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Watch 'SNL' star Kate McKinnon's amazing 4-minute makeup transition between scenes

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snl makeup transition kate mckinnon nbc

If you've ever wondered how the "Saturday Night Live" actors pull off the transition from one character to the next between scenes, this video gives a good look at the process.

The NBC sketch show just pulled back the curtain on the Hollywood magic with footage showing the amazing and nerve-racking task of transforming Emmy-winner Kate McKinnon from Attorney General Jeff Sessions to her botched mermaid character, Shud, over one commercial break between scenes.

In about four minutes, the makeup team is tasked with pulling off McKinnon's transition as time and the control room is bearing down on them.

This video is especially timely as the show just announced that it will go live on both coasts and in all time zones for the first time ever for the remainder of the current season, starting with the April 15 episode. So, this video highlights the harrowing behind-the-scenes task of airing live and the potential risk of not having the ability to edit out mistakes for the West Coast airing.

Watch the amazing transition below:

SEE ALSO: Watch a team of 'SNL' pros complete the nerve-racking transition between scenes in just over 2 minutes

DON'T MISS: Alec Baldwin gets paid $1,400 every time he plays Trump on 'SNL'

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NOW WATCH: Why John Cena's 'SNL' hosting gig means big business for WWE


I'm a huge 'Mass Effect' fan — the new game is the worst in the series

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There are few video game series as celebrated as the "Mass Effect" franchise.

Mass Effect: Andromeda

The third-person action-RPG "Mass Effect" games are in many ways a combination of "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" — all the action of "Star Wars" and the philosophy and wit of "Star Trek." Two great tastes that taste great together.

On top of that strong science-fiction foundation, the "Mass Effect" series established its own cast of alien races, complex political struggles, and beautiful worlds.

Mass Effect: Andromeda

The original trilogy is regarded as one of the best gaming series of all time. It's with that tremendous burden that "Mass Effect: Andromeda" arrives on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

SEE ALSO: I played the enormous new space opera, 'Mass Effect: Andromeda' — here's what it's like

Allow me to be straight up with you up front: "Mass Effect: Andromeda" is the worst "Mass Effect" game in the series.

I've spent hundreds of hours exploring the galaxy in the "Mass Effect" series, from the plodding start of the first "Mass Effect" to the divisive conclusion of the trilogy in "Mass Effect 3." I drove the Mako all over (mostly empty) planets in "Mass Effect," put together a murderer's squad for the suicide mission that is "Mass Effect 2," and grieved over fallen allies while playing through the tale of "Mass Effect 3." I researched, located, and replaced the Shadow Broker. I got intimate with an Asari.

I've played a lot of "Mass Effect." I love "Mass Effect" dearly. I say this sadly: "Mass Effect: Andromeda" is the weakest entry in the series to date.



"Andromeda" is how you would describe the "Mass Effect" series on paper, but it lacks the soul of previous entries.

In "Mass Effect: Andromeda," you do all the usual "Mass Effect" stuff:

• Meet new aliens.

• Navigate politics, both personal and professional.

• Explore new planets.

• Build a squad.

• Shoot stuff.

And all that stuff is fine, but feels very much like the game is ticking boxes as each element is introduced. The game's setup, where your character becomes the "Pathfinder" — a human tasked with finding a new home for humanity after traveling for 600 years to reach the Andromeda galaxy — is especially representative of this.

Your father is the original Pathfinder, and he dies suddenly during the game's intro. Without shedding a tear or even sharing a sad sentiment, you're immediately ready to jump into adventure. Forget about the whole "having just woken up from 600 years of cryo-sleep" thing — your father literally dies in front of you, and you shrug it off like your bike got a flat tire. It undercuts the entire opening of the game.



The game's antagonist, for instance, is introduced early on. He's a cartoon stereotype of a villain.

That same lack of depth applies to your first meeting with the game's antagonists, the Kett. Though there's a brief attempt at allowing players to introduce themselves using a "We come in peace" kind of approach, you're pretty much immediately engaged in cover-based gunfights that feel more "Gears of War" than "Mass Effect."

Combat is one of the few areas where "Andromeda" evolves in a meaningful way, but I'll get to that more in a moment.

There is little nuance in the initial instances of combat — you're suddenly fighting humanoid enemies with guns without explanation, and the weapons you start with are awful. There's also something kind of ridiculous about gunfighting on a planet where you can't breathe the atmosphere. Wouldn't getting hit one time breach your space suit? (Yes, it would.)



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Ellen DeGeneres is selling her Santa Barbara mansion for $45 million — take a look inside

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Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi Montecito mansion

Ellen DeGeneres is ready to part ways with one of her homes: a Santa Barbara area mansion that's up for sale for $45 million.

According to Sotheby's International Realty, who are listing the property, DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi simply don't have the time to use the mansion. The couple has bought and flipped several high-priced homes in Southern California, but this one is in Montecito, a neighboring town of Santa Barbara.

"Between 'The Ellen Show,' Ellen's new home collection and a new business that Portia is starting, they can't make it to Santa Barbara as often as they would like," a spokesperson at Sotheby's told Business Insider in an email. 

The house, which is featured in DeGeneres' 2015 book "Home" and is known as "The Villa," was designed in the 1930s by architect Wallace Frost.

Frost originally built this two-story home for himself. After spending time in Italy, he wanted to recreate the classical style of a 17th-century Italian villa.

Since purchasing the property in 2012, DeGeneres and de Rossi have bought two adjacent properties to make this a 16.88-acre estate. According to Sotheby's listing agent Suzanne Perkins, they have completely modernized the house, adding a sunken tennis court, pool, and indoor-outdoor entertaining pavilion. 

SEE ALSO: No one wants to buy this $129 million mansion with 12 bedrooms and its own bowling alley

DeGeneres and de Rossi bought the estate for $26.5 million in 2012. It was designed by architect Wallace Frost in the 1930s, and its classical style is still intact.



According to the listing, Santa Barbara is sometimes referred to as "the American Riviera" because of its similarity to Europe's well-known region.



"The Villa similarly brings touches of the Old World to the New World," reads the press release announcing the listing.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here are the surprising salaries for jobs in TV

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If your dream is to work in television or you already do, a new survey shows what you can (or should) make. But in the process, it also highlights the pay disparity for women and minorities.

On Monday, New York-based production services and career consultants, Brits in the Box, and online production job site, ProductionBeast, released their 2016 Annual Production Salary Report.

The report focuses on non-union salaries in TV and digital media production. Its results were drawn from 302 respondents who completed the anonymous survey distributed through the mailing lists and social media channels of both companies.

In addition to finding that the median TV salary amounts to $78,000 a year, the survey found that women and minority professionals are being paid lower than their male and white colleagues. According to the survey, the median annual earnings for women were 11% less than men, and non-white talent made just 63 cents to every dollar earned by those identifying as white. 

 

Here's a deeper look into what the survey shows about TV industry salaries:

SEE ALSO: Megyn Kelly is now one of the highest-paid hosts on TV — here's where her salary ranks

DON'T MISS: Here are the biggest salaries of TV's top stars

Of those who answered the survey, 40% were between the ages of 25 and 34. A huge 84% work in freelance positions and just 13% held staff positions. And 6% more males answered the survey than women.



Of those who answered the survey, a majority work on the West Coast and in unscripted TV, such as documentaries or reality shows.



Scripted TV pays less on average than unscripted.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Disney rallies after "Beauty and the Beast" smashes a box office record (DIS)

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This past weekend, Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" broke the record for the biggest March movie premier ever, previously held by "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." Disney raked in weekend box-office revenues of $170 million in the US and $180 million overseas, for a total of $350 million!

Movie theaters were sold out all over the country with young families eager to introduce their children to the classic 1991 story, brought back to life with live action, and modern CGI technology. 

Disney's stock is up about 1% today and more than 8% so far this year, for a real time DIS quote, click here

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NOW WATCH: 7 mega-billionaires who made a fortune last year

The eSports audience is escalating quickly

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Most Watched eSports Events

The audience for competitive video gaming continues to grow apace, as highlighted by the finale of the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM), a marquee eSports tournament, which saw a double-digit growth across key metrics.

The event’s attendance stats make the contention that eSports has already broken into the mainstream, and point to a number of opportunities for reaping more revenue from this burgeoning space.

  • Record attendance and digital viewership. Over two weekends, the IEM World Championship, held in Katowice, Poland, drew 173,000 fans to the stadium event and surrounding festival, compared with 113,000 last year. Online, the event was the most watched eSports tournament in history, with 46 million unique viewers, up 35% from last year. This surpassed the previous record of 43 million unique viewers set by the 2016 League of Legends World Championship.
  • Impressive engagement on social media. The IEM World Championship reached 55 million fans on social media channels, up from 30 million in 2016, and generated 255 million impressions. These are compelling stats for Intel, the title sponsor of the IEM tournament, and explain why IEM is both the longest-running global pro gaming league and Intel's longest-running online marketing campaign. Other brands interested in investing in eSports can look to Intel's experience for validation.
  • Most broadcasted event in ESL’s history. ESL is an established eSports producer that co-runs IEM in partnership with Intel. This season’s IEM World Championship was broadcasted by 70 linear and digital outlets worldwide across 19 languages, making it ESL's most far-reaching event to date. Aside from demonstrating the global popularity of eSports, this points to the potential of lucrative exclusive broadcast rights deal, where one media outlet buys the license to stream the tournament outright.
  • Virtual reality (VR) has a catalyst in eSports. Intel and ESL partnered with SLIVER.tv, an eSports-focused VR provider, to broadcast the IEM World Championship in VR. These broadcasts included live stats, replays, and scores in real time, in an immersive 360-degree environment. Impressively, they attracted 340,000 peak concurrent viewers — a huge number for live VR content —  representing 200% growth from IEM’s first VR live stream.

To learn more about the growing eSports trend, check out the deep-dive report on the eSports ecosystem from BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service.

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Here's what the future holds for ESPN Films after winning an Oscar for its O.J. Simpson documentary

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When ESPN’s highly acclaimed "30 for 30" documentary “O.J.: Made in America” won the best documentary Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards, it was the happy ending director Ezra Edelman and his crew hoped for after two years of making the film and over a year promoting its airing on ESPN and unconventional Oscar-qualifying theatrical release.

But for ESPN Films' senior vice president and executive producer Connor Schell, it was quickly back to business. Though the network’s seven-and-a-half hour documentary that used the incredible rise and fall of football hall-of-famer O.J. Simpson to explore issues of race and class in Los Angeles garnered unanimous esteem within the industry and the network's first-ever Oscar, ESPN Films isn't through telling unique stories from the sports world.

"We're trying to continue to push and evolve the genre and come up with new ways to tell stories and new voices to tell them with," Schell told Business Insider.

ESPN Films' newest endeavor is a podcast. The "30 for 30 Podcast" was announced at this year's SXSW and will look at stories that don't necessarily fit in movies or short film form.

"There have always been stories that we thought were really interesting but unable to bring to life visually," said Schell, "and so this opens up this whole new type of story we can tell."

Launching in June, the first season will look at topics like the landmark "Dan & Dave" advertising campaign by Reebok that focused on decathletes Dan O'Brien and Dave Johnson in the lead-up to the 1992 Summer Olympics (however, the campaign had to drastically change when O'Brien failed to qualify for the Olympics), and the first all-women's team to make it to the North Pole.

Each episode will have a run time of 30-40 minutes and will be released weekly. Season 2 should be released in the fall.

mike and the mad dogBut ESPN Films' bread and butter is still its non-fiction films, and there are some anticipated ones coming up including a documentary on Kentucky men's basketball coach John Calipari, "One and Not Done" (premiering on ESPN April 13), a doc on the legendary talk radio duo Mike & the Mad Dog (airing in July), and one on iconic pro wrestler Rick Flair (tentatively scheduled for September).

The Mike and the Mad Dog documentary is particularly special for Schell and many at ESPN as it's a project they have tried to make since Schell and former ESPN columnist Bill Simmons started "30 for 30" back in 2007.

"It was something that we thought about for a long time," said Schell. The documentary will have its world premiere at this year's Tribeca Film Festival in April. "They are legendary figures in sports talk radio, in many ways they created the genre, so to be able to tell that story I think is really excited."

Schell says there are also a few big ideas similar in scope as "O.J.: Made in America" that he has kicking around. Though he was coy about what those actually are, he did hint at one: a project with Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney (who made the "30 for 30" documentary "Catching Hell" in 2011 that looked at the Steve Batman incident during Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series at Chicago's Wrigley Field) on athletes' obsession with physical excellence.

Connor Schell Alberto E Rodriguez Getty final"This is a project we talked to Alex about for literally several years and we've recently moved forward," said Schell. "It's a multi-part series about performance and the limits of performance and the evolution of the pursuit of perfection with the human body. I think it's a bit of a departure for us that will be less narrative storytelling and more first-person scientific journalism almost. I'm really excited about that on the horizon."

Though Schell admits he's up for exploring almost anything under the ESPN Films banner, one thing he has no interest in is whenever Simpson is released from prison. Simpson is currently serving a 33 year prison sentence in Lovelock, Nevada for felonies including armed robbery. He could be released as early as October.

"I think what Ezra was able to do with 'Made in America' was explore all of these incredibly rich and important themes about our country and the criminal justice system and race and the city of Los Angeles — O.J.'s story was a cipher to take you to all of these interesting places," said Schell. "I'm not sure where that goes from here."

"One of the incredible luxuries of being tied to a dynamic news organization is that it's covering everything that needs to be covered every single day, and that's a key reason ESPN Films has been successful," Schell added. "There's no story we have to tell."

SEE ALSO: 15 podcasts that will make you smarter

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Nintendo Switch owners will get a chance to try ‘Splatoon 2,’ one of the most anticipated games of 2017, for free this weekend

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Splatoon 2

Early Nintendo Switch adopters, you’re in luck: This weekend, you’ll get a chance to try “Splatoon 2,” one of the most anticipated games of the year, for free.

This weekend’s “global testfire" will run March 24-26, and only for a limited time each day — specifically, you’ll be able to access the game during six separate one-hour play sessions. These "testfires" will let Nintendo test its global servers for the game to ensure it runs smoothly once it's released to the public. 

To participate in the global testfire, you'll need to visit Nintendo's eShop on your Nintendo Switch. Nintendo also says you can visit Nintendo.com to download the demo.

Here is the full schedule for the "Splatoon 2" global testfire:

Friday, March 24
12-1 p.m. PT / 3-4 p.m. ET
8-9 p.m. PT / 11-11:59 p.m. ET

Saturday, March 25
4-5 a.m. PT / 7-8 a.m. ET
12-1 p.m. PT / 3-4 p.m. ET
8-9 p.m. PT / 11-11:59 p.m. ET

Sunday, March 26
4-5 a.m. PT / 7-8 a.m. ET

“Splatoon 2” is the sequel to “Splatoon,” which was a surprise hit on the Wii U in 2015. “Splatoon” is a quirky third-person shooter where your guns shoot ink, and you can then transform into a squid to either swim or hide in that ink. The original game came with lots of different modes, but it was known for its multiplayer, which could support up to eight players at once.

“Splatoon 2” will also support up to eight players, but during the global testfire this weekend, Switch owners will only be able to experience just two different maps — a small sample of what’s to come from the full game, which launches later this summer.

Check out Nintendo's trailer for the "Splatoon 2" global testfire below:

SEE ALSO: The $300 Nintendo Switch has been great for my relationship

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NOW WATCH: Tesla will begin selling its Solar Roof this year — here's everything you need to know


The creator of Broadway hit 'Hamilton' shares the money advice he wishes he'd known in his 20s

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Lin-Manuel Miranda knows something about money.

The New York Times reported in June 2016 that the 37-year-old creator of the hit Broadway musical 'Hamilton' was positioned to make more than $6 million that year alone, thanks to his multiple roles (author, actor, rights-holder) in the production.

But it wasn't always that way. He told Morgan Stanley in an interview published on its website, "there is so much I wish I knew about money when I was first starting out my adult life."

In particular, he wishes he'd known more about credit. He told Morgan Stanley:

Growing up, I was always cautious about spending. In fact, I was so nervous about incurring debt that I didn't open my first credit card until age 28, after my first show had opened on Broadway. As a result, even though I had enough money in the bank, I didn't have sufficient credit history to purchase my first apartment. My father had to help me buy it by co-signing the mortgage. 

Miranda's story perfectly illustrates one of the greatest challenges of good credit: You never think about it until you need it. And if you never think about it, you probably don't have it.

For those of us who are as shy of credit cards as a 20-something Miranda, "credit" typically refers to two metrics: your credit history, which details your interactions with various creditors and loans, and your three-digit credit score, which illustrates your trustworthiness in three-digit shorthand for lenders who might be considering spotting you some cash.

You build credit by borrowing money, whether through credit cards, student loans, or other avenues, and then responsibly paying it back. The longer and more responsibly you engage with credit, the higher your score.

It sounds like something you don't need to worry about — what if I don't plan on borrowing money? — but Miranda's story perfectly illustrates how disregarding credit can trip you up. Even if you're not buying a home like he was, landlords and management companies in competitive real estate markets like New York are known for requesting your credit score. They might not deny you based on low or lacking credit, but you can bet they'll increase the interest rate of people who are less "credit-worthy," charging you more for the privilege of borrowing.

To stay on top of your credit, you can get your free credit report once per year at AnnualCreditReport.com, and your credit score — which might vary slightly from the official scores as determined by the three credit bureaus that generate it, but is pretty close to what a lender would see — as often as you'd like, for free, from Credit.com, Credit Sesame, or Credit Karma.

SEE ALSO: 7 truths about money on Post-its that will make you laugh before you cringe

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Dave Chappelle says 'Key & Peele' 'hurts my feelings'

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Dave Chappelle Kris Connor Getty

Though Dave Chappelle became a legend in pop culture after the success of his Comedy Central series "Chappelle's Show," he feels one of the hit shows that came on the network after he suddenly ended his in 2006 hasn't give him proper respect. 

Comics Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele created "Key & Peele" for Comedy Central in 2012 and the show ran for three years to high acclaim, including winning two primetime Emmys. But Chappelle believes their sketch comedy found an audience thanks to the path his show forged.

“When I did 'Chappelle’s Show,' there were certain conventions of the show that the network resisted," Chappelle told Gayle King during an interview on 'CBS This Morning,' coinciding with the release of his new Netflix comedy specials. "And I fought the network very hard so that those conventions could come to fruition. So like the first episode, I do that black/white supremacist sketch. And it’s like, ‘Well, that’s 10 minutes long. It should be five minutes long.’ Why should it be five minutes long? Like, these types of conventions. I fought very hard... So when I watch 'Key & Peele' and I see they’re doing a format that I created, and at the end of the show, it says, ‘Created by Key and Peele,’ that hurts my feelings.”

Key and Peele Ian White Comedy CentralKey and Peele have used their success to move on to burgeoning movie careers. Key starred in the indie hit "Don't Think Twice" and is now filming the next "Predator" movie. And Peele is currently soaking in the praise for his directorial debut, "Get Out."

Comics have always been competitive with one another, so Chappelle's comments are pretty commonplace for that world. But at the same time, almost every comic has been inspired by someone before them. In the past, Chappelle has given praise to "Saturday Night Live" and even Hugh Hefner when speaking about things that inspired "Chappelle's Show."

And it's not like Key and Peele have not kissed Chappelle's ring. In interviews they did while "Key & Peele" was on the air, they said how much Chappelle was an influence.

Here's what they said during a 2012 AMA: "We are very influenced by 'Chappelle’s Show.' The Rick James Sketch is transcendent. He opened a lot of doors."

Chappelle also talked to King about missing his old Comedy Central show and his thoughts on fame.

Watch the entire "CBS This Morning" Chappelle interview below:

 

SEE ALSO: 15 celebrities who came from nothing

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Seth Meyers: Hillary Clinton is ready for 'Game of Thrones'-style revenge

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Monday's congressional hearing with FBI Director James Comey was the subject of Seth Meyer's latest edition of "A Closer Look."

Although Comey confirmed that there is an ongoing investigation into President Donald Trump and others who worked in his election campaign for potential collusion with the Russian government, Meyers wasn't shocked.

"That is a huge, huge deal, and yet only 60 days into this administration, you hear that and you're, like, meh," NBC's "Late Night" host said on Monday. "At this point Melania would have to take Trump on a high-speed chase in a Ford Bronco for us to say, 'This is unexpected! This is a twist I didn't see coming!'"

But there is someone who Meyers thinks will be hit hard by Comey's admission: Hillary Clinton. Many believe that Comey's announcement of an investigation into Clinton's use of a private server while secretary of state helped lose the 2016 presidential election.

“I’m not saying Comey cost Clinton the election,” he said, “but his name is definitely on the list that Hillary mutters like Arya Stark when she’s walking in the woods: James Comey, WikiLeaks, the Hound, Anthony Weiner.”

In the same hearing, Comey and National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers added their organizations to the list of many other American and international intelligence agencies over the past week that have said there's no evidence to back the president's wiretapping allegation against former President Barack Obama.

"There you have it, America," Meyers said. "You can either trust the head of the National Security Agency or the guy who thinks 'tap' is spelled with two Ps."

Watch the latest edition of Meyers' "A Closer Look" below:

SEE ALSO: John Oliver slams Trump for sticking to his debunked wiretap claim: He's 'a bulls--- artist'

DON'T MISS: Seth Meyers: Trump's proposed budget cuts show just how 'dead inside' he is

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NOW WATCH: FBI director shoots down Trump's explosive wiretap claims: 'I have no information that supports those tweets'

Sheryl Sandberg's new book about the death of her husband comes out next month

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Sheryl Sandberg

Back in May 2015, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg lost her husband, Dave Goldberg, in a tragic accident while on vacation in Mexico.

Nearly two years later, Sandberg announced on Tuesday the release of her new book, "Option B," which centers around her personal journey since her husband's death and other stories of people "who have braved many different kinds of adversity."

The book is available for preorder now ahead of its April 24 release date.

"It’s my deepest hope that Option B will help others learn what I learned: that when life pulls you under, you can kick against the bottom, break the surface, and breathe again," Sandberg wrote in a Facebook post.

"Option B" is co-authored by bestselling author and Wharton professor Adam Grant. Sandberg first announced that she was working on a new book during the summer of 2016.

"Option B" follows Sandberg's bestselling "Lean In" book about women in the workplace, which was published in 2013. Sandberg also leads a nonprofit called Lean In that's dedicated to empowering "women to achieve their ambitions."

You can read the full story behind Sandberg's new book on her Facebook page.

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SEE ALSO: Sheryl Sandberg donates $1 million to Planned Parenthood

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NOW WATCH: Animated map shows the gender pay gap in every state

'Beauty and the Beast' could make $1.5 billion at the box office, and it has big implications for Disney's future (DIS)

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After earning a whopping $170 million in its domestic opening weekend, Disney's live-action "Beauty and the Beast" is shaping up to be a monster at the box office, crossing $400 million worldwide on Tuesday.

And that's spectacular news not just for Disney's immediate bottom line, but also for its big new strategic push, according to Nomura-Instinet analyst Anthony Di Clemente.

"Given its $170mn domestic opening weekend haul, we calculate that 'Beauty and the Beast' could generate a total of $1.23-1.54bn in global Box Office receipts," DiClemente wrote in a note to clients Tuesday. "This is well ahead of our prior base-case scenario, which called for the theatrical release to generate a worldwide haul of $1.09bn."

Simply put: "Beauty and the Beast" is crushing expectations.

Here's a chart that shows the change in Nomura-Instinet's estimate:

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That's good news on a few fronts for Disney.

Besides the money coming from the box office, the success of "Beauty and the Beast" will help Disney with things like licensing consumer products, and even potential long-term expansions of its theme parks, according to DiClemente.

But what is really promising for Disney investors is what it means for Disney's live-action reboot strategy. Disney has already said it will make a live-action version of "Mulan" in 2018, but if these remakes keep doing well, there's no reason to believe Disney will stop making them.

"We believe Disney’s library IP lends itself to similar live action reboots, improving the visibility of revenue growth for the Studio, a major structural advantage relative to other major studios," DiClemente wrote. He thinks Disney's string of animated hits in the 80s and 90s can be look at as an "attractive source of fairly predictable Studio revenue" in the coming years.

Nostalgia will give Disney a boost, especially relative to its competitors, if it becomes harder to get people into movie theaters.

Here's a list of titles Nomura-Instinet thinks Disney will consider:

 Screen Shot 2017 03 21 at 10.57.30 AM

SEE ALSO: 17 jokes that only smart people will really appreciate

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Tom Cruise has been training for an epic 'Mission: Impossible 6' sequence for a year

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We have now gotten to the point where we go to see the “Mission: Impossible” movies just to witness how Tom Cruise has topped his last death-defying stunt.

Turns out for the sixth movie in the franchise Cruise has been training for a year on a sequence in the movie that will likely dazzle us.

Skydance Media CEO David Ellison, head of the production company behind the “M:I” movies, told Collider that Cruise has been working on something that is “mind-blowing.”

“I will say after the Burj [Khalifa] we thought it was going to be impossible to top that stunt, and then Tom did the A400M for the plane,” said Ellison, referring to the stunts Cruise did in “Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol” and “Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation,” respectively. “What Tom is doing in this movie I believe will top anything that’s come before. It is absolutely unbelievable — he’s been training for a year. It is going to be, I believe, the most impressive and unbelievable thing that Tom Cruise has done in a movie, and he has been working on it since right after ‘Rogue Nation’ came out.”

When Ellison’s quote first began making the rounds Monday on the internet, many assumed he was referring to simply a stunt Cruise is working on. However, we got some clarity from “Mission: Impossible 6” director Christopher McQuarrie, who tweeted that it’s not a stunt per se but a whole sequence of the movie he’s been training for.

Cruise’s costar in the “Mission: Impossible” movies, Rebecca Ferguson, told Business Insider over the weekend while she was doing press for her upcoming movie, “Life,” that they will begin filming “M:I 6” in early April.

We’ll find out what Cruise has up his sleeve when the movie opens in theaters in July 2018.

SEE ALSO: Stan Lee has made 36 cameos in the Marvel universe — here they all are

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

Darth Vader almost killed off a main character in 'Rogue One'

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One of the best scenes in "Rogue One" is the ending when Darth Vader gives a glimpse of how evil he is as he kills a group of Rebel fighters.

But Entertainment Weekly reveals that in one of the early scripts Vader was portrayed as even more sinister.

Speaking to "Rogue One" screenwriter Gary Whitta, who wrote the earliest versions of the script before it was passed to Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy, EW discovered that in one version Vader has another encounter with Director Krennic (played by Ben Mendelsohn).

According to Whitta, in the version of the script that had a "happy ending," in which Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) make it off the tropical planet Scarif with the Death Star plans, so too does Krennic, though he's been injured by the Death Star blast that hit the planet. (Wait, a person can survive a blast from the Death Star? Hey, it never made it into the movie, so let's move on.)

“He survived the blast and they pulled him up and brought him to the Star Destroyer to report to Vader,” Whitta said. “He’s all beat up, his cape’s all torn up and stuff, and he thinks he has survived.” 

Nope. Vader, who already had to put Krennic in check earlier in the movie when the director went to Vader's castle to try to undermine Grand Moff Tarkin, is now fed up with Krennic and uses the Force to choke him to death.

“Vader kills him for his failure,” Whitta said.

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'Sesame Street' has been mocking Trump since 1988 — here are some of the best moments

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After President Trump announced a new budget proposal that would cut funding from public broadcasting, many thought about the affect it would have on PBS, a federally-funded TV network. Their most well-known show "Sesame Street", which now airs on HBO, has been taking shots at Donald Trump for decades. Watch some of the best moments. 

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Take That's Gary Barlow on the music industry: 'Phones and selfies have changed everything'

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LONDON – Singer and songwriter Gary Barlow said the biggest change in the music industry in his career has been the arrival of smartphones and the craze around selfies.

Speaking at Advertising Week Europe, the lead vocalist of Take That said he's a big fan of the social media because it has allowed him to directly interact with his audience.

"Everyone wants a selfie, it's a good thing. The alternative is no-one cares," Barlow said.

Here's a pic from our underwater shoot. Lots of fun and the footage looks great in slow motion.

A post shared by Gary Barlow (@officialgarybarlow) on Mar 21, 2017 at 7:26am PDT on

Barlow has become an avid user of Instagram, where he shares a behind-the-scenes look at his life.

The singer also spoke about the growth of vinyl and said the band's label, Universal Music, has released a limited run of vinyl records for the group's album "Wonderwall." Vinyl sales grew by 62% in the UK in 2016.

"People aren’t playing vinyl, they collect it," he said. "Live is more important than records."

Barlow also spoke about the importance of live streaming for the artists: "With things like Facebook Live I’m hoping people get to see how excited we are still are about what we do."

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Why you need to be watching HBO's 'Big Little Lies'

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Warning: Mild spoilers for "Big Little Lies" below.

You might have heard of "Big Little Lies," that big little show so many people are talking about, and so many stars are in. If you're not watching, you should be. It's a compelling murder mystery and every episode is beautifully directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, the visionary director of "Dallas Buyers Club" and "Wild." 

The show focuses on four female leads and follows their lives in Monterey, California, as working mothers or stay-at-home moms struggling in their relationships. All the while, a murder mystery is slowly unfolding. The audience gets very small bits of information about the murder throughout every episode, but not enough to put any of the pieces together.

But while the mystery is interesting and will keep you on the edge of your seat, the strength of "Big Little Lies" is how it confronts stories for women, and gives female actresses (the majority in their 40s or 50s) the chance to take the lead while the men get the supporting roles for once. 

Here are all the reasons you should be watching HBO's "Big Little Lies":

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It’s based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Liane Moriarty.

Though the novel takes place in Australia. The novel had very similar reception to the show. On the surface it seems fluffy and cliche, but it's using that disguise to address the important realities of domestic abuse and women's issues. 



It’s got an incredible cast.

Including Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz, Adam Scott, and Alexander Skarsgard. The level of talent is absurd.



Witherspoon and Kidman optioned the show themselves, because it had so many female characters.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Witherspoon said, “We have to start seeing women how they actually are on film — we need to see real women's experience — whether that involves domestic violence, sexual assault, romance, infidelity, or divorce."

Witherspoon and Kidman serve as executive producers. 

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Stephen Colbert and Ryan Reynolds have a time-traveling argument on 'The Late Show'

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We'll let you in on a little secret about late-night TV: Almost all of it is pre-taped. Yes, there's a studio audience and and the host's jokes are timely so it looks like it's all happening as you're watching, but the fact is almost all the shows are taped in the afternoon before airing. And in some cases segments are done days before.

That was the case with Ryan Reynold's appearance Tuesday on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." Unable to be in New York City this week to promote his new movie, "Life" (opening Friday), he recorded his appearance last Thursday. But Colbert and Reynolds had some fun with it. 

Instead of playing it straight, Colbert did a bit in which Reynolds comes out in the middle of Colbert's monologue and argues with him over what day it is.

"I can't stand here and let you lie to this audience," Reynolds says as Colbert, looking puzzled, is in the middle of saying that Tuesday is actor Matthew Broderick's birthday, and he's "one of America's finest actors."

"You don't think Matthew Broderick is one of America's finest actors?" Colbert asks Reynolds. 

"Of course he is, Stephen, he's a national treasure," Reynolds says. "But I've been sitting back there listening to you deceive these people. Today is not Tuesday — it's Thursday. You pre-tape this entire show!"

Colbert is outraged by the accusation and proves that it's Tuesday by delivering a timely joke: "So March Madness is upon us, and did you hear this? There's only 16 teams left in the tournament."

"That's how it's scheduled, there's only 16 teams by now," Reynolds says.

Reynolds then presents a newspaper dated Thursday, March 16. Colbert counters, saying Reynolds could have just held onto that paper. The host then brings out a paper from 1912, with a headline showing that the Titanic has sunk.

The two look to be at a stalemate until Colbert delivers the coup de grâce: a taco.

"Can't have tacos on Thursday," the host says, referring to the American tradition of many restaurants having special offers on tacos on Tuesdays.

Reynolds finally gives in and agrees that it's Tuesday, as he devours the taco.

Watch the entire bit below:

 

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Trevor Noah calls out the 'hypocrisy' of suspending Tomi Lahren for being 'pro-choice'

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Trevor Noah may have had a confrontational interview with the conservative host Tomi Lahren, but he came out in defense of her on Tuesday after she was temporarily suspended by TheBlaze, the outlet owned by Glenn Beck.

Lahren was suspended after saying on "The View" last week that she favored abortion rights, declaring that she's "pro-choice." To the "Daily Show" host, TheBlaze's reasoning seemed suspect.

"If you're a conservative network that preaches day in and day out 'You politically correct snowflakes get offended too easily when anyone says something you disagree with,' and then Tomi comes out and speaks her truth, says that she's pro-choice, and then suddenly her bosses go, 'Oh, you like choices? Well how about you choose a new job?'" Noah said. "That's not cool. I was offended by the hypocrisy."

Noah said that he wanted to protest the network's decision, but "unfortunately, there's no type of black-people protest that Tomi is comfortable with."

Watch Trevor Noah on Tomi Lahren's suspension:

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