Interest in testosterone replacement therapy keeps climbing, and the TRAVERSE trial remains the largest randomized test of its cardiovascular safety. Here is what men considering treatment and their doctors need to know about the findings.

What Is the TRAVERSE Trial and Why Does It Matter?

The TRAVERSE trial is the largest randomized controlled study designed to test whether testosterone replacement therapy raises the risk of major heart problems in men with confirmed hypogonadism. Results were published in 2023 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Researchers enrolled 5,246 men ages 45 to 80 who had preexisting cardiovascular disease or a high risk of it, symptoms of low testosterone and two fasting testosterone readings below 300 ng per deciliter. Participants received either daily transdermal 1.62 percent testosterone gel or placebo gel for a mean of 21.7 months, with mean follow-up of 33 months. The study was mandated after a 2015 FDA requirement that testosterone product makers investigate cardiovascular risk.

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Does Testosterone Therapy Increase Heart Attack or Stroke Risk?

No. In TRAVERSE, testosterone gel was noninferior to placebo for the primary composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction and nonfatal stroke.

A primary event occurred in 182 patients (7.0 percent) receiving testosterone versus 190 patients (7.3 percent) on placebo, with a hazard ratio of 0.96 and a 95 percent confidence interval of 0.78 to 1.17. “These findings provide reassurance about the cardiovascular safety of testosterone therapy over the typical duration of treatment in men in whom it is indicated,” said coprincipal investigator A. Michael Lincoff, MD. He noted that years of conflicting evidence from small trials and observational studies had left the question unresolved until TRAVERSE was completed.

Who Was Included in the Traverse Testosterone Study?

TRAVERSE enrolled middle-aged and older men with symptoms of hypogonadism who met the same low-testosterone threshold used to confirm eligibility, all of whom had preexisting cardiovascular disease or elevated cardiovascular risk.

That population matters. The researchers stress the safety findings apply only to men who meet medical criteria for testosterone therapy, not to men obtaining it from “low T clinics” or providers who prescribe without a clear clinical indication. “This study should not be used as a justification for the widespread prescription of testosterone to aging men,” said study chair Steven Nissen, MD, chief academic officer of Cleveland Clinic’s Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute.

What Are the Risks of Testosterone Replacement Therapy?

Even with reassuring cardiovascular findings, TRAVERSE flagged higher rates of atrial fibrillation, acute kidney injury and pulmonary embolism in the testosterone group compared with placebo.

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Pulmonary embolism occurred in 0.9 percent of testosterone patients versus 0.5 percent of placebo patients. Rasi Wickramasinghe, MD, PhD, FACC, chief of cardiology at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, told Cardiology Advisor that he thinks twice before prescribing testosterone in a man with prior venous thromboembolism or a known thrombophilia. He also cited observational data suggesting an increased atrial fibrillation risk of about 27 percent over five years in treated men. As Dr. Nissen put it, “This study shows that, for men with adrenogen deficiency in whom testosterone is clinically indicated, testosterone appears to be safe from a cardiovascular perspective, but it is not without adverse effects.”

What Does the Traverse Study Mean for Future Testosterone Treatment Decisions?

TRAVERSE sets a new baseline for how doctors weigh testosterone therapy in men with hypogonadism, but it does not settle every question about long-term use or specific patient subgroups.

Mohit Khera, MD, of Men’s Health Urology called the trial “a beacon for future research in testosterone replacement therapy and cardiovascular health,” pointing to the need for deeper study of the atrial fibrillation, kidney injury and pulmonary embolism signals. He urged individualized risk-benefit analyses to guide clinical decisions. The takeaway for patients, according to the researchers, is that testosterone replacement appears cardiovascular-safe when clinically indicated, provided prescribers screen for clot history and monitor for arrhythmia during therapy.

For nearly three decades, Silent Hill has encouraged players to question everything they see. That uncertainty doesn’t stop once the credits roll. Some of the series’ most beloved entries have sparked years of debate over which ending, if any, represents what “really” happened, with fans continuing to dissect every detail long after release. That tradition isn’t going anywhere with Silent Hill: Townfall. In fact, the upcoming horror game is doubling down on player interpretation.

During a roundtable interview attended by Collider’s Hannah Hunt following a hands-on preview of the game, writer and director Jon McKellan and Silent Hill series producer Motoi Okamoto confirmed that Townfall will feature five different endings. More importantly, they made it clear that players shouldn’t expect Konami to declare any one of them the definitive conclusion.

Asked whether players would need multiple playthroughs to experience every ending, McKellan revealed that Townfall includes five endings in total. Three can be unlocked during a first playthrough, while two more secret endings are reserved for New Game+. Unlike many narrative-driven games, however, those endings aren’t determined by obvious dialogue choices or last-minute decisions.

“They’re not based on the A, B choices. It’s more how you play, the things that you’ve done, the time you’ve spent in areas,” McKellan explained. “We’re trying to kind of… our ending system kind of tries to figure out what kind of player you were and what kind of ending feels natural to the way you played.”

‘Silent Hill: Townfall’ Wants Your Playstyle To Decide the Ending

According to McKellan, seemingly small behaviors throughout the game influence which ending players receive. Whether someone explores every corner of an environment, rushes past optional discoveries, or approaches encounters aggressively, they all subtly “move the needle” toward a particular conclusion. That philosophy extends to New Game+ as well. While players will need additional playthroughs to see every ending, McKellan said those runs will feature unlockable weapons and other additions designed to make revisiting the game quicker while encouraging players to intentionally change how they approach the experience. When Collider followed up by asking whether one ending should be considered the “correct” or canonical conclusion, both McKellan and Okamoto were quick to dismiss the idea.

“From our perspective, we don’t designate any single ending as the true canon ending,” Okamoto said. “We are aware that a lot of players personally take to heart that a certain ending is canon… but we take care not to signal that any one ending is more canon than the other.”

McKellan echoed that sentiment, explaining that he wanted every ending to feel earned rather than arbitrary.

“I don’t think there’s a canon of this is what happened,” he said. “I wanted to say feel like those endings feel correct for you and how you played.”

That approach feels especially fitting for a series built around psychological horror and personal interpretation. Rather than rewarding a single “best” ending, Silent Hill: Townfall appears designed to reflect the choices players make throughout their journey, even if those choices aren’t presented as explicit branching paths. With five endings to uncover and none carrying official canon status, it sounds like the debate over what really happened in St. Amelia is only just beginning.

. Check out Collider’s full preview for our initial thoughts here

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Silent Hill: Townfall

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September 24, 2026

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Silent Hill

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Amanda Batula broke down exactly what led to her and Kyle Cooke’s sexless marriage — and eventual split — on the In the City reunion.

“I was depressed. Depression will do that. That was part of it,” Amanda, 34, shared on the Tuesday, July 28, episode of the hit Bravo series when asked about why she and estranged husband, Kyle, 43, didn’t have sex for four years before their January announcement confirming the pair had called it quits.

Kyle chimed in, claiming, “We went into a funk immediately after our wedding.”

The Loverboy founder alleged, “I tried for years to get us into couples therapy” following their September 2021 nuptials.

Amanda, for her part, told their castmates during part 2 of the In the City reunion that their issues in the bedroom began well before they tied the knot.

“This is a conversation we had in therapy also before our wedding, that I didn’t feel like — Kyle wasn’t courting me. This is how I felt,” Amanda explained. “I wasn’t being courted. There were no dates.”

She claimed, “He would work all day, work all night, then come to bed, tell me to answer an email and then try to have sex with me. It felt like there was no foreplay. There was no emotional intimacy. There was no conversation.”

Amanda noted that because “nothing else [was] happening in the relationship” she didn’t feel excited to engage in intimate moments with her spouse.

“I felt, this was not his intention or what he was doing, I felt [used]. I felt like I was just an object at that point,” Amanda confessed. “Then the depression hit also. Then it was an unfortunate storm.”

The Amanda Batula Swim founder alleged that Kyle would “still go out” and party — in addition to DJing into the late hours — so they would “get into big fights.”

That tension, according to Amanda, didn’t help their romantic relationship prior to their separation. (During season 1 of In the City, fans learned that Amanda told Kyle she was moving out in September 2025 on their four-year anniversary in hopes to help their marriage, but she never moved back in.)

“Can you imagine, this is not like a guy-girl thing. We get married and we never have sex,” Kyle asked his castmates. “We didn’t have sex — technically it wasn’t four years of nothing. We had, like, sex three times. I’m just saying.”

Amanda, however, claimed that she “expressed” her desires to him, and allegedly told Kyle “I want to be taken out on dates” and go for drinks but he was too busy.

“First I’m a workaholic, now I’m an alcoholic. I could never do anything,” a defeated Kyle explained. “Meanwhile, I’m providing. Everything in our life was on my shoulders.”

Kyle alleged that “every single thing we did” was because he “arranged it,” including every trip, vacation or dinner.

“I’m putting in the hours [then] so we could provide for our family later,” he said of his intentions to work so much when they first got married.

Amanda explained that was her whole point, arguing, “I was being put on the backburner.”

“It did take a toll on our romantic and intimate relationship because your priority was work,” she alleged. “And your solution was for me to read a book on how to date an entrepreneur and I wanted you to take me on a date.”

Kyle admitted that he did want Amanda to read a book about that topic, thinking it would help her understand his intense work ethic while building Loverboy.

“You’re literally saying exactly what I’m saying,” Amanda pointed out. “You worked really hard for our future but it did have an effect on our marriage and our relationship.”

Related: Kyle Cooke Claimed Amanda Batula Smoked Weed ‘Every Night’ Before Split

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Kyle Cooke aired his and estranged wife Amanda Batula’s dirty laundry on Summer House months before their split made headlines. “There are so many things that Amanda and I need to talk about,” Kyle, 43, told pals West Wilson and Jesse Solomon during the Tuesday, February 10, episode of the Bravo series. Fans previously saw […]

Fans were introduced to Kyle in 2017 during season 1 of Summer House, when he was a full-time cast member of the new series. Amanda also appeared on the first season of the Bravo show, but was a guest star as she was just starting to date Kyle.

Throughout the show’s first 10 seasons, viewers saw the ups and downs of Kyle and Amanda’s relationship, including their 2021 wedding and the months leading up to their January breakup.

As cameras began to document Kyle and Amanda’s life in the Big Apple during the fall of 2025 for In the City, the couple grew further apart.

Shortly after they announced their split, rumors surfaced that Amanda was dating their Summer House costar West Wilson. (West, 31, previously dated Amanda’s BFF Ciara Miller in 2023 and the pair were seen getting cozy again in summer and fall of 2025.)

Amanda and West initially denied their connection, but confirmed their romantic relationship in late March, sending shockwaves through the Bravoverse. At the time of the In the City reunion taping in June, Amanda and West were still dating despite the backlash they received for their hookup.

Us confirmed last month that neither Amanda nor West are returning for season 11 of Summer House, but Kyle is coming back to the Hamptons.

On Tuesday’s reunion, Amanda and Kyle gave an update on their divorce, confirming it is still ongoing.

“He did respond to my lawyer with some requests,” Amanda told host Andy Cohen of Kyle. “He wants to do a walkaway divorce but is not just walking away. I have to speak to my lawyer and get back to him.”

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Kyle claimed those “requests” were not that crazy, saying one of them was that he wants Amanda to “get your stuff out of my apartment.”

He said the other thing is “dog related” as the exes share two animals.

“There’s also money stuff,” Amanda alleged, to which Kyle responded, “I still pay your health insurance!” Amanda smiled, replying, “Thank you so much.”

Elon Musk is criticizing Anne Hathaway for a 2018 speech she gave in support of the gay and trans community.

“She’s just a marionette. Whoever wrote her speech is the real douchebag,” Musk, 55, wrote via X on Sunday, July 26, in response to marketing professor Gad Saad’s brutal critique of Hathaway speaking at the Human Rights Campaign National Dinner in Washington, D.C., nearly eight years ago.

The Odyssey star, 43, appeared at the September 2018 event to accept the organization’s National Ally for Equality award, speaking to the crowd about her societal role and greater surroundings.

“With the exception of being a cisgender male, everything about how I was born has put me at the current center of a damaging and widely accepted myth,” Hathaway said at the time. “That myth is that gayness orbits around straitness, transgender orbits around cisgender, and that all races orbit around whiteness. And it is a myth that keeps money and power in the hands of the few, instead of being invested in the lives of the free.”

Related: Elon Musk Claps Back After Billie Eilish Called Him a ‘Bitch Coward’

UPDATE: 11/19/2025 at 10:15 a.m. ET — Elon Musk has fired back at Billie Eilish after the singer called the potential trillionaire a “pathetic p**** bitch coward.” “She’s not the sharpest tool in the shed,” Musk, 54, wrote via X on Monday, November 17, while replying to a post recapping Eilish’s recent Instagram Stories about how the […]

Hathaway’s speech began with acknowledgment over how she viewed the world at the time.

“I’m pretty shellshocked by what I see every day, by what I hear every day. And I really don’t like to admit this but I get scared,” she told the crowd before advocating for equality. “I am just living the values my parents gave me. I’m loving you the way you deserve and yes, I am giving major side eye to anyone that thinks differently.”

She continued, “I know I’m speaking in abstractions, and that there’s privilege embedded in my ability to do so. I know that there are very real obstacles that block the path to true equality, and I know that removing them is easier said than done.”

Hathaway added that her hope for a clear path to equality is being met by the LGBTQ+ community.

“I know that myths are destroyed by the same thing that creates them: a community,” she explained, to near-immediate applause from the crowd.

In the X critique of Hathaway’s speech, created by Saad, 61, and captioned with the text “Anne Hathaway is a Degenerate Narcissist,” the actress’ delivery is labeled as “self importance,” and smug, while her “every conceivable syllable” is slammed as “wrong.”

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In another Sunday X post from Musk that addressed Hathaway’s speech, he reiterated that Hathaway was “just reading the script someone else wrote,” while arguing that “no critical thinking” had been used to write the speech. (Musk, the world’s first trillionaire, has a long history of sharing anti-trans sentiments and beliefs. The SpaceX founder, who has 14 children with four different women, is dad to an openly trans daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson.)

Musk’s posts, shared via the social media platform he purchased as Twitter in 2022, comes after the businessman recently made multiple public jabs at The Odyssey, in which Hathaway portrays the ancient Greek mythological figure Queen Penelope.

Musk has publicly argued that the film, created by director Christopher Nolan, does not present an historically accurate reflection due to diverse casting choices such as Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy and Elliot Page as the Greek warrior Sinon.

Three hours wasn’t enough to understand Silent Hill: Townfall, but it was enough to convince me that’s exactly the point. The best Silent Hill games have never been interested in handing players easy answers. More than just asking you to survive the monsters lurking in the fog, they ask you to question the people around you, the places you’re exploring, and sometimes even the protagonist you’re controlling. Every revelation tends to create even more questions, leaving players to debate symbolism and hidden meanings for years after they’ve finished the game.

That’s a difficult balance to strike. Lean too far into ambiguity, and a story becomes frustrating. Explain too much, and the psychological horror loses its power. After spending roughly three hours with Silent Hill: Townfall during a recent hands-on preview, I’m optimistic that Screen Burn and Konami have found that balance. By the time my session ended, I was unsettled, fascinated, and more than a little confused about what I’d just experienced. Instead of wanting immediate explanations, I wanted another three hours to find them myself. If that feeling sounds familiar, that’s because it’s exactly what I (and many other fans) want in a Silent Hill game.

‘Silent Hill: Townfall’ Makes St. Amelia Impossible To Ignore

Image via Konami Digital Entertainment

Set in the fictional Scottish coastal town of St. Amelia, Townfall immediately distinguishes itself from previous entries while still feeling unmistakably Silent Hill. It’s the first mainline game to fully embrace a first-person perspective, a shift that could have easily felt like the series chasing modern horror trends. Instead, it makes every empty street, abandoned storefront, and fog-covered shoreline feel eerily personal on a level Silent Hill has never accomplished before. Simply walking through St. Amelia became one of my favorite parts of the preview, because the town is stunning. Thick fog rolls over the waterfront while weathered buildings hint at decades of economic decline. Every environment is dense with detail, rewarding players who slow down long enough to actually look around instead of sprinting toward the next objective.

That authenticity isn’t accidental. During a roundtable interview at the event, writer and director Jon McKellan explained that the team chose Scotland because they wanted to build a place they genuinely understood. “You write what you know,” McKellan said, adding that Scotland’s coastal towns naturally share many of the feelings associated with Silent Hill: isolation, creeping fog, and communities struggling to survive. He even went as far as calling the town itself the story’s main character. That philosophy is immediately apparent during the opening hours. Rather than rushing from set piece to set piece, Townfall encourages players to absorb the atmosphere while searching St. Amelia for clues surrounding the disappearance of Zoe. The result is a feeling of slowly peeling back layers of a place that’s actively hiding something from you.

The CRTV Is the Best New Mechanic in a ‘Silent Hill’ Game in Years

Image via Konami Digital Entertainment

If St. Amelia is Townfall‘s greatest character, the handheld CRTV is its most compelling gameplay addition. The portable device serves multiple purposes throughout exploration. Players tune into different frequencies scattered throughout the world to uncover hidden signals, reveal clues, and solve environmental puzzles that gradually point Simon toward Zoe’s whereabouts. It never feels like a gimmick. Instead, the CRTV becomes central to how you interact with the world. Finding the right signal often means discovering pieces of the narrative you otherwise would have missed, making exploration feel consistently rewarding. Even better, it doubles as an important survival tool by helping identify nearby threats before they find you.

That single mechanic naturally reinforces Townfall‘s emphasis on caution. Barging into every new location is something I rarely do when it comes to a new game, but even more than normal with Townfall, I found myself slowing down, checking frequencies, scanning my surroundings, and planning how to move through each area safely. The CRTV creates tension without relying on cheap jump scares because you’re constantly aware that something could be nearby even if you can’t see it yet. And if you ignore the CRTV, there will be jumpscares as well. The puzzles themselves also strike a satisfying balance. They’re rooted in the narrative rather than abstract logic tests, asking players to interpret information they’ve discovered instead of just matching symbols or pushing blocks around. While I heard other attendees mention getting stuck during certain sections, I never felt the game crossed into being unfair.

Combat Feels Great, Which Makes ‘Townfall’ Even Scarier

One of the biggest surprises from the preview was how polished combat felt. The opening hours primarily encourage stealth, with developers explicitly advising players not to come out swinging. After experiencing the demo firsthand, that’s advice worth taking. Enemies are genuinely intimidating. Melee combat carries satisfying weight, while a later sequence showcasing firearms demonstrated that gunplay feels just as natural and intuitive. Controls are responsive, animations are clean, and I never found myself fighting against the mechanics. Ironically, that’s exactly why combat works. Even though fighting feels good, I rarely wanted to do it. Every encounter carried enough danger that avoiding confrontation usually seemed like the smarter decision. The monsters never become disposable obstacles, preserving the vulnerability that has always defined Silent Hill at its best.

The creature designs also made a strong first impression. Without spoiling specific encounters, one massive figure briefly emerging through the fog prompted me to scribble one very scientific observation in my notebook: “What in the Cloverfield fuck?” When I repeated that reaction during the roundtable, McKellan laughed before joking that it was “a good reference.” Humor aside, he also explained that the team’s approach to monster design intentionally prioritizes psychology over gore. Every creature represents something tied to the story, though those meanings may not become apparent until much later in the game. The team wanted monsters that remain unsettling because they still feel strangely human beneath their impossible appearances, not just deliver excessive violence. That restraint comes across during the preview.

‘Silent Hill: Townfall’ Understands Questions Matter More Than Answers

Image via Konami Digital Entertainment

Perhaps the most encouraging part of the preview came after I set the controller down. During the roundtable, I asked McKellan and Silent Hill series producer Motoi Okamoto what they hoped players would be thinking about after finishing the game.

“I want them to feel something. I hope it gets people to think about things, and just take a moment to kind of take in what they’ve just played and the stories… I hope that people take the time to unpack it. Take a moment to actually consider what they’ve done and discuss it with someone else and have a different opinion.”

I think McKellan’s answer perfectly captures why Townfall left such a strong first impression on me. I left my preview with countless unanswered questions. I don’t fully understand Simon’s role in St. Amelia. I don’t know where the story is ultimately heading. I’m still trying to figure out exactly what I saw disappearing into the mist. Normally, uncertainty after three hours might concern me. Here, it left me eager to keep playing. If the full game can maintain that delicate balance between mystery, atmosphere, and genuinely satisfying gameplay while delivering answers worthy of the questions it’s asking, Silent Hill: Townfall could become one of the series’ strongest entries in the series. After three hours in St. Amelia, I’m ready to go back into the fog.

Silent Hill: Townfall releases September 24, 2026.

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Released

September 24, 2026

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ESRB

Mature 17+ / Blood, Strong Language, Violence

Publisher(s)

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Annapurna Interactive, Konami

Franchise

Silent Hill

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The smart home market keeps expanding, and so does the pile of gadgets promising to make daily life easier. Some deliver real savings and convenience. Others cost hundreds more than a standard version and add little beyond a phone app. Sorting the two matters because prices span from about twenty dollars for a plug to thousands for a connected fridge.

Tech writers at Yahoo, Consumer Reports and CNET have weighed in on which upgrades earn their keep and which ones you can pass on without regret.

Which Smart Home Devices Are Actually Worth Buying

Robot vacuums that also mop rank high on the list. Chris McGraw with Yahoo Tech writes, “I’m one of those people who actually likes vacuuming. It’s mindless and I can easily do it with my AirPods in, blasting music or listening to a podcast. Mopping, on the other hand, is awful. That’s why, if I’m looking for a robot cleaner, I’m going to ask it to do more than just vacuum. I want my floors to be spotless in the mornings, and when I take out the trash, I want my unused mop and bucket to be in it.”

McGraw points to the Shark Matrix Plus Robot Vacuum and Mop as an example of a machine that handles both chores.

Smart plugs also make the cut. They cut standby energy waste from electronics like TVs, gaming consoles, coffee makers and chargers that keep drawing power when idle. Owners can flip devices on or off from a phone and set schedules that shut things down overnight.

Smart water leak sensors offer another clear win. Tyler Lacoma with CNET notes that leaks are trouble even when homeowners are well prepared, because freezing weather can cause pipes to burst. Undiscovered leaks can lead to mold problems and extensive water damage. These small smart home devices connect to an app and alert homeowners the moment moisture appears, allowing fast action at home like shutting down water lines or raising indoor temperatures to prevent freezing.

Why Smart Sprinkler Controllers Can Pay for Themselves

Homeowners with in-ground irrigation have another upgrade worth considering. Daniel Wroclawski with Consumer Reports writes that smart sprinkler controllers typically cost around $80 to $300 and “replace the existing programmable timer on your sprinkler system to open and shut the water valves.” Much like smart thermostats that adjust indoor temperature automatically, these controllers adjust watering based on weather, keeping lawns healthy while trimming water bills in drought-prone areas.

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Scent shapes how a home feels before anyone notices the furniture, and readers are searching for ways to build a signature home scent that feels intentional rather than overwhelming. Designers say the trick is layering a few well-chosen notes and repeating them everywhere. How Do You Create a Signature Home Scent That Feels Cohesive? Start […]

The Smart Home Upgrades You Can Skip

Not every connected device earns its price. Smart blinds carry a high upfront cost and offer limited energy savings that can take years to recoup. Some models also require professional installation or specific wiring, pushing the total higher.

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Smart kitchen gadgets fall into the same trap. A connected coffee maker, toaster or blender often costs much more than a standard version while solving small problems. Apps and software support can also disappear, leaving owners with a pricey ordinary appliance.

Large smart appliances present the biggest gamble. Smart refrigerators, ovens, washers and dryers can cost hundreds or thousands more than standard models, and the extra features are often unnecessary. Because appliances tend to last 10 or more years, the software behind them may lose support long before the hardware fails.

The takeaway is simple. Small, targeted devices like plugs, leak sensors and irrigation controllers tend to pay for themselves through saved energy, avoided damage or lower water bills. Bigger connected appliances usually do not.

Sam Smith and designer Christian Cowan are engaged after three years of dating.

Smith, 34, confirmed that Cowan, 32, is their fiancé in an interview with The New York Times published on Tuesday, July 28. The musician, who has publicly identified as nonbinary since 2019 and uses they/them pronouns, also revealed that their upcoming album Hazel Eyes, which drops on August 12, was inspired by their relationship and named the record after the color of Cowan’s eyes.

“For me, there’s something radical about being queer in this time, in this world, and singing love songs,” Smith gushed to the outlet. “I’m not going to allow the poison that I read and that I see to affect my way of loving.”

Smith added that the album’s first track “Everlasting Love” was the result of the singer writing “about requited love” for the very first time.

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Dove Cameron and Damiano David are engaged. “My favorite part of being alive 💍,” Cameron, 29, wrote via Instagram on Saturday, January 3, sharing photos of her diamond engagement ring. “Happy New Year.” David, 26, proposed to Cameron with a square diamond featuring a halo cluster around the stone and on the band. Cameron was […]

Smith and Cowan were first linked in December 2022. At the time, the pair posed for a photo with former President Joe Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden at the White House after the president signed the Respect for Marriage Act. The “Stay With Me” singer also performed at the historical event.

Two years later, Smith and Cowan confirmed their romance. (Smith was previously candid about keeping details of their love life out of the spotlight.)

The couple made their red carpet debut at the 2024 Met Gala. They donned coordinated looks, designed by Cowan, that featured metal-plated roses. Cowan shared that the detail was a nod to the beginning of their romance.

“Early on in our days, I gave Sam a metal-plated rose,” the designer told Vogue at the time. “So it was a nod to that moment.”

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Charli XCX and The 1975’s George Daniel went from musical collaborators to a Hollywood love story. The duo met when working together on the March 2021 song “Spinning.” Daniel also assisted the “Boom Clap” singer with various songs on her Crash album, which was released in March 2022. Dating rumors were sparked soon after, and […]

Earlier this year, Smith stepped out for the Met Gala wearing another look designed by Cowan. The Grammy winner rocked a 52-pound feathered black ensemble which Cowan shared that Smith served as his muse.

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“This look is a love letter to the king of fashion illustration,” Cowan shared of the design in a May Instagram post. “And to my love, Sam.”

Smith also gushed about how special they felt when wearing something designed by Cowan.

“There’s no one who knows my body more than this man,” Smith said in a joint interview with Cowan to Vogue. “I feel very lucky to be here and to wear your incredible talent like this. It’s amazing.”

Hilaria Baldwin, media personality and wife of actor Alec Baldwin, has been a pop culture fixture thanks to appearances on shows like “Dancing with the Stars” and her career as a yoga expert. However, the 42-year-old recently opened up about her decades-long battle with various eating disorders, admitting she experimented with multiple extreme ways to lose weight.

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Baldwin appeared on “Page Six Radio” in July 2026 to promote her new show, “Nation’s Dumbest.” While on the program, the topic of eating disorders came up, with the “Dancing with the Stars” alum admitting that she had a 20-year battle with various extreme eating habits.

She shared, “I had a really bad eating disorder for 20 years, and I realized that I just didn’t know when I was hungry and when I was full. I did all of it. I did anorexia, I did bulimia, I did overeating, I did undereating.” When discussing how bad things became, Baldwin mentioned not being able to go to restaurants with loved ones and also being “afraid of how many calories might be in toothpaste.” 

Regarding healing from the way she viewed dieting, Baldwin recalled saying to herself, “I don’t want to live this way; I’m miserable. I can’t have good relationships, I can’t have good friendships, I can’t eat out to dinner with people. It’s just so, so, so stressful.”

The Reality Star Says She Started Dieting Early

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As the interview continued, the hosts asked Baldwin if she had tried to conceal her battle with eating disorders. According to her, “When I was younger, yeah. I started dieting when I was five.” From there, the mom of seven reflected on how she once saw herself in regard to body image.

She said, “I look back, and I looked fine. But I thought I was a whale [back then]. I just thought there was something broken inside of me.” Baldwin also discussed her kids and how she “didn’t want to pass” her struggles with food onto them.

She added, “What I try to do with my kids is empower them, talk about strength, talk about, ‘How does the food make you feel?’” Baldwin also says she doesn’t “shame” her kids for wanting snacks such as chips.

Hilaria Previously Opened Up About Suffering From An Eating Disorder

Baldwin first opened up about her experience with various eating disorders in her 2016 book, “The Living Clearly Method.” Two years later, the yoga expert took to her official Instagram account to share an unretouched bikini photo of herself with one of her children.

She said in the caption, “In my book, ‘The Living Clearly Method,’ I opened up about growing up with an eating disorder. I turned to yoga, health, and wellness to heal my body and my mind.”

Baldwin then reflected on motherhood, saying, “I think back to my old self and how much I would have struggled with gaining weight during pregnancy and being patient with healthfully losing it. I’m so happy I can be a strong and happy mommy now, completely accepting of my body.”

According to PEOPLE, she shared further thoughts on the topic of eating disorders via her Instagram Stories. She said, “Eating disorders are founded in realty [sic]. Those of us who have struggled or who are still struggling use eating, not eating, bulimia, etc. as coping for when we feel ungrounded or out of control.”

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Baldwin continued, “I have found that being healthy is about not focusing on weight and rather on how I feel, how strong I am, and how healthy I am. Weight and how you look are side effects. Not the main focus. When I started focusing on health, my obsession with weight went away. They should not be confused.”

‘Nation’s Dumbest’ Premiered Recently

Fox’s newest celebrity competition series, “Nation’s Dumbest,” premiered on July 15, with comedian Jake Whithall serving as the show’s host. The new Fox series features various celebrities competing in games to test their smarts, with the goal of not winning the show.

In additon to Baldwin, “Nation’s Dumbest” stars Carmen Electra, ICE-T, Anthony Michael Hall, Jon Heder, JoJo Siwa, and more.

Hilaria Isn’t Saying ‘No’ To ‘Housewives’

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In additon to her “Page Six Radio” interview, Baldwin also appeared on the outlet’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast in July 2026. During the interview, she was asked if she would ever consider joining “Real Housewives.” This comes after Andy Cohen stated that he approached her about joining “The Real Housewives of New York City.”

According to her, “I never say no to possibilities.” After that, she tilted her head, saying, “Who knows where this little life is going to go next?”

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The fantasy genre is among the most popular and enduring in literature. Few things amaze us more than fantastical worlds full of magic, danger, mysticism, and valerous characters on larger-than-life quests. Indeed, there’s no shortage of great fantasy stories, going back to the early days of classical literature, all the way to today. However, a great book stands out from a mere good one from the very beginning — in fact, it does so from the opening line.

In the last decade, no fantasy book has a better opening line than Mark Lawrence’s 2017 science-fantasy Red Sister. The first entry in the Book of the Ancestor trilogy, Red Sister is among the best entries in the genre of the last decade, yet it doesn’t have nearly half the recognition it deserves. It’s only a matter of time, though, as any reader will undoubtedly be hooked in the action from the first line, a pretty killer sentence that’s as witty as it is striking. The rest of the book is equally impressive, but coming up with a great opening line for a book is an art in and of itself, and Red Sister is the prime example.

What Is ‘Red Sister’ About?

Red Sister is part of the larger Book of the Ancestor trilogy, and it has some of the best worldbuilding in fantasy. The action is set on the planet Abeth, home to four types of people: hunska, gifted with superspeed; gerant, gifted with superstrength; marjal, who can do elemental magic; and quantal, who can perform even more powerful magic. The planet is almost fully frozen, thanks to its dying red sun. The man-made moon reflects what little sunlight remains to the Corridor, a narrow strip of land that circles the entire globe. The Corridor is populated by several kingdoms, each one vying for control.

Our protagonist is Nona Grey, a peasant with hunska blood purchased as a slave by a trader. Following an incident where she attacks a nobleman, Nona escapes execution thanks to the intervention of Abbess Glass of the Sweet Mercy Convent, who recognizes her abilities and invites her to become a novice. At Sweet Mercy, Nona trains alongside other novices, stumbling upon a plot to steal a powerful item from the convent, all while the nobleman’s family brews a revenge plot against her. A frame story set in the future follows an adult Nona and her companion, Sister Thorn, as they fight another threat.

Lawrence, perhaps best known for writing the acclaimed fantasy trilogy, The Broken Empire, cleverly subverts expectations and traditional tropes with Red Sister. The book operates on a structure of deception, with an unreliable narrator and multiple other characters acting out of self-interest and self-preservation. Without entering into spoiler territory, it’s safe to say Red Sister is not a traditional “Chosen One” story. It has all the classic elements of a great fantasy narrative — prophecies, magic, political stakes, and multiple factions operating at once — but the main action is defined by misdirections, false expectations, and a sense of perpetual danger that ultimately shapes the whole thing.

The Opening Line of ‘Red Sister’ Instantly Hooks You

Image by Bastien Lecouffe Deharme

“It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size.” Those are the opening words of Red Sister, and it’s hard to imagine a more effective, creative, or memorable way to start your story. In fewer than 20 words, Lawrence has already established the nuns of this world as formidable opponents capable of claiming victories against numerous enemies. There’s also a humorous quality to the sentence that makes it all the more engaging, a morbid irony that spells doom for both parties. Lastly, it sets up what will undoubtedly be a bloody conflict without the need for exposition or info dumps; it’s incredibly economical writing on Lawrence’s part, and the fact that he makes it seem so easy is nothing short of impressive.

All these ideas are perfectly conveyed by the next sentence: “For Sister Thorn of the Sweet Mercy convent, Lano Tacsis brought two hundred men.” Now, we have a clear protagonist, Sister Thorn, and a clear antagonist, Lano Tacsis. Of course, we don’t exactly know who these characters are — and we won’t know for quite a while longer — but the opening lines are no less effective. They have instantly hooked us in the action, immersing us in Sister Thorn’s plight from the get-go without doing an ounce of character work beyond offering us her name and her profession. From there, Red Sister throws us directly into Abeth’s chaos. It jumps back and forth in time via flashforwards and flashbacks, all while keeping the narrative drive going.

‘Red Sister’ Is a Terrific Start to a Great Trilogy

Image via Harper Collins

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Red Sister is a near-perfect fantasy story set in a grimdark world that stands out thanks to its all-female cast and fascinating exploration of familiar themes like corruption, maturing and self-discovering oneself, and the inevitability of fate. Lawrence’s writing is assured and ambitious, setting up plot points here that don’t get a proper payoff until the third book, Holy Sister. In that way, Red Sister rewards patience and commitment, which makes it a challenging but rewarding read. Lawrence’s writing is grim but filled with hope (which can, again, be felt from the opening line), crafting a tale that will undoubtedly resonate with many a fantasy lover.