The announcement of the Rage Against the Machinereunion also spelled the end for Prophets of Rage. Vocalists Chuck D. and B-Real have expressed their gratitude for the time the band was active and the support they received from around the world.
Chuck D., also of Public Enemy fame, shared a message on Twitter, expressing that participating in the band was about more than just making music. "It was about doing something greater than self," he wrote, adding, "2020 keeping [Zack de la Rocha’s] spot warm for RATM & powering a statement for 1,000 days was a honorable truth mission in the hours of chaos from the jump… And so the bands rock on…. Let’s go."
Co-vocalist B-Real, who also fronts hip-hop group Cypress Hill, had nothing but positive things to say about his time spent in Prophets of Rage and the good the band tried to do over the last three years. "I want to say thank you to the fans that supported Prophets of Rage for the time we’ve been rocking together," he said on Instagram.
"It’s been an honor to rock stages and people of all ages with these guys. It’s been a great time and great memories in a short time. Rockin along side of Chuck and Tom [Morello] has been amazing to say the least," B-Real continued. "It was fun while it lasted and I hope we left a big impression and that the music has been a source of inspiration for those that needed it. That was the purpose we got together. So I say to y’all stay informed, stay engaged and fight the good fight."
The group began cryptically teasing their arrival in 2016, which was a Presidential election year, and united three members of Rage Against the Machine (Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk) alongside Chuck D., B-Real and Public Enemy's DJ Lord. Their sets included songs from each member's iconic bands and new material.
Together, they released The Party's Over EP in 2016, following it up with a self-titled full length the next year. Three more singles, "Heart Afire," "Made With Hate" and "Pop Goes the Weapon" came afterward, though no second album fully materialized.
It is not known if Rage Against the Machine intend on releasing new music to coincide with their return in 2020, which is another Presidential election year.
See Rage Against the Machine in the Top 90 Hard Rock + Metal Albums of the 1990s
Enlarge/ This one's for the ladies: Natalia Reyes, Mackenzie Davis, and Linda Hamilton star in Terminator: Dark Fate
Paramount Pictures
That sentient AI from a dystopian future is back and still sending terminating robots back in time to take out pesky humans who might one day defeat it in Terminator: Dark Fate. Director Tim Miller's latest installment is great entertainment, and a welcome return to form for the Terminator franchise, featuring a great cast, killer special effects, and nonstop action.
(Some spoilers below.)
It's technically the sixth film in the series, but it's actually been conceived as a direct sequel to the hugely successful first two films: Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day. So Terminator: Dark Fate pretty much ignores all the other Terminator movies as existing in alternate timelines. Best of all, it reunites Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Linda Hamilton, with James Cameron on board as producer. The film takes place over two decades after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. A new, improved Terminator (Gabriel Luna) is sent from the future to take out a young woman named Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes). A hybrid cyborg human (Mackenzie Davis) joins forces with Sarah Connor (Hamilton) and the original Terminator (Schwarzenegger) to protect her.
The film establishes its direct sequel bona fides right off the bat, with a brief but critical scene, showing Sarah and John relaxing on a Guatemalan beach in 1998, having averted Judgment Day a few years earlier. (Edward Furlong was initially tapped to reprise his role as John Connor, but it ultimately didn't happen. Instead, Miller used CGI to recreate Furlong's youthful face from T2.)Cut to 2020, and the arrival in Mexico City of two new visitors from the future: Grace, and the Rev-9 Terminator. Grace manages to save Dani from the Rev-9's initial attack on a factory floor and escape, with the Rev-9 in hot pursuit.
Just when things look dire, Sarah Connor comes to their aid and they hole up off the grid to regroup. Sarah is understandably suspicious of Grace. And Grace comes bearing bad news: "You may have changed the future, but you didn't change our fate." Skynet never came into being in the altered future timeline, but an AI designed for cyberwarfare, dubbed Legion, did. And as before, a human resistance formed. Dani will play a key role in that resistance, so naturally Legion wants her dead.
On the run: Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes) and her brother Miguel (Diego Boneta).
YouTube/Paramount Pictures
Grace (Mackenzie Davis) is here to protect Dani.
Grace is an enhanced human/cyborg hybrid.
YouTube/Paramount Pictures
Gabriel Luna's Rev-9 Terminator arrives in a cloud of strategically placed steam.
YouTube/Paramount Pictures
Meet the new hotness: The liquid metal T-3000 can split in two.
Things are looking grim for Grace and Dani.
She's back, baby! Sarah Connor to the rescue.
YouTube/Paramount Pictures
27 years ago, Sarah helped avert Judgement Day.
YouTube/Paramount Pictures
Now she learns she changed history, but not the fate of the human race.
YouTube/Paramount Pictures
The machines rose. Many humans died.
YouTube/Paramount Pictures
And the machines are more advanced than ever.
YouTube/Paramount Pictures
The T-3000 should make easy work of these guys.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's original Terminator is here to help.
YouTube/Paramount Pictures
Ah-nold , Sarah, and Grace (Mackenzie Davis) teach Dani some combat skills.
YouTube/Paramount Pictures
The Rev-9 can probably handle being split in two.
YouTube/Paramount Pictures
The band is back together again!
YouTube/Paramount Pictures
T2 is hands-down one of the best film sequels of all time, and Miller clearly set out to recreate the same magic with a clever mix of old and new. A key part of that formula is upping the stakes with an advanced Terminator model that seems well-nigh impossible to destroy. The Rev-9 merges aspects of both the original and T2's liquid metal T-1000: it has an updated underlying endoskeleton, with a "mimetic polyalloy" (almost ferrofluidic) overlay, like skin, that can split off to make the machine doubly lethal. Luna —best known as Ghost Rider on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.—brings a ferocious intensity to the role, best exemplified by a scene where he mows through a crowd of Border Patrol agents without ever taking his eyes off his fleeing target, Dani.
Hamilton is better than ever as Sarah Connor, spending nearly a year on a grueling training regimen to get her 60-something body back into fighting shape. Her lean, ripped physique in T2 made her a feminist icon on par with Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in the Alien franchise. Yet here, she's still allowed to look every bit her age. This is a weathered, embittered Sarah who has earned every one of those scars and wrinkles, and has only grown tougher over the years. She identifies with Dani, since she was first targeted for termination around the same age, destined to give birth to a great hero of the resistance. Sarah assumes Dani, too, is only of value or interest because of her womb. Her expression when she learns that Dani is actually destined to lead the human resistance in this new timeline falls somewhere between wonder and regret.
Reyes and Davis are both terrific in their respective roles, and Schwarzenegger once again brings his trademark deadpan delivery. The special effects are great, the pacing is brisk, and the stunts are appropriately over the top—as always, there are plenty of explosions and property damage. If there's a flaw in this latest film, it's that everything seems just a little too familiar. Some of that can be chalked up to deliberate callbacks to the earlier films, but it's also because it's tough to hew to such a successful formula while still keeping things fresh.
Dark Fate provides a fitting coda to Terminator and T2, while introducing fresh characters in a new timeline to tee up a possible next film. Alas, the film seems to be under-performing at the US box office this opening weekend, which is no doubt disappointing to those hoping to reinvigorate the franchise. Personally, while I'd love to see the further adventures of Dani, Grace, and Sarah taking on all the Terminators to come—what, you think Legion will give up that easily?—the tried-and-true formula is starting to show its age, and we already had a great TV spinoff with The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Maybe it really is time to put the franchise to rest. At least it would be going out on a high note with Dark Fate.
When much of the SmackDown roster was unable to return from the Crown Jewel pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia following airplane mechanical issues, WWE was backed into a corner in how to approach the Fox-televised show this week. What followed was a masterstroke of creativity with the NXT roster invading -- and dominating -- SmackDown.
While WWE champion Brock Lesnar quitting SmackDown to pursue Rey Mysterio on Raw was the early headline, it was NXT dominating the SmackDown roster in every possible way that will stand as the lasting memory of a wild and unpredictable edition of SmackDown. So without further ado, let's take a look at what went down at SmackDown from Keybank Center in Buffalo, New York.
Brock Lesnar quits to find Rey Mysterio at Raw
The WWE champion kicked off the show, entering the ring with Paul Heyman, who described Lesnar's mood by saying, "Brock Lesnar is really, really pissed off tonight." The entirety of Lesnar's Crown Jewel win over Cain Velasquez was aired at the direction of Heyman, who called the win "spiritually orgasmic." Heyman also claimed they demanded Vince McMahon deliver Mysterio to him following Mysterio's post-match steel chair beatdown of Lesnar, but McMahon said the match could not happen due to the contracts inherent in the brand split.
"If Rey Mysterio can't come to SmackDown for Brock Lesnar, than come this Monday," Heyman said. "Brock Lesnar will come to Raw looking for Rey Mysterio." Heyman then said Lesnar has quit SmackDown and will be at Raw on Monday, daring anyone in the company to try and stop him. As Heyman and Lesnar exited the arena, Triple H was shown briefly reacting before the camera showed Shawn Michaels standing by his side, foreshadowing the rest of the show's happenings.
This all made perfect sense given "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt winning the universal championship at Crown Jewel on Thursday. Shifting Lesnar and the WWE championship to Raw puts one title on each brand, as is needed. And Lesnar vs. Mysterio is an intriguing match with good build and heat, so no complaints here. Heyman was, as usual, delivering the goods on the mic while a brooding Lesnar stood through the move. Lesnar's "bigger than all of this" character works very well in storyline, even if it can often be a miss for fans in reality. And airing a full PPV match -- even if short -- was a good way to help fill time given the issues facing SmackDown tonight. Grade: B+
NXT invades and dominates SmackDown
With so much of the SmackDown roster unavailable due to travel issues, WWE creative had to get ... well, creative. To accomplish this, NXT invaded SmackDown, taking out SmackDown stars in basically every segment of the show, culminating in a main event showdown between Daniel Bryan and Adam Cole for the NXT championship.
WWE SmackDown Women's Championship -- Bayley (c) def. Nikki cross via pinfall after interference from Sasha Banks. Banks got involved late at ringside, distracting Cross to set up a Bayley elbow drop, but Cross was able to kick out. Cross wasn't able to survive the second interference from Banks, being pinned moments after being shoved off the top rope by "The Boss." After the match ended, NXT women's champion Shayna Baszler jumped the guardrail, throwing Banks into the ring post, laying out Cross and then putting a beating on Bayley to set the tone for the rest of the show.
In the next segment, Sami Zayn was cutting a backstage promo, discussing Baszler and Pat McAfee appearing on the show. He said that, while NXT was clearly in the arena, there could be issues if anyone from the roster stepped to him. He was then interrupted by Matt Riddle and Keith Lee, who chased him off from the interview area to the ring. Riddle hit Zayn with Bro Derek and Lee hit a second rope moonsault.
Tommaso Ciampa def. Miz via pinfall after hitting the Fairy Tale Ending. Miz TV was originally to feature Miz interviewing Wyatt, but the new champion was among those who were unable to make it to the show due to the flight issues. Miz still aired a video package covering Wyatt's title win over Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel before addressing the night's NXT invasion. He was then interrupted by former NXT champion Tommaso Ciampa. After trading barbs, Miz told Ciampa if he was at SmackDown to make a statement, "then make a damn statement" before throwing down a challenge for a match. Ciampa got the win, looking impressive in the process.
Daniel Bryan ran into Triple H and Shawn Michaels backstage, asking what the former D-Generation X members were doing at the show. Triple H pointed to the Survivor Series ads that ran during Crown Jewel, establishing a Raw vs. SmackDown vs. NXT theme to the upcoming event. Bryan said he was looking for a fight and challenged Triple H to a match; there was a brief tease of Michaels vs. Bryan before Triple H said NXT champion Adam Cole was also looking for a fight, leading to a main event match between Cole and Bryan for the NXT championship.
Rhea Ripley & Tegan Nox def. Fire & Desire via submission when Mandy Rose tapped to Ripley's modified cloverleaf. Bianca Belair took out Carmella and Dana Brooke, Fire & Desire's original opponents. Ripley and Nox then took the spot and dominated a brief match before chalking up yet another win for NXT.
NXT Championship -- Adam Cole (c) def. Daniel Bryan via pinfall following the Last Shot. Triple H and Michaels were ringside for the match. As expected, this match featured fantastic action from two of the best professional wrestlers on the planet. What was unexpected -- at least for some -- was Cole going over completely clean to retain his championship. Cole's win completed a clean sweep for NXT, who did not have a single moment go against them the entire show.
Following Cole's win, the NXT roster entered the ring where Triple H said his brand had fired the first shot in a war started when Raw and SmackDown picked a fight for Survivor Series. Triple H said, to build an army, "you turn to your blood and you turn to your family."
With WWE backed into a corner by forces outside its control, fans were treated to a show that did an amazing job of not only building to NXT's inclusion at Survivor Series but also establishing WWE's third brand as entirely capable of competing with -- and dominating -- the established "premier" brand superstar. Cole vs. Bryan is the easy in-ring highlight, but every segment in the show delivered something valuable. That's not something that can be said for many WWE TV outings. You can't do something like this every week, but for one week, this was something special. Grade: A+
The Queen and other royals are concerned for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s mental health but “disappointed” with their attitude, Daily Express royal reporter Richard Palmer tweeted. It comes after Meghan and Harry launched a war against sections of the British press last month before complaining about the pressures of royal life in a bombshell documentary.
Mr Palmer said on Twitter: “While there is a concern for Harry and Meghan’s mental health, their attitude has disappointed the Queen and other members of the Royal Family, according to several sources.”
It followed his tweet from October which said: “Nobody in the Royal Family or the Royal Household is supporting Harry and Meghan at the moment.
“Even the couple’s aides seem embarrassed by their actions. William, who dropped his brother like a ton of hot bricks earlier this year, and Charles have distanced themselves.”
The Sussexes spoke out about their struggles in ITV documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey which was filmed during their recent overseas tour.
The royal couple has faced a series of negative headlines in the last year including accusations of hypocrisy over their use of private jets despite being eco-warriors, criticism of their obsession with privacy and rumours of a rift with Prince William and Kate.
During the documentary, broadcaster Tom Bradby asked Meghan how she was coping.
The former Suits star added that the past year as a member of the royal family had been “hard”.
She said: “I don’t think anybody could understand that, but in all fairness, I had no idea, which probably sounds difficult to understand… but when I first met my now-husband my friends were really happy because I was so happy, but my British friends said to me, ‘I’m sure he’s great but you shouldn’t do it because the British tabloids will destroy your life’.”
Meanwhile, Harry described a “festering wound” left by his mother Princess Diana’s death.
He said: “I think being part of this family, in this role, in this job, every single time I see a camera, every single time I hear a click, every single time I see a flash it takes me straight back, so in that respect it’s the worst reminder of her life as opposed to the best.”
Harry also fuelled the ongoing reports of tensions with his brother, saying they were now “on different paths” and have “good days” and “bad days”.
The Sussexes are reportedly taking six weeks off royal duties from mid-November.
If The Morning Showis Apple TV Plus’ crown-jewel prestige drama and Seeis its bet on sci-fi programming, Dickinson is its most fun. Circumventing Apple’s idea of what a prestigious show should look like brings some much needed carefreeness to the streaming platform.
The show finds Emily Dickinson (Hailee Steinfeld) in the 1850s as she struggles to follow her dreams of becoming a poet at a time when female writers were frowned upon. Her father Edward (Toby Huss) sours at the idea of people in Massachusetts finding out she’s a writer, afraid of the shame she’ll bring to their family. Only two people support her ambitious desires: George Gould (Samuel Farnsworth), a local literary magazine editor who also wants to marry Emily, and Sue Gilbert (Ella Hunt), her best friend turned secret lover.
Using period-accurate costumes and sets gives it a slightly prestigious feel, but the dialogue is deliberately contemporary. Characters speak to one another like they’re living in modern times, cursing at each other and saying things like, “What up, girl?” Though Dickinson feels like it’s nearing disaster at times, the show’s best moments come when it leans into its own absurdity: when a science experiment is used to simulate an orgasm, or a house party devolves into maelstrom as underage teens mess around with opioids, twerking to pulsating trap music.
Dickinson doesn’t have the boundary-pushing vulnerability of Euphoria, HBO’s popular teen drama that aired over the summer, but it’s unabashed in its admiration for youth culture. Teens in Dickinson are unapologetically teens. Relationships are intoxicating, self-discovery is angst-ridden, and the future is full of endless possibilities built on beautifully reckless dreams only teenagers can have.
Emily Dickinson’s poems are obsessed with youthful themes: fame, popularity, intense bouts of emotion and, of course, a fetishization of death. Her work isn’t changed in Dickinson. The stanzas are true to the source material. Modernizing the way characters speak to each other, but keeping the poems consistent, allows Dickinson’s words to feel more approachable for an audience that came into their own by way of Lil Peep Instagram live-streams and SoundCloud emo rap.
Most brilliantly, Dickinson isn’t trying to be a teen show. That’s precisely why it works as one. It kind of stumbles into itself, finding its footing along the way. There isn’t any clear direction or structure to help it stay on the same path. Dickinson doesn’t shy away from ludicrousness, but leans into it unabashedly. It’s an “unapologetic, crying on the floor at two in the morning, flirting with the fetishization of death even when floating on the undeniable highness of life” type of disaster.
That’s especially true when it comes to Emily’s forbidden relationship with Sue. Steinfeld and Hunt charm whenever they’re on-screen together, excellent at playing up grandeur expressions of their love for each other while putting just as much importance into the small gestures that cement their relationship. They’re giddy when with each other, full of sneaky kisses and uncontrollable giggles that define first loves.
Although their relationship is forbidden, made harder by Sue’s engagement to Emily’s brother, Austin (Adrian Enscoe), it’s never tragic. Their obsession with each other is all-encompassing. Everything is carefree and in the moment. It’s not fraught with drama or cocooned in sadness the way other queer relationships on TV can be, especially with younger characters. Emily is upset by Sue’s engagement, but even that isn’t enough to drive them apart. They simply exist, together, now.
Dickinson is so unafraid of being itself that I found myself enamored by it, flaws and all, by the middle of the first episode. It’s one of the only Apple TV Plus shows that I wanted to revisit after watching the first three episodes provided to critics. More importantly, it’s the show I can’t wait to see start popping up on Tumblr. I can see the fan art already, and the fluff-filled fan fiction stories populating on Archive of Our Own. That’s whom Dickinson is for; it’s not The Morning Show or See. It’s for people trying to find something they can have a silly time with, and Dickinson does that in an undeniably enchanting way.
Heidi Klum poses with husband Tom Kaulitz. [Photo: Getty]
Heidi Klum has revealed this year’s hotly-anticipated Halloween costume.
While there’s no definitive answer on what exactly she want to, it’s believed to be inspired by the likes of gothic novel Frankenstein and the alien movie species.
The 46-year-old model’s look took more than 12 hours to create this year. She began getting ready at 10am New York time, and the final look was finally revealed at midnight.
Klum, whose career has mostly consisted of ruling the catwalk, turned heads for a rather different reasons in her goriest costume yet.
Her Frankenstein look included metal wires and bolts; faux wounds; a giant bald head; and guts and brains spilling out.
Prosthetics and full body makeup helped complete her look.
A series of posts on Klum’s Instagram showcase the transformation process of the team put together her costume. She partnered with Amazon to help her create this year’s look, and she got ready at the company’s West 34th Street store in Manhattan, New York.
The step-by-step videos, together with an Amazon live stream, revealed just how intricate the process was.
Klum is known for her Halloween looks which go a step further than the rest, and are debuted at her annual party to mark the holiday.
This year’s event took place at Cathédrale in New York City, US, this year. Her husband, Tom Kaulitz, 30, went as a blood-covered alien.
Her annual Halloween bash is a tradition she’s kept up every year since the millennium. Her larger than life costumes are always eagerly anticipated, and last year she went as Shrek’s Fiona. In previous years, her costumes have included Jessica Rabbit (2015), Cleopatra (2012) and Betty Boop (2002).
Heidi Klum is hosting her 20th annual Halloween party on Thursday night, and she went all out with this year's costume.
She told People that her costume was a 10-hour long process to put on, and that she would "have a hard time walking."
The iconic supermodel and Project Runway host started the journey in the window of Amazon's Manhattan storefront in front of an audience.
After securing a bald cap, she stepped into a silicone bodysuit. She said the flesh prison skintight base looked like a "chicken." (And before you ask the obvious question: Yes, there's a generously sized pee gap in the crotch.)
And then took a dinner break, naturally.
After applying the prosthetic mask, the real fun began.
Yeah, that's the stuff of nightmares.
Past the 12 hour mark, she was still going.
It was after midnight NYC time when the full effect was revealed:
Here's Klum and husband Tom Kaulitz at her party, as (I guess?) some kind of mid-autopsy sex alien and her mauled astronaut:
No chill whatsoever.
Image: Taylor Hill/Getty Images
That's a lot of effort for one party — maybe next year she'll opt to go as a sexy kitty cat.
