Apple TV just got a huge redesign, with the biggest change coming to the remote. With just the press of a button, you can activate Siri and ask your Apple TV to play whatever you want. Take a look at the new Apple TV.
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Apple unveiled its revamped Apple TV on Wednesday, and it came with a greater focus on gaming. But this gaming didn't seem as radical as it seemed — familiar.
That's because Apple TV's new gaming functionality seems to take square aim at the embattled Nintendo Wii franchise.
One of the games Apple debuted, an exclusive from "Rock Band" creator Harmonix, feels like a mix of "Rock Band" and "Wii Sports" — with cutesy monsters thrown in. As the demonstrator swung the new Apple TV remote back and forth, it was hard not to imagine that he was repeatedly smacking the head of Nintendo.
With its new focus on gaming, Apple is clearly taking aim at the market of casual and family gamers that were so drawn to the Nintendo Wii when it was first introduced. The Wii U has been a commercial failure, and hasn't captured the public's imagination. But if Nintendo was thinking about returning more to the flavor of the original Wii with a next-generation console, Apple TV is now a consideration.
"Kabam" indeed.
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Whether you prefer to watch TV live, on your DVR, or a mix of both, it's time to start planning. The networks have released their fall premiere dates.
That includes top comedies like "The Big Bang Theory" and "Modern Family." And there are addictive dramas like "Empire," "The Affair," and "How to Get Away With Murder." Also, what about the return of comic book series "Gotham," "The Flash," and "Arrow"?
Let's not forget fall's new offerings like "Scream Queens," "Flesh and Bone," and "Blindspot."
Today, TV has more than enough for everyone.
See below for all the upcoming return and premiere dates for all your favorite (and your soon-to-be favorite) shows:
Thursday, September 10
Netflix "Longmire" (4th season premiere)
Friday, September 11
10:00 p.m. ABC "20/20" (38th season premiere)
10:00 p.m. Syfy “Z Nation” (2nd season premiere)
11:00 p.m. Syfy “Continuum” (4th season premiere)
Sunday, September 13
9:00 p.m. E! “House of DVF” (2nd season premiere)
10:00 p.m. HBO “Project Greenlight” (4th season premiere)
Monday, September 14
8:00 p.m. ABC “Dancing With the Stars" (21st season premiere)
Tuesday, September 15
Hulu "The Mindy Project" (4th season premiere)
10:00 p.m. FX "The Bastard Executioner"
10:00 p.m. NBC “Best Time Ever With Neil Patrick Harris" (series premiere)
Wednesday, September 16
10:00 p.m. Comedy Central “South Park” (19th season premiere)
Saturday, September 19
9:00 p.m. BBC America “Doctor Who” (9th season premiere)
Sunday, September 20
8:00 p.m. Fox “The 67th primetime Emmy Awards”
8:00 p.m. E! "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" (10th season fall premiere)
9:00 p.m. E! "Dash Dolls" (series premiere)
Monday, September 21
8:00 p.m. CBS “The Big Bang Theory” (9th season premiere)
8:00 p.m. Fox “Gotham” (2nd season Premiere)
8:00 p.m. NBC “The Voice” (9th season premiere)
8:30 p.m. CBS “Life in Pieces” (series premiere)
9:00 p.m. CBS “Scorpion” (2nd season premiere)
9:00 p.m. Fox “Minority Report” (series premiere)
10:00 p.m. NBC “Blindspot” (series premiere)
10:00 p.m. CBS “NCIS: Los Angeles” (7th season premiere)
10:00 p.m. ABC “Castle” (8th season premiere)
Tuesday, September 22
8:00 p.m. ABC “The Muppets” (series premiere)
8:00 p.m. CBS “NCIS" (13th season premiere)
8:00 p.m. Fox “Scream Queens” (series premiere)
8:30 p.m. ABC "Fresh Off the Boat” (2nd season premiere)
9:00 p.m. CBS “NCIS: New Orleans" (2nd season premiere)
10:00 p.m. CBS “Limitless” (series premiere)
Wednesday, September 23
8:00 p.m. ABC “The Middle” (7th season premiere)
8:00 p.m. CBS “Survivor” (31st season premiere)
8:00 p.m. Fox “Rosewood” (series premiere)
8:00 p.m. NBC “The Mysteries of Laura” (2nd season premiere)
8:30 p.m. ABC “The Goldbergs” (3rd season premiere)
9:00 p.m. FOX “Empire” (2nd season premiere)
9:00 p.m. NBC “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (17th season premiere)
9:00 p.m. ABC “Modern Family” (7th season premiere)
9:30 p.m. ABC “Black-ish" (2nd season premiere)
10:00 p.m. ABC “Nashville” (4th season premiere)
Thursday, September 24
8:00 p.m. ABC “Grey's Anatomy”(12th season premiere)
8:00 p.m. NBC “Heroes Reborn" (5th season premiere)
9:00 p.m. NBC “The Blacklist” (3rd season premiere)
9:00 p.m. ABC “Scandal” (5th season premiere)
10:00 p.m. ABC “How to Get Away With Murder” (2nd season premiere)
10:00 p.m. NBC “The Player” (series premiere)
Friday, September 25
8:00 p.m. CBS “The Amazing Race” (27th season premiere)
8:00 p.m. ABC “Last Man Standing" (5th season premiere)
9:00 p.m. CBS “Hawaii Five-0" (6th season premiere)
9:00 p.m. ABC “Shark Tank” (7th season premiere)
10:00 p.m. CBS “Blue Bloods” (6th season premiere)
Sunday, September 27
7:00 p.m. CBS "60 Minutes" (48th season premiere)
7:30 p.m. Fox “Bob’s Burgers” (6th season premiere)
8:00 p.m. ABC “Once Upon a Time” (5th season premiere)
8:00 p.m. Fox “The Simpsons” (27th season premiere)
8:30 p.m. Fox “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (3rd season premiere)
9:00 p.m. ABC “Blood & Oil” (series premiere)
9:00 p.m. Fox “Family Guy” (14th season premiere)
9:30 p.m. Fox “The Last Man on Earth" (2nd season premiere)
10:00 p.m. ABC “Quantico” (series premiere)
Tuesday, September 29
8:00 p.m. Fox “Grandfathered” (series premiere)
8:30 p.m. Fox “The Grinder” (season premiere)
9:00 p.m. ABC “Marvel's Agents of SHIELD" (3rd season premiere)
10:00 p.m. ABC “Beyond the Tank" (1st season fall premiere)
Wednesday, September 30
9:00 p.m. CBS “Criminal Minds” (11th season premiere)
10:00 p.m. NBC “Chicago PD” (3rd season premiere)
10:00 p.m. CBS “Code Black” (series premiere)
Thursday, October 1
8:00 p.m. Fox “Bones” (11th season premiere)
9:00 p.m. NBC "The Blacklist" (3rd season premiere)
9:00 p.m. Fox "Sleepy Hollow" (3rd season premiere)
Friday, October 2
8:30 p.m. ABC “Dr. Ken” (series premiere)
Saturday, October 3
11:30 p.m. NBC "Saturday Night Live" (41st season premiere)
Sunday, October 4
8:00 p.m. CBS “Madam Secretary” (2nd season premiere)
9:00 p.m. CBS “The Good Wife” (7th season premiere)
9:00 p.m. Showtime "Homeland" (5th season premiere)
9:00 p.m. HBO "The Leftovers" (2nd season premiere)
10:00 p.m. CBS “CSI: Cyber" (2nd season premiere)
10:00 p.m. Showtime "The Affair" (2nd season premiere)
Tuesday, October 6
8:00 p.m. The CW “The Flash” (2nd season premiere)
9:00 p.m. The CW “iZombie” (2nd season premiere)
9:00 p.m. E! "Botched" (2nd season fall premiere)
Wednesday, October 7
8:00 p.m. The CW “Arrow” (4th season premiere)
9:00 p.m. The CW “Supernatural” (11th season premiere)
10:00 p.m. FX "American Horror Story" (5th season premiere)
Thursday, October 8
8:00 p.m. The CW “The Vampire Diaries” (7th season premiere)
9:00 p.m. The CW “The Originals” (3rd season premiere)
10:00 p.m. Syfy "Haven" (5th season premiere)
Friday, October 9
8:00 p.m. The CW “Reign” (2nd season premiere)
8:00 p.m. NBC “Undateable” (3rd season premiere)
Sunday, October 11
7:00 p.m. ABC “America's Funniest Home Videos” (26th season premiere)
9:00 p.m. AMC "The Walking Dead" (6th season premiere)
10:30 p.m. AMC "Talking Dead" (5th season premiere)
Monday, October 12
8:00 p.m. The CW "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" (series premiere)
9:00 p.m. The CW "Jane the Virgin" (2nd season premiere)
10:00 p.m. FX "Fargo" (2nd season premiere)
Tuesday, October 13
9:00 p.m. WGN "Manhattan" (2nd season premiere)
10:00 p.m. NBC “Chicago Fire” (4th season premiere)
Wednesday, October 14
9:00 p.m. DirecTV "Kingdom" (2nd season premiere)
Friday, October 16
Netflix "Beasts of No Nation"
8:30 p.m. NBC “Truth Be Told” (series premiere)
10:00 p.m. Cinemax "The Knick" (2nd season premiere)
10:00 p.m. USA "Satisfaction" (2nd season premiere)
Saturday, October 17
10:00 p.m. HBO "Amy Schumer: Live From the Apollo"
Friday, October 23
Netflix "Hemlock Grove" (3rd season premiere)
Saturday, October 24
8:00 p.m. Starz "Da Vinci's Demons" (3rd season premiere)
Monday, October 26
8:30 p.m. CBS “Supergirl” (series premiere)
Tuesday, October 27
10:00 p.m. ABC “Wicked City” (series premiere)
Friday, October 30
9:00 p.m. NBC “Grimm” (5th season premiere)
Saturday, October 31
9:00 p.m. Starz "Ash VS Evil Dead" (series premiere)
Tuesday, November 3
10:00 p.m. E! Christina Milian Turned Up
10:00 p.m. CNBC "The Profit"
Thursday, November 5
9:00 p.m. CBS “Mom” (3rd season premiere)
9:30 p.m. CBS “Angel From Hell” (series premiere)
10:00 p.m. CBS “Elementary” (4th season premiere)
Friday, November 6
8:00 p.m. “MasterChef Junior” (4th season premiere)
9:00 p.m. “World’s Funniest” (2nd season premiere)
Sunday, November 8
9:00 p.m. Starz "Flesh and Bone" (series premiere)
Tuesday, November 10
10:00 p.m. NBC “Chicago Med (series premiere)
10:00 p.m. USA "Chrisley Knows Best" (3rd season premiere)
10:30 p.m. USA "Donny!" (series premiere)
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Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) unveiled a creative new attack on Wednesday against presidential rival Donald Trump.
In a statement released to reporters, Jindal's campaign manager unfavorably compared the Republican real-estate magnate to actor Charlie Sheen.
"Charlie Sheen is clearly Donald Trump's spirit animal. Or maybe it's the other way around?" campaign manager Timmy Teepell said.
"They'd win here, they'd win there, they'd be bi-winning. It's a match made in heaven," he added.
The former "Two and a Half Men" star is famous for his public meltdown in 2011, which featured Sheen admitting past drug use, repeatedly declaring that he was "winning," and other outrageous behavior.
The Jindal statement was reacting to Trump proclaiming earlier in the day that his future presidency would be full of "winning."
"If I get elected, you may get bored with winning," Trump said at a Washington rally against the Iranian nuclear deal, before backtracking on the boredom aspect of his expected victories. "We'll never get bored with winning."
The Jindal campaign even produced a video to stress the comparison, which concluded by suggesting it's time for the national political conversation to move on from Trump, who has dominated the Republican primary polls and media coverage of the 2016 race.
The campaign said the Wednesday release would be part of a larger assault from Jindal against Trump, starting with a press conference on Thursday in which Jindal will assail Trump and begin a "new line of attack which no other candidate has yet to take."
"The summer of silliness will come to an end," the campaign wrote beneath its video on Wednesday. "Then it's time to get serious."
How about it @CharlieSheen? Would you be @realDonaldTrump’s veep? #winninghttps://t.co/6VuEBOGHpN
— Gov. Bobby Jindal (@BobbyJindal) September 9, 2015Jindal, lagging in the polls, once declared he would randomly insert Trump's name into his speech to get more media coverage. In July, Jindal's communication director hyped his candidate's bump in the polls by referencing a classic line from the 1989 comedy, "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure."
SEE ALSO: Donald Trump: 'If I get elected, you may get bored with winning'
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Full Throttle Saloon, a popular bar in Sturgis, South Dakota that called itself the "world's largest biker bar," burned down Tuesday morning.
The bar was the subject of a reality television series that ran for five years on truTV and Reelz.
Produced by Lamar Salter. Video courtesy of The Sturgis Volunteer fire department. Additional video courtesy of Black Helmet Films.
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There are many different ways to do Burning Man.
While wealthy tech titans like Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, and Mark Zuckerberg erect fancy luxury camps in advance, many others arrive to the playa with no plan and pitch their tents where they find space.
But "fancy camps," as they're called, have become more prevalent in recent years.
One camp this year was especially buzzed about because of its celebrity clientele that included many models and actress Susan Sarandon. Despite perks like a private chef, the glamorous campers still had to use an outhouse.
Check out one fancy camp at this year's Burning Man...
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Apple finally released an update to the Apple TV.
And, at the risk of being hyperbolic, it has the potential to change everything about the TV industry.
The new Apple TV will be more powerful, feature a better remote, and open itself up to apps from third-party developers.
If developers take to the Apple TV the way they've taken to the iPhone, then TV as we know will be upended.
The fundamental challenge with changing TV right now is the "input" problem.
Every TV has a primary input, normally used for traditional, linear, pay-TV services. The second input has always had the accessories. A long time ago, it was a VCR, then it was a DVD player, and now it's a streaming box like Roku or Apple TV.
To get to that second input means digging up the TV remote, which is always a different remote from the cable remote, and it's always hard to find. Then you have to find the remote for the streaming box, which is also often MIA when you need it.
It's a pain in the butt, but the Apple TV could change all that. It could take over the primary input if the apps are right.
The Apple TV could, to paraphrase analyst Benedict Evans, turn your TV into a dumb piece of glass. It would just be a monitor displaying whatever's on the Apple TV. And, since the Apple TV is only $150, it won't be too expensive to upgrade it every few years, keeping the same TV in place for years.
The timing for this sort of thing is perfect.
On Netflix's last earnings call, CEO Reed Hastings said the following:
Linear TV has been on an amazing 50-year run. Internet TV is starting to grow. Clearly over the next 20 years internet TV is going to replace linear TV.And so I think everyone is scrambling to figure out how do they do great apps, how do they [do] things like Noggin, which are fantastic. That will just keep getting built up and so it's a transition into figuring out the internet. And the way people do that is to get involved with us, with our competitors to try to start to learn what are the new patterns and modalities because internet TV is the way that people will consume video in the future.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, when introducing Apple TV, said, "We believe the future of television is apps."
He went on to say that 60% of video streaming is done on an Apple device, and 100% of that streaming is through an app. He says apps provide a better experience.
Netflix, Amazon, HBO, Hulu, and many other companies provide app-based video streaming. Companies like BuzzFeed and Vice are digital-first companies that are cracking video. Presumably, they'll have apps on the Apple TV. Then there's YouTube and Sling TV, which does streaming of a variety of traditional TV channels.
And that's just the starting point. Startups galore are going to work on video experiences for the Apple TV.
If the platform works, then the traditional cable box will be relegated to the second input. And if it's relegated to that, then people will eventually start to wonder why they're even wasting their money on pay TV.
And when they start doing that, TV as we've known will be over.
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NOW WATCH: You can talk to the new Apple TV — here’s what it looks like
As expected, Apple unveiled a new version of its Apple TV set-top box that included a strong focus on gaming, thanks to its Nintendo Wii-like motion controller built into the remote.
The Apple TV has a lot going for it as a gaming device. Game developers know and love the Apple ecosystem thanks to its thriving App Store, not least because it's so lucrative.
And when you buy a game on any Apple device, you'll also have it on the Apple TV, which is very nice.
From our first look, the Apple TV remote is nice, with a touchpad standing in for buttons and built-in motion and tilt sensors.
But Apple is still missing some pieces of the gaming puzzle.
During the event, Apple showed off two games designed explicitly for the new Apple TV, including an upgraded version of the hit Crossy Road, and a rhythm-based sports title called Beat Sports.
Both of those games look cool, and were designed with the new Apple TV's remote in mind.
Not all games will work that well, though. As game developer Brianna Wu of Revolution 60 put it on Twitter:
The biggest obstacle to gaming on Apple TV looks like controller. Touch-based games won't translate well, button controls also inadequate.
— Brianna Wu (@Spacekatgal) September 9, 2015Now, the new Apple TV will also support select third-party Bluetooth controllers, like the kind you can already buy for your iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.
In fact, developers can make games that only work with Bluetooth controllers, though the Apple TV developer guidelines indicate that those games simply won't show up in an App Store search or the user's app library unless they own one and have hooked it up.
"Unlike iOS apps, Apple TV apps can require the user to own a full game controller that supports the extended gamepad profile, but requiring a full game controller is highly discouraged," says Apple's developer guideline.
These controllers are designed to look more like the traditional kind of gamepads you use with an Xbox or PlayStation video game console, though they have a reputation amongst gamers for being of lesser quality.
But since the Apple TV doesn't come with said controllers, developers can't assume that users have them. Which means that developers will have to either come up with two sets of controls — one for the remote, one for the controller — or else not worry about the controller at all.
And as Wu points out, touch-based games aren't likely to translate well to the big screen. Which means that you could see a lot of shoddy, hard-to-control games that were just quickly translated from the iPhone to the big screen, especially early on.
Also of note: Those same developer guidelines refer to the Apple TV remote as having "limited capability" of working as a games controller, indicating that the company knows that it's going to fall short in several cases.
It's a similar path as the original Nintendo Wii, which had a lot of hype early in its life cycle as consumers and developers flocked to its innovative, simplified motion controller. Of course, that hype famously petered out as the novelty of motion controls wore off and developers started getting frustrated at its limited control options and underpowered hardware.
There's a bear case here: As proven by the Microsoft Kinect's failure to set the world on fire, marketing a product directly to hardcore gamers is a losing proposition for most. Microsoft found out the hard way that the core gaming demographic is ambivalent at best about the idea of a full all-in-one computer in the living room.
By not pitching it explicitly as a games device, but rather a smart TV box that can also play games, it circumvents the hype cycle and the handwringing.
Once it has more of an install base, maybe, just maybe, Apple will reposition the Apple TV more explicitly as a gaming device, and start pushing its own controller out to consumers.
Or maybe, despite all the anticipation leading up to today's event, the Apple TV just doesn't have any real long-term gaming chops.
SEE ALSO: The downfall of Kinect: Why Microsoft gave up on its most promising product
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NOW WATCH: You can talk to the new Apple TV — here’s what it looks like
"Tonight Show" host Jimmy Fallon and singer Justin Timberlake are probably two of the most famous hip-hop fanatics on the planet.
The guys, on occasion, will launch into their energetic "History of Rap" medleys on Fallon's late-night talker — backed by the virtuoso "Tonight Show" house band, The Roots — showcasing their lyrical chops with karaoke renditions of current and classic hits.
The guys did it again Wednesday night with "History of Rap 6."
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The name "Voldemort" may be spelled with a T, but if you've been pronouncing it with one, you're in for a rude awakening.
J.K. Rowling, the author of the "Harry Potter" series, just set the record straight on Twitter. The name of the villain in her seven books should actually be pronounced "Vol-de-MOR," not "Vol-de-mort."
Yes, as if he's French. And yes, that means for the past 15 years and throughout all eight movies, "Harry Potter" fans, actors, and directors have been butchering Voldemort's name.
The revelation came from a North Carolina man, who tweeted the "Harry Potter" trivia fact on Wednesday:
Rowling then weighed in, and Mashable spotted it:
Oh snap. Every "Harry Potter" fan's head jerked, and the reactions started pouring in.
Meanwhile, French people rejoiced:
The Dark Lord himself chimed in. His reasoning: Muggles never listen.
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Considering the lastthreeM. Night movies (or four, depending on whom you ask) are so notoriously awful, many critics seem to be getting caught up in heralding "The Visit" as some sort of "return to form."
It's really, really not.
The reality is that if "The Visit" were made by a less notable filmmaker, nobody would be talking about it. It's a second-rate, micro-budget found-footage flick and nothing more.
It's set up as a homemade documentary, with two kids (Becca and Tyler) going off to visit their estranged grandparents whom they've never met before. The trip quickly turns into a horror show as the grandparents' bizarre nighttime rituals give the kids reason to investigate.
The film's most glaring problem is that its two child leads are, in a word, unbearable. It's no fault of the actors, and they're actually quite good in their roles, but the script does them zero favors.
15-year-old Becca is an aspiring filmmaker, so naturally every line of her dialogue includes some vague allusion to filmmaking. Tossing around phrases from high-school film courses like "mise en scène" and talking about the ethics of hidden cameras don't suddenly render your film high art. It feels as if M. Night is trying to show off his filmic knowledge, but his shoddy writing ensures that it does exactly the opposite, and boy is it obnoxious.
Even worse is Becca's slightly younger brother Tyler, an aspiring rapper who isn't embarrassed to spit rhymes in front of anyone who'll listen. It's incredibly awkward to watch him freestyle terribly the first time, and Shyamalan forces the poor kid to do it repeatedly.
"The Visit" goes for way more laughs than scares which gives the film a tonal imbalance that never skews too far toward either side. The humor would be fine if it were actually amusing, but considering all the "laughs" stem from the rather obnoxious protagonists and their proclivities, it's more loathsome than anything else.
If you were on the fence about whether or not this was a comedy, the scene splayed over the end credits should answer that question definitively.
Additionally, all of Shyamalan's attempts to emotionally resonate are squandered by the fact that the entire conceit of the movie is just too half-baked. The flimsy set-up hangs by a thread -- these kids have never met their grandparents before, but why? The film attempts to answer this, but I almost wish it hadn't considering the explanation couldn't be more of an afterthought.
The film also has terrible storytelling mechanics that fall apart when given any thought. The "plot" makes absolutely no sense and the script sets up rules only to completely disregard them when it's convenient. For example, a big stink is made about the grandparents going crazy at 9:30 PM every night, but when the "twist" occurs and we learn what's really going on, this detail becomes completely irrelevant.
A well-placed MacGuffin is one thing, but purposefully misleading your audience only to pull the rug out from under them with no logical explanation is just lazy storytelling. When one new plot element suddenly negates several previous ones, that's problematic. While the patented Shyamalan twist here is not his worst, it still hammers home the fact that M. Night is still a one trick pony.
"The Visit" is a bizarre movie with a wildly inconsistent tone. There are not enough scares to recommend it as a horror film, and its sense of humor is too juvenile to skate by on laughs only.
Considering the film was made for only $5 million, it will already be majorly profitable by its opening night. "The Visit" will likely mark the beginning of a new era of shoestring budget films for Shyamalan, but the jury's still out on whether or not that's a good thing.
Watch the trailer below.
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Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, has an idea for how to colonize Mars and make it habitable for humankind.
On "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on Wednesday night, Colbert compared Musk to Tony Stark, the fictional tech tycoon who also happens to be Iron Man. "Are you really trying to save the world?" Colbert asked Musk.
Colbert then asked Musk why people should want to live on Mars. Mars is "a fixer-upper of a planet," Musk told Colbert.
But people could theoretically live there, he said, by warming it up in one of two ways.
The fastest way to heat up Mars, according to Elon Musk, is to "drop thermonuclear weapons over the poles." The slower way would be to introduce greenhouse gases to Mars to warm it up over a number of years.
"You're a supervillain!" Colbert said in response. "Superman doesn't say 'let's drop nuclear bombs.' That's Lex Luthor, man."
Besides discussing the possibility of nuking Mars to make it hospitable for humans, Colbert told his studio audience that he thinks Musk should run for US president. Musk’s particular vision of the future — dropping nuclear bombs on Mars to make it more habitable and all — “truly moved” Colbert, he said.
The notion of dropping nuclear bombs on Mars to make it habitable is only one of Musk's stranger ideas. He's also voiced his concern about robots potentially destroying humankind. To that end, he'spledged $10 million for research to make sure AI doesn’t turn out evil.
You can watch Colbert and Musk talking about whether Musk is a superhero or a villain below.
SEE ALSO: Stephen Colbert thinks Tesla CEO Elon Musk should run for president
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Stephen Colbert has made up his mind on Elon Musk. The businessman and inventor isn't one of the good guys.
Musk was a guest on Colbert's second episode of CBS's "Late Show" on Wednesday when the talk show host mentioned that some call the entrepreneur "the real life Tony Stark" (Ironman's real identity).
The businessman has a hand in several programs and products meant to "do good things," as Musk referred to them.
"But you're trying to good things and you're a billionaire," Colbert pointed out. "That seems like you're either a superhero or supervillian. You have to choose one."
"I try to do useful things," Musk said, avoiding answering the question.
So, Colbert seems to let it go and later moves on to the topic of Musk's desire for humans to go to Mars. Currently, the planet couldn't support human life. But Musk says there's a slow way and a fast way to warm Mars up to the point where humans could inhabit the planet.
"Give me the fast way," Colbert requested.
"The fast way is to drop thermonuclear weapons over the poles," Musk answered.
"You're a supervillain," the host replied. "That's what a supervillain does."
Watch the interview below:
SEE ALSO: Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' premiere got huge ratings
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NOW WATCH: Watch Stephen Colbert Complain About His Title 'Chief Of Secrecy' At The Apple Event
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump failed to win over Chris Cuomo when the skeptical CNN anchor pressed him on Thursday for mocking rival Carly Fiorina's face.
"Why do you talk about how women look so much? You know it's not presidential," Cuomo told Trump.
In a Rolling Stone magazine profile of Trump published the day before, the Republican real-estate mogul tore into Fiorina.
"Look at that face! ... Would anyone vote for that?" Trump was quoted asking while watching Fiorina on the news. "I mean, she's a woman, and I'm not [supposed to] say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?"
But Trump told Cuomo that he was not questioning Fiorina's looks.
"I'm not talking look. I'm talking persona," he said.
Cuomo was incredulous.
"You said, 'Look at that face!'" the anchor recalled.
Trump responded by going after Fiorina's business record when she was CEO of Hewlett-Packard.
"I’ll say some nice things about you at least so that they’ll say, 'At least he says nice things about some people,'" Trump told Cuomo. "The fact is that Carly Fiorina has had a terrible past. She was fired viciously from Hewlett-Packard."
Trump added: "Thousands of jobs gone. Stock prices gone. Still hasn't recovered. It's a total disaster but still hasn't recovered. They’re trying hard, but she was a disastrous CEO. She had a company before that called Lucent, which in my opinion and in my memory, was even a worse catastrophe than Hewlett-Packard."
But Cuomo maintained that Trump's inclination to attack his opponents was "unpresidential."
Cuomo noted that Trump has also gone after actress-comedian Rosie O'Donnell and Fox News host Megyn Kelly, who during the first GOP debate famously accused Trump of a pattern of disparaging comments towards women. He called Trump's Fiorina insult a "there-he-goes-again moment."
Earlier in the CNN interview, Trump also blasted former neurosurgeon Ben Carson, No. 2. in GOP primary polls, on a wide range of issues, including his faith, medical record, qualifications for office, and overall energy. That was all in response to Carson taking a jab at Trump's faith and humility on Wednesday.
"All I'm saying is that you are the front-runner," Cuomo told Trump. "You say that you're going to be president of the United States. There is a manner of behavior that goes with that. I'm not saying be 'Mr. P.C.' I'm not saying be 'Captain Gentility' and let everybody beat you up. But the idea of returning a blow every time you receive one, you know that doesn’t work in any high level situation."
Trump responded with a backhanded compliment to the viewership of Cuomo's "New Day" show on CNN.
"Well I’m a believer. Perhaps you’re not. Maybe that’s why your show isn’t doing as well as it should be, because you really have a better show than them," he said.
"That's not nice," Cuomo replied. "That’s not nice. You're attacking me for asking you a question. See, that's my point. That's not what the president does."
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If you have a house, you must have home insurance. With a car, you must have car insurance. If you need healthcare, you must have health insurance.
The same cannot be said about life insurance.
According to nonprofit LifeHappens.org, 100 million Americans — more than 40% of the population — don't have an insurance policy that will provide for their loved ones should they die.
Anthony Anderson, star of ABC's "Blackish" and spokesperson for Life Insurance Awareness month, finds that statistic "staggering."
Anderson, who grew up in Compton, California, watched his father sign his first life insurance policy, and followed suit when he turned 18.
"As a child growing up in the hood, hearing it's only going to cost me $12 a month to get $25,000, I was like, 'Sure, I'll sign up, I'm rich!'" he says. "The funny part of course was I didn't think it through: In order to collect the money, I had to die."
Once he did think it through, however, Anderson realized that he wanted to continue being covered. "Once I got the policy and got older, I was like, 'Wait a minute. This money isn't for me — it's for somebody else if something happens to me," he says. "That's how I learned the importance of life insurance. It's about taking care of the loved ones you'll be leaving behind in the event of your death."
Buying life insurance made Anderson's family unusual among their Compton neighbors. When friends and neighbors passed away, he remembers, some families would "go around the neighborhood and pass the hat" to amass enough money for burial. "Especially coming from the inner city, these are things we don't really deal with. We don't think 'future.' We're not thinking long term, about the what-ifs," he says. "That's why I kept [my life insurance policy] — I didn't want to be in that position, or want my family in that position."
When Anderson's father and brother passed away only a year apart from one another about 12 years ago, the life insurance "did exactly what it was supposed to do," he remembers. "My brother passed first, and my mother received a check for $50,000 to help her with what she needed to do." Although at that point, Anderson's family no longer needed the money, he says, "I saw the benefit in that."
In the years since his first policy, Anderson has taken out not only policies to benefit his wife and two teenage children, but also to benefit the charitable organizations who rely on his donations to continue running, like Charlotte's House, a home for abused women and children started by a family member. "I'm able to rest at night knowing not only is my family taken care of, but also these grassroots organizations in the city I'm still a part of will continue to sustain and help the people in the community because of a life insurance policy," he says.
September is Life Insurance Awareness month. To learn more about life insurance, visit LifeHappens.org.
SEE ALSO: Every smart step to take with your money by your baby's first birthday
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Stephen Colbert's crushing and promising win over his late night rivals with Tuesday's premiere episode was short lived.
Nielsen just released the final live plus same day ratings for Wednesday and Jimmy Fallon's "Tonight Show" has regained the top slot in late night.
Fallon attracted 4.06 million total viewers versus Colbert's 3.66 million viewers. Jimmy Kimmel's "Live" brought up the rear with just 1.85 million viewers.
In the late night key demographic of 25 to 54-year-olds, Fallon earned a 1.6 rating. Colbert and Kimmel got a 1.0 and 0.6, respectively.
It would seem that Fallon's coupling of megastars Justin Timberlake and Ellen DeGeneres was a better draw than Colbert's guests, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk and movie actress Scarlett Johansson.
The good news for Colbert is that he's still doing better than Letterman's episodes year-over-year. He's up 70% in total viewers (from 2.15 million) and up 67% in the key demo of Adults 25-54 (from 0.6) for the same night last year, according to a CBS press release.
SEE ALSO: Elon Musk is a 'supervillain,' surmises Stephen Colbert
MORE: Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' premiere got huge ratings
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Taylor Swift is halfway to becoming an EGOT – an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winner.
The Television Academy announced the juried award winners for the 67th Emmy Awards in the categories of Animation, Costumes for a Variety Program or Special, Motion Design and Interactive Media on Thursday.
Swift won the Emmy for Original Interactive Program for "AMEX Unstaged: Taylor Swift Experience,' which is available at the Apple App Store and on Google Play, according to a press release from the Academy. Swift is credited as both the artist and executive producer.
Here's a description of the program from the AMEX website:
Shot with groundbreaking 360° cameras and scored with a rich audio soundtrack based on Taylor’s single ‘Blank Space’ from her new album 1989, the experience is an immersive journey with intertwined storylines, multiple rooms and dozens of hidden interactive features waiting to be unlocked and explored.
Alongside Swift, this year's juried Emmy award winners include Jimmy Fallon's "Tonight Show" and Chris Hardwick's "@midnight" – both in the Social TV Experience category.
The juried awards will be presented during the Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony on Saturday, September 12.
Swift already has three Grammy wins under her belt.
SEE ALSO: Here's how Taylor Swift caused beef between Nicki Minaj and Miley Cyrus
MORE: Kanye West sends Taylor Swift a massive block of white roses to seal their friendship after the VMAs
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NOW WATCH: Taylor Swift’s 1989 merch may cause some controversy in China
Despite being a manager to pop stars like Lady Gaga, Meghan Trainor, and John Legend, Troy Carter has shied away from the spotlight.
So when the producers of the popular ABC show "Shark Tank" called and asked him to join the newest season as a guest judge, Carter turned them down. His job was always to be behind the camera and he didn't want to be the person in front of it, Carter told Business Insider.
Carter laughs now about being afraid of the camera, but it took a powerful conversation with his wife to change his mind.
"Originally I passed on doing it and I went home and I talked to my wife about it, and I ended up coming back around," Carter said.
"What we thought about is that you can’t be it if you can’t see it. There’s not a lot of black entrepreneurs and I can’t sit there and bitch about diversity in tech and all of those things about access and pipeline if I’m not out there doing something about that."
Now that Carter has filmed a couple episodes, Business Insider got the full story on why the investor behind Uber, Spotify, and Dropbox changed his mind and what he learned about being a Shark.
Business Insider: What was that conversation?
Troy Carter: You know, we’re big fans of the show. It’s one of those shows that my entire family watches and loves and it’s probably one of my favorite shows. What we thought about is that you can’t be it if you can’t see it. There’s not a lot of black entrepreneurs and I can’t sit there and bitch about diversity in tech and all of those things about access and pipeline if I’m not out there doing something about that. I didn’t know what a VC was until five years ago. I didn’t know the term "venture capitalist." It’s so far from my world.
I didn’t know what a VC was until five years ago. I didn’t know the term ‘venture capitalist.’ It’s so far from my world.
To be able to inspire kids, coming up from where I come from, you want to be an entertainer or a basketball player. For young black kids, that’s mostly what you see in terms of public personalities. The reality is there’s only 300 jobs in the NBA if you want to look at becoming a basketball player.
But if you’re looking at becoming an entrepreneur, that’s something you can start in real time, whether it’s mowing lawns or doing newspaper deliveries. Whatever that is shoveling snow or opening up a lemonade stand, whether it’s selling sneakers, it can become very tangible and setting you up for those next steps. I’m just hoping to be a voice and a conduit, and if I could just be the doorstop.
BC: So that was the conversation we had that changed your mind on it?
TC: It was nuggets of it. There’s so much conversation around diversity. I’m watching the riots in Baltimore, I’m watching Ferguson, I’m watching Blacklivesmatter, I’m watching Jesse Jackson berate Silicon Valley. There’s just all these conversations around race, diversity, and tech. That’s what kind of gave me this shift where I said "It’s time that I do something and lend my voice."
BC: What was your hesitation to begin with?
TC: Um, being in front of the camera. [Laughs] It was being in front of the camera was a different experience than being behind the camera. It’s one thing to get on stage with people who I consider my peer group. I’m used to those sort of talks. Even when I do a magazine interview, it still feels like it’s a conversation with peers. It’s not me on a cover of People magazine, it’s a Wired or a Fast Company, still my peers. This is a totally different experience and so I was a bit nervous going in but once I realized I’m spending my own money, my instinct kicked in and it was game on.
BC: So what’s it like?
TC: I taped a few and it was a lot of fun working alongside Mark and Daymond and Lori and Kevin. They were very welcoming. It was definitely competitive for sure, and you get into some really deep negotiations. Luckily once I realized, “Ok, this is what I do every day” I got into my comfort zone.
BC: Any surprises on the show?
TC: The biggest surprise for me was the length of the negotiations. The producers and editors do a really good job of what can sometimes be an hour and a half-negotiation and edit it down to a seven-minute segment. I think the lengthiness of the negotiation or the amount of due diligence that needs to happen post-recording is a pretty deep dive at due diligence.
BC: It sounds like you’ve made some investments from the show…
TC: I can’t say. [laughs] I’m sworn to secrecy. We’ve looked at some things.
BC: So is this going to be a new era of your life?
TC: You know what, I’ve gained a tremendous amount of respect for the sharks. I don’t know how they do their day jobs and do what they do on Shark Tank. I had a great time being a guest but I’m not sure if I would quit my day job for it.
SEE ALSO: Lady Gaga's former manager and Uber investor Troy Carter hand picks the next 6 hot startups
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The new line of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" toys debuted Friday, September 4, and with it came a few hints at the next villain of the new trilogy.
A few toys debuted the voice of Kylo Ren, the dark, Darth Vader-obsessed warrior, which gave us a chance to hear a few of the character's spoken lines in the new film.
But many of the toys also allow you to take off Ren's hood to get a good look at his full helmet, and fans have noticed something interesting about it.
Before now, here's how we've seen the mysterious figure:
Take a look at the Black Series Kylo Ren action figure with the hood removed.
Does it look familiar?
Specifically, the shape:
Many are noting that it looks a lot like Darth Vader's helmet.
Some even believe that Kylo Ren's helmet may be Vader's helmet repurposed.
That may sound like a bit of a stretch.
We did see Vader's helmet make an appearance in the second "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" teaser; however, it was extremely damaged.
There's no way that thing could be this, right?
While it's highly unlikely they're the same mask, it's tough to rule it out completely.
We've looked at a number of versions of Kylo Ren toys, and they all have one thing in common. The helmets on each are clearly dented, scratched up, and damaged.
And there are a bunch of scuff marks drawn onto this $30.00 Kylo Ren deluxe helmet.
Dents are also visible on Funko's new Kylo Ren Pop! toy:
Why go around wearing a helmet that's damaged? Perhaps it's to show his challengers that he's a huge force to be reckoned with; however, since the character has been described as a Vader obsessive, it would make sense if his helmet was molded from the remains of the iconic mask.
Fans are a bit at odds.
While the majority believe Ren's helmet is simply modeled after the design of Vader's helmet, others suggest Ren could have cut off the bottom of Vader’s mask.
At the least, it certainly appears to be a nod to Lord Vader.
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Since jumping on the campaign trail, Jeb Bush has been calling himself a nickname inspired by the iconic anti-hero from "The Godfather" movie trilogy.
The nickname stems back to Bush's time as governor of Florida.
Produced by Lamar Salter
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