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Every Christopher Nolan movie, ranked from worst to best

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Dunkirk 4 Warner Bros final

Christopher Nolan has done everything from making imaginatively complex dramas about the heights people will go after losing a loved one ("Memento" and "The Prestige"), to resurrecting a comic book franchise for the big screen with sophistication ("The Dark Knight" movies).

Now with his latest movie, "Dunkirk," he takes on his first-ever war epic.

To celebrate his best movie in years opening on Friday, we look back on the incredible feature film work of Nolan, and in the process, go through the agonizing process of trying to rank them.

Here are all the Christopher Nolan movies, ranked from worst to best: 

SEE ALSO: Christopher Nolan explains the biggest challenge in making his latest movie "Dunkirk" into an "intimate epic"

10. “Insomnia” (2002)

Following the success of his breakthrough hit, "Memento," Nolan was quickly snatched up by Hollywood. Steven Soderbergh pulled him into Warner Bros. and that led to Nolan directing this thriller, starring Al Pacino and Robin Williams. Seeing Williams in the rare bad-guy role was intriguing. But Pacino looking super tired the entire movie, while playing a cop trying to solve a murder in an Alaska town with perpetual daylight, didn't help an already slow-burn story. But we highly recommend the original Norwegian movie it's based on. 



9. "Following" (1998)

Nolan's feature debut is unique right out of the gate: A writer who gets his material by following strangers around. Of course, things get more complex, like when he is put under the wing of a thief. This black-and-white movie shows hints of Nolan's greatness from the surprise reveals in the story, to the use of music. 



8. "Interstellar" (2014)

Perhaps Nolan's most ambitious movie to date, his "2001"-like epic look into space even confused the most hardcore of Nolan fans. Perhaps too smart for its own good, it's certainly a movie that will gain more acclaim as new generations come across it.



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Anti-gay threats, Geiger counters, and insecurities about John Oliver: HBO's journey to interview the Chechen president

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Real Sports Kadyrov HBO

On Tuesday's episode of HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel,” correspondent David Scott got the rare opportunity to speak to pugnacious Chechen Republic head Ramzan Kadyrov.

The result was an explosive encounter in which Kadyrov voiced his hatred for the West, and approved the alleged capturing, torturing, and killing of gay men in Chechnya.

“We don’t have any gays,” Kadyrov told Scott in the segment. “If there are any, take them to Canada. Praise be to God. Take them far away from us. To purify our blood, if there are any here, take them.”

When Scott asked Kadyrov if he believed America was an enemy of his country, Kadyrov replied:

“America is not really a strong enough state for us to regard it as an enemy of Russia. We have a strong government and are a nuclear superpower. Even if they completely destroy our government, our nuclear missiles will launch automatically. We will turn the whole world over to screw it from behind.”

Scott and his crew went to Chechnya on two occassions to get the Kadyrov interview, one of the few times the leader has allowed a Western journalist to talk to him.

Along with getting Kadyrov’s controversial comments, Scott also delved into how Kadyrov’s state-run mixed martial arts (MMA) program, Akhmat MMA, has been a breeding ground for his military (over 5,000 have signed up in the last two years).

Putin and Kadyrov

Stood up by Kadyrov

Scott’s interest in Kadyrov started last fall, when news circulated of an Instagram post the leader put out of his three sons being involved in a children’s MMA tournament. Digging deeper into the man and his love for MMA fighting, Scott also found accusations of human rights violations in Chechnya, including the alleged purge of gay men. Scott saw a perfect story that crossed sports and social issues, which “Real Sports” strives to tell.

The show reached out early this year to Kadyrov’s press secretary, pitching their story as a way for him to address an American audience. Though it took months, with the help of colleagues the show has in Russia, they got a "yes."

“But we didn’t know what the 'yes' meant,” Scott told Business Insider. “It’s not like they are going to give you a time and a place and a date. What they said was, ‘You can come, you can shoot our tournament and we’ll make him available when we’re ready. You’ll get 10 minutes notice.’”

Real Sports HBO finalScott and his team traveled to Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, and spend nine days there. While shooting the latest MMA tournament Kadyrov held, and interviewing fighters in the Akhmat MMA stable, they waited patiently for the call that Kadyrov was available.

But that never came. Finally their travel visas expired, and they had to go home, with no explanation why they never got to interview Kadyrov.

“We left forlorn, because we got all this good stuff but without the main event, what's it really going to be?” Scott said.

As planned, Scott and his team then traveled to Moscow to shoot interviews with victims of the gay purge, as well as the journalist who broke the story. But since they were only two and a half hours from Grozny, Scott wanted to try to get Kadyrov one more time.

“We’re going to give it 24 hours, and if we don’t get him, we’ll surrender and do the story without him,” Scott said.

The John Oliver problem

Scott returned to Grozny and contacted the press secretary. By 8 p.m. the day they arrived, Scott had a sit-down with the press secretary, who started the conversation in an interesting manner.

“The first words out of his mouth, sarcastically, were ‘Well, I hope no one on your crew is gay, because you know we like to throw them in secret prisons and torture them to death.’ That's how he opens a booking meeting,” Scott said.

They spoke for an hour, and on numerous occassions John Oliver was brought up. The host of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” did a segment last year on Kadyrov, and his lost cat, that went viral. 

“I think it was one of the things that had become an obstacle,” Scott said, noting that the press secretary brought up Oliver in Scott's first visit to Chechnya. “They associated HBO with John Oliver and the ridicule. So that's the thing they were worried about. That we were coming to make fun of him, to embarrass him. Which we had no intention of doing. And so I told them, 'Look, that's a satire show, that is a comic show, we are the opposite of that.' They were comforted by that.”

Soon after their meeting, Scott got word to come to the palace. Kadyrov would do the interview.

They then went through an intense screening process before seeing Kadyrov. The security disassembled all their gear. They learned that the sound man was from Ukraine, which led to him getting a higher level of security screening, including his shoes being examined by a Geiger counter. Even Scott’s makeup he applies before going on camera was tested. The security put it on their own skin to make sure it wasn’t something Scott could potentially put on Kadyrov to harm him.

Scott, a camera man, and their fixer were then taken to the soccer field inside the palace, where Kadyrov was playing with some other men. They were then invited to film him playing.

“It had full stadium lighting and bleachers on both sides,” Scott recalled. “It looked like it had a broadcast booth, too.”

Scott watched as Kadyrov played with the men, who Scott could see were obviously not playing much defense against Kadyrov. When Kadyrov was through playing he went over to Scott and said to him, “You people are saying terrible things about me.” Scott reassured him that they were here to give him the opportunity to address all issues. Kadyrov told them to go set up in the state room. He was going for a swim and would be there in an hour.

“We were set up by midnight and he shows up at 1:45 in the morning,” Scott said.

"Every man and boy between the ages of 11 to 75 looks like they are about to kick your a--"

Scott said the plan was to start the interview with Kadyrov about MMA, and then get into the other issues, like the alleged gay purge. But looking back at it, he thinks Kadyrov “saw us coming a mile away.”

Kadyrov went into a 20-minute rant, Scott said, about gays — even condoning family members to hurt or even kill a relative if they are gay, known in Russia as "honor killings" — and then against the West. He completely blew off the call to prayer that happens at 2:30 a.m., something Kadyrov insisted numerous times he had to go to.

“He sat there for 45 minutes longer than we expected because that’s the stuff he wanted to say,” Scott said. “That’s what he wanted out of this.”

The interview ended and Scott and his team rushed back to their hotel, and stayed there until it was time to get to the airport and fly home.

“That’s the point when anything could happen,” Scott said, noting that they had cameras that had dual recording, and also did a separate audio recording, just in case any of their equipment was confiscated.

Real Sports Ramzan Kadyrov finalScott and his team had reason for concern. In their first visit to Chechnya, they were eating lunch at an outside cafe, and the motorcade for Kadyrov’s three sons, known as “The Princes” in Chechnya, pulled up. Without their cameras, Scott took out his phone and began recording. But then Abdul-Kerim Edilov, one of the people who watches over the princes, and is a recent Akhmat MMA fighter now signed to the UFC in America, saw what Scott was doing. In a cursed-filled tirade, he ordered Scott to delete the footage.

"This was the most intimidating place I've ever been," Scott said of Chechnya. "Every man and boy between the ages of 11 to 75 looks like they are about to kick your a--."

But nothing happened to Scott and his team after interviewing Kadyrov, and they returned home safely.

“It's taken me a while to see this, but in the end he's going to be pleased with the piece,” Scott said of how he thinks Kadyrov will react to the story. “He's not going to like being taken to task on the gay issue, but it's exactly what he wants, the projection of power. The idea that Ramzan Kadyrov is a buffoon or a puppet is wrong. We've gotten that impression from the fun that's been poked at him, and his Instagram feed looks so ridiculous to us. But sitting in his presence, watching his operation, I'm convinced he's the real thing. He knows exactly what he wants. He's not to be someone to be underestimated.”

Here's a clip from the Kadyrov segment:

SEE ALSO: Christopher Nolan explains the biggest challenge in making his latest movie "Dunkirk" into an "intimate epic"

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NOW WATCH: 8 details you might have missed on the season 7 premiere of 'Game of Thrones'

Justin Bieber's version of 'Despacito' is now the most streamed song of all time

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luis fonsi

The Justin Bieber-featuring remix of Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's hit single, "Despacito," is now the most streamed song of all time, according to Universal Music Latin Entertainment.

"Despacito" has accrued a combined total of 4.6 billion global streams across all streaming platforms since its release in April.

The previous record-holder was Justin Bieber's 2015 single "Sorry," which has accumulated 4.38 billion streams.

"Despacito" has spent ten straight weeks at the top of Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. Fonsi released the original version in January, before making a play for the charts by adding a Spanish-singing Bieber to the song in April. 

Sir Lucian Grainge, the chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, praised Fonsi and "Despacito" in the following statement:

"Luis Fonsi already had the undisputed, biggest song of the year – and now he’s setting even bigger records. Streaming has opened up the possibility of a song with a different beat, from a different culture and in a different language to become a juggernaut of success around the world. My congratulations to Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber, as well as everyone at Universal Music Latin Entertainment, Republic Records and Def Jam, on this tremendous accomplishment."

Watch the video for "Despacito" below:

SEE ALSO: The 30 best-selling music artists of all time, ranked by platinum albums

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NOW WATCH: 8 details you might have missed on the season 7 premiere of 'Game of Thrones'

'Game of Thrones' director said he got 'chills' shooting the opening of the season 7 premiere

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Walder Frey Game Of Thrones 7

Warning: major spoilers for "Game of Thrones" season seven.

The first episode of season seven of "Game of Thrones" premiered on Sunday with a bang. That is, the bang of the Frey bloodline being snuffed out, as all of the men fell to the floor dead after being poisoned by Arya Stark (who was wearing the face of Walder Frey). 

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, director Jeremy Podeswa opened up about what it was like to shoot that pivotal and rather tricky scene. 

"As soon as I read it, I thought it was such an awesome scene. Maisie [Williams] is so incredible and David Bradley is so amazing, so I just wanted the scene to be great and live up to its full potential," Podeswa said. "As we got more into it, you knew the audience would have questions coming right into the scene, knowing Walder Frey is dead. So, what is this? Is it a flashback? Is there something else going on here? It's about playing that line of audience surprise and curiosity and how they read the scene."

The audience was definitely meant to be confused at first by the scene, and Podeswa pulled that off well. The way the scene was shot was so reminiscent of the Red Wedding that it almost felt like it could be a flashback from that night, until Arya (as Frey) said things Frey would definitely never say, like "Brave men, all of you. Butchered the woman pregnant with a baby, cut the throat of a mother of five. Slaughtered your guests after inviting them into your home."

"David's performance is so fantastic, where there's a moment you can almost feel Arya inside of him. There's something about the performance that's just very calculated," Podeswa said. "When you're directing it, you hope that moment happens in an interesting way that gives the audience pleasure. Maisie's performance at the end and what she says to Walder's wife . . . I had chills when we shot it and I hoped I would have chills when we cut it, and I did."

Podeswa has directed four other episodes of "Game of Thrones" including the season 6 premiere, "The Red Woman." His next episode will be the seventh and final episode of the season. 

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NOW WATCH: People miss the real reason OJ Simpson got acquitted, says his former lawyer Alan Dershowitz

The 21-year-old at the center of the R. Kelly 'cult' captive controversy says her father arranged her relationship with the singer

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r kellyJoycelyn Savage, the 21-year-old woman whose parents have accused R&B singer R. Kelly of holding her and five other women against their will in an "abusive cult," says her father actually helped orchestrate her relationship with Kelly. 

Sources close to Savage told TMZ that her father Timothy agreed to let Savage move in with Kelly after they met at a concert two years ago, and arranged her move to Kelly's house.

"We're told the eventual plan — hatched by Dad, R. Kelly and others — was for Joycelyn to stay at Kelly's house to develop as a singer under his tutelage," TMZ reports. "We're told Timothy was the one who dropped her off at a friend's house to be driven to Kelly's."

Savage was at the center of an explosive Buzzfeed report released Monday, wherein her parents and several other sources alleged that Kelly was holding six women "hostage" in an emotionally and physically abusive "cult."

Kelly has since denied the allegations through a lawyer's statement, and Savage told TMZ in an interview on Tuesday that she is not being held against her will, though she refused to reveal her current location. 

SEE ALSO: R. Kelly is holding 6 women against their will in a 'cult,' according to their parents

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NOW WATCH: Disney revealed what Star Wars Land will look like

What it's like behind the scenes at QVC — the retail powerhouse that plans to buy rival HSN for $2.1 billion

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QVC models

QVC is one of the best-known home-shopping TV networks in America and will soon become the largest television commerce company in the world.

The e-commerce giant recently announced that its parent company will purchase a controlling interest in rival network HSN in a deal worth $2.1 billion. 

We got a behind-the-scenes look at QVC's massive broadcast facility in West Chester, Pennsylvania to see how it all comes together. 

 

SEE ALSO: INSIDE QVC — the retail powerhouse that plans to buy rival HSN for $2.1 billion

The QVC studio is located in West Chester, PA — about an hour outside Philadelphia.



The building itself is huge.



It has over 58,000 square feet of studios and 20 individual transforming sets.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

'Han Solo' director Ron Howard shared a new photo of Donald Glover as young Lando Calrissian

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It seemed like the new untitled Han Solo movie was in trouble when the film's original directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, were replaced by Lucasfilm with Ron Howard. But despite the film's rocky start, since Howard has taken over he's reignited fan excitement for the film by sharing tiny sneak peaks at the film's production.

The "Star Wars" spin-off explores Han Solo's past, and features Alden Ehrenrich as a young Han Solo. It takes a closer look at Solo's life as a smuggler and galaxy bad boy.

Until recently, Howard's sneak peaks had revealed nothing of substance about the production.

me in between camera set-ups...my 1st day on the Untitled Han Solo Movie and that's about all I'd want to reveal at this time-

A post shared by RealRonHoward (@realronhoward) on Jun 29, 2017 at 2:12pm PDT on

But they have now begun to show more of Howard's vision for the film.

Howard shared a picture on Twitter Monday, which showed a couple of monitors that at first glance reveal hardly anything. But if you take a closer look at the monitor closest to the right, you can make out a silhouette of what fans are assuming is Chewie.

And on Tuesday night, the director dropped another photo of a monitor on his Instagram, this time with a much clearer image of what of appears to be Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian on the monitor's screen, sporting the signature Calrissian mustache, which Billy Dee Williams originally had when he played Calrissian back in the 80s.

lining up a shot today from my director's monitor

A post shared by RealRonHoward (@realronhoward) on Jul 18, 2017 at 2:44pm PDT on

Screen Shot 2017 07 19 at 10.56.22 AM

Howard had previously shared a picture on Instagram last Wednesday of an undisclosed character's wardrobe, asking his followers to guess who the wardrobe belonged to. The most common answer: Lando.

#UntitledHanSoloMovie Care to guess whose closet this is?

A post shared by RealRonHoward (@realronhoward) on Jul 11, 2017 at 11:31am PDT on

Wednesday morning Howard tweeted yet another photo, showing off the film's elaborate hyperspace set up. We're wondering how many parsecs he's travelling.  

The Han Solo film is expected to hit theaters May 25, 2018.

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NOW WATCH: Everything we know about the Night King on 'Game of Thrones'

Nintendo's new console just got an online service

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Nintendo's history with online services on its game consoles is, to put it nicely, quite poor.

Game purchases never carry forward, nor do usernames and friend lists — each subsequent console's service feels like Nintendo started from scratch. And in the case of Nintendo's newest console, the Switch, it outright launched without an online service.

That changes today with the launch of Nintendo Switch Online, the new app from Nintendo for iOS and Android. 

Nintendo Switch Online

With the new app, you're able to do a lot of the standard online stuff you already do on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 — party up with friends, voice chat, send invites, and track gameplay progress. Rather than handling any of this directly on the Switch, Nintendo's offloading that functionality to your smartphone. The app offers at least one neat benefit that we've seen: The ability to customize the app for specific games.

One of the first games to use the app is "Splatoon 2," an online multiplayer-focused shooter that launches on July 21. Through the "Splatoon 2" submenu, you can interact directly with various aspects of the game — view stats, buy stuff for your character, and more. 

Nintendo Switch Online (SplatNet)

The Nintendo Switch has a variety of games that already have online multiplayer built in, including "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" and "ARMS," but it's not clear if they'll also get dedicated areas on the Nintendo Switch Online app. 

Outside of a digital storefront (the "eShop") and a rudimentary friends list, none of the rich online features that people expect in modern game consoles are built into the Switch. No Netflix, no web browser, and no way to play games in a party chat with friends.

Nintendo's taking steps towards a legitimate, paid online service in 2018 with the launch of "Nintendo Switch Online." You'll even get free, classic games every month as part of the membership. In the meantime, however, Nintendo's offering free access to a limited version of the service that will launch in 2018. Get it on iOS here, and Android here.

SEE ALSO: Nintendo's new online service offers subscription access to classic games for $20 a year

DON'T MISS: The 11 best reasons to buy a Nintendo Switch

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Nintendo dropped another trailer for 'Super Mario Odyssey' — and it looks amazing


Arby's sent sandwiches and a puppy to its biggest troll, and it shows why its transformation has been so successful

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brendan kelly nihilist arbys

On January 14, 2015, a Twitter account named "Nihilist Arby's" was born, and it didn't take long for Arby's corporate office to notice.

With a Double Beef and Cheese as its avatar, the angst-ridden account confronted followers with a negation of everything they held dear in life, and offered they fill that void with a sandwich and curly fries.

By mid-February, Nihilist Arby's had 13,000 followers and, as Adweek noted, was getting significantly higher engagement with followers than the real Arby's account, which had nearly 400,000 followers at the time.

At the same time, Arby's was receiving praise in the press and on Twitter for the way it acknowledged years of being the butt of "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart's jokes with a clever joke of its own on the day Stewart announced he would retire from the show that year. This was a year after Arby's got a viral tweet after reacting to musician Pharrell Williams' Arby's-logo-esque hat worn in a Grammys performance.

Arby's was a "cool" brand on Twitter now. If it overreacted to Nihilist Arby's, no matter how dark or raunchy the tweets got, it would risk becoming just another lame corporate account. The Arby's team let it be.

Then, in August, Adweek revealed definitively that the man behind the account was Brendan Kelly, a longtime punk band frontman and, more recently, adman from Chicago.

Arby's CEO Paul Brown and his marketing team read the piece. "We had discussions around what do we do with that? And we said, well, one, even if we wanted to do something we couldn't," Brown told Business Insider. "But we also had a little fun with him, too." Arby's would soon make peace with their evil counterpart, flying out one of their executives to meet Kelly with a bag of food and a puppy.

The inanity of corporate Twitter

Kelly is well known in the punk scene for his bands the Lawrence Arms, the Falcon, and the Wandering Birds, and he's been touring since he was a teenager in the '90s. Around six years ago, when crossing the country in a packed van for months at a time lost its appeal, he got into the more stable world of advertising. He would still record and play music, just a bit less frequently, and while working as a copywriter wasn't exactly punk, it was still a creative outlet.

In January 2015, Kelly was working at the ad agency FCB when he found himself in a conference room with a brand's executive pitching Twitter strategy to FCB's head of social media. "It just seemed so impossible and stupid," Kelly told Business Insider.

He imagined a scenario where someone in charge of a brand's Twitter account lacked the executive's naive enthusiasm and instead had a "red pill" experience (a "Matrix" reference to the pill that frees people from an artificial world). This social media employee would be "exposed to how f---ing horrendously tragic life actually is — you know, how meaningless everything is," Kelly said, laughing.

A phrase that popped into his head was "Nihilist Arby's," which had less to do with anything specific about Arby's, and more to do with how goofy the phrase sounded. Kelly decided he would make this hypothetical account real, just to amuse himself.

He was going to give it a name he found more clever when he decided to follow advice that helped guide his approach to his job. A mentor of his told him that effective advertising uses extremes to grab potential customers' attention. "It's got to be a little bit stupid," this mentor told him.

After nearly five months of running the increasingly popular account, Kelly thought it would be fun to bring even more attention to it. Using his showmanship and marketing skills, he produced a minute-and-a-half-long video opening with Kelly stating, "I was born out of an infinite blackness." A couple of his Wandering Birds songs provide the soundtrack.

He sent the video from his nihilistarbys@gmail.com account to David Anthony, the music editor at the A.V. Club, the Onion's non-satirical site (Kelly now works for the Onion's ad team, Onion Labs). Anthony immediately recognized Kelly in the video and wrote it up, bringing more exposure to Kelly's parody account as well as his bands. But Anthony didn't conclude if Kelly was actually the creator of Nihilist Arby's, or if he had just collaborated on this weird video.

That August, Christopher Heine at Adweek reached out to the same Gmail account that contacted the A.V. Club to ask if Kelly was the one behind it, and if he'd like to talk about it.

"So at that point I was like, yeah I'm ready to tell people, I don't care," Kelly told us.

On August 13, Heine published a profile of Kelly that ran across three pages in the print edition of Adweek. It included praise from ad creatives about the way Kelly demonstrated genuinely sharp insight into what young people look for on social media. Kelly thought it made him look great.

"I almost got fired for that, actually," he said.

Even though FCB was not mentioned in the article, managers at the agency were afraid that Kelly's hijinks could compromise some of their accounts. He said his boss gave him a warning: "You cannot talk about this at all. I don't want to hear the word 'Arby's' in this office."

As his job hung in the balance because of the profile, he began receiving interesting job offers from other agencies for the same reason.

Arby's makes peace

Meanwhile, at Arby's headquarters in Sandy Springs, Georgia, CEO Paul Brown and his leadership team discussed the Adweek profile. Brown said that it can be difficult as a CEO to see your company be the subject of harsh jokes, but that the success of playfully sparring with Jon Stewart earlier that year was a teaching moment.

"Do you write a cease and desist letter?" Brown said. "The way I look at it is what kind of person do you want to be a friend with? You don't want to be a friend with that kind of a person who's defensive, and you can't joke around."

Six days after the Adweek story was published, Kelly was at the FCB offices in Chicago's John Hancock Center preparing to leave early for a secret job interview he'd landed as a result of that profile. Before he could leave, he got a call around 3:30 in the afternoon from the building's front desk, letting him know that a team from Arby's was there to see him.

Kelly said that the thought never crossed his mind that they were there to confront him, but that some of his coworkers he told on his way out decided to come down to the lobby with him, "inspired by the promise of free food, the curiosity surrounding my weirdly popular Twitter account, and finally because the whole thing had become such a weirdly forbidden topic in the office," Kelly said.

Arby's SVP of communications Christopher Fuller was there with several members of Arby's marketing team, a bag full of sandwiches, and a black Labrador puppy they had borrowed from a friend. They greeted Kelly and handed him a handwritten note on Arby's stationary that read, "Cheer up, buddy. You live in a world with puppies ... and sandwiches."

Kelly would later post a photo of the exchange on his personal Twitter account, expressing sincere gratitude with the gesture.

"I don't want to give away the mystique surrounding the man behind the tweets," Fuller told us. "I'll just say his personal demeanor is very different from his online disposition. He seemed like an all-around nice guy."

Kelly got on the ground with the dog and had a pleasant chat with the Arby's team, but he still needed to rush out of there for his job interview disguised as a doctor's appointment.

"It's kind of hard to have regrets about a stupid parody Twitter account about the futility of corporate Twitter, but I do regret that not going a little more smoothly," Kelly said of the meeting with the Arby's team. "But I really would have liked to have hung out a little more with those people and talked to them," to get more insight into how they approach handling their brand and what they thought when they discovered his account.

The bag of sandwiches was intended as a gift to Kelly and his coworkers, but because anything related to Nihilist Arby's was off-limits in the office upstairs, he couldn't even send one of his friends up with the food. He grabbed one of the Loaded Italian subs — a sandwich name that could be used to describe him a lot of the time, he said — and left the rest with a coworker who said he'd give the rest to homeless people. ("I don't know if that happened or not, but he seemed pretty motivated, I guess," Kelly said.)

The interview didn't end up leading to anything, but Kelly can now be open about his Nihilist Arby's account at his job at the Onion, and even sells Nihilist Arby's merch.

The account has grown to nearly 300,000 followers, and his tweets get thousands of interactions. Arby's marketing team still keeps an eye on it.

"We've cringed, laughed, and maybe even cried just a little," Fuller said.

Kelly is still an Arby's fan, no matter how caustic his parody's account gets. "I try to mix it up a little bit," he said of his orders. "But I like a good Beef and Cheddar. I like that Loaded Italian! I like the potato cakes quite a bit."

We told him we ate some of the potato cakes the day before.

"That's about where I'm at," he said.

SEE ALSO: The Arby's CEO asked 1,000 US employees the same question before his hugely successful brand turnaround

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NOW WATCH: Michael Lewis on how to deal with bosses and control your own career

Facebook and Disney teamed up for a new game that lets you be Deadpool like never before (DIS, FB)

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deadpool marvel powers united

Last weekend, Disney announced "Marvel Powers United VR," a new virtual reality game designed in conjunction with Facebook's Oculus VR subsidiary, which will launch exclusively for the Oculus Rift headset in 2018.

At the time, Disney confirmed three playable superheroes: Hulk, Rocket Raccoon, and Captain Marvel, with a promised roster of 12 to be revealed in the fullness of time. On Wednesday, a new character was announced: Deadpool, the foul-mouthed mercenary at the center of the 2016 smash-hit movie.

I had the chance to get some time with "Powers United" at an event earlier this week — including a stint as Deadpool himself. And maybe I'm biased because I'm a full-fledged, front-faced, true-believin' Marvel fan, but man, this game has a lot of potential to be a big selling point for the Oculus Rift. 

Here's the trailer:

True believer

The basic setup here is simple. Every level, an artificial intelligence named Friday gives you and up to three other players a mission. Then it's up to your team to punch, zap, and slash your way through each level and fight the boss at the end. In the demo level, the Inhumans' Lockjaw teleports you to Knowhere to fight some Kree, which is a totally sensible sentence if you're big into the Marvel universe. 

It's pretty basic, but it's a lot of fun, with each hero's unique abilities providing you with lots of different opportunities to smash, bash, and crush your enemies.

Oculus Rift Oculus Touch

Hulk is a bruiser, Captain Marvel shoots energy blasts from ground and sky, and Rocket Raccoon lugs heavy artillery around via his jetpack. You can combine your powers, too, like using Hulk's strength to pitch a bad guy into the air for Rocket to shoot down. The multiplayer aspect is a huge plus, making you really feel like part of a team. 

There's definitely a risk of the game being a little repetitive, based on what I played. Still, the chance to literally inhabit the body of a superhero — if you look down at yourself, you'll see your own costume, lovingly rendered in gorgeous 3D — is too good to pass up. 

And then there's Deadpool.

Merc with a mouth

Deadpool's primary asset is the variety of firepower he brings to bear. By using the Oculus Touch controllers, you can literally grab submachine guns off your waist, or swords from your shoulder, throwing stars from a wrist holster, or pistols from your lower back.

Just reach your real-life hands down to your waist and push the button, and you'll be armed and dangerous. Each hand can hold a different weapon, too, meaning you can multitask with a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other. Plus, Deadpool can teleport in front of or behind enemies, making him a highly mobile killing machine.

And yes, there are quips. Endless quips, as you shoot at bad guys or get shot back. At one point, Deadpool asks bad guys out for tacos. 

Here are our friends at IGN, taking Deadpool for a spin:

It's actually very impressive that Deadpool's gameplay feels so distinct from Rocket Raccoon, who also shoots guns, and Captain Marvel, who blasts at bad guys with energy beams. 

There's a long way to go between now and 2018, when the game is released. Hopefully, the game has more cards up its sleeve with regards to deepening the game and increasing its longevity. In the meanwhile, "Marvel Powers United VR" has the makings of something that's going to be a lot of fun, particularly with friends.

SEE ALSO: An American tries to make sense of Google's new cricket game

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here’s the first trailer for 'Inhumans' — the Marvel movie that was turned into a TV show

A Florida judge quoted 'Game Of Thrones' in his latest ruling on free speech

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Tyrion Lannister Season 5

A judge in Florida started his ruling in a case on free speech by quoting a character from "Game of Thrones."

"A wise man once said a true history of the world is a history of great conversations in elegant rooms," wrote Florida circuit judge Robin S. Rosenbaum, quoting popular "Game of Thrones" character Tyrion Lannister from an episode in season 6.

The seventh season of the extremely popular HBO fantasy series premiered on July 17.

In the case, former police officer Anthony Rodriguez claimed that he was fired from his job in Doral, FL in 2009 after he expressed support for a political candidate opposed to the city's mayor, Juan Carlos Bermudez.

The case ultimately made it to the Florida appeals court, where Rosenbaum and two other judges concluded that the police officer was unlawfully pressured to leave his job.

"Whether or not that may be accurate, a true history of the United States would be incomplete without a history of great political conversations, wherever they might have occurred," wrote Rosenbaum after quoting Lannister at the start of his ruling.

The court ultimately found that threatening someone with loss of employment necessarily impedes on their rights to free speech.

Case

In "Game of Thrones," Tyrion Lannister is the dwarf son of one of the most powerful and rich families in the fantasy world Westeros. Often on the receiving end of prejudice, he frequently uses his stature and pedigree to stick up for underdogs.

SEE ALSO: Ed Sheeran deletes his Twitter account after ugly backlash to his 'Game of Thrones' cameo

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NOW WATCH: People on Twitter are loving how baffled Buzz Aldrin appeared by Trump's 'space' talk

Why 10-year-old 'Mad Men' is still the best show to come out of television's Golden Age

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don draper mad men

A decade ago, AMC was just the channel you’d skip because it was playing an old movie you’d either never heard of, or you'd seen too many times already.

But when AMC's "Mad Men" premiered ten years ago today, and it quickly became one of the most iconic shows of all time, and proved that television was in a Golden Age.

“Mad Men” was AMC’s first try at an original series. And before it aired, expectations weren't high.

It starred mostly unknown actors: No one knew who the lead, Jon Hamm, was.

The biggest draw to the show was that Matthew Weiner, the show's creator, had written on HBO's "The Sopranos," which ended its run about a month before "Mad Men" started. But in 2007, showrunners and television writers weren't really big names yet, they were more behind-the-scenes.

While the first season of "Mad Men" wasn't very popular, it was a hit among critics and at awards season in 2008. Recognition at the Emmys and the Golden Globes gave it a broader audience that included fans of shows like "The Sopranos." "Mad Men" was character-driven and challenging for viewers, but different enough that it felt fresh and new. And it proved that a great show didn't need big names or a big network.

"Mad Men" also paved the way for AMC's original shows including "Breaking Bad," "The Walking Dead," and "Better Call Saul."

Here's why "Mad Men" is one of the best shows ever, and the best to come out of television's Golden Age:

SEE ALSO: Why people still can't stop talking about the controversial ending of 'The Sopranos'

The twist never drove the narrative.

Shows like "Lost," "Westworld," and "Breaking Bad" have storylines that are defined by a twist, and lured viewers in with mysteries and cliffhangers. And that's not a bad thing. But especially at this point in television, twists and cliffhangers aren't all that surprising or unique anymore.

"Mad Men" rarely used cliffhangers, with some exceptions — Don proposing to Megan in the season four finale, for example — because it didn't have to. The season-one twist that Don Draper was actually Dick Whitman was a big reveal, but the most shocking part was that the show didn't make a big deal out of it. True to character, Don brushes off Pete Campbell's discovery of his stolen identity, and so does their boss, Bert Cooper. 

Don's identity crisis is a big part of the show, and one of his defining character traits. But by staying true to its characters, and to the fact that it's a show about flawed people, "Mad Men" stood out among all the other shows that were desperately trying to draw viewers in. 



Every character is memorable.

If you took any character from the cast of "Mad Men," and lined him or her up among a million people, each would easily stand out. From Don Draper, to Roger Sterling, to Pete Campbell, to Joan Holloway-Harris, to Peggy Olson, you know and understand every character to the point that you feel like you're right there with them. And no matter how deeply flawed and awful they are (some of them are so awful — we're looking at you, Pete!) you love them, and you care what happens to them.

The same goes for more secondary characters like Ken Cosgrove, Harry Crane, Paul Kinsey, Mona Sterling, Bert Cooper, and Ted Chaough.



Pete Campbell.

Pete Campbell is like the Christopher Moltisanti ("The Sopranos") of "Mad Men." Campbell is slimy, selfish, and generally speaking, a very awful guy. But somehow, he is one of the best parts of the show. And even as he gets worse with every season, there is some part of you that cares about him, and wants to see his good side come out. Pete is complicated and is played so well by Vincent Kartheiser that you kind of forget that they're separate people. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The best time-management secrets from Ryan Seacrest, who gets up at 7 AM and juggles jobs on opposite coasts

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We caught up with Ryan Seacrest at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity to talk about his morning routine and how he manages his hectic schedule. As host of "American Idol," co-host of "Live With Kelly" and host of "On Air with Ryan Seacrest," as well as head of many other projects, Seacrest has a packed schedule.

His schedule is so packed, that the only way he can be everywhere he needs is to take constant, cross-coast red-eye flights. As The Hollywood Reporter pointed out, he's required to film "American Idol" live from the Los Angeles studio on Sunday nights, while "Live with Kelly" shoots early Monday morning in New York.

Some of his tips for keeping it together include never hitting the snooze button and answering emails with two lines maximum. Following is a transcript of the video.

A day is busy and calculated and always on schedule. The live television show with Kelly starts at 9 a.m. on the east coast. Immediately following, I’m live on the radio to the West Coast and then in the hours afterwards, I have a chance to check in on my other businesses and other projects that are going on.

I also spend a lot of time on the west coast in Los Angeles on the weekends and on Fridays sometimes when we don't do the TV show. But, I will tell you this, when the alarm goes off I'm not allowed to hit snooze because it's down to the minute. And I … I thrive off of that. I think I'm having more fun when I'm busier.

7 o'clock I'm ready, I have coffee, I have a morning shake, I'm out the door. I'm at the office by 8.

Two-line emails, okay. Very, very short emails. A very efficient way to have phone calls. And, I don't, I don't really like down time, so if there’s time in a car, if there’s time on a walk, walking meetings. I mean, I will jam anything in at any point in time so that by 6:30 at night, most of what I'm going to cover for the day is done and I can actually enjoy the evening and have a bite to eat.

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After just 24 hours, players have very strong feelings about 'Destiny 2' already

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Fans of the blockbuster video game series "Destiny" tend to have strong opinions. They've earned that right, having stuck by the first game through its often messy, still ongoing lifespan. Many players have sunk hundreds of hours into the first game, if not thousands. 

And thus, with the preliminary launch of the beta for "Destiny 2" this week, the series' most dedicated fans are sharing their opinions on the game's official Reddit page.

Destiny 2

Many of those opinions are positive! 

Reddit

But some of the most upvoted threads are...less so.

Reddit

Here's what players are saying about "Destiny 2" after the first 24 hours.

SEE ALSO: Bungie director Luke Smith on 'Destiny 2': Our goal is to 'unhide the fun'

A lot of folks are unhappy about ability "cooldown" times — how long it takes before you can use certain special moves after having used them once.

"Destiny 2," like the first game, is a first-person shooter. There's a main campaign that you can play, with a narrative focus. But the meat and potatoes of "Destiny" (and "Destiny 2") is playing with friends online. Beyond just being fun to play with friends, there's a gameplay reason for this: Different people play as different character "classes." 

There are three in "Destiny 2":

-Hunter, which is an offense-focused character class (able to move swiftly, with a focus on attacking and escaping).

-Titan, which is a defense-focused character class (able to take more damage and deal more damage, and create shields).

-And Warlock, which is a mix of both with some magical healing elements thrown in for good measure (a nice medium, but potentially more technical).

Beyond designating a look, each class has its own abilities. The Warlock, for example, can heal his buddies. But these abilities can only be used on a limited basis — you use one, and it takes a period of time ("cooldown") before it can be used again. And people who are already playing the game's beta are really unhappy wth how long these cooldowns take. Several unique threads on the "Destiny" subreddit are dedicated to that unhappiness.



One of the playable classes, the Hunter, is being called comparatively useless when it comes to those abilities we were talking about.

Of the three classes, the Hunter seemingly has been shafted when it comes to special abilities. As one popular Reddit thread put it: "The Hunter dodge ability pales far in comparison to the Warlock and Titan [abilities]."

It's easy to understand why players might feel this way. While Warlock class players can heal fellow players and throw combustible grenades, and Titan class players can put up a defensive wall used by everyone, the Hunter is given a dodge as one of their special abilities — not exactly exciting.

"I'm sorry, but it is extremely poor design and is not comparable at all. Dodge should be incorporated like a jump, not this," the thread writer notes. 



One Redditor who claims to have played the first game for "over 1,400 hours" (just shy of 60 Earth days) says they're super disappointed, and goes into extreme detail about why.

If you're pretty serious about the first "Destiny," and are wondering if "Destiny 2" is going to live up to your expectations, this detailed (and highly upvoted) thread is for you. Here's just some of what it says, care of Reddit user "Tresceneti":

-"The game feels uncomfortable to play, it lost what made its gunplay/gameplay exciting and fun to play."

-"Jumping. I understand they're trying to slow the game down now, but what they've done is expand the size of the world while severely slowing down our guardians. I loved being able to glide around and move across the battlefield as a very mobile shooter in the first game. It's one of the big appeals 'Destiny' has for me, and it's gone."

-"Weapons. Guns feel extremely weak. Submachine guns and Pulse Rifles were the only weapons I saw doing any sort of acceptable damage. Handcannons were alright to use, but you were taking a hit to damage. Pulse rifles and submachines seem more on par with the rate of damage to enemies in the first game. It just feels like a chore to kill enemies most of the time."

-"I still very much enjoy 'Destiny' and am not meaning to ruffle feathers or ruin other guardians' fun. I've been gradually having more fun as I've played more of the beta, easing up on some of these things. But they're all still glaring issues to me and I'm genuinely not having fun. I'm feeling frustrated and wanted to rant it out."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

On the day of the 'Game of Thrones' season 7 premiere, HBO's mobile apps got record downloads

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Game of Thrones season 7

The long-awaited seventh season of "Game of Thrones" premiered July 16, with an opening scene that shocked fans. That episode, "Dragonstone," set a live-watching record for "Game of Thrones" premieres, and broke streaming records by a mile.

But in a world that's increasingly mobile and app-focused, HBO should be pleased to note that new installs of the HBO Go and HBO Now mobile apps also hit a record high the day "Dragonstone" premiered.

According to Sensor Tower data, July 16 was the largest day ever for the HBO mobile app installs in the United States, with about 222,000 downloads from the App Store and Google Play. That is an increase of 14% from the previous record, which was 195,000 downloads. That day? The premiere of "Game of Thrones" season six, "The Red Woman."

You can see how the downloads increased compared to other season premiere dates below:

hbo apps record downloads

And here's how the season 7 premiere stacks up against the previous seasons:

game of thrones chartspremiere ratings03

SEE ALSO: The 'Game of Thrones' season 7 premiere had the highest ratings in the show's history — here's how the seasons compare

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NOW WATCH: Everything we know about the Night King on 'Game of Thrones'


A parole hearing tomorrow could help O.J. Simpson get out of prison in October — here's what you need to know

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oj simpson

Imprisoned former football star O.J. Simpson has a parole hearing set for Thursday at 1 p.m. EST — and it has big implications.

If it goes well, Simpson could be released as early as October 1 from the Nevada prison where he's served more than eight years for armed robbery and kidnapping.

Legal experts say Simpson, 70, has a good chance of receiving parole and walking away from the remainder of his nine to 33-year sentence. 

Here's what you need to know about Simpson's imprisonment and potential parole, and how to watch the hearing (which will be televised): 

 

SEE ALSO: OJ Simpson faces good chance of parole in Nevada robbery

Why is he in prison?

Simpson was convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping in October 2008 for his part in a September 2007 crime committed in a Las Vegas casino hotel.

Simpson and five accomplices held two men at gunpoint in a confrontation over sports memorabilia and personal items, which Simpson claimed had been stolen from him. Though Simpson insisted he didn't know anyone was armed in the crime, he was eventually convicted of several weapons charges.

Four of the six men involved in the crime plead guilty and testified in the trial. Simpson and his friend, Clarence "CJ" Stewart, were later both found guilty of 12 charges, including assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, and conspiracy.

Simpson faced a potential life sentence, but in December 2008, he was instead sentenced to a minimum of nine years and a maximum of 33 years at the Lovelock Correctional Facility in Lovelock, Nevada.

This all has nothing to do with the famous 1994 trial and acquittal Simpson had after he was charged with murdering his ex-wife.

 



What are the chances he's released on parole?

No one on the Nevada parole board is expected to oppose Simpson's parole release on Thursday, according to an Associated Press report. 

Simpson will appear in front of the four-member board through a video conference at 1 p.m. 

The board previously granted Simpson parole in 2013 on his burglary count, two counts of kidnapping, and two counts of robbery. He remained in prison, however, on the seven other charges related to his use of a deadly weapon. 

If granted parole on Thursday, Simpson could be released from prison as early as October 1.

 



Where can I watch the parole hearing?

There are a few ways to watch Simpson's parole hearing on Thursday at 1 p.m. EST, for which more than240 media credentials have reportedly been granted.

ESPN— which produced the Oscar-winning 2016 documentary "OJ: Made In America" about the life and crimes of the former football star — will broadcast the trial with analysis from legal experts and sports anchors. 

NBC News will also cover the event and feature commentary from Chris Darden, the co-counsel attorney in the prosecution of Simpson's 1994 trial.

You can also watch the hearing for free on CBSN's live stream.

 

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Apple just launched a pair of $600 Beats headphones with design house Balmain (AAPL)

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BALMAIN Kylie Jenner Beats

Apple's newest line of Beats headphones is geared toward the fashion-forward. 

On Wednesday, Apple released a special edition collection along with French design house Balmain. The collection, which includes a new take on both Beats Studio and Powerbeats 3 Bluetooth headphones, starts at $249.95. 

Reality TV star Kylie Jenner is the face of the campaign to promote the new collection.

Beats_Balmain

Both the Beats Studio and Powerbeats come in two different colors: Safari, a pinkish neutral tone, and khaki, which has a green tint.

Both colors have gold accents and Balmain logos, but safari is only available to buy through Apple, while khaki can be purchased through Balmain. The Beats Studio in safari will cost $600, while Powerbeats in Safari will cost $250. Both sets of headphones come with a suede, Balmain-branded carrying case.

Beats Studio headphones typically cost $379.95, while Powerbeats 3 cost $199.95.

Beats Balmain

This isn't the first collaboration between Beats and a fashion brand — past partnerships have included Fendi and Alexander Wang. But Balmain has risen to prominence in the last several years, in part thanks to creative director Olivier Rousteing's close friendship with the Kardashian-Jenner family, who frequently wears his designs to red carpet events.

Balmain is known for dramatic designs featuring metallics and leather, so the Beats collection falls squarely in line with that aesthetic. The theme of the collection is an "urban safari," according to the landing page for the new collection. 

Balmain Beats Kylie Jenner

"Seeing music and fashion as completely intertwined simply reflects how my generation grew up — we simply cannot conceive of one without a full helping of the other," Rousteing wrote on the landing page. 

"No matter what you're going through, when you put on a song that you love, and that you just connect with, it can change your whole mood and just lift you up," Jenner wrote. "Even if it's just for a few minutes...I love that escape that music gives us."

The new collection is available to order starting Wednesday. 

SEE ALSO: Dr. Dre says he was afraid a video of him partying and drinking could've killed Apple's $3 billion Beats acquisition

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

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eSports Advertising and Sponsorships

This is a preview of a research report from BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about BI Intelligence, click here.

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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NOW WATCH: Here's what Steve from 'Blue's Clues' is up to today

What the British royal family looked like the year you were born

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kate middleton royal family queen

In a changing world, few things have remained as constant as the British royal family.

People all over the world follow Queen Elizabeth II and her large family of kids and grandkids for their dose of inspiration, fashion, and even scandals throughout the years. Acting as a bellwether, the royal family is also a way of tracking the changing times.

Here is what everybody's favorite royals were doing on the year you were born:

SEE ALSO: Here's what the royal family actually does every day

DON'T MISS: Queen Elizabeth has been in power so long, 4 out of 5 UK residents weren't alive when she ascended the throne

1950: Queen Elizabeth II was a young princess in line to take over the throne after her father, King George VI.

Source: Britroyals.com



1951: Queen Elizabeth II had married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark and given birth to two children, Charles and Anne.

Source: Britroyals.com



1952: After several years of ill health, King George VI died in February 1952. Princess Elizabeth was on a royal tour of Kenya when she found out.

Source: Britroyals.com



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Christopher Nolan used an old Hollywood trick to salvage footage that sank in the water while shooting 'Dunkirk'

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Dunkirk 2 Warner Bros final

“Dunkirk” didn’t just mark the first time Christopher Nolan has made a war movie, it was also one of the rare times a filmmaker has ever shot a majority of a movie with an IMAX camera.

So, Nolan did a lot of things he didn’t know were possible until he actually did them.

And in one instance, a blunder on set led to a fascinating discovery.

In exploring the historic evacuation of Allied forces from Dunkirk, France during World War II, the movie highlights British pilots fighting German planes to protect the Allied soldiers on the ground. The dogfight sequences in the movie are thrilling, and in some cases very authentic. The production stayed away from CGI as much as possible, and in one sequence Nolan had a replica Spitfire plane do a water landing in the English Channel.

Inside the plane, an IMAX camera was strapped into the cockpit, as actor Jack Lowden struggled to get out. In the scene, we watch as the water begins to fill the cockpit, delivering one of the movie’s most dramatic scenes.

When filming the scene, however, the plane with the camera still inside sank into the water quicker than anyone on the crew thought possible. Nolan was certain the footage had been lost.

“In the hours it took to retrieve the IMAX camera, its housing, which was a big plastic barrel, actually had a hole in it and the entire thing filled with water,” Nolan told Business Insider.

IMAX told Business Insider an IMAX camera used on the movie costs around $1 million.

“But we called the lab and they clued us into an old-fashioned technique that used to be used on film shoots,” Nolan said. “You keep the film wet, you unload the camera, and you keep it damp the whole time. We shipped it back to Los Angeles from the set in France, and they processed it before drying it out and the shot came out absolutely perfect and it's in the film." 

Here’s some shots of the dramatic scene that Nolan thought would never see the light of day:

Dunkirk cockpit 1 final

Dunkirk cockpit 2 final

“Try doing that with a digital camera!” Nolan said with glee. In the age of digital, the director is one of the last to be a major supporter of shooting on film. Though shooting digitally is cheaper and gives you more flexibility in the kinds of shots you can do, Nolan's footage really would have been destroyed if "Dunkirk" weren't shot on film.

“Dunkirk” opens in theaters on Friday.

Catch a glimpse of the Spitfire water landing at the end of the TV spot for the movie below:

SEE ALSO: Christopher Nolan explains the biggest challenge in making his latest movie "Dunkirk" into an "intimate epic"

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's everything you need to know about Azor Ahai — the legendary savior on 'Game of Thrones'

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