The 2026 Winter Olympics are officially here — and Team USA is arriving in Italy with star power, storylines and sky-high expectations. 

As the world’s best athletes descend on Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, all eyes are on the Americans: from Ilia Malinin’s can’t-miss moment in men’s figure skating to Mikaela Shiffrin’s long-awaited redemption tour on the slopes, and Madison Chock and Evan Bates chasing gold as newlyweds in their fourth Olympic Games together. 

With pressure mounting and history on the line, these athletes aren’t just competing for medals — they’re skating, skiing and sliding into some of the most defining moments of their careers. 

Us Weekly spoke exclusively to some of Team USA’s biggest stars as they prepare to take center stage when the Milano Cortina Games kick off February 6. 

Redemption Mode

Some of the most powerful Olympic stories are born from heartbreak.

In 2022, alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin arrived in Beijing as a heavy favorite, expected to dominate the slopes. Instead, she suffered a stunning series of DNFs (Did Not Finish) and left without a medal. “A lot of people who were tuning into Mikaela Shiffrin for her biggest race were tuning in when I didn’t win a medal,” Shiffrin tells Us. “They were saying, ‘Don’t even come home. You failed us. You didn’t bring home any gold.’” 

The emotional weight of that moment has stayed with her — and reshaped her perspective heading into 2026. “That’s the hardest thing or the most loaded thing, and I’m very aware of it now, emotionally and mentally,” she continues. “The hurdle I’ve been working on with my team and with my psychologist and with my family and everybody around me is: We could go to these Games and we could do everything right, and it could still go wrong.” 

Now, coming off a dominant season that saw her make World Cup history, Shiffrin, 30, is embracing a different mindset. “Going into [the Olympics] as an athlete, you’ve really got to be open-minded,” she explains. “Now that we have all of this in- formation, all of this experience, could we boil it down a little bit and remember that we’re just ski racing here?” 

Redemption is also front and center for the U.S. women’s figure skating team, which heads into Milan Cortina with unfinished business. After leaving Beijing without the gold many believed was within reach, the Americans are skating with something to prove — and the depth to do it. 

Amber Glenn, Isabeau Levito and Alysa Liu headline a stacked field, blending technical firepower with hard-earned experience on the world stage. For these skat- ers, 2026 isn’t just another Olympic cycle — it’s a chance to turn lingering frustration into gold. 

“If we do our jobs in Milan, then more than likely some- one is going to be up there,” Glenn has said of the podium.

American Pride

For many athletes, the Olympics represent more than medals — they’re a rare chance to unite a country. 

“It’s one of the greatest honors to be able to go to the Olympics and represent the U.S.,” ice dancer Madison Chock, 33, tells Us. “For us being Americans, we have such pride in our patriotism and really, the American dream.” 

That responsibility isn’t lost on veterans like hockey player Hilary Knight, who will compete in her fifth and final Games. “If you want to call us sports ambassadors or sports envoys, we can have an impact on someone’s life in a small way,” Knight, 36, says. “I do think there’s a greater responsibility when you’re representing your country on the world stage.” 

Honorary coach and NBC correspondent Snoop Dogg agrees. “One thing about the Olympics that I love is that it gives me a chance to be in front of people to represent what Americans look like, what we feel like, how we love, how we appreciate,” he’s said. 

High-Stakes Drama

If any event captures the emotional intensity of the Olympics, it’s figure skating — and few understand that better than Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir. 

“You hear the music, you see the rings, there’s this magic to it,” says Lipinski, 43, who won gold at the 1998 Nagano Olympics at just 15 years old. “I think that’s why the whole world loves this event. It’s one of these things where you realize that this group of athletes has sacrificed their whole life. They’re building to this one moment in time. It’s four minutes on the ice that could change their entire life.” 

For Lipinski, that emotional cocktail is exactly what makes the sport unforgettable. 

“It’s everything you could want,” she adds. “The pressure, the suspense, the glitz, the glamour.” 

Now working together as NBC Sports analysts, Lipinski and Weir experience those moments from the booth — but the nerves never disappear. 

“Figure skating isn’t known as the most hugs and kisses, warm and fuzzy sport,” Weir, 41, explains. “But we all appreciate how small and niche and special this family is. As the older generation watching the younger generation of skaters, we want the best for them because we know exactly how it feels to be in their shoes.” 

Snowboarder Chloe Kim, 25, has already had a front-row seat to Olympic drama before even strapping in. The reigning halfpipe superstar entered the season sidelined by a torn labrum in her shoulder that left her status uncertain. 

For the athlete, the weeks leading up to the Games became a test of patience and resilience — rehabbing, recalibrating and waiting to see if her body would cooperate in time. Whether she’s at full strength or fighting to find her rhythm, Kim arrives carrying the emotional weight of a comeback that started long before the Opening Ceremony. 

Must-Watch Phenom

The Olympic experience is one unlike any other — with athletes from all over the world converging in one place, each chasing a moment of immortality. Sixteen different sports disciplines will be featured in Milano Cortina, with more than 3,500 athletes representing 93 countries. 

And while the depth of competition is staggering, a select few still rise above the noise and become must-watch storylines. One of them is Team USA’s Ilia Malinin, who will have all eyes on him when the men’s figure skating competition begins. 

“There’s kind of different ways I approach it,” Malinin, 21, tells Us. “I like to embrace it a lot, especially closer to a competition. Feeling that pressure is kind of like, ‘OK, everyone’s looking at me. Now I really need to be at my best. Be on my A-game.’”

But even the sport’s most dominant skater admits the pressure can cut both ways. 

“There’s also days that won’t be the best days,” he continues. “A lot of the time, what I’ll do is say, ‘OK, there’s a lot of pressure on me, let me just block this out and focus on what I really need to do and try not to think about people’s expectations of me.”

Nicknamed the Quad God, Malinin knows fans often see him as untouchable — something he’s eager to challenge on Olympic ice.

“Everyone sees me at competitions and I’m just so focused, I’m really in a different mindset where I’m pretty much as perfect as I can be,” Malinin explains. “But in reality, I’m not perfect. I’ll have bad days, I’ll have good days. It’s really the thing that tells people, ‘Oh, he’s really human like the rest of us.’”

The MVPs You Won’t See on the Podium

Beyond the athletes, the Games will be stacked with scene-stealing personalities, led by Snoop Dogg, who’s returning as an on-air commentator and cultural ambassador — and promising to keep things anything but predictable. 

“You know, one thing about me, I’m unexpected, I’m unorthodox, but I’m always full of fun,” Snoop tells Us, adding that his mission is “making sure that America is represented in a peaceful, beautiful way to the globe.” 

While he’s happy to entertain Olympic viewers, the rapper admits he’s still learning — though there’s one event already at the top of his watch list. “I think the sport I’m looking forward to the most [is] figure skating, because I just really, truly appreciate and love the art and the craft that it takes to become a figure skater,” he says — especially with the music, the fashion and the possibility that “my girl, Martha Stewart, may meet me out there at the front row of the figure skating final.”

He’ll be joined around the Olympic universe by Flavor Flav, official sponsor and “hype-man” for the USA Bobsled and Skeleton team, bringing his trademark energy as an enthusiastic supersupporter in the stands. Also on board: Stanley Tucci, who’s set to lend his signature charm and sophistication to cultural and culinary storytelling from Italy — proving that at these Games, the characters off the field may be just as compelling as the competition itself. 

Vonn Is Back — and So Is the NHL

The 2026 Games mark a couple of noteworthy returns: skier Lindsey Vonn and NHL players participating in the Olympics for the first time since 2014 in Sochi. 

Vonn, 41, who last competed in the Olympics in 2018, announced her return to the sport in November 2024 and earned a spot on the team in December 2025, a miraculous comeback that felt nearly unfathomable after having a partial knee replacement just months before coming out of retirement. 

“But after a successful season that saw her reach the podium in seven of eight races, the legend declared, “I’m not the underdog anymore!” Vonn, a three-time Olympic medalist, reflected, “This is 24 years after my first Olympics. I’ve won everything I could have ever won. I’m not doing this to prove anything to anyone. I’m doing this because I think I can do well, it’s a meaningful place for me, and I think I can make a positive impact.”

Despite tearing her ACL during a World Cup race in Switzerland just days before the start of the Games, Vonn said she still intended on competing.

“I know what my chances in these Olympics were before this crash, and even though my chances aren’t the same now, there is still a chance,” she shared via Instagram. “And as long as I have a chance, I will not lose hope. I will not give up! It’s not over yet!”

Men’s hockey will also be a focal point, as the NHL’s best players will represent their home countries for the first time in over a decade. 

New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes will play for Team USA alongside his older brother, Quinn Hughes, which means the entire Hughes family is looking forward to a European vacation. 

“A bunch of my cousins, aunts and uncles are making the trip,” Jack, 24, tells Us. “We’ve got some friends coming over, too. All the people in our lives are so excited to be part of this. It’s such a special event. You never know if we’ll be able to go back.”

Pomp and Circumstance

Of course, no Olympics would be complete without the spectacle. The 2026 Games officially kick off February 6 with a massive Opening Ceremony at Milano San Siro Olympic Stadium — a moment athletes say never gets old. 

This year’s will feature performances from global super stars Mariah Carey and Italian icon Andrea Bocelli, setting the stage with equal parts star power and national pride. “I’m just looking forward to soaking it all in,” bobsledder Boone Niederhofer says.

For Chock, the spotlight is a reminder of what it took to get there. “It’s the years, decades of work that you put in,” she says. “But that’s what makes the Olympics special.” 

And when the Games draw to a close, the celebration will come full circle at the Closing Ceremony on February 22 at the historic Arena di Verona, where athletes finally get to exhale, celebrate their accomplishments and pass the Olympic flame forward — a final, emotional send off to two unforgettable weeks in Italy. 

Few people are as good as Stevie Nicks at writing songs that pierce right through your soul. Both in her solo work and with Fleetwood Mac, she has written the best songs about love, heartbreak, and loss. Ever since she was very young, she has known how to capture the rawest feelings in her songs. In fact, she wrote her most heartbreaking song when she was just 25. This track went on to become one of Fleetwood Mac’s greatest hits, and it’s hard to believe it was written by a person in her 20s.

Stevie Nicks Wrote This Song About a Difficult Time in Her Life

Stevie Nicks is the mastermind behind several hits about heartbreak and love. “Silver Springs” is the perfect example. In it, Nicks expresses raw anger, pain, love, and revenge. But while this song might be more aggressive in its heartbreak, there is another song that will quietly devastate the listener, and might be the best Fleetwood Mac song. That song is “Landslide.”

In 1973, Stevie Nicks was dating bandmate Lindsey Buckingham. The couple had recently released their album, the first and only one the duo put out, and their future was uncertain. Nicks was accompanying her partner on a trip to Aspen, Colorado, to a rehearsal, because Buckingham had joined Don Everly’s band as a touring musician. It was a difficult time for the couple. Their album, “Buckingham Nicks,” hadn’t done so well, and they were questioning what their next step should be. “It was horrifying to Lindsey and I because we had a taste of the big time, we recorded in a big studio, we met famous people, we made what we consider to be a brilliant record and nobody liked it,” Stevie Nicks explained.

Buckingham had joined Don Everly’s band not because he wanted to be a touring musician, but because they were struggling financially. Meanwhile, Stevie Nicks was working odd jobs. “I had been a waitress and a cleaning lady, and I didn’t mind any of this. I was perfectly delighted to work and support us so that Lindsey could produce and work and fix our songs and make our music.” However, after having had their chance with “Buckingham Nicks,” the prospect of going back to what they used to do felt wrong. “I had gotten to a point where it was like, ‘I’m not happy. I am tired. But I don’t know if we can do any better than this. If nobody likes this, then what are we going to do?’”

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“Landslide” Represents Stevie Nicks’ Decision Not to Give Up

“Landslide” is not only a solid track and a moving song; it’s, in a way, the reason why Fleetwood Mac exists. Nicks spent two weeks with Lindsey Buckingham in Aspen while he was rehearsing, and she wrote “Landslide” while they were there. She was reflecting on their future, and the lyrics, while they are now seen as a beautiful metaphor, were very literal at the time.

“I made a decision to continue. “Landslide” was the decision,” Stevie Nicks explained. “‘When you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills’—it’s the only time in my life that I’ve lived in the snow,” she revealed. In Aspen, she was “looking up at those Rocky Mountains and going, ‘Okay, we can do it. I’m sure we can do it.’ In one of my journal entries, it says, ‘I took Lindsey and said, We’re going to the top!’ And that’s what we did. Within a year, Mick Fleetwood called us, and we were in Fleetwood Mac.”

Stevie Nicks was only 25 years old when she wrote this song, which makes it even more impressive. The lyrics, and particularly the chorus, make it seem like it was written by an older person looking back on their life. “Time makes you bolder / Even children get older / And I’m gettin’ older, too,” she sings longingly. She might have been young, but she had lived a lot of life in those short 25 years. She had fallen in love with the man who would become her songwriting partner long after the relationship was over. She had tried and failed at music, and was still about to make a huge impact in the music world. She just didn’t know it. The commercial failure of “Buckingham Nicks” was a low blow for both of them, but Stevie Nicks was wise enough to reflect on the ups and downs in life, putting it into words in a way that shows that even then, she was wise beyond her years. And just like that, she turned her uncertainty and fear into one of the greatest songs ever written.

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Captain Kirk and his crew soon discover their advanced technology is due to cultural interference by a Federation scientist called Bayne. Bayne was to be played by the iconic and notorious Milton Berle.

By Saralyn Smith
| Published 22 seconds ago

Norman Spinrad thought the script he wrote in 1967 called “He Walked Among Us” had been lost to time until it showed up with an autograph-seeking fan at a convention.  The fan scanned the faded script and emailed it to Spinrad, who has published it as an e-book.

Captain Kirk Versus Milton Berle

The script had the Enterprise encountering a primitive race called the Jugali, who used technology that should have been well beyond their ability to develop. Captain Kirk and his crew soon discover their advanced technology is due to cultural interference by a Federation scientist called Bayne. Bayne was to be played by the iconic and notorious Milton Berle.

Bayne had good intentions, but as things often do in science fiction, those good intentions result in unintended consequences. Because of his interference, the Jugali begin worshipping Bayne as a god. Captain Kirk’s job is to get him out of there without further damaging the Jugali.

The whole Bayne is a god mess would have ended up being comedic, had the script made it on screen. But that’s not what the script’s writer, Conrad Spinrad intended. So he set out to sabotage his own episode of Star Trek.

How Conrad Spinrad Killed His Own Star Trek Script

By Spinrad’s own account, the screenplay was a victim of a sometimes terrible but integral part of big- and small-screen productions: the rewrite. Roddenberry originally commissioned a dramatic script from Spinrad that would feature Milton Berle (and an “overgrown backlot village set” Roddenberry was apparently fond of). Berle — who was commonly referred to as “Mr. Television” — was arguably the biggest television star in the medium’s history and was mostly known for comedy.

The Star Trek line producer wasn’t aware that Berle could also do drama, though, and rewrote Spinrad’s script into “an unfunny comedy.” Spinrad was so disgusted and ashamed of the rewrite that he campaigned against its production: “This is so lousy, Gene [Roddenberry], that you should kill it!” I told him. “You can’t, you shouldn’t shoot this thing! Read it and weep!”

His pleas paid off, and the script was never filmed, but that also meant he never received any of the residuals that would have gone along with a produced syndicated episode.  Eventually, Spinard made at least a little money off his work by publishing the script for fans to read. 

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By Robert Scucci
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Sometimes a thriller is just a little too on the nose, and it loses its ability to generate suspense because you already know all of the beats going into it. 2001’s The Glass House is a masterclass in setting you up for what you already know is going to happen, which is a shame because it’s acted and shot well, but its screenplay never allows the viewer to read between the lines. It’s your classic story about two teenagers getting adopted by their wealthy godparents and given a living situation that seems too good to be true.

As you would expect, everything seems too good to be true because it is. The Glass House makes the fatal mistake of laying all of its cards on the table far too early to allow for a satisfying payoff, and since things escalate quickly, its entire premise gets pushed into absurd territory before you even realize that the antagonists have the last name Glass and live inside of a literal glass house. If you find yourself wondering, “What could possibly go wrong here?” you’ll figure it out quickly.

Those Who Live In Glass Houses … 

Showing its namesake in both a figurative and painfully literal sense, The Glass House wastes no time setting up its conflict. Sixteen-year-old Ruby (Leelee Sobieski) and her 11-year-old brother Rhett Baker are orphaned when their parents, David (Michael O’Keefe) and Grace (Rita Wilson), are tragically killed in a car wreck after celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary. After the funeral, Ruby and Rhett learn that they’re going to live with Terry (Stellan Skarsgard) and Erin (Diane Lane) Glass, an exceedingly wealthy couple who go way back with the Baker family.

Before transitioning to their new living situation, Ruby is informed by her parents’ trust fund lawyer, Alvin Begleiter (Bruce Dern), that she and her brother will never have to worry about money as adults, thanks to their parents’ smart financial decisions before their deaths.

Almost immediately, you can tell something is off. Terry makes sexual passes at Ruby, while Rhett is bought off with the newest video game systems to keep him distracted from the familial and financial malfeasance that’s about to take place. Terry owns a luxury car dealership, and Ruby witnesses him being threatened by loan sharks after he talks about his new “personal piggy bank.” Erin, a prominent physician in the area, is seen on more than one occasion shooting up drugs and blacking out in the living room, which she always explains away as her daily insulin needed to treat her diabetes.

Though the authorities eventually get involved in The Glass House, there’s not much that Alvin can do when Ruby voices her concerns to him. Ruby’s private conversations with Alvin, the social workers, as well as her personal emails, are seemingly reviewed by Terry ahead of time, resulting in him always having the perfect answer when questioned about the family dynamic by a third party. We know the Glass family is up to no good, and we know Ruby and Rhett are in danger, so there isn’t much tension baked into the movie. The setup makes no other outcome possible, which leaves you hoping there’s something you’re missing that could actually generate suspense.

When In Doubt, Listen To The Film Score

The biggest issue I take with The Glass House is its patronizing sound design and film score. The music itself is fine and exactly what you’d expect from a thriller, but it also serves as a blunt cue for every sinister thing happening inside the Glass residence. Ruby snoops around while Terry watches her every move, waiting to confront her, so of course the string section is brooding and plucky, with the occasional dissonant piano notes stabbing through the mix. Every single crescendo exists to tell you that a jump scare or reveal is coming.

Terry and Erin are picture-perfect during the day, but the second the sun sets, they’re arguing behind closed doors, and Terry starts doing his dirty work. Ruby begins the film as a troubled, directionless student going through a rebellious phase, and then she’s suddenly the most perceptive teenager you’ve ever seen, clocking all of Terry’s problematic behavior and skillfully manipulating her way out of a horrifying home life.

The Glass House, which is supposed to function as a thriller, has zero thrills because every trope is used to its fullest, and all of them lead to their most obvious conclusion. If you’ve never seen a thriller, it works as a solid primer for newcomers or younger audiences because it wears all of its conventions on its sleeve, which isn’t inherently a bad thing if you’re just trying to familiarize yourself with the beats before moving on to something more refined. If you’re already deep into the genre, though, this one probably won’t offer much beyond frustration.

As of this writing, The Glass House is streaming on Netflix.

Jordon Hudson appears to have broken her silence after reports emerged that her boyfriend, Bill Belichick, will not be a first-ballot pick for the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Hudson, 24, shared a screenshot of an email notifying her of a canceled order from the Pro Football Hall of Fame online store via Instagram on Tuesday, February 3. Hudson appeared to order three iron-on patches featuring the organization’s logo for $9.99 each.

The order “was canceled because of unforeseen circumstances and your payment has not yet been refunded,” the email noted.

The former college cheerleader captioned the post, “Hey @profootballhof, what were the ‘unforeseen circumstances’? 🤣.”

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Bill Belichick‘s relationship with Jordon Hudson has everyone’s attention for their 48-year age gap. The couple sparked romance rumors in 2023 when they were spotted on multiple public outings. Several NFL players subsequently poked fun at his love life. “Belichick’s a smooth operator,” Travis Kelce said on a June 2024 episode of his and Jason […]

ESPN reported on January 26 that Belichick, 73, did not receive enough votes required to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, citing sources close to the process. The Athletic corroborated ESPN’s report on January 27.

The former New England Patriots coach guided the Patriots to six Super Bowl victories out of nine appearances during his tenure from 2000 to 2023. Since 2025, he has been head coach of the University of North Carolina college football team.

A spokesperson for the Hall of Fame previously declined to comment on Belichick’s inclusion in this year’s class.

“The Pro Football Hall of Fame does not comment on the voting of the Selection Committee and awaits the unveiling of the Class of 2026 at NFL Honors on February 5 in San Francisco,” the spokesperson told ESPN.

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For decades, Bill Belichick was best known as the celebrated NFL coach of the New England Patriots, the team he brought to Super Bowl victory six times during his 24-year tenure. Sports fans respected his gruff, no-nonsense style (some of his most memorable catchphrases include “Do your job” and “No days off”). But in 2024, […]

Many of Belichick’s former colleagues came to his defense after the news broke.

“There had to be some voters that have some ill will against Coach Bill Belichick, for whatever reason,” former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski said on the Thursday, January 29, episode of the Today show. “But that should be, you know, overlooked. It’s all about résumé, and Coach Belichick has the résumé. I mean, eight Super Bowls … this guy has the résumé.”

Gronkowski, 36, continued, “And on top of it, how many lives he has touched and how many opportunities he has given to former players and coaches as well? I mean, Coach Belichick 100 percent deserved to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He’s clearly gonna get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but he was definitely snubbed over the last couple days.”

“I just think that to me, I don’t understand it,” Tom Brady said. “I mean, I was with him every day. If he’s not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, there’s really no coach that should ever be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, which is completely ridiculous because people deserve it. He’s incredible. There’s no coach I’d rather play for. If I’m picking one coach to go out there, to win a Super Bowl, give me one season, I’m taking Bill Belichick.”

Belichick and Hudson, who have a 48-year age gap, made their romance official in October 2024.

After Belichick’s apparent snub, comedian Jimmy Kimmel cracked a joke about the couple’s relationship during his monologue on an episode of his late night show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!

“Bill Belichick is a bit of a jerk and a bit of a cheater, but he absolutely should have been voted into the Hall of Fame,” Kimmel quipped last week. “The guy has been winning Super Bowls longer than his girlfriend has been alive.”

Kimmel previously joked about the couple’s age gap in April 2025, telling viewers, “I got to say, I love this relationship. I can’t get enough of those two. It’s like they need a reality show. It’s like The Golden Bachelor meets the regular Bachelorette.”