.

Following the enormous success of Bookends and “Mrs. Robinson,” Simon & Garfunkel were experiencing the pressures that accompanied their sudden level of fame. “The Boxer” follows a poor young man struggling to survive in New York, but Simon later acknowledged that some of its lyrics also reflected the criticism he was receiving at the time.

“I think the song was about me: everybody’s beating me up, and I’m telling you now I’m going to go away if you don’t stop,” Simon told Playboy in 1984. “By that time we had encountered our first criticism. For the first few years, it was just pure praise. It took two or three years for people to realize that we weren’t strange creatures that emerged from England but just two guys from Queens who used to sing rock ‘n’ roll. And maybe we weren’t real follies at all! Maybe we weren’t even hippies!”

Recording it became an unusually elaborate undertaking.

Producer Roy Halee worked with Simon and Art Garfunkel across multiple locations, including Columbia’s studios in New York and Nashville. The sessions stretched over many hours as the musicians layered guitars, vocals, and other elements into the increasingly intricate arrangement.

One of the most unusual sessions took place at St. Paul’s Chapel.

The historic church in Manhattan provided the reverberant acoustics heard on portions of the recording. Halee and the musicians took advantage of the cavernous space as they pursued sounds that couldn’t easily be recreated inside an ordinary studio.

Then there was the song’s explosive percussion.

Session drummer Hal Blaine created the enormous crash punctuating the famous “lie-la-lie” refrain by striking his drum in front of an elevator shaft at Columbia’s New York studios. A microphone positioned several floors above captured the reverberation, turning a single hit into one of the recording’s defining effects.

Released as a single in 1969, “The Boxer” climbed to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was later included on 1970’s Bridge Over Troubled Water, alongside classics including the title track and “Cecilia.”

“One of my ways of writing is for me to sit with a guitar and find an interesting guitar chord or series of chords or something, anything, to just begin,” Simon told Uncut. “The real game is, can you make something that’s interesting enough, entertaining enough, intriguing enough that the listener will listen again?”

Fifty-seven years later, “The Boxer” remains a striking example of Simon & Garfunkel’s willingness to treat the studio, and spaces far outside it, as an instrument. Its themes of loneliness, perseverance, and pushing forward despite hardship remain just as resonant today as they were when Simon wrote the song nearly six decades ago.

Related: 1973 Soft Rock Song, Originally Created in California, Is Still a Powerful Hit 53 Years Later

Dolly Parton reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 exactly once. Starting March 28, 2027, that song is a flight number.

One of American Airlines’ daily flights from Dallas Fort Worth into Nashville changes from flight 1396 to flight 925. It points at “9 to 5”, and at the city where she built her career.

🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬

Parton wrote “9 to 5” for the 1980 movie she made with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, and it did something none of her other songs ever managed. On Feb. 21, 1981, it started a two-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. That was the first time she topped the all-genre chart as a solo artist. It was also the last. The song hit No. 1 on the country and adult contemporary charts the same week, won her two Grammys, and picked up an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.

Allegiant got there first. It announced its own Flight 925 earlier this year, a themed charter from Orlando to Knoxville with Dollywood experiences on the ground and in the air. It sold out fast enough that a second flight was added, numbered 2925. Both fly Nov. 6.

Those were booked while she was still alive, as a celebration rather than a tribute.

Parton died Aug. 25 in Nashville, at 80, after a brief battle with cancer. The American Airlines change is still about six months out.

Readers under the announcement post had notes. One wanted the schedule to match the joke: “Should have had the flight leave at 9:25AM.” Another hoped her song was playing on the way down into Nashville. Someone else said they had already asked Frontier to put a butterfly on a tail and name the plane Dolly.

Then a commenter turned up who said they work that route almost every day. “Will be an honor to work it after this change,” they wrote. Flight 925 takes off for the first time on a Sunday next March.

The View is celebrating the hit news series’ 30th season in a big way! With former cohosts like Rosie O’Donnell confirmed to be making a comeback, ABC just announced another former cohost is set to return.

Sherri Shepherd will sit alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Ana Navarro, and Alyssa Farah Griffin for a day of “Hot Topics” upon the show’s September 8 season premiere, according to Entertainment Weekly.

After appearing as a guest cohost multiple times in 2006, Shepherd landed the spot as a permanent cohost the following year, taking over the empty seat left by Star Jones. During her time on the show, Shepherd received numerous Emmy Award nominations, winning one for Outstanding Talk Show Host in 2009.

Shepherd exited the long-running series in 2014.

Prior to the announcement about Shepherd’s return, former cohost Rosie O’Donnell announced she too would be making an appearance on the show’s milestone 30th season.

“I will go on the 30th anniversary next [season],” O’Donnell shared on an episode of The Tangle podcast in August. “They’re bringing back all the hosts, I think. And, you know, I’m pretty proud of that show, what it’s become and how it really speaks to the people and to politics.”

Despite the excitement from many fans, O’Donnell’s remarks caused some backlash—specifically from one former cohost who claimed her “invite somehow got lost.”

“I just heard that Rosie O’Donnell went on my friend Kyle Ridley’s podcast and said that all the co-hosts from The View were being asked back for the 30th season,” Michelle Collins said in a video shared via Instagram. “But I have not heard from anyone from the show. And, in fact, I did not hear from them during season 25 when they had, I think most, if not all, the co-hosts back.”

In 1978, one of the most enduring songs in American pop and R&B history was released, and nearly five decades later, it remains a timeless anthem that, for many true music lovers, will never go out of style. Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” just earned a new accolade, too: the “best September song” of all time.

The tune is so infectious that it can still automatically put you in a good mood—47 years later—and has been immortalized by fans, culture, and countless playlists ever since its release. Now, speaking to how its impact still lives on so many years after it first hit airwaves, the track is also going down as Billboard‘s favorite among songs that mention the month of September.

The famed music publication ranked it No. 1 on its roundup of the nine best September songs ever, published on Sept. 1, 2026. Clarifying that the list is made up of staff picks, not necessarily based on chart history, sales, or popularity. “As the final third of the year gets underway, Billboard is making a list of our favorite tracks, named after, inspired by, and dedicated to September. No matter what month No. 9 means to you, be it beginnings, endings or something else entirely, there’s something here for you to put on repeat for the next 30 days,” the outlet wrote of the picks that made the cut.

The “hit became number one on the U.S. R&B chart and reached the eighth position on the Billboard Hot 100. It was written by Maurice White, Al McKay, and Allee Willis,” according to Genius.

Although “September” was released in November 1978, the recording immortalized September 21 with its iconic lyrics. The summer’s end staple famously begins by asking, “Do you remember the 21st night of September?”

Many fans assume that September 21 refers to an event of historical or personal significance. But according to a 2014 NPR interview with Willis, the date was chosen simply because it felt right in the lyric—partly for its rhythm, partly for its poetic resonance—but not linked to a specific story or event. The phrase “Ba-dee-ya,” similarly, was retained precisely because it fit the mood and groove—even if it doesn’t have literal meaning.

At the time of writing, the YouTube video for the timeless dance hit had a whopping 898 million views.

Meanwhile, Billboard‘s collection of best September songs includes hits across genres and musical eras, like Dinah Washington‘s “September in the Rain” (1960), Frank Sinatra‘s “The September of My Years” (1965), Neil Diamond‘s “September Morn'” (1979), Fiona Apple‘s “Pale September” (1996), Daughtry‘s “September” (2009), and more.

Next, 1974 Hit, Named Among ‘Soul Train’s Best Musical Moments,’ Is Still a ‘Mind-Blowing’ Performance Over 5 Decades Later

You don’t have to be an A-list actress to know that portraying a national treasure is a daunting task.

Gloria Steinem is the latest American icon to pass in weeks, with news of the renowned journalist’s death sweeping the nation on Wednesday, September 3.

In 2020, Rose Byrne brought the social activist to life on the small screen in Mrs. America, FX’s Emmy-winning miniseries. Back then, the now-Oscar-nominated actress, 47, was doing press for the show and opened up about how she felt when first presented with the opportunity to play Steinem.

“I initially was like, are you crazy? How on earth could I play that part? She’s so iconic and intimidating,” the Australian actress is quoting saying in a Harper’s Bazaar article from 2020.

Byrne continued, discussing her creative process behind the role, “I have a totally different shaped face [than Steinem]. We were trying to avoid being a caricature. But once we narrowed down on the right pair of glasses, that was ground-breaking.”

The Bridesmaids actress also shared a newfound admiration for Steinem while promoting Mrs. America at the time: “To have that dedication and to survive that sort of scrutiny … Throughout the course of the show, that really took me by surprise. I didn’t realize the torture she went through, whether the feminists were attacking her, or the media was attacking her, or men attacking her, or the lawsuits, or the fallout with the magazine. Just the scrutiny that she was under, the microscope she was under. It was extraordinary.”

As news of her passing broke, tributes to the icon started pouring in. Actress Rosie O’Donnell was one of the first celebs to honor Steinem, posting a photo of the pair from an article in which O’Donnell praised actress Lena Dunham, calling her the next Steinem.

Shortly after her first post, O’Donnell shared a photo of herself, Steinem, and actress/activist Jane Fonda, writing, “Gloria – the mother of the women’s movement – we r all in ur debt.” Find out more here.

Beyond rock music, the ’70s were full of iconic disco songs that dominated the club dance floors, and the Trammps released a hit that would gain traction on the charts and in a John Travolta classic.

“Disco Inferno” was released by the Trammps in 1976 as a single before it was also released as part of their studio album of the same name. Trammps keyboard player Ron Kersey wrote this song with Leroy Green, and they were originally inspired by a film. The track was based on the 1974 disaster film The Towering Inferno. Led by Paul Newman and Steve McQueen, the film focused on a fire breaking out underneath a ballroom dance floor.

The track itself wasn’t a success when it was originally released. According to Tom Moulton, they had committed an error during the mixing of the track, with the Dolby noise reduction being set incorrectly. Engineer Jay Mark noticed the mistake and remixed the track, but it led to more people’s intersted in listening.

The Trammps song ended up topping the U.S. Disco chart at No. 1 for six weeks in 1977, and landed at No. 53 on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite its chart-topping status, it still wasn’t entirely seen as a hit until 1978. Travolta’s iconic 1977 Saturday Night Fever film led “Disco Inferno” to become a dance floor staple.

“When we put out ‘Disco Inferno,’ it didn’t do well, at first! Our attorney, David Steinberg, made a deal when they were putting ‘Saturday Night Fever’ together to use the song, because they needed another song, and luckily they remembered ‘Disco Inferno,'” said drummer Earl Young, according to The Philadelphia Tribune.

“They put it in the movie, and wherever that movie went, it made us go around the world too! It made us popular too — that one song!”   

Saturday Night Fever would become a cult classic dance film featuring some of the era’s iconic groups as part of its soundtrack. Thanks to the film, “Disco Fever” resurged in popularity upon its re-release and landed at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The soundtrack even included the almost 11-minute studio version that did better than its 3:35-minute radio edit.

The Trammps found themselves a generational hit, which was covered decades later in 1993 by Tina Turner. She recorded her cover for her album What’s Love Got to Do with It, and the track did well on the charts overseas. A few years later, Cyndi Lauper also released her version in 1999 after having performed it live in New York a year earlier. Her version landed at No. 8 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.

Related: 1969 Rock Song, Written by Mick Jagger, Is Still an Unforgettable Hit 57 Years Later

Ann Curry is looking better than ever with graying hair.

The seasoned journalist, 69, who rose to stardom on NBC’s Today alongside Matt Lauer, Al Roker, and the rest of the crew, is doing great things in her retirement. In a new selfie snapped on the train as she headed to Washington, D.C., to visit a class, Curry looked as stylish as ever in black sunglasses and a cozy sweater. However, it was her graying hair that was particularly chic!

“Amtrak selfie! On my way to talk about journalism ethics with students in @asanfuentes Politics and Media class @americanuniversity,” Curry captioned the photo.

🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 

Last fall, Curry hit the red carpet to attend Equality Now’s Make Equality Reality Gala 2025 at Cipriani 25 Broadway in New York City. It was a rare public appearance for Curry, who has stepped back from the public eye significantly in recent years. Wearing a stunning black floral silk dress and a black cardigan over it, Curry pulled her dark hair with gray roots back into a ponytail and highlighted her bright smile, a staple of mornings for anyone who watched her on Today.

Slaven Vlasic / Getty Images

After leaving Today in 2012, Curry found tremendous support in the other female journalists who paved the way before her.

“During those darkest days, one by one, these wonderful women reached out,” Curry told People in 2018. “Jane Pauley, Connie Chung, Paula Zahn, Deborah Norville, they took me to lunch, one by one. Meredith wanted dinner. Oprah [Winfrey] called. They all gave me words of wisdom and 

comfort. All these years later it still resonates — these kindnesses.”

She eventually announced she would be leaving NBC entirely in 2015.

Looking back on her departure in 2020, Curry said she’s proud of how she handled the situation.

“I have no regrets about how I’ve behaved. And I’m very proud, in spite of everything, of all the work I was able to achieve,” she told Elle. “I don’t really think about it very often; I really don’t. But when I do, it does hurt still, because it takes time to heal. But what I’ve learned is that you rise stronger.”

Curry previously spoke out in support of a female staffer at NBC who told her she had been “sexually harassed physically” by Matt Lauer. In a 2018 report from The Washington Post, it was reported that Curry approached two members of NBC management with concerns in 2012.  Lauer went on to be fired for inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace five years later.

Related: Matt Lauer and Girlfriend Shamin Abas Are Still Going Strong

A wedding DJ recently posted a video of an entire reception crowd scream-singing Alabama’s hit “Dixieland Delight” and asked the question nobody’s been able to answer yet: how did a country song from 1983 suddenly become one of the newest, most enthusiastic sing-alongs in America? Think of it as country music’s “Sweet Caroline.” Neil Diamond‘s 1969 pop rock hit similarly developed its own crowd life decades after release — the “bah bah bah” response that nobody wrote into the song became the part every crowd now sings automatically. “Dixieland Delight” did the same thing. Same phenomenon. Different genre. Bigger mystery.

The song hit No. 1 on the Billboard country charts on April 16, 1983 — it was Alabama’s ninth consecutive No. 1 in a record-breaking run of 21 straight chart-toppers. Written by Ronnie Rogers — not by Alabama — as a love song about a Tennessee Saturday night, Rogers got the title from a road sign. He was driving down Highway 11W in Tennessee when he came to a stop sign that read “Dixieland Delight” in smaller letters below “Stop.” He wrote the song inspired by a title he found on the side of the road. Rogers wrote the romance. Alabama recorded it so well that Rogers himself has said that’s probably why Alabama fans adopted it. Alabama fans rewrote it entirely.

Jason Clark / Getty Images

Here’s what the University of Alabama football crowd does with it. At Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, fans don’t just sing along — they make it their own. They insert “Roll Tide” and other school-specific chants at exact moments in the song with a precision that suggests years of collective rehearsal. Nobody taught them when. Everyone just knows.

Jason Clark / Getty Images

The DJ who posted the video asked how everyone literally knows exactly when it’s coming, and that’s the right question. The song has developed a choreography that’s nowhere in the original recording and yet a stadium full of people executes it perfectly every time. The tradition developed organically. Nobody planned it. Nobody announced it. A crowd just decided this was their song and started adding their own part.

From there, it spread the way the best sing-alongs do. Tennessee has its own version of this story. “Rocky Top” by the Osborne Brothers became the Tennessee Volunteers’ unofficial anthem through the same organic process. A crowd adoption nobody planned, nobody expected, and nobody can fully explain.

The comment section on the DJ’s video has Tennessee fans claiming “Dixieland Delight” too. The irony of Alabama fans and Tennessee fans fighting over a song Alabama recorded about Tennessee is either perfect or inevitable depending on how you look at it. Other campuses picked it up. Cal Poly SLO students were screaming it in 2002. Texas bar crowds in 2011. Wedding DJs started noticing it filled floors the way few songs could.

The DJ’s video comment section is a document of how a song develops a second life in real time once it’s given to the fans. Boomers say they were singing it in college in the 1980s. Gen X danced to it at bars in the 1990s. Millennials learned it at games. Gen Z learned it from games, weddings, and TikTok. Every generation thinks they discovered it. Every generation is right. And every single time, it’s brilliant.

Related: Carl Dean, the Asphalt Contractor Who Inspired ‘Jolene’ and ‘I Will Always Love You,’ Was Dolly Parton’s Greatest Song She Never Wrote

“Sometimes a song just develops a whole second life that the original artists probably never saw coming,” the DJ wrote. Ronnie Rogers wrote a love song about Tennessee. He got the title from a stop sign on a Tennessee highway. Alabama recorded it. Alabama fans made it a fight song. The rest of the country made it a wedding staple. Gen Z made it theirs. None of those things were planned. None of those people coordinated. The song just kept finding new crowds who needed a sing-along and giving them the same one their parents had.

“Dixieland Delight” has been living its second life since at least the 1980s. It isn’t the only song that found a second life nobody planned. Neil Young has said a 1963 Ronettes hit lives permanently in his soul. Some songs just keep finding new audiences. The question of how it happened doesn’t have a clean answer. Football games, bars, TikTok, college campuses, or southern tradition — none of those explanations are wrong and none of them are complete. Gen Z knows every single word. So did their parents. So will their kids.

That’s not a mystery. That’s just a great song finding every generation that needs it.

🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬

A July recall notice for frozen fruit has been expanded, with the Food and Drug Administration publishing an update to the initial recall notice on September 3, noting that the recall now covers products that were shipped to Walmart locations in 16 states.

Related: Multi-State Recall Issued for Mangoes Sold at Walmart for Salmonella Risk

According to the government agency’s publication, Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A. out of San Carlos, Chile, expanded its recall of frozen organic IQF blueberries to “include one lot of Great Value frozen Organic Triple Berry Blend” 10-ounce packages because they may be contaminated with Escherichia coli O145:H28 (E. coli O145). The mixed berry packages include strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries. 

The recalled berries were distributed to select Walmart stores in 16 states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin, and can be identified via the following markers:

UPC: 7874211226
Lot Code: 6040 01-6 (in front of the package)
Best If Used By Date: February 9, 2028

Related: Recall Issued for Candy Sold at Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Homegoods

Consumers who purchased the affected product are asked to discard it or return it to Walmart for a full refund. As of publication, no illnesses have been associated with the frozen berries sold at Walmart. 

This recall is an expansion of one issued in July that affected all lots of GreenWise Organic Whole Blueberries and Whole Mixed Berries sold at Publix retail locations in eight states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. 

Related: Recall Issued for Olive Oil Due to Ingredient ‘Not Approved for Culinary Use’ 

Escherichia coli, or E. coli, “can cause illness characterized by severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (which may be bloody), and vomiting,” state both recall notices. Though most healthy individuals recover from infection within a week, young children, older adults, and individuals with weakened immune systems may suffer more serious complications.

Next: Recall Issued for Lunchmeat Nationwide, Including Illinois and Michigan, Due to Listeria Risk