Parade

Best-selling romance author Jenn McKinlay is still pinching herself after witnessing her 2020 novel, “Paris Is Always a Good Idea,” become a TV series starring rom-com queen Lacey Chabert.

With all six episodes of the limited series now available to stream via Hallmark+, McKinlay celebrated with the cast at a Los Angeles party thrown by Hallmark Media on Wednesday, August 26.

‘Paris Is Always a Good Idea’ executive producer Carrie Stein, Rebecca Hanssen, Scott Michael Foster, author Jenn McKinlay, Lacey Chabert, Julien Marlon Samani and Barbara Niven attend the Hallmark+ limited series “Paris is Always a Good Idea” finale screening and celebration at The Luckman Club at Soho House West Hollywood on August 26, 2026.

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Hallmark Media

In a video posted to the streamer’s Instagram Stories that night, McKinlay gushed, “Having the story of my heart turned into a TV series was the most amazing thing to ever happen to me. And I can’t thank Hallmark, the actors, the cast, the crews, the fans, the viewers, the readers, who all showed up for this show. It meant everything to me and I’m so very grateful.”

Filmed in France and Spain during the spring of 2026, Paris Is Always a Good Idea follows nonprofit executive Chelsea Martin, played by Chabert, on a last-minute business trip to Paris. The unexpected trip is fraught with emotion, because she hasn’t returned to Europe since racing home 10 years earlier upon learning of her mom’s battle with cancer and subsequent death.

With her dad (Mission Impossible star Henry Czerny) and sister (Rebecca Hanssen) accompanying her for moral support, Chelsea is inspired, thanks to a message left behind by her late mom, to revisit three past love interests from her prior travels to Europe in hopes of finding her one true love.

Jenn McKinlay Visited Lacey Chabert on Set of Paris Is Always a Good Idea

McKinlay was thrilled to visit the set of Paris Is Always a Good Idea in the spring, witnessing her novel adapted into a series. While there, Chabert interviewed her about the experience for a video that Hallmark+ posted on August 28.

Though the actress and author had exchanged messages about the TV adaptation, Chabert excitedly shared that it was their first time meeting in person. She asked McKinlay what it was like to see the story and characters she originally envisioned come to life on set.

View this post on Instagram

“When I heard you were cast as Chelsea, I cried,” McKinlay shared, telling a clearly touched Chabert that she was “perfect” for the role. She went on to say that for a writer, characters are “in your head, you know them so well, but then when they become real, and they’re walking around you, it’s just, as the kids would say, next level.”

Even after reading the scripts and watching the Paris Is Always a Good Idea shoot from the sidelines, McKinlay wrote on her Substack blog of the “pure, undiluted thrill I felt when seeing my first screen credit.” She also gave the finished product an enthusiastic stamp of approval, gushing, “Holy Banana Balls! This show is so great! I love, love, love it!”

When Girl Meets World premiered in 2014, the Boy Meets World spin-off picked up the story of Topanga (Danielle Fishel) and Cory (Ben Savage), now centered on their daughter, Riley (Rowan Blanchard), with Rider Strong returning as family friend Shawn Hunter. Cory has become a teacher at his daughter’s school, putting Riley directly in his classroom.

The show’s second episode finds Cory confiscating his students’ phones to make a point about screen time. But when he notices Riley growing close to her crush, Lucas (Peyton Meyer), he takes a startling step: he secretly hands a phone to her best friend, Maya (Sabrina Carpenter), and asks her to monitor Riley and report back.

Strong didn’t hold back when the plot came up on his Pod Meets World podcast, calling it unsettling and out of character for Cory.

“This is so inappropriate, it’s so creepy,” Strong exclaimed. “There’s this very simple rule that if an adult asks you to keep a secret. I told my son that, it’s a very basic parenting thing: ‘Any adult asks you to keep a secret, don’t trust that person or come tell me.’ And here is the teacher asking her to keep a secret, and that secret is to keep an eye on his daughter. And he’s giving her a phone, which is anti-everything he’s been this entire time. And not in a funny way. In a really horrible way.”

Strong added that he understood the intended joke, that Cory had absorbed the wrong lesson from his own screen-time crusade, but said the execution “genuinely disturbed” him. He also was surprised that Disney, a company he described as typically cautious about this kind of material, let the storyline through.

More than a decade after the episode aired, Strong’s comments have reignited thoughts about how the storyline holds up in hindsight. For a show built around modeling healthy family dynamics, the plot remains a rare misstep; one that even one of its own stars is still processing years later.

Lisa Kudrow will happily talk Friends, quote Phoebe Buffay, and reminisce about her castmates, but ask her to break into “Smelly Cat” on the spot, and she’ll politely decline.

“Sometimes people will stop me and say, ‘Oh, sing ‘Smelly Cat,'” Kudrow explained to Tonya Mosley on NPR’s Fresh Air,. “I don’t want to do that. I really don’t want to do that.”

Kudrow made clear she has nothing but fondness for the sitcom that made her a household name. The Comeback star called her time on the show “great” across the board and said she wouldn’t change a thing about it.

That warmth, though, doesn’t extend to impromptu performances of Phoebe’s signature tune. Kudrow admitted that fans regularly ask her to sing it wherever they spot her, and she just isn’t interested in obliging.

Still, “Smelly Cat” hasn’t disappeared from her life entirely. The most memorable exception came on August 26, 2015, when Kudrow surprised the crowd at Taylor Swift‘s 1989 World Tour stop at L.A.’s Staples Center, stepping onstage in character as Phoebe for a duet with Swift. Midway through, Kudrow broke from the song to needle Swift with some tongue-in-cheek coaching.

“I’m sorry, that was good, but you have to really feel the lyrics,” she told her, demonstrating what she meant. “It’s okay, you’ll get there.”

The Romy and Michele star has also opened up about her complicated relationship with rewatching the show itself. She’s said in the past that she avoided watching Friends for years. That changed after the death of costar Matthew Perry, when she stumbled across a marathon airing and found herself pulled in.

“I’m so happy to see Matthew then, and [he’s] so funny,” she said. “It was a great way to sort of process him not being here. And then really enjoy how much he made me laugh, then how much everybody made me laugh, even myself time to time.”

The Grand Ole Opry is preparing to say goodbye to one of its most beloved members, and Dolly Parton fans around the world will be able to watch the special tribute from home.

On Saturday, Aug. 29, the Opry will dedicate its Saturday night show to Parton, honoring the country legend’s extraordinary life, music and legacy. The celebration comes 67 years after Parton made her unforgettable Opry debut at just 13 years old and earned three encores.

“This Saturday night, we honor a true icon,” the Opry announced ahead of the show. “This show will be dedicated to Dolly Parton, recognizing her extraordinary life, legacy, and contributions to country music.”

Here’s everything you need to know about when the Dolly Parton tribute starts and how to watch it live.

What Time Does the Dolly Parton Grand Ole Opry Tribute Start?

The Grand Ole Opry’s special Dolly Parton tribute livestream begins Saturday, Aug. 29 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT.

The Opry confirmed the start time in a Facebook event Friday, inviting fans to “tune in Saturday, August 29 at 8/7c pm” for the special livestream honoring Parton.

The show will take place at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, but fans don’t need a ticket or a trip to Music City to join in the celebration.

Related: Dolly Parton’s Final Message to Millions of Children Is Breaking Hearts After Her Death: ‘Promise Me’

How Can You Watch the Dolly Parton Grand Ole Opry Tribute?

Fans can watch the special show live beginning at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on the Opry’s Facebook and YouTube channels and through digital streaming partners Circle Country and RFD-TV. The livestream is also embedded above in this post.

The livestream means Parton fans around the world can join the Opry in celebrating her life and extraordinary career from home.

Who Is Performing at the Dolly Parton Grand Ole Opry Tribute?

The evening will feature music and storytelling from an announced lineup that includes Carly Pearce, Channing Wilson, Kathy Mattea, Molly Tuttle, Dan Tyminski, T. Graham Brown, the Opry Square Dancers and Belle Frantz making her Opry debut, which is apropos because Frantz is a rising country star who has major Dolly vibes.

But those won’t necessarily be the only familiar faces viewers see. The Opry is also teasing appearances by “guest Opry stars” during what it describes as an “unforgettable evening of music and storytelling honoring the one and only Dolly.”

Pearce has an especially poignant connection to Parton. The country singer got an early start in her career performing at Dollywood, and Parton later surprised Pearce with an invitation to become an official Grand Ole Opry member.

Why Is the Grand Ole Opry Honoring Dolly Parton?

Parton’s relationship with the Grand Ole Opry began all the way back in 1959, when Johnny Cash introduced the then-13-year-old singer to the audience as “a little girl from East Tennessee.”

Parton performed George Jones’ “You Gotta Be My Baby” that night and made quite an impression: She was brought back for three encores.

“The crowds loved her from the first note,” the Opry recalled in its remembrance of Parton. “And they never stopped.”

Ten years later, in 1969, Parton achieved one of her childhood dreams when she became an official Grand Ole Opry member. She remained a member for the next 57 years and ultimately performed on the Opry more than 100 times.

Following Parton’s death, Dan Rogers, Senior Vice President and Executive Producer of the Grand Ole Opry, reflected on just how deeply she was woven into the institution.

“Every member of the Grand Ole Opry family has a Dolly story, as does everyone around the world who was ever in her orbit,” Rogers said. “That’s just one of the things that made her so special.”

Rogers recalled how Parton used more than five decades of success as an Opry member to bring joy to millions and inspire generations of artists. He also remembered her remarkable ability to make the people she encountered feel “like the most important person in the room.”

“Her impact will live on forever as we all carry forward the kindness, compassion, and generosity she shared throughout her life,” Rogers continued.

And he ended his tribute with a simple message to the late country legend.

“Dolly always knew exactly what to say,” Rogers said. “I’m afraid the best I have on this terribly sad day is a genuine, heartfelt, ‘Thank you for everything, Dolly. We sure do love you.’”

Parton herself once described just how much the Opry meant to her, calling it “the church of my heart.”

“For me, the Opry is like the song ‘New York, New York,’” she once said. “If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.”

The Dolly Parton Tribute Will Also Benefit Her Imagination Library

Saturday night’s tribute won’t only celebrate Parton’s music. It will also help continue one of the causes closest to her heart.

The Grand Ole Opry says a portion of ticket sales from the Aug. 29 show will be donated to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the children’s literacy program Parton founded in 1995.

What began as an effort to provide books to children in her native East Tennessee eventually grew into an international program. According to the Opry, the Imagination Library has now distributed more than 300 million free books to children.

The program became an especially poignant part of Parton’s legacy following her death, when a final message she left for Imagination Library families took on new meaning.

Saturday’s show will bring the celebration of Parton’s life back to a place that helped launch her career nearly seven decades ago.

“Dolly’s love is like a butterfly—a rare and gentle thing—one whose effect will be felt for generations,” the Opry wrote in its remembrance.

The Grand Ole Opry’s Dolly Parton tribute livestream begins Saturday, Aug. 29 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on the Opry’s Facebook and YouTube channels, with additional streaming available through Circle Country and RFD-TV.

Related: Hours After Dolly Parton’s Death, Tropical Storm Dolly Began Forming in the Atlantic

The power ballad can be divisive among fans of the rock genre. However, when a power ballad is done right, it usually becomes a crowd favorite that’s nearly impossible not to dramatically sing along to.

The publication Ultimate Classic Rock compiled a list of arguably the most beloved rock ballads with a ranking titled “50 Greatest Power Ballads in Rock History.” According to the publication, the “greatest power ballads in rock history,” include 1990’s “Blaze of Glory” by  Jon Bon Jovi, “Patience” by Guns N’ Roses from 1988, and Bryan Adams’ “Heaven,” released in 1984. One of Journey‘s biggest hits, 1983’s “Faithfully,” off the band’s record Frontiers, secured the list’s 12th spot, with Ultimate Classic Rock complimenting the Jonathan Cain-penned track for its poignant storytelling about a relationship enduring despite the strain of distance.

In a 2018 video promoting his memoir, Don’t Stop Believin’: The Man, the Band, and the Song That Inspired Generations, Cain gave some insight into how the song came to be. The keyboardist said he had vocalist Steve Perry, who was in Journey for over 20 years until his 1998 departure, listen to the track while they were “on a plane.” According to Cain, Perry was interested in recording “Faithfully” for his solo record, 1984’s Street Talk.

“I took the cassette back. And I said, ‘No deal. It’s got to be on a Journey album, someday,'” said Cain.

He then said that while Journey was recording Frontiers, their producer Mike Stone requested “another ballad for [the] album.” After warning Stone that Perry might take issue with “Faithfully” because he had said “no to Steve for a solo record,” the producer encouraged him to “bring it in” to record it.

Cain said Perry was fine with recording the song, under the condition that he was able to do so without the keyboardist’s presence.

“He said, ‘I can’t have you around when I’m doing it. I want to just be left alone with this music.’ And I said, ‘You got it, Steve,'” said Cain.

Cain then said he “got chill bumps” the first time he heard Perry’s vocals for “Faithfully,” which ended up reaching the number 12 Billboard Hot 100 spot in June 1983, four months after the release of Frontiers.

Val Kilmer set the benchmark for making science cool. As Chris Knight, the brilliant physics prodigy who was also the life of the party in Martha Coolidge’s 1985 sci-fi comedy Real Genius, he represented rebellion and fun, snark and good nature. So, only a song as effortlessly cool and clever as Coolidge’s star could cap off this wild ride.

So, when Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” kicks in over the film’s finale and closing credit, it’s hard to imagine a more fitting ’80s send-off. Even better, the pairing has endured far beyond the movie itself, with RTÉ Gold ranking the song No. 16 on its Top 100 ’80s Movie Songs list, while Choaspin named it the best song on the Real Genius soundtrack.

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

View this post on Instagram

In the Coolidge cult classic, young geniuses Chris and Mitch (Gabriel Jarret) learn that their corrupt professor has military weapons plans for their laser research. Taking matters into their hands, the two hatch a revenge scheme that culminates in thwarting—or popping—the professor’s sinister agenda.

“It’s the movie that Weird Science wanted to be, yet it’s made of equal parts wit and cheese, with one of those big-beat ’80s synth-pop scores and a villain who says things like ‘You’re laborers—you’re supposed to be laboring!’” Variety wrote.

As the film ends, Tears for Fears’ upbeat chart-topper brilliantly captures the movie’s triumphant, anti-authority finale. The tune also caps off a fascinating 12-track soundtrack.

A masterclass in sonic whiplash, the film’s soundtrack blends everything from classic jazz to hair metal, with hits from Don Henley, Bryan Adams, The Call, Y&T, and more mirroring the unpredictable minds of the Pacific Tech students. Interestingly, the soundtrack was never officially released—a fact Coolidge has publicly called to correct on X (formerly Twitter).

Related: 1985 Pop Rock Song, Tears for Fears’ First No. 1 Hit, Is Climbing the Billboard Charts Over 40 Years Later

Released a few months before the film, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” appeared on Tears for Fears’ 1985 album Songs From the Big Chair. Its “concept is quite serious—it’s about everybody wanting power, about warfare and the misery it causes,” Curt Smith explained on the band’s website.

According to producer Chris Hughes, frontman Roland Orzabal arrived with the song’s simple two-chord foundation after months spent on the band’s “Shout.”

“‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ was so simple and went down so quickly, it was effortless, really. In fact, as a piece of recording history, it’s bland as hell,” Hughes said in an interview with Mix magazine, via Songfacts.

The song became a massive global smash and a defining new wave anthem, not to mention Tears for Fears’ first U.S. No. 1, with “Shout” following it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 two months later.

Beyond Real Genius, the song took on a life of its own. It appeared in films like Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, Straight Outta Compton, and Ready Player One, as well as on television shows including The Wire, Psych, Riverdale, ER, and Malcolm in the Middle. It has also been covered numerous times, with Lorde’s 2013 version for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Weezer’s faithful 2019 cover for The Teal Album among the best-known.

As the song continues to find new audiences, its legacy only grows. But it will always be inseparable from the late Kilmer, whose presence helped cement Real Genius as a lasting ’80s cult favorite.

“Val suddenly popped into my life when he submitted an inventive and funny self-made videotape audition,” Coolidge told Rolling Stone. “So we asked him to fly in to L.A. to audition in person. When Val walked into the room, I knew ‘Chris Knight’ was there. He was charismatic, energetic, and funny.”

That same effortless energy carries through to the film’s final sequence, with Real Genius drawing to a close to the tune of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” 

The song’s bright shuffle and deceptively serious message about power make it an almost perfect match for a movie about kids outsmarting the authorities who want to control them. Still today, it remains one of the greatest marriages of song and screen.

Related: 1986 Hit, Behind an Iconic Tony Scott Beach Scene, Became One of Rock’s Greatest Movie Songs

The unreleased Prince album Timeless is finally here, giving fans a new glimpse into the legendary musician’s famously guarded vault.

Released on Aug. 29, ten years after his passing, Prince’s new music spans his entire career. Timeless, the new posthumous album from the Prince estate, compiles 10 previously unreleased tracks drawn from five decades of recordings, offering fans a rare window into the vault Prince himself once described as holding music no one had ever heard.

It should come as no surprise that the vault runs deep. Prince was one of the most extraordinarily prolific musical geniuses in pop history. He was a self-taught multi-instrumentalist who reportedly played more than 20 instruments and wrote, produced, and arranged virtually everything he ever released. In his final Rolling Stone interview in 2014, Prince hinted at the sheer scale of it: there were several vaults, not just one. In a Rolling Stone exclusive, estate co-manager L. Londell McMillan confirmed that the team has only digitized roughly half of what’s believed to be in it: *”tens of thousands of assets” spanning audio recordings, concert footage, and photographs.

Highlights from Timeless include a 1977 home recording, a 1981 original version of “Tick Tick Bang” that he later handed off to the Time, a piano ballad written for Celine Dion in 1991, and a 2012 track called “Bestest Friend” that fans had no idea even existed.

The timing couldn’t be better for a new generation of Prince fans. “Purple Rain” featured prominently in Stranger Things, introducing the song to millions of younger viewers discovering Prince for the first time. McMillan told Rolling Stone the estate is mindful of those new fans while staying true to Prince’s own selective approach: “if we were flooding the market with Prince everywhere, it wouldn’t have been so special.”

More music is expected later this year and into next, along with a Broadway musical arriving in March. “We’re gonna do it at a pace that is indicative of what Prince and his estate deserves,” McMillan said. For longtime fans and new ones, Timeless is just the beginning.

It’s hard to believe the fall season is just weeks away — especially with this heat wave that has swept the U.S.

But the current weather is no matter for businesses aimting to thrive on the spooky season complimented by pumpkin spice, apple cider and more.

That includes BIGGBY COFFEE, which officially unveiled its fall lineup on Friday, August 29. Running through November 1, it’s bringing back fan-favorite drinks and food while adding new ways for guests to enjoy seasonal flavors.

The high-energy coffee franchise also took to social media recently to promote its limited-time offerings. “Fall has entered the chat,” reads the caption of BIGGBY’s Instagram carousel, in part. See below.

View this post on Instagram

Fans have since commented on the post to throw their support behind the new and returning menu items. “Thank you for bringing back the ciderberry mocktail. I’ve never been so happy🍂🎃,” wrote one Instagram user, while another person commented, “I’m so ready for hot Carmel apple cider it’s all I think about.”

Pumpkin, Apple and Halloween at BIGGBY

Pumpkin is taking center stage with a lineup that appears to go well beyond BIGGBY’s classic Pumpkin Spice Latte, according to the brand’s recent news release. The featured pumpkin beverages include:

• White Pumpkin Latte (pumpkin + white chocolate)
• Chumpkin (pumpkin + chai)
• Sweet Foam Pumpkin Cold Brew
• Pumpkin Spice Latte
• Jack-O-Lantern Latte (pumpkin + vanilla + marshmallow)
• And for the kiddos, the Jack-O-Lantern Jr. (pumpkin + vanilla + marshmallow)

For fans who might favor apple over pumpkin, BIGGBY is also bringing back its Apple Cider lineup, which includes:

• Caramel Apple Cider
• Caramel Apple Creme Freeze
• CiderBerry Red Bull Mocktail
• Chaider

And then, of course, there’s Halloween. Have you picked out your costume yet, by the way? Starting October 1, here are the featured themed beverages:

• Vampire Creme Freeze (white chocolate + strawberry)
• Jack-O-Lantern Latte (pumpkin + vanilla + marshmallow)
• Sweet Foam Black Forest Cold Brew (blackberry + mocha + caramel)
• Caramel Apple Blast® (granny smith apple + caramel)
• Ghoul Fuel Red Bull® Mocktail (granny smith apple + blue raspberry)

Cher and Bob Dylan have had different ideas about what a concert should offer. She believes audiences want to hear the songs they know, performed the way they remember them. Dylan, meanwhile, has often taken a different approach to his own material onstage. 

That contrast came up when Cher recalled seeing Dylan perform live. Speaking with The New York Times in 2023, she looked back on seeing one of his shows around the time of Blood on the Tracks and admitted she wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.

“I remember seeing Bob Dylan — I think it was Blood on the Tracks, and I went to the first concert and some of the songs I went, ‘What is this?’” Cher recalled. 

Her reaction makes more sense given Dylan’s long history of reworking his songs in concert. Rather than reproduce his studio recordings, he has frequently changed arrangements, tempos and vocal phrasing, giving his songs a different sound onstage.

For Cher, though, that approach was difficult to understand. She explained that she takes a different view of performing her own music. “I’m not going to do things differently. If people come to see you, they want you to do things they like,” she said. 

She went on to explain why she feels that responsibility toward her audience. “He got tired of singing the songs the same way. But people really want to hear their favorite song exactly the same way. It doesn’t make any difference if I’m tired of it. I have to find it inside myself to love it and to love what I’m doing,” she added. 

It’s an interesting contrast between two artists who have each built remarkably long careers. Cher sticks close to the familiar version of her hits, while Dylan tends to treat his songs as something he can keep reshaping. 

Neither approach is necessarily right or wrong. For Cher, performing a beloved song is about giving fans the experience they came to hear. For Dylan, changing those songs can be part of keeping the music alive for himself as an artist. 

Every performer eventually has to decide whether to give fans what they expect or take their songs in a new direction. Cher and Dylan just landed on opposite sides of that choice.

Related: 1964 Folk Song, Written by Bob Dylan, Launched a 19-Year-Old Singer’s Solo Career

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

Adding something spectacular to your jewelry box doesn’t have to cost a fortune. The right piece isn’t necessarily the one that costs the most, but the one you’ll wear time after time. With the Apsvo Cubic Zirconia Earrings Set, you’ll receive not one, but four pairs that are suitable for both day and evening wear. The savings here are unmatched: While the quartet is typically $125 at Walmart, right now you can get the entire set for only $15.

That’s a whopping 88% discount, and it breaks down to less than $3.75 a pair. Each one is a classic in its own right, too. You’ll receive four 18-karat gold-plated varieties in assorted shapes and sizes, giving you options for date nights, work days, brunches, errand runs, and anything else your day brings.

Apsvo Cubic Zirconia Earrings Set, $15 (was $125) at Walmart

Courtesy of Walmart

Shop at Walmart

If you want something demure, you can reach for the 8-millimeter round or princess-cut studs. Both feature sparkling cubic zirconia stones boasting a classic, diamond-like appearance. These are the types of luxe studs that can make an ordinary outfit feel a little more polished and complement more formal looks instantly. 

A larger 8.5-millimeter round stud is also included in the set. Trimmed with a halo of minuscule cubic zirconia stones surrounding the larger center stone, these evoke the timeless beauty of solitaires and look absolutely exquisite from every angle. And if you want a flashier option, the 10-millimeter stud will light up your lobes instantly. The center stone is framed by a smattering of smaller ones, giving the earrings a glamorous vibe.

Hundreds of shoppers love them, with many offering praise for their quality. They’re “really pretty,” according to one reviewer who loved their “big sparkle factor.” Another person agreed, writing that they’re “stunning” and “look so expensive.” Another customer pointed out that they’re especially well made, with strong prongs that keep the stones secure.

This is a wonderful time of year to begin thinking about gifting, too. These arrive packaged in a sleek, clear container and are ready to wrap and give for any occasion, be it Christmas, a birthday, an anniversary, or another special occasion.

Shop More Deals

• Lunvky Infinity Love Heart Bracelet, $15 (was $110) at Walmart
• Turandoss Clover Necklace, $20 (was $113) at Walmart
• Mula Stars Moon Sun Ring, $14 (was $23) at Walmart

Related: Walmart’s ‘Cute’ and ‘Comfortable’ $14 Waffle Knit Lounge Set Is the Ultimate Late Summer Find

You couldn’t ask for a better deal than four pairs of earrings that look strikingly expensive but cost a mere fraction of the real thing. Pick up the Apsvo Cubic Zirconia Earrings Set while it’s on sale at Walmart for a limited 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.

Nearly 40 years after the first film, Variety announced today that Anne Hathaway will join Tom Cruise in the sequel to his iconic Days of Thunder.

Cruise and Hathaway shared the announcement on social media, releasing a promotional image of them posing next to a NASCAR vehicle wrapped with the words “Days of Thunder, Summer 2028.” In the photo, the actors match in button-down shirts and blue jeans, with Hathaway stunning in a cowboy hat.

View this post on Instagram

According to Variety, Cruise will reprise his role as Cole Trickle, with Hathaway playing a racecar team owner and engineer. Jonathan Levine will direct, and Cruise will produce the film alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper.

“Let’s make the movie,” Hathaway said to Cruise in an Instagram reel. “I’m gonna have this baby, and then we’re gonna make this movie.”

“That’s a good idea,” Cruise replied. “You have the baby, then we’ll go make the movie. We’re coming out summer of 2028. Don’t be late.”

Fans quickly took to the comment section, expressing their excitement for the sequel and Hathaway’s casting announcement.

“I’ve been waiting forever for this moment, this is history in the making,” one user said.

“Wake up babe, a new Annie movie announcement just dropped,” another joked.

Hathaway has celebrated a successful year, with four films in theaters, including The Devil Wears Prada 2 and The Odyssey. Before the end of 2026, she’ll also appear as Verity Crawford in Verity, the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel. Hathaway will star alongside Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, with the film releasing in theaters exclusively on Oct. 2.

As Hathaway looks ahead to Days of Thunder 2, Paramount Pictures has announced that the film will be released in theaters on June 2, 2028, shot for IMAX screens and released in formats like Dolby Cinema and 4DX. Although plot details remain under wraps, the announcement teaser can be seen here:

View this post on Instagram

68 years ago today, a legend was born. Born in Gary, Indiana, on August 29, 1958, Michael Jackson was the eighth of ten children in the Jackson family. Although he is no longer with us, Jackson left his mark on the world, cementing the title of “King of Pop” with hits like Billie Jean, Human Nature, Thriller, Beat It, Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough, and so many more songs that this list would be exhaustive. 

Earlier this year, the Michael movie, which was released in April, grossed over $1 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing music biopic of all time and Lionsgate’s highest-grossing release. Jackson is portrayed by his nephew, Jaafar Jackson, in the film, with his siblings LaToya Jackson and Marlon Jackson and son Prince Jackson serving as executive producers. 

@celestecallec

Happy birthday, Mimi! 😭🫶 we love you and miss you so much 💗 #michaeljackson #mjfan #michaeljacksonforever #michaeljacksonbirthday #fy

♬ sonido original – celeste♡

The film follows Jackson’s life from the 1960s to the Bad Tour in the late 1980s. Lionsgate has confirmed a sequel, with plans to begin production and filming in 2026 or 2027. It will follow Michael Jackson’s life from the 1980s up until his death in 2009. 

Jackson made his debut at the age of six as the lead singer in the Jackson Five. The group debuted in 1964, signed with Motown Records in 1969, and parted ways with the label in 1975. Two years later, Jackson released his first solo album, Off the Wall, which includes hits like Don’t Stop ‘Till You Get Enough, Rock With You and Workin’ Day and Night. The album sold over 20 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling albums of all time and receiving two Grammy nominations and one win. Soon after, Jackson rose to solo stardom, with the global success of albums Thriller, Bad, Dangerous and Invincible. 

Jackson died at the age of 50 years old, preparing for his “This Is It” 50-show comeback residency. 

@mjkingofpop1818

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MJ!!! #fyp #viral #michaeljackson #mjinnocent #mjforever

♬ original sound – mjkingofpop1818

Happy birthday to the legendary Michael Jackson, who would’ve turned 68 today.

From his early Jackson 5 days to his ‘Thriller’ dominance, the icon cemented his permanent place as the King Of Pop. His legacy boasts unparalleled success with one of the best-selling catalogs ever… pic.twitter.com/4lDfYRup8e

— Pop Base (@PopBase) August 29, 2026

Former General Hospital star Jeff Kober played the late Cyrus Renault between 2020 and 2025; now the Daytime and Primetime Emmy-nominated actor has opened up about what would bring him back to the ABC soap opera.

People recently interviewed Kober. During the conversation, the question of returning to General Hospital came up. The actor explained that he would consider a return if his story arc involved his on-screen sister Laura Collins (Genie Francis).

Kober shared with People, “I would do anything with Genie. She’s a great actress and a great scene partner.”

On-screen, Cyrus Renault entered Port Charles as a drug runner, attempting to take on Sonny Corinthos for control of the area. Initially, the role was not meant to last, with Kober making his first exit in June of 2021, but he quickly returned in August of the same year and continued to make appearances off and on until 2025.

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

Cyrus was responsible for the death of police officer Dex Heller (Evan Hofer), as a result, Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy) was put in a position to take on Cyrus by the WSB. When Cyrus attacks her with an Axe, she ultimately shot him in self-defense, which triggers a chain of events that sees Josslyn joining the WSB.

Cyrus has a full brother in Martin Grey (Michael E. Knight), and the pair are half-siblings on their father’s side with Laura (Francis).

Kober began his professional acting career in 1985 on the ABC miniseries V. He has consistently worked since then, appearing on series such as China Beach, Sons of Anarchy, NCIS: Los Angeles, and, most recently, The Pitt.

He also has a vast film career beginning in 1986 with Out of Bounds and most recently appearing in Self Reliance in 2023.

For his appearance on both General Hospital and The Pitt, Kober became the first actor to be nominated for both a Daytime and Primetime Emmy in the same year.

General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC and streams weeknights on both Disney+ and Hulu.

Country star Megan Moroney shocked fans by delivering a raw, emotionally heavy live performance, paying an unforgettable tribute to her late hero while making up for a devastating tour cancellation.

The artist, universally referred to by her global fanbase as the “Emo Cowgirl,” was forced to cancel her original July concert at Denver’s Ball Arena just three songs into her set due to a sudden health crisis. Moroney later described the sudden shutdown as her absolute worst nightmare. Exactly 30 days later, she returned to the exact same venue to keep her promise, treating thousands of patient fans to the absolute longest concert of her entire career.

Before the music even started, audience members discovered an unbelievable gesture waiting for them. Moroney had quietly arranged for a free, custom tour T-shirt to be placed on all 18,000 arena seats as a personal apology for the scheduling disruption. The stunning visual of a fully wrapped stadium set the stage for an unprecedented 32-song marathon that lasted over three and a half hours, stretching right up until the venue’s strict curfew.

The emotional climax of the night arrived when the hitmaker paused the high-energy show to deliver a fragile, acoustic cover of “I Will Always Love You” to honor country queen Dolly Parton, who tragically passed away earlier this week. The vulnerability of the tribute deeply moved the crowd, with many taking to TikTok to share videos of the tearful performance. “The shakiness in her voice… her loss is hitting her hard,” one viral comment noted, emphasizing how the crowd openly wept along with her.

The record-breaking make-up concert served as the definitive finale for the North American leg of her tour. Just days before flying across the Atlantic to launch her European dates, country’s favorite “Emo Cowgirl” turned her biggest touring crisis into an immortal piece of live music history.

Twenty years after its first brick-and-mortar store opened, Insomnia Cookies has decided to go big.

The popular late-night bakery has certainly grown over the years, so this week was decidedly the right time to enter the “chunk era.”

On Friday, August 28, Insomnia announced that six fan-favorite cookies are joining the brand’s chunk lineup alongside the already beloved Chocolate Chunk.

The company also took to Instagram to promote its new offerings, with supportive fans posting supportive comments like “Yeeesss 🔥🔥🔥🔥” and “❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️.” See below.

View this post on Instagram

As of Friday, the bakery is starting to roll out the upgrades to the following products:

• Cookies ‘N Cream
• Confetti Deluxe
• Chocolate Chunk Brownie
• White Chocolate Chunk Macadamia
• Peanut Butter Chunk
• Peanut Butter Cup Deluxe

More specifically, Insomnia has replaced their existing chips with chunks about three times the size of the former chips. The change delivers bigger pockets of melt and a more indulgent bite — all at no extra cost to guests, according to the brand’s recent news release.

Availability will vary by bakery and channel during the transition, with the rollout expected to be complete by October 1.

“The goal was simple: Give the chocolate more impact,” Jessica Murgittroyd, Cookievation consultant for Insomnia, said in a statement. “A warm cookie deserves big, melty pockets of chocolate, and that’s exactly what the chunks deliver. They make the cookies more indulgent and craveable without changing what guests already love about Insomnia.”

Insomnia Cookies Is Giving Away Cookies to Certain Students

Earlier this month, the bakery that’s known for serving warm cookies day and night announced that incoming freshmen at U.S. colleges and universities can claim a free Freshman 6-Pack of cookies. The promotion runs until September 14.

To claim the offer, join Insomnia Rewards and add your school and graduation year to your profile. The first 30,000 eligible students will receive an “acceptance letter,” or a reward for a free Freshman 6-Pack in their accounts. Find out more here.

In 2006, the BBC’s Radio 2 Music Club asked more than 220,000 people to choose the “Best No. 1 Album of All Time.” Their pick was Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles’ groundbreaking 1967 album that had already become one of the most celebrated records of its era.

The poll was a testament to how well The Beatles’ music had endured. Four of the band’s albums made the top 10, while Sgt. Pepper landed at No. 1 nearly 40 years after its release.

That kind of lasting adoration traces back to how ambitious the album was from the start. By the time Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band arrived in 1967, The Beatles were already among the biggest bands in the world. Albums such as Revolver and A Hard Day’s Night had established them as musical innovators, but their eighth studio album gave them a chance to take that experimentation even further. 

The Beatles had stopped touring the previous year, giving them the freedom to make music that didn’t have to be easily reproduced onstage. That gave them room to explore reversed recordings, tape manipulation and distortion in the studio. 

With Sgt. Pepper, the band moved beyond their rock-and-roll roots and embraced a more psychedelic sound. Songs like “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and “Within You Without You” brought in surreal imagery, spirituality and mysticism. 

Part of what made the album stand out was its concept. The Beatles imagined themselves as the fictional Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, giving them an alter ego that let them take the music in a different direction. 

Paul McCartney later explained how freeing that idea was. “It will mean, when I approach the mic, it’s not Paul McCartney. I don’t have to think this is a Paul McCartney song. So it was freeing. It was quite liberating.” 

That approach also changed the way The Beatles thought about the album as a whole. McCartney recalled, “So the idea was to do a complete thing that you could make what you liked of; just a little magic presentation.”

“A Day in the Life,” which closes the album, may be the best example of how far The Beatles were willing to take their ideas. The song combined different sections, orchestral arrangements and unusual studio techniques to create a standout recording. 

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was both a commercial and critical success, spending 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It also changed the way people thought about albums, proving they could be a complete artistic experience rather than just a series of songs. 

In 1968, Sgt. Pepper won four Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, becoming the first rock album to receive the honor. Its influence continued for decades, helping pave the way for art rock and influencing the progressive rock that emerged in the 1970s.

Related: 1967 Pop Song, Written by Ritchie Cordell, Launched a 15-Year-Old Singer’s Career

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

Parade and ShopHQ are both owned by the same parent company. Featured products are selected independently by the editorial team at Parade.

Yes, you’ve got a miniature computer that’s (probably) in your hand right now and can tell you the time, but can it make a fashion statement? As a shopping expert, one of my favorite places to look for deals on fashionable watches is ShopHQ. Right now, the retailer has thousands of products massively marked down during its ShopHQ Days event, including its collection of Invicta watches. I’ve already got my eye on one super unique watch that, if my teenage son is lucky enough, will wind up under the Christmas tree. 

One of the most significant discounts I’ve spotted recently is on this fun and funky Invicta Men’s 52mm Pro Diver Quartz Chronograph Graffiti Bracelet Watch. It normally retails for $1,095, but is now available for a whopping 87% off, dropping the price down to just $140. That’s a savings of $955 — the kind of deal you truly don’t see come around often.

Invicta Men’s 52mm Pro Diver Quartz Chronograph Graffiti Bracelet Watch, $140 (was $1,095) at ShopHQ

Courtesy of ShopHQ

The vibrant, graffiti-inspired design, inspired by early ’90s hip-hop and streetwear culture, is splashed across the colorful stainless steel case, giving the watch true one-of-a-kind style. It almost looks like someone ripped a page out of a comic book and used it to cover the watch casing. 

Beyond its look, this watch has all the durability you’d expect from an Invicta dive watch, powered by a quartz movement and featuring scratch-resistant mineral crystal glass. It’s water-resistant up to 100 meters, so you can wear it while swimming. 

With a 52-millimeter face and 30-millimeter-wide band sized to fit wrists up to 10.25 inches, this men’s watch is considered oversized. But these supersized watches can look super stylish on women, and this giant men’s watch has serious potential to add a fabulous touch to a fun outfit.

One shopper who purchased the watch as a birthday gift for her son gushed about its appearance, sharing that “subtle was not the goal” with this design. “This watch is big, bold, and impossible to ignore,” she said.

“The graffiti design makes it a total standout, and he’s already gotten a ton of compliments,” the same reviewer continued. “It keeps perfect time and makes him look like he has even better taste than I raised him with.”

Score Free Shipping at ShopHQ

You can use the code FREERETURN at ShopHQ for $5 off shipping for a limited time. Because the shipping fee for this watch is just shy of $5, using this code means your shipping is free!

Shop More Deals

• Invicta Women’s 38mm Angel Quartz Special Edition Silicone Strap Watch, $44 (was $395) at ShopHQ
• Invicta Women’s 35mm Wildflower Quartz Crystal Bezel MOP Flower Inlay Dial Bracelet Watch, $80 (was $895) at ShopHQ
• Invicta Men’s 50mm Aviator Quartz Americana Silicone Strap Watch, $45 (was $495) at ShopHQ

Related: Invicta’s Timeless Octagon Quartz Watch Looks So High End, and It’s Now 83% Off

Run, don’t walk — or maybe channel some ’90s energy and do the running man — over to ShopHQ and snag the Invicta Men’s 52mm Pro Diver Quartz Chronograph Graffiti Bracelet Watch while it’s marked down over 87%. Add it to your cart for just $140 before this deal ends — don’t forget to enter code FREERETURN at checkout to save on shipping!

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.

Kenny Rogers turned a song about a card shark into one of country music’s most unlikely franchises.

“The Gambler,” written by Don Schlitz, spent three weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart after its November 1978 release, while also crossing over to No. 16 on the Hot 100 at a time when country songs rarely broke into the pop charts. Rogers wasn’t the first to record it; Schlitz’s own version had stalled at No. 65, and Johnny Cash cut a take of his own, but Rogers’ rendition became the definitive one, eventually earning him a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male. The song anchored Rogers’ album of the same name, which went on to sell more than 5 million copies in the U.S. alone.

Schlitz has said the song came to him almost fully formed during a 20-minute walk home from a meeting with his mentor, songwriter Bob McDill. Rogers later called it “a career-building song,” telling Rolling Stone in 2014 that despite its title, it was never really about gambling at all: “It’s a metaphor for life and picking yourself up.”

That metaphor turned out to have legs well beyond the radio. The song’s story, about an aging gambler dispensing life advice to a stranger on a train, resonated strongly enough that CBS turned it into a television movie in 1980. Rogers starred as the fictional gambler Brady Hawkes, and the film became a massive ratings success, drawing millions of viewers and winning an Eddie Award along with two Emmy nominations.

Four sequels followed over the next decade and a half, airing in 1983, 1987, 1991 and 1994, each one bringing Rogers back as Hawkes alongside a rotating cast that included Bruce Boxleitner as his young protégé. By the time the saga wrapped, Rogers had spent 14 years playing a character born from a three-and-a-half-minute song.

Thin Lizzy took a classic that every Irishman knows and turned it into one of their most defining hits, with “Whiskey in the Jar” becoming a rock staple for another band as well.

“Whiskey in the Jar” has roots dating back to the 1600s, before the Irish rock band added a heavy metal sound, impressive guitar, and Phil Lynott‘s memorable vocals. It was originally an Irish traditional song that takes place in the southern mountains of Ireland, with specific mentions of Cork and Kerry.

The song is a perfect fit for any musician to make their own, as its lyrics tell the story of a highwayman who’s betrayed by his lover. Over the years, it has been covered by multiple artists and made famous first by the Dubliners and then by the Highwaymen in the U.S. Thin Lizzy’s hard rock version is one that captured the most interest among fans.

The band released the track in 1972 as a single and bonus track on their album Vagabonds of the Western World. It didn’t enter the Billboard charts in the U.S., but landed at No.1 on the charts in Ireland and did well in Europe. Developing the track has some history behind it.

In the summer of 1972, Decca was ready to drop Thin Lizzy due to their previously failed albums. Their manager called the record label to get them another chance, with Lynott developing “Black Boys On The Corner,” but it still needed a B-side track. Lynott didn’t want to use an original song and went back to the Irish ballad that he and guitarist Eric Bell used to play around with in Dublin clubs.

“We were rehearsing in the Duke Of York pub in King’s Cross in London, and Phil picked up the Telecaster and just began singing Whiskey to his own accompaniment, and I found that little riff which announces the song and runs through it now on the disc. Ted Carroll heard us fooling around on it and started enthusing about how good it sounded. So we put it together a little more solidly,” said Bell, according to LouderSound.

Ted Carroll praised Bell’s guitar addition and knew it was going to be a hit. The record label agreed and made it the A-side instead of “Black Boys On The Corner.” It was reported that Lynott was furious due to how much work he put into the other track, but they were in no position to argue due to their debt at the time.

Believe it or not, Thin Lizzy hated the song despite its popularity and saving them with the record label. The band even hated that Decca thoughtlessly misspelled “Whiskey” as “Whisky” on the jacket sleeve. Lynott’s then-girlfriend explains the track was an “embarrassment” for the band.

“Eric had a problem with it,” says Carroll. “None of them really liked it. But Whiskey was a huge hit. The biggest Lizzy ever made, selling more copies even than The Boys Are Back In Town [released later, in ’76]. It was a turning point for the band. They went from playing clubs to fifty people a night to headlining halls to a thousand people a night.”

The track would become a generational hit covered by multiple artists. In 1998, Metallica released their own cover based on Thin Lizzy’s version with a heavier sound. It ended up leading to a win at the Grammys in 2000 for Best Hard Rock Performance.

Related: 1973 Blues Song, With Lyrics by Bob Dylan and Bette Midler, Became a Pop Culture Staple

Taylor Swift has once again proven that her generosity is no act. The pop superstar, 36, donated $50,000 to the GoFundMe for Ashley Taunton, a mother of three who was seriously injured after heroically pushing a stranger out of the path of an oncoming car during a highway accident.

The incident occurred on July 18 during a severe rainstorm on I-95. When Ashley spotted someone in need after a car accident, she pulled over to help and as a hydroplaning vehicle came hurtling toward the group, she pushed the other person out of harm’s way, taking the full impact herself. She is now facing a long recovery.

Swift made the donation on Aug. 28, leaving a message in the GoFundMe comments: “Wishing you the best recovery possible and sending love to your family!” A stunned Ashley shared the moment on Instagram, writing that she had to pull over just to catch her breath after seeing the notification on her phone. She thanked Swift for her “endless generosity and humanity,” while sharing a screenshot of the singer’s message and writing, “Sobbing with so much gratitude!”

View this post on Instagram

Funds from the GoFundMe will go toward household bills, hospital travel costs, groceries for the kids, and any medical expenses not covered by insurance.

It’s far from the first time Swift has opened her wallet for those in need. The singer famously donated proceeds from her 2014 single ‘Welcome to New York’ to New York City public schools, and has made numerous high-profile charitable contributions over the years, including a $15,000 donation that one fan said saved her family.

A decade later, the recipient of Swift’s generosity isn’t a school system or major charity, but one family dealing with an unimaginable turn of events. Taunton stopped on a highway to help someone else. Now, a $50,000 gift from one of the world’s biggest stars is helping her family while she works toward getting back on her feet.