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John Oliver has been sued by the coal baron he tried to take down, which he predicted would happen

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John Oliver

The coal magnate Robert Murray has filed a lawsuit against John Oliver, HBO, Time Warner, and the writers of Oliver's show over the most recent episode of "Last Week Tonight," The Daily Beast reports. In a segment on the show, Oliver took on Murray's business practices and the safety hazards of the coal industry at large.

Murray — who runs Murray Energy Corporation, the largest private coal company in the country — filed the suit Wednesday. It says Oliver's program "executed a meticulously planned attempt to assassinate the character of and reputation of Mr. Robert E. Murray and his companies."

In the segment, Oliver called Murray a "geriatric Dr. Evil" because of Murray Energy's weakened safety practices, which Oliver contended led to a collapse in one of Murray's Utah mines that killed nine workers in 2007.

Oliver predicted during the segment on Sunday that the lawsuit would occur. The "Last Week Tonight" host said Murray had a history of suing media outlets over unflattering coverage and that Murray previously sent a cease-and-desist letter when the show reached out to him for comment.

Murray's lawsuit argues that Oliver omitted mention of reports that an earthquake, rather than dangerous mining practices, caused the Utah mine collapse. Murray himself has cited an earthquake as the cause of the incident.

The suit mentions that Murray's bad health worsened after he saw the segment, "likely further reducing his already limited life expectancy due to his idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis."

Murray, an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, also takes issue with Oliver's political motivations in the suit, saying Oliver's program has "vigorously supported and advanced Mrs. Clinton's agenda."

According to Ken White, a First Amendment litigator in California who talked to The Daily Beast, Murray's suit is "frivolous and vexatious," and "any core of merit is buried in nonsense."

Watch the segment that prompted Murray's lawsuit:

SEE ALSO: John Oliver: Why 'Trump needs to stop lying to coal miners'

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NOW WATCH: 6 things that happen in 'House of Cards' season 5 that mirror the Trump presidency


Ron Howard is taking over the Han Solo 'Star Wars' movie

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Ron Howard Getty

After days of speculation, Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard has signed on to take over as director of Disney and Lucasfilm's untitled standalone Han Solo movie.

The announcement was posted on StarWars.com on Thursday.

Howard comes on the movie after its original directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller ("The Lego Movie"), were reportedly fired by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy over creative differences on the "Star Wars" film.

“At Lucasfilm, we believe the highest goal of each film is to delight, carrying forward the spirit of the saga that George Lucas began forty years ago,” Kennedy said in a statement. “With that in mind, we’re thrilled to announce that Ron Howard will step in to direct the untitled Han Solo film. We have a wonderful script, an incredible cast and crew, and the absolute commitment to make a great movie. Filming will resume the 10th of July.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, sources say Howard will soon meet with the actors — Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo, Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, alongside Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Thandie Newton, and Michael K. Williams — to settle everyone's nerves and see the rough edit.

The movie was scheduled to shoot for three and a half more weeks and there will be five weeks of reshoots. THR reports that the latter is common for most large franchise movies.

Howard has over 40 directing credits to his name, including 1995's "Apollo 13" and 2002's "A Beautiful Mind," which earned him a best directing Oscar. 

Phil Lord Chris Miller Getty finalThe move by Kennedy to fire Lord and Miller shocked many in Hollywood, as the duo was close to completing principal photography on the movie, which will follow the early years of Han Solo as a smuggler. Lord and Miller have also developed considerable clout after the success of "The Lego Movie."

It's still unclear how the director credit for the movie will be handled. If Lord and Miller take their names off the movie, they could potentially lose millions in residuals. However, it's not the Directors Guild of America's preference to list three names for a director credit. 

The untitled Han Solo movie is still slated for a May 25, 2018 release.

SEE ALSO: Everything we knew about the about the Han Solo movie directors being fired — and what happens next to the "Star Wars" spinoff

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NOW WATCH: Marvel just dropped the first trailer for 'Black Panther'

DreamWorks cofounder Jeffrey Katzenberg wants to bring the 'James Patterson' model to TV — and he has nearly $600 million to do it

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Jeffrey Katzenberg Lucy Liu

Jeffrey Katzenberg, the cofounder of DreamWorks Animation and former Disney Studios chairman, is looking to build the “new TV” in bite-sized pieces that draw inspiration from pop authors like James Patterson, and are designed to be watched on your smartphone.

Earlier this year, SEC filings revealed that Katzenberg had raised nearly $600 million for a new venture called WndrCo, which would sit somewhere at the intersection of tech and entertainment. And on Thursday at Cannes Lions, Katzenberg outlined a bit of what he’s trying to do with WndrCo.

Katzenberg pointed to authors like Dan Brown and James Patterson, who he called “genius” for pioneering a new way people consumed the novel, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He said he wanted to do a similar thing with TV.

What will that look like?

Katzenberg said he’s looking to make ad-supported shows that have short, chapter-like episodes of around 6- to 10-minutes. These will have the production quality of “premium” shows. The examples he used were streaming shows like Netflix’s “House of Cards,” at around $200,000 a minute, and HBO’s "Game of Thrones," at $300,000 a minute, according to THR.

These shows will be designed to be viewed on your smartphone, whose ubiquity is a big reason why Katzenberg thinks there’s a market for this type of show in the first place.

“We have these devices with us the entire day and an incredible amount of in-between time,” he said. WndrCo will fill those 6- to 10-minute bits of downtime you have.

Katzenberg didn’t say whether these shows will be part of a separate platform, or be licensed to existing streaming services like Netflix and Amazon.

SEE ALSO: Here's what you get when Netflix fires you

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NOW WATCH: HBO released an incredible, action-packed trailer for 'Game of Thrones' season 7

Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler brought back an 'SNL' sketch to mock Trump supporters

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Meyers Poehler Late Night Really!?!

On Wednesday night’s “Late Night,” Amy Poehler joined host Seth Meyers to make fun of President Donald Trump supporters who’ve been protesting the production of "Julius Caesar" at Shakespeare in the Park in New York City. In the production, Caesar intentionally looks like Trump.

According to Meyers, one protester said that he charged the stage “to protect the president’s life.” Then Meyers introduced the segment, “Really!?! With Seth and Amy.” Amy Poehler joined Meyers at his desk, to loud and long applause. When Poehler and Meyers cohosted "Weekend Update" on “Saturday Night Live,” “Really!?!” was one of their most popular segments.

“Really, protester?” Poehler said. “Now, let me get this right. You waited in line to get tickets to a play you already hated and then you watched it for three hours, and then you ran on stage to protest but not the president, someone who was dressed like the president from getting pretend stabbed with a fake knife. Really? I commend you. If you want to change this country, you just can’t sit around your house, yelling at the TV. You have to get out there and yell at a play. Really? You know what? You’ve made actors so upset, that Daniel Day-Lewis has quit now. You made Lincoln quit!”

Meyers added, “If this portrayal was offensive to anyone, it’s Caesar. Caesar was beloved by the Roman Empire. To put it another way, he won the popular vote. He was so popular we don’t use his name for pizza, we use it for pizza-pizza. The only thing Caesar and Trump have in common is they both have casinos named after them. And really, you could tell that Caesar wasn’t really Trump because the Senate stabbed him instead of just passing a sh--ty healthcare bill.”

You can watch the entire segment below:

 

SEE ALSO: The 'Wonder Woman' cinematographer explains how he pulled off its most miraculous scene

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NOW WATCH: This man played Barney the dinosaur for 10 years — here's what it was like

The first 'Spider-Man' game in years is a gorgeous PlayStation 4 exclusive — take a look

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Despite his vast popularity as a comic book and movie star, "Spider-Man" has been notoriously absent from the world of video games for years. That's about to change.

Spider-Man (PlayStation 4)

In 2018, the game studio behind classics like "Ratchet & Clank" is planning to release the first major "Spider-Man" game in years. That image above? That's the actual game! 

Here's everything we know about Spidey's next big swing on game consoles.

SEE ALSO: This PlayStation 4 game looks eerily realistic — you have to see for yourself

DON'T MISS: After 14 years, one of the best games of all time is finally getting a sequel — here's what we know

First and foremost: This is the classic Peter Parker/Spider-Man you already know and love.

This isn't an origin story, or a new spin on the classic formula — this is a familiar "Spider-Man." Here's how the game's creative director, Bryan Intihar, describes it:

"Our Spider-Man features a 23-year-old Peter Parker who has become a masterful Spider-Man. While he may be more experienced, Peter and Spider-Man’s worlds continue to collide as he tries to juggle them."



He can stick to walls. He can shoot webs. He's got super-strength.



And yes, he lives in New York City. See the new One World Trade Center in the distance?



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The biggest hit song the year you were born

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Beatles For Sale

Whenever you were born, there was a song you couldn't get away from.

We don't think about it much, but the music playing around us as we grow up is ingrained with us for life. Whether it's Elvis Presley's '50s hits, baby-boomer classics like The Beatles' "Hey Jude," or George Michael in the '80s, for their respective generations, and usually more, they'll always be around.

While standards and novelty songs were common reaching back to radio's early peak, rock and then hip-hop slowly encroached, to the point that they're now basically in everything we hear, even if not directly. Though a throwback crooner like Pharrell's "Happy" can still light up the charts.

Billboard has been tracking the top song of each year in its annual charts since 1946. Business Insider compiled each hit below so you can see, and hear, what was the soundtrack of your birth year.

Check out what made it to the top of each year below:

SEE ALSO: RANKED: The 20 best albums of 2017 so far, according to critics

2016: Justin Bieber, "Love Yourself"

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2015: Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, "Uptown Funk!"

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2014: Pharrell Williams, "Happy"

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Every Michael Bay movie, ranked from worst to best

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Michael Bay Francois Durand Getty final

Love him or hate him, director Michael Bay has spent the last two decades completely dominating the box office.

Though he’s a punching bag for critics, Bay’s movies — from the action-comedy “Bad Boys” to the thrilling “Armageddon” — have grossed over $2.1 billion at the United States box office in his career. Only Steven Spielberg has brought in more coin.

The divide between critics and audiences is most obvious with Bay’s “Transformers” movies. Though the highest-ranking of any of the movies on Rotten Tomatoes only has a 57% score ("Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"), the franchise, entirely directed by Bay, has taken in over $3 billion worldwide

With Bay’s latest, “Transformers: The Last Knight” (currently in theaters), marking the final time he’ll helm a movie in the franchise (or so he says), we thought this would be a good time to look back on his profitable, yet underappreciated, career.

Here are all of the movies of Michael Bay, ranked from worst to best:

SEE ALSO: The "Wonder Woman" cinematographer explains how he pulled off its most miraculous scene

13. “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (2009)

Though most felt Bay and star Shia LaBeouf did an impressive job kicking off the franchise with 2007’s “Transformers,” the sequel didn’t give audiences hope that the movies would get any better. With a 19% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the sequel started the critical bashing of the franchise that continues to this day.

“Revenge of the Fallen” is best known for it marking the last time Megan Fox would appear in the movies. She was fired for saying in an interview that working with Bay is a “nightmare” and for comparing him to Hitler



12. “Pearl Harbor” (2001)

Having just come off of the blockbuster “Armageddon,” Bay could do no wrong in the eyes of Hollywood. And with that power he went and made a three-hour movie about Pearl Harbor. The problem was, it was awful.

Starring Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, and Kate Beckinsale, this epic may be cool to look at, but the story it tells is a complete bore.



11. “Transformers: Age of Extinction” (2014)

The beginning of the Mark Wahlberg era of the franchise, the film has little to enjoy and clocks in at a mind-numbing 2 hours and 45 minutes. But audiences didn’t seem to care — the movie took in over $1 billion worldwide



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The fired Han Solo directors believed they were hired to 'make a comedy'

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Phil Lord Chris Miller Getty final

On Thursday, Lucasfilm announced that Oscar-winner Ron Howard would be taking over the directing reins of the untitled Han Solo movie following Tuesday's shocking news that its original directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller ("The Lego Movie," "21 Jump Street"), were fired.

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, who is also a producer on the movie, would only go so far as to say in a statement that both sides had "creative differences," a term often used in Hollywood when a falling out occurs.

But what were those differences? 

Entertainment Weekly is reporting that the main friction between the directing duo and the Lucasfilm brass was the level of comedy in the movie.

Han Solo, the legendary space smuggler from the "Star Wars" saga, was always played with a sarcastic humor by its original actor, Harrison Ford. So the idea that a movie focused on a younger version of the character, to be played by Alden Ehrenreich, would have some laughs.

But according to what sources tell EW, the duo thought they were making a full-on comedy.

"They thought they were brought on to make a Phil and Chris movie," said a source. Or as EW writer Anthony Breznican put it: "Lucasfilm and producer Kennedy believed Lord and Miller were hired to add a comedic touch; Lord and Miller believed they were hired to make a comedy."

Lord and Miller allowed their actors, which includes comic Donald Glover playing Solo's friend Lando Calrissian, to improvise, sources told EW. In some cases the directing duo significantly changed parts of the story while shooting on set.

Kathleen Kennedy Gustavo Caballero GettyIn the world of "Star Wars," this is a major no-no, going all the way back to when George Lucas oversaw the franchise. So when Kennedy and her team saw dailies and found actors improvising and scenes being shot not as they were planned on the page, the relationship began to sour.

EW learned that when reshoots were planned, Lord and Miller began to push back, believing they had found the right movie, and it deviated greatly from what screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan ("The Empire Strikes Back," "The Force Awakens") had penned.

Lord and Miller were told they were fired on Monday.

This is an example of two sides that were not right from the start. It would be hard to imagine Kennedy and her team didn't realize how Lord and Miller work. Perhaps the thinking at Lucasfilm was that the duo were flexible to toe the line and play by the "Star Wars" rules. Clearly that wasn't the case.

The firing of Lord and Miller came as a shock to many because, up until this week, there weren't any signs that there were troubles with the movie. As many are looking back for hints, i09 caught something Lord said at last year's Star Wars Celebration when talking about the character of Han Solo:

"I sort of relate to him. He doesn’t want to do anything that he’s told. When told not to do something, it makes him want to do it more."

That has a whole new meaning today. 

SEE ALSO: Ron Howard is taking over the Han Solo "Star Wars" movie

Join the conversation about this story »

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'He already paid a price and suffered': One of Cosby's jurors explains his thinking on the mistrial

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Cosby

One of the jurors in Bill Cosby's sexual assault trial told a reporter that the comedian had "already paid a price and suffered."

Back in 2015, famed comedian Bill Cosby was charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault in relation to allegations that he drugged and molested a Canadian basketball player in 2004.

On June 17, the judge in Cosby's case declared a mistrial after the 12-person jury spent six days and more than 50 hours trying to reach a unanimous decision.

The case, which led to dozens of women coming forward with similar accusations of being given drugs and then assaulted, led to a sharp divide between those who chose to believe the victims and Cosby supporters. 

Aaron Martin, a reporter for WPXI news station in Pittsburgh, tweeted that one of the jurors in the case told him that "whatever the man did, he's already paid a price and suffered."

According to Martin, the juror, who wished to remain anonymous, said that at one point the jurors were divided 10-2 before some had changed their minds. He did not reveal whether most felt that Cosby was guilty or innocent.

Benedict Morelli, a trial attorney who represented Tracy Morgan in the case against Wal-Mart, told Business Insider that despite the court's best efforts, celebrity status often ends up influencing the outcome of such trials.

"It's very, very hard for juries to work on cases where someone is loved by so many people," Morelli said in an earlier interview.

After the judge declared the mistrial, Cosby’s publicist said that his client has been “restored” by the legal system. “Mr. Cosby’s power is back,” said Andrew Wyatt. “It’s back. He has been restored.”

SEE ALSO: Bill Cosby chanted 'Hey, hey, hey!' in Fat Albert's refrain as he exited the courthouse of his sexual assault trial

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 'Melania needs to get with the program’: Ian Bremmer explains the biggest takeaways from Trump’s first foreign trip

Chance the Rapper apologizes to Dr. Dre for mocking his record label

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chance the rapper dr dre

Chance the Rapper, the first independent, streaming-only artist to win a Grammy, has apologized to Dr. Dre for mocking Dre's Aftermath label and other music institutions on his 2017 Be Encouraged tour

On the tour, Chance played his anti-label single "No Problem" while the screen behind him projected parody names of various music labels. Def Jam became "Don't Join," and Dre's Aftermath read "Can't Do Math," Pitchfork reports

Chance took to Twitter on Thursday to apologize specifically to Dr. Dre, a legendary figure in hip-hop, and Aftermath for "publicly disrespecting their hard work and contributions to music."

"Dre is a premier example of creating space for wealth and ownership in an industry designed for creatives to be the foot soldiers," Chance wrote of the Aftermath CEO and former member of N.W.A.

"I set out to empower and I completely missed the ball and I know that now," Chance added. "Once again Sorry to Dre, all the artists/producers at Aftermath and all the other folk trying to make a difference in music that I belittled."

Read Chance's tweets below:

SEE ALSO: RANKED: The 20 best albums of 2017 so far, according to critics

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NOW WATCH: Here's how Jay Z and Beyoncé spend their $1.16 billion

Judges uphold ruling that 'Making a Murderer' subject Brendan Dassey should be freed

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brendan dassey

CHICAGO (AP) — The confession of a Wisconsin inmate featured in the Netflix series “Making a Murderer” was improperly obtained and he should be released from prison, a three-judge federal appeals panel ruled Thursday.

Brendan Dassey was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 in photographer Teresa Halbach’s death on Halloween two years earlier. Dassey told detectives he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill Halbach in the Avery family’s Manitowoc County salvage yard. Avery was sentenced to life in a separate trial.

A federal magistrate judge ruled in August that investigators coerced Dassey, who was 16 years old at the time and suffered from cognitive problems, into confessing and overturned his conviction. The state Justice Department appealed the ruling to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a move that kept Dassey, now 27, behind bars pending the outcome.

A three-judge panel from the Chicago-based 7th Circuit upheld the magistrate’s decision to overturn his conviction. State attorneys’ only recourse now is the U.S. Supreme Court. They could also elect to re-try Dassey.

Avery and Dassey contend they were framed by police angry with Avery for suing Manitowoc County over his wrongful conviction for sexual assault. Avery spent 18 years in prison in that case before DNA tests showed he didn’t commit the crime. He’s pursuing his own appeal in state court.

Their cases gained national attention in 2015 after Netflix aired “Making a Murderer,” a multi-part documentary looking at Halbach’s death, the ensuing investigation and trials. The series sparked widespread conjecture about the pair’s innocence and has garnered them a massive following on social media pushing for their release.

Authorities who worked on the cases insisted the documentary is biased. Ken Kratz, the prosecutor, wrote in his book “Avery” that Dassey was “a shuffling, mumbling young man with bad skin and broken-bowl haircut” who could have saved Halbach’s life but instead involved himself in her rape and murder and Avery is “by any measure of the evidence, stone guilty.”

SEE ALSO: 'Making a Murderer' subject Brendan Dassey's homicide conviction has been overturned

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NOW WATCH: Ivanka Trump's Instagram put her at the center of a controversy over her lavish art collection

Buying an Xbox One makes more sense than ever, but there's still one huge problem: the PlayStation 4 (MSFT)

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If you haven't bought an Xbox One or PlayStation 4 yet, you're in luck: They're both cheaper than ever at $250. The time is ripe!

Xbox One S

That's a straight up 50% reduction in price from the original asking price of the Xbox One, and a major discount for the PlayStation 4. And since both consoles launched back in 2013, each has a fully stocked library of games to enjoy. Better yet: Many of those games have dropped in price as well.

That all begs one obvious question: Which console to buy? The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are nearly identical in most ways: 

  • They cost the same amount of money.
  • They play many of the same games.
  • Both act as set-top boxes, with apps for Netflix, Spotify, YouTube, and whatever else you could want.
  • Both have online services that cost the same amount of money and offer similar things (online multiplayer, "free" games each month). 
  • They can both stream games to the internet without any additional hardware.
  • Even the controllers are nearly identical, save for a few bells and whistles.

What really differentiates the consoles at this point is a handful of "exclusive" games. Some folks love "Halo," and the only place to play "Halo" games is on Xbox. Some folks love "Uncharted," and the only place to play "Uncharted" games is on PlayStation. 

But, as demonstrated last week during the annual E3 video game trade show, Microsoft still doesn't have the kind of big exclusive games that people want. 

uncharted 4

Microsoft's hour-long presentation highlighted the company's new, more powerful Xbox One X, and it did so through the scope of dozens of games. In total, Microsoft showed 42 titles during the presentation ("22 with console exclusivity," Microsoft's Xbox lead Phil Spencer pointed out to me in an interview).

Of those 42 games, I'm hard-pressed to identify what people should be excited for on Xbox One this holiday.

To be clear, I'm not talking about the Assassin's Creeds and Call of Dutys of the world — those games are on both Xbox One and PlayStation 4. No one is buying an Xbox One instead of a PlayStation 4 because of these types of games. I'm talking about marquee titles you can play only on Xbox One. In years past, games like "Halo 5: Guardians" and "Rise of the Tomb Raider" were the obvious standouts. In 2017? 

"Crackdown 3" and "Sea of Thieves" lead the charge. Huh? 

Crackdown 3

Neither of these games looks bad— they both look quite fun, actually! But neither is the kind of game that sells many game consoles, and that's a problem for Microsoft considering how far behind the Xbox One is in sales compared with the PlayStation 4. It's also a problem for the launch of the new Xbox One X, which arrives on November 7 and launches with "Crackdown 3," "Sea of Thieves," and a new "Forza" racing game. Diehard Xbox fans may rejoice, but these are the types of games that sell a few million units apiece and don't inspire people to buy game consoles.

Even the magnificent "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds," which Microsoft locked in as a "console exclusive" (the game is already available on PC, but will also arrive on the Xbox One later this year) is unlikely to move too many Xbox One consoles. It's a fantastic game, and has the potential to explode even more than it already has, but it's still relatively obscure compared to what Sony showed off at E3 2017.

God of War (2018)

While much of Sony's PlayStation 4 lineup at E3 featured games that don't arrive until 2018 (including "God of War," seen above), it showcased a lineup full of major exclusive games. It probably wasn't 22, and many may not arrive this year, but the lineup included many heavy-hitters: a new entry in the "Uncharted" series, a major expansion to "Horizon Zero Dawn," an exclusive Spider-Man game, and a brand-new, ridiculously pretty game named "Detroit: Become Human."

This is stuff people want to play, and stuff that will get people buying consoles. 

Detroit: Become Human

In the longer term, Microsoft assuredly has a new entry in the "Halo" series in the works. It's also likely that there's another entry in the "Gears of War" series on the way — two major franchises that are locked to Microsoft's platforms. Moreover, they're the reason why people buy Xbox consoles. And hey, if you're a racing fan, having "Forza Motorsport" as an exclusive is a genuinely big deal. 

But, for most people, the console to buy this holiday — and in general, really — remains the PlayStation 4.

SEE ALSO: Now is a great time to be a Nintendo fan

DON'T MISS: I played Nintendo's insane new 'Super Mario' game for the Switch — here's what it was like in person

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Watch Microsoft announce the next Xbox — Xbox One X

Most Americans would rather stay home than go to the movies and it's especially true this summer

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Despicable Me 3

There are some big, expensive movies coming out this summer, including another Spider-Man reboot and the latest "Transformers," but enthusiasm for them among Americans is lacking.

According to a poll from our partner, MSN, people aren’t that excited for summer 2017’s biggest movies — and the one they’re most excited about might come as a surprise.

MSN polls its readers, and then uses machine learning to model how a representative sample of the United States would have responded, using big data, such as the Census. It's nearly as accurate as a traditional, scientific survey.

MSN asked its readers how interested they were in some of 2017’s biggest summer movies in two categories. Those break down into action movies (“Spider-man: Homecoming,” “Transformers: The Last Knight,” “War for the Planet of the Apes”) and kids' movies (“Despicable Me 3,” “The Emoji Movie,” “The Lego Ninjago Movie”).

The poll separated the MSN audience into groups depending on how often they go to the movies, ranging from never to once a week or more. Among everyone, 69% said none of the action movies sounded good, and 60% said none of the kids titles sounded good.

People are most excited for "Despicable Me 3." 51% of regular moviegoers are excited, and 21% of people who never go to the movies are excited, which is huge compared to their 1% interest in "The Emoji Movie."

The action movie people are most excited to see this summer is "Spider-Man: Homecoming," but excitement is low compared to "Despicable Me 3." Of regular moviegoers, 25% are excited about the reboot, and 28% of people who go to the movies a couple times a month are excited about it.

Of all the movies, people are least excited about "The Emoji Movie" and "Transformers: The Last Knight." The latter, as it happens, is already getting terrible reviews, though the four "Transformers" movies so far have made a total of about $4 billion worldwide.

The charts below show how interested (or uninterested) the MSN audience is in this summer’s biggest movies.

MSN Summer 2017 movies poll

MSN Summer 2017 Movies poll

At the same time, movie theater attendance has been declining for years. From 2006 to 2015, movie theater attendance in North America has declined from 4.4 billion admissions to 3.8 billion. 

Movie Theater Attendance

MSN's data shows the low level of interest in new movies could be due to streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, HBOGo, and iTunes, along with regular old TV. It's much easier (and cheaper) to wait until you can watch a movie from the comfort of your own couch. 

When asked if they would rather go to the movies or watch something at home, 78% of respondents said they would prefer to stay home. Only 15% said they would like to go out to the movie theater.

SEE ALSO: 35 movies coming out this summer that you need to see

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This man played Barney the dinosaur for 10 years — here's what it was like

Johnny Depp jokes about Trump: 'When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?'

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johnny depp glastonbury

While appearing at Glastonbury Festival's Cineramageddon in Britain, Johnny Depp steered into US politics in front of an audience of 1,500, the Guardian reported on Thursday. Depp jokingly riffed on a hypothetical assassination of President Donald Trump.

“It is just a question – I’m not insinuating anything," Depp said, according to the Guardian. "By the way, this is going to be in the press. It will be horrible. I like that you are all a part of it."

Depp continued: “When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?”

It was 1865, when John Wilkes Booth killed President Abraham Lincoln.

“I want to qualify, I am not an actor. I lie for a living," Depp said. "However, it has been a while and maybe it is time," he said.

Depp was originally at the event to introduce his 2004 film, "The Libertine," a movie about the second Earl of Rochester, with director Julian Temple.

Similar suggestions have propagated since Trump won the 2016 election.

The Public Theater in New York recently staged Shakespeare's Julius Caesar depicting President Donald Trump as Caesar, complete with over-the-top blond hair and a wife with a Slavic accent. Caesar is later assassinated in the production.

Comedian Kathy Griffin received fierce criticism last month for her depiction of a fake severed head that resembled Trump.

SEE ALSO: Shakespeare scholar: Critics of Trump assassination in NYC production of Julius Caesar are missing a crucial point

Join the conversation about this story »

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'Game of Thrones' fans picked their favorite villains, heroes, seasons — and which deaths were most satisfying

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white walker

The new season of HBO's iconic hit "Game of Thrones" is coming back next month, and hype is reaching a fever pitch.

A new trailer dropped this week, and if you haven't checked it out, you definitely should. (You should probably read our second-by-second breakdown of the footage as well.)

In honor of the new season, reviews-aggregator Rotten Tomatoes conducted a poll for Business Insider of over 1,00o "Game of Thrones" fans for a nice retrospective on topics like which seasons were the best (and worst), who fans want to see on the Iron Throne, and who is the greatest villain.

While the saddest death might not surprise you — clearly Hodor (tear) — many of the questions saw close battles for the top answer.

Here are the results of the Rotten Tomatoes survey:

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Best season: 6

  1. Season 6… 30%
  2. Season 4… 23%
  3. Season 1… 19%
  4. Season 3… 14%
  5. Season 5… 9%
  6. Season 2… 4%


Worst season: 5 (closely followed by 2)

  1. Season 5… 28%
  2. Season 2… 27%
  3. Season 3… 18%
  4. Season 4… 10%
  5. Season 6… 8% (tie)
  1. Season 1… 8% (tie)


Most shocking death: Ned Stark by a mile

  1. Eddard “Ned” Stark (Season 1)… 25%
  2. Jon Snow (Season 5)… 18%
  3. Robb Stark (Season 3)… 14%


See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Why critics say 'Transformers: The Last Knight' is '2017's most toxic movie'

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Transformers The Last Knight 2 Paramount final

"Transformers: The Last Knight," the fifth movie in Michael Bay's already critically maligned franchise, is out this week, and the reviews aren't looking good. 

The movie has a 15% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and critics are having a field day with their creatively harsh criticisms of what might be the worst movie in the franchise and one of the worst movies of the year. 

Critics agree that the story is hard to follow, and it's just not as much fun as the previous films, and some critics suggest that this is likely because Michael Bay just doesn't particularly care anymore. 

Here are some of the things critics are saying about "Transformers: The Last Knight":

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The story is so complex that it’s impossible to explain or comprehend.

"I am not going to try to explain the story — after watching this movie I may never try to explain another story ever again." —Observer

"A movie that is at once loud yet incoherent, complex yet idiotic, and expensive yet worthless." —Star-Telegram

"Either this movie is dumb or I am." —ScreenCrush

 



It makes other bad movies look good.

"2017's Most Toxic Movie" Rolling Stone

"Every time Michael Bay directs another Transformers abomination (this is the fifth), the movies die a little. This one makes the summer's other blockbuster misfires look like masterpieces." —Rolling Stone



It feels like Michael Bay no longer cares if the movies in this franchise are any good.

"Perhaps the most dispiriting thing about this entry in this already-quite-dispiriting franchise is that Bay does not particularly seem to care one way or another this time." —Paste

"Michael Bay is back with another mammoth budget to throw at the screen in the latest Transformers monstrosity." —The Independent



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The new 'Assassin's Creed' looks like the series' best entry in years

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The new "Assassin's Creed" game looks like the best entry in years. 

Assassin's Creed Origins

It's called "Assassin's Creed Origins," and it's set during one of history's most fascinating periods: Ptolemaic Egypt. That's the era when Egypt's millennia-spanning empire began to fall, while Rome — led by Julius Caesar — conquered more and more of Western civilization. 

It's also, according to "Assassin's Creed Origins," the period when the "Assassin's Brotherhood" was conceived. That alternative history is what you'll play when the game arrives this October. Here's what we know so far!

SEE ALSO: After 14 years, one of the best games of all time is finally getting a sequel — here's what we know

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"Assassin's Creed Origins" is assuredly the most attractive game in the series to date. Just look at this:



The game's open world is meant to showcase various aspects of Egyptian civilization. There are a few major cities:





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One coder recreated the first level of 'Super Mario Bros' in augmented reality and played it in Central Park

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Super Mario AR

After Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the company's ARKit during last month's Worldwide Developers Conference, it became clear that augmented reality was on its way towards becoming mainstream. It may arrive sooner than expected, however, thanks to one enterprising programmer. 

28-year-old developer Abhishek Singh has recreated the entire first level from Nintendo's "Super Mario Bros." for Microsoft HoloLens using Unity3D. The coder, a graduate from NYU's Tisch school, took his creation to Central Park in New York City to demonstrate how it works. 

Clad in a homemade Mario costume, Singh recorded himself walking down a pathway in the park, jumping on any Goombas and Koopa Troopas that crossed his path. The life-sized game even features the Fire Flower, which allowed Singh to launch fireballs by gesturing with his hands where he wanted them to go. 

According to Singh, there was no post-production work done on his recording. 

Check out the augmented reality "Super Mario Bros." experience below. 

SEE ALSO: Apple CEO Tim Cook is so excited about augmented reality that he wants to 'yell out and scream'

Join the conversation about this story »

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Kit Harington's 'Game of Thrones' audition was so 'mind-blowingly good,' the casting director forgot about his black eye

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Kit Harington

The INSIDER Summary:

  • Kit Harington plays Jon Snow on "Game of Thrones."
  • He's told an amazing story about showing up for his audition with a black eye.
  • Harington says he got into a fight at a McDonald's the night before.
  • But "Game of Thrones" casting director Nina Gold told INSIDER that she doesn't recall the black eye.
  • She only remembers Harington being "mind-blowingly good." 


"Game of Thrones" star Kit Harington had quite the experience auditioning for his role of Jon Snow. According to a 2016 interview with W Magazine, Harington showed up to the audition with a black eye after getting into a fight at a McDonald's the night before.

And though Harington credits the black eye with helping him land the role of a brooding Jon Snow, the casting director doesn't even remember the dramatic appearance.

"I'm afraid I don't recall his black eye," Gold told INSIDER recently. "All I remember is that he was really, really mind-blowingly good."

Gold has been behind nearly every casting choice for "Game of Thrones" and she's an award-winning member of the Casting Society of America.

Jon Snow Game of Thrones

Gold first spotted Harington when he was starring in a 2009 London production of "Warhorse." She brought him in for an audition, and the rest was history. 

"I remember that he was quite tired, because he'd been doing eight shows a week in 'Warhorse' for a year," Gold said. "Then he started doing the audition and playing Jon Snow and he was completely brilliant. I do recall the emotional impact of his audition and being blown away. Kit is a phenomenal actor."

The fact that Harington's lasting impression is one of emotional impact and not the black eye he was sporting says a lot about the actor. 

According to Harington's version of events, he was out with a girl the night before his audition and they stopped at a McDonald's for some food. When a man they were seated next to began verbally insulting his date, Harington stood up and effectively called him up for a fight. 

Unfortunately the man turned out to be much taller than Harington, which led to the future Jon Snow being clobbered in a McDonald's.

Watch Harington explain the tale behind the shiner in the interview with W magazine below:

Join the conversation about this story »

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The insane workouts Alison Brie did to get in shape for her new show

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Glow Netflix final

At 5'3", Alison Brie seems like the last person who could play a convincing professional wrestler, but her trainer is here to tell you she's the real deal. 

For Brie's new show, Netflix's "GLOW" (available June 23), the funny actress busted her butt for months with trainer Jason Walsh to not just look the part, but also to actually withstand the rigors of playing one of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling.

"Alison did all her stunts," Walsh recently told Business Insider. "I'll tell you right now, I've worked with a lot of people and she's a little bad a--."

In "GLOW," Brie stars as Ruth Wilder, a struggling actress who gets invited to audition along with 12 other women for the professional wrestling promotion Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (G.L.O.W.), which was indeed a real promotion started in the '80s.

Walsh, who's worked with everyone from Emily Blunt on "Edge of Tomorrow" to Matt Damon for "Jason Bourne," put together a workout plan for Brie that was a mix of cardio and strength training four days a week (often with a workout in the morning and afternoon each day) so her body could take the abuse.

"Alison would be jumping off ropes and landing on people and flipping. I wanted to get her resilient so she didn't run the risk of injury," Walsh said. "The science of training has really shifted the past decade to that more than glamour muscles." 

Walsh did this through two different workout methods of his creation: Rise Movement, which is one-on-one strength training, and Rise Nation, a cardio class in which clients use a VersaClimber.

Here's a glimpse at the exercises Walsh put Brie through:

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Heavy bag slams

Here's Brie (center) with Molly McQueen (left) and Mika Kelly (right) doing this insane workout.

"This is a full-body, explosive workout for conditioning," Walsh said.

They would do 6 sets of 5 reps.

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Deadlifts

Another full-body workout. Walsh said Brie was deadlifting 165 pounds and did 6 sets of 3-5 reps.

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Farmer walks

"Great way to get the body warmed up," Walsh said. Brie held onto 65-pound dumbbells and did 45-second walks for 3-4 sets.

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