Ladies and gentlemen, toydarians and tauntauns, we've got ourselves a Fortnite/Star Wars crossover event.
Epic announced the crossover with a new video showing off an original trilogy Stormtrooper skin you'll be able to snag. Do Stormtroopers have better aim than Fortnite bots? Only one way to find out.
You can purchase the skin in the usual item store, or if you want some extra bang for your buck, you can get a code for it by purchasing Jedi: Fallen Order on the Epic Games Store. It's still available on Steam and Origin/EA Access if you prefer that, you just don't the extra goodie.
Even better, a Star Destroyer has appeared in the sky over the Fortnite map.
(Image credit: Epic Games)
At present time, it appears the Star Destroyer is a considerable distance from the island. It could be that once it gets closer we'll some sort of new occurrence, but only time will tell.
It's no secret that some of Disney's old cartoons and movies contain racist and other offensive elements, and it was a mystery how the company would address the issue when its streaming service launched. To all of those who wondered: here's your answer. The entertainment giant has added a short warning at the end of the description for titles with problematic themes -- like Dumbo, Peter Pan,The Jungle Book and Lady and the Tramp, which perpetuated harmful racial stereotypes -- that says: "This program is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions."
As The Washington Post noted, the company's decision not to censor those titles was met with both praise and criticism. (You won't find the notorious Song of the South, criticized for glorifying plantation life and slavery, on the service, though.) Some think that Disney is taking accountability for its past by showing those titles as they were shown back then with a warning attached. But critics point out that the wording used is vague at best -- Gayle Wald, head of American studies department at George Washington University, said the company should've been more explicit about its intended message.
To emphasize his point about Disney's "dismissive" warning, Twitter user @unicornmantis posted the company's notice right next to Warner Brothers'. While Disney kept it vague and used the word "may," WB's warning acknowledged the ethnic and racial prejudices depicted in old cartoons like Tom and Jerry. "These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today," it reads.
Hate to nitpick a sensitivity warning but Disney+'s feels so brief and kind of dismissive by calling it "outdated cultural depictions" vs Warner Brothers actually calling it racial prejudice pic.twitter.com/98uYEBLyZK
— give Rise 3 seasons or we fight (@unicornmantis) November 12, 2019
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Tyler Cameron was a fan favorite on Hannah Brown’s season of The Bachelorette. When the reality star broke off her engagement with her season winner Jed Wyatt, Bachelor Nation was hopeful that she and Cameron, her runner-up, would get together. But shortly after the season finale, Cameron began to pursue supermodel Gigi Hadid. The two spent a good amount of time together until recently, when Cameron hinted that he’s a single man.
Tyler Cameron | Emma McIntyre/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Thanks to his Bachelorette beginnings, Cameron’s fans will probably always be especially curious about his romantic relationships.
Tyler Cameron is looking for love
Recently, Cameron hosted a fan Q&A on his Instagram and one fan asked him if he’s currently “looking for love.”
“Of course,” he responded. “Can’t wait to have that person you tell the good news to first. For now it’s mama and Harley [his dog].”
The rest of Tyler Cameron’s Instagram Q&A
Another fan asked Cameron if it’s “hard having all [his] choices judged by the media.”
“It can be challenging but you have to make yourself happy first and foremost. You have to sleep with your decisions. No one else. I am doing my best to make my family proud, my friends proud, and everyone of y’all that support me proud. This life is uncharted waters for me and my family but with my values and beliefs, I know I’ll be alright,” he wrote.
“Best thing to come out of being on the bachelorette?” asked another fan.
“Being able to share special moments with the ones that mean the most to me. Got to take my brother to Paris. Show mom and pops the city and so much more,” responded the model.
Another Instagram user wanted to know what Cameron’s favorite physical feature about himself is.
“My long a*s toe. Can pick up anything with that finger looking thing. Can also pinch very hard with it,” he responded.
Another fan wanted to know about Cameron’s food touring company, ABC Food Tours.
“What is one of your favorite memories about abc food tours!?” they asked.
“So it was towards the end of our tour. We just got done doing the cha cha slide in the park and me and one of the students are eating some pizza together watching skateboarders in the park,” responded Cameron. “We were going back and forth in conversation and all of a sudden he looked up at me and said this is the best day he’s ever had. When he said that, my heart sunk. Just didn’t realize the impact we were having. It completely moved me. Forever grateful for that moment with that student.”
Cameron also told his following that he’s “going to be spending some time in LA.” But wouldn’t spill the beans as to why. When a fan asked he responded: “Got a great job walking dogs!”
So he may be stepping away from his ABC FT duties for the time being. In the meantime, We’ll have to keep an eye out for Cameron’s mysterious project in Los Angeles in the coming weeks.
Some found it perplexing that Disney decided to launch first in The Netherlands during the early fall to test the waters of European public reaction. For many, that seemed strange from a business perspective when the U.S. has been chomping at the bit for the service to release.
The real reason for the debut in The Netherlands was because they have superior internet infrastructure, plus it is a densely populated country. Disney figured it would be a good beta testing ground in advance for American audiences.
No doubt the rest of Europe thought they’d be getting Disney+ not long after. Reports say the platform won’t be in the rest of Europe immediately due to some complicated European Union rules. Also, Disney+ across the pond may look slightly different from the U.S. library as a result.
Disney has to include 30% European Union sanctioned content
Disney+ | Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Europe still has a lot of national pride in the content they offer to the masses in their respective countries. Some of it sometimes exceeds American content in terms of quality, particularly in U.K., a country the U.S. still pillages from.
Because of the new streaming universe, Europe has had to look at what that means in terms of providing the same type of national content they produce. Should they have capitulated to the newest avalanche of streaming services this month alone, they would have been watching 98% American-produced content.
Disney+ now has to wait to debut in Europe to figure out how they’ll capitulate to these rules. There’s every indication they’ll have to produce some content there, which would make Disney+ differ from what American audiences see when traveling overseas.
Will Disney produce new content overseas, or just acquire it?
Disney may just pay out surcharges to acquire content being produced in Europe that fits the studio bill. These surcharges can become quite expensive, though, which might make the Mouse House balk a little more.
Netflix has been fighting the same thing in Europe, including going to court in Germany to override the charges. They ultimately lost and had to capitulate to the EU rules after all.
With Disney already being one of the wealthiest corporations in the world, some might wonder why they’d choose to fight these surcharges when the benefits may outweigh the financial inconveniences. Most likely, they won’t fight them in court and just find some creative ways to work around the issue.
Millions of more subscribers are at stake here, giving the potential for Disney+ to become a global leader in entertainment streaming. What can Disney acquire there, though? Should they produce new content, and would American audiences have a chance to see it?
One thing seen with Netflix is some internationally-produced shows sometimes catch on through the American version of the platform.
At this point, it would be interesting to see polling data on what the European populace would prefer to see on Disney+ next year. Since the service won’t debut in most parts of Europe until next year — Western Europe reportedly next March — would the people there prefer seeing all American content, or do they really want locally-produced movies/shows?
When it comes to the classic Disney catalog, it’s always been universally acclaimed. Based on this, it seems most Europeans would want the majority of what Disney+ is offering here. No doubt this includes the original Marvel and Star Wars content.
If Disney creates new shows in Europe to fill the 30 percent quota, those shows might not be nearly as popular. Then again, it could spark a runaway hit that Disney+ will place on the American platform someday. Coming from Europe, it might be more human-oriented programming than anything from Marvel or the Star Wars realms.
The Disney Channel movie High School Musical premiered in 2006, followed by two successful sequels. After rumors swarmed about a potential fourth movie, Disney announced that instead, a television series would be the thing to fill the HSM-sized hole in our hearts. Tim Federle, an executive producer of the new series, sat down with Entertainment Weekly to discuss his role in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Surprisingly, a big inspiration for this new iteration of the show came from mockumentary-style comedies like The Office.
Cast of the Disney+ series ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ | Jeff Neira/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images
The ‘High School Musical’ series has a new crop of characters
Federle told EW he wanted to “keep the High School Musical franchise going” for Disney. Considering how well the HSM movies did for the network, they no doubt jumped at the opportunity. But the executive producer didn’t just want nostalgia-factor to carry the show, he wanted to bring in an original take.
“Federle didn’t want to carbon-copy Troy and Gabriella for a new generation,” Entertainment Weekly wrote.
Monique Coleman, Joshua Bassett, Tim Federle, and Olivia Rodrigo | Kevin Winter/Getty Images
He also wanted as many songs sung live as possible, meaning he needed a cast with true talent for the new series.
“I knew that if we cast the right talent who had the right chemistry and who were proud theater kids themselves, the audience would become engaged with their journeys,” Federle said. “Casting was key and we looked really, really hard for this group.”
Federle was inspired by TV series such as ‘The Office’
The new show is, according to Federle, heavily influenced by the comedies of Christopher Guest. If you’re not familiar with Guest’s work, he wrote the film This Is Spinal Tap, the mockumentary that basically defined the genre itself. He also directed documentary-style comedy classics Best In Show, Waiting For Guffman, and A Mighty Wind. Guest’s films laid the groundwork for more recent mockumentary-style television shows, such as The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Modern Family.
Much like these very popular sitcoms, the new HSM series breaks the fourth wall and gets self-referential.
Entertainment Weekly reports that the High School Musical series portrays theater students “who occasionally talk to the camera about how they’re staging HSM at their high school (the very one where the 2006 movie was filmed, both in real life and in the shows’ overwhelmingly meta universe).” Federle also confirmed that “every episode should contain Easter eggs and callbacks and references to the original.” He said we will see an original movie cast member drop in on the series as well.
“I can confirm [it] happens, I just can’t say who or when!” Federle told EW.
‘HSM’ series producer says it’ll have ‘winks at the original but ‘with new songs’
The Office | Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank
Federle said that the mockumentary style allowed them to create their own creative vision within the High School Musical universe.
“The Office approach allows us to include winks at the original but do it with new songs,” Federle told EW. “It’s not a remake, it’s not even a reboot—it’s a remix of the original.” Federle didn’t want to copy the source material, and he knew a distinct style would distinguish the two.
… I wanted to differentiate us from the original [movies] right away. I knew that camera-style-wise, if I could borrow some of the elements from The Office, with characters talking to the camera and whip pans and zooms, it would immediately announce it as not a copycat of the original, but a new way in. And the docu-style would allow me to revisit the original music but not feel like we’re doing direct karaoke covers.
The new High School Musical series was ranked at number 6 on Entertainment Weekly’s “Must List” in its November issue. Disney+ debuted Nov. 12.
Original ‘High School Musical’ cast member Vanessa Hudgens sang this nostalgic song at karaoke
Actress Vanessa Hudgens played Gabriella Montez in Disney’s hit original film High School Musical (as well as HSM 2 and 3, of course). On Nov. 10, Hudgens took to Instagram to share a video of herself singing a song Disney fans will know by heart.
Hudgens threw it back big time to the HSM classic ballad, “Breakin’ Free.” This is the song introduces us to Gabriela’s singing talent in the early scenes of the first High School Musical film.
“Um,” the Princess Switch star started off her post. Hudgens poked fun at her own “really bad, aggressive, and totally sober” rendition of the hit HSM song. She admitted in her caption, “it hurts my ears but it also makes me laugh.”
We hope the new Wildcats can live up to this energy.
The 53rd Annual Country Music Association Awards are airing Wednesday night, and PEOPLE is highlighting the night’s most exciting can’t-miss moments, performances and — of course — winners.
For her 12th year in a year, Carrie Underwood returns to co-host the awards, alongside country music icons Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire.
As for the nominees, Maren Morris leads the pack with six nods, with Brothers Osborne (consisting of brothers T.J. Osborne and John Osborne) close behind with four nominations. Dan + Shay, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Kacey Musgraves, Blake Shelton, Chris Stapleton and Carrie Underwood received three nominations each, while Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus‘ “Old Town Road” — which was controversially banned from the country charts earlier this year before going on to become the longest-running No. 1 single to ever top the Billboard Hot 100 — picked up its own nomination. And in a welcome change, Underwood was listed among the nominees for the top prize in the traditionally male-dominated entertainer of the year category. She’ll go up against Church, Stapleton, Garth Brooks and Keith Urban for the award.
The 53rd Annual CMA Awards air live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
Related slideshow: 2019 Country Music Awards: Winners and highlights (Provided by Photo Services)
The 53rd Annual Country Music Association Awards were held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, on Nov. 13, 2019. Here's a look at the winners and highlights from the event.
(Pictured) Hosts Reba McEntire, from left, Carrie Underwood and Dolly Parton.
Entertainer of the Year
Winner: Garth Brooks
Male Vocalist of the Year
Winner: Luke Combs
Female Vocalist of the Year
Winner: Kacey Musgraves
Also won: Music Video of the Year for "Rainbow"
Vocal Group of the Year
Winner: Old Dominion
Vocal Duo of the Year
Winner: Dan + Shay
New Artist of the Year
Winner: Ashley McBryde
Album of the Year
Winner: Maren Morris for "Girl"
Single of the Year
Winner: Blake Shelton for “God’s Country”
Song of the Year
Winner: Luke Combs and Robert Williford, and, Wyatt B. Durrette III for "Beautiful Crazy"
Musician of the Year
Winner: Jenee Fleenor
Musical Event of the Year
Winner: Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus for “Old Town Road (Remix)”
Kacey Musgraves, left, and Willie Nelson perform "The Rainbow Connection"
Dolly Parton, left, performs "God Only Knows", "There Was Jesus", and "Faith" with Zach Williams.
Dan + Shay perform "Speechless"
Carrie Underwood performs "Drinking Alone"
Miranda Lambert performs "It All Comes Out in the Wash"
Jenee Fleenor, left, and Blake Shelton perform "God's Country"
Jennifer Nettles, one half of the band Sugarland, attended the 53rd CMA Awards with a message she needed get off her chest. And by chest, we actually mean the inside of her jacket. Nettles graced the CMA’s red carpet wearing a white pantsuit with a train attached to the jacket. Inside that bright pink train was a very specific, very clear message directed at country music radio that Nettles proudly displayed: “Play Our F***in’ Records Please & Thank You.” Nettles’ colorful outfit directly addressed the issue of gender-inequality in radio play that is currently plaguing country music. Nettle’s train not only demanded more radio time for female artists, but also addressed the gender-wage gap, as the words “Equal Pay” were written on her back. Maybe after watching the stellar “Women in Country” opening number which Nettles participated in, country radio will listen to the words written on Nettles’ outfit. After all, she did ask nicely!
