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By Lauren Giella
Senior Reporter
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In a pop culture landscape that cranks out new microcelebrities each week, it's important to remember the enduring cultural institutions that bring us together. From the celebration of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to the lasting legacy of NBA icon Dwyane Wade and the excitement of a new addition to the Hunger Games franchise—especially when a new Jennifer Lawrence single hits the film soundtrack—people are reminded of the joy of monoculture. Even newer additions like Nobody Wants This bring an old-school rom-com feel to the streaming world, while Heidi Klum unexpectedly gets Batman fans stirring as they await a much-anticipated sequel.
Photo illustration by Newsweek/Getty
Thanksgiving: Everybody Loves a Parade!
After celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary, the holiday season brings another major milestone for a beloved American institution.
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The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has its 100th edition this year. And to mark the occasion, organizers are flying 100 giant inflatables, from new additions like a Christmas-themed Bluey to vintage favorites like Felix the Cat.
Generations of families have bundled up along the route from Central Park West all the way to Herald Square on Thanksgiving morning—and watched it on TV without the need for layers or hot chocolate—to see their favorite characters float by, watch the best marching bands and dance troupes from around the country and catch a song from some of the best shows currently on Broadway.
The parade first started in 1924 as a Christmas celebration, but it was on hiatus during World War II, meaning this year is the 100th actual parade. It was first broadcast live on the radio in 1932 and made its first TV appearance on NBC seven years later.
The flagship store in New York City will also have exclusive souvenirs and limited-edition designs and collaborations.
It's sure to be the perfect appetizer before a marathon of turkey, football and rousing discussions about the midterm results.
Sports: NBA Facelift
Dwyane Wade got a facelift. Or at least his statue did. Wade was honored in 2024 for his years with the Miami Heat with a statue depicting his signature "This is my house" stance. The sentiment was great. The execution? Not so much. The figure received criticism from online trolls for its lack of resemblance to Wade, which he laughed off at the unveiling ceremony, saying, "If I wanted it to look like me, I'd just stand outside the arena and y'all can take photos."
Wade spent 15 seasons with the Heat—including the famous "Big Three" era when he dominated the court with LeBron James and Chris Bosh, winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013.
He retired in 2019 with the Heat, after brief stints with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2021, Wade became a minority owner of the Utah Jazz and later joined the ownership group of the WNBA franchise Chicago Sky.
And now the statue’s head has been updated to a truer and more flattering likeness of the Hall of Famer. Wade joked on Instagram. "There's nothing wrong with getting a little work done!"
Movies: May the Charts Be Ever in Your Favor
Jennifer Lawrence is returning to Panem. The Oscar winner confirmed on the Call Her Daddy podcast she will be reprising her role as Katniss Everdeen in the young adult dystopian series The Hunger Games for the franchise's new prequel, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
We don't know if Lawrence will be slinging her bow and arrow again, we do know that she will be lending her voice to the film's soundtrack, which also features artists like Noah Kahan, Ella Langley, Kacey Musgraves, Stevie Nicks, The Cure and Smashing Pumpkins.
The original films’ soundtrack was a rite of passage for pop stars and indie bands, including songs from Lorde, Imagine Dragons, Coldplay, The Weeknd and two singles from Taylor Swift. Lawrence's character sang the hauntingly beautiful "The Hanging Tree" in the third film, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. This song was included on the film's official soundtrack and became a sleeper hit—it debuted at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Lawrence’s song the highest charting from the Hunger Games franchise.
The last prequel film, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, leaned more on the music from the film but included a single from rising pop queen Olivia Rodrigo. Sunrise on the Reaping seems to be a return to form for the franchise, continuing the tradition of a stacked track list of chart-topping artists.
Lawrence's new track, "Deep in the Meadow," references a song she performed in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 and might finally give Langley some real chart competition. May the odds be ever in her favor.
Television: Relative Peace
For three seasons, TV's hottest couple have been navigating the realities of an interfaith relationship on Netflix's Nobody Wants This. While the drama between Adam Brody and Kristen Bell's characters remain romantic and familial, it largely avoids real-life politics.
But after Brody, who plays Rabbi Noah on the show, said he supports a “free Palestine” and described Israel’s actions in Gaza “a genocide,” other Jewish members of the show's cast and creative team shared their opposing viewpoints.
Erin Foster, who created the show based on her real-life love story converting to Judaism after meeting her husband, said she disagrees with Brody but still loves him.
"I think our work environment, our set is very similar to dinner tables around the world where people are having debate and discussion and disagreeing," she said.
Tovah Feldshuh, who plays Brody's mother on the show, denounced the genocide claim “as wild. It’s right out of Hitler’s playbook. You take the victim and you make the victim the perpetrator.”
The show has, at times, has been called antisemitic for its stereotypical/trope-filled portrayal of its female Jewish characters—but Foster assures fans that this project is "a love letter to Judaism."
The show focuses on tensions inherent in different cultures and perspectives learning to live together, and how both romantic and familial love can transcend those conflicts without losing oneself in the process. While the characters avoid existential political pressures of modern Jewish-American life, it doesn't mean the people behind the scenes are avoiding them as well.
It actually is a refreshing lesson of how families can disagree but still love and respect each other. And everybody wants that.
Movies: Heidi Klum Leaks Gotham's Biggest Secrets
Heidi Klum is known for over-the-top Halloween costumes. But this year, she got the attention of DC Comics fans, too.
Special effects makeup artist Mike Marino is responsible for Klum's outrageous outfits, including this year's grotesque severed hand. In behind-the-scenes photos of the creations, eagle-eyed social media users spotted some items on Marino's studio shelves that might reveal more about his work on the long-awaited sequel to 2022's The Batman starring Robert Pattinson as the titular vigilante.
This includes a facial cast with a disfigured lip that resembles Brian Tyree Henry, sparking rumors that he's joining the franchise as the district attorney-turned-villain, Harvey Dent, or Two-Face.
There was also a box labeled "Zsasz," possibly referring to Victor Zsasz, a serial killer from the Batman comics. Marvel actor Sebastian Stan was floated to take on the role back in June, but neither casting choice has been confirmed.
Henry and Stan were already linked to the film, but this image may have given more clues into their specific roles. And for fans who are forced to wait until 2028 for the next chapter, no detail is too small.
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