The National Weather Service warned that portions of central and north-central Montana could receive another six to 12 inches south of U.S. Highway 2 before Monday morning. Yet NOAA’s October 11 outlook favors above-normal temperatures across Montana, Idaho and Wyoming from October 17 through 21.

Where Up to 12 Inches of Snow Could Fall

The storm is targeting Montana’s mountain passes, including MacDonald, Rogers and Marias passes, where rapidly changing conditions could catch drivers off guard.

The Weather Service describes the threat as “Heavy, wet snow,” with “Additional snow accumulations between 3 and 6 inches north of the US Hwy 2 corridor, with 6 to 12 inches possible south of the US Hwy 2 corridor.”

Forecasters warn that “Travel could be very difficult.” They add that “Gusty winds combined with the wet and heavy nature of the snow could bring down tree branches. Isolated power outages are possible.”

Snowfall totals will vary considerably by elevation and surface temperature. Mountain roads may experience hazardous conditions even when nearby lower-elevation communities see less accumulation.

Why Warmer Weather Doesn’t Rule Out Snow

The reversal is particularly striking because NOAA’s next extended outlook points toward warmth rather than sustained winter conditions.

The Climate Prediction Center forecasts above-normal temperatures across much of the West from October 17 through 21. But a warmer-than-average five-day period does not prevent a significant snowstorm beforehand.

That distinction matters for anyone traveling through the Rockies. A seasonal or extended temperature outlook describes probabilities over time, not whether an individual storm can produce snow.

What Travelers Should Do Before Heading Out

The Montana warning was scheduled to expire at 6 a.m. MDT Monday, October 12. Drivers should confirm whether warnings have been extended before traveling.

The Weather Service advises: “If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.”

Motorists can check Montana road conditions by calling 511.

Related: NOAA Map Shows Where Historic El Niño Could Bring More Snow This Winter

The reversal was extraordinary. Despite a cast featuring McQueen, Yul Brynner, Charles Bronson, and James Coburn, the movie struggled commercially in America. A Library of Congress essay confirms that studio executives considered it a failure before international audiences helped transform its reputation.

Next: 1976 Classic, Turned Down by Clint Eastwood, Named Among John Wayne’s Best Westerns of All Time

Hollywood Didn’t See the Success Coming

Directed by John Sturges, the Western reimagined Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 masterpiece Seven Samurai, relocating its story of hired defenders from Japan to a Mexican village terrorized by bandits.

The premise was simple: seven gunfighters agree to protect farmers who cannot protect themselves.

Yet the film’s American theatrical performance disappointed. Film scholar Stephen Prince describes its initial receipts as mediocre in his Library of Congress essay.

What happened afterward was far more unusual.

Rather than disappearing, the movie returned through theatrical revivals, double features, and international screenings. Television eventually introduced another generation to the seven gunfighters.

Its popularity grew long after Hollywood had apparently written it off.

Next: 96 Years Ago Today: John Wayne Flop Named One of the Greatest Westerns Ever

The Score Became Almost as Famous as the Stars

The film’s remarkable staying power wasn’t entirely about its cast.

Composer Elmer Bernstein created a soaring theme that became instantly recognizable to Western audiences. The Library of Congress notes that the music later became associated with Marlboro television commercials.

Meanwhile, McQueen’s understated performance helped establish the screen presence that would define his career.

The cast also included Robert Vaughn and Horst Buchholz, alongside Bronson and Coburn, several of whom were approaching major Hollywood breakthroughs.

Next: 50 Years Ago Today: John Wayne Said Goodbye in a Movie Later Named One of the ‘Greatest Westerns’ Ever

A Box-Office Flop Earned Hollywood’s Highest Preservation Honor

In 2013, the Library of Congress selected The Magnificent Seven for the National Film Registry, recognizing its cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance.

That distinction offered a striking contrast with its original commercial reception.

The movie also helped establish a lasting Hollywood franchise, inspiring sequels, television adaptations, and a 2016 remake starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt.

For Western fans, the anniversary offers a reason to revisit the original—and hear Bernstein’s unforgettable theme again.

The film’s reputation has only strengthened over time. The 1960 original now holds a 93% critics’ score from 80 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, alongside an 87% audience score from more than 50,000 ratings—a remarkable turnaround for a Western initially considered a box-office disappointment.

Related: 1968 Classic, Named ‘Best Western Movie of All Time,’ Was Turned Down by Clint Eastwood

‘Every Rose Has Its Thorn’ by Poison Was Released on Oct. 12, 1988

Poison unleashed the song as the third single to promote their second studio album, Open Up and Say… Ahh! It entered the US Billboard Hot 100 on Oct. 29, 1988, before peaking at No. 1 on Dec. 24, where it reigned for three weeks. It’s the glam metal band’s only No. 1 song on said chart. While the band doesn’t have any No. 1 hits on the US Billboard 200, the aforementioned sophomore album climbed to No. 2 on June 18, 1988.

Critically, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” received mixed reviews. Cash Box praised it as “a well-measured ballad,” while Music Week was less complimentary, calling the tune an “overwrought ballad” before adding that it was a change of pace from the four-piece outfit’s “ponderous metal posturing.”

In a retrospective piece, Stereogum hailed the track’s “ethereal synth-chime” in the chorus as “a much cooler choice than the melodramatic strings that too many producers would’ve used on a song like that.”

From Heartbreak to Universal Hit

Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bret Michaels has talked about the inspiration behind “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.” In 1986, Michaels was in Dallas, where he performed with the band at a bar. He called his girlfriend, who was in Los Angeles, from a payphone in a laundromat. Michaels heard a man’s voice on the other end. Naturally, he was heartbroken, but he channeled that devastation into a well-known power ballad.

Poison’s most popular tune has been recognized as a glam metal classic on multiple best-of lists and rankings, including in Rolling Stone‘s readers’ poll for “The 10 Greatest Hair Metal Songs.” OC Weekly also ranked it at No. 2 on its list of “The 10 Best Poison Songs.”

Wayne starred in countless classic films throughout his career, with one of his most iconic roles coming in 1969 when he played Rooster Cogburn in True Grit, directed by Henry Hathaway.

The performance earned Wayne his only Academy Award for Best Actor out of more than 140 leading roles throughout his career. He also won a Golden Globe for the role.

The Rotten Tomatoes movie description reads, “After hired hand Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey) murders the father of 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Kim Darby), she seeks vengeance and hires U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne), a man of true grit, to track Chaney into Indian territory. As the two begin their pursuit, a Texas Ranger, La Boeuf (Glen Campbell), joins the manhunt in hopes of capturing Chaney for the murder of a Texas senator and collecting a substantial reward. The three clash on their quest of bringing to justice the same man.”

View this post on Instagram

True Grit Named Among the Best Western Films Ever Made

Holding an impressive 87% Rotten Tomatoes score and 7.4 out of 10 rating on IMDb, True Grit ranks No. 10 on IMDb’s list of the 20 greatest Westerns.

The film had a production budget of roughly $900,000 and went on to gross $31.1 million domestically and $37.6 million worldwide.

Charles Portis’ 1968 novel of the same name inspired Hathaway’s film. In 2010, the Coen brothers released their own adaptation of the novel, also titled True Grit. The two films are sometimes confused, despite being distinct adaptations of Portis’ work.

Related: John Wayne’s 1933 Western Classic Tried to Make Him a Singing Cowboy

Released on October 9, Animals reached No. 1 on Netflix’s U.S. Top 10 movies chart by October 11, according to FlixPatrol. The early streaming success prompted Collider to describe the new thriller as a “super-hit,” adding another chapter to Affleck’s ongoing relationship with Netflix.

Ben Affleck’s ‘Animals’ Is No. 1 on Netflix

Affleck directs and stars in Animals, a crime thriller that puts a Los Angeles mayoral candidate in an increasingly dangerous position after a child is kidnapped. Affleck plays Mark Kimball, a wealthy politician whose carefully constructed public image begins to unravel as he and his wife, Abigail (Kerry Washington), scramble to raise the ransom.

The situation quickly becomes more complicated than a straightforward kidnapping. As Mark attempts to protect his family and preserve his political ambitions, the crisis forces the characters to confront the secrets and compromises beneath their seemingly comfortable lives.

The cast also includes Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, Luis Gerardo Méndez, and Adriana Paz. Affleck co-wrote the screenplay with Connor O. McIntyre and Billy Ray, bringing together a high-profile ensemble for a thriller that mixes family drama, crime, and political intrigue.

The movie arrived on Netflix on October 9, giving subscribers a new Affleck-led thriller to watch heading into the weekend.

Why ‘Animals’ Is Being Called a ‘Super-Hit’

Collider’s description of Animals as a “super-hit” provides an intriguing contrast with the response the movie has received from some critics. Although the film has gained traction on Netflix, its early reception has been far from universally positive.

Reviews have raised questions about the execution of the thriller’s ambitious premise. The kidnapping storyline puts Mark’s political ambitions and personal morality under pressure, but some critics have argued that the movie struggles to bring all its ideas together effectively.

The Guardian, for instance, criticized the film’s storytelling as dull, while other reviews have questioned whether its political commentary and suspenseful elements work as well as intended.

That mixed response makes the movie’s streaming performance particularly noteworthy. A film doesn’t need to win over critics to attract a large audience, and Animals has quickly established itself as a popular option on Netflix in the United States.

In that movie, Roberts is mistreated by clerks in a high-end store. However, in this case, Art of Play, which is located in Brooklyn, NY, denied Clarkson’s allegations. That led to another fiery social media post from her, in which the singer confirmed the dispute was over a bird automaton.

“Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale. That’s the narrative Art of Play is gonna go with,” Clarkson wrote on her X page, including a thumb’s up emoji. “So the whole conversation we had when I asked you if it was for sale whilst pointing to the price tag hanging on the wall with the title Singing Bird didn’t happen as you elevator eyed me saying in a condescending tone ‘yes, it’s for sale but it costs 15,000 dollars so if you’d like me to find something comparable for you I can.’ That all never happened and now it’s not for sale. Okay, cool. So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it.”

Kelly Clarkson Insisted That She Supports Small Businesses

Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale. That’s the narrative Art of Play is gonna go with 👍 so the whole conversation we had when I asked you if it was for sale whilst pointing to the price tag hanging on the wall with the title Singing Bird didn’t happen as you elevator eyed me… pic.twitter.com/9PEhUWnIOt

— Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) October 11, 2026

Clarkson wasn’t done. “And by the way, I obviously support small businesses because I was literally at a small business trying to purchase things. I love small businesses and know they are important and I always support them, but you don’t get a free pass to treat people less than in your store just because you are a small business,” she added.

“It’s not that hard to be kind. I never blast people but you my friend were an exception. Your store is really cool. Unfortunately, you aren’t,” she continued.

What was her original post? It has had a whopping 39 million views on X. “Just drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store I thought looked really rad and had a few things in mind to buy and literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me,” Clarkson wrote.

Just drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store I thought looked really rad and had a few things in mind to buy and literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me. Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a…

— Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) October 10, 2026

“Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale. But y’all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts character in Pretty Woman. For sure, check it out.”

‘Art of Play’ Says Kelly Clarkson Wanted to Buy the Bird Automaton Named Molly, But It ‘Isn’t for Sale’

The Brooklyn store Kelly Clarkson criticized on here yesterday has responded with a statement. pic.twitter.com/HfsYozexJT

— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) October 11, 2026

What’s the store’s side?

“Yesterday, Kelly Clarkson visited us in Brooklyn and inquired about buying ‘Molly,’ a one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton who plays an important role in the magic shows we host here,” the shop wrote on its Facebook page. “Molly is permanently attached to the wall and isn’t for sale. However, the negative experience Kelly described on twitter would resonate with anyone who has ever felt judged in a shop.”

“At Art of Play whether someone comes in to make a purchase or simply look around for a while, they are equally welcome,” continued the store. “We greet everyone who walks in the door with the invitation to ‘pick things up and play.’ And they do, many stay for hours enjoying our puzzles, games and toys.”

Art of Play added: “Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store. It’s been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity.”

Continued the shop: “Thanks to all our friends for their support and welcome to all the curious folks who have discovered us amidst the drama. We’re going to keep our heads down and hopefully, we can clear things up with Kelly someday. As a talented popular singer once said ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.'”

Related:

The win was noteworthy both for the veteran QB and his team in Week 5 of action in the NFL, but Rodgers wasn’t the only player to make history Sunday.

Rodgers climbing NFL’s career wins list

Call it Steeler on Steeler crime, but Rodgers is now the fifth-winningest quarterback in the NFL in terms of career regular season victories. 

The current Pittsburgh QB secured win No. 166 to break a tie with former Steelers signal-caller Ben Roethlisberger on Sunday. 

Next on that list is Drew Brees with 172. That means fourth place is in reach this season while Rodgers would have to come back for a 23rd NFL season to have a chance to catch Brett Favre and Peyton Manning, who are tied for second with 186 wins. (Tom Brady is No. 1 with 251.) 

Green Bay drafted Rodgers in the first round of the 2005 draft, and he spent the first 18 seasons of his career with the Packers.

He then went to the New York Jets for two seasons before joining the Steelers last season.

More milestones for Rodgers 

Rodgers is doing more than just hanging around to pad his win total, though. 

He played an integral role Sunday as the Steelers bounced back from an embarrassing defeat at Cleveland 10 days ago. 

Rodgers threw three touchdown passes to move to 582 on his career, including the playoffs. That broke a tie with Manning for fourth-most in NFL history. 

Next on that list is Brees (608) and Brady (737). 

Rodgers also tied Favre and Roethlisberger for the most touchdown passes of 80 yard for more with the ninth of his career Sunday and joined Johnny Unitas (51) as the only players with at least 50 touchdown passes of 50 yards or more in his career. 

The win for Pittsburgh allowed the Steelers to remain in second place in the AFC North. They are tied with the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns at 3-2 while the Baltimore Ravens lead the division at 4-1. 

Pittsburgh goes to Tampa Bay next weekend to take on the Buccaneers. 

Daniels joins Vick

If that is not enough noteworthy quarterbacks in the news Sunday, how about this: Washington’s Jayden Daniels had touchdown runs of 38 yards and 26 yards to join an exclusive club that also includes Mike Vick.

Daniels and Vick are the only quarterbacks since 1950 to log a pair of 25-yard-or-longer touchdown runs in the same game. Vick did so Dec. 1, 2002.

Gibbs surpasses Barry Sanders

There might never be another Barry Sanders, but Jahmyr Gibbs is doing his best to remind fans of the Detroit Lions great.

Gibbs, who is in his fourth season with the Lions, scored his 58th career touchdown from scrimmage Sunday as the Lions beat the New Orleans Saints 31-30.

That is a record for a player under 25, breaking a record Sanders set in 1992.

Season 2 ended with Tommy launching CTT Oil Exploration and Cattle after being fired by Cami Miller. He brought several familiar faces into the new venture and named Cooper president, leaving himself in a less prominent position within the company’s hierarchy. That decision sets up a different kind of story for season 3, but it also raises questions about how much the series can shift its focus toward Cooper without losing what made it a hit in the first place.

‘Landman’ Season 3 Risks Losing Its Biggest Draw

ScreenRant has argued that Cooper replacing Tommy could “doom” Landman Season 3, while CBR has also explored the possibility of Cooper taking over his father’s role. Both discussions point toward a legitimate concern: Jacob Lofland’s character has not yet demonstrated that he can carry the series in the same way Thornton does.

It is Billy Bob Freakin’ Thornton, after all.

But I don’t think Cooper’s promotion is necessarily the problem. In fact, it could be one of the most interesting directions the show has taken.

Tommy has spent the series using his experience, instincts, and considerable ability to talk his way out of trouble to survive an industry where one bad decision can have devastating consequences. Cooper, meanwhile, is younger and far less experienced. Putting him in charge creates an opportunity to show what happens when someone gets the authority he has always wanted before he’s fully prepared for the responsibility.

The mistake would be treating that transition as a straightforward passing of the torch. Cooper doesn’t need to become the next Tommy Norris. He needs to become a compelling character in his own right, and the contrast between father and son could help make that happen.

Speaking of father and son, Lofland has already proven his chops among Hollywood’s finest — the actor starred alongside Pierce Brosnan in AMC’s The Son, where fans praised his ability to portray his character.

More importantly, Tommy shouldn’t have to disappear for Cooper to develop.

‘Landman’ Fans Already Know What Billy Bob Thornton Brings To The Show

There is some evidence that viewers share concerns about the show’s reliance on Thornton. On Rotten Tomatoes’ season 2 audience review page, one viewer wrote that “Billy Bob is really the only reason you would watch it.” Another described the actor as carrying the show, while a different reviewer praised his performance and said they couldn’t wait for season 3.

It’s easy to understand why fans feel drawn to Thornton’s character. Tommy is frequently the most entertaining person in the room, whether he’s negotiating with dangerous business partners, managing his increasingly complicated family life, or trying to keep an oil operation from falling apart.

Thornton gives the character a combination of world-weary humor, confidence, and unpredictability that makes even conversations about contracts and drilling operations engaging.

That quality is especially important for a show like Landman, which often balances its central business drama with family conflicts and storylines that have received a more mixed response. Tommy provides a consistent center of gravity. Removing him from the heart of the story would mean asking Cooper to fill a gap that goes beyond his new job title.

Cooper And Tommy’s New Dynamic Could Save ‘Landman’ Season 3

Fortunately, the Season 2 finale doesn’t suggest that Tommy is leaving the show. Instead, it gives him a new position within the business and creates a different relationship between him and Cooper. Production on season 3 began in October 2026, with Thornton and Lofland among the returning cast.

That gives the series a chance to explore something it hasn’t fully tackled before: what happens when Tommy has to let his son make decisions, including mistakes, rather than constantly stepping in to fix everything.

Cooper’s new responsibilities could also expose sides of Tommy that viewers haven’t seen as often. Will he genuinely trust his son to run the company? Will he struggle to stay out of Cooper’s way? And what happens when the two disagree over a decision that could put the entire business at risk?

Those questions are more interesting than simply asking whether Cooper can replace his father.

Although it’s not clear how the couple met, they both worked in China around the same time. While her husband’s career has taken him down a Hollywood path, Katie’s career has focused on conservative media and politics. Katie has worked in communications for Truth Social and the Department of Homeland Security, according to her LinkedIn page. She has appeared as a commentator on Fox News and Newsmax.

She has spoken openly about how she and her husband juggle their high-profile careers with family. Katie took a break from her career to focus on motherhood for a time.

Katie Zacharia & Her Husband Tyler Zacharia Have Been Raising Their Kids in Southern California

View this post on Instagram

According to Newsweek, Katie and Tyler married in 2011.

They have been raising their four kids in Southern California, the magazine reported. In September, Katie posted a photo showing her husband and their kids to her Instagram page, although she blurred out the children’s faces.

“Being in the world of politics, whether directly or adjacent, is BRUTAL…and I personally take DAILY heat for it. I try to keep my family away from the flame,” she wrote. “However, this year I’m particularly proud of my husband, who made David, Brink of War, Young Washington and many other great movies for @angel. Our four kids get to be front and center of the family-friendly films and they are our WHY. Different lanes, but God, Country, Family, and as our kids know, in CA, we proudly support President Trump.”

Most of her Instagram posts focus on her career, however. She also posts selfies and workout videos.

She explained that she took a career break to raise her kids in an interview with LA Mom Magazine.

“My career developed, actually, in a very untraditional way,” she said in that interview. “I knew I wanted to go into politics. I knew I wanted to go into law. I did not know I would end up in Beijing, China. I did not know I would end up having four kids in six years. And what I perceived was a career break was actually such a gift and motivated me even more.”

Katie added that her husband sometimes stays home with three or two kids, and she takes the other kids. “Teamwork is so essential,” she said, adding that sometimes the family also goes with Tyler on film shoots. “He integrates family on work trips, the entire family,” added Katie.

Katie Zacharia’s Husband Tyler Zacharia Was the Executive Producer for Martin Scorsese Films & the Movie, ‘Young Washington’

Tyler Zacharia’s LinkedIn page says he has worked on some high-profile Hollywood productions. His page describes him as “COO of 2521 Entertainment, where I lead finance, operations, and deal-making across the company’s film and television slate.”

He added: “I’ve produced or executive produced 20+ films, including Martin Scorsese’s Silence and The Irishman. Recent projects include Roofman, David, Young Washington, The Breadwinner and Runner.

Before entertainment, he “spent eight years in Beijing in emerging markets private equity with Schulze Global Investments (later acquired by Cerberus Capital), investing across China, Mongolia, Brazil, and Ethiopia,” Tyler’s page says. It notes: “Georgetown School of Foreign Service. Pepperdine MBA. Fluent in Mandarin.”

Both Katie Zacharia & Her Husband Tyler Zacharia Worked in China

Tyler’s LinkedIn page says he worked in Beijing, China, from 2007 through 2013 for “SGI Frontier Capital – now Cerberus Frontier Capital,” describing the job as “Emerging markets private equity. Oversaw investments in China, Mongolia, and Brazil, and helped launch funds and local teams in Ethiopia and Mongolia.”

According to Newsweek, Katie also worked in China. “Katie Zacharia worked in Beijing as an associate on Zhong Lun Law Firm’s International Practice Team from 2011 to 2013, while also managing fundraising and communications for the nonprofit Compassion for Migrant Children,” the magazine reported.

Related:

The most recent one that went on sale on Alt XYZ received 46 bids and sold for $1,385,274. Alt had placed its value range between $857,871 – $1,507,220, so the price it sold at was fairly expected.

Sales for the 1999 Base Set Charizard Holo have been moving uphill at a fair rate. A Gem Mint PSA 10 of the same card sold for ‘just’ $462,500 on Heritage Auctions on June 27.

This is roughly a 3X in the card’s value in less than three months.

The aforementioned Charizard that sold on Alt on October 8 fetched such a high price that it crept close to the all-time record for any Charizard card that sold at public auction.

The record is currently held by the 1996 Japanese No Rarity Base Set PSA 10, which sold for $1.7 million at Heritage Auctions.

However, with this most recent sale, it has become the most expensive 1^st Edition Charizard ever sold. So, while it did fail to climb the Mount Everest of Charizard cards, it certainly did break some records along the way.

The PSA 10 1st edition Charizard has done it. The icon. The Mount Rushmore. The legend. The singular, signature card of Pokémon that stands next to the 52 Mantle, the Black Lotus of MTG, the T206 Wagner, the 1984 Star Jordan. One of the 5 most iconic trading cards of all… pic.twitter.com/V5cj7Tw5PN

— Jeremy Padawer (@JeremyCom) October 9, 2026

There is also the chance of this record being broken in less than 11 days, as another 1999 Base Set Charizard is on auction currently, this time on Fanatics Collect.

With close to two weeks left until extended bidding begins, the highest bid is already $900,000, including the 20% buyer’s premium.

Charizard Has Company In The ‘Valuable Fire-Type Pokémon’ Department

Any kid who felt as though Charizard might be a bit too ‘mainstream’ for their liking found themselves inching toward Typhlosion.

This Pokémon should be held in incredibly high regard, too, given the value that it has pulled this past week. In an auction on Alt that also ended on October 8, the 2000 Neo Genesis 1st Edition Holo Typhlosion sold for a whopping $1,549,690.

Given that the population for a Gem Mint PSA 10 is only 13 according to Alt, this value does have some backing.

Then again, Alt placed the expected value of this card’s sale at $1,050,032. This is a near 48% spike.

That figure may have come from a recent transaction for this same card on June 4, which sold for $415,500. It has since been on a near-exponential rise, with only a slight dip in mid-July before skyrocketing after August.

It’s clear that Pokémon will continue to ride this wave as collectors enjoy this meteoric rise in the cards’ monetary value and cultural standing within the collectibles world.

The former Beatle publicly recognized her contribution years before the music industry acted. In 2017, the National Music Publishers Association announced that Ono would be added as a co-writer, 46 years after the song’s original release. The association confirmed the decision.

Next: 57 Years Ago Today: John Lennon Quietly Told the Beatles It Was Over

Lennon Admitted He Had Left Ono Out

The inspiration came partly from Ono’s 1964 book Grapefruit, a collection of conceptual art instructions inviting readers to imagine unusual possibilities.

Lennon acknowledged that connection in comments preserved on his official website.

“‘Imagine’ could never have been written without her,” Lennon said. He also acknowledged, “I wasn’t man enough to let her have credit for it.”

The admission complicated the familiar image of Lennon as the song’s sole creative force.

In a 1980 BBC interview, Lennon explained that Ono had contributed substantially to the lyrics and central idea. He described his earlier reluctance to share credit as selfishness and an outdated attitude toward his wife’s work.

The confession was unusually direct, particularly for a musician whose reputation was inseparable from the song’s message of unity.

Next: 64 Years Ago Today: The Beatles Released Their First Single and It Barely Charted

The Song Received a Major Honor—and a Correction

In June 2017, “Imagine” received the National Music Publishers Association’s Centennial Song Award.

At the ceremony, association president David Israelite announced Ono’s recognition as a co-writer. Her son, Sean Ono Lennon, celebrated the moment publicly.

According to Lennon’s official website, Sean called it the “Proudest day of my life.”

The recognition highlighted a striking contradiction: a song celebrated for imagining a more equal world had long carried an incomplete acknowledgment of its own creation.

Next: 58 Years Ago Today: One of the ‘Greatest Songs of All Time’ Was Released

Why ‘Imagine’ Still Matters 55 Years Later

The song’s vision of a world without national, religious, or economic divisions has attracted both admiration and criticism. Its gentle melody helped make challenging ideas accessible to a worldwide audience.

Yet the songwriting story offers another reason to revisit it.

Lennon’s acknowledgment shows that even a celebrated artist could recognize an omission in his own legacy.

Related: 60 Years Ago Today, the Beatles Released an Album That Hit No. 1 and Was Ranked Among the ‘Greatest Ever’

Fast-forward 10 years, and Bryant’s collectibles are fetching seven figures at auction despite not being in absolute perfect condition.

The 2012 Panini Prizm Gold Prizm Kobe Bryant sold for $1.11 million on Alt after an auction ended on October 8.

View this post on Instagram

The condition was rated Gem Mint 9.5 due to slight centering issues. This is perhaps why the sale price fell below what Alt expected the card to sell for.

Alt predicted with ‘medium’ confidence that the card would sell for $1,182,336. This means the sale price fell by $82,336.

The card has been on an incredibly steady and linear rise in value since its last sale in August 2022 for $156,000. The only dip that it has seen was the aforementioned one.

Regardless of the slight decrease in value, the $1.11 million price tag is not to be scoffed at. It is especially impressive, as this card is neither a rookie card nor an autograph, and it does not feature any game-worn memorabilia.

This isn’t the only valuable Kobe Bryant currently on the market, however. The 2012 National Treasures NBA Logoman Kobe Bryant, which features a game-worn patch from the ‘Black Mamba,’ is currently on Fanatics Collect for $456,000.

It is a 1/1 collectible, so the card’s value is expected to rise.

Kobe Bryant’s Gold Prizm Has Company

The hefty seven-figure price tag for a Gold Prizm from the 2012-13 set by Panini isn’t exclusive to just Kobe Bryant. The Stephen Curry card was also on auction on Alt and sold on October 8 for $1,695,337.

This set by Panini revolutionized modern high-end sports card collecting, featuring cards teeming with talent.

Legends of the game, such as LeBron James and, of course, Kobe Bryant, were a part of the pack along with young, up-and-coming talent like Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis. Now that we’re close to 15 years removed from their release, many cards from this set have become ‘chases’ for collectors.

The LeBron James, for example, which was rated 9.5 by BGS, sold for $793,000 at Goldin on September 13, 2025. James being featured in his Miami Heat threads certainly added value to the card, given that he had his most successful stint in South Beach.

Each star who was bestowed a Gold Prizm card was already an established star or would eventually become an All-NBA talent in the league. So, it’s safe to say that as time goes on, this set will continue its upward trajectory.

Thirteen years ago today, Tom Hanks delivered one of his most emotionally demanding performances in Captain Phillips. The surprise came months later: despite the thriller earning six Academy Award nominations, Hanks was left out of the Best Actor race.

Released October 11, 2013, Paul Greengrass’s maritime thriller remains an acclaimed entry in Hanks’s career, holding a 93% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. But its most memorable scene almost never happened.

Next: 1994 Tom Hanks Classic, Ranked Among Greatest American Movies, Had a Wild Sequel Planned

Six Oscar Nominations, but None for Tom Hanks

Based on the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama, the film follows merchant captain Richard Phillips as armed Somali pirates seize his ship and take him hostage.

The Academy nominated Captain Phillips for Best Picture, adapted screenplay, editing, two sound categories, and Best Supporting Actor for Barkhad Abdi.

Hanks, however, missed the Best Actor lineup. Matthew McConaughey ultimately won for Dallas Buyers Club.

The omission was particularly striking because Hanks’s most powerful moment came after the film’s central confrontation ended.

Next: 10 Years Ago Today: Clint Eastwood Film, Starring Tom Hanks, Named One of the Year’s Best Movies

The Scene That Changed Everything

Greengrass originally filmed a quieter conclusion featuring Phillips recovering in a captain’s cabin. But after learning how the actual rescue unfolded, the director changed course.

In a BAFTA conversation, Greengrass explained: “The truth about filmmaking is, a lot of it is luck. You have to work for your luck.”

The production moved into a ship’s medical bay, where a real Navy medic worked opposite Hanks.

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Hanks said the improvised sequence was “100% exact, authentic,” allowing him to explore the character’s response without a conventional scripted performance.

“It ended up just being lightning in a bottle,” Hanks recalled.

Next: Gene Hackman Wanted Out of the 1971 Crime Thriller ‘The French Connection’ That Won Him an Oscar

Why the Ending Still Hits Hard

The closing sequence transforms the thriller from a survival story into something more unsettling: a portrait of a man processing what he has endured.

Greengrass told Time Out the original ending was serviceable, but “both of us felt something was missing.”

That missing element became the film’s defining emotional payoff.

Related: 28 Years Ago Today: One of the Greatest War Movies Ever Made Premiered

The series leans into science fiction elements more than its parent series and can take more chances because it’s on streaming instead of network TV. It’s been renewed for season 2, and this is everything we know about it so far!

When will Stuart Fails to Save the Universe season 2 premiere?

The first season recently finished this summer, and the renewal just happened, so don’t expect season 2 of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe until at least sometime near the end of 2027. There were 10 episodes that aired weekly for the first season, so expect that again in season 2.

What are the creators saying about Stuart Saves the Universe season 2?

In an exclusive interview with Men’s Journal, some of the show’s creators talked about the creative process behind the spin-off series. It’s much different than The Big Bang Theory in that is has a lot more genre elements than just a generic sitcom. Creator Chuck Lorre talked about this process.

“There is danger in too much freedom. There is no question that you can go too far. You can think it, but do you want to execute it? Ultimately, the only guiding light for us was to be deeply honest with ourselves and ask one simple question. “Is this funny?” Because this is a comedy. So, if we don’t think it’s funny, then no one else will. So that’s how we had to proceed.”

In a report from Deadline, box office returns in the United States and Canada just crossed the $8 billion mark. At 282 days into the year, this is the earliest that benchmark has been crossed since 2011; by comparison, last year it took nearly two months later to reach $8 billion, and this year shows a 20% improvement compared to 2025 already. Given a couple of sure-fire blockbuster hits are yet to be released—namely Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part III–it’s very likely that 2026 will be the highest-earning post-pandemic year, beating out 2023’s $9 billion total, with many experts suggesting the total will rise to at least $10 billion,

Movies Big and Small Showed Up At The Box Office This Year

So far, the biggest movie of the year is Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which brought in over $950 million in the US and Canada alone, and has been one of the highest-grossing movies in history. Christopher Nolan’s epic The Odyssey beat out two big animated animated franchises, Toy Story 5 and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, to second place: those four movies alone accounted for nearly $2.5 billion. More surprising, however, were two indie sensations that helped define 2026 as an impactful year for Hollywood: Obsession and Backrooms. These were the 7th and 9th biggest movies in America respectively, and has helped to show original, independent films can still make a splash at the box office. With the busy holiday season still waiting, 2026 is shaping up to be the best post-pandemic year for movie theaters, a welcome silver lining in these trying times for the entertainment industry.

Next: There’s a New No 1. All-Time Box Office Hit

“I solemnly swear I will not reveal the ending of Witness for the Prosecution.”

Tyrone Power starred in the 1957 courtroom thriller alongside Marlene Dietrich and Charles Laughton, with Billy Wilder directing.

Nearly seven decades later, it sits at No. 68 on Rotten Tomatoes’ 300 Best Movies of All Time. 

The site’s critics’ consensus had this verdict:

“Witness for the Prosecution combines a fascinating character study with a brilliantly unpredictable plot to produce a practically flawless Agatha Christie adaptation.”

Turns out, keeping that ending under wraps started with the cast.

How Billy Wilder Kept the Witness for the Prosecution Ending Secret

Studio publicity claimed Power and his co-stars didn’t learn the ending until the final day of shooting. The script’s final 10 pages were handed out then, per the AFI Catalog.

The film also carried a warning as the end credits rolled. An offscreen voice addressed audiences directly:

“The management of this theater suggests that for the greater entertainment of your friends who have not yet seen the picture you will not divulge to anyone the secret of the ending of Witness for the Prosecution.”

Even the posters urged moviegoers not to tell the ending. The secrecy may have cost Dietrich an Oscar nomination, per CrimeReads. The campaign hid the full scope of her performance from anyone who hadn’t seen it.

The film still earned six Oscar nominations, including best picture. It was also Power’s last completed film. He died of a heart attack the following year, during his next production.

Witness for the Prosecution holds a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes from 42 reviews.

Related: Ed Harris’s 1983 Astronaut Epic Bombed — And It Now Has a 96% Rotten Tomatoes Score

Nintendo fans don’t need to worry about their favorite company doing the same thing as their rivals. Bill van Zyll, the Vice President and General Manager of Nintendo Latin America, says that the company will continue to sell physical games for the foreseeable future.

“Historically, we’ve been very agnostic, right? We go off what the consumer prefers, and take that into account very heavily. We also have a platform that was just launched. We’re barely just over a year into NS2. It’s got both digital and physical – that capability. There’s no plans to ditch physical. We know how much the fans like it as well, so our position has been to be agnostic.”

Sony’s executives haven’t changed their stances on the predicament in the months since the announcement. In fact, former Sony Interactive Entertainment President Shuhei Yoshida says that he doesn’t fully understand why going all digital is that big of a deal.

“But personally, I’m a totally digital consumer. I don’t want to manage discs or swap discs. I want all my games on my dashboard, and I just select a game and play it. So, I’m completely digital.”

“Even with physical disc games, in most cases, developers are constantly updating and adding game data anyway. Anyone who chooses to purchase a physical version will still need to download new patches, DLC, or updates. So, not having a disc, I don’t understand if it’s such a big issue.”

Nintendo has big games such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time coming out in November, and this will obviously be accessible physically.

Carolina Caroline, per its official synopsis, stars Samara Weaving (Ready or Not, Bill & Ted Face the Music) as Caroline Daniels, “whose desire to leave her small Texas town brings her into the orbit of a charismatic con man, and together they weave a path of crime and passion across the American Southeast.”

Alongside Weaving, Carolina Caroline stars Kyle Gallner (The Haunting in Connecticut, Jennifer’s Body), Jon Gries (Napoleon Dynamite, The White Lotus), and Kyra Sedgwick (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Born on the Fourth of July). The romantic-thriller genre hybrid was directed by Adam Carter Rehmeier, also known for his films Dinner in America (2020) and Snack Shack (2024).

In keeping with its cast and American Southeast setting, Carolina Caroline boasts a fitting all-star, country-filled soundtrack, with songs from Loretta Lynn, Jason Isbell, and Chris Stapleton.

After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2025, Carolina Caroline had a limited theatrical release, with the indie film grossing $300,000 at the box office. Critically, the film received acclaim, with a 90% “Certified Fresh” score among professional reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

“Traversing a classic crime formula with an atmosphere that’s as sweltering as Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner’s chemistry, Carolina Caroline injects its doomed love story with an invigorating shot of adrenaline,” Rotten Tomatoes’ official critics’ consensus reads.

Now that the film is set to hit Netflix next month, the movie has the opportunity on the world’s biggest streaming service to win over fans of thrillers, country music, and those who miss the style and glamour of the Southern Gothic genre.

Carolina Caroline arrives on Netflix on November 1. International territories may vary.

Released in October 1983, the film was adapted from Tom Wolfe’s 1979 nonfiction book of the same title and directed by Philip Kaufman. The story follows a group of astronauts and a test pilot who helped advance the early U.S. space program.

Harris portrayed astronaut John Glenn, while Sam Shepard played test pilot Chuck Yeager.

The film explores personal rivalries, the dangers of experimental flight and the intense pressures that accompanied the emerging space race.

The New Jersey Hall of Fame, which inducted Harris in the Performing Arts category in 2019, noted that the actor “broke through to national fame” with his portrayal of Glenn.

Ed Harris’s The Right Stuff Flopped at the Box Office but Earned Lasting Acclaim

But despite Harris’s growing popularity and the film’s strong reviews, The Right Stuff struggled commercially. It earned just over $21.5 million domestically against a $27 million production budget.

The movie received eight Academy Award nominations and won four, including awards for sound, film editing and original score.

In a 2019 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Kaufman reflected on the film’s disappointing box-office performance. He suggested that the marketing strategy and the way the film was envisioned may have contributed to its failure.

“Why it didn’t do well is both a mystery and quite obvious,” Kaufman said. “I think the way the film was promoted and conceived of was a problem; I don’t think that some people understood the movie we were making.”

Over time, The Right Stuff gained greater recognition. The film now has a 96% critics’ score and a 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics praised the film’s storytelling and its portrayal of the men involved in America’s early space efforts.

“The Right Stuff packs a lot of movie into its hefty running time, spinning a colorful, fact-based story out of consistently engaging characters in the midst of epochal events,” Rotten Tomatoes’ critics’ consensus stated.

In 2006, the American Film Institute ranked The Right Stuff No. 19 on its list of the 100 most inspiring films of all time. TIME magazine also included the film on its 2023 list of the 100 Best Movies of the Past 10 Decades.

Related: Orson Welles’ 1958 Classic Still Holds a Near-Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score 68 Years Later

Richard Jewell, the 2019 historical-biographical drama, was directed by the Hollywood legend and written by Billy Ray, the screenwriter behind The Hunger Games (2012) and Captain Phillips (2013). Eastwood, alongside fellow movie icon Leonardo DiCaprio, co-produced the film, which is based on the 1997 Vanity Fair article “American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell” by Marie Brenner, and the 2019 book The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man Caught in the Middle by Kent Alexander and Kevin Salwen.

Richard Jewell is based on the story of the security guard of the same name, played by Paul Walter Hauser (I, Tonya, Black Bird), who was working at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta when he discovered a backpack containing a bomb at the games. Jewell’s life-saving decision to alert authorities of the discovery was a heroic act, but in a shocking twist, the FBI accused Jewell of planting the bomb as part of a planned terrorist attack, and Eastwood’s film follows the battle against the Bureau and the media to clear his name.

Alongside Hauser, Richard Jewell co-stars Olivia Wilde (The Invite, House) and Jon Hamm (Mad Men, Bridesmaids), as well as Oscar winners Kathy Bates (Misery, Titanic) and Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Green Mile). Bates was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Richard’s mother, Barbara “Bobi” Jewell.

Richard Jewell was well received by critics — but received near-universal acclaim by moviegoers. The historical drama has the rare Rotten Tomatoes achievement of a “Certified Hot” rating, thanks to its 96% audience score, compared with its 77% score from professional critics.

Richard Jewell arrives on Netflix U.S. on November 1. International territories may vary.

Presley became the “King of Rock and Roll” in the ’50s with iconic ’50s hits like “Don’t Be Cruel” (1956), “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956), “Hound Dog” (1956), “Jailhouse Rock” (1957), “All Shook Up” (1957) and “Don’t” (1958).

Indeed, no music star of the ’50s could match Presley’s stardom. But on the flip side, one could also say that no musician from that era could match Berry’s wizardry on the guitar.

Berry achieved his first hit after the release of “Maybellene” in 1955. As successful as that song was, Berry’s signature track would come out three years later.

The song in question, of course, is “Johnny B. Goode.” Renowned for Berry’s fast-paced handwork and singing, the song tells the story of a Louisiana kid who quickly aces the guitar.

As The Guardian wrote in 2007, “Johnny B. Goode was ‘”Probably the first song ever written about how much money a musician could make by playing the guitar.”

In their list of “The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time“, Rolling Stone ranked “Johnny B. Goode” at No. 6; Prince’s “Purple Rain” took the top spot.

“Chuck Berry perfected the rock & roll guitar solo as we know it in ‘Johnny B. Goode,’ the definitive guitar-hero anthem,” Rolling Stone wrote. “His opening 18-second barrage was the shot heard around the world, a Tunguska-level blast of electric bravado that inspired half the players on this list to pick up their first guitar…Every tradition of American music is somewhere in Chuck Berry’s guitar — never louder or more defiant than right here.”

The track peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.

‘Johnny B’ Goode Gained More Notoriety in Iconic ‘Back to the Future’ Scene

“Johnny B. Goode” was featured during a pivotal scene in the legendary 1985 sci-fi film, Back to the Future.

After traveling back in time to 1955 and making sure his parents fell in love at the “Enchantment Under the Sea” dance, Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox) overcomes his inner doubts and plays a thunderous cover of “Johnny B. Goode.”

As the movie is set in 1955, there’s a scene where the character Marvin Berry calls his cousin “Chuck.” Marvin tells the iconic guitarist to listen to Marty’s performance over the phone, thereby inspiring “Johnny B. Goode” in a fictional setting.

Related: Link Wray’s 1958 Instrumental, Ranked the 56th-Greatest Guitar Solo of All Time, Still Holds Up

Tom London Appeared in the Most Westerns in Hollywood

However, one actor popped up in more Westerns than the above combined. Per The Movie Database, Tom London has 406 known credits, while IMDb lists a staggering 659 credits as an actor. He appeared in at least 320 Westerns in his prolific career. London, born Leonard Thomas Clapham, worked steadily through the silent era and into 1963, appearing uncredited in the short-lived Western series The Dakotas before his death on Dec. 5 of that year.

IMDb lists London’s first credit as a silent film in 1915, when he made his debut under his birth name. He eventually changed it to “Tom London” in 1925. Some of the notable Westerns on his resume include 1952’s High Noon, starring Gary Cooper, which is frequently cited among the greatest Westerns of all time.

He also appeared in 1943’s The Ox-Bow Incident, a personal favorite of star Henry Fonda. London reunited with Cooper in 1958 for Man of the West, one of the latter’s final film roles. He appeared in the John Wayne-led The Lawless Nineties in 1936 before Wayne’s breakthrough a few years later. On the Western TV front, London’s credits include The Range Rider, Annie Oakley, The Lone Ranger, and The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.

London made a living portraying supporting characters on screen in some of the most iconic staples of the genre. Having over 300 Westerns on one’s roster is astonishing on its own, but couple that with London’s decades-spanning career, and you’ve got a prime example of bona fide work ethic.

The medical mockumentary series debuted its pilot episode on NBC in November 2024, and was recently renewed for a third season, set to premiere on the Network on November 2. All 18 episodes of Season 1 arrived on the world’s largest streaming service in its entirety on April 1 this year, thanks to a licensing deal between NBC and Netflix.

St. Denis Medical is one of several licensed NBC shows on Netflix U.S., along with Happy’s Place, Night Court, and La Brea. Several NBC titles, including St. Denis Medical and Reba McEntire’s Happy’s Place, made their streaming debut on Peacock, the streaming service owned by NBC’s Parent Company, NBCUniversal, before they arrived on Netflix at a later date.

The second season of the series is expected to hit Netflix on November 3, according to a report by What’s on Netflix. Just like Season 1, Season 2 is expected to arrive on the streaming service in its entirety, following the season finale that aired on NBC back in April this year.

St. Denis Medical is “about an underfunded, understaffed Oregon hospital where the dedicated doctors and nurses try their best to treat patients while maintaining their own sanity,” according to the show’s official logline (per Variety).

The medical dramedy stars an ensemble cast that includes Wendi McLendon-Covey (Bridesmaids, The Goldbergs), Allison Tolman (Why Women Kill, Fargo), Josh Lawson (Superstore, Mortal Kombat), Kahyun Kim (Cocaine Bear, American Gods), Mekki Leeper (The Sex Lives of College Girls, Jury Duty), David Alan Grier (In Living Color, A Series of Unfortunate Events), and Kaliko Kauahi (Superstore, Parks and Recreation).

St. Denis Medical Season 2 arrives on Netflix U.S. on November 3, 2026. International territories may vary.

It may be hard to believe, but in May 2027, it will be 20 years since Soulja Boy changed the trajectory of rap music by dropping “Crank That (Soulja Boy).” Whether you’re a fan or not, the rapper arguably introduced the concept of viral music being chart-topping, profitable, and culturally impactful. His debut single created a nationwide phenomenon with listeners blasting the track as they did the accompanying dance. Heck, he did this before TikTok was even a thing. 

From that song, Soulja Boy managed to make a career in both music and TV. He produced follow-up hits like “Turn My Swag On,” “Kiss Me Thru the Phone,” and “Pretty Boy Swag.” And he let cameras into his life on Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood.

All that being said, what did Soulja Boy say that has people believing he’s now ready to step into politics? Furthermore, what’s his platform?

Soulja Boy: “A New Chapter. A Bigger Vision. A Commitment to Creating Opportunities”

On October 10, Soulja Boy took to his Instagram and posted a photo of himself in all black in front of an American flag backdrop. In the caption, he wrote: 

“A new chapter. A bigger vision. A commitment to creating opportunities for the next generation.

“My focus is on four things: economic opportunity, criminal justice reform, education, and the future of technology and AI.

“From music to business to technology, I’ve always believed in thinking bigger and challenging what’s possible.

“Now I’m exploring what it means to bring that same vision to public service.

“The future starts with a conversation. us #SouljaBoy2028 #America2028 #Leadership #TheFuture #SouljaBoy”

View this post on Instagram

It certainly sounds like Soulja Boy is running. However, as of publication, it doesn’t appear that the rapper has filed official paperwork. So it looks like we’ll all have to wait and see what happens next. 

Kanye West Ran for President in 2020

If Soulja Boy officially declares, he’ll be taking a step that West took in 2020. The  “All of the Lights” rapper decided to run for POTUS as an independent candidate, facing off against major party candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden. West’s run wasn’t exactly smooth, and he was left off the ballot in several states. Obviously, his candidacy didn’t end with him in the Oval Office, but will that be Soulja Boy’s fate should he decide to run?

Related: Andrew Garfield Names His Favorite Spider-Man Actor (No, It’s Not Him) 

Rolling Stone ranked Rainbow’s second album No. 48 on its list of 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time. 

Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and singer Ronnie James Dio led the band, with drummer Cozy Powell newly on board.

Wikimetal’s Vitor Melo marked the album’s 50th anniversary in May 2026 with a fitting tribute.

“Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore ‘s first epic after leaving Deep Purple not only raised the bar for technical skill in rock but also laid the groundwork for what would later become known as power metal,” he wrote.

How Rainbow Packed an Epic Into 33 Minutes on Rising

Blackmore rebuilt the lineup after the band’s 1975 debut, keeping only Dio. He personally chose bassist Jimmy Bain, keyboardist Tony Carey and Powell, per Ultimate Classic Rock.

The band rehearsed for a few weeks at a farmhouse outside Munich. Recording began at the city’s Musicland Studios in February 1976, with producer Martin Birch.

Powell recalled the approach in Jerry Bloom’s Blackmore biography, Black Night.

“I think the idea was to try and capture it as quickly as we could,” he said. “It wasn’t a manufactured record. It was done spontaneously and the musicians’ input is the way you hear it, which is why is possibly why it’s one of the better albums that we did.”

The original vinyl’s second side held just two songs, “Stargazer” and “A Light in the Black.” Each runs more than eight minutes.

For “Stargazer,” the band brought in players from the Munich Philharmonic instead of synthesizers. Its central riff began on a cello, an instrument Blackmore never mastered, per UCR.

Rising spent 17 weeks on the U.S. chart. 

Related: The Who Made One of the ‘Greatest Albums of All Time’

About ‘Ray Gunn’

For the uninitiated, the Ray Gunn synopsis reads thusly: “In Metropia, a gigantic city in an alternate future as seen from 1939, private eye Raymond Gunn is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder and a multimedia star named Venus Nova.”

The animated flick features an all-star cast, including Sam Rockwell as the voice of the titular private eye, Scarlett Johansson as Venus Nova, Tom Waits as Eye-Ra Kadok, Alan Tudyk as Barry Vogel, Matt Berry as Francis Xavier, Bobby Cannavale as Arnold Dom, Michelle Rodriguez as Roz Dexler, Matt Jones as Fazelli, Aasif Mandvi as Emory Lutz, and Kathryn Hunter as Vanzine Kaluta. Brad Bird directed from a script he co-wrote with Matthew Robbins, based on his story.

‘Ray Gunn’s First Rotten Tomatoes Score

Recently, Ray Gunn made its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival, and the review embargo has lifted. While we’re still a few months out from the movie’s Netflix debut, Ray Gunn now has its first Rotten Tomatoes score.

As of writing, the animated neo-noir sci-fi mystery boasts a 91% on the review aggregator’s Tomatometer from 34 critic reviews. Variety wrote: “It’s never quite as funny as it should be, while its characters want for texture and soul… These aren’t fatal shortfalls: There are more than enough visual and sonic delights here to compensate.”

The Guardian praised Bird’s newest feature, calling it “smart, witty, humane: a fantasy spectacular with old-fashioned entertainment values and some amazing cityscape design showcasing a beguiling and sweet romance.”

Not every review is glowing or middle-of-the-road, though. The Hollywood Reporter was unimpressed, calling Ray Gunn “not special,” before adding that “it’s a blandly palatable jumble of sci-fi and neo-noir clichés, not so much awful as underwhelming.”

You can formulate your own opinions when Ray Gunn hits select theaters on Dec. 4, before it arrives on Netflix on Dec. 18.

Season 1 of The Hunting Wives, which dropped on July 21 last year, proved a lasting success for the streaming giant, racking up over 2 billion viewing minutes upon its debut on the platform, doubling its viewership in the second week, according to viewing data obtained by Deadline.

Now, according to a new report by the entertainment outlet, the series has proved a worthy enough investment for Netflix to give the green light to production on Season 3, even before Season 2 premieres.

Based on the bestselling novel by May Cobb, The Hunting Wives follows “a woman as she and her family move from Boston to Texas. There, she grows close to a socialite — maybe too close — and becomes consumed by obsession, seduction, and murder,” according to Netflix’s official synopsis.

The series, which polarized and hooked viewers in its portrayal of wealthy conservative women, sexuality, and violence, stars Brittany Snow (Hairspray, Pitch Perfect), Malin Åkerman (Watchmen, The Comeback), Dermot Mulroney (Friends, My Best Friend’s Wedding), Jaime Ray Newman (Veronica Mars, The Punisher), Evan Jonigkeit (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Bone Tomahawk), and Chrissy Metz (This Is Us, American Horror Story).

Season 2 of The Hunting Wives is set for release on Netflix on November 26. Per Deadline, the series, which was originally only available on the U.S. version of the platform upon its launch, was “developed and produced for Starz before reverting to the studio in the network’s split from Lionsgate.” Despite a more limited launch, the series spent five weeks in Netflix’s Global Top 10 English-language TV list, making its expansion a worthy investment for the streaming service.

The film was adapted from Jack Finney’s magazine serial The Body Snatchers. The title changed to avoid confusion with RKO’s 1945 film The Body Snatcher, per the AFI Catalog.

The film ranks ninth on the American Film Institute’s Top 10 list in the best sci-fi category. 

Invasion of the Body Snatchers was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry in 1994 as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Rotten Tomatoes also gave the movie high praise in its critics’ consensus. 

“One of the best political allegories of the 1950s, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is an efficient, chilling blend of sci-fi and horror,” it read. 

The film found an audience upon release, although its critical reputation grew considerably over time. The ending audiences saw wasn’t the one its director intended.

Why Allied Artists Forced a Happier Ending on Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Siegel’s version ended on a bleak note, with the pods winning, per The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Its final scene has Bennell screaming “You’re next!” at cars on a highway.

The scene took a toll, per Mental Floss. McCarthy had been running for days and wasn’t sleeping well. Siegel told the stunt drivers to stay alert in case he stumbled.

Producer Walter Wanger and Allied Artists executives reportedly wanted a framing prologue and epilogue. Screenwriter Daniel Mainwaring was brought back to write them.

There was even a failed attempt to land Orson Welles for the prologue.

Film Stories reports the studio planned to add the framing scenes regardless of whether Siegel cooperated. The added epilogue lets the authorities finally believe Bennell’s story.

The film is sometimes shown without the framing scenes, American Cinematographer notes. It holds a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes from 58 reviews.

Related: Alan Ladd Starred in the Third-Best Western Movie of All Time

While Alfred Hitchcock‘s last completed movie was the 1976 black comedy thriller Family Plot, the famed auteur had plans for another film before his death in 1980. Hitchcock was developing a spy thriller titled The Short Night, which he would’ve directed from a script by James Costigan, Ernest Lehman, and David Freeman, based on Ronald Kirkbride‘s novel of the same name. It also pulled from Seán Bourke‘s 1970 biography The Springing of George Blake. Bourke was an Irish criminal who helped British spy George Blake escape prison in 1966.

Hitchcock brought collaborator Norman Lloyd into the fold. Lloyd previously appeared in Hitchcock’s Saboteur and Spellbound, which premiered in 1942 and 1945, respectively.

Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Short Night’

The plot follows an American, Joe Bailey, whom the CIA orders to kill escaped double agent Gavin Brand by tracking down the latter’s family. Brand is on the lam after breaking out of London’s Wormwood Scrubs Prison, and is making a beeline for Russia. Bailey falls head over heels for Brand’s wife, Carla (as you do). A Finnish police chief assists Carla and Bailey as they try to stop Brand from crossing the Russian border with Brand and Carla’s children.

Interestingly, the thriller began its development journey in the late 1960s around the release of 1969’s Topaz. Hitchcock even scouted locations in Finland.

Clint Eastwood Was Among the Names Considered for Hitchcock’s Spy Thriller

On the casting front, Hitchcock considered a handful of big names for the role of Gavin Brand. This included Western icon Clint Eastwood, whose star was in the stratosphere thanks to his work in Sergio Leone‘s Dollars Trilogy and the 1971 action/crime hit Dirty Harry. Eastwood and Hitchcock purportedly had lunch together to discuss The Short Night, but Eastwood turned down the legendary filmmaker because of the script.

Other A-list talent in the consideration pool for Brand included Walter Matthau, who guest-starred on Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and Sean Connery, the first actor to portray James Bond. Hitchcock also reportedly offered the plum role to “King of Cool” Steve McQueen, who headlined the Western classic The Magnificent Seven. Ed Lauter was on the consideration list, too. Lauter had a supporting part in Family Plot. As for the role of Carla, Catherine Deneuve and Liv Ullmann were on Hitchcock’s shortlist.

Unfortunately, Universal Pictures shelved The Short Night in 1979 before shooting began due to Hitchcock’s poor health (compounded by his worry about his wife, Alma Reville, who recently had a stroke). Script issues and budgetary problems also plagued the production. On April 29, 1980, Hitchcock passed away from kidney failure, and the project has remained untouched since.

Just months after adaptations of the Suzanne Collins novels of the same name arrived on the Netflix U.S. library in July 2026, all five films released prior to Sunrise on the Reaping will be removed from the platform on October 14. These include the four Jennifer Lawrence-led films based on the original Hunger Games book trilogy: The Hunger Games (2012), The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1 (2014), and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1 (2015).

Additionally, the more recent Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth-led prequel adaptation, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023), will also be removed from Netflix on the same day. Sunrise on the Reaping, the upcoming film set to premiere next month, is a direct sequel to The Ballads of Songbirds & Snakes.

Where To Watch All Five ‘The Hunger Games’ Films After Their Removal From Netflix on October 14

The original Hunger Games trilogy, which follows Katniss Everdeen’s experiences during the annual Hunger Games and her role in the resistance movement against the Capitol, is set to arrive on Hulu, according to comingsoon.net.

The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1 will arrive on Hulu on October 14 — the same day the films leave Netflix.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, however, will not be part of this roster. Instead, the Hunger Games trilogy prequel film will be arriving on Disney+. This shift in streaming homes will also occur on October 14, the same day the 2023 film exits Netflix.

Sydney Sweeney’s Steamy Psychological Thriller That Has Viewers Talking Again

Widely released in America on December 19, 2025, The Housemaid quickly became Sydney Sweeney’s highest-grossing film ever, according to Variety. The film brought in just over $400 million at the worldwide box office on an estimated $35 million budget, per IMDb data. Now, nearly a year later, it has taken HBO Max by storm. According to FlixPatrol, The Housemaid is currently the No. 1 movie streaming in the United States.

Top 10 Movies on HBO Max in America on October 11, 2026:

• 10. The Shining
• 9. Scooby-Doo
• 8. Supergirl
• 7. A Few Good Men
• 6. The Departed
• 5. Corpse Bride
• 4. Coraline
• 3. Evil Dead Burn
• 2. Backrooms
• 1. The Housemaid

The Housemaid is an R-Rated thriller that stars Sweeney as an ex-convict who takes a live-in housekeeping job for Andrew and Nina Winchester and starts an affair with the husband. Directed by Paul Feig, the twisty film takes an unsettling turn that captivated viewers, leading to it becoming a big enough success that a sequel is now in the works. The film also stars Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar in highly memorable roles.

Why Sydney Sweeney’s R-Rated Thriller Is Back in the Spotlight

Since Sydney Sweeney is often one of the most-talked-about movie stars, her films don’t necessarily need a specific reason to become a streaming success. However, a film surging to No. 1 on HBO Max months after its box office success is an unusual enough event that there had to be an explanation. In this case, there is a clear reason. The Housemaid is captivating viewers again because the film only premiered on HBO Max two days ago, on October 9.

Next: Sydney Sweeney’s New ‘Syrn’ Lingerie Video Turns Heads

Live From New York, It’s Saturday Night

At the time, “Saturday Night Live” was the title of another American variety show: Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell. It aired on rival network ABC for one season, from Sept. 20, 1975, to Jan. 17, 1976. (Of course, once ABC axed it, NBC scooped up the name rights, adopting said name for the show’s 1977-1978 season.)

Carlin’s star was on the rise in the 1970s, with the controversy surrounding his “Seven Dirty Words” routine launching him into the stratosphere. Per his request, he didn’t perform in any sketches, although he delivered the opening monologue and popped up three more times over the course of the episode to do stand-up bits. However, according to cast member Laraine Newman, Carlin was supposed to appear in a sketch about Alexander the Great that was cut at the last minute.

Interestingly, Carlin was supposed to be part of a rotation of comedians pulling hosting duties. The late satirist noted in his final book, 2009’s Last Words, that he “poisoned the well a little.” “I was certainly full of cocaine,” he said, adding that he was “far from the only one.”

The First Episode Cast Roster for ‘SNL’

In addition to a stellar opening by Carlin, Saturday Night Live‘s inaugural episode showcased first musical guests Janis Ian and Billy Preston. Preston performed his No. 1 hit from 1974, “Nothing from Nothing,” and closed out with “Fancy Lady.” Ian sang her No. 1 single from that year, “At Seventeen,” and “In the Winter,” both from her seventh studio album, Between the Lines.

SNL‘s debut featured “The Not Ready for Prime Time Players,” including Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, George Coe (who was only credited for the premiere), Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Newman, Michael O’Donoghue, and Gilda Radner. Legendary comedian Andy Kaufman played the Mighty Mouse theme song on the recorder for one segment, and a pre-Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Richard Belzer participated as a juror in the “Courtroom” sketch.

Master puppeteer Jim Henson also kicked off his recurring Season 1 sketch, “The Land of Gorch,” in the 1975 episode, featuring the Muppets (including Frank Oz of The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, and Star Wars fame). The last episode to feature said sketch aired on Sept. 18, 1976.

You can celebrate 51 years of SNL by checking out that very first episode on Peacock.

Initially, Abdi entered the production without professional acting experience, working as a limousine driver before landing his role. However, he took control of a key confrontation as Muse, the Somali pirate leader who challenges Hanks’ Captain Richard Phillips. 

During that scene, Muse demands Phillips’ attention before declaring that he now commands the ship. Specifically, TODAY reported the full line as, “Look at me. I am the captain now.” 

Afterward, Abdi explained his approach to interviewer Matt Lauer: “I became the character.” Then, he added, “I tried to get to be that guy for that moment.” 

How Did Barkhad Abdi Surprise Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips?

Meanwhile, director Paul Greengrass gave his actors room to improvise by filming numerous long takes. Consequently, Abdi could respond to the tension of the moment rather than simply follow the written dialogue. 

Similarly, Hanks described the filming process during a National Board of Review discussion. “When we were shooting the scenes, there was a substantial amount of improv and immediacy to it all.” 

Beyond that exchange, the thriller dramatizes the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama and the kidnapping of its captain. Meanwhile, Billy Ray adapted the story for the screen, earning an Oscar nomination for his screenplay. 

Eventually, Abdi received a supporting actor nomination, while the Academy also recognized picture, editing, sound editing, and sound mixing. However, Hanks did not receive an acting nomination, and Captain Phillips finished the ceremony without an Oscar win. 

Separately, AFI included the film among its ten outstanding movies of 2013. Importantly, that honor recognized the film’s collaborative achievement, rather than naming it the year’s single best movie.

Getting a trivia question wrong seems manageable. Inventing a source is bad. Accidentally sending police a made-up tip about an unsolved homicide feels like the point where somebody should reach for the Wi-Fi router.

Anthropic has decided to remove live internet access from all internal AI evaluations, at least temporarily, after documenting several cases in which Claude models interacted with real websites in ways the company never intended.

The most startling example involved Claude Haiku 4.5.

During a July evaluation, the model was tasked with generating and performing example tasks on randomly selected webpages. Claude eventually landed on a page about an unsolved homicide containing a police tip form.

And then it filled it out.

Related: How to Keep Your Laptop From Catching Fire on a Plane

Claude submitted a fabricated account suggesting the person providing the tip had seen someone matching a suspect’s description near the location of the crime—even though, Anthropic noted, the website contained no description of a suspect. The model left the name and contact information blank and submitted the form anyway.

Fortunately, the submission was flagged as spam and never reached investigators. According to the Philadelphia Police Department, the incident occurred on July 18. Anthropic discovered it Sept. 28 and notified police Oct. 7. The department subsequently called the roughly two-month delay in detecting and reporting the incident “unacceptable.”

Anthropic says Claude does not appear to have been intentionally trying to deceive police. Rather, the model seems to have treated creating and submitting the information as simply another part of completing its assigned task.

The homicide tip wasn’t the only example Anthropic disclosed.

Claude models also found ways to access gated information despite restrictions, exploited website flaws while trying to complete tasks, and even used URL-shortening services to bypass limits built into their browsing tools.

Related: Airline Passenger Duct-Taped to His Seat. It’s Far From the First Time

Anthropic describes many of these behaviors as forms of “persistence”: when Claude encounters an obstacle, it sometimes searches for another way to accomplish its objective rather than simply stopping. The company says it has since strengthened monitoring and other safeguards while moving some evaluations offline entirely.

This does not mean Anthropic has disconnected regular Claude users from the internet. The restriction applies to the company’s internal evaluations while Anthropic works to ensure its monitoring systems can reliably catch these behaviors.

Still, the larger lesson is wonderfully unsettling. The sales pitch for AI agents is that they won’t just answer questions. They’ll actually do things for us.

Now one of the companies building them has discovered that the tricky part may be teaching them when not to.

Initially, the band saw Davis’s unusual instrument as something worth building a song around. Specifically, guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer recalled, “We knew AC/DC did it, so we tried to figure out the tuning and mould the riff around it.” 

Consequently, the recording opens with bagpipes before moving into Korn’s heavy guitars and rhythms. Meanwhile, Davis draws lyrics from childhood songs, including “London Bridge Is Falling Down,” “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” and “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” 

Why Did Jonathan Davis Bring Nursery Rhymes Into Korn’s “Shoots and Ladders”?

Beyond the sound, Davis wanted to explore the gap between childhood innocence and darker ideas. Accordingly, he told Metal Hammer that he was thinking about “hidden evils and the corrupted innocence of childhood.” 

However, his explanation also relied on a popular story linking “Ring Around the Rosie” to the plague. In contrast, the Library of Congress says no direct evidence supports that connection, separating artistic inspiration from established history. 

Similarly, the song’s title twists the name of the children’s board game Chutes and Ladders. Together, that reference and the borrowed rhymes place familiar childhood material inside a much harsher musical setting. 

Then, Korn released “Shoots and Ladders” as the album’s third single in 1995. Subsequently, the Recording Academy nominated it for Best Metal Performance at the 1997 Grammys, marking the band’s first nomination. 

Meanwhile, the album had arrived on October 11, 1994, through Immortal and Epic Records. Eventually, it achieved double-platinum certification on November 10, 1999, representing two million certified units in the United States. 

Ultimately, the unusual pairing gave Korn a musical identity beyond conventional guitar-driven metal. Notably, Davis continued using bagpipes on later Korn recordings.

This article will look at what led to that fateful night and touch on Grohl’s memories of the landmark event in his life. It will also feature rarely seen footage of the show that any fan of Nirvana, Foo Fighters, or Grohl himself should watch.

Dave Grohl’s First Show as Nirvana’s Drummer Took Place on October 11, 1990

When most people think of Nirvana, they envision Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl. However, that ignores the fact that there are several other former members, including the legendary Pat Smear, who became a member of the touring band. As a Drum Magazine article notes, Nirvana also had several other former drummers: Aaron Burckhard, Dave Foster, Chad Channing, and Dan Peters were members.

The Timeline of Nirvana’s Drummers:

• Aaron Burckhard 1987-1987
• Dave Foster 1988-1988
• Chad Channing 1988-1990
• Dan Peters 1990-1990
• Dave Grohl 1990-1994

In 1990, Grohl became Nirvana’s final drummer. As a May 2023 Louder article notes, Grohl played his first show as Nirvana’s drummer on October 11, 1990, at the North Shore Surf Club in Olympia, Washington. He’d joined the band after Cobain and Novoselic watched him perform with his previous band, Scream, at the urging of Melvins’ frontman Buzz Osborne. According to the outlet, Grohl played 20 songs with his new bandmates during their first show together.

Why Dave Grohl Said His First Nirvana Gig Blew His Mind

In 2019, Dave Grohl spoke to Kerrang! about the shows that made him who he became as a musician, and his first performance with Nirvana was discussed at length. While talking to the outlet, Grohl explained that the show took place at a venue that could hold 600 to 700 people. He also noted that after he went to eat and returned to the venue, it blew his mind to see how many people had lined up hoping to see the performance.

“I think they announced the show a week before it happened. We went in and soundchecked, I left to get something to eat, I came back and there was a line around the block! I had never seen that at any gig that I had ever played. There were hundreds of people, and it fucking blew my mind. I remember calling my mother and saying, ‘Mom, there are at least 300 people in line right now!’ Which is more than I think ever came to a Scream show, and it was fucking magical.”

Grohl went on to tell the outlet about how electrified he was by the energy of the crowd that night 36 years ago. He also explained how much he enjoyed performing with his bandmates and why it was thrilling to be part of a band with so little room for error.

“We started with Love Buzz, and I’ll never forget it, the audience just exploded. We were tight, and it was chaotic, and it felt just right and it sounded great. Afterwards, I was on cloud nine. The band I’d been in before Scream was also a three-piece, and there’s something about the energy of a three-piece. There’s also something about the fragility of a three-piece. If something falls apart, it really fucking falls apart – there’s not a lot of middle ground. It’s a house of cards. I remember afterwards thinking, ‘Oh, this is good, I like this.’ It was great!”

Watch Rarely Seen Footage of Dave Grohl’s First Nirvana Show

Throughout music history, there have been concerts that were so remarkable that people continue to talk about them even though there is no way to see them today. Unlike those legendary performances, however, anyone who wants to see what Grohl’s first night with Nirvana was like doesn’t need to solely rely on the drummer’s memories. Instead, they can watch some limited footage of that show below:

Next: 60 Years Ago, a 1966 Hit Once Ranked the ‘Greatest Song of All Time’ Debuted on the Chart

The video, uploaded by GlimpseTV under the title “Nigerian Police Recruit Cries During Firearm Training | Hilarious Moment,” and circulated widely on social media around October 8, 2026, shows the trainee being handed a loaded AK47 at an outdoor shooting range. When prompted by her training officers to fire, she looks terrified, begins crying loudly, and at points screams and resists the exercise. She looked so traumatized that if someone says she peed on herself, you’d assume she did even worse.

Instructors then physically assist her, holding her legs steady while helping position her arms and aim the weapon. Amid her continuing distress, she eventually dared to fire off a round but not before ducking and turning away her head. She certainly would’ve dropped the weapon if not for the officers holding her in place. The footage showed her taking the first shot and then proceeding through additional shots while still visibly emotional. One comment under the video predicted that she was destined to the traffic control arm of the force.

The exact location and filming date have not been publicly established. Available reports identify the setting only as a Nigerian police training environment.

From Firearms Training to Online Mockery

Firearms and musketry instruction forms part of police preparation. They’re designed to teach recruits weapon handling, safety, and the ability to operate firearms under controlled conditions. For someone with little or no previous exposure to guns, however, the noise, recoil, and psychological weight of pulling a trigger can be intimidating.

That distinction has become central to the debate surrounding the clip.

Many viewers treated the footage as comedy, with the recruit’s tears becoming the focus of jokes and trolling. Others questioned whether someone displaying such intense fear should ultimately be entrusted with a firearm at all.

A contrasting reaction has been more sympathetic. Some optimistic viewers argued that a recruit’s performance during one stressful training exercise cannot establish whether she will become an effective police officer. Fear of firearms can diminish through supervised exposure, instruction, and repeated practice.

The footage has also prompted questions about whether instructors should continue a drill when a trainee appears emotionally overwhelmed, or instead pause the exercise and assess the recruit before proceeding.

The Bigger Question: Preparedness, Not Punchlines

The episode raises a more consequential issue than the viral jokes suggest: how police organizations assess psychological readiness alongside physical and technical competence. If any incident in America matches what went down in this video, we’ve never heard of it. The only one we know comes close is the well-documented case from an Associated Press investigation published in late 2025.

In that incident, Heather Sterling, a former senior game warden and defensive-tactics instructor from Wyoming, enrolled in the Texas Game Warden Training Center. During a four-on-one ambush drill, instructors (acting as attackers) repeatedly punched her in the head and body, threw her to the floor, and continued the assault for roughly two minutes. Video obtained by the AP shows her being struck at least seven times in the head; the final blow knocked off her wrestling helmet. 

Sterling completed the drill but suffered a concussion. She later described the exercise as “poorly disguised assault” and resigned from the academy in protest, saying she was concerned someone would eventually be killed. A female classmate also resigned rather than participate, calling the culture unprofessional and hazing-like. 

The broader AP reporting found that similar high-stress combat drills at law-enforcement academies across the United States have been linked to at least a dozen deaths and hundreds of injuries (including concussions, broken bones, and permanent disability) since 2005. Examples include a Kentucky game-warden recruit who collapsed and drowned during water-based survival training in 2024, and a Denver recruit who required amputations after a training fight.

Of course, none of these mirrors the unfortunate display of pure firearms-range fear in this video. But they illustrate the same underlying issue: recruits can become emotionally or physically overwhelmed during controlled high-stress training.

There is no widely reported statement from the Nigeria Police Force specifically addressing the woman or the circumstances shown in the video as of October 10. So we don’t know if she was dismissed, disciplined, given psychological treatment, or removed from firearms training because of the incident.

Behind the laughter, though, lies a serious question for police training: whether recruits are being adequately prepared not merely to fire weapons, but to remain safe, controlled, and psychologically capable when handling them.

Initially, Fey planned to play the producer behind Baldwin’s fictional news program. However, NBC executive Kevin Reilly rejected that direction and encouraged her to explore her experience working at Saturday Night Live. 

Later, Fey explained the original concept in a Rolling Stone interview. “The first pitch was not unlike ‘The Newsroom’ on HBO,” she said, comparing it with Aaron Sorkin’s television drama. 

Then, she added, “It was good we didn’t try to do that, because I would have drowned trying to keep up with the subject matter.” That concern helped explain why leaving daily news behind suited her. 

How Did Tina Fey Turn Alec Baldwin’s News Host Into 30 Rock?

At first, Fey resisted writing a sitcom based on her own workplace. Specifically, she told Rolling Stone, “It seemed so lazy to just write about writing.” 

However, imagining Tracy Morgan as the show’s on-air talent changed her view. Soon, she could see a comedy taking shape around the people making a fictional sketch series. 

Ultimately, Baldwin played Jack Donaghy, the NBC executive overseeing Fey’s head writer, Liz Lemon. Meanwhile, Morgan became Tracy Jordan, whose arrival creates fresh challenges for the staff working behind the cameras. 

Then, 30 Rock premiered on NBC in 2006 and ran for seven seasons. During that run, it earned Emmy nominations each season and won the comedy series prize three consecutive times. 

Years later, Rolling Stone included it in “The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time,” published in September 2022. Importantly, the magazine gathered votes from actors, producers, showrunners, critics, and its staff, making the recognition a poll-based ranking rather than a measure of viewing figures.

Directed by Louis Leterrier and featuring supporting turns from Shu Qi, Matt Schulze, and Audrey Hamm, The Transporter tells the story of an ex-soldier who is tasked with independently transporting dangerous goods from one location to another. When he realizes that his latest cargo is a young woman, the entire job turns upside down.

Statham had already made a name for himself at this point in his career thanks to his two collaborations with filmmaker Guy Ritchie: Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. He was gradually building his image as a rising star within the action genre, and The Transporter cemented that.

It was one of his first major lead roles (excluding the huge ensemble casts of Ritchie’s movies), and there was a lot of pressure riding on The Transporter to prove that Statham could be the brutal, violent leading man that he was setting himself up as. The gamble clearly paid off, as The Transporter is now widely regarded as one of the most dynamic, exciting action movies from this period.

The film was even ranked by fans among the best car chase movies ever made on Ranker, as it features several blood-pumping action set pieces that take place entirely on the roads. The Transporter was ranked at No. 13 on the list, just behind modern classics like Baby Driver and Mad Max: Fury Road.

Although The Transporter wasn’t necessarily a huge hit with critics, the film served its purpose by introducing Jason Statham to general audiences and providing plenty of high-octane action sequences that have aged surprisingly well over the past two decades. In Ranker’s list, they wrote: “With meticulously executed car chases and jaw-dropping stunts, it thrusts viewers into the heart of the action and never loosens its grip.”

Louis Leterrier later reached international fame thanks to The Incredible Hulk, which introduced the iconic superhero to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Over a decade later, Leterrier would take over the Fast & Furious franchise for its final two installments, returning to the vehicular action that kickstarted his career in the first place.

60 Years Ago, ‘The Ballad of the Green Berets’ by SSgt. Barry Sadler Was No. 1 for 5 Weeks

SSgt. Barry Sadler released “The Ballad of the Green Berets” in January 1966, and the song quickly became a huge hit. After it entered the Billboard Hot 100 on February 5, it reached No. 1 on March 5, and it sat at the top of the chart for a total of five weeks. If that wasn’t impressive enough, History.com declared in a May 2025 article that the song was “Billboard magazine’s #1 single for all of 1966.”

Why SSgt. Barry Sadler’s Song ‘The Ballad of the Green Berets’ Became So Controversial

When “The Ballad of the Green Berets” was released, the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War was highly controversial. As a result, many musicians were releasing protest songs, such as Barry McGuire’s “Eve of Destruction,” or Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are A-Changin.” On the other hand, Sadler’s song was seen as much more pro-military, which made it very divisive at the time. In fact, it was so polarizing that Billboard included it on an August 2023 list of “No. 1 Hot 100 Hits That Stirred Controversy.”

What Happened to SSgt. Barry Sadler After His Chart-Topping Success?

After the massive success of “The Ballad of the Green Berets,” SSgt. Barry Sadler had only one more charting single, ‘The ‘A’ Team,’ which peaked at No. 28.. However, as a Britannica article about him notes, he gave up his music career after that. Instead, Sadler went on to pen and publish a 22-book series titled Casca: The Eternal Mercenary, and another seven fiction novels. However, his post-music years were marred by violence.

According to the Britannica article, Sadler shot and killed a former country music singer named Lee Emerson Bellamy in Nashville on December 1, 1978. He later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for the crime and served less than 30 days in a minimum-security jail.

The former singer moved to Guatemala during the 1980s, where he was mysteriously shot in the head on September 7, 1988. Britannica detailed that the police and witnesses stated that Sadler accidentally discharged the firearm himself. However, some have disputed that, instead claiming he was the victim of a robbery or assassination attempt.

After the incident, Sadler was flown to Nashville, where he underwent surgery and survived. However, he suffered brain damage and was a quadriplegic who was confined to a hospital bed until his passing on November 5, 1989.

Next: 1966 No. 1 Rock Hit Ranked ‘Top American Song’ of All Time Still Defines a Generation

Wilfredo “Bazooka” Gómez, the Puerto Rican boxer who won world titles in three weight classes, died on Saturday night, Oct. 10. He was 69.

His son, Wilfredo Gómez Jr., confirmed the death on Telemundo and said his father died at around 9 p.m. Primera Hora reported. The family said it would share more details on Sunday.

What we know about Wilfredo Gómez’s cause of death

The family hasn’t given a cause of death yet.

Gómez had been in the hospital with breathing problems. Telemundo and the World Boxing Council said he spent about two weeks hospitalized because of respiratory complications. El Nuevo Día reported that he was taken to Hospital Auxilio Mutuo in San Juan when he had trouble breathing, and that his son asked fans earlier in the week to pray for him.

His health had been a concern for years. El Nuevo Día and Primera Hora both reported that he suffered brain damage tied to his long boxing career, though neither outlet connected it to his death.

17 title defenses, all by knockout

Gómez was born in San Juan on Oct. 29, 1956. He won his first 32 pro fights by knockout, one of the longest streaks the sport has seen.

He took the WBC super bantamweight title in 1977 and defended it 17 times. He won every one of those defenses by knockout, and that’s still a record. He added the WBC featherweight title in 1984 and the WBA super featherweight title in 1985.

His biggest win came in October 1978, when he stopped Mexican champion Carlos Zárate in the fifth round in San Juan. In 1981, he moved up to featherweight to face Salvador Sánchez and lost in the eighth round. A year later, he knocked out Lupe Pintor in the 14th round at the Superdome in New Orleans, a fight that gave The Ring its Round of the Year for 1982.

He finished his career at 44-3-1 with 42 knockouts and went into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995.

The WBC and its president, Mauricio Sulaimán, sent their condolences to his children, family, friends, and fans.

Carter has fronted the band since 2024, alongside guitarist Steve Jones, drummer Paul Cook and bassist Glen Matlock. John Lydon, who sang as Johnny Rotten, did not take part in the reunion.

What Happened at the Ogden Theatre

NME reports that Carter was introducing the women-only pit before the song “No Feelings” when a man in the crowd interrupted him. Carter said men always tell him that women can do this all the time. When the man appeared to shake his head, Carter told him it wasn’t his lived experience.

The man then brought up the venue’s all-gender bathroom, and Carter said he was grateful for it. After a second interruption, Carter asked security to take the man out and said he could find him outside after the show. Security removed him.

The accounts differ on one point. Louder and Consequence say the man entered the women-only pit, while NME describes him interrupting Carter as he explained it. Consequence reports that video of the exchange was posted to Instagram and TikTok. None of the reports reviewed include a statement from the man.

What Carter Said Afterward

In Instagram Stories on Saturday, Carter wrote that men who are offended by the idea are “part of the problem,” according to NME. He said “ladies only” means a trans-inclusive space for people who don’t usually feel safe in mosh pits.

He also shared a message that appeared to come from the man’s father, who apologized for his son’s behavior and blamed misinformation. Men’s Journal has not verified the message.

On stage, Carter said the pit exists so women can dance without worrying about being hit, groped, or intimidated, NME reports. Consequence says he sets aside part of each show on this tour for a women-only pit.

Where the Tour Stands

The North American run was rescheduled after a wrist injury to Jones forced the band to cancel its 2025 dates. The U.S. leg began Sept. 11 in Dallas and runs through Oct. 18, with 21 dates that include Canada. The remaining stops include Salt Lake City, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix and Los Angeles.

The band plays its debut album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols, in full at each show. The album debuted at No. 1 in the U.K. in 1977, and the band’s second single, “God Save the Queen,” was banned by the BBC. NME reports the group returns to the U.K. and Ireland in December for a “50 Years of Punk” tour.

The warning covers the East Glacier Park region, the southern Rocky Mountain Front, parts of the Northern and Southern High Plains, Upper Blackfoot and MacDonald Pass, and the Gates of the Mountains. It runs until 6 a.m. MDT Monday. Forecasters expect gusts up to 45 mph, and they say the wet snow and wind could bring down tree branches and cause isolated power outages. The Lincoln Valley is the exception, with up to 7 inches.

How Much Snow Is Forecast for Great Falls, Bozeman and Butte?

Cascade County below 5,000 feet, which includes Great Falls, is under a separate warning for 7 to 14 inches. The NWS forecast for the city itself is lower. As of Sunday morning it called for 1 to 3 inches overnight, 1 to 2 inches during the day, 2 to 4 inches Sunday night and about an inch Monday morning, with rain mixing in. Check the latest on the Great Falls forecast page.

In Bozeman, a winter storm warning for the Gallatin Valley starts at 6 p.m. Sunday and lasts until 9 a.m. Monday, with 4 to 8 inches of heavy, wet snow. The NWS says it will affect the Monday morning commute. The Bozeman forecast is more modest, with less than half an inch Sunday and 1 to 3 inches Sunday night.

Butte and the Butte/Blackfoot region are under a warning from NWS Missoula until 6 a.m. Monday, with 3 to 9 inches and 12 to 18 inches in the higher mountains. That includes MacDonald Pass, Homestake Pass, Highway 12 between Garrison and Elliston, and Georgetown Lake. The Butte forecast shows 1 to 2 inches Sunday and 2 to 4 inches Sunday night.

Where Will the Heaviest Snow Fall in Montana?

The NWS office in Billings has a warning until noon MDT Monday for the Absaroka/Beartooth and Crazy Mountains, with 10 to 18 inches. It says travel into Cooke City may be affected. Judith Gap could see 4 to 8 inches, and forecasters say travel on US-191 there will be very difficult.

Closer to the Great Falls area, the Little Belt, Highwood, Snowy, Judith, Elkhorn and Boulder Mountains could get 8 to 16 inches. The Big Belt, Bridger, and Castle Mountains are forecast to get 6 to 14 inches, as Men’s Journal also reported in its 14-inch snow warning.

What Should Drivers in Montana Do?

The NWS says anyone who has to travel should keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in the vehicle. Road conditions are available by calling 511 or on the Montana 511 site. For the high country, NWS Billings recommends telling someone your plans in case you get stranded.

Forecasters also note that totals will vary widely between grassy areas and roads. At lower elevations, snow is expected to stick to roads mostly from the evening through late morning. A winter storm warning means conditions that could make travel very hard or impossible, while an advisory is for less severe wintry weather.

Which Website Gives John Wayne’s Original ‘True Grit’ a Better Score?

Since the original version of True Grit premiered in 1969, the film has rightfully been the subject of immense praise. Notably, it won one Oscar after its release, with John Wayne being awarded Best Actor, and one nomination for Best Original Song. The film has also been included in a wide array of rankings of the greatest Western films of all time and is rated higher than its remake on one website, Metacritic.

Currently, Jeff Bridges’ True Grit has an 80 score on Metacritic versus the original movie’s 83. While the Metacritic user ratings give the new film a small edge with 7.8 compared to the 1969 movie’s 7.6 score, Wayne’s version still has the slight advantage overall on that website.

Which Websites Give Jeff Bridges’ Remake of ‘True Grit’ a Better Score?

Unlike the original film, the Coen Brothers’ True Grit remake didn’t win any Oscars. However, it could be argued that its 10 Academy Award nominations are equal to the original film’s one win and one nod. What is completely clear is which movie has a higher user rating on IMDb. Currently, 2010’s True Grit has a 7.6/10 score on the website while the original falls slightly short of that with a 7.4/10 rating.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the Popcornmeter scores, which are derived from user ratings, are incredibly close since the remake sits at 85% and the Wayne version sits at 84%. On the other hand, the Tomatometer score, which is based on critics’ reviews, has a much wider gap. In that category, Bridges’ film has earned a 95% score while Wayne’s has a still-impressive 87%. That said, it is worth noting that even critics aren’t immune to recency bias when considering those numbers.

The Comparison’s Takeaway

Based on the results of IMDb, Metacritic, and Rotten Tomatoes, 2010’s True Grit has slightly higher scores than the original 1969 film. While that is fascinating, a lot of Western fans would almost certainly have a different takeaway from how the two films are scored on those websites: Given how masterfully produced both movies are, it is staggering that neither film holds even higher scores on all three of those websites.

Next: John Wayne’s Western ‘Angel and the Badman’ Crushes Zachary Levi’s 2026 Remake After Massive Rotten Tomatoes Drop

While he enjoyed tremendous success as an actor, he eventually established himself as a director as well.

In many of the films he directed, Eastwood also starred in the lead role, as he did in his 1985 Western classic Pale Rider.

By that point in his career, Eastwood was already a major figure in the Western genre and had directed several films.

He portrayed “The Preacher,” with notable supporting actors including Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress, Sydney Penny, Richard Dysart, John Russell and Chris Penn.

The Rotten Tomatoes movie description reads, “When property owner Coy LaHood (Richard Dysart) starts using a band of hooligans to terrorize a group of small-town gold miners into giving up their territory, an enigmatic man named “Preacher” (Clint Eastwood) arrives in town. Preacher fends off the attacks, and then goes directly to LaHood to negotiate. When the miners, led by Hull Barret (Michael Moriarty), refuse the terms, LaHood sends in Marshall Stockburn (John Russell) to take down Preacher and the others.”

View this post on Instagram

Pale Rider Considered One of the Best Western Films Ever Released

With a remarkably high 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes, Pale Rider has earned a place among the platform’s top Western films. It has also appeared on several other notable lists celebrating the genre.

The film is included in American Cowboy Magazine’s 100 Greatest Westerns and ranks No. 2 on SlashFilm’s list of the best Westerns of the 1980s.

Eastwood Sustained Injury While Filming Pale Rider

One interesting tidbit about the film is that Eastwood sustained an injury while filming it.

He called it the worst on-set injury he had ever suffered. Eastwood dislocated his shoulder after falling off a horse that broke through thin ice, throwing him forward and onto the ground.

Despite the pain, Eastwood continued filming. However, his injury forced him to draw his gun with his left hand in certain scenes because he couldn’t use his right arm normally.

Related: 1968 Film, Starring Clint Eastwood, Ranked Among Greatest Westerns of All Time

And yet, on its 22nd birthday, it’s obvious Nintendo still doesn’t understand the gravity or impact of the game. The Thousand-Year Door has fervent devotees that claim it’s the best game ever made (just ask my brother for his manifesto on it if you have a minute or 20). That claim isn’t even that out of left field if you experienced this classic during your childhood in the early to mid 2000s.

It’s a magical amalgamation of Nintendo supremacy. Dense and witty writing, snappy combat, and color both literal and figurative that puts most other games to shame make this RPG a shining example of what makes Nintendo, well, Nintendo.

Someone should tell Nintendo that, though. Despite the outcry from a not-so-small contingent, they just won’t make a proper sequel to The Thousand-Year Door. Instead, the Paper Mario series plays hopscotch with new ideas, jumping from one brainstorm to the next with a varying degree of results.

Paper Mario: The Origami King was the last original entry in the franchise, and it definitely recaptured some of that two-decade-old novelty we’re reveling in here. The remake of Thousand-Year Door was simultaneously a great palate cleanser for those who didn’t like Origami King, and it was also a test drive for Nintendo to find out whether fans are really clamoring for an old-school Mario RPG the way articles like this would like you to believe.

Indie developers have picked up the slack for Nintendo with gems like Bug Fables, Born of Bread, and especially Escape from Ever After. Hopefully the imitators have put their foot in the fire. 22 more years of Thousand-Year Door birthday celebrations shouldn’t also have to be a call to action.

The series blends small-town drama with a sea-monster mystery, following a Newfoundland fishing community threatened by a mysterious creature lurking beneath the water. Its rapid rise comes as the show also earns largely positive reviews from critics.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, Below currently holds an 82% critics’ score, giving the new series an encouraging start as viewers discover the story.

Josh Hartnett Leads Netflix’s New Sea-Monster Thriller

Hartnett stars as Calvin Penney, a fisherman living in the remote Newfoundland community of Snooks Arm. Haunted by his father’s mysterious death decades earlier, Calvin is determined to protect his family and keep his struggling hometown together.

Those plans become much more complicated when a mysterious sea creature begins terrorizing the community. Calvin teams up with visiting marine researcher Dr. Fonda Howander, played by Mackenzie Davis, to investigate the threat before it destroys the town.

Charlie Heaton, best known for playing Jonathan Byers in Stranger Things, also stars as Calvin’s son, Wade. The cast includes Ruby Stokes, Rohan Campbell, Willow Kean, and Kaleb Horn.

Created by Jesse McKeown, the six-episode series was filmed in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The setting plays a central role in the story, with the isolated coastal community facing both the dangers of the ocean and the challenges of preserving its way of life.

The series combines supernatural horror with family drama and questions about the future of a small fishing town.

‘Below’ Reached No. 1 Just Two Days After Its Debut

According to FlixPatrol’s worldwide Netflix TV rankings for October 10, Below reached No. 1 globally after debuting on October 8.

FlixPatrol tracks streaming rankings across countries and aggregates the results into worldwide charts. Its ranking offers an early indication of the show’s international reach, though it is not the same as Netflix’s official weekly viewing-hours report.

That passion was front and center at New York Comic Con this weekend when he broke the Guinness World Record for having the largest comic book in history with issue 22 of VeeFriends.

In the video with the Guinness official who measured issue 22, Gary said, “I really believe in my team,” when asked if he was nervous.

That belief paid off as his comic measured 7,312.7 cm2, breaking the previous record of 7,030 cm2, leading to a raucous celebration from fans from the on-looking crowd.

View this post on Instagram

This issue isn’t just special for reasons pertaining to this record. It also contains the origins of the VeeFriends original character, Gentle Giant, along with a cover art variant illustrated by Deadpool creator, Rob Liefeld. Only 4,400 copies have been printed with this cover.

Cover B is illustrated by legendary comic creator @robertliefeld — creator of Deadpool, Youngblood, and co-founder of Image Comics. pic.twitter.com/J9nro8DiHK

— VeeFriends NYCC #2835 (@veefriends) October 6, 2026

It was this variant that broke the record, and a fitting record for an issue that delves into a character whose powers are based on his gargantuan size.

While this is Cover B, Cover A was illustrated by Jeremy Hyler, who also provided artwork for the story inside. Cover C features artwork from Jim Huggart who also wrote the story.

Gary Vaynerchuk Loves Comic Books

Comics as a medium for literary storytelling are often scoffed at due to the perception that they are meant for children or that the message within the story is far too surface-level to be considered ‘profound’.

This could not be further from the truth.

Writers such as Alan Moore, Mark Waid, Jeph Loeb, and countless others have proven time and time again their ability to weave in complex narratives that rival pieces of literature considered to be classics in today’s age.

Vaynerchuk posted a reel on his Instagram speaking on comics as a literary medium and their importance.

“Comic books are the most underrated medium of storytelling in society. I believe comic books should be on the respect level of meaningful best-selling, all-time literature,” said GaryVee.

He continued by saying, “All-time literature makes people think, changes perception a lot of times in a good way. Comic books become the foundation of a creative world that builds community and creates escapism that is unbelievably needed at all times.”

Gary has established himself as a titan in the world of collectibles. Now, his focus has moved tangentially to comics, and it’s led to brilliant conversations about their importance and their standing among the best of the best stories we’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.

The announcement gives viewers their first extended look at the Norse saga, which follows Viking warrior Erik Bloodaxe and his wife, Gunnhild, as they fight for control of Norway. The series has already received a second-season renewal, with production underway in Ireland ahead of its debut.

ScreenRant describes the show as “Vikings Meets Game of Thrones,” and for viewers who enjoyed the power struggles and brutal battles of Vikings or the rivalries in Game of Thrones, the new series could be one to keep on their radar.

‘Bloodaxe’ Follows a Bloody Fight for Norway’s Throne

Set in 10th-century Norway, Bloodaxe centers on Erik Bloodaxe, played by Xavier Molyneux, and his wife Gunnhild, played by Jessica Madsen. The couple faces rival claimants, shifting alliances, and bloody betrayals as they pursue the Norwegian throne.

Their biggest obstacle is Erik’s half-brother, Haakon the Good, played by Levi Miller. King Harald Fairhair, Norway’s aging ruler, must decide who will succeed him, setting off a struggle that threatens to tear the kingdom apart.

The conflict also reflects the religious tensions of the period. Erik remains committed to Norse pagan traditions, while Haakon has spent time in England and converted to Christianity. Their competing claims to the throne put them on a collision course as other Scandinavian rulers and an English king become involved.

Gunnhild is more than a supporting figure in Erik’s ambitions. Known as the Mother of Kings, she uses her insight and visions to help guide their decisions as the political situation grows more dangerous.

The first season also stars Karlis Arnolds Avots, Rod Hallett, Alina Tomnikov, Sisse Marie, Rune Temte, and Jesper Christensen.

The ‘Vikings’ Creator Is Behind the New Series

Michael Hirst created Vikings, which ran for six seasons, and returns to the world of Norse history with Bloodaxe. He co-created the new series with his son, Horatio Hirst, who is making his television writing debut.

The pair serve as writers, showrunners, and executive producers. The production also reunites several crew members who worked on the original Vikings, including members of its design, costume, makeup, and hair departments.

Although Bloodaxe explores a different historical figure, it draws on familiar territory for Hirst: ambitious leaders, family rivalries, religious conflict, and the violent struggle for power.

The series is not a direct continuation of Vikings. Instead, it tells a separate story set in the same broader historical period, focusing on a Norse warrior whose rise to power provides plenty of material for a new historical epic.

‘Bloodaxe’ is Already Moving Forward With Season 2

Production on the second season is already underway in Ireland, giving the series an early vote of confidence from the streamer. It also means the story is being developed beyond the initial eight episodes.

The first season of Bloodaxe arrives on Prime Video on January 20, 2027. All eight episodes will be available on premiere day, allowing viewers to watch the opening chapter of Erik and Gunnhild’s fight for power in one sitting.

Initially, Jagger came up with the song’s original idea before the band recorded it in Paris with producer Don Was. Meanwhile, the recording session moved quickly, according to guitarist Keith Richards, who recalled finishing the track in about three takes. 

Speaking to Esquire, Richards said, “I don’t think the Stones have ever cut a track so fast.” Then, he added, “It was like three takes and – boom!” 

Afterward, he described the band’s reaction: “We were like looking at each other and going, ‘Got anything else?’” Next, Richards summed up the speed of the session: “It was amazingly quick.” 

Why Did Mick Jagger Play the “Doom and Gloom” Opening Riff?

Although Richards often shapes the Stones’ guitar sound, Jagger drove this particular song. Accordingly, its opening belongs to the singer, a detail that distinguishes the recording from assumptions about the band’s familiar guitar partnership. 

Beyond that riff, Jagger sings about troubling dreams, money problems, and oil drilling. Meanwhile, Charlie Watts supplies a steady beat beneath the song’s blues-based guitars, linking its modern concerns with the group’s established sound. 

Then, the band released “Doom and Gloom” on October 11, 2012, premiering it on BBC Radio 2. Subsequently, GRRR! brought it together with “One More Shot” and older recordings to mark the Rolling Stones’ fiftieth anniversary. 

Importantly, the release gave listeners new material rather than a collection built entirely from past hits. However, the year-end honor reflected Rolling Stone’s editorial selection, not a Grammy award or a public sales ranking. 

Ultimately, Richards credited the fast recording to the band’s chemistry. Still, he identified another challenge: “The hard bit with the Stones is getting them together.”