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Stephen Colbert pulled off an epic 'Daily Show' reunion that'll make fans go nuts

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stephen colbert daily show reunion late show cbs

Stephen Colbert assembled an elite group of "Daily Show" alumni to walk down memory lane, and to weigh in on current events.

In addition to former host Jon Stewart, who's also an executive producer on CBS's "Late Show," Colbert brought on former correspondents of the Comedy Central show: Samantha Bee, John Oliver, Rob Corddry, and Ed Helms. (Colbert also got his start appearing on "The Daily Show.")

"This arrangement we have right now is exactly something we would have made fun of on 'The Daily Show,'" Colbert joked as the stars took their places on the "Late Show" sofa. Still, it was likely a joy for anyone who fondly remembers the old glory days of "The Daily Show."

Bee, who has moved on to host TBS's "Full Frontal," spoke of the many far-flung destinations she traveled to for "The Daily Show" and what it took to pull off the show's humorous sketches based on the news.

"I would spend days with the worst people you could possibly imagine," she said. "You’d have to engage in this big sketch you’ve done. You have to be really nice to them all day."

Many of the other former "Daily Show" stars have also moved on to fruitful careers. Oliver now hosts the HBO show "Last Week Tonight," while Helms and Corddry have shifted to successful film and TV careers. Helms starred in the “Hangover” film franchise, and Corddry has been on beloved shows like “Ballers” and “Childrens Hospital.”

Colbert acknowledged Stewart's role in their careers.

“I wouldn’t have this gig or any gig if it hadn’t been for this man,” he said.

The last time all five people appeared on TV together was during Stewart’s “Daily Show” farewell in 2015, along with most of the correspondents from the show’s history. 

Stewart described his more mature appearance compared to the former correspondents' younger looks with a reference to the 1995 movie "Mr. Holland's Opus": "This really does look like a group of students coming back to see Mr. Holland. It's the end, and I've done it all."

The crew also put together a "flashback" sketch going back to Colbert's last day on "The Daily Show" in 2005 before his own "Colbert Report" started, during the George W. Bush presidential administration, and got in some sharp jokes about how things have changed.

Watch the "Daily Show" reunion below:

 

 

SEE ALSO: Seth Meyers fires back at an email from Paul Ryan complaining about his show

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NOW WATCH: 'That hypocrisy is also real' — Jon Stewart takes liberals to task for calling all Trump supporters racist


Stephen Colbert mocks Trump's letter firing Comey: 'Does everything have to be about him?'

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Stephen Colbert Comey CBS final

Stephen Colbert started "The Late Show" on Tuesday night with the news that just hit before he took the stage: FBI Director James Comey had been fired by President Donald Trump.

“Did Trump forget about the Hillary emails that Trump talked about?” Colbert said, referring to Comey telling Congress last October that the FBI was reopening and investigation into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton over emails recovered from former Representative Anthony Weiner's computer. Weiner was married to top Clinton aide Huma Abedin.

Colbert then read a portion of Trump's letter (in a Trump voice) to Comey notifying him of his firing:

"While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau."

“Does everything have to be about him?" Colbert said of Trump mentioning the FBI's investigation of the Trump campaign's potential ties to Russia during the 2016 presidential election. "While I greatly appreciate that I’m an amazing lover, I’m leaving you for a younger woman on the advice of the Department of Justice.”

This then led to Colbert touching on recent reporting that when Trump met President Barack Obama days after the election, Obama warned Trump about hiring retired General Michael Flynn as national security adviser, due to his ties with Russia.

“It was just as effective as Obama warning America about hiring Trump,” Colbert said.

Watch the entire Colbert opening monologue below:

 

SEE ALSO: 28 TV shows that were just canceled

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EA and Twitch revealed the secrets of e-sports at IGNITION 2016

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BI Ignition D2 Lg 1394

The world of e-sports is massive and still growing, and advertisers are wondering how they can profit from this phenomenon.

Kevin Lin, COO of Twitch, and Peter More, chief competition officer of EA, sat down with Business Insider's Steve Kovach at IGNITION 2016 to discuss the role advertisers play in e-sports.

In addition to revenue sources like subscriptions, donations, sponsorships, event-based ticketing, merchandise, food and beverage, and in-game items, Lin said advertising is the main way e-sports are monetized.

So why do advertisers want to get involved? For one thing, the viewership numbers are huge. “Some of them hit tens of millions,” Lin said. “In concurrents, you’ll see millions.” Additionally, users spend two hours a day, on average, watching content. During competitions, the number grows to 8 to 10 hours.

Another reason e-sports are intriguing to advertisers is the demographic they reach. According to Lin, 90% of the Twitch audience subscribes to Netflix or Hulu rather than traditional cable. “Broadcasters are wondering how to reach this demographic,” Moore said, so they want to be a part of e-sports.

With millions of young people not seeing traditional advertisements, companies are recognizing the need to engage with younger audiences in other ways. But there is a challenge in this form of advertising. Because this audience is not used to traditional advertising, they are quick to recognize when something is not authentic.

Moore mentioned that brands have to be careful when entering this space, and must be able to show they are truly interested in growing the field of e-sports rather than just selling a product.

“A lot of brands that are very interested in the space are building entire divisions that are hired from the community,” Lin said. “They can help craft a message and marketing plan that really resonates.”

When done correctly, massive success can be had. For example, Nissan launched a holiday campaign on Twitch. The Twitter impressions and chat messages involving the word “Nissan” were in the millions. Nissan did not expect this result, but because the campaign was authentic it succeeded.

Companies have huge potential to reach a new audience by dipping into e-sports, and we will likely be seeing even more of this in the future.

To learn more about the future of digital, be sure to attend Business Insider's IGNITION 2017!

We’re rolling out the speaker lineup over the coming months, and you won’t want to miss it. Business Insider IGNITION 2017 will take place November 29-30 at the Time Warner Center in New York City. Right now we're offering Extra-Early-Bird tickets that will save you $1,000 — don't miss out!

To hear more about the world of e-sports, check out the full interview below (the segment starts at 2:12).

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Jesse Eisenberg will star in a film about the traders that have been vilified on Wall Street

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jesse eisenberg rio

Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander Skarsgard are joining the Wall Street ranks. 

Sort of. 

This Fall the duo will start production for the upcoming film, "The Hummingbird Project" in which they will portray ambitious high-frequency traders, according to an article by Variety's Dave McNary.

High-frequency trading, which uses complex algorithms to analyze multiple markets and execute orders based on market conditions, has been nothing if not controversial on the Street.

High-frequency traders have been vilified on Wall Street, and have been accused of using their speed to front run large orders from huge institutions like pension funds. They are the focus of the widely-acclaimed Michael Lewis' book "Flash Boys," which tells the true story of an upstart stock exchange that took on high-frequency trading.

The firms have responded by trying to demystify what they do, and to spell out the benefits they bring to markets.

According to McNary at Variety, Eisenberg and Skarsgards' characters are try to make millions by building a fiber optic cable between Kansas and New Jersey. 

“This is a film that talks about caveats in our financial system, but at its core it is an adventure with heart and soul,” director Nguyen told Variety.

SEE ALSO: Young investors are piling into Snapchat but they're overlooking a huge issue

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The Rock teases a presidential run: It's a 'real possibility'

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Dwayne Johnson Kevin Winter Getty

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has only seen his star power increase over the past two decades, and there's no denying his likability. So much so that you may very well have participated in a conversation about whether President The Rock would be a good thing for the United States, and what that would mean for his future in the "Fast and the Furious" franchise. 

Looks like that fantasy about President The Rock is at least a little closer to a reality.

In its cover story profiling the actor (headline: "Dwayne Johnson for President!"), GQ asked Johnson about his political aspirations, and it turns out he's not shy about them.

"I think that it’s a real possibility," Johnson told GQ of a potential presidential run. The magazine added that he spoke "solemnly" about it.

“A year ago, it started coming up more and more,” Johnson said, referring to an interview during the 2016 presidential election in which he said, "I haven't ruled politics out." The comment quickly went viral and excited fans.

“There was a real sense of earnestness, which made me go home and think, ‘Let me really rethink my answer and make sure I am giving an answer that is truthful and also respectful,’" Johnson told GQ. "I didn’t want to be flippant — ‘We’ll have three days off for a weekend! No taxes!’” 

With the next presidential election coming in 2020, Johnson will likely take more time to think about how a presidential campaign would affect his life and career — not to mention his insane workout routine. 

SEE ALSO: Here's The Rock's insane workout and diet he uses to get ripped for 'Fast and Furious'

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This gorgeous new game lets you explore an alternate future where JFK survived and space travel is common

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In 2007, a mysterious game named "BioShock" seemingly came out of nowhere. It was cinematic, philosophical, gorgeous, and thrilling — a game that thrilled critics and became a blockbuster commercial success.

bioshock

Ten years later, we may have the makings of another breakout hit in the same vein as the beloved "BioShock."

The game's called "Prey," and it just launched on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Prey (2017)

While "BioShock" took place in an underwater dystopia, "Prey" takes place in a futuristic space station overtaken by an alien species. But everything is not as it seems in "Prey." Where the world of "BioShock" had so-called "plasmids," the world of "Prey" has neuromods. With every power you choose, a bit more of your humanity slips away. 

This is the give and take of "Prey," and it's just the surface of the tradeoffs you'll face on the space station Talos 1.

SEE ALSO: 'BioShock' has the best opening sequence of any video game ever made

"Prey" is a first-person character action game, where you explore a beautiful, isolated world that's falling apart. It's riddled with story clues, unique characters, and stuff that wants to kill you. It very much feels like "BioShock" in space, which I mean as a compliment.



There's a sharp, distinct sense of style right from the jump. This office is yours, which you visit early on in the game.



The story backbone to "Prey" is based on the concept that President John F. Kennedy survived his assassination, and advanced the human push into space dramatically as a result. An alien force, known as the Typhon, saw humans as a threat and attacked. The US and the Soviet Union joined forces against the threat, defeated it, and built a space station to imprison and study the aliens.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The eSports competitive video gaming market continues to grow revenues & attract investors

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eSports Advertising and Sponsorships

What is eSports? History & Rise of Video Game Tournaments

Years ago, eSports was a community of video gamers who would gather at conventions to play Counter Strike, Call of Duty, or League of Legends.

These multiplayer video game competitions would determine League of Legends champions, the greatest shooters in Call of Duty, the cream of the crop of Street Fighter players, the elite Dota 2 competitors, and more.

But today, as the history of eSports continue to unfold, media giants such as ESPN and Turner are broadcasting eSports tournaments and competitions. And in 2014, Amazon acquired Twitch, the live streaming video platform that has been and continues to be the leader in online gaming broadcasts. And YouTube also wanted to jump on the live streaming gaming community with the creation of YouTube Gaming.

eSports Market Growth Booming

To put in perspective how big eSports is becoming, a Google search for "lol" does not produce "laughing out loud" as the top result. Instead, it points to League of Legends, one of the most popular competitive games in existence. The game has spawned a worldwide community called the League of Legends Championship Series, more commonly known as LCS or LOL eSports.

What started as friends gathering in each other's homes to host LAN parties and play into the night has become an official network of pro gaming tournaments and leagues with legitimate teams, some of which are even sponsored and have international reach. Organizations such as Denial, AHQ, and MLG have multiple eSports leagues.

And to really understand the scope of all this, consider that the prize pool for the latest Dota 2 tournament was more than $20 million.

Websites even exist for eSports live scores to let people track the competitions in real time if they are unable to watch. There are even fantasy eSports leagues similar to fantasy football, along with the large and growing scene of eSports betting and gambling.

So it's understandable why traditional media companies would want to capitalize on this growing trend just before it floods into the mainstream. Approximately 300 million people worldwide tune in to eSports today, and that number is growing rapidly. By 2020, that number will be closer to 500 million.

eSports Industry Analysis - The Future of the Competitive Gaming Market

Financial institutions are starting to take notice. Goldman Sachs valued eSports at $500 million in 2016 and expects the market will grow at 22% annually compounded over the next three years into a more than $1 billion opportunity.

And industry statistics are already backing this valuation and demonstrating the potential for massive earnings. To illustrate the market value, market growth, and potential earnings for eSports, consider Swedish media company Modern Times Group's $87 million acquisition of Turtle Entertainment, the holding company for ESL. YouTube has made its biggest eSports investment to date by signing a multiyear broadcasting deal with Faceit to stream the latter's Esports Championship Series. And the NBA will launch its own eSports league in 2018.

Of course, as with any growing phenomenon, the question becomes: How do advertisers capitalize? This is especially tricky for eSports because of its audience demographics, which is young, passionate, male-dominated, and digital-first. They live online and on social media, are avid ad-blockers, and don't watch traditional TV or respond to conventional advertising.

So what will the future of eSports look like? How high can it climb? Could it reach the mainstream popularity of baseball or football? How will advertisers be able to reach an audience that does its best to shield itself from advertising?

Robert Elder, research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled an unparalleled report on the eSports ecosystem that dissects the growing market for competitive gaming. This comprehensive, industry-defining report contains more than 30 charts and figures that forecast audience growth, average revenue per user, and revenue growth.

Companies and organizations mentioned in the report include: NFL, NBA, English Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, NHL, Paris Saint-Germain, Ligue 1, Ligue de Football, Twitch, Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, ESPN, Electronic Arts, EA Sports, Valve, Riot Games, Activision Blizzard, ESL, Turtle Entertainment, Dreamhack, Modern Times Group, Turner Broadcasting, TBS Network, Vivendi, Canal Plus, Dailymotion, Disney, BAMTech, Intel, Coca Cola, Red Bull, HTC, Mikonet

Here are some eSports industry facts and statistics from the report:

  • eSports is a still nascent industry filled with commercial opportunity.
  • There are a variety of revenue streams that companies can tap into.
  • The market is presently undervalued and has significant room to grow.
  • The dynamism of this market distinguishes it from traditional sports.
  • The audience is high-value and global, and its numbers are rising.
  • Brands can prosper in eSports by following the appropriate game plan.
  • Game publishers approach their Esport ecosystems in different ways.  
  • Successful esport games are comprised of the same basic ingredients.
  • Digital streaming platforms are spearheading the popularity of eSports.
  • Legacy media are investing into eSports, and seeing encouraging results.
  • Traditional sports franchises have a clear opportunity to seize in eSports.
  • Virtual and augmented reality firms also stand to benefit from eSports.  

In full, the report illuminates the business of eSports from four angles:

  • The gaming nucleus of eSports, including an overview of popular esport genres and games; the influence of game publishers, and the spectrum of strategies they adopt toward their respective esport scenes; the role of eSports event producers and the tournaments they operate.
  • The eSports audience profile, its size, global reach, and demographic, psychographic, and behavioral attributes; the underlying factors driving its growth; why they are an attractive target for brands and broadcasters; and the significant audience and commercial crossover with traditional sports.
  • eSports media broadcasters, including digital avant-garde like Twitch and YouTube, newer digital entrants like Facebook and traditional media outlets like Turner’s TBS Network, ESPN, and Canal Plus; their strategies and successes in this space; and the virtual reality opportunity.
  • eSports market economics, with a market sizing, growth forecasts, and regional analyses; an evaluation of the eSports spectacle and its revenue generators, some of which are idiosyncratic to this industry; strategic planning for brand marketers, with case studies; and an exploration of the infinite dynamism and immense potential of the eSports economy.

Interested in getting the full report? Here are two ways to access it:

  1. Subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
  2. Purchase & download the full report from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT

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Johnny Depp reportedly drank heavily and was constantly late on the new 'Pirates' movie set

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Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp’s unorthodox behavior has helped make him one of the biggest movie stars in the world, but it also appears to be a serious risk to his career.

Often balancing outlandish roles — as gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” in his numerous Tim Burton movies — with being the face of a giant blockbuster franchise in Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean,” Depp has been seen as an A-list star who loves to take chances. And it made him beloved the world over.

In the wake of his messy divorce from actress Amber Heard following her allegations that he abused her and recent financial woes, however, Depp’s superstar status is now in jeopardy.

The stories coming out about Depp’s behavior while making the latest “Pirates” movie, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” aren't going to help. They portray an actor in crisis mode.

The Hollywood Reporter delved deeper into the star’s reported reckless spending over the years and revealed allegations that he was constantly late to set and drank excessively while making “Dead Men Tell No Tales” (opening in theaters May 26).

Not enough liquid money for '$2 million in monthly bills'

Depp is engaged in a legal battle with his former business managers at The Management Group, who claim that the star, despite earning more than $650 million in 13-plus years, there wasn't enough liquid cash to cover Depp's "$2 million in monthly bills," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The business managers say they confronted Depp about his spending habits, which included, they say, $30,000 a month on wine. Depp has also admitted to paying $5 million to shoot the ashes of his friend Hunter S. Thompson out of a cannon.

Depp has sued The Management Group on charges of fraud and mismanagement, and the company has countersued.

A 'Pirates' staffer was reportedly tasked with following Depp's every move

Pirates of the CaribbeanDeadMenTellNoTalesDisneyfinalTHR also unearthed unflattering stories about Depp's work on the set of "Dead Men Tell No Tales" from production sources.

Depp's lateness to the set of the movie on certain days reportedly led to hundreds of extras waiting hours for the star to show up, causing the movie’s producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney production chief Sean Bailey to huddle to figure out how to shoot around him.

Though production staff raised the matter of Depp’s tardiness with the star, he reportedly never changed his habits.

"There were certainly days when our plans were challenged," Bailey said. "But no one should underestimate Johnny's passion and commitment to this character and franchise."

One source told THR that it got so bad that a production staffer was assigned to stake out Depp at the Coomera, Queensland, compound Depp rented while shooting the film. The staffer was stationed outside the house in an unmarked car and was told to alert his superiors of Depp’s movements, including when a light was switched on in the morning (or in some cases the afternoon), signaling Depp was awake.

"When he got up, he'd turn on the light, and the moment the light went on they'd call the line producer, who would then call the directors [Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg]: 'He's up! He's getting ready!'" a source from the set said. "They even had a special code term, like 'The eagle has landed.' Johnny had no idea this was going on."

amber heard johnny depp getty finalFilming shut down after Depp injured himself by seriously cutting his finger. According to numerous reports at the time, the injury occurred when Depp was inebriated and had a dispute with Heard. Bruckheimer told a different story to THR.

"We don't really know. He got it caught in a car door, or he got it caught in a sliding door. I've heard a couple of versions,” Bruckheimer said.

Depp’s reported drinking and lateness to set also caused an argument between Bruckheimer and Depp’s then-agent Tracey Jacobs on the "Pirates" set, according to a soruce.

“She went over to Jerry and said, 'You've got to do something! You're the producer.’ He said, 'You do something. You're the agent,’” the source said.

“Everyone was an innocent bystander watching this trainwreck," the source continued. "But when Johnny came on set, he was charming, nice. He's yin and yang."

Bruckheimer denied to THR that the spat took place.

The reporting is just the latest black eye for Depp, who for most of his career has been able to keep negative press about himself to a minimum.

But so far, at least, it hasn’t hurt him from landing major roles. Following his cameo at the end of 2016’s “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” he is set to star in the movie’s sequel coming out in 2018. He’s also wrapped on the highly anticipated “Murder on the Orient Express.”

A representative for Depp did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

SEE ALSO: 100 movies on Netflix that everyone needs to watch in their lifetime

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The prisoners strike back in the new 'Orange Is the New Black' trailer

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orange is the new black season five trailer netflix

Netflix just released the first full trailer for the upcoming season of "Orange Is the New Black," which premieres Friday, June 9.

The trailer for season five shows a riot break out after Poussey's (Samira Wiley) untimely death on season four. The inmates have found a common cause in the beloved convict's death and they've found a common enemy in the guards and the prison administrators.

All of that leads the prisoners to joining in the shared goal of taking over the prison.

Season five takes place in real time over three days and shows how the prisoners' newfound unity builds into what could only be an explosive ending to the season.

Watch the first full-length trailer for season five below:

SEE ALSO: The next 'Orange Is the New Black' season starts with a gunshot in a tense new clip

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TV giants are lining up for a fight over a potential $10 TV bundle without sports

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Maddie NFLBig TV companies like Disney and Discovery are lining up for a fight over a sports-free online TV package that could cost a mere $8-$20 a month.

Last month, Bloomberg broke the news that several cable networks were trying to put together a sports-free package for under $20, cutting out high-cost channels like ESPN, which cost $6.10 in carriage fees per subscriber in 2016 by itself.

And on Discovery's earnings Tuesday, CEO David Zaslav laid out a bit of the case for such a bundle.

"Skinny bundle in the US is a fiction," he said. "The idea that you have a $40 offering filled with regional sports, sports and all these – an incomplete package, really, and then you have to buy broadband on top of it, so the skinny bundle is $60 or $70. So it's really not a skinny bundle. It's a bundle. It's a bundle that may be attractive to a small group of people. But, in the end, I think the market will be rationalized."

His central point was that there's room in the market for a sports-free package that costs $8-$12 a month.

Broadcaster wrath

The main problem here is that the parent companies of the major broadcast networks — NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox — have paid a lot for sports rights, so they want no part of a bundle that makes sports seem less vital. The cable networks they own are also out. So no FX, USA, or Fox News.

That means the bundle will have to be constructed of companies like Discovery, Viacom, AMC, Turner (though it does have some sports rights), and Scripps. But honestly, those five put together could make a pretty compelling cheap bundle if you kept it at $20 or lower. You could potentially get a spread of programming from CNN’s news, to AMC’s quality dramas, to Comedy Central or the Food Network. There would be holes, but if you kept the price down, people might be willing to overlook it.

The notion of this type of package, however, rankles media executives whose companies rely on sports.

On ESPN parent company Disney's earnings call Tuesday, CEO Bob Iger scoffed at the idea of such a bundle.

bob iger"Someone was out there today talking about a $10 bundle that didn't include sports," Iger said. "I don't know how many channels you could fit into a $10 bundle, but I would imagine there wouldn't be any channels that were particularly attractive. Maybe someone will go out with a very low cost set of channels that can't drive the kind of fees that [the more popular ones do] ... But I don't see how that's practical in terms of gaining much penetration."

You should take that position with a big grain of salt.

Disney has been very proud of how many of the new online TV bundles ESPN is on, and sees it as a major way to grow in the future. In fact, on the same call, Iger listed them: "Sling TV, Hulu, PlayStation Vue, DIRECTV and YouTube TV."

"The substantial growth we're already seeing makes us bullish on the future of these nascent offerings," Iger continued. "Right now, they are a small part of the pay TV universe, but we believe they'll be a much bigger part of the business going forward." Disney sees these bundles as a way to stave off the decline in subscribers that has plagued ESPN for years.

ESPN is losing subscribers, and certainly doesn't want to be left out of any new packages that come into the market. And its wrath could spell problems for distributors that might want to sell a no-sports bundle.

Why? Some of the contracts cable and satellite providers have signed with heavyweights like Disney and Fox are loaded with fine print designed to stop new bundles like these. And in 2015, Disney-owned ESPN sued Verizon over a sports-free bundle, saying it violated distribution deals.

So even if Iger is publicly poo-pooing the very idea that anyone would want a sports-free bundle, that doesn't mean ESPN won't come out swinging if someone tries to bring one to market.

SEE ALSO: Sports-free TV bundles could kick off soon

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How a Nintendo superfan turned his Switch into the perfect Super Nintendo throwback

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Nintendo's new video game console, the Switch, is a major hit. It's sold out in many stores, and demand doesn't appear to be slowing down. It's Nintendo's fastest-selling console in history.

Nintendo Switch

That's saying a lot considering how remarkably popular some of Nintendo's past consoles have been. From the original Nintendo Entertainment System to the Nintendo Wii, Nintendo has an impressive legacy of making hardware that people want to buy in droves. 

That level of enthusiasm just as often translates to rose-tinted nostalgia. Look no further than the explosive sales of the NES Classic Edition console this past holiday for evidence:

NES classic edition

Nintendo smartly plays this nostalgia to its advantage, re-selling its games and hardware over and over in slightly re-packaged form. But Nintendo can't possibly keep up with fan demand for 30 years of nostalgia. And it's moments like this when fans take that nostalgia into their own hands.

Behold, the Super Nintendo Switch:

Nintendo Switch (SNES)

The beautifully nostalgic Nintendo Switch above is a custom job, care of a man named Andreas Wallin.

He painted both of his Switch console's controllers — the so-called "Joy-Con" gamepads on either side of the Switch's tablet screen — and swapped out the standard buttons for Super Nintendo-themed buttons. 

Super Famicom (gamepad)

He posted his custom-modified Nintendo Switch to Reddit's Nintendo Switch forum yesterday, and was immediately flooded with positive responses. More than just excitement, people were curious about his creation: How'd he do it? How long did it take, and how could they do it themselves?

So we got in touch with Wallin, who explained his work as complex but possible. 

"The internet is a great resource for modding," Wallin said in an email. "I've been following the Switch and the great mod/remix culture that it has started around it. So I followed a few articles and videos about what to do to pick the Joy-Cons apart."

Indeed, there are even videos specifically made for how to replace the buttons on the Switch. Like this one:

Of course, it's not quite that simple. Wallin took apart each of his Joy-Con gamepads so he could paint them (Tamiya AS-16 Light Grey [USAF]).

He wasn't aiming for a perfect re-creation of the Super Nintendo's grey color scheme. "The color is a tad lighter than the SNES base grey," he said. "Grey enough to homage, but still light enough to seem more modern."

Nintendo Switch (custom)

But, even more impressive than the grey paint job is the SNES-themed, four-color button layout. For this, Wallin turned to another Nintendo handheld — the 3DS — which used such a button setup in a recent variation.

"I ordered a set of replacement buttons for the New 3DS off eBay," he told me. But there's an issue, of course — "the bases of the buttons are different," he said. In so many words, the 3DS buttons don't directly fit in the Nintendo Switch. "You need to either mod the 3DS button bases, or sand the Joy-Con buttons down and substitute the bases by gluing the pieces together."

Nintendo Switch (SNES mod)

This complication would be enough to deter most fans, but Wallin persisted. And in his persistence, he found encouragement for other would-be modders. 

"Once I had all the tools and materials, painting took most of the day on/off (since each light layer of paint needed some time to dry sufficiently)," he said. "The button mod I did in-between; it took less than an hour, and then I had the disassembly and assembly which didn't take too long either. I spent my Sunday doing the complete mod, and let the topcoat cure the night over."

Interested in doing something similar? You'll need a handful of tools (a tri-point screwdriver, a fine-tipped Phillips head screwdriver, and a pair of angled tweezers at minimum) to start. But let's not kid ourselves: You'll also need free time, obedient patience, and a lot of drive. Wallin said it best:

"I'm pretty sure most people who are industrious enough to find the relevant tutorial videos online, and feel they are able to follow those videos, can do this!"

Good luck!

SEE ALSO: Nintendo could be making another mini version of a classic game console: the Super Nintendo

DON'T MISS: Here are all the games coming to Nintendo's new console, and when they arrive

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NOW WATCH: Unboxing the Nintendo Switch — here's everything you'll get with the new console

Johnny Depp made $650 million but couldn't pay for his lavish lifestyle, ex-manager says

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Johnny Depp Christopher Polk Getty final

Many entertainment stars love the finer things in life, but it seems even the earnings of an A-lister like Johnny Depp couldn't sustain his wild indulgences.

The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star is currently in a public-relations tailspin after his messy divorce with actress Amber Heard, who alleged he had abused her, and his filing a $25 million lawsuit against his former business managers at The Management Group. (TMG has countersued.)

Things didn't get any better for Depp on Wednesday when The Hollywood Reporter published a feature that went deeper into Depp's financial woes.

TMG's Joel Mandel claims that even though Depp has earned more than $650 million in the more than 13 years the company represented the star, Depp didn't have enough cash to cover his $2 million in bills each month.

Depp's extravagant spending habits reportedly include $3.6 million annually for his 40-person staff, $350,000 monthly for maintaining his 156-foot yacht, $30,000 monthly for wine, and $5 million the star says he spent to shoot the ashes of his friend Hunter S. Thompson out of a cannon.

TMG says it met with Depp numerous times over the years to try to get Depp to sell some of his expensive items. On one occasion, he agreed to sell his $10 million yacht that he spent $8 million to renovate, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Another year, TMG almost got Depp to sell his French chateau — on which he spent $10 million to renovate — but he got cold feet after prospective buyers came calling, according to the former business managers, and it has since been relisted for $39 million.

Pirates of the CaribbeanDeadMenTellNoTalesDisneyfinalDepp has routinely earned $20 million up-front paychecks for the movies he's been in since the success of 2003's "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl." He also gets 20% of the backend per picture, according to The Hollywood Reporter — a source said that was $40 million from the backend of each "Pirates" movie and $55 million from his profit on the 2010 hit "Alice in Wonderland," which earned over $1 billion worldwide.

TMG attorney Michael Kump said in the lawsuit that TMG stepped in to help Depp avert a "devastating financial collapse." Depp has claimed he was kept in the dark about his finances.

It's unclear how cash-strapped Depp is. According to litigation, he has received $25.7 million over the past two years in profits from six movies, and he earned up-front money — likely close to $20 million each — from "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," "LAbyrinth," and "Gnomeo & Juliet: Sherlock Gnomes."

A representative for Depp did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

SEE ALSO: Johnny Depp reportedly drank heavily and was constantly late on the new "Pirates" movie set

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Why Netflix's CEO is waging a war at the most prestigious film festival in the world

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Reed Hastings

When two Netflix titles, Boon Joon-Ho's "Ojka" and Noah Baumbach's "The Meyerowitz Stories," were added to the esteemed competition lineup for this year's Cannes Film Festival, it was another notch in the belt for the streaming giant.

But it was also another moment when the movie industry felt that Netflix is hurting the theatrical movie business.

Now Cannes, the most prestigious film festival in the world (running May 17-28), has decided to tweak its competition rules after this year as a result of the backlash toward the Netflix titles.

On Wednesday, the festival announced that beginning in 2018, a film can only qualify for its competition lineup if it has a theatrical release in France. Netflix has made many enemies in the movie business for rarely having theatrical releases for its movies, and when it does release films in theaters, it does so while simultaneously making them available streaming on Netflix, therefore undercutting the reason to go to a theater.

It's unclear if "Ojka" or "The Meyerowitz Stories" will play theatrically in France.

“The festival is pleased to welcome a new operator which has decided to invest in cinema but wants to reiterate its support to the traditional mode of exhibition of cinema in France and in the world,” a statement from the festival said. “Consequently, and after consulting its members of the board, the Festival de Cannes has decided to adapt its rules to this unseen situation until now: any film that wishes to compete in competition at Cannes will have to commit itself to being distributed in French movie theaters. This new measure will apply  from the 2018 edition of the Festival International du Film de Cannes onwards.” 

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings responded to the ruling with an aggressive Facebook post saying, "the establishment closing ranks against us."

"Theatre chains want to block us," he added about the exhibitors that have issues with how Netflix does business.

This is the latest chapter in the tug of war Netflix has between delivering content to its subscribers and trying to build clout within Hollywood. 

Here Netflix has a major difference with its chief rival Amazon Studios, which has released its movies in a traditional manner, with exclusive theatrical windows before making titles available to stream. Amazon won two Oscars earlier this year with its acclaimed drama "Manchester By the Sea." 

Netflix struck out with an award-season hopeful in 2015, "Beasts of No Nation." It was blacklisted by most theater chains because it played in theaters while streaming simultaneously.

It will be interesting to see if the streaming giant will change course in its exhibition plans of the anticipated "The Irishman," Martin Scorsese's movie starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino that Netflix acquired. In making an award-season push, will it play by the industry's rules?

Since the movie probably won't come out until 2019 (it begins shooting in August), Netflix has some time to figure out a game plan. 

SEE ALSO: 27 TV shows that were just canceled

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Scientists discovered a new 'shin-destroying' armored dinosaur — and named it after Zuul from 'Ghostbusters'

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zuul portrait

When researchers at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) pieced together the fossilized 75-million-year-old bones of the ankylosaurid specimen they acquired last year, they noticed something strange.

The remarkably well-preserved armored dinosaur — which was a new species — bore an uncanny resemblance to an already existing fictional character: Zuul, from the 1984 film "Ghostbusters."

The dinosaur and fictional demon both have a "short, rounded snout and prominent horns behind the eyes," according to a statement from the museum.

Here's Zuul the dinosaur:

Zuul crurivastator

And here is Zuul, Gatekeeper of Gozer:

Zuul

The newly identified ankylosaurid's full name is Zuul crurivastator, with the species name translating to "destroyer of shins." The dinosaur belongs to a group of armored creatures that had massive, weapon-like clubs for tails. These tails were about 10 feet long and covered in spikes (so able to destroy the shins of any predators willing to take them on).

The Ontario researchers describe the creature in a new study published in the journal Royal Society of Open Science.

All in all, it was about 20 feet long, on par with a white rhinoceros.

Screen Shot 2017 05 10 at 1.59.34 PM

The armored herbivore's bones came from the Judith River Formation of Montana.

"The preservation of the fossil is truly remarkable. Not only is the skeleton almost completely intact, but large parts of the bony armor in the skin are still in its natural position," Dr. David Evans, Temerty Chair and Curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology at the Royal Ontario Museum, and leader of the project, said in a press release.

Those well-preserved bones helped confirm that this is indeed a new species.

"I’ve been working on ankylosaurs for years, and the spikes running all the way down Zuul’s tail were a fantastic surprise to me – like nothing I’ve ever seen in a North American ankylosaur," said Dr. Victoria Arbour, the lead author of the study. "It was the size and shape of the tail club and tail spikes, combined with the shape of the horns and ornaments on the skull, that confirmed this skeleton was a new species of ankylosaur."

It's been a good week for dinosaur discoveries. On May 9, researchers published a study identifying for the first time a creature that was discovered 20 years ago. It made the cover of National Geographic magazine at that time, but its species didn't get determined until now. That dinosaur, a type of giant oviraptor, resembled an ostrich and was about 25 feet long. It has been officially dubbed Beibeilong sinensis, or "baby dragon from China."

The "baby dragon" fossils are 90 million years old, so the two newly named dinos were not contemporaries and lived in different locations. But if they had ever come into contact, it's safe to say that Zuul's armor and tail could have helped protect it from the giant birdlike predator.

SEE ALSO: The largest dinosaur footprint ever found has been discovered in 'Australia's own Jurassic Park'

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NOW WATCH: 5 dinosaur eggs were just discovered at a construction site in China

Google just bought one of the top virtual reality studios (GOOG)

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Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-Ality

Google announced Wednesday that it bought Owlchemy Labs, one of the top virtual reality video game companies.

Owlchemy will join Google's Daydream division, which makes the Daydream VR headset and is also working on augmented reality.

The move signals that Google wants to build more VR content in house, even as rival Facebook closes its own VR studio, Oculus Story Studio. 

Owlchemy is best known for its VR game "Job Simulator," where you play a human doing menial jobs for robots. Yes, it's as weird as it sounds.

The company also recently released a new VR game based on the popular cartoon "Rick and Morty."

The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

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NOW WATCH: Chinese inventors show off the gladiator robot they want to use to challenge the US' 'Megabot'


Snapchat's new TV-style 'Shows' are drawing audiences of over 8 million people, according to CEO Evan Spiegel (SNAP)

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snap shows

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel is really excited about Snapchat's new TV-like "Shows," which he said Wednesday are "drawing audiences of over 8 million."

Snapchat's "Shows" are meant to be TV-quality videos that media partners like NBC and ESPN create for Snapchat, as opposed to videos repurposed from TV or other mobile platforms.

These shows live in the "Stories" section of Snapchat, under the "Shows" header. Spiegel said Snapchat is getting about one of these per day right now, but that this will grow through the end of the year. Snap wants about 2-3 shows to go up on the app each day, by the end of 2017, Snap previously confirmed to Business Insider.

A big piece of Snap's pitch to IPO investors in March was that Snapchat would be the place where TV advertising dollars would land, as they shifted to the digital realm. These "Shows" could be important for that goal, though Snapchat will be competing for consumers' viewing time with Facebook, YouTube, Amazon and Hulu, all of which are investing money in original content as well.

A recent report from The Wall Street Journal's Shalini Ramachandran shed some light on what form those shows will take. Here are some of the details:

  • These shows will be about 3-5 minutes long. That's important because Snap isn't paying money up front for them, but instead relying solely on an ad revenue split, Snap confirmed to Business Insider. The Journal reported that Snap is giving a 50-50 ad revenue split, which is lower than some partners are getting in its Discover section (Snap declined to comment on that figure).
  • Snap has been involved in the development of the shows, according to the Journal, which reported that Snap gave out "extensive and detailed notes" to TV partners. A Snap spokesperson told Business Insider that these kinds of notes were focused on how to make content work on the Snapchat platform, from more of a form-factor perspective than a creative one.
  • So what will these shows be about? Snapchat is looking for all kinds of shows, from reality to scripted, from news to horror. Snap has shows in the works from NBC, ESPN, the NFL, Turner, ABC, BBC, A&E, Discovery, Vice, and others, the company told Business Insider.

SEE ALSO: RANKED: Hulu's original shows, from best to worst

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Samantha Bee digs into the 'clusterf---' surrounding Trump's Comey firing

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Full Frontal TBS final

President Donald Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday is one of the biggest scandals yet to rock his administration. Which means another thing the late-night hosts can weave into comic gold.

And Samantha Bee did just that on Wednesday's "Full Frontal" when she recapped how the firing went down and what she described as the "clusterf---" that ensued.

"As of yesterday afternoon, the only FBI drama most Americans expected to unfold on TV were the upcoming seasons of 'Twin Peaks' and 'The X-Files,'" Bee joked. 

Vladimir Putin HockeyBut instead we witnessed a barrage of incredible details: Comey learning of his firing on television screens while in Los Angeles and being followed by news helicopters as the SUV he was in slowly crawled down the freeway back to his plane. Trump meeting with, of all people, former Secretary of State in the Nixon administration Henry Kissinger, the day after the firing, underlining the Nixion comparison made by many (Nixon fired a special prosecutor investigating Watergate). Russian President Vladimir Putin being interviewed about the firing while dressed to play a hockey game in, apparently, some kind of futuristic ice rink. And White House press secretary Sean Spicer hiding in bushes at the White House to keep away from the press.

Also, as Bee pointed out, CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin appearing on just about every show on the network saying that everything that's happening "is not normal."

But outside of all this, Bee noted that Trump has been relatively mild on Twitter, and it's "practically presidential."

"That's where we are!" she said. "The president is meeting with a war criminal, Putin is playing space hockey, and the press secretary is hiding in some shrubbery."

Watch Bee's entire segment on the Comey firing below:

SEE ALSO: 100 movies on Netflix that everyone needs to watch in their lifetime

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Stephen Colbert says he knows the real reason Trump fired James Comey

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stephen colbert donald trump james comey late show cbs

Much of the United States is trying to piece together why President Donald Trump unexpectedly fired FBI Director James Comey. But Stephen Colbert is pretty sure he knows Trump's motive.

"Firing Jim Comey, head of the FBI, really feels like Authoritarianism 101, which, by the way, a very difficult class. The professor is a total Nazi," the host said during his "Late Show" opening monologue on Wednesday.

Trump fired Comey on Tuesday with a letter to the FBI chief and attributed the action to his questionable management of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails. But Colbert, and many others, suspect that's just the cover for Trump's real reasoning. In the letter firing Comey, Trump also oddly mentioned the ongoing investigation into ties between Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election and Trump associates.

"The question is, 'Why did Trump do it?'" Colbert said. "Now, while it looks like Donald Trump fired James Comey to stop the Russian investigation... That is why. I'm pretty confident, because one thing we've learned from the last two years of Donald Trump is that what it seems like he's doing is exactly what he's doing. There's no grand strategy! He's not some puppet master. He's not some wizard playing three-dimensional chess. He's playing Hungry Hungry Hippos."

How could Colbert be so confident that Trump is trying to shut down the FBI investigation into Trump's team and Russia? Colbert claims to have obtained the early drafts of Trump's letter firing Comey.

Watch the videos below:

 

SEE ALSO: Stephen Colbert pulled off an epic 'Daily Show' reunion that'll make fans go nuts

DON'T MISS: Seth Meyers fires back at an email from Paul Ryan complaining about his show

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NOW WATCH: Here’s why some Democrats are comparing Comey’s firing to the Watergate scandal

The beloved 'Mass Effect' series is reportedly 'on ice' in the wake of the latest entry's whiff

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The "Mass Effect" series is, in many ways, the "Star Wars" of video games. It's a beloved franchise that pits good against evil, in varying shades of gray, all in the confines of infinite space.

It's got space ships, and space travel, and space aliens. It's got a "one-of-a-kind" hero, played by you, whose hope all life in the galaxy rests on.

Mass Effect: Andromeda

There's even an "original trilogy" that fans are especially fond of. But it's the newest game in the series, "Mass Effect: Andromeda," that's been divisive.

The game launched for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC back in March. It was not met with universal praise:

Mass Effect: Andromeda (Metacritic score)

While a 70 is still a perfectly reasonable score, it's a far cry from the high 80s and 90s of previous games in the franchise. "Andromeda" isn't a disaster by any means, but it's a comparative disaster for fans — the "Phantom Menace" of the franchise, if you will (though that's probably a bit strong).

In light of the "Andromeda" misstep, the game's publisher EA has reportedly, "put 'Mass Effect' on hiatus." That's according to a report from Kotaku, which cites "four sources close to the company."

Mass Effect: Andromeda

To be clear, that doesn't mean the "Mass Effect" series is being killed — just put on pause.

Often in game development, following the release of a successful game, the development team is immediately tasked with a follow-up. Maybe the team works on extra story content, like new missions; maybe the team works on new multiplayer stuff. Maybe the team gets to work on the early stages of a full-on sequel! 

In the case of "Mass Effect: Andromeda," it appears that BioWare Montreal — the team in charge of "Andromeda" — is being downsized. EA confirmed as much in the same Kotaku report: "With our BioWare and Motive teams sharing studio space in Montreal, we have BioWare team members joining Motive projects that are underway," EA said.

Mass Effect: Andromeda

It's not clear what this means for the future of the "Mass Effect" series, but it's hard to imagine EA straight up moth-balling the ridiculously popular franchise. What's most likely is EA spends a few years re-thinking the series, taking a critical look at the missteps in "Andromeda," and then hopefully gives it new life in the not-so-distant future. 

For now, though, it appears to be "on ice." 

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

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Seth Meyers: Trump's latest move was 'like something out of a dictatorship'

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Meyers

Seth Meyers took a lot of time on Wednesday night's "A Closer Look" segment on his "Late Night" show to talk about the firing of former FBI Director James Comedy, which he described as "a surreal and chaotic development that felt like something out of a dictatorship."

Meyers got into his reasoning for the comparison.

“While Trump may have the legal authority to fire Comey," Meyers said, “it’s the timing of this firing that’s obviously troubling because of the current FBI investigation into the Trump campaign ties with Russia. And it’s possible for an action to be suspicious because of its timing. For example, you buy your wife jewelry, it’s a lovely gesture. If you buy her jewelry after a boys’ weekend in Vegas, there’s gonna be some follow-up questions.”

After Comey learned of his firing via TV at an FBI office in Los Angeles, an official letter signed by Trump was hand-delivered to FBI headquarters by Trump’s personal bodyguard, Keith Schiller.

“Wow, that’s even worse than breaking up with a girl by text," Meyers said. “That's like breaking up with a girl in the chat feature on Words with Friends."

Meyers also showed actual news footage of Comey’s car being followed on a Los Angeles freeway, an image that resembled the O.J. Simpson chase, but was way less interesting.

“Because nothing says the press is keeping calm more than filming a car on an LA freeway,” Meyers said as an image of Simpson’s infamous white Ford Bronco appeared on the screen. 

Meyers then said that “nothing could top the truly laughable justification that Trump’s White House offered for firing Comey. They claimed it wasn’t Russia, but that they were upset with how Comey handled the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s emails during the election.”

After that, Meyers showed a clip of a CNN correspondent saying, “It’s like the White House is peeing on our leg and telling us that it’s raining outside.”

In a reference to notorious unverified intelligence memos, Meyers replied, “Said Trump, ‘That’s ridiculous, I don’t pee on people’s legs. You pay hookers for that. Ask Comey.’” 

Meyers pointed out that when Trump was first elected, he commented on how much attention Comey was getting from media. Meyers showed a clip of Trump blowing a kiss to Comey earlier this year, and referred to it as The Fredo, a "Godfather" reference.

“I knew it was you, Comey,” Meyers said. “If I had a heart, you would have broken it.”

And because the word “Nixonian” has been thrown around since the Comey firing, Meyers ended the segment by showing that “even the Nixon Presidential Library felt compelled to distance itself from Trump.” A tweet from the library's official account said, “FUN FACT: President Nixon never fired the Director of the FBI #FBIDirector #notNixonian.”

“Here’s another fun fact,” Meyers said. “You know it’s bad when even the Nixon library thinks you’re bad for their brand.”

You can watch the segment below:

 

SEE ALSO: Seth Meyers fires back at an email from Paul Ryan complaining about his show

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