Pro wrestling legend The Macho Man Randy Savage died at the far-too-young age of 58, after suffering a heart attack behind the wheel and crashing into a tree.
That was in 2011, 14 years ago.
But about six months before he died, Randy adopted a cat. A three-legged cat. Or, as his brother, fellow wrestler Lanny Poffo called it, a one-armed cat.
Randy named it Junkyard Cat, in honor of his late friend and fellow grappler The Junkyard Dog.
And that cat, we have just learned, is still kicking.
Randy’s estate recently posted a picture of Junkyard Cat, still alive in 2025.
Kenan Thompson of “Saturday Night Live” fame is working on a Randy Savage biopic. There’s no word if Junkyard Cat will make a cameo.
Junkyard Dog died in 1998. “Leapin'” Lanny Poffo passed in 2023.
“Wheel of Fortune” just made history… and it came with a seven-figure payout.
Christina Derevjanik of Stamford, Connecticut became the biggest winner in the game show’s 43-season run, walking away with a jaw-dropping $1,035,155 in cash, plus trips to Montana and Tokyo.
All of that after solving the puzzle phrase “Pack of Coyotes.”
This wasn’t just a lucky spin. Christina is only the fourth contestant in “Wheel” history to hit the million-dollar mark, and notably, the very first to do it since Ryan Seacrest took over as host. (Technically, she’s the fifth if you count “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune”, where Melissa Joan Hart snagged the prize in 2021, but that’s its own lane.)
Fans have been quick to point out that this is a milestone moment for the show, proving the million-dollar wedge is more than just a shiny piece of cardboard. In fact, it’s so elusive that fewer than five people have ever made it happen since it was added for the 26th season in 2008.
The win adds a little extra shine to Seacrest’s first season at the helm.
Viewers have been curious whether the long-running show would feel the same, following Pat Sajak’s retirement, but Christina’s historic night was the kind of buzzy TV moment producers dream of.
For fans of the game, “Pack of Coyotes” is already trending as one of those legendary puzzles people will be talking about years from now, much like the infamous “Flamenco Dance Lessons” or the viral clip of “A Streetcar Naked Desire” (yeah, that one still haunts the internet).
Christina now joins an exclusive club of contestants who didn’t just win big but changed Wheel of Fortune history. And let’s be honest, if you’re going to have your name forever linked to the show, “Pack of Coyotes” is a pretty epic way to do it.
Even though the 50th anniversary celebration of “Saturday Night Live” aired in February, October 11th is the real anniversary of the first show back in 1975.
But some markets shouldn’t really be celebrating, because they didn’t carry the show for the first few seasons. Some, even longer!
In a handful of areas around the U.S., the “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” weren’t ready for late night either. So, Chevy Chase’s only season on the show – with his classic phone calls going into the first ever Weekend Update segments – were never seen in some big markets. 26-year-old Bill Murray’s debut season? Same.
Missed were the sketches and commercial parodies from John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Lorraine Newman, Garrett Morris and Jane Curtin – as well as special guest hosts, comedians, and musicians performing live on television. Trailblazers.
Some stations found the show too edgy, or downright unfunny
If you’ve seen the 2024 movie “Saturday Night,” you’ll recall some of the affiliates weren’t too amused, and they made sure their local viewers weren’t either. One of the stories that would eventually make those poor un-entertained souls curious about the show was when Johnny Carson commented negatively about the humor, at one point calling it mean and tasteless. (Lorne Michaels asked Carson to host for years, but he always refused.)
Viewers in spots all over the country couldn’t tune in
So let’s review some of the markets that didn’t see the need to air satirical comedy sketches, commercial parodies, and live performances from some of the most famous musical artists of the time. Here are a few that are noteworthy – according to the “L.A. Times,”as many as one-third of NBC affiliates around the U.S. didn’t air the first episode.
Not blazing the trail? Let’s begin with the NBC affiliate in Syracuse, New York. Even after receiving irate calls and letters from viewers wondering why they couldn’t see the show, WSYR kept it off the air for the first two seasons.
WNDU in South Bend, Indiana also opted not to air the show initially. But after seeing its success, they eventually relented and picked it up.
According to the “Daily Oklahoman,” KTVY-TV in Oklahoma City (now KFOR) didn’t air the first two seasons (during which ratings had doubled), but eventually decided to pick the show up in July 1978 for summer reruns.
Their program manager at the time, Bill Thrash, said, “We received constant requests to carry the show, [and] they were very angry with us because we didn’t carry it.” He continued, “I now think the show will do very well in Oklahoma City.” (Ya think so, Bill? You’re three years late to the party!)
An affiliate in Tulsa also passed for two years, but people there could apparently see another state’s feed if they had cable.
Even major markets like Detroit and Pittsburgh couldn’t watch
Oklahoma is one thing. But certainly major markets like Detroit and Pittsburgh got to see it, right? Wrong. They missed the first several seasons as well, although another station was somehow allowed to air it in Detroit on a fuzzy UHF channel. (Kids, ask grandpa what “UHF” was. You could sometimes see the people through the snow.)
One station refused to air it into the mid-2010s
Salt Lake City’s KLS-TV gets the “Modern Era Hold Out” award, not airing the show from 1995 until 2013! That was Season 39, with Tina Fey hosting the premiere. So, she’d completed her entire run on the show before the NBC affiliate allowed her to show her face in SLC.
The Mormon-owned KSL opted to stop airing “SNL” when it switched from CBS to NBC in 1995. The station manager’s explanation at the time was, “SNL’s’ content is frequently objectionable, not to mention its overall quality has been in decline for years.”
An affiliate for the WB aired “SNL” in SLC from 1998 to 2013, but it was fully unavailable for about two years in the mid-90s. Most didn’t have internet access then, and YouTube wouldn’t be born for another decade anyway.
So if you lived in the Salt Lake City area during those dark years, you were just out of luck. But at least you now know that if you ever got iced out of “SNL,” you most definitely weren’t alone.
A “TV Guide” ad for the very first show in 1975. A couple things would be different by the time it aired – namely, it could only be called “Saturday Night” because Howard Cosell already had an ABC show called “Saturday Night Live.” Also, Billy Crystal got cut for time and never appeared. He became a cast member nine years later in 1984.
Brick Taylor has been covering entertainment since the ’80s. He lived in one of the aforementioned markets and was caught in the “SNL” void. One of the first “SNL” musical artists he ever saw was David Bowie singing “TVC 15” in a dress. Sorry if you missed it, South Bend.
If you’re planning a family movie night, you’ll want something festive without accidentally giving your toddler nightmares. Here’s your ultimate guide to the best Halloween movies for kids of every age group.
Little kids, ages 2 to 7 At this stage, “scary” means maybe a pumpkin with slightly pointy eyebrows. Classics like “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and Disney’s “The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad” bring cozy nostalgia with zero trauma. If you’re looking for something newer, “Hotel Transylvania” gives you a monster mash with Adam Sandler’s voice leading the way, while “Monsters, Inc.” proves once and for all that even scary creatures can be lovable.
Big kids, ages 7 to 11 Now we’re talking about kids who actually want a little fright with their fun. Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is the ultimate spooky-but-sweet option, while Disney Channel’s cult favorite “Halloweentown” is peak ‘90s kid magic. “Casper” keeps things ghostly but friendly, “Frankenweenie” lets Burton flex his black-and-white quirkiness, and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” may not be a “Halloween movie,” but between the costumes, the candy, and the aliens, it earns its spot.
Tweens Middle schoolers live for chaos, and these movies deliver. “Hocus Pocus” is basically required viewing if you want to be allowed into spooky season. “The Addams Family” nails that goth-but-funny energy, while “Goosebumps” (with Jack Black as R.L. Stine) is scarier than it has any right to be. For straight-up silliness, there’s Adam Sandler’s “Hubie Halloween.” And if your tween wants a comedy that also features a truly disastrous party, “Fun Size” is the pick.
Teenagers The training wheels are officially off. “Beetlejuice” and “Poltergeist” are classics that bring the perfect mix of creepy and campy. “Gremlins” proves that small pets can, in fact, destroy your life. “Ghostbusters” is always a crowd-pleaser (and yes, the special effects are gloriously retro), while “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” finally puts those haunting childhood book illustrations onto the big screen.
So whether you’ve got a toddler who thinks pumpkins are hilarious or a teen who insists they’re “too cool” for movie night but secretly still wants popcorn and ghosts, this list has you covered. And if you’re the parent who’s on their 87th rewatch of “Hotel Transylvania,” just remember… it could be worse. At least it’s not “Caillou: The Halloween Special.”
Taylor Swift’s reign over the music industry just hit a new level of legendary. Days before her next album The Life of a Showgirl even drops, she has already shattered another record: becoming the first and only female artist to sell more than 100 million albums worldwide. As of yesterday, her career total sits at a jaw-dropping 105 million.
Her biggest hit-maker? That would be 1989, the synth-pop powerhouse from 2014, which alone accounts for 14 million of those sales.
Right behind it is her breakout country-to-pop crossover Fearless (2008), with 11 million. Meanwhile, Red, The Tortured Poets Department, and her self-titled debut album each clock in at 8 million copies sold.
This milestone cements Swift among music’s most elite company. She now ranks sixth on the all-time list of top-selling artists, trailing only the Beatles (183 million), Garth Brooks (162 million), Elvis Presley (146.5 million), the Eagles (120 million), and Led Zeppelin (112.5 million). That means she’s not only the highest-selling woman in history, but she’s closer to the rock giants than most artists could ever dream.
Mariah Carey is the next best-selling female act with 75 million albums moved—an impressive number in its own right, but still a wide margin behind Swift’s total.
What makes this moment even wilder is the timing. Swift hasn’t even dropped her latest project yet, which means her numbers are only going to keep climbing.
If history is any indication, The Life of a Showgirl could stack millions more onto her already record-breaking haul.
It’s worth remembering how rare this kind of sales dominance is in today’s streaming-driven world. Many artists rack up billions of streams but move relatively few physical or digital albums. Swift has managed to dominate in both arenas, pulling off what feels like a nearly impossible feat in 2025.
Bottom line: Taylor Swift isn’t just living the life of a showgirl—she’s living the life of a legend, rewriting the music record books one release at a time.
Katie Couric is proving once again that she knows how to mix humor with a serious message.
In her latest PSA, the longtime journalist pokes fun at Sydney Sweeney’s viral American Eagle ad campaign, but with a twist designed to get people thinking about their health.
The video starts with Couric in a jean jacket, looking very denim-chic, before the camera zooms out to reveal she’s actually on a hospital gurney in a medical gown. Her line: “Speaking of genes. Did you know that the majority of people who develop colon cancer are not genetically predisposed to the disease? That’s why doctors recommend everyone 45 and older get checked.”
The spoof nods to Sweeney’s splashy American Eagle ad that dominated pop culture this summer. Couric told “People“ magazine the campaign’s ubiquity inspired her to piggyback on the moment. “That ad showed how pop culture and a pair of jeans could really shape the cultural conversation, it was everywhere,” she explained. “It was a moment in time, and we thought, ‘Why don’t we ride that horse a little bit longer and have some fun with it?’”
This isn’t Couric’s first time breaking boundaries around the conversation on colon cancer.
It’s been 25 years since she made headlines by televising her own colonoscopy on national TV, a groundbreaking move at the time that was credited with raising awareness and boosting screening rates. Her advocacy comes from a deeply personal place. In 1998, Couric lost her husband Jay Monahan to colon cancer when he was just 42 years old.
The timing of this new PSA couldn’t be more relevant. Colon cancer remains one of the most common and deadly cancers, but it’s also one of the most preventable with early screening. By blending a little pop culture parody with public health urgency, Couric manages to keep the message accessible and memorable, especially for the audience now reaching the recommended screening age of 45.
Selena Gomez is officially a married woman. The pop star and actress tied the knot with music producer Benny Blanco on Saturday in Santa Barbara, at a spot called Sea Crest Nursery, and the wedding already has fans buzzing online.
The couple didn’t waste time sharing the big moment. Benny posted that he married “a real-life Disney princess,” while Selena dropped photos and videos showing off the celebration.
And yes, the guest list was as A-list as it gets. Taylor Swift was there, naturally, along with Selena’s Only Murders in the Building co-stars Martin Short and Steve Martin, plus Paul Rudd. Zoe Saldana, Ed Sheeran, SZA, Camila Cabello, Cara Delevingne, Paris Hilton, Eric Andre, Finneas, and even members of her old Wizards of Waverly Place family joined the festivities.
According to reports, Sheeran and Swift gave heartfelt speeches during the reception, while Short and Martin teamed up to deliver a joint toast at the rehearsal dinner.
One of the sweetest surprises was who walked Selena down the aisle. Instead of her dad Ricardo Gomez, she chose her grandfather, David Cornett. While some outlets hinted that her mom, Mandy Teefey, was upset about the decision, Mandy set the record straight on Instagram. She called it “heartwarming” to watch her dad give Selena away, shutting down any rumors of family drama.
Adding another twist, the couple reportedly hired the same wedding planner that Justin and Hailey Bieber used, a detail fans couldn’t help but point out given Selena’s history with Justin.
Selena and Benny’s love story has been a long time coming. They first met about a decade ago in the music world, but their relationship turned romantic more recently. They got engaged last December, and now they’ve made it official.
Bad Bunny is officially headlining the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show, but word is he wasn’t the first pick.
According to industry chatter, that honor went to Taylor Swift, who reportedly passed on the gig because, well, she didn’t feel like doing it for free.
The announcement dropped during “Sunday Night Football” last night, confirming that the Puerto Rican superstar will take the stage at Super Bowl 60 on February 8th, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, home of the San Francisco 49ers. But behind the scenes, Taylor Swift was allegedly in negotiations to headline before walking away from the deal.
An unnamed music executive told reporters that Taylor wasn’t being “difficult” or asking for special favors, but simply standing her ground.
Quote, “She wasn’t asking for favors, she was asking for respect. Taylor knows her worth. She knows the kind of ratings she brings, the global attention she commands. She wasn’t about to hand that over for free.”
Still, Bad Bunny stepping in isn’t exactly a downgrade. The reggaeton star has dominated charts, sold out tours, and become one of the most-streamed artists on the planet. His performance is expected to bring in a massive international audience and continue the NFL’s recent streak of featuring global superstars.
He wasted no time making it clear what the moment means to him. In a statement, he wrote:
“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself. It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture, and our history. Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL.”
The Halftime Show is considered one of the biggest stages in the world, pulling in more viewers than most award shows and even rivaling the game itself. But what many fans don’t realize is that artists don’t actually get paid for performing. The NFL covers production costs, but the exposure is supposed to be the “payment.” For an artist like Taylor Swift, who already sells out stadiums globally, that exposure may not feel like enough.
So while Swifties may have to wait a little longer for their queen to take over halftime, fans of Bad Bunny now have something huge to look forward to in 2026. One thing’s for sure: the Halftime Show is still one of the most coveted spots in entertainment, even if the paycheck is technically zero.
It’s been a minute since we’ve had a proper rock supergroup, but that dry spell is ending thanks to a new trio with one of the most tongue-twisting names in music: Howl Owl Howl.
The project brings together R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills, Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman, and none other than Darius Rucker, a.k.a. Hootie himself. Yes, that Hootie.
The band is describing their sound as roots rock with an alternative flair, which makes sense considering the mix of backgrounds here. R.E.M. was a defining force in alternative rock, the Black Crowes drummed deep into Southern rock, and Darius has spent the last decade-plus as one of country music’s biggest crossover stars.
Put all that together, and you’ve got a recipe for something that could appeal to both nostalgia-loving rock fans and a fresh wave of listeners who never knew they needed Hootie back in his rock element.
Their first single, “My Cologne,” is set to drop on Halloween, giving fans a taste before they head out on a tour that kicks off November 3rd in Indianapolis, and judging by early buzz, tickets are likely to move quickly.
For Darius Rucker, this isn’t just a side project; it feels like a return to form. He’s been a successful solo country artist for years now, but in his own words, “It feels great to be singing with a rock band again. It’s like buddies getting together, but also getting to play with your idols.”
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky just made their family a party of five, and this time, they’ve got a little girl in the mix.
The superstar couple welcomed their third child, Rocki Irish Mayers, on September 13th.
The baby girl marks a big first for the pair, who already share two sons: RZA, born in May 2022, and Riot Rose, born in August 2023. Now, their new daughter officially balances the squad.
Rihanna shared the happy news with photos that melted the internet: one of her cradling Rocki in a pink onesie, and another of tiny pink boxing gloves laced with ribbon.
Subtle flex from the parents who know how to make a baby announcement feel like a cultural moment.
In case you didn’t know, A$AP Rocky’s real name is Rakim Mayers, so their daughter’s last name comes straight from dad.
Fans are already buzzing about the name Rocki, pointing out it’s the perfect blend of her dad’s stage name and her own unique flair. And if Rihanna’s track record as a style and beauty icon is any sign, little Rocki is already destined for the coolest baby fits on the planet.
This new addition cements Rihanna and A$AP as one of the most-watched celebrity families right now. Between parenting, music, and running billion-dollar fashion and beauty empires, the two somehow make balancing it all look effortless.
