Mental Floss

POP CULTURE





Meryl Streep and Albert Brooks find romance in the afterlife in Defending Your Life (1991).

While there are some people who dismiss the romantic comedy genre outright, we'd argue that almost everyone can find at least one rom-com that resonates with them. If you haven't met your rom-com match yet, read on for 20 of the best of them.

Matthew Jackson




The Backstreet Boys—Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, and Kevin Richardson—photographed in 1995.

Although they’ve never been taken too seriously, boy bands have been a force ever since The Beatles took the stage on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' and the world witnessed female "hysteria" at its best.

Erika Wolf
Comic book artists are drawn to their work.

Comics are the indispensable source material for a good portion of the entertainment industry. We asked a few artists for their perspectives on panels.

Jake Rossen


APIC/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The real life of Lana Turner, the ice-blonde goddess of the silver screen, was as dramatic and tragic as that of any of the heroines she ever played onscreen.

Rebecca Pahle






The McDonald's Quarter Pounder is turning the big 5-0 in 2021.

If you're celebrating a 50th birthday or anniversary this year, you're in excellent company. From the first e-mail to McDonald's Quarter Pounder, 1971 was a year full of change.

Scott Beggs, mentalfloss .com




The exterior of Los Angeles's Cecil Hotel, as seen in Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (2021).

The Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles is one of those iconic landmarks that is as famous for what goes on behind closed doors as it is for its once-regal architecture and Art Deco interior.

Scarlett Harris




Stanley Tucci feels right at home being photographed at Rome's Hotel Eden.

Stanley Tucci is truly a renaissance man. He’s an actor, a writer, a director, a producer, a cookbook author, a viral cocktail connoisseur, and now, the host of his very own food show—'Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.'

Olivia Truffaut-Wong
Zak Bagans and his Ghost Adventures team.

For more than a decade, 'Ghost Adventures' has been spooking up the airwaves of the Travel Channel, "capturing groundbreaking proof of the paranormal" on camera in hundreds of haunted destinations around the globe. Now he's sharing some of the show's behi

Sean Hutchinson