Josh Hart is seemingly putting a pin in speculation that the New York Knicks will be at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding.

The starting guard, 31, hosed down rumors that the Knicks’ starting five players were invited to the “Wi$h Li$t” singer’s big day after she supported the team at the NBA finals last month.

Fellow Knicks player Jeremy Sochan quoted a report about the invite via X on Thursday, July 2,  jokingly pleading with Hart to take him along to the nuptials.

“What about me? 😞 @joshhart can I be your plus 1?” Sochan, 23, quipped.

Related: Jalen Brunson Dodges Question About Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Wedding

New York Knicks player Jalen Brunson is trying his best to stay out of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s love story. During an appearance on Today With Jenna & Sheinelle, host Jenna Bush Hager asked the newly crowned NBA champion whether Madison Square Garden could make a great wedding venue for the couple. “Great venue,” […]

In response, Hart appeared to deny that he and fellow players, Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, were ever invited to the event.  “Lol bro this fake news,” Hart wrote.

Swift attended Game 4 of the NBA Playoffs on June 10 at Madison Square Garden — the same venue where she will reportedly exchange vows with Kelce over the July 4 holiday weekend.

The following day she was inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame and joked during her speech that she may have supported the Knicks too loudly.

“The quality of my speaking voice is the product of [something] that I am not sorry for… I was lucky enough to go to a Knicks game last night,” Swift said as she acknowledged her scratchy voice from the night before.

She continued, “I screamed for 100% of it. And then I got home and was like, ‘You gotta stop screaming, you’re screaming too much, you’re screaming instead of talking, you’re too excited.’”

In Game 5, the Knicks won their first NBA Championship in 53 years after defeating the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in a nail-biting game.

Thank You!

You have successfully subscribed.

Related: Why NBA Player Jose Alvarado Wants Taylor Swift at ‘More’ Knicks Games

Advertisement

Taylor Swift’s appearance at the 2026 NBA Finals sparked backlash from some basketball fans — but New York Knicks player Jose Alvarado is all about Swiftie mania. Alvarado, 28, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, June 18, that it was “amazing” having Swift, 36, sitting courtside during Game 4 of the Knicks’ championship series on […]

Meanwhile, speculation is rife that Swift and Kelce are preparing to tie the knot at Madison Square Garden this weekend.

While the couple have kept relatively tight-lipped about the details and location of their nuptials since announcing their engagement in August 2025, Swift previously shared she was looking forward to her big day.

“I think the wedding is what happens after [my Life of a Showgirl promotional tour] in the scheme of the planning, but I’m so excited about it,” Swift said on the Graham Norton Show in October 2025. “I know it’s gonna be fun to plan because I think the only stressful weddings are the ones where you have a small amount and people are on the bubble.”

A movie can be predictable and still be great. It sometimes matters more in the moment, whether something could happen, more so than it matters whether weird things actually happen, if that makes sense. The ambiguity of it all – and the possibility that certain characters might not make it, for example – is instrumental, especially when the film is high-stakes and/or part of the action, thriller, or horror genres.

With the following movies, though, a lack of predictability seemed particularly important to those writing and directing. These are some of the most unpredictable movies of all time, where very little is seen as off-limits, in terms of where the narrative could – and does – go. Spoilers will be avoided as best as possible, just in case you’ve not seen any of the movies (the most you’ll get by way of plot details are things that happen in, say, the first third of any given movie).

10

‘Psycho’ (1960)

Image via Paramount Pictures

Psycho does have to be included here. Like, pretty much no one is going to watch it for the first time in 2026 and be genuinely surprised by what happens, just because of how famous the big twist here is, and then there’s at least one other twist that’s also likely to be spoiled… you probably know what you’re in for. It’s a bit like The Empire Strikes Back, in that regard (and the fact that there are sequels to Psycho also doesn’t help).

Still, it’s famous for being surprising, and even if that fame has now led to it no longer being surprising, you can’t get to that “everyone already knows how it plays out and ends” territory without being very surprising with how it plays out and ends in the first place. Of course, people could be nice, and still talk about Psycho in the way the preceding 152 words have done, but the world is not nice, and some people aren’t, either. Alas, poor spoiler. I knew him, Luke’s father.

9

‘Body Double’ (1984)

Image via Columbia Pictures

With Body Double, Brian De Palma seemed keen to outdo himself, his earlier thrillers, and then the twistiest films Alfred Hitchcock ever directed, too. De Palma was making quite a few Hitchcockian movies around this time and, to his credit, Body Double is probably even more surprising and twist-filled than Psycho, which remains feeling like Hitchcock’s least predictable film (again, acknowledging that the twists are more well-known nowadays).

That doesn’t make Body Double a better movie, and maybe it’s even a bit too aggressive with all the weird and wild directions it wants to veer into narratively, but the attempt to do it to such an extent is admirable. It also ensures Body Double is a film that defies being summarized. It just unfolds, keeps going to strange places, and eventually ends, leaving you feeling undoubtedly discombobulated.

8

‘The Last Stop in Yuma County’ (2023)

Image via Well Go USA

Since it’s so underrated overall, it feels the hardest to talk about The Last Stop in Yuma County, out of all the movies here. This is the one you’re probably least likely to have seen, and so saying too much about the premise would effectively be a more impactful spoiler than saying too much about the other movies here. And that does make things tricky, when you’re sitting behind a keyboard and you’re aware you have to say something.

But whoa, we’re halfway there. 87 words down, maybe about 90-ish to go? The Last Stop in Yuma County begins as a movie about robbers trying to make a getaway, which leads to a Dog Day Afternoon-style hostage situation, and then some other wild things happen, which ensures the film ends up in a very different place, eventually. There are other familiar elements here, if you’ve seen your fair share of crime/thriller films before, but The Last Stop in Yuma County remixes them all in genuinely surprising ways, and is a good one to watch if you think you’ve seen it all, crime/thriller movie-wise.

7

‘Sorry to Bother You’ (2018)

Image via Universal Studios

There’s a good deal of absurd, surreal, and disturbing humor throughout Sorry to Bother You, with it being one of the bolder and more in-your-face comedy/satire films of the past 10 or so years. It’s a fever dream film about a Black telemarketer who finds some success in his job by putting on a “white voice,” but then he makes certain discoveries about his job, the people he works for, and other things.

It’s hard to know what to say about some of the places Sorry to Bother You goes. There are things in this movie that can’t be unseen, and mentioning such things would both spoil the movie and probably be alarming to certain readers. So, if you feel up for something weird, and like to see satirical movies that actually push boundaries and don’t lean on humor of a mild or safer variety, then it’s probably worth taking the plunge into something like this.

6

‘Pulp Fiction’ (1994)

Image via Miramax Films

Quentin Tarantino does like to make his movies surprising, proving a keenness to do so right from his feature-length directorial debut, since Reservoir Dogs was a heist movie that didn’t really show the heist itself. Some of his later films are also surprising in terms of how they’re willing to brazenly rewrite history, which you get in hard-to-ignore ways in the likes of Inglourious Basterds and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Still, it might be Pulp Fiction that has the most by way of surprises, or a sense of anything being possible at any point in the story (or stories). There are several main storylines here, some of them intersecting in odd but fitting ways, and then a good deal of non-chronological storytelling to keep you unsure about the whole thing – and the way it’s going to play out – even more.

5

‘One Cut of the Dead’ (2017)

Image via Enbu Seminar

One Cut of the Dead does indeed begin with one long take without a cut, and said take plays out for more than half an hour. It’s meta, because it’s about the filming of a one-take zombie movie, and then the people filming that one-take zombie movie have to deal with an apparent actual zombie outbreak. Chaos ensues, though there is an eventual cut, and then the second half of the movie becomes something else.

Okay, not entirely something else in a Chungking Express or anthology movie sort of way, but it’s more conventionally presented, and then it addresses some of the odd things about the original “one cut” in interesting, surprising, and oftentimes hilarious ways. One Cut of the Dead is easily one of the best Japanese films of all time, and probably a highlight for cinema in general, at least as far as the last decade or so of releases go. Seeing it knowing as little as possible beforehand makes for an undeniably fantastic experience.

4

‘After Hours’ (1985)

Image via The Geffen Company

While it’s generally a comedy, After Hours is also stressful in a way that makes it function quite well as a thriller, and then there are parts where the humor’s dark enough that it almost starts feeling like more of a psychological drama. It’s about a man who tries to go on a date one night, but everything that could go wrong goes wrong, and then once everything that could go wrong does go wrong, a few other things present themselves out of nowhere, and they go wrong, too.

The protagonist has no idea what he’s doing or why bad things keep happening to him, and you’re along for the whole nightmarish ride as the viewer, too. After Hours is one of those “anything can happen at any point” sort of films, with making such a film being an undeniably effective way to keep people on their toes, and to maintain a sense of unpredictability throughout.

3

‘Red State’ (2011)

Image via Lionsgate

There’s an unpredictability to Red State in a meta sense, because it represented Kevin Smith straying further from comedy than he ever had before. Prior to 2011, he’d done a dramedy with Jersey Girl, and a fantasy/comedy of sorts with Dogma, but Red State is decidedly more serious and intense stuff, and then it’s also surprising because of what actually happens throughout the film.

It shifts gears a lot, to put it mildly. To say more would be ruining things, and Red State is overlooked enough that it feels worth staying quiet about certain parts of the movie. It’s mostly a horror/thriller/drama movie, but then it also functions a bit like a gritty action film at times, too. Red State is admittedly imperfect at realizing everything it’s going for, but the ambition here is hard to deny, and for better or worse, it does ultimately take you on a very unpredictable ride for 88 minutes, honestly almost feeling like two or three shorter movies strung together (not in a bad way, though).

2

‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ (2022)

If you go ahead and read about Everything Everywhere All at Once, it arguably gets wilder, because it was originally envisioned as a movie that could’ve starred Jackie Chan in the Michelle Yeoh role. That potentially could’ve worked, but it also feels right that Yeoh ended up in the central role, because it’s the defining performance of her career so far (which is saying a lot, when you’re talking about someone who had a central role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon).

As for what Everything Everywhere All at Once is about, it bounces around the multiverse and almost every genre it can, being a family dramedy that’s also about a battle to save not just the universe, but multiple universes. You don’t really know what you’re in for next, at any given point, with the whole film being equal parts silly, profound, gross, confusing, funny, and cathartic, and then it does all that while making some kind of sense… somehow.

1

‘Paprika’ (2006)

Image via Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan

Potentially the most relentless movie here, in terms of pacing (and that’s saying quite a lot), Paprika is intentionally hard to keep up with. People jump in and out of dreamlike worlds, or literal dreams, or a bit of both, and it’s not always clear who’s where and doing what, but most people seem to want a device that lets therapists access the dreams of their patients, all of them wanting it for different reasons.

Paprika takes the idea of such technology, has various characters caught up in a conflict that involves said technology, and then goes a bit wild with it all for about 90 minutes. It’s willing to shake things up every minute or two, usually without warning, and that makes it a dizzying and, for the most part, ultimately thrilling experience. Rewatches help, but also aren’t guaranteed to make Paprika make much more sense than it did the first time around.

Advertisement

Paprika

Advertisement

Release Date

October 1, 2006

Runtime

90 minutes

Advertisement

Director

Satoshi Kon

Advertisement

Writers

Seishi Minakami, Satoshi Kon

Advertisement

• 

  Megumi Hayashibara

  Paprika / Atsuko Chiba (voice)

  Advertisement
• 

  Tohru Emori

  Seijiro Inui (voice)

  Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Marvel fans have had a surplus of Disney Plus content to enjoy this year, including two live-action shows in Wonder Man and Daredevil: Born Again. The former stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley, and after shattering expectations as a binge drop, Marvel shocked the world by renewing the series for Season 2. The latter stars Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio, and after another successful season, Marvel is already shooting the third, which is bringing back even more Defenders. Marvel fans are also preparing to return to theaters for the first MCU movie of 2026 with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is expected to lead directly into Avengers: Doomsday on December 18. However, before sitting down with a large popcorn and your favorite drink in the theater, Marvel’s highest-rated project of all time is here to help bridge the gap.

The series in reference is X-Men ‘97, which returned earlier this week with its long-awaited second season after a two-year hiatus. Marvel fans are also hard at work analyzing potential connections to other projects, and some viewers have called attention to an MCU film from all the way back in Phase Two of the Infinity Saga. During the credits at the end of X-Men ‘97 Season 2, Episode 3, fans noticed that Magneto’s voice actor, Matthew Waterson, was credited with another role, the Celestial, Eson. While Eson did not appear in the 2021 Celestial-centric Marvel film, Eternals, he was seen in a different Marvel project. Eson, who once wielded the Power Stone, showed up in a brief flashback during Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 in 2014. Eson is also the main villain of the Guardians of the Galaxy ride at Disney World. It’s also important to note that Waterson is far from the only voice actor in X-Men ’97 to voice multiple characters. Ross Marquand voices both Professor X and Apocalypse, while Jennifer Hale is the voice of Jean Grey and more than five other characters.

Is Marvel Making Another ‘Eternals’ Movie?

The latest reporting on a potential sequel to Eternals was that the film was planned at one point but shelved after the original movie underwhelmed at the box office and was so divisive among fans. Marvel invested $200 million into the making of Eternals, and the studio certainly would have liked to see it make more than $402 million globally, especially considering this was well short of its break-even point. Only time will tell if Marvel has bigger plans for the Eternals in Avengers: Doomsday or another future project.

Check out the first three episodes of X-Men ‘97 Season 2 on Disney Plus and stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of the show.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Release Date

March 20, 2024

Network

Disney+

Advertisement

Directors

Jake Castorena, Emi Yonemura, Chase Conley

Advertisement

Writers

Charlie Feldman, Anthony Sellitti, Beau DeMayo, JB Ballard

Advertisement

• 
• 

Advertisement

Advertisement

There’s a new champion both in the U.S. and globally on Netflix, and it won’t surprise you to learn it’s the latest in a run of hit Harlan Coben adaptations. Delivering 24 million views in its debut week, I Will Find You has defied mixed reviews and raced to the top of the Netflix charts, outperforming tough competition from the likes of Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Last Ship, and the return of America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Sam Worthington and Britt Lower star in the new Coben adaptation that is sure to be near the top of your watchlist. But what should you binge if you’ve already completed I Will Find You? Here’s a list of three shows you should binge-watch on Netflix this weekend.

For more recommendations, check out our list of the best shows and movies on Netflix.

Disclaimer: These titles are available on US Netflix.

1

‘Survival of the Thickest’ (2023–2026)

Rotten Tomatoes: 93% | IMDb: 7.5/10

In a weekend likely to be dominated by the arrival of Millie Bobby Brown‘s Enola Holmes 3, there’s another returning female star for a third installment that you shouldn’t miss. Survival of the Thickest, the Michelle Buteau-led series that debuted in 2023, follows the newly single Mavis as she tries to reinvent her life alongside her chosen family, including her besties Khalil (Tone Bell) and Marley (Tasha Smith).

Created by Buteau and Danielle Sanchez Witzel, and an adaptation of the former’s collection of essays of the same name, Survival of the Thickest is one of the most underrated shows on Netflix, intelligently moving between over-the-top comedy and heartwarming laughs. Buteau is excellent throughout, supported by I May Destroy You alum Marouane Zotti as Luca, Tone Bell as Khalil, and many others.

2

‘Bloodline’ (2015–2017)

Rotten Tomatoes: 62% | IMDb: 7.8/10

Don’t miss out on one of the most criminally underrated shows on Netflix this weekend. First airing in 2015 as one of Netflix’s earliest original drama series, Bloodline follows the Rayburn family, a highly respected group in their local community, as the skeletons in their closet are ripped out after the black sheep of the family returns home.

Featuring a stand-out performance from Ben Mendelsohn, alongside the likes of Kyle Chandler, Linda Cardellini, and Norbert Leo Butz, Bloodline twists and turns its way through 33 gripping episodes across three seasons. A family drama seeped in tension, the show was an enormous hit with critics, even winning a Primetime Emmy in 2016 for Mendelsohn’s lead performance, among many other nominations.

3

‘Interview With the Vampire’ (2022–Present)

Rotten Tomatoes: 99% | IMDb: 7.6/10

Back on June 7, one of the most addictive fantasy series on streaming finally returned for a third season, titled The Vampire Lestat. Interview with the Vampire, developed by Rolin Jones and adapted from Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles novels, sprinkles a modern twist on the original, as Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) invites Pulitzer-winning reporter Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) to his home to tell his life’s story.

Although the Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise-led movie is a worthy rendition of the source material, this is the closest to perfection yet, both honoring its original and taking smart creative liberties. The latest season takes yet another bold swing and has earned enormous praise from critics, including Collider’s Carly Lane, who wrote that Season 4 is “both a sharp pivot from the straightforwardly formal interview that preceded it and a chaotically thrilling continuation of the existing story.”

Advertisement

Release Date

Advertisement

2022 – 2024-00-00

Network

AMC

Advertisement

Directors

Levan Akin, Alan Taylor, Craig Zisk, Emma Freeman, Keith Powell

Advertisement

Writers

Jonathan Ceniceroz, Coline Abert, Eleanor Burgess, Ben Philippe

Advertisement

• 

  Jacob Anderson

  Advertisement

  Louis de Pointe du Lac

• 

Advertisement

Advertisement

Your friendly neighborhood wallcrawler is caught in a web of mystery in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. In the time since we last saw Tom Holland‘s Peter Parker, he’s tangled with a rogues’ gallery of villains that has grown to include the Scorpion (Michael Mando) and a handful of assassins like Boomerang, Tarantula, and the Hand ninjas. The shadowy Daredevil adversaries seem to be the focus of Det. Jean DeWolff’s (Liza Colón-Zayas) investigation into a string of crimes across New York City, but like any good detective story, the red-clad Hand ninjas could be a red herring for another secret Spider-Man villain from Marvel comic book lore.

Spider-Man’s Easter egg-filled evidence board was on display for a limited time at Peter Parker’s apartment pop-up in Brooklyn, offering the first look at crime boss Tombstone (Marvin “Krondon” Jones III) and a masked man wearing glasses and a suit. That appears to be the Rose, who in the comics is the alter ego of Richard Fisk, son of Spider-Man/Daredevil archnemesis and Kingpin of Crime Wilson Fisk.

Image via Sony Pictures / Marvel Studios

Advertisement

How ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Sets Up ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’

Image via Marvel Studios / Disney+

Spoiler warning for Daredevil: Born Again season 2. By the end of the Marvel Television show’s second season, Peter’s former lawyer Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) outed himself as the vigilante Daredevil in order to take down Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) in a court of law. With Murdock in jail and Fisk in self-exile, it seems the absence of both the Man Without Fear and the Kingpin of Crime leads to a resurgent Hand, as well as a power vacuum that Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) found himself dealing with in The Punisher: One Last Kill.

Enter the Rose. While the circumstances were different, the Born Again storyline from Marvel’s Daredevil comics saw the Kingpin implicated in a crime that ended Fisk’s facade as a legitimate businessman. The aftermath of Born Again unfolded in issues of The Amazing Spider-Man, in which multiple Spider-Man villains — including the Rose and the Hobgoblin — battled to become the new Kingpin of Crime in Fisk’s absence.

A Secret ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Villain Is the MCU’s Kingpin Replacement

Image via Marvel Comics

After the Kingpin disappeared, 1987’s Amazing Spider-Man #284 marked the start of “Gang War,” a five-part arc by writers Tom DeFalco and Jim Owsley and artists Ron Frenz and Brett Breeding. Fisk’s son Richard, having previously adopted a masked identity as the Schemer in a plot to subvert his father’s criminal empire, eventually donned the purple mask of the Rose as the leader of his own criminal syndicate.

In his role as a recurring Spider-Man villain of the 1980s, the Rose sought to undermine the Kingpin and formed a shaky alliance with the Hobgoblin. Fisk’s disappearance created a power vacuum that left the city’s crime lords, like the Rose, Silvermane, and Hammerhead, fighting for control over the New York City underworld, while the Kingpin’s right-hand man (alias the Arranger) was left in charge of his organization.

The Arranger, um, arranged attacks on the cyborg crime lord Silvio “Silvermane” Manfredi and the metal-skulled mobster Hammerhead, hiring the costumed mercenary Jack O’Lantern to take out his rivals. Meanwhile, Rose’s enforcer was the Hobgoblin, who planned his own coup to take over the underworld.

After ‘Brand New Day,’ ‘Spider-Man 5’ Could Cross Over With Daredevil and the Punisher

Image via Marvel Comics

Advertisement

While Spider-Man turns to Castle for help in Brand New Day, a trigger-happy Punisher was more antagonist than ally when he crossed paths with a black-suited Spider-Man during the gang war. (Peter took to wearing a cloth version of his new costume after learning it was a living alien: a symbiote.) Spider-Man also came to blows with Daredevil during “Gang War” when the arachnid avenger intervened to put an end to the escalating violence as it spilled over into the streets — risking innocents getting caught in the crossfire.

The Punisher fought Spider-Man over his interference in the war, which Castle saw as an opportunity for the rival gangs to wipe themselves out. (The gun-toting vigilante would, of course, pick off the rest.) Spider-Man stopped Punisher from killing the gang lords during a meeting at Fisk’s headquarters, leaving the wallcrawler to wrestle with whether he’s responsible for the deaths that might be prevented if he allowed a bazooka-firing Punisher to put a swift end to the war.

Murdock also objected to Spider-Man’s intervention in the gang war. The blind lawyer argued that their mutual enemy must be allowed to return to New York due to the Kingpin’s stabilizing influence over the underworld, and that Fisk should be brought to justice through legal means. Once the Kingpin officially returned from Europe in Amazing Spider-Man #287, it was revealed Fisk knew the Rose’s secret identity as he put into motion a plan to end the feud with his son and the weeks-long gang war.

If Kingpin Isn’t the ‘Spider-Man 5’ Villain, It Could Be a ‘Brand New’ Foe

Image via Marvel Comics

Amazing Spider-Man #288 saw Spider-Man, Daredevil, Black Cat, and the Falcon team up in the conclusion to “Gang War.” The Punisher planned to ambush a meeting of Kingpin’s lieutenants, who Fisk planned to offer to the police as a token gesture for aiding his return. (The ruse allowed Fisk to smuggle his wife, Vanessa Fisk, safely out of the city after an attempt on her life.) It turned out that Spider-Man was a pawn used by both Daredevil and Fisk, who ultimately ended the gang war while retaking his place as Kingpin of a decimated criminal empire.

The pieces are there for similar events to take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, albeit with some major changes: Ayelet Zurer’s Vanessa is off the proverbial chess board, and unlike her comic book counterpart, the Daredevil villainess didn’t share a son with Fisk. So who could be the Rose in Spider-Man: Brand New Day? If not Richard Fisk, a potential alternative is Byron “Butch” Pharris, Wilson Fisk’s illegitimate son from the comics who once replaced him as the new Kingpin.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters July 31.

Advertisement

Release Date

July 31, 2026

Advertisement

Runtime

150 Minutes

Director

Advertisement

Destin Daniel Cretton

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Protest music has been a constant in the industry since its beginning. Just like any art, music is a form of expression, and the thoughts and feelings expressed often stem from the situations in the world around us. Like any piece of art, music is up for interpretation, and this is part of its beauty. However, this means that some people will interpret music without fully understanding it. Ascribing a meaning to a song without fully dissecting the lyrics. This is the case for many political anthems throughout rock music. “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen often gets discussed around the Fourth of July, as it stands out as a prime example of a critique of America that gets propped up as patriotic. Another great example of this, however, comes from earlier in rock’s history. A song often associated with American forces descending into the Vietnam War, that’s really advocating for anything but, “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR).

The True Meaning of “Fortunate Son”

“Fortunate Son,” like many CCR songs, is the product of legendary songwriter John Fogerty. What makes “Fortunate Son” so resonant is its raw simplicity and vitriolic anger. The track’s first verse establishes people “born to wave the flag” who are “red, white, and blue,” However, when the government arrives (“the band plays Hail to the Chief,”) these same people throw you into danger for their own personal gains, or for the “greater good of the country” (“They’ll point the cannon at you.”)

In this case, Fogerty is referencing the Vietnam War draft and “draft dodgers”. From 1964 to 1973, all men between the ages of 18 and 26 had to register to be drafted. This was a lottery system where, by birthdate, men were forced to enlist in the United States Military to fight the Vietnam War. Many men attempted to avoid military service by any means possible, but this was easiest for those who had an immense amount of privilege and power. Some of these men were allegedly able to use financial and political connections to stave off military service altogether or join the military in a role that’d exclude them from the frontline conflict of Vietnam.

The Real Target of “Fortunate Son”

Image via PBS

Due to the popularity of “Fortunate Son,” there has been a lot of speculation about the “true subject” of the song. These theories have not been helped by the fact that the most direct hint Fogerty drops in the song “I ain’t no senator’s son” is a red herring. According to Fogerty himself in an interview for the book Bad Moon Rising, “During the Vietnam War, these were the people who didn’t have to go to war. I was thinking about David Eisenhower, the grandson of (former President) Dwight, who married Julie Nixon.

This condemnation of one man can be extended to the entire role of class privilege in the Vietnam war. In an interview for Up Around The Bend: An Oral History of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fogerty said, “I was mad at the specter of the ordinary kid who had to serve in an army in a war that he was very much against. Yet the sons of the well-to-do and powerful didn’t have to worry about those things. They were fortunate. I thought all these guys were running around saying, “It’s good for America,” — Nixon or whoever was saying this. Yet their kids ain’t going.” Eventually, Eisenhower did join the military in 1970, a year after the release of “Fortunate Son,” but was stationed aboard a ship in the Mediterranean as an officer.

Pop Culture Dull’s the Edge of “Fortunate Son”

Image via Paramount

The popularity of the track at the time of release, being used to condemn the war, made it an overall standout of the era. Therefore, it came first of mind for directors wanting to invoke the time period musically. Most famously, the track features in Forrest Gump, as Gump, played by Tom Hanks, touches down to begin his service in Vietnam. The film does showcase some of the horrors of the Vietnam War, most notably with the death of Gump’s friend Bubba later on. When the song is used, though, it’s as a transition between a somber scene of Gump and his mother before he leaves for service to Gump’s arrival at camp. The scene is mostly accompanied by shots of helicopters, guns, and the fellow service members at the camp. This gives the track more of a set dressing feel, rather than addressing it’s commentary.

Due to the popularity of Forrest Gump, “Fortunate Son” has become known as the “Vietnam movie song,” even if it’s actual appearances in films are far fewer than that reputation would imply. The track’s first film appearance was in the documentary Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam (1987), which predates Forrest Gump by three years. It would then be used in films like Die Hard 4.0 (2007), Battleship (2012), Suicide Squad (2016), War Dogs (2016) and Logan Lucky (2017). While some of these are war movies, none of them are about Vietnam. Still, the song became associated as a soundtrack for the war. It was used in Battlefield: Vietnam which can be seen in a gag in Season 16, Episode 16 of Family Guy where Glen Quagmire tells Peter Griffin that the thing he was most unprepared for in Vietnam was the non-stop playing of “Fortunate Son.” This then cuts away to Quagmire in agony as the song plays in every waking, and sleeping moment of his time in Vietnam.

Misunderstanding of the Song in Modern Politics

“Fortunate Son” has continued to make headlines this decade, as in 2020, President Donald Trump used the song at a rally. The choice came under scrutiny because of how the song’s lyrics relate to Trump, not only in terms of his generational wealth, but also in how Trump has been accused of faking bone spurs in his feet to avoid serving in Vietnam. Fogerty commented on Trump’s use of the song, saying, “I find it confusing, I would say, that the president has chosen to use my song for his political rallies, when in fact it seems like he is probably the Fortunate Son.” The discourse around this use by Trump and his team shows that there is still a misunderstanding of the track that survives to this day.

The song still remains a Fourth of July classic. In some ways, protest rock, calling out the flaws in the system with the intent of fixing them, is exactly what the Declaration of Independence served to do 250 years ago. However, using the track as a blatant pro-America anthem is disingenuous to the original point of the song.

Advertisement

Forrest Gump

Advertisement

Release Date

July 6, 1994

Runtime

142 minutes

Advertisement

Director

Robert Zemeckis

Advertisement

Writers

Eric Roth, Winston Groom

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Lewis Hamilton had the crowd smiling ahead of the British Grand Prix after a playful fan question led him to give his girlfriend, Kim Kardashian, a rare public shoutout. 

The Ferrari star was speaking on stage at Silverstone when the lighthearted exchange took an unexpected turn, prompting laughter from both Hamilton and the audience. 

While the seven-time world champion praised his new team, he also made sure to credit one very special person for his recent happiness.

Lewis Hamilton took to the fan stage at Silverstone on Thursday alongside Oliver Bearman, Lando Norris, Arvid Lindblad, and George Russell ahead of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix.

During the Q&A session, one fan couldn’t resist asking the question many had been wondering about. “You’ve been a happier man recently why’s that? Could that be a girlfriend?” the fan asked per the Daily Mail.

Before Hamilton could answer, broadcaster David Croft jumped in with a joke that immediately drew laughter from the crowd. 

“You know why he’s asking? He just needs to know if Kimi needs two towels or not,” Croft quipped. Hamilton laughed before replying, “Yeah – that’s a good one.” 

The 41-year-old initially shifted the conversation toward his career, speaking proudly about joining one of Formula 1’s most iconic teams.

“Once you spend a year with this team, Ferrari is the most iconic team of all time, and they’ve had a difficult period of time,” he said.

Hamilton Praises Ferrari Before Giving Kardashian A Sweet Nod

Although Lewis Hamilton spent much of his answer reflecting on Ferrari’s progress, he didn’t ignore the question entirely. He praised the team for embracing him during a challenging first season.

“It’s such an amazing team and they’ve been so welcoming. The first year was obviously very tough but to finally see the hard work we’ve been putting in, it’s finally get us back to where we want to be,” he said.

Then, with a smile, Hamilton gave the answer many fans had been waiting for. “And of course, of course it’s Kim,” he added. 

The heartfelt moment came during a busy day at Silverstone, where M&S hosted its first-ever fashion takeover on the circuit’s famous pit lane.

Several celebrities attended the event, including Jodie Kidd and “Made In Chelsea” star Oliver Proudlock, adding even more glamour to one of Formula 1’s biggest race weekends.

Lewis Hamilton’s Girlfriend Finally Addresses The Famous Towel Incident

Hamilton’s playful comment also revived memories of one of Formula 1’s most talked-about viral moments involving Kim Kardashian.

Following Kimi Antonelli’s Monaco Grand Prix victory earlier this year, the socialite attracted attention after cameras captured her picking up a towel left for the young Mercedes driver.

After grabbing the towel, she removed her sunglasses and wiped her face following the traditional champagne celebrations.

Advertisement

The moment quickly spread across social media and even Mercedes decided to join the fun. In a video released by the team, Antonelli jokingly asked, “I was wondering, have you seen my towel?”

Another clip later showed the 19-year-old climbing out of his car after practice, before once again asking, “Have you seen my towel?”

This time, he was handed a fresh white towel embroidered with the words, “To Kimi from Kim.” Wrapping it around his neck, Antonelli smiled and replied, “Thank you Kim.”

Hamilton And Kardashian’s Romance Has Continued To Grow

Lewis Hamilton and Kim Kardashian were first romantically linked earlier this year, but the British Grand Prix marked the couple’s first public outing filled with noticeable displays of affection.

Since their relationship became public, the pair have reportedly enjoyed several trips together, including a getaway to Japan, a weekend at Estelle Manor in England’s Cotswolds, and a visit to Paris in early February.

Advertisement

They also made headlines during the 2026 Super Bowl when they appeared together on the stadium’s giant screen during the game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.

Although both have enjoyed high-profile relationships in the past, sources believe this romance is built on a much stronger foundation.

“Because their relationship started with a friendship first, those closest to them believe this could be the endgame for them both,” one source told Us Weekly.

The insider added, “They are both very committed to making things work no matter how long the distance is or how busy they are.”

Advertisement

Lewis Hamilton And Kim Kardashian Are Reportedly Taking Things Seriously

As their relationship continues to develop, those close to the couple say Kardashian is equally invested.

The SKIMS founder, who shares children North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm with ex-husband Kanye West, is reportedly making time for Hamilton despite their demanding schedules.

A source recently told PEOPLE, “[Lewis is] just an easy-going guy with great energy. Her family likes him and Kim’s very into him.”

The insider added that although both stars have busy careers, they continue to prioritize seeing each other whenever possible. 

According to the source, the pair have “more than just a casual connection. It takes a lot to capture Kim’s interest and she’s definitely intrigued.”

Advertisement

Amal Clooney just made the case for retiring skinny jeans at the airport. Her latest travel outfit struck that perfect balance between polished and comfortable, proving flared denim can look just as sophisticated while offering a little more room to move. The best part? You can recreate the look on Amazon for just $44.

On June 29, the human rights lawyer was photographed departing Milan with George Clooney wearing light-wash flared jeans, a navy top, a structured black blazer, a leather shoulder bag and her signature oversized sunglasses. The easy, elevated combination feels just as appropriate for catching a flight as it does for heading straight to lunch after landing. It’s the kind of timeless travel outfit that’s equal parts chic and practical.

Get the Levi’s 726 High Rise Flare Jeans for $44 (Was $75) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.

The Levi’s 726 High Rise Flare Jeans capture the same easy airport vibe without the designer price tag. Available for $44 on Amazon, they feature a high-rise waist, a cotton-blend fabric with a hint of stretch and a subtle flare that creates a long, lean silhouette. It’s the kind of timeless denim you’ll reach for long after your next vacation.

Related: Copy Gisele Bündchen’s Beach Style With These $18 Linen Pants

Advertisement

Gisele Bündchen has mastered effortless beach style, and her latest look is one we’ll be recreating all summer long. The supermodel recently wore a pair of relaxed khaki linen pants that instantly elevated her casual outfit, proving that lightweight wide-leg trousers are one of the chicest staples to own this season. Bündchen offered fans a […]

The jeans come in Amal’s light wash, plus darker denim, khaki and several other colors. They hug at the waist and hips before gradually flaring below the knee, while short, regular, and long inseams make it easier to find the right length, whether you’re petite or tall. Sizes range from 24 to 46.

More than 2,400 Amazon shoppers have given the jeans a five-star rating. One reviewer called them “very flattering,” saying the fitted waist and hips flow into a “balanced silhouette.” Another shopper who traded in skinny jeans called them “such a flattering switch,” praising the “long leg illusion” the flared shape creates.

If Amal’s airport outfit has you reconsidering your denim drawer, this Levi pair is an easy place to start. They’re comfortable enough for travel, polished enough for everyday wear and classic enough to outlast passing trends. At just $44, they’re an effortless way to refresh your jeans collection before your next trip.

Get the Levi’s 726 High Rise Flare Jeans for $44 (Was $75) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.

Looking for something else? Explore more from Levi’s here and don’t forget to check out all of Amazon’s Daily Deals for more great finds!

UsNow Summer Sale Alert: These Chic Fashion Finds are over 30% off – Plus Free Shipping

Welcome to summer with our biggest sale of the year. This summer’s chicest dresses, tops and swimsuits are all over 30% + free shipping. Inventory is limited so hurry before they’re gone.

Shop the UsNow Summer Sale –>

Related: Margot Robbie’s Fishnet Flats Are the ‘It’ Girl Shoe of Summer 2026

Margot Robbie just made a convincing case for swapping sneakers for something a little chicer this summer. The actress was recently spotted walking through the airport in tan fishnet ballet flats, proving the airy style is quickly becoming the unexpected ‘It’ girl shoe of the season. The best part? You can copy the look on […]

Advertisement