Heidi Klum and Janelle Monáe wear elaborate E.T. costumes for their Halloween parties

NEW YORK (AP) — Heidi Klum and Janelle Monáe opted for out-of-this-world Halloween costumes this year — both choosing to dress as the stubby alien E.T. for their parties on opposite coasts.

While the similar costumes will likely spark “who wore it best” debates that are popular in celebrity magazines, the stars chose different interpretations of the creature from Steven Spielberg's 1982 classic, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”

Klum's husband Tom Kaulitz dressed as E.T., while the model and television personality came as E.T. similar to how the alien looked after being dressed up by Drew Barrymore's character in the movie, complete with a blonde wig and round hat. The costume featured animatronic eyes, a long neck, a blonde wig and a long index finger that lit up, just like the movie version.

Monáe told People magazine that she'd been planning the costume for two years, and appeared in two different versions Thursday night.

She arrived at her Halloween party as a stubbier version of the diminutive alien, waddling on the red carpet in a costume the required her to move around on her knees. The Grammy winner's E.T. also had animatronic eyes and a yellow index finger but she adopted a stilted, otherwordly voice similar to the character's when doing interviews Thursday. She downplayed any rivalry with Klum, telling The Associated Press, “There can be two Hallo-queens. I love Heidi.”

Later in the evening, she changed into a taller E.T. costume that allowed her to walk freely and dance. Both versions featured the alien in a tuxedo.

Klum and Monáe take Halloween seriously, with each donning elaborate costumes. This year, their Halloween night parties played out on opposite coasts, with Klum gathering celebrity friends in New York and Monáe hosting her party in Los Angeles.

Klum’s face was in the creature’s neck, allowing her to see and speak. She told the AP her costume had been in the works for a year.

“I have been a fan of E.T. since I was 9 years old,” Klum said. As she spoke, the mouth of her costume head moved thanks to the mechanical features inside the suit.

“I just love becoming this thing. E.T. is very small and so I thought it would be fun to kind of play with the proportions too,” Klum said.

Klum and Kaulitz touched their heads tenderly after unveiling their costumes amid smoke and a light show at Klum’s party.

Monáe revealed her E.T. costume on Wednesday on “The Jennifer Hudson Show.” She also did an elaborate photo shoot posted on Instagram where she appeared riding a bike with E.T. in a basket on front, an homage to one of the most iconic moments of Spielberg's film.

Ambriz reported from Los Angeles.

Tom Kaulitz, left, and Heidi Klum attend Heidi Klum's 23rd annual Halloween party on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, at Hard Rock Hotel New York in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Tom Kaulitz, left, and Heidi Klum attend Heidi Klum's 23rd annual Halloween party on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, at Hard Rock Hotel New York in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Tom Kaulitz attends Heidi Klum's 23rd annual Halloween party on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, at Hard Rock Hotel New York in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Heidi Klum attends Heidi Klum's 23rd annual Halloween party on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, at Hard Rock Hotel New York in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Heidi Klum, left, and Leni Olumi Klum attend Heidi Klum's 23rd annual Halloween party on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, at Hard Rock Hotel New York in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Tom Kaulitz, left, and Heidi Klum attend Heidi Klum's 23rd annual Halloween party on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, at Hard Rock Hotel New York in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Heidi Klum attends Heidi Klum's 23rd annual Halloween party on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, at Hard Rock Hotel New York in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a railway track as a passenger train passed through the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Sunday, killing at least 23 people and wounding over 70 others, officials said.

The force of the explosion caused two of the train cars to overturn and catch fire, sending thick black smoke into the air, according to footage shared online.

The attack happened in an area where security forces are usually stationed, badly damaging several nearby buildings and smashing more than a dozen vehicles parked along the road, according to witnesses and images circulating on social media.

Doctors at local hospitals said they had received the wounded, with 20 in critical condition. Three security officials told The Associated Press the bodies were transported to hospitals following the attack. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to be able to speak to the media.

The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, which demands independence from Pakistan’s central government, has claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement sent to reporters. The militant group said it targeted a train carrying security personnel.

Quetta is the capital of insurgency-hit Balochistan province. The oil- and mineral-rich region has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency. The insurgents have frequently targeted security forces, government installations and civilians in the province and elsewhere in the country.

“We strongly condemn the targeting of innocent civilians and are deeply saddened by the loss of precious human lives. Terrorist elements deserve no leniency,” said Shahid Rind, Balochistan provincial government spokesman.

He said following the explosion, a medical emergency was declared at hospitals in Quetta, and an investigation has been launched.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack, calling it a “cowardly act of terrorism" in a post on X and offering condolences to the families of the victims.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti strongly condemned the attack in Quetta, saying the militants targeted “innocent civilians, including women and children,” vowing to “hunt (them down)” in a post on X.

Bugti and the federal government in Islamabad often use the phrase “Fitna al-Hindustan” to refer to the BLA, which they allege is backed by India. New Delhi denies the allegation.

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari denounced the bombing, saying militants and their backers sought to undermine Pakistan’s role in regional and international peace efforts.

The attack came a day after Pakistan said the United States and Iran were close to reaching a memorandum of understanding to end the war in the Middle East that began on Feb. 28 after the U.S. and Israel attacked the Islamic Republic, upending global travel and spiking oil prices. U.S. President Donald Trump had said a deal related to the conflict had been “largely negotiated” following calls with regional allies, including Pakistan.

Zardari promised in a statement that his country “will defeat terrorists, their facilitators, financiers and those providing them safe havens.”

Pakistan and India have long had strained relations and have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, which is claimed by both in its entirety.

Although Pakistani authorities say they have quelled the insurgency, violence in Baluchistan has persisted.

At least 26 people, including soldiers, were killed in 2024 when a suicide bomber attacked a train station in Balochistan.

Paramilitary soldiers and volunteers transport an injured victim at the site of bomb explosion, in Quetta, Pakistan, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)

A volunteer, top, helps an injured victim after recovering from an overturned train coach on a railway track at the site of bomb explosion, in Quetta, Pakistan, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)

Children look at an injured person passing through an alley near the site of a bomb explosion in Quetta, Pakistan, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)

Paramilitary soldiers and volunteers recover victims from an overturned train coach on a railway track at the site of bomb explosion, in Quetta, Pakistan, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)

Paramilitary soldiers and volunteers transport an injured victim at the site of bomb explosion, in Quetta, Pakistan, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)

Volunteers look for victims from an overturned train coach on a railway track as survivors wait for transport at the site of bomb explosion, in Quetta, Pakistan, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)