Fight Master starts tonight on Spike TV at 10:00 ET, just after a live airing of Bellator 96. Indeed it’s going to be a stellar night of fights; the reality show consists of 32 fighters who get to chose between 4 coaches to help guide them to be the winner of the show, win the $100,000 grand prize, and get a shot in the Bellator tournament. Sounds like a dream come true for a fighter, right?

One of the coaches, Randy Couture, talked about the central focus of Fight Master MMA Fighting:

“The focus of the show is definitely on the tactics, the techniques, the differences in coaching styles, and the choices that these athletes make. Which is, I think, in sharp contrast to some of the other reality genre-type shows. It’ll get a real good, technical inside look at the sport of mixed martial arts, which is going to both appeal to the hardcore fans and I think attract a lot of new viewers and new fans to the sport.”

Greg Jackson, Frank Shamrock, and Joe Warren are the three other coaches who will be joining Couture on the first season of Fight Master.

You can watch a 10 minute sneak peek of Episode 1 right above, and make sure you tune in tonight to Spike TV to see how this episode concludes.

The great thing about these types of shorts is that you can’t ask for much, but sometimes you get a surprise and sometimes they go somewhere. While some elements are underdeveloped, the idea is often there, and that’s what makes them awesome. In BBQ Massacre, we have four friends out camping with an RV, a lot of shit jokes, and an uninvited guest. I’ll leave it at that and let you watch the 8:50 minute short. I will say, however, that there’s a connection to Hannibal.

Bryan Wolford is also behind the short films Myctophobia, Shivers Down Your Spine: Bait, Whisper, and Shadows. BBQ Massacre stars Melissa Chirellowood, Steve Christopher, Darrin Ford, Brittany Lynch, and Gary Taylor.

Rock Hard \m/

Although, Walking Papers independently released their self-titled debut last year, the album is getting a proper release with Loud & Proud Records behind it. Walking Papers is due to hit the streets on August 6th. Until then, you’ll have to be contented with the bluesy and thought-provoking lyric video for “The Whole World’s Watching.” You can also look forward to seeing Walking Papers on the 2013 Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival, starting August 9th (dates below). Visit www.rockstaruproar.com to see who else is playing and other details.

2013 Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival tour dates:

8/9 — Scranton, Pa. — Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
8/10 — Hartford, Ct. — The Comcast Theatre
8/11 — Darien Center, N.Y. — Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
8/13 — Saratoga, N.Y. — Saratoga Performing Arts Center
8/14 — Mansfield, Mass. — Comcast Center
8/16 — Bristow, Va. — Jiffy Lube Live
8/17 — Holmdel, N.J. — PNC Bank Arts Center
8/18 — Wantagh, N.Y. — Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
8/20 — Toronto, Ontario — Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
8/22 — Tinley Park, Ill. — First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
8/23 — Noblesville, Ind. — Klipsch Music Center
8/24 — Clarkston, Mich. — DTE Energy Music Theater
8/27 — Oklahoma City, Okla. — Zoo Amphitheater
8/28 — Dallas, Texas — Gexa Energy Pavilion
8/29 — The Woodlands, Texas — Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
9/1 — Denver, Colo. — Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
9/2 — Salt Lake City, Utah — USANA Amphitheatre
9/7 — George, Wash. — The Gorge Amphitheatre
9/8 — Ridgefield, Wash. — Sleep Country Amphitheater
9/11 — San Francisco, Calif. — Shoreline Amphitheatre
9/13 — Phoenix, Ariz. — Desert Sky Pavilion
9/14 — Chula Vista, Calif. — Sleep Train Amphitheatre
9/15 — Irvine, Calif. — Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

Rock Hard \m/

UFC 167: St-Pierre vs. Hendricks

Number One UFC welterweight contender Johny Hendricks said it before UFC 158, “GSP can’t hide forever.” And now it’s true. It was just confirmed on UFC Tonight that Georges St-Pierre will face the one-punch-knockout-power king in the division in Sin City very soon.

Hendricks, who has been lobbying for a fight with GSP for quite some time, earned a shot with GSP long before his last bout with Carlos Condit in March. The reason it hasn’t happened yet is because GSP and his coach, Firas Zahabi from Tristar Gym, felt Nick Diaz was the Number One contender for UFC 158. According to Zahabi, Diaz had bigger wins and has been there longer than Hendricks. Zahabi stated,

“If you want to be really fair about it, he is the guy who beat the most amount of names in the biggest fights.”

But we all know the truth: The fight between GSP and Diaz had to happen because of their rivalry. This fight has been a long time coming for Hendricks, and his wish for a shot with the UFC welterweight champion has finally been granted. They will face each other at UFC 167 on November 16, 2013, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Stay tuned for more UFC 167 fight card details.

Check out Kevin Talley performing Slayer’s “War Ensemble” live at Orion Music and More above.

Battlecross’ sophomore album, War of Will, will be released on July 9th, 2013, just after the band heads out on the Rock Star Energy Drink Mayhem Festival Tour with Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch, Amon Amarth, Children of Bodom, Machine Head, Mastodon, and more. For tour details, check out our earlier report on “Force Fed Lied.”

Rock Hard \m/

Anthrax At Amnesia Rockfest 2013

Thrash metal giants Anthrax played during Day Two at Amnesia Rockfest, 2013, in Montebello, Quebec, and they killed it. As a band playing without any gimmicks, Anthrax was by far the most entertaining and energetic act of the day – it helps that they’re all a little nuts, like a metalhead should be, damn it.

These guys are clearly having fun performing for the headbanging masses, even after over 30 years in the industry. It’s amazing to see the interaction between the members and how they feed off of one another’s energy. That being said, Joey Belladonna and Frank Bello are clearly the most fun to watch. Yes, Scott Ian is and always will be a wildman of an attraction, but the real fire was with the other two guys this time.

Not only did Anthrax bring it to the stage performance, but they also sounded great. Sound levels were balanced and you could hear all the parts with crystal clarity. Give those sound engineers a beer.

And the crowd quickly amassed when Anthrax took to the stage. It got sweaty and dirty real quick. Young and old, that mosh pit was open to anyone who dared enter. Belladonna was a perfect frontman, rallying the metal soldiers with talk of pot and moshing, and he clearly loved being in Canada. The crowd really went nuts when a Quebec flag with “Anthrax” written across it was thrown on stage and Belladonna held it up.

Though Anthrax mostly played songs from Among the Living, there was a good mix of material. The crowd went nuts for the AC/DC cover “T.N.T.” and some idiot kids jumped up like there was a guest on stage when Anthrax ripped into Slayer’s “Raining Blood.”

One of the coolest things I was able to witness being between the stage and the crowd was a boy of about 10 or 12 years old getting the chance to engage with Anthrax while they played. When he returned to the crowd, the boy’s dad gave him a big hug and was beaming for his son. Shortly thereafter, the boy and dad were being escorted backstage, I imagine for a chance to meet Anthrax and have some stuff signed. A real dream come true that day, and impressive that Anthrax still does that sort of thing… equally impressive is the fact that a young boy loves an old-school thrash band so much.

I highly recommend that you check out Anthrax before they get too old for this shit.

Anthrax Amnesia Rockfest, 2013, Setlist:

1. “Caught in a Mosh” – from Among the Living
2. “Madhouse” – from Spreading the Disease
3. “Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)” – from Among the Living
4. “T.N.T.” (AC/DC cover) – from Anthems
5. “Indians” – from Among the Living
6. “Got the Time” (Joe Jackson cover) – from Persistence of Time
7. “Fight ‘Em ‘Til You Can’t” – from Worship Music
8. “I Am the Law” – from Among the Living
9. “I’m the Man” (from I’m the Man EP)/”Raining Blood”
10. “Antisocial” (Trust Cover) – from State of Euphoria

Rock Hard \m/

UFC President Dana White cleared up this fact:

“All the pros, when you talk to all the fighters – every fighter out there that I’ve talked too that we’ve interviewed thinks Weidman is going to beat him [Silva]. Georges St-Pierre thinks he’s going to win so much that he didn’t even want to plan to fight Anderson.”

Silva’s manager, Ed Soares, also said on Monday on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani that no one is “invincible.”

“Anybody can go out there and put on a fight. Chris Weidman is undefeated, he’s a tough guy and a fight is a fight, anything can happen. I believe in Anderson Silva. Anderson Silva is the best fighter on the planet. I think Anderson Silva is a bad fight for any fighter in any weight class. I’m not saying Anderson Silva is invincible. Anderson Silva can be beat just like anyone else can get beat. But I think if Anderson Silva goes in there well trained and focused, I don’t think there’s a fighter on the planet that can beat him.”

If all the pros think Chris Weidman will be the new UFC middleweight champion, then we have to ask what do all the MMA fans believe?

Drop us your thoughts in the comment section below.

UFC 162: Silva vs. Weidman Fight Card

Silva vs Weidman
Edgar vs Oliveira
Kennedy vs Gracie
Swanson vs Siver
Munoz vs Boetsch
Leben vs Craig
Parke vs Tokudome
Barboza vs Oliveira
Gonzaga vs Herman
Baczynski vs Melancon
Pierce vs Mitchell

This film by Christian Bisceglia (writer/director) and Ascanio Malgarini (director) damn near fell into the “pass” bin. Originally titled Fairytale, The Haunting of Helena got off to a bad start. There are a few reasons for this: It moves too fast in terms of plot and story, which leads to dismal character development, and then Bisceglia and Malgarini try to scare you in every scene with creepy music and a number of potential jump scares. They went at it, and the went at it aggressively, unfortunately they overdid it.

These points alone could potentially turn away most audiences. Add in the low-budget look of the film, and you might end up with 10% of your original audience.

When I said the film moves fast, I’m talking Flash fast. The Haunting of Helena got to the haunting within five minutes; most films take 20 minutes to introduce you to the challenge faced by your protagonists.

SPOILERS AHEAD

To summarize the film, we have Sophia (Harriet MacMasters-Green), a recently divorced single mother. She and her daughter, Helena (Sabrina Jolie Perez), have just moved to a new apartment in Italy, while her father, Robert (Jarreth J. Merz), takes up residence in Cancun. While moving in, Sophia finds an old armoire in the building’s storage area and has it moved into their apartment. The armoire and the apartment are haunted and soon Helena begins to feel the effects, which includes an irrational obsession with losing and acquiring teeth, resulting in institutionalization…

And I won’t ruin the rest of the movie for you, because it’s the second half of The Haunting of Helena that truly excels. Two-thirds of the film plods along in a fairly predictable manner (the filmmakers really didn’t even make an attempt to conceal what needed to be done), but toward the end, you get jerked in an entirely new direction with no warning. In most cases this would be cause to destroy a movie, but it totally works here and is actually the movie’s saving grace.

While you’ll never empathize for any of these characters, you truly are just an observer, there is a scene that reminded me of The Exorcist, when Regan is being examined and studied in the hospital with her mother at her side. There’s something similar here, but like I said, you won’t care.

There are a couple of other points that stood out for me: the creepy neighbor was humorously named “Mr. Ferri”; what do bugs and mosquitos have to do with this ghost’s haunting?; and why didn’t Sophia climb over that damn piano instead of trying to squeeze between it and the wall?

The Verdict: 2.5 out of 5 stars

If you live for haunting/ghost films, then you should see The Haunting of Helena. If you don’t, then don’t. I get that this is a foreign film, which often have different ways of telling a story, but I felt it just had too many issues to fall in love with it. Still, there is a scene in it that won’t quickly be forgotten by horror fans, which is to say that there are redeeming qualities to the film… and it does get better by the end.

Rock Hard \m/

Yell! Rating (x/5 Skulls):

2.5 out of 5 stars

Year Released:

21 June 2013 (limited); 18 June 2013 (VOD)

Directors:

Christian Bisceglia, Ascanio Malgarini

Cast/Crew

Harriet MacMasters-Green, Sabrina Jolie Perez, Jarreth J. Merz

Genre

Horror, Ghost, Thriller

Official URL:

The Haunting of Helena

‘Sin City: A Dame To Kill For’ Release Date Pushed Way Back

If you’re looking forward to Sin City: A Dame To Kill For this October, forget it. The release date for Robert Rodriguez’s sequel to the visually stunning Sin City has been pushed way back. Sorry to break the news to you this afternoon, but the film won’t be out in theaters until August 22, 2014. Details are limited at the moment, leaving me as confused as you.

As far as I know, it could be production issues, shooting conflicts with the huge cast of high-profile stars, or maybe a marketing issue. Honestly, anything could be the reason with a film of this caliber. At least Rodriguez’ next film, Machete Kills, is still on pace for release in September.

Like we previously said, the cast of Sin City: A Dame To Kill For is mega huge, it includes:

Eva Green as “Ava Lord”
Mickey Rourke as “Marv”
Jessica Alba as “Nancy”
Bruce Willis as “Hartigan”
Rosario Dawson as “Gail”
Jaime King as “Goldie/Wendy”
Josh Brolin as “Dwight”
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as “Johnny”
Dennis Haysbert as “Manute”
Christopher Meloni as “Mort”
Jeremy Piven as “Bob”
Jamie Chung as “Miho”
Ray Liotta as “Joey”
Juno Temple as “Sally”
Julia Garner as “Marcy”

Look for more details to be announced shortly.

Transplants Played Amnesia Rockfest – Stream In A Warzone

The Transplants — featuring Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, Blink-182′s Travis Barker, and Death March’s “Skinhead Rob” Aston — impressed fans at the urine soaked Amnesia Rockfest in Montebello, Quebec, and today they’re streaming their new album, In A Warzone, at Rollingstone.com.

The album is a mix of various punk genres, just like its members, but it all coalesces and ends up sounding like pure old-school punk (except for the hip-hop-inspired “Something’s Different”). If you like what you hear, look for it to hit the streets June 25th.

“When we started this band 13 years ago, we weren’t worried about who was going to like us,” states frontman Rob Aston. “We still aren’t. In A Warzone is more raw and stripped down than our previous releases. In my opinion, it’s our best album. It’s always been difficult to classify Transplants. But at the end of the day, we’re a punk rock band. We make whatever type of music we want.”

It doesn’t get any more punk rock than that (well, it does, but who gives a fuck).

The Transplants are currently on the road in North American opening for Rancid. Tim Armstrong is playing with both bands.

Transplants tour dates:

June 17 – Boston @ House of Blues
June 19 – Silver Springs, MD @ The Fillmore
June 20 & 21 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
June 22 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
June 23 – Norfolk, VA @ NorVA
July 11 & 12 – Seattle, WA @ SODO
July 13 & 14 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore
July 16 – Edmonton, AB @ Shaw Conf Hall
July 17 – Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall
July 19 & 20 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
July 21 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
July 23 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
July 24 – Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee
July 26 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Palladium
July 27 – Pomona, CA @ Fox Theater
July 28 & 29 – San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues
Aug 2 & 3 – San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield

Rock Hard \m/