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Nintendo's amazing new 'Zelda' game almost had UFOs and aliens

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The new "Legend of Zelda" game, "Breath of the Wild," features an especially lively version of Hyrule. It's also an especially strange version of Hyrule.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

There's stuff like what you see above all over the place. Which isn't to say that there are massive, flying, snake-like dragons everywhere, but that there's mystery around every corner.

The first time you experience a lightning storm in Hyrule, for instance, is especially memorable. Better unequip all the metal you're carrying as soon as possible, lest you get blasted to pieces by a massive bolt of lightning from the sky!

And, apparently, the world of Hyrule was going to be even stranger:

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

This concept art image is one of many of the ideas for "Breath of the Wild" that didn't make it into the final game. The image is one of several featured in a three-part video series digging into the creation of "Breath of the Wild."

"Some of our younger designers came up with very unique suggestions," art director Satoru Takizawa says in the video. "Like the idea that UFOs could invade from space and abduct cattle." What!

The Zelda series has never before featured aliens, or UFOs, and the interesting blend of fantasy world with that of sci-fi would've certainly been an entirely new spin on the long-running franchise. It's part of the greater "break the conventions" theme that the game's developers adopted while creating "Breath of the Wild."

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

And it really comes across in the game: I've been playing Zelda games my whole life, since the first one on the NES, and "Breath of the Wild" is the first game in the franchise to truly break with conventions. It's a completely open-ended adventure that encourages discovery, exploration, and courage. More than just a great Zelda game, it's a medium-moving game that is sure to influence years of games to come.

And it almost had UFOs and cattle abduction! There's always next time, Nintendo.

SEE ALSO: One perfect video sums up all the amazing things you can do in the new 'Zelda' game

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NOW WATCH: Nintendo’s ‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’ is amazing — here’s what it’s like


You can now watch the entire 'Breaking Bad' series as a 2-hour movie

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walt jesse breaking bad

UPDATE: The embed no longer works, but try to watch the movie here.

"Breaking Bad" will go down as one of the greatest TV shows of all time, but it takes quite a commitment to go back and binge five seasons worth of the show. 

But now you don't have to.

French editors Lucas Stoll and Gaylor Morestin have posted on Vimeo "Breaking Bad: The Movie," a two-hour version of the series that they state on their Vimeo page took two years to complete.

"It’s not a fan-film, hitting the highlights of [the] show in a home-made homage, but rather a re-imagining of the underlying concept itself, lending itself to full feature-length treatment," the Vimeo page reads. "An alternative 'Breaking Bad,' to be viewed with fresh eyes."

So sit back and watch this retelling of the "Breaking Bad" saga.

SEE ALSO: 33 documentaries on Netflix right now that will make you smarter

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NOW WATCH: Marvel just dropped the latest trailer for 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' and it looks incredible

A CEO who's worked as everything from an undercover agent to Liz Taylor's bodyguard shares what he's learned from a long and varied career

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Bill Clough, CEO of CUI Global

There are people who who've worn many hats over the course of their careers. And then there's CEO of CUI Global Bill Clough.

He's led tactical law enforcement teams. He's flown around the world many times as a federal air marshal. He's worked as a bodyguard for Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor. He's even argued a case before the Supreme Court.

Then, in 2011, he took the helm at CUI Global, when the publicly traded power and energy company was struggling.

Clough told Business Insider that his range of past experiences have influenced how he operates in his latest role.

"I deal with people a little differently than most purely business people do, because I've worked with people under very different, very trying circumstances, and sometimes in life-or-death situations," he told Business Insider.

Here are six lessons Clough learned across his varied career:

SEE ALSO: Everything Hollywood gets right and wrong about going undercover, according to a former DEA agent

Stay flexible

As a child, Clough hoped to become an airline pilot like his father. He learned to fly young, earning his pilot's license before his driver's license.

"I focused my career on becoming a pilot," Clough said. "Went into the Coast Guard and spent time in the Coast Guard Reserve. I came out and was fully prepared to become a pilot."

However, his timing was off.

"At the same time, hundreds of other guys were coming out of Vietnam with thousands of hours of jet time, who also wanted to be pilots," he said. "And I didn't have that jet time."

Piloting was out of the question in such a competitive market, but Clough quickly came up with a backup option. During his time in the Coast Guard, he'd developed an affinity for law enforcement. Instead of clinging to his original plan, he tested at a number of different police departments and ended up getting hired by one in Northern California.



Hone your leadership skills

During his career in law enforcement, Clough worked on robbery, homicide, K9 squads, narcotics, and even joined one of the first SWAT teams in the country.

He said that working with "very elite, small units that were quite motivated and good at what they did" honed his leadership abilities.

"They're very structured, they're very enthusiastic, they're very driven to do well, and when you focus that in a way that's positive for everyone you can really make a difference," he said. "When you're in a tactical situation, I can't be worried you doing what you need to do. If I need to worry about you, I don't need you. I don't want you here because you will get both of us injured or killed."

He said that the same wisdom also applies to business.

"If I can't trust you to do what I need you to do, then I don't need you," he said. "Because then, what am I doing? What I'm doing is trying to do my own job and trying to do your job as well. And I can't do that."



Get your priorities straight

On June 14, 1985, terrorists from Hezbollah and the Islamic Jihad Organization hijacked TWA Flight 847. The incident helped spur US President Ronald Reagan to resurrect the largely defunct Federal Air Marshal Service.

Clough applied for the job, due to his tactical background. He was able to fly around the world, but the role came with a downside — the enormous amount of time spent away from his wife and young children.

"My wife said, 'Frankly, I didn't buy into this. You're traveling for six months, I don't know where you are, it's dangerous,'" he said. "And the long and the short of it was, I made a decision at that point to focus back on the family and change careers."

At that point, Clough decided that he wanted to pursue a legal career, and ended up enrolling in UC Hastings College of the Law.



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What your favorite streaming service says about you — from Netflix to HBO to Hulu

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game of thrones

Netflix grabs the headlines when it comes to streaming video challenging traditional TV, but a bunch of upstart services have begun to snag real audiences as well.

After a slow start, HBO Now has over two million subscribers, Showtime has more than 1.5 million streaming subscribers, and CBS All-Access was nearing that number last month. And it's not just the incumbents picking up steam. Niche services that go after people who love anime, or indie movies, or comedy have also taken hold.

In fact, over a million people now pay to subscribe to anime powerhouse Crunchyroll.

To get a sense of who is subscribing to these new services, Quantcast, a tech company which measures online trends, took a look at the demographics by combining search history and other offline data. While who is searching for a particular service isn't a perfect proxy for subscribers, it gives us a rough sense of who is interested.

Quantcast found that, by and large, the services skewed younger (18-44) and male. There was some variation, however, when it came to income level.

But the fun part came when Quantcast analyzed related interests based on other things these people were searching for. Some of them made perfect sense, like WWE Network subscribers also being interested in extreme sports. But others were pretty amusing, like Hulu and Netflix subscribers generally being into "home furnishings."

Here is what the streaming services you watch say about you, according to Quantcast:

SEE ALSO: 'Buffy' creator Joss Whedon explains why he doesn't like the Netflix model

Netflix

Income trend: No skew.

Related interests: Sports, home furnishings, finance, and hotels.

 



HBO Now

Income trend: $50-100K.

Related interests:Computers, movies, and environment.

 



Hulu

Income trend: No skew.

Related interests: Consumer electronics, home furnishings, and travel.



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'Silicon Valley' star T.J. Miller says the driver he allegedly assaulted is trying to extort him

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Getty Images tj miller arrested for hitting uber driver

T.J. Miller says that car-service driver Wilson Deon Thomas' allegations that the "Silicon Valley" star assaulted him were part of a plan to extort him for money.

Miller's attorney filed a motion in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday to drop the driver's assault complaint in part due to a legal argument claiming "unclean hands," which asserts that the person had done something unethical in connection with his complaint, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"From the moment Mr. Miller and his wife stepped into Mr. Thomas' vehicle and he recognized Mr. Miller as a comedian and Hollywood actor, Mr. Thomas started a plan to try and extort money from Mr. Miller, even commenting that Mr. Miller was 'a rich guy,'" Miller's complaint stated.

The motion goes on to allege that the driver "saw nothing but dollar signs."

Last December, Miller was arrested on suspicion of battery after Thomas, who reportedly worked for Uber, alleged that the actor slapped him on his head outside of Miller's Hollywood Hills home. Reportedly, the incident occurred after Miller and Thomas got into an argument over then President-elect Donald Trump.

Miller's filing alleges that Thomas has a history of making up stories and suing for money damages, specifically referring to the driver's previous lawsuit against a former employer for wrongful termination, in which he claimed work restrictions due to an ankle injury.

Miller's attorney asked the court to drop Thomas' complaint and award Miller his full attorneys' fees and costs.

Read the full motion at THR here.

SEE ALSO: 'Silicon Valley' star T.J. Miller was arrested for allegedly assaulting a driver in argument over Trump

DON'T MISS: Kim Kardashian finally opens up about her Paris robbery: 'I saw the gun'

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NOW WATCH: Dating app founder: How to change 'brogramming' culture in Silicon valley

Nintendo made a fascinating behind-the-scenes video series about the great new 'Zelda' game — watch it here

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The new "Legend of Zelda" game is an impressive, influential new entry in a long-running series.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

In "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," Nintendo is re-stating its relevance as a modern game developer. The game is a true delight — smart, and silly, and challenging, and rewarding. It's also a massive game world that's at once enormous and densely packed with stuff to do. 

Praise is easy now, of course, but doesn't take into account the years of work that went into such an undertaking. In recognition of the years of hard-yet-fascinating work that created "Breath of the Wild," Nintendo put together a short documentary. In these videos you'll find out the origins of the game's development, how the company used a prototype that looks awfully familiar to test concepts for "Breath of the Wild," and maybe even what this image is:

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (CONCEPT ART)

Check out all three below!

SEE ALSO: The 5 best reasons you should play the incredible new 'Legend of Zelda' game

The first video in the series focuses on the early days of the game's development, starting in 2013:

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The second focuses on the game's massive open-world environment, as well as the game's sound design.

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The third and final video in the series tackles the game's story and characters, and how Nintendo's team put a new spin on fan-favorite characters like Link and Zelda:

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See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Netflix has a new movie boss and will pump out 30 films this year

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scott stuber

Netflix is going to release a whopping 30 original films this year, and it just hired superstar producer and former Universal executive Scott Stuber to run its movie business.

Stuber has produced movies like "Ted," "The Breakup," and "Identity Thief," and his eye for commercial appeal is no doubt a plus for Netflix, which wants movies to resonate with its worldwide audience of nearly 100 million subscribers. 

“Scott is well known and respected in the film industry. His innovative work and strong talent relationships should help accelerate the Netflix original film initiative as we enter into a new phase of big global productions with some of the greatest directors, actors and writers in the film business,” Netflix head Ted Sarandos told The Hollywood Reporter.

The 'Flix' in Netflix

Netflix's experience with movies has been a mixed bag of late.

In December, Sarandos was asked about the perceived sparseness of Netflix's movie offerings. "No matter what, we end up with about 1/3 of our watching being movies," he said.

If you take a film that does well at the box office, and get it 7-10 months later on your streaming service, that's not going to create a ton of value, he explained. "If you were passionate [about the movie], you've already seen it," he said. Netflix is "happy to have" some of those movies, but the audience isn't particularly passionate (hence the "1/3 no matter" what pattern).

He said he wanted Netflix to put out original movies people would go to see in theaters, and pointed to the new Will Smith vehicle "Bright," which Netflix paid a reported $90 million for, as a big test. The movie is a cop thriller set in a world that's similar to ours in time period but contains fantasy creatures like orcs and elves.

screen shot 2017 02 27 at 84325 am

"Bright" is Netflix's biggest push yet into blockbuster films. This purchase would significantly outstrip the $60 million Netflix paid for Brad Pitt's "War Machine," which has not yet been released.

With Stuber at the helm, expect Netflix's movie ambitions to spread way beyond scooping up a roster of indies at Sundance.

But what remains to be seen is whether Netflix will resolve its ongoing standoff with the movie theater industry, or whether that will matter to its longterm success.

Netflix's commitment to "day-and-date releases," meaning movies are available to stream on Netflix the same day they arrive in theaters, will likely limit how many big screens show "Bright." Theater giants like Regal have publicly denounced this release policy, and Netflix's previous films have seen very limited theatrical releases.

In October, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said that movie theaters were "strangling the movie business." 

SEE ALSO: What your favorite streaming service says about you — from Netflix to HBO to Hulu

Join the conversation about this story »

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Common explains why he's fighting against a blindness epidemic most people don't know about

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Common See America

Common is a busy guy. On top of acting and making music, the Oscar winner values the importance of using his fame and extraordinary talent for projects that reflect his own values. He cares about people, and wants to use his powerful voice to affect change.

Common came across the See America initiative from Allergan, which is bringing awareness to preventable blindness in the United States. The statistics are overwhelming, and it’s an issue Common takes very seriously.

Common recently talked to Business Insider about his connection to premature blindness, as well as what he and other celebrities can do to actually affect change.

“As a kid I had issues with my sight. So I always valued it. When I found out about See America, I just thought it was a great campaign to get involved with. Americans really don’t appreciate their eyesight. It’s not something they wake up every day and appreciate that they can see. That they have this incredible gift," Common told Business Insider. "And when I found out about what Allergan was doing, I was down to bring awareness. Because I had issues with my sight growing up, and blindness is an issue... I think 61 million Americans go blind in their lifetime."

And he’s right. According to Allergan, 61 million Americans are at risk of severe vision loss, which is more than the populations of California and Florida combined. Over the past year, only half of those people have visited an eye doctor.

SeeAm Common

Common made a video for See America that launched on Tuesday, and it’s powerful.

“61 million Americans, at risk of losing their sight. Is this your future? Is this your vision?” Common says as the screen goes black. “We can fight against this, and stand in the way of darkness.”

Common called the video "a really powerful message to America."

And he has some thoughts on how celebrities can affect change. 

“When I team up on projects like this that send a message, I want it to feel fresh and new, to continue evolving. You don't want to give up and move on,” he told us.

You can watch Common's full video below:

 

SEE ALSO: You can now watch the entire 'Breaking Bad' series as a 2-hour movie

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Watch Harrison Ford narrowly avoid crashing into a passenger plane


'It's not worth losing your job over': Bachelor, Amazing Race, and Survivor alums explain how reality stardom affected their careers

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Nick Viall Bachelor

On this season's finale of "The Bachelor," Nick Viall met Santa, played with dogs, and, finally, gave out his last rose (and a flashy ring).

The episode marked the end of a season that's spotlighted some rather unusual occupations, from aspiring dolphin trainers to adult nannies. But what does becoming a contestant on reality television really do to your career? Can having a national platform help you snag bigger and better opportunities? Or does taking time off (or even quitting your job) just derail your professional progress?

Business Insider spoke with six people who have appeared on "The Bachelor," "The Bachelorette," "Amazing Race," and "Survivor." We specifically sought out people who've participated in competition-type shows, as opposed to reality shows that focus on a group of specific people, like the "Real Housewives" franchise, because competition-type shows usually require participants to take a bigger professional risk (there's almost always one competitor who takes weeks off of work, only to get eliminated in the first episode).

Here's what they had to say about what reality TV did to their real-life careers:

SEE ALSO: A former 'Bachelor' star shares what he thinks is one of the most misunderstood jobs in America

DON'T MISS: Millionaire entrepreneur Bethenny Frankel shares the trait she looks for in every job candidate

DON'T FORGET: An ex-Bachelor contestant describes how reality TV almost destroyed his career

'It fueled a fire for me'

Chris Soules, "The Bachelorette," "The Bachelor"

Former "Bachelor" star Chris Soules said he had to get away from his Iowa farm to appreciate how much he loved his job — and how little non-farmers know about the industry.

Before appearing on reality television, Soules worked on his family's third generation farming operation, Soules Farms. The farm focuses on soybean and corn production, and also raises hogs. Soules also worked in land investment with the Peoples Company Land Investment Team.

Soules' first brush with reality television came when he appeared as a contestant on season 10 of "The Bachelorette," ultimately finishing in third place.

Almost as soon as he returned home, he got an offer to star in season 19 of "The Bachelor." The opportunity would mean that he'd have to miss harvest for the first time ever, which Soules said made the decision to leave tough for both him and his parents.

"The biggest concern going into 'The Bachelor' was being away from work again," he said. "Luckily I've got a great team back at home on the farm who were able to manage a lot of jobs and keep that going."

He said that he wouldn't have left if it was just "for fun."

"It seemed like a great opportunity," he said. "I felt like I would be able to do more for the state of Iowa, by putting it in the spotlight even more. And it was a very good opportunity to meet somebody."

Soules said he first recognized the widespread misunderstanding about farming during his stint on television. He told Business Insider that agriculture is one of the most important industries in the US, but that there's a serious "lack of knowledge about what farmers do."

This prompted Soules to consider a new career path: agricultural advocacy.

"Many people don't see farmers as looking like me — they think, perhaps, more of somebody in denim overalls," Soules said. "It fueled that fire for me to be able to really want to speak on behalf of it and help educate through social media and public speaking and utilize those platforms to educate."

In his new capacity as an advocate for farmers, Soules appeared at both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions during the last presidential election (although he didn't endorse either candidate). Today, Soules juggles land investment and his new advocacy platform, but continues to focus on the family farm as well.

"Right now, my focus has been to continue to manage the farm and make it better," Soules said.



'We jumped right back into our normal life'

Kelsey Gerckens and Joey Buttitta, "The Amazing Race"

"Amazing Race" winners Joey Buttitta and Kelsey Gerckens describe themselves as "career-oriented people."

The now-engaged couple works at California-based ABC affiliate station KEYT TV. Buttitta is the morning news anchor, while Gerckens is the station's reporter covering Ventura County.

Still, they said they were prepared to quit the jobs they loved in order to participate in season 27 of "The Amazing Race." Fortunately, things didn't come to that. The couple ended up getting about four weeks off of work.

"We were pretty lucky," Buttitta said. "Our boss was really into it. He's a big 'Amazing Race' fan."

Gerckens and Buttitta agreed that their jobs may have given them an edge in the fast-paced competition.

"Having a camera in our faces wasn't a new experience for us," Gerckens said. "For other people who are getting used to having a camera and having people ask them questions, I think that was an added element that they had to get used to."

Once they returned home, the couple couldn't tell anyone that they had won the competition. They both took three days to recover, and then headed right back to work. Their coworkers had to watch the whole season to find out.

"We jumped right back into our normal life," Gerckens said. "Some other contestants take time off. But as soon as we could back to work, we went back to work. Literally that Monday, we were back at work like nothing had ever happened."

Buttitta said that traveling around the world has changed the way he reports on global news.

"It's certainly changed my outlook on my job, because you have a more personal connection with the people who you've met and interacted with, who have helped you in some way, through a reality show," he said. "For me, it's changed the way I read a story on the news that has to do with another country."

All in all, Gerckens and Buttitta agreed that their stint on reality television hasn't flipped their careers upside down by any means, other than the fact that they both get recognized a bit more — and not just for being on the news.

"We love working on TV and we love being reporters and anchors and doing what we do," Gerckens said. "We honestly just kind of jumped back into what we were doing and that's what we're currently doing now."

Gerckens and Buttitta said that reality show contestants should not expect lasting, life-changing fame to come from appearances on such programs.

"In my opinion, I don't ever think it's disruptive," Gerckens said. You have one life to live and you only get this opportunity once. I haven't heard of anyone who's had it destroy their life. But it definitely is different for every person."



'It was hurting me mentally and physically'

Chris Bukowski, The Bachelorette," "Bachelor Pad," "Bachelor in Paradise"

In terms of his career, Chris Bukowski said he was doing "better than 99% of the people my age" before reality television almost derailed his whole life.

When he was selected as a contestant for the eighth season of "The Bachelorette," Bukowski said his bosses at his sales job even gave him the time off to pursue the show. Bukowski ended up making it to week eight out of ten and was one of the final four contestants when he was eliminated.

As soon as he returned home, he received another opportunity, this time to appear on the third season of the spinoff series "Bachelor Pad." The season would start shooting in four weeks, and he decided to quit his job. Unlike "The Bachelorette," contestants on "Bachelor Pad" were paid — and given the chance to compete for $250,000.

"Going on 'Bachelor Pad,' I felt like a pro," he said. "I was just on camera for 30 to 40 days and I was confident in myself because I made it all the way to the hometown dates. Going on 'Bachelor Pad,' I kind of went in there confident and more of looking to just have fun, enjoy myself, and maybe win some money."

However, that's not how things played out. Bukowski ended up getting labeled one of the season's villains. This is when Bukowski said his career really began to suffer.

Bukowski's dream since college had been to open his own restaurant. After "Bachelor Pad"' he pursued that goal with his business partner and in 2013 opened up the Bracket Room in Arlington, Virginia.

But despite the time commitment it took to run his own restaurant, Bukowski said he still couldn't get the siren song of reality TV out of his head, and he made the "awful decision" to go back on "Bachelor in Paradise" twice and to "party crash" the tenth season of "The Bachelorette," in an appearance that he said was staged.

His TV appearances could help drive revenue and attract customers to the restaurant, he reasoned. But ultimately, he said, he wanted to redeem his villainous image from "Bachelor Pad." The TV appearances took their toll on Bukowski. While the restaurant itself didn't suffer, Bukowski said his ability to run the eatery began to fray.

"It was hurting me mentally and physically," he said. "When you're not at full strength mentally and physically, then your career will be affected no matter what you do."

After a drunken appearance on "Bachelor in Paradise," Bukowski decided to call the reality TV portion of his career quits. He got the chance to retire on air and read his letter of resignation to the cameras.

"It was a good therapy session for me, where I could just kind of write how I really felt about everything," he said. "That's the best medicine for anything."

He is still involved with his restaurant, but he's no longer runs day-to-day operations. Today, Bukowski works on his digital web development agency KCM Create, which he cofounded. He is also the head of investor relations at fitness startup Forte and an adviser for the dating app The Catch.

Bukowski said that he does not regret going on the show in the first place.

"I'm definitely happy where I'm at right now," he said. "I wouldn't change anything because everything has somehow benefitted me or made me learn from my mistakes."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

A video game that has turned players into $50,000-a-month entrepreneurs just raised $92 million to turn them into media moguls

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Roblox CEO David Baszucki

Though it has been around for over a decade, the video game Roblox— for smartphones, PCs, and game consoles — might still be flying under your radar.

This is especially true if you're, say, older than 13.

On Tuesday, Roblox, already profitable, announced a $92 million round of venture-capital funding led by Snapchat investor Meritech Capital Partners and Index Ventures.

And the company has big plans to extend its "free market" into wild areas beyond games.

Roblox is already a massive hit, with 48 million monthly players, up to 1 million of whom are logged on simultaneously during peak times, and it is growing fast. That puts it only slightly behind the 55 million monthly players most recently claimed by Minecraft, the phenomenon on which Microsoft bet $2.5 billion.

More impressive, Roblox is creating a new generation of entrepreneurs. Roblox is entirely user-generated, with players of all ages able to program and sell their own games and items within the game itself. Today, there 1.7 million developers who are creating things within Roblox.

In other words, it's more than just a game.

"It's also a free market that works remarkably well," says CEO David Baszucki.

roblox soccer

Baszucki says some developers are making $50,000 a month creating things within the game, at the high end. Back in 2015, too, Business Insider spoke to a 17-year-old who had made $100,000 in two years from Roblox. And Baszucki says that even younger kids are getting in on it, with a 13-year-old player recently using his Roblox creations to fund a family trip ... to the annual Roblox convention, naturally.

Now, Roblox is gearing up to give its players an even bigger entrepreneurial opportunity, and sell their virtual worlds to the biggest audience yet.

Co-experience

To Baszucki's mind, Roblox is already more than a game: It's a platform for "human co-experience."

Popular Roblox games and worlds can get as many as 30,000 players at any one time, with players flocking to new, cool experiences, says Baszucki.

A lot of those experiences tend towards the relatively mundane. Some of them let players simulate going to high school, or working in a restaurant, or playing house. More extreme ones simulate surviving a natural disaster.

While the game supports more action-packed experiences, a lot of the most popular ones are a little more laid-back.

roblox

Baszucki says this speaks to the simple need for young people to have a safe place to hang out with their friends. In a world where kids seem to be increasingly busy in the real world, the virtual world is a solid substitute.

"Roblox provides a world where kids can get together and socialize in hundreds of different settings," Baszucki says.

The way that developers make money is similarly low-key: The game's currency, Robux, can either be earned by playing, or purchased with real money. When players spend their Robux in a virtual world, the original developer gets a cut. In the popular "Roblox High School" world, for instance, players can spend Robux on new cars or music, earning the original creators a share of the sale.

The next step

Popular games, including "Roblox High School," create cult fanbases around themselves.

The whole Roblox world extends to YouTube, where players upload very popular videos, almost like sitcoms, that take place in player-created worlds. For instance, this one, made by YouTube channel "The Pals," has almost 5 million views:

For Baszucki, there's no reason why worlds created in Roblox couldn't be huge media brands unto themselves. Minecraft and Pokémon turned into vast cross-media empires, so why not "Roblox High School" or anything else made in Roblox?

And so while a lot of the new funding will go into infrastructure, hiring, and overall expansion of the business, Baszucki says the next big step from a philosophical perspective will be to help its developers market their creations and license out their intellectual property. Besides, who better to make new hit media properties for kids than kids?

"The more we can make our developers famous, the better," Baszucki says.

roblox jet

Roblox has already made its first steps with this strategy. Just recently, Roblox released its first line of action figure playsets, all of which have characters licensed from Roblox developers. Worlds like "Roblox High School," "Work at a Pizza," and even well-known players like Matt Dusek are represented by these figures. And Baszucki says they're selling "really, really well."

Going forward, Baszucki says, the game plan is to keep iterating on the game itself while it looks for new opportunities to help turn its developers into media moguls. Roblox has gotten this far by helping developers, and Baszucki says there's no reason to stop and make its own IP now.

"We could never match the creativity and scale of the hundreds of thousands of developers on the platform," he says.

SEE ALSO: This 16-year-old kid fell behind in math class, so he built an app to do it for him

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NOW WATCH: 6 reasons why 'Minecraft' is so incredibly popular

Trump goes after rapper Snoop Dogg — 'failing career and all' — for firing a gun at a Trump clown in new music video

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Snoop Dogg Donald Trump

President Donald Trump tweeted criticism of Snoop Dogg on Wednesday morning after the rapper released a music video shooting a clown dressed as the president.

"Can you imagine what the outcry would be if @SnoopDogg, failing career and all, had aimed and fired the gun at President Obama? Jail time!" Trump tweeted.

The video is for a remixed version of the song "Lavender," by the Canadian group BadBadNotGood featuring Snoop Dogg and Kaytranada, and features the rapper shooting at the Trump character with a gun that releases a flag with the word "bang."

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida came out against the video on Tuesday, telling TMZ that "Snoop shouldn't have done that."

"We've had presidents assassinated before in this country, so anything like that is something people should really careful about," Rubio said. If the "wrong person sees that and gets the wrong idea," he continued, "you could have a real problem."

Trump and Snoop Dogg have a history. In 2011, the rapper participated in the "Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump," lampooning the future president.

Below is an image from Snoop Dogg's video, which was released over the weekend:

Snoop Dogg Shooting Donald Trump

And here's the video, in full:

The Associated Press contributed reporting to this article.

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NOW WATCH: The Trump family's lavish lifestyle is costing taxpayers a fortune

One of Snapchat's biggest creators is actually growing faster on Snapchat's rival, Instagram

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tastemade cofounder steven kydd

Facebook and Snapchat are in an all-out war over the "story" format, but for publishers it doesn't make sense to choose sides.

Tastemade is one of Snapchat's biggest publishers, and it was an early partner in the Discover section of the app. The Facebook-owned Instagram is actually its fastest-growing platform, however, cofounder Steven Kydd told Business Insider. It now has 4.1 million followers there and averages 1 million to 1.5 million views for its stories.

"In TV, you shoot once and give everyone the same" video, Kydd said. "We shoot once" in 4K, he continued, "and edit into multiple formats, then take all the data back" from the platform after it's published. The system is designed to be flexible to various platforms, and for good reason.

"People miss the rapid pace of change of the product side" of platforms like Facebook and Snapchat, Kydd said. Publishers must be able to adapt to the quirks of a company whose goals are not fully aligned with their own. And it is also unclear at any given time which platform will leapfrog the competition in its ability to deliver eyeballs or rise in the esteem of advertisers.

Back when Tastemade was founded in 2012 as a mobile video producer focused on food and travel, the online video landscape was a one-horse town: YouTube. That changed dramatically as Facebook and Snapchat became power players, and it will most likely continue to change as they battle over ad revenue — especially if TV ad money arrives on mobile.

In fact, a study by RBC Capital Markets and Ad Age published Wednesday found that marketers were seeing worse return on investment for Snapchat versus Google and Facebook, and one factor cited was increasing competition from Instagram.

tastemade

Discover moment

But even though Tastemade isn't betting the farm on just Snapchat, Kydd did describe getting on Snapchat Discover as a seminal moment for the company. That's because it led Tastemade to create a daily edition, which now regularly gets over a million views.

"Discover is like cable but mobile and for millennials," Kydd said. That thinking echoes Snapchat's pitch to TV advertisers, though some, including me, have questioned the quality of programming on Discover.

But there's a big difference between Snapchat and cable that Kydd pointed to: Snapchat is instantly global. The various versions of Snapchat Discover have helped fuel Tastemade's global expansion to Santa Monica, California; London; Sao Paulo; Tokyo; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and so on. Tastemade's sales team has grown by 10 times in the past 18 months, according to Kydd.

As to when the TV advertising dollars will actually shift to mobile video — a move tech companies have promised investors for years — Kydd said it would catch the world by surprise. He thinks it will mimic the flow of consumption of mobile video.

"It took longer" to get going, he said, "then happened way faster." Now he's waiting for a similar dynamic to play out with the money.

SEE ALSO: Estimates for Snap's ad revenue have been cut, and shares just hit a post-debut low

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Ben Affleck opens up about being treated for 'alcohol addiction'

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ben affleck

Though Ben Affleck has never been busier in Hollywood, it turns out he's been going through recovery for alcoholism.

The actor posted a note on his Facebook saying that he has "completed treatment for alcohol addiction." He added that it's "something I've dealt with in the past and will continue to confront."

Affleck, who was at the recent 2017 Oscars, starred in three movies last year: "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," "The Accountant," and "Live by Night," the last of which he also wrote and directed. He's also taken a hands-on role in his upcoming "The Batman" movie, cowriting the screenplay.

ET reported that Affleck attended the Academy Awards this year with a sober coach.

He showed a rare personal side in his Facebook note, referencing his family and help from his wife Jennifer Garner. The two separated in 2015.

"I want to live life to the fullest and be the best father I can be. I want my kids to know there is no shame in getting help when you need it, and to be a source of strength for anyone out there who needs help but is afraid to take the first step. I'm lucky to have the love of my family and friends, including my co-parent, Jen, who has supported me and cared for our kids as I've done the work I set out to do."

Read Ben Affleck's full Facebook note below:

 

SEE ALSO: The 18 worst new TV shows of the year so far, according to critics

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NOW WATCH: Marvel just dropped the latest trailer for 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' and it looks incredible

A reboot of 'The Matrix' is in the works

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Keanu Reeves in the Wachowskis'

Like it or not, Warner Bros. is pursuing a reboot of "The Matrix."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio is in the very early stages of relaunching its landmark franchise that earned over $1 billion worldwide at the box office in the late 1990s and early 2000s — and helped make Keanu Reeves the legend of action movies that he is.

According to the publication, the studio has its eye on "Creed" star Michael B. Jordan to lead the franchise in a reboot.

But a major element from the reboot is missing, as the creators of the original films, Lilly and Lana Wachowski, are reportedly not involved.

"The Matrix," released in 1999, followed a computer programmer named Neo (Reeves) who realizes humanity is living in a simulated reality and becomes the hope for its salvation. The movie redefined how action movies would be made for the next decade with its incredible CGI and martial arts. Two sequels, "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions," didn't live up to the hype of the first movie but still made major bank at the box office.

The studio hopes to expand the "Matrix" universe in the vein of what Disney is doing with "Star Wars" and begin making movies focused on elements that were on the fringes of the original franchise, according to THR.

Warner Bros. said it had no comment for this story.

SEE ALSO: Every HBO show ranked from worst to best, according to critics

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NOW WATCH: INSIDE 'JEOPARDY!' — We spent a day on the set with Alex Trebek

Stephen Colbert ruthlessly mocks Paul Ryan: He folded 'like a Trump casino'

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stephen colbert paul ryan trumpcare late show cbs

Stephen Colbert on Tuesday's "Late Show" mocked Paul Ryan, who's under attack from both liberals and some conservatives for his defense of the President Donald Trump-endorsed healthcare bill and supposed hypocrisy when to comes to Trump.

As the author of the American Health Care Act, also known as "Trumpcare," Ryan has been vigilantly defending the bill that would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare." After much opposition from both sides of the political aisle, the Congressional Budget Office delivered another hit. It estimates that 24 million more people will be uninsured under Trumpcare compared to Obamacare.

But Ryan failed to see that as a strike against the plan, insisting that the bill still provides access to affordable health care for many. In his response, he also highlighted the CBO's findings that the plan will provide tax relief and decrease the federal deficit. In one interview, Ryan said the report "exceeded" his expectations.

"Really? Twenty-four million people losing their health care exceeded your expectations?" Colbert responded. "You sound like the most optimistic guy on the Donner Party. 'Oh, everything's great! I expected to eat my grandma miles ago.'"

And as if the attacks on Trumpcare weren't enough, conservative news site Breitbart released audio of Ryan from October 2016. In it, he said he would not defend then-presidential candidate Trump — "not now, not in the future."

"Adding, 'By in the future, of course, I mean between now and the election. After that, I'm going to fold like a Trump casino,'" Colbert joked.

Watch the video below:

SEE ALSO: Who's winning and losing late-night TV under Trump

DON'T MISS: Seth Meyers: The Republicans' defenses of Trumpcare are 'embarrassing'

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NOW WATCH: People on Twitter are turning Paul Ryan’s healthcare presentation into hilarious memes


'Westworld' star's reaction to the show's full-frontal nudity: 'Wow, you can see it all'

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westworld thandie newton leonardo nam hbo

Leonardo Nam says he wasn't totally prepared for the immense amount of nudity in HBO's "Westworld."

Nam — who plays Felix Lutz, one of Westworld's technicians who repair damaged hosts to return them to the theme park or mark them as unsalvageable and retire them to cold storage — shared many of his scenes with Thandie Newton, who plays Maeve, one of the hosts and the owner of the theme park's brothel. And that meant he had to work with not only a naked Newton in an early scene in which Maeve is repaired, but also the nudity of other costars and the show's background players.

"I remember thinking the scene was just going to be in a medical-like room — no windows or anything like that," Nam told Business Insider in a recent interview. "Just the other actor, myself, and Thandie. And then I go on the set and everything was glass. And I thought, 'Wow, you can see it all, you can see into the other rooms,' and then I saw the other extras and other bodies that were there."

HBO kept a tight lid on details about "Westworld" during the nearly two years of production on the show's first season. But the public got an early peek into the show when a contract for extras leaked and showed that sex and nudity would play big roles in the show.

Leonardo Nam Ricky MiddlesworthNam said he had to quickly collect himself after the initial shock.

"I started to think, 'Oh, OK, there's like 100, 200 extras, and they're all naked,'" he said. "And once you start to understand what it is that the show is doing, you really do put on the hat of a professional on the set, and you just go with that."

Newton, who is an outspoken advocate of women's rights and a victim of sexual abuse, said she welcomed her role's nudity and the thoughtful use of sex on the series.

"Maeve was a bit more challenging to me, personally, with the nudity and so on," Newton previously told Business Insider of deciding to take the role. "It was also very important because, ironically, the use of my body has not been my choice in a number of situations."

That would go a long way toward helping Nam get past his original shock.

"Thandie is an absolute professional," Nam said. "Along with that, she is a wonderful and lovely person. That combination really was what made everyone comfortable on set. For me to be acting with her was a blessing. Not only is she in the scene and really present and so giving as an actor, which is gold for me because it makes the experience so rich and so wonderful, but what also helped once the cameras were turned off — we found our own natural rapport and friendship. And she really did take me under her wing.

"What I really enjoyed about this project is that, yes, it does show nudity, but we kind of showed nudity in a new way," Nam continued. "And it really makes us rethink and resee things such as gender and pleasure, along with nudity. It was a new experience."

SEE ALSO: 'Westworld' star Leonardo Nam talks about fearing his character's death 'all the time'

DON'T MISS: 'Westworld' star Jeffrey Wright weighs in on a bold new fan theory: 'There's a lot of fertile ground'

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NOW WATCH: Here's everything we know so far about season 2 of 'Westworld'

This surreal video game lets you play as everything, from animals to planets to galaxies and beyond

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We probably don't have to tell you that video games can be tremendously weird. After all, "Super Mario" is essentially a surrealist acid trip starring a plumber named Mario. 

Super Mario Odyssey

But a new game, named "Everything," takes the entire medium to new levels of weirdness. Pretty much any screenshot of the game's new 10-minute trailer looks bizarre.

Like this one:

Everything

And this one:

Everything

And even this one:

Everything

The idea with "Everything" is simple: You can play as literally anything in the world, from single-cell organisms to hot-air balloons. 

What's the goal? Who knows. Is there a goal? That's not actually clear. The game is from David O'Reilly, the man behind the game in the movie "Her."

O'Reilly describes "Everything" as such:

"'Everything' is an interactive experience where everything you see is a thing you can be, from animals to planets to galaxies and beyond. Travel between outer and inner space, and explore a vast, interconnected universe of things without enforced goals, scores, or tasks to complete. 'Everything' is a procedural, AI-driven simulation of the systems of nature, seen from the points of view of everything in the Universe."

If it sounds like a deep, philosophical dive into the nature of being, that's because it is exactly that. Moreover, it's narrated by British philosopher Alan Watts. The game's narrator drives the latest trailer for the game as well — and it's a must-see, for anyone, regardless of your interest in video games. 

Check it out right here:

"Everything" arrives on the PlayStation 4 on March 21, and heads to the PC via Steam on April 21.

SEE ALSO: The 50 best video games of all time, according to critics on Metacritic

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NOW WATCH: Here's the gorgeous trailer for 'Super Mario Odyssey' — the first Mario game for Nintendo Switch

Why Ewan McGregor and 'Trainspotting' director Danny Boyle didn't speak for almost a decade

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Danny Boyle Ewan McGregor Eric Chabonneau Getty final

With the release of "T2 Trainspotting" in the US on Friday, we're brought back into the lives of the drug-crazed, down-and-out friends from Edinburgh, Scotland, played by Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Ewen Bremner, and Robert Carlyle. It's 20 years after they embodied the characters in the original Danny Boyle-directed movie that became a cultural phenomenon.

But along with the obvious challenges of creating a worthy sequel to a classic like "Trainspotting," Boyle also had to patch things up with one of his stars.

Boyle, an English filmmaker, cast McGregor, who's Scottish, in his first three movies, "Shallow Grave" (1994), "Trainspotting" (1996), and "A Life Less Ordinary" (1997). But when Boyle released his fourth film, the thriller "The Beach," in 2000, his muse was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Leonardo DiCaprio took the lead of the movie, marking his first major role after becoming an international sensation in "Titanic."

the beach foxBoyle's snubbing of McGregor led to the two not speaking to each other until 2009.

“I handled it very, very badly, and I’ve apologized to you,” Boyle told McGregor on "The Graham Norton Show" back in January. The director admits that he gave McGregor the impression that he was going to cast him in "The Beach."

"I felt a great shame about it. I was not proud of the way I handled it," Boyle said.

McGregor added: “It’s a big regret of mine that it went on for so very long. It's a shame we didn’t work together all those years. It wasn't about 'The Beach,' it was about our friendship and I felt I was in Danny's first three movies... and then I wasn’t in his fourth and it made me a bit rudderless. I didn't quite get it and, yeah, we didn't speak for a long time, which was a waste.”

The mending of the friendship began when McGregor presented an award, along with a moving speech, to Boyle at 2009's BAFTA Britannia Awards. Now it seems things are very good with the two as they travel the globe promoting "T2 Trainspotting."

They even hinted at possibly working together again soon in a recent interview with Business Insider.

"I would love to do a play with Ewan because he does them now and again. So put in a good word for me," Boyle told Business Insider, while sitting next to McGregor, who laughed.

But Boyle does recall a project he tried to get off the ground while the two weren't talking to each other and thought it would have been perfect for McGregor.

trainspotting 2 sony"It's called 'Ingenious Pain,' an amazing novel, and it's about a doctor in the early days of surgery," Boyle said. "I tried to adapt it and I was thinking of Ewan for it, but I could never get it — the third act was always terrible."

"And I would have said it was terrible," McGregor added, which made the two laugh.

"Yeah, he would have said, 'It's interesting, but that third act,'" Boyle said.

It certainly seems the two are making up for lost time. But their careers have greatly evolved since they made the first "Trainspotting." McGregor is starring in Disney's live-action remake of "Beauty and the Beast" the same weekend "T2" comes out and will be in the next season of FX's "Fargo" (starting April 19). Meanwhile, Boyle, an Oscar winner, has his own upcoming FX series "Trust." Hopefully the two can find time in their schedules to make magic happen again.

SEE ALSO: The 18 worst new TV shows of the year so far, according to critics

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Why March is the best month for sports bars

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The annual NCAA men’s basketball tournament, better known as March Madness, can be one of the most hectic — and profitable — times of the year for sports bars and restaurants around the country.

According to WalletHub, 28.3 million people watched the 2015 championship game between Duke and Wisconsin, making it the highest-rated in 18 years. This year's tournament, which begins on March 12, has the potential to bring in even more viewers.

 

28.3 million

 

Regardless, many restaurants and bars that stream the games have seen a huge uptick in profit during the March Madness timeframe. It explains why certain restaurants like Buffalo Wild Wings have seen an increase in stock shares around that time period over the past few years.

quoteFans flock to places where they can keep tabs on multiple games and be in the company of friends and co-workers. Restaurants that offer plenty of screens and programming — and those who use DIRECTV for BUSINESS™ — benefit from the additional coverage.

“Aside from one or two holidays, the first week of March Madness is the busiest week of the year for us, financially speaking,” says Kevin Hooshangi, owner of American Whiskey in New York City, which has 38 screens showing games. "You sit anywhere in the restaurant and see all four games at once.”

Matt Shendell, president of Paige Hospitality Group — the organization that operates The Ainsworth sports bars in New York — says their success during March Madness is partially due to how “corporate” the tournament has become over the years.

chart“A lot of companies will do private events in March because they figure their employees will go watch the games anyway,” says Shendell. “It’s also good networking for businesses, especially financial businesses.”

Between corporate events and reservations, the four Ainsworth locations receive a whopping 2,000 customers — compared to half that number on a typical weeknight — during the first day of the tournament.

American Whiskey is constantly busy during the tournament. “Starting at noon, we get people coming in to watch the games, and we get a lot of corporate businesses as well,” says Hooshangi. “Groups of people bring their work teams out to watch the games and have off-site lunch meetings.”

To learn more about DIRECTV for BUSINESS™ services and features, click here.

This post is sponsored by DIRECTV.

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Why you'll probably never see those 'Rogue One' deleted scenes, according to the director

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rogue one tie fighter disney

For those who are waiting for a Blu-ray release of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" that includes deleted scenes that were featured in many of the trailers, get ready for a big disappointment.

"Rogue One" director Gareth Edwards talked to Fandango at the SXSW festival recently and revealed that it's a little more complex than just putting the footage together as special features.

"The stuff people talk about, like what they saw in the trailer, they're not scenes you can just put on a DVD," Edwards said. "They're moments within scenes and threads, and you pull a thread and it all changes. It was changing the whole time. It's not like there was one version and then there was this other version — it was like this thing that incrementally evolved constantly through all of postproduction and didn't stop until there was a gun at our heads and we were forced to release the movie."

Gareth Edwards Stuart C Wilson GettyAnd one of the most memorable shots from the trailers that's sadly missing in the movie, of a TIE fighter flying in front of Jyn as she's on a walkway, sounds like something that will become the stuff of "Star Wars" legend.

"It's going to have to remain a myth because it's sort of the thing where you're trying ideas out to find the right version of the movie, and at the same time marketing is getting excited about certain shots and moments," Edwards said. "Eventually, you'll see something presented to you and you'll be like, wait a minute, this shot is no longer in the film."

There has been a lot of reporting about the reshoots for "Rogue One," so even though Edwards and Disney/Lucasfilm don't want to reveal what other ideas they had for the movie, we don't see the thirst for the unused footage going away soon.

SEE ALSO: 25 celebrities the internet is convinced are immortal

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