Warner Bros. Turns Its Backlot Into Stars Hollow for New Gilmore Girls Holiday Event

Burbank, Calif. – September 29, 2026 -- Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood has opened ticket sales for Gilmore Girls Holidays, a new fan event replacing its former Holidays Made Here celebration, running December 12, 2026 through January 3, 2027 and closed on Christmas Day.

General admission costs $79, while a Studio Tour Bundle including both the holiday event and the full studio tour costs $124. Tickets are available now at the venue's official site.

Luke's Apartment Reopens on Its Original Soundstage

The event recreates Luke's Apartment inside Stage 13, the original filming location, built from the production's original specifications. Guests can also walk through an expanded version of the Gilmore Estate and visit a new Chilton School Graduation Courtyard set, along with an interactive Rory's Basket Auction experience.

New $3,555 Home Robot Learns Chores in 30 Minutes via Phone App

San Francisco – September 29, 2026 -- Flourish Robots has emerged from stealth with Flourish 1, a $3,555 home robot that owners can teach to do household chores in about 30 minutes using a mobile app.

Owners demonstrate tasks with a phone, no coding required

Users physically show Flourish 1 how to perform a task while recording the motion on their phone. The robot then repeats and schedules the task going forward. Demonstrated capabilities include picking up shoes, clothes and toys, loading the dishwasher, wiping tables, watering plants, fetching items, and clearing a cat litter box.

Pre-orders open for the first 50 units

Pre-orders for the initial batch of 50 robots opened September 29 at $3,555 each, with deliveries expected to begin in December 2026.

SNICKERS and adidas Team Up on $180 Cleat With Secret Green Insole

Newark, N.J. – September 29, 2026 -- SNICKERS and adidas are releasing their first joint football cleat, the ADIZERO ELECTRIC + II, priced at $180 and landing exclusively at adidas.com/us/football-cleats starting October 10 in limited quantities.

The cleat hides a Halloween twist inside a chocolate-brown shell

The design pairs SNICKERS' signature chocolate-brown colorway with adidas' Adizero platform, built with a synthetic and textile upper for a snug, adaptive fit and a lightweight build meant for speed and agility. A lace closure keeps the shoe secure, while a ghoulish green insole and a SNICKERS lace charm nod to the approaching Halloween season.

Florida's Amendment 3 Sets a Dec. 31 Deadline for New Homeowners

Vero Beach – September 29, 2026 -- Florida voters will decide on November 3 whether to approve Amendment 3, a constitutional change that would raise the non-school homestead exemption from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, while cutting the non-homestead assessment cap from 10% to 5%. The measure, HJR 1F, passed both chambers of the Florida Legislature on June 2, 2026, and needs 60% voter approval to take effect.

For property owners on the Vero Beach barrier island and throughout Indian River County, the amendment's fine print carries more weight than its headline number.

Fitness 19 Guide Breaks Down How Workout Apps Track Your Gains

Temecula, Calif. – September 29, 2026 -- Fitness 19 has published a new guide, "How to Use Apps to Effectively Track Your Workouts," aimed at helping gym-goers pick the right digital tool to log their training.

Apps fall into three distinct categories

The guide sorts fitness apps into strength trackers, which log sets, reps, and rate of perceived exertion (RPE); endurance trackers, which record splits, elevation gain, and heart rate; and holistic trackers, which monitor workouts alongside nutrition, sleep, and recovery data.

U.S. News Names Nationwide Best Life Insurer for 2027

Washington – September 29, 2026 -- U.S. News & World Report has released its 2027 Life Insurance Companies Awards, naming Nationwide as Best Life Insurance Company Overall for scoring highest across key evaluation metrics.

Five insurers win category-specific honors

MassMutual earns Best Life Insurance Company for Whole Life based on its permanent policy offerings, while Protective takes Best Life Insurance Company for Term Life for its flexible term options. USAA wins Best Life Insurance Company for Seniors for its specialized coverage, and Mutual of Omaha earns Best Life Insurance Company for Customer Service based on policyholder feedback collected in U.S. News' annual survey.

Zelle Covers NYC Ferry Rides in October to Make Date Night Cheaper

New York – September 29, 2026 -- Zelle is picking up the fare on a different NYC Ferry route every Thursday in October, part of a push to cut the cost of getting to a date across the city's boroughs.

Zelle sponsors five ferry routes through October

Starting October 1, Zelle will cover rides on a rotating schedule: St. George on October 1, East River on October 8, Rockaway–Soundview on October 15, South Brooklyn on October 22, and Astoria on October 29. NYC Ferry operates first-come, first-served, and tickets are valid one-way only.

Ernesta Launches Nine Rug Styles Built on Texture, Not Color

New York – September 29, 2026 -- Ernesta, a custom rug retailer, has introduced nine new rug styles, including a seven-piece Modern Geometry collection and two additions to its Earth Tones line, all available now at ernesta.com.

Texture, not color, forms the pattern in Modern Geometry

The seven Modern Geometry styles -- Alya, Amos, Claudia, Dawson, Essie, Gemma and Isla -- use high-low pile, weave and construction to build pattern instead of relying on dyed color. Constructions include hand-knotted, hand-tufted and handwoven techniques in wool, jute and cotton, with pile height and pattern scale varying by design.

Halloween Spending Hits Record $13.5B as Season Stretches to Weeks

Omaha, Neb. – September 29, 2026 -- Halloween shopping has stopped being a one-night errand, with 49% of shoppers starting in September or earlier and total U.S. spending on track to hit a record $13.5 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation.

The average celebrant will spend $115.14, and decorations alone account for $4.3 billion of the total. Retailers point to a simple shift: 74% of Americans now celebrate Halloween, and the holiday has expanded from a single evening into a season that includes early yard decorating, school parties in mid-October, church or neighborhood trunk-or-treats, and door-to-door candy on the 31st.

Spiritual Gangster Co-Founder Ian Lopatin Debuts Book Oct. 10

New York – September 29, 2026 -- Ian Lopatin, co-founder of the lifestyle brand Spiritual Gangster and of the Of Course Sanctuary wellness community, will release his debut book, "The Way of a Spiritual Gangster," on October 10, 2026, through Mark Victor Hansen Library publishing.

The book argues stress is not a required cost of success

A former entertainment lawyer with three decades in business, Lopatin uses the book to challenge the belief that high achievers must trade peace and presence for results. He frames the work as an alternative approach to performance built on clarity and purpose rather than pressure.

"I believe the biggest lie high performers have been told is that stress is the price of success," Lopatin said. "You don't need to suffer through your life or change it, you need to change the state you're living it from."