Music Legend Behind ‘Pink Panther’ Theme Dies at 94

Plas Johnson, the Hollywood studio saxophonist whose smooth tenor line gave The Pink Panther its unmistakable swagger, has died at 94. Johnson died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles, his children Eric Johnson and Stephanie Oliver confirmed. They said he had performed at his retirement community as recently as a month ago. The Louisiana-born musician built a staggering résumé that stretched from 1950s rock ’n’ roll hits to television themes and sessions with some of the biggest stars in music. Yet one recording towered above the rest: Henry Mancini’s theme for Blake Edwards’ 1963 comedy The Pink Panther, starring Peter Sellers as the bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Mancini later wrote that he composed the piece specifically with Johnson in mind, recalling that he had “the sound and the style I wanted.” Johnson remembered the session as unusually electric. “We only did two takes, I think,” he told The Modesto Bee in 2007. “When we finished, everyone applauded, even the string players. And that’s saying something.” Released as a single, the theme became a Top 10 adult contemporary hit and won three Grammy Awards.

The U.S. has already shattered a grim measles record, with months still left in 2026. The nation has reported 2,295 measles cases this year as of Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University’s U.S. measles tracker, surpassing last year’s total of 2,289 and marking the highest annual count since 1991. It’s also the highest annual count since measles was declared eliminated in the country in 2000. “The fact that we’ve reached this total this early in the year is really a reflection of those large outbreaks earlier in the year, particularly in South Carolina and Utah,” William Moss, a professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told The Washington Post. “It’s very frustrating. This is a reflection that we have been unable to stop measles virus transmission in this country.” Moss said the national tally would likely keep climbing as additional cases are reported. He cautioned against linking the resurgence to political debates over vaccines. The surge comes as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faces scrutiny over comments questioning vaccine safety, a position that contradicts decades of research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The World Health Organization declared measles eliminated in the country in 2000 following successful vaccination efforts. International travel and growing vaccine hesitancy are thought to be behind its resurgence.

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There are plenty of purchases I’ve justified over the years in the name of “self-care,” but few have delivered quite as much immediate gratification as my Lola Blanket. Whether you’re settling in for a TV marathon, reading in bed, cuddling with your partner (or, more realistically in my case, your pet), or just trying to survive an overzealous air conditioner in the middle of summer, a great throw blanket is one of those everyday luxuries we often overlook. Lola Blankets have very much earned their reputation as the internet’s favorite blanket, and after wrapping yourself in one, it’s not exactly hard to understand why.

Dubbed the “softest blanket ever,” the brand’s premium faux-fur throws have amassed more than 30,000 five-star reviews, making them among the most beloved blankets online. Available in an impressive range of colors, patterns, and four different sizes (along with weighted and pet-friendly versions), there’s a Lola Blanket for just about every sofa, bed, and perpetually chilly person. The ultra-soft blankets strike that rare balance of looking elevated enough to leave draped over your couch while still being the blanket everyone instinctively reaches for the second they sit down.

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Of course, softness is only part of their appeal. Unlike many faux-fur throws that require delicate care (or immediately look worse after one wash), Lola Blankets are machine washable, stain-resistant, and built to withstand everyday life. That makes them especially ideal for homes with kids, pets, or anyone who’s been known to enjoy dinner, wine, or an entire sleeve of cookies on the couch (*shamefully raising my hand*).

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Iconic 1987 cult hit film RoboCop is being rebooted for the small screen by Amazon Prime. Variety reports that Amazon has ordered an initial eight episodes, with Michael Miner and Ed Neumeier, the co-creators and co-writers of the original film, on board as executive producers. Directed by Paul Verhoeven, the influential 1987 sci-fi film is set in a future version of Detroit where cop Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) is murdered by criminals and revived as a cyborg law enforcer. In the Amazon RoboCop, “a giant tech conglomerate convinces the city to place a powerful robot on its police force–a robot implanted with the consciousness of a beloved, fallen officer.” Amazon has been developing a new RoboCop since acquiring the MGM studio catalog and IP in 2022. Praised as one of the greatest sci-fi films of the 1980s, the original spawned RoboCop 2 in 1990 and RoboCop 3 in 1993, as well as a remake in 2014 which grossed $242.6 million despite mixed reviews. There have also been two animated versions of RoboCop aimed at children and two live-action shows, as well as video games and comic books as part of the franchise. Co-creator of Saw, James Wan, will serve as executive producer for Amazon Prime. “I’ve been a massive fan of RoboCop forever, so getting to help bring this world to television is a dream,” Wan said. Stating the 1987 original was “decades ahead of its time,” Wan said, “questions about technology, identity, and who corporations really serve have only grown more urgent.” As yet, there is no official release date for the reboot.

Talk show icon Oprah Winfrey has revealed the motivation behind her iconic catchphrase “You get a car!” Winfrey, 72, screamed the sentence repeatedly during a 2004 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, where she gave away 276 cars, worth over $7 million. In a new Vanity Fair interview, Winfrey explained that before she uttered the now-famous phrase, the show had already given out 11 cars to members of the studio audience, who believed only one car remained to be won. At the time, each audience member had been given a gift box which contained a car key. “Everybody was thinking they were gonna be that one person,” Winfrey told Vanity Fair of the belief that only 12 cars were being given away. The host then recalled seeing one audience member finding a key in her box who thought she was the final winner. “And then someone next to her said, `No, I got it. I got it,’” Winfrey said. “So I thought we’re gonna have pandemonium with everybody thinking, `No, I’m the one that got it.’” Winfrey explained she was screaming, “You get a car! You get a car!” while pointing to the audience “because they were screaming so loud. Nobody could hear what I was saying.” She eventually clarified, “Everybody gets a car!” The billionaire then took the audience members outside to see their new 2005 Pontiac G6 sedans wrapped with giant red bows. Winfrey labeled the moment “so fun.”

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Whether for college, at the office, or just daily life, unless you’ve got the memory of an elephant, taking notes is a must. Remarkable has built a name for itself with innovative tablets that cut out distracting apps and focus on productivity. In fact, a study by Remarkable found that users experience 35 percent less stress and 20 percent more focus when using a paper tablet compared with working on a PC. The brand’s Remarkable Paper Pure is its latest model, allowing users to experience the feel of taking notes with old-fashioned pen and paper, with modern upgrades like Google and Microsoft integration, AI summary functionality, handwriting conversion, and so much more.

The Paper Pure is designed with a 10.3-inch screen, a three-week battery life on a single charge, and a super-crisp black-and-white canvas display. Writing on the Remarkable Pure Paper feels just like writing on paper, with the digital ink appearing in as little as 21 milliseconds—faster than the blink of an eye.

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The next-level tablet also comes with a custom-made marker that can be used as a ballpoint pen, pencil, or even highlighter. Plus, since the tablet is held together with screws and snaps (not glue), repairs aren’t a headache for professionals.

Need a weekly planner? There’s a template for that. Want a notebook with ruled lines? There’s a template for that, too. You can even connect with productivity apps like Outlook, Slack, Google Drive, and OneDrive to pick up writing on your laptop. Whether you’re using it for work, school, or just as a journal, the Paper Pure is an all-in-one note-taking device.

Spanish soccer player Ferran Torres wore a “Make Spain Great Again” red hat during the team’s homecoming parade on Monday. The 26-year-old forward, who plays for FC Barcelona, led Spain to their World Cup victory against the Argentinian reigning champs on Sunday with an overtime goal in the 106th minute. Torres and his teammates were celebrating their win amongst thousands of fans in their country’s capital, Madrid, on Monday when Torres posted a video to his Instagram story wearing the hat and cheering with the crowd. Torres has not confirmed whether his hat was a mockery or a tribute to the president, though reactions are split. “Are the leftists foaming at the mouth in rage?” one user posted to X. “You have to go out, touch grass and talk to people more if you can’t see this is 100% a joke on Trump’s expense,” another user wrote on Reddit. While some of the finalists snubbed the president during the presentation of medals, Torres shook his hand.

Jimmy Nichols, the keyboardist and musical director who worked with some of country music’s biggest stars, has died at 64. Nichols died in his sleep on July 10, his wife, Tonya Cochran Ginnetti, announced on his Facebook page. No cause of death was disclosed. “He so loved making music with his Nashville family,” Ginnetti wrote. “I don’t have any words right now.” Raised in Columbus, Ohio, Nichols learned piano at age 9 before forming The Nichols Brothers with his siblings. The group toured for more than two decades with artists including Eddie Rabbitt, Willie Nelson and The Osmond Brothers before eventually settling in Nashville. Over his career, Nichols became one of Music City’s most sought-after musicians, serving as Reba McEntire’s musical director and pianist for five years and later directing Faith Hill and Tim McGraw’s Soul2Soul II world tour. He also performed with Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Lee Ann Womack, Elton John and Gladys Knight. His longtime collaborator David Pack said Nichols gave his final performance at a church service in Franklin, Tennessee, the night before his death. Just weeks earlier, Nichols had been inducted into the Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame. A celebration-of-life concert is scheduled for September 2 in Nashville.

Marc Anthony, 57, and Nadia Ferreira, 27, announced they have had a baby girl in a joint Instagram post on Tuesday. “What a great blessing to be able to share with you the arrival of our precious MYLA 🤍 ,” the couple wrote in Spanish. “You can’t imagine the happiness we have at home, we are over the moon 😍.” The couple, who have been married for three years, also share a two-year-old boy named Marco. In the announcement post, Marco is holding baby Myla, with Anthony and Ferreira looking over them. In addition to Marco and Myla, Anthony has six other children: daughter Arianna, 32, and son Chase, 36, with ex-girlfriend Debbie Rosado; sons Cristian, 25, and Ryan, 22, with ex-wife Dayanara Torres; and twins Emme and Maximilian, 18, with ex-wife Jennifer Lopez. Anthony and Ferreira revealed their pregnancy in January, in a post also celebrating their third anniversary. “God is great ✨ Marquito is going to be a big brother. ❤️.”

France has become the first country in the European Union to ban children under 15 from using social media after lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the measure on Tuesday. The legislation, championed by French President Emmanuel Macron, is expected to take effect when the new school year begins this fall after he signs it into law. Macron hailed the vote on X, declaring that “social media will be banned for children under 15 starting this school year,” and has argued that children’s brains and emotions “are not for sale” to tech platforms and their recommendation algorithms. The law also prohibits advertising social media to children (including promotions by influencers), and requires ads for social platforms to carry the warning: “Dangerous products for children under 15.” France’s digital regulator, Arcom, will oversee enforcement, though officials have yet to explain exactly how platforms will verify users’ ages. The move follows similar restrictions introduced in Australia and planned measures in several other countries, but makes France the first member of the European Union to enact such a ban.

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Kaylee Hottle, the deaf actress who won over audiences as Jia in the Godzilla franchise, has died after a car crash in Maryland. She was 19. Her father, Joshua Hottle, confirmed the news to TMZ, saying his daughter was involved in a serious crash early Tuesday morning and that officials later told him her heart stopped on the way to the hospital. Joshua Hottle also shared the devastating news in an emotional livestream conducted in American Sign Language, explaining that he was flying from Texas to claim his daughter’s body. Hottle made her feature-film debut in 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong, playing Jia, the young deaf girl who communicated with Kong through sign language, before reprising the role in 2024’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. A member of a multigenerational deaf family, Hottle began acting in commercials as a child and later appeared in an episode of Magnum P.I. Her death comes just as her career was beginning to gain momentum.

Zendaya is facing criticism after wearing earrings fashioned from ancient Iranian artifacts while promoting Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey in London. The gold pieces date to around 700 BC and are believed to be linked to the Ziwiye hoard, a cache of antiquities discovered in northwestern Iran in the 1940s that was later looted and dispersed into museums and private collections. Archaeologists and art historians condemned the decision to use the artifacts as red-carpet jewelry, arguing that culturally significant objects with possible spiritual importance should not be treated as fashion accessories. One expert described the move as “hijacking” Iran’s cultural heritage, while another said the earrings had been stripped of their historical meaning. The jewelry belongs to London dealer Barron London, which said the pieces were legally acquired and loaned to celebrate the artistry of ancient Persian goldsmiths and not for commercial purposes. The controversy comes as Western institutions continue to face scrutiny over their possession and display of disputed cultural artifacts.