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The 19 worst albums of all time, according to critics

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Chris Brown

While many are keen to block out terrible music from their lives, there exists another group who can approach steaming hot garbage openly, with varying degrees of ironic appreciation.

And then there's that unfortunate, outlying enigma — genuine fans of Limp Bizkit.

With the latter two groups in mind, we turned to review aggregator Metacritic to compile this list of the most critically panned albums in history. 

From the works of Kevin Federline to Limp Bizkit, to multiple entries from Chris Brown, these LPs drew the ire of critics and provoked the repulsion of many.

Here are the 19 worst albums of all time, according to critics:

Note: The list only includes studio albums with seven or more reviews.

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

19. Enya — "A Day Without Rain"

Critic score: 41/100

User score: 8.4/10

What critics said: "Unless you're bound in an herbal body wrap, there's simply no acceptable reason to listen to this New Age nonsense." — Entertainment Weekly

Listen to it here.



18. Paul Oakenfold — "A Lively Mind"

Critic score: 40/100

User score: 2.2/10

What critics said: "On his new disc the veteran of populist trance shows himself unable to come up with anything remotely innovative or engaging, even for the dance floor." — PopMatters

Listen to it here.



17. Backstreet Boys — "Never Gone"

Critic score:40/100

User score: 6.0/10

What critics said: "Lest you doubted it, this is grotesque." — Village Voice

Listen to it here.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

How a guy who injected PEDs to see the effects scored a Netflix deal and uncovered the biggest doping scandal in Olympics history

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Icarus Sundance Institute

Bryan Fogel became one of the biggest success stories at Sundance in 2017, when his doping scandal documentary “Icarus” sold to Netflix for a staggering $5 million (unheard of for a documentary sale). But his journey actually goes back 14 years, when his claim to fame was being the creator of an off-Broadway hit show.

Struggling to get into the business as an actor, writer, or director, Fogel co-wrote the stage play “Jewtopia” with Sam Wolfson in 2003. It's a comedy about two friends navigating the Jewish and Gentile dating scenes. It became a surprise hit, with Fogel and Wolfson starring as the male leads during runs in Los Angeles, and then off-Broadway for three and a half years.

That play then had a touring production, was put into book form, and even spawned a movie version starring Jennifer Love Hewitt in 2012 directed by Fogel.

But that’s when the party stopped. The movie barely got a theatrical run, and was thrust into streaming limbo following its 10% Rotten Tomatoes rating

Following that disappointment, and known around town only as “The Jewtopia Guy,” Fogel was stuck in the bubble Hollywood likes to put people in.

“There was nothing coming at me that was exciting,” Fogel told Business Insider. “In a way, I would call it director’s jail.”

Icarus 4 NetflixBut there was one thing that gave him comfort: cycling.

Fogel constantly rode his bike, sometimes even riding and doing competitions alongside pros. Around the time of accusations running wild in 2012 that Lance Armstrong was doping throughout his seven consecutive wins of the Tour de France, Fogel, who idolized Armstrong, began to wonder if the blame should be put on Armstrong or the entire system. Armstrong wasn’t the only one doping, though he finally admitted to doing it in 2013.

That led to Fogel to an idea.

“I like to make films and I like to ride my bike, so I set out on this journey to evade positive detection,” Fogel said. “Show on a bigger level how this anti-doping system essentially doesn’t work and hopefully make a cool movie in the process.”

In 2014, Fogel used $350,000 given to him by a friend and began to make “Icarus” (available on Netflix Friday). He hired a team of nutritionists and trainers to chart his progress, and through that he befriended the man who would be in charge of his doping process, a Russian scientist named Grigory Rodchenkov.

It took years to find what the movie was. Fogel admitted that the first two years of material hardly even made it in the finished version of the movie. But his “Super Size Me”-like journey to see how performance enhancing drugs bettered his cycling led to a friendship with Rodchenkov, which inevitably became his movie.

As shown halfway through "Icarus," Fogel begins to realize through his Skype conversations with Rodchenkov that he’s a major player in Russia’s doping of its athletes. In fact, he’s the guy.

It turns out Rodchenkov is the director of the Moscow laboratory, the Anti-Doping Centre, which does the complete opposite on a daily basis of what its name says it does. The lab, as Rodchenkov shows in the movie, doped the athletes and then carried through methods to make sure they got through the Sochi Winter Games in 2014 undetected.

Icarus 3 NetflixAround the time Fogel got this bombshell from Rodchenkov, producer Dan Cogan and his team at Impact Partners joined the movie, and gave Fogel the financing and support to complete it. This included Fogel’s trip to Moscow to see Rodchenkov at his lab for the final stage of his doping.

But then the movie took a drastic turn.

Doping allegations toward Russian Olympic athletes begin to come out in the news, with involvement tracing all the way up to Russian president Vladimir Putin. Fearful for his life, Rodchenkov devised a plan with Fogel to get him to the US.

“I had so many sleepless nights in that period,” Fogel said. “I had a responsibility. This story had to come out, and Grigory was the only person on planet earth who had this evidence.”

Fogel and Rodchenkov’s faces were suddenly plastered all over Russian television, and Fogel claiming his Facebook and email were constantly trying to be hacked into. This led to the movie's most dramatic moment, Rodchenkov getting in touch with the New York Times in May 2016 to deliver the whistle-blowing story that rocked the sports world. Fogel was there to capture it all on camera. In fact, some of that footage has only recently been included in the movie, as Fogel didn’t have enough time to get it into the Sundance cut.

“The movie has the same running time, but we lost 20 minutes of material that was in the Sundance cut, and replaced that with 20 minutes of material that is bringing this story together emotionally. Showing and not telling,” Fogel said, who adds that the story also now goes quicker into Rodchenkov’s story. “So at Sundance we had a lot of [text] cards because we didn't have the time to put that together.” Also different from the Sundance cut, there’s now animation in the movie.

Many will likely connect the events in "Icarus" to the allegations that Russia interfered in the US 2016 presidential election. And Fogel is 100% on board with that thinking.

“You think to yourself, if they have been doing this to win gold medals and they had this entire laboratory that was basically a front for this spectacular criminal operation, is there any question what else they're capable of?” Fogel said. “Whether they hacked our election or whether there was collusion, I think the writing is right there on the wall. How much more evidence do you need?”

“Icarus” is available on Netflix beginning August 4.

SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know about the Iron Bank of Braavos, which will be important on "Game of Thrones" next Sunday

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NOW WATCH: Marvel dropped another trailer for 'Thor: Ragnarok' — and it looks incredible

Steven Soderbergh has a new plan to make Hollywood movies outside the control of big studios

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Logan Lucky Fingerprint Releasing final

For most of his career, Steven Soderbergh has tried desperately to stay out of the movie studio machine.

Though his biggest financial successes have come from Hollywood — like the “Ocean’s Eleven” franchise or “Erin Brockovich,” for which he was also nominated for a best director Oscar — he’s been most comfortable being an independent.

He won his best director Oscar for "Traffic," through the now-defunct USA Films, after the big studios declined to make a movie about the drug war. IFC Films allowed him to make two separate movies for his Che Guevara biopic, “Che.” And then there’s his classics like “sex, lies and videotape” through Miramax, “The Limey” by Artisan, and “The Girlfriend Experience" with Magnolia.

But Soderbergh craved more control as the years went on, and frustrated he couldn’t get it, he retired in 2013.

Four years later he has returned with a movie and has full control over it.

“Logan Lucky” masterfully shows off Soderbergh’s talents. The story of two brothers trying to pull a heist at a NASCAR race has the mainstream appeal of an “Ocean’s” movie with a hint of the eclectic style found in his indie work.

All of that has led to one of the most anticipated movies to end the summer, and it wasn’t done with the help of a studio's test groups and millions of advertising dollars. Instead, Soderbergh launched his own company, Fingerprint Releasing, where he oversees the entire marketing and release of “Logan Lucky.” If the movie performs well when it opens on August 18, it could be a model other auteurs like Soderbergh could follow from now on, and never have to deal with a studio again.

Logan Lucky 3 Fingerprint Releasing finalIf Soderbergh went with a studio to release “Logan Lucky,” like he did with 2012’s “Magic Mike” through Warner Bros., the director would have been looking at a $40 million marketing campaign for the $29 million-budgeted “Lucky,” in which the studio would collect around 15% of total ticket sales. Any remaining profits would go to the owners of the movie.

“You’re way too far away from your money,” Soderbergh told The New York Times about going the studio route.

So, Soderbergh teamed with former Warner Bros. executive Dan Fellman and sold portions of the movie’s non-theatrical rights (Amazon took the streaming rights) to raise a $20 million marketing budget. Then Soderbergh hired on indie distributor Bleecker Street to market and release the movie theatrically in the US for a $1 million fee.

Soderbergh now has full control over the release strategy and marketing campaign of the movie, the first time he’s ever had that. Bleecker will receive a cut of the ticket sales and other revenue streams, according to the New York Times story.

“Logan Lucky” will be released wide, but Soderbergh has stated that because of how the movie is being marketed (ignoring the expensive New York and LA markets and focused on the south and midwest), even a modest opening like $15 million is a success.

But is this a model that can be replicated by other directors who have the notoriety of Soderbergh (and the relationship with big name movie stars)?

Business Insider spoke to numerous sources within the independent film space and though they commend Soderbergh’s hustle, they don't believe he’s reinventing the wheel.

For some, the model sounds like a form of a “service deal,” where a producer hires a distributor on a flat fee to market and release a movie, and the distributor takes a cut of the box office. This method has become more popular since the emergence of streaming giants Netflix and Amazon, which make service deals when doing theatrical releases of their titles. But the practice itself has been going on for decades. George Lucas didn't want to relinquish the rights to "Star Wars" back in 1977, so he just licensed it and the two sequels that followed to 20th Century Fox.

Red State SModcast PicturesAnd Kevin Smith has gone down the service deal route for recent films “Red State,” “Tusk,” and “Yoga Hosers,” through his company SModcast Pictures.

Then there are others who believe this auteur DIY model won't be that popular, because most filmmakers aren’t up for “getting their hands dirty” in the distribution phase of a movie’s life like Soderbergh is.

There’s also the question of the kind of movie you’re making. A $29 million heist movie where movie stars don't take their usual asking fee is one thing. It becomes more of a challenge if a director wants to make a big-budget epic, and can’t find the financing through independent sources. That’s when the studio becomes you’re only hope.

But one aspect that seems to be universally agreed upon is that Soderbergh is smart to keep his marketing budget low (he told the New York Times he’s only spent 15% of it three weeks out from the movie opening).

Hollywood studios have budgets that match or sometimes double a production budget because having big marketing dollars leads to more box office, and more money in studio executives’ pockets.

“Studios will spend $1,000 to make an extra $25,” said one source.

But when you are doing it all under one roof, like Soderbergh is doing, the low marketing costs means he will be seeing more money come back to him at the end of the day.

Soderbergh’s model may not lead to a revolt of studio moviemaking, but it's becoming clear he's found a way to no longer need its services.

"Logan Lucky" opens in theaters August 18.

SEE ALSO: How a guy who injected PEDs to see the effects scored a Netflix deal and uncovered the biggest doping scandal in Olympics history

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 7 details you might have missed on season 7 episode 3 of 'Game of Thrones'

Taylor Swift is going to court against a DJ she says groped her — here's what you need to know

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tswift not happy

Taylor Swift and David Mueller's long legal battle will come to a head Monday morning, when the jury for their upcoming trial is selected.

Mueller sued Swift in 2015, alleging that her accusation that he groped her butt, during a meet-and-greet in 2013, caused him to lose his job.

Swift then countersued Mueller a month later.

Two years after Mueller and Swift sued each other, their case is about to go to trial. 

Here is everything you need to know about the impending Mueller and Swift trial:

Mueller filed a lawsuit claiming that false groping accusations from Swift got him fired.

Mueller sued Swift in October 2015, alleging that false accusations of him groping Swift at a meet-and-greet resulted in his termination, according to the Denver Post.

Mueller had been invited to Swift's meet-and-greet when the singer was performing at the Pepsi Center in Denver, June 2, 2013.

Mueller attended as a part of his then-job as a morning DJ on "The Ryno and Jackson" morning show, on Denver radio station 98.5 KY GO.

Mueller and his girlfriend took a picture with Swift, and shortly after Swift's security found Mueller and accused him of groping her. 

Mueller was fired two days later.

While Swift never spoke publicly about the incident, the radio station was sent the picture that Swift alleged documented Mueller groping her. A spokesperson for Swift told People, “The radio station was given evidence immediately after the incident. They made their independent decision."

You can see the photo in question on TMZ

Two years after Mueller was fired, he decided to slam Swift with a lawsuit accusing her of making false accusations that resulted in his firing. In the suit, Mueller said he had met "hundreds of celebrities" in the past and has never been accused of anything like this previously.



Swift filed a countersuit one month after being sued by Mueller.

One month after Mueller sued Swift, she filed back with a countersuit, according to People.

In Mueller's lawsuit, he had accused his boss, Eddie Haskell of being the one who actually touched Swift inappropriately.

But Swift's countersuit dismisses this allegation:

“Resolution of this Counterclaim will demonstrate that Mueller alone was the perpetrator of the humiliating and wrongful conduct targeted against Ms. Swift, and will serve as an example to other women who may resist publicly reliving similar outrageous and humiliating acts.”

The countersuit continues to claim that Mueller reached up Swift's skirt and with purpose groped an "intimate part of her body in an inappropriate manner, against her will, and without her permission.”

The intimate part of Swift's body being referenced in the counter claim is her behind.

Marie Claire confirmed this when it released portions of Swift's released deposition from July 26, 2016, in which the star described Mueller grabbing onto her "ass cheek."

Swift also requested a jury trial in her countersuit, and declared that any money won would be donated to a charity that fights against, and protects women from, sexual assault.



Swift's mother will be a witness her during the trial.

Andrea Swift, Taylor's mother, has been named as a witness in the case and can be expected to testify in court, according to People.

Taylor's photographer who captured the alleged moment in which Mueller grabbed Swift, is also expected to take the stand, in addition to a senior member of her security team.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

'The Dark Tower' wins the weekend box office despite horrible reviews

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the dark tower sony final

The summer movie season is crawling to the finish line.

Sony's long-developed adaptation of Stephen King's epic "The Dark Tower" finally hit theaters this weekend and won the domestic box office, though it was a very soft estimated $19.5 million on over 3,400 screens, according to Variety.

Though Sony will spin that the movie defied its lousy 18% Rotten Tomatoes score to win the weekend, the second consecutive week when one of its movies has been one of the top domestic earners despite a rotten score — last week "The Emoji Movie" landed in second place at the box office despite having a 7% rating— the bottom line is there hasn't been much to interest audiences at the multiplex these past couple of weeks.

Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk" came in second place with $17.6 million, after topping the box office the last two weekends.

The $60 million-budgeted "Dark Tower" was a decade in the making. Previous directors like J.J. Abrams and Ron Howard (he's a producer on the movie) attempted over the years to adapt King's eight books into some kind of workable feature.

Though director Nikolaj Arcel (2009's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo") finally figured it out, the end result was uninspired. However, with no other competition as most audiences have seen current releases "Spider-Man: Homecoming," "Dunkirk," and "Despicable Me 3," it turns out the greatest strength "The Dark Tower"had was being placed at the perfect weekend.

This first weekend of August certainly is different from previous years that put an exclamation point on the season with titles that set record-breaking openings like 2014's "Guardians of the Galaxy ($94.3 million) or last summer's "Suicide Squad" ($133.6 million).

SEE ALSO: "The Dark Tower" movie has no heart, and will really upset fans of the Stephen King books

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NOW WATCH: DC showed off a new 'Justice League' trailer at Comic Con — and it looks epic

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

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

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5 times 'Game of Thrones' based schemes, massacres, and battles on real moments in history

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game of thrones catherine stark red wedding

Warning: "Game of Thrones" spoilers ahead.

  • HBO's "Game of Thrones" includes numerous historical allusions.
  • Some of the references are more obvious than others.
  • "A Song of Ice and Fire" author George R.R. Martin has frequently expressed his own interest in history.

As they say, truth is often stranger than fiction.

That's something that "A Song of Ice and Fire" author George R.R. Martin — whose work was adapted into HBO's hit series "Game of Thrones — clearly understands.

In one interview with author Bernard Cornwell, Martin even said that "the historical novel and the epic fantasy are sisters under the skin."

So it's not surprising that his most famous work is chock full of historical allusions.

Here are just a few historical references included in "Game of Thrones":

SEE ALSO: We ranked the 'Game of Thrones' characters by leadership abilities — here's how they're doing so far this season

The fight between the Starks and the Lannisters should ring a bell for any medieval scholar

The War of the Roses might not have a terribly intimidating name, but it was a bloody conflict that sent England spiraling into disunity and chaos during the latter part of the fifteenth century.

The war was primarily fought between the House of York and the House of Lancaster.

Sound familiar?

Like their fictional counterparts, the Lancaster faction won the war after much death and scheming.

However, ultimately, it was the House of Tudor that prevailed and won the throne. They adopted the Tudor rose as their emblem, a combination of the white rose of York and the red rose of Lancaster.



The Battle of the Bastards is a twist on a famous Carthaginian victory

"The Battle of the Bastards," which saw the noble-hearted Jon Snow face off against the wicked Ramsay Bolton, was one of the most raved-about episodes of season 6.

The numerous immersive, intense battle scenes kicked this episode into high gear for many viewers.

The whole thing also likely looked rather familiar to classical scholars.

That's because the showrunners mirrored the whole clash on the Battle of Cannae, as Kristen Acuna wrote for Tech Insider.

That famous 216 CE battle is now regarded as one of the most impressive tactical victories of all time. After spending two years rampaging about the Italian peninsula, Carthaginian leader Hannibal Barca cemented his status as a military legend by surrounding and defeating his enemies with a much smaller force.

Ramsay's forces used a similar pincer movement during the Battle of the Bastards. Jon was ultimately able to subvert the historical model and break free of Ramsay's circle of death, with the help of reinforcements from the Eyrie.

In Hannibal's case, the Roman legions were butchered, leaving up to 70,000 dead, including Roman consul Lucius Aemilius Paullus.

Paullus' son-in-law Scipio Africanus would ultimately defeat Hannibal once and for all at Zama.



The Boltons share their habit of skinning people alive with an ancient regime

Getting flayed alive is probably one of the worst ways to go out.

So it's no surprise that skinning people was a favorite past-time of Ramsay Bolton — one of the worst characters to ever grace the small screen.

But this antagonist's gruesome hobby didn't simply come from the dark side of Martin's imagination.

In fact, one ancient kingdom was famous for skinning its enemies.

According to the blog History Buff, the Assyrian King Ashurnasirpal II claimed to have "flayed as many nobles as had rebelled against me and draped their skins over the pile of corpses; some I spread out within the pile, some I erected on stakes upon the pile … I flayed many right through my land and draped their skins over the walls."

Yikes.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

All the biggest moments from this week's 'Game of Thrones'

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Theon and Jon GoTWarning: Huge spoilers for "Game of Thrones" season seven, episode four. If you aren't caught up on the series or the season, read at your own risk. 

After a long week — and a leak — season seven episode four of "Game of Thrones" finally arrived.

This episode, although anxiety inducing in its final minutes, is actually the shortest episode in the show's history. 

The episode starts off with a somewhat pleasant Stark reunion, then we witness an understanding between Daenerys and Jon Snow — possibly the most stubborn people in Westeros. And then we finally get to see Drogon in action against Jaime and his Lannister army. 

There's a lot to remember, especially after that epic battle at the end, so we highlighted the episode's biggest moments. 

Here's our recap of "The Spoils of War:"

SEE ALSO: The 5 ways to kill a dragon in ‘Game of Thrones’ — and how Cersei plans to do it

Cersei hides away in King's Landing, and almost confirms her deal with the Iron Bank.

Cersei promises Tycho Nestoris that all of the crown's debt will be paid once the gold arrives from Highgarden. He promises her that he will support her once the gold arrives. 

Although Randyll Tarly confirms that the gold made it to King's Landing before the battle, Dany's surprise and successful attack on the Lannister army could affect the Iron Bank's support. 



Bran subtly lets Littlefinger know that he knows all Littlefinger's secrets.

Bran and Littlefinger, the two creepiest creeps on "Game of Thrones" right now, have a creepy scene together. And you guessed it! It was creepy. Littlefinger gives Bran the dagger that was used back in season one in the attempt to murder Bran.

Littlefinger probably gives this to Bran in an attempt to have some kind of understanding: Littlefinger suspects that Bran knows some of his secrets, including that fact that he betrayed Ned back in season one. This betrayal led to Ned's death. 

Before the scene ends, Bran says, "Chaos is a ladder." Littlefinger famously says this back in season three, and Bran definitely threw Littlefinger off by saying this. Littlefinger is not safe in Winterfell anymore. 

After Littlefinger leaves, Meera Reed comes to let Bran know that she is going back to her family, because she wants to be with them when they fight the White Walkers. 



The most satisfying Stark reunion to date happens, but Bran is still creepy.

Arya makes it to Winterfell more easily than anyone has on this entire show. She goes straight to the crypts to visit her father. She tells Sansa about her kill list, and Sansa brushes it off. 

Then Sansa brings her to reunite with Bran (or is he even Bran?) in the Godswood. It's a little awkward, but Bran brings up Arya's kill list and gives her the Valyrian steel dagger that Littlefinger just gave him. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

'Game of Thrones' fans are all making the same joke about Jon Snow

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Screen Shot 2017 08 06 at 10.50.49 PMWarning: Minor spoiler alert if you have not seen "Game of Thrones" season seven, episode four.

On the latest episode of "Game of Thrones," Jon Snow shows Daenerys the dragonglass mine beneath Dragonstone.

Much to Daenerys' surprise, Jon has found what appear to be ancient cave paintings in the mine. The paintings seem to depict a war between the allied Children of the Forest and First Men, and the White Walkers.

Jon explains to Daenerys that in the past everyone fought the same enemy: White Walkers. Jon tries to convince Daenerys to join the North's cause once more, but Daenerys says she will only fight for the North when Jon bends the knee, and again Jon resists (though it seems like he could be caving).

"Game of Thrones" fans had some hilarious reactions to this scene on Twitter, joking that Jon drew the cave paintings himself to sway Daenerys into providing him with her assistance in fighting the White Walkers.

Here are some of the best responses to the scene:

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8 details you might have missed on season 7 episode 4 of 'Game of Thrones'

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This week's episode of "Game of Thrones" included one of the most action-packed scenes thus far in the series. Episode 4 also had many callbacks to previous moments that you might not have picked up on the first time around. Here's everything you might have missed.

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Netflix made its 'first ever' acquisition by buying Mark Millar's comic book publisher

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kickass

Netflix has acquired comic book publisher Millarworld in its "first ever" acquisition, the company announced Monday.

The brainchild of comic book creator Mark Millar, Millarworld has been responsible for characters and storylines like Kick-Ass, Kingsman, and Old Man Logan, all of which have been made into major studio films in recent years.

Netflix and Millar are now teaming up to bring his characters and new content to the service in the form of Netflix-exclusive projects.

"Mark has created a next-generation comics universe, full of indelible characters living in situations people around the world can identify easily with," said Netflix chief content office Ted Sarandos in a statement. "We look forward to creating new Netflix Originals from several existing franchises as well as new super-hero, anti-hero, fantasy, sci-fi and horror stories Mark and his team will continue to create and publish."

Though Netflix has not disclosed the terms of the acquisition, Millar said in a statement that "this is only the third time in history a major comic book company has been purchased at this level."

While Netflix does not release its viewership numbers, the acquisition of Millarworld seems to signal that its four current Marvel Comic shows ("Luke Cage," "Jessica Jones," "Iron Fist" and "Daredevil") have performed well with the streaming service's audience. 

Millar previously spent eight years as a writer at Marvel, where he developed the comic book story arcs that inspired the first "Avengers" movie, "Captain America: Civil War," and "Logan."

SEE ALSO: YouTube beat out Netflix and Amazon to snag 'The Karate Kid' TV series sequel

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NOW WATCH: 8 details you might have missed on season 7 episode 4 of 'Game of Thrones'

The 12 biggest questions we have after this week's 'Game of Thrones'

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Game of Thrones Bran and Arya season 7Warning: Spoilers for "Game of Thrones" season seven episode four, "The Spoils of War." If you aren't caught up on the series, read at your own risk.

This week's episode of "Game of Thrones" started off with a long-awaited reunion and ended with one of the most brutal battles in the show's history.

Last week ended with a huge win for Cersei, but this week is just the opposite: Daenerys, Drogon, and the Dothraki ambush Jaime Lannister and his army outside of King's Landing.

This changes the game for Cersei, who could be doomed. In between reunions and that epic battle, there were some other important things that happened, too. And we have a lot of questions.

 Here are all the questions we have after this week's episode of "Game of Thrones":

SEE ALSO: These 10 'Game of Thrones' characters disappeared, but could come back in a major way this season

Will Tyrion reunite with his brother Jaime and his old pal Bronn?

Bronn helps Jaime avoid getting turned into Drogon ash. They end the episode in the water, but will they come up as prisoners? It's likely. Based on the episode five preview, Daenerys sticks around after the battle and tries to recruit the survivors for her cause. 

If Bronn and Jaime are taken prisoner, Tyrion could use his wit to persuade them to change sides. Jaime might be a harder sell, but all Bronn needs is the promise of a castle and he's in, no question. 



Did Randyll and Dickon Tarly survive the battle?

If so, they could bend the knee to Daenerys and get some Tyrell allies back. 



Will Tycho Nestoris and the Iron Bank betray Cersei in favor for Daenerys after her big win?

Yes, the money from Highgarden arrived in King's Landing before Daenerys attacked, but Cersei's most valuable army is nearly gone. Her failure could affect the Iron Bank's decision to support her in the war against Daenerys. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Netflix announced its first-ever acquisition — a cult comic book company (NFLX)

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Kingsman Golden Circle 20th Century Fox final

Netflix just made its first acquisition in the history of the company.

Netflix announced it acquired the comic book company Millarworld Monday morning. Millarworld is a small company owned by Mark and Lucy Millar, and is responsible for titles like "Kick-Ass" and "Kingsman." Movie adaptations of Millar's work have grossed nearly $1 billion so far, according to the company.

The company announced that it will be using the popular comic book characters and storylines of Millarworld to develop Netflix Original movies and TV shows. Netflix also said Millar will continue to develop new characters for Netflix after the deal.

Netflix's stock is mostly flat in early trading after the news was released. 

The move is the first ever acquisition by Netflix. As the company continues its global expansion, new content helps drive user growth. According to one analyst, Wall Street has severely underestimated the popularity of Netflix's content, and new shows and movies are a big driver of the stock price as well.

Mark Millar previously worked at Marvel and developed some of the most popular comics and story lines in the company's history, according to a news release.

"As creator and re-inventor of some of the most memorable stories and characters in recent history, ranging from Marvel's The Avengers to Millarworld's Kick-Ass, Kingsman, Wanted and Reborn franchises, Mark is as close as you can get to a modern day Stan Lee," Ted Sarandos, chief content officer at Netflix, said in a news release.

Millar said he is excited to be a part of Netflix, and thinks there isn't a "better home" for his comic book company.

Netflix is up 42.07% this year and is currently trading at around $180.20.

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SEE ALSO: RBC: Here's why all the Netflix bears were wrong

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The 5 ways to kill a dragon in ‘Game of Thrones’

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game of ThronesWarning: major spoilers for season seven of "Game of Thrones" lie ahead, including some speculation from the "A Song of Ice and Fire" books. Read at your own risk. 

One of the biggest threats to Cersei right now is Daenerys Targaryen, who has a large army and three dragons. Dragons!

Unfortunately for Cersei, there's not much known about how to kill the magical, violent, and long-dead creatures.

But in episode two of season seven, Qyburn (who seems to serve every position on the Queen's council now), shows Cersei an invention that might work. 

That weapon is put into action in episode four, "The Spoils of War." Bronn, fighting for the Lannisters, shoots Drogon with it. Although the dragon falls, he does not die. Will Qyburn's weapon eventually kill one of the dragons if aimed properly?

Although there's no proven and concrete way to kill a dragon, here are some of the ways that dragons could be killed, based on knowledge from the books and the show. 

SEE ALSO: All the biggest moments from this week's 'Game of Thrones'

Spears (with a lot of force)

In season seven, episode two ("Stormborn"), Qyburn shows Cersei a secret weapon he's developed that could kill Daenerys Targaryen's dragons. Upon hearing that Dany's dragons were wounded in Meereen by spears, he created a giant ballistae that shoots giant spears. He has Cersei test it out on the skull of Balerion the Black Dread. The spear goes through Balerion's skull, and Cersei has a look of satisfaction that rivals her look as she watched the Sept of Baelor collapse. 

Could it work? Maybe. Possibly. In season seven episode four, "The Spoils of War," Bronn hits Drogon with the weapon. Drogon falls, but he doesn't die, and we're not sure how badly he's wounded. In the story ofUrrax and Serwyn of the Mirror Shield from the books, Serwyn kills the dragon Urrax with a spear through the eye. The spear Cersei shot at Balerion's skull was through the eye. Meraxes, one of the great dragons used by Aegon the Conqueror to conquer Westeros (his the second largest dragon), was killed by an iron bolt to the eye from a scorpion, a weapon similar to what Qyburn made. 

Qyburn's device could work on Dany's dragons, but they'll have to be really careful, and aim well. Unlike dragon skulls, alive dragons move, fly, and breathe fire. And even the fall of a dragon can kill those near it. 

 



Other dragons

The Dance of the Dragons was a civil war between two Targaryens fighting for the Iron Throne, about 170 years before the events of "Game of Thrones." It was the only major war that had dragons fighting on both sides. Most dragons were killed during the war, killing each other.

After Aegon III (who hated dragons) defeated his half-sister, Rhaenyra, he put the remaining dragons in chains. They went extinct within a few years. 

Could it work?It's possible, if only someone can find a way to pit Dany's dragons against each other . . .



Dragonbinder

Dragonbinder, also known as the hellhorn, is a large dragon horn that is supposed to control dragons. In the books, Euron Greyjoy has Dragonbinder.  It is said that anyone who blows the horn will die but any dragons that hear it will obey the horn's master. Valyrian glyphs on the horn read, "I am Dragonbinder ... No mortal man should sound me and live ... Blood for fire, fire for blood." 

Could it work?If the writers introduce Dragonbinder to the series, it could help someone make Dany's dragons turn on each other. And that's likely considering how they've made Euron an influential character and ally to Cersei in season seven. Not sure how a dead person can tell dragons what to do, so we'll see. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Nintendo's $80 mini Super Nintendo is going to be impossible to find — so here's a solid alternative

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Nintendo's got another new video game console on ther verge of being released — except this time it's a throwback to the early '90s.

In just under one month, Nintendo plans to re-release its Super Nintendo console.

Super NES Classic Edition

When the SNES Classic Edition launches in late September, it'll cost $80 and be very, very hard to find. Such is the case with Nintendo's hottest products. When the NES Classic Edition launched in late 2016, it was near-impossible to find until it was discontinued a few months later. Then it became outright impossible — unless you were willing to pay double or triple the price to re-sellers.

The SNES Classic Edition is almost guaranteed the same fate. It's scheduled to launch on September 29, and is expected to end production by the end of 2017. It's going to be a popular holiday gift and a limited-edition item — a perfect mix of high demand and short supply.

But there's another option, albeit one that's slightly less cool-looking than the Super NES Classic Edition.

Behold: Hyperkin's Supa RetroN HD — a Super Nintendo that plays cartridges, and uses the original gamepad, but does it all with modern technology.

Supa RetroN HD

The Supa RetroN HD doesn't have a price, nor does it have a release date beyond "soon," but we do have a few more details care of Engadget. Like the NES version of this console, the Supa RetroN HD will have a physical switch so you can toggle between 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios (the SNES existed before HD TV existed, so it displayed in a different ratio). It'll also plug into modern TVs via HDMI and get power via micro USB; it will also have two controller ports (just like the original SNES). 

Though there's no release date or price for Hyperkin's Super Nintendo alternative, we'd guess somewhere in the $50 to $80 range. Hyperkin isn't saying just yet (we asked). 

Of course, more than just the adorable miniaturization factor, Nintendo's SNES Classic Edition comes with a brand new, never-before-released game in "Star Fox 2." If nothing else, this differentiates Nintendo's offering over Hyperkin's. But with just 21 games built into the SNES Classic Edition, the Supa RetroN HD offers far more flexibility in what you play — as long as you still have some old Super Nintendo games lying around, that is.

SEE ALSO: Nintendo will release a mini Super Nintendo with 21 classic games for just $80

DON'T MISS: It looks like Nintendo's making a miniature, inexpensive version of the original Nintendo 64 console

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


John Oliver says that Trump's plan to expand the border patrol is potentially disastrous

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John Oliver Border Patrol HBO final

On Sunday's episode of "Last Week Tonight," host John Oliver took a deep dive into the border patrol, and specifically the agents who guard our southern borders.

He found some troubling revelations. 

With President Trump signing an executive order to hire 5,000 more agents to assist the 20,000 who already are on our borders, Oliver painted a cautionary tale in the hopes that the hiring process goes better than the last time. 

Oliver explained that border patrol agents have a tough job. They have to be a humanitarian in some occassions and law enforcer in others. It's a unique task that not everyone can pull off, and for many in the government, that's obvious, because the last hiring surge for border agents led to some horrible hires.

In a post-9/11 move, President George W. Bush beefed up the border patrol from 10,000 agents to 20,000. And recruitment was very aggressive. Commercials promoted the job as you spending your days racing on ATVs, helicopters, or on horseback to apprehend drug runners and other nefarious people.

And though that can happen at times, often a border patrol agent is working alone surveying miles and miles of terrain. They sometimes don't see a single person for days.

"Boredom is a significant part of life as a border patrol agent and they should probably train for it," Oliver said. "For every hour they spend in target practice they should probably spend ten hours watching 'Mozart in the Jungle.'"

us border patrol immigrants deportationsThat kind of job, combined with the fact that many who were hired during the surge were not fit for the job, led to some damaging repercussions.

Over the years, corruption and misconduct skyrocketed. At one point, the border patrol was averaging two alcohol-related arrests per week. Oliver pointed out one incident when two border patrol agents were put on leave for allegedly performing a sex act during a Cirque du Soleil show. 

"Both denied that anything sexual was happening, and they were found not guilty of the sex act, presumably because they were at Cirque du Soleil where everything looks like a sex act," Oliver said.

Since 2005, 77 agents have been arrested or indicted on charges of corruption. 

One incredible example Oliver gave is a border patrol agent who was convicted of engaging in organized crime. It turns out he had a brother in the Gulf drug cartel in Mexico, and the evidence that linked him to the cartel was that a safe the agent owned contained $89,000 in cash, the agent's commemorative border patrol badge, cocaine, methamphetamine, and a gun that said "Gulf cartel" on it.

This agent was hired during the last surge.

The irony of all this is that there may not be a need for more border patrol agents. In a report in July, the Inspector General of Homeland Security questioned if 5,000 more agents were required. And Oliver showed that the apprehensions of undocumented Mexican immigrants has dropped from 404,365 in 2010 to 192,969 in 2016.

"This is a story about the danger of not learning from your mistakes and for the sake of absolutely everybody — people on both sides of the border, and the good border patrol agents just trying to do a difficult job well — if we are going to hire all these new people, the very least we can do is be more careful this time around," Oliver said. 

Watch the entire story below:

SEE ALSO: Steven Soderbergh has a new plan to make Hollywood movies outside the control of big studios

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'Game of Thrones' fans can't understand why Podrick is still so bad at fighting

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brienne and podrickWarning: Minor Spoilers if you have not seen "Game of Thrones" season seven, episode four.

In this week's episode of "Game of Thrones," Brienne and Podrick have a bit of sparring time with swords in Winterfell — and it turns out Pod is still truly terrible.

Fans noticed that poor Podrick hasn't seemed to pick up anything after all of his time spent training with Brienne, and are roasting him for it on Twitter.

It's not that Podrick needs to beat Brienne. She's an amazing warrior, and will likely be forever out of his reach. But he could at least learn a bit about form, instead of lunging all over the place.

Podrick and Brienne have been traveling together since season four, and within that time Podrick's fighting abilities haven't made much of an improvement. Time to step it up, Pod.

Here are some of the best tweets about Podrick's shortcomings:

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NOW WATCH: 8 details you might have missed on season 7 episode 4 of 'Game of Thrones'

Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard had a cameo in the latest 'Game of Thrones' episode

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Noah Syndergaard Game of Thrones

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Game of Thrones" season seven, episode four, "Spoils of War."

Sunday night's episode of "Game of Thrones" gave fans a lot of what they wanted. "Spoils of War" featured a few reunions and battles that longtime viewers had been waiting for for years, including our first look at the damage a dragon can do to a Lannister army.

With all the action, it was easy to miss a cameo by Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard, who appeared for a brief moment as a spear-wielding Lannister soldier attempting to fight off the onslaught of the Dothraki horde. While only onscreen for a second, Syndergaard, whose fastball can break 100 mph, did get some use out of his powerful arm, throwing his spear so hard that it knocked a Dothraki off its mount.

Syndergaard is a known fan of "Game of Thrones" and has even used the show's intro as his walk-up music .After the show, he posted a few tweets expressing his excitement with the appearance.

Fans on Twitter seemed to enjoy the cameo as well.

Syndergaard has been out with an injury since late April, but the Mets are hoping that their young star will be back on the mound before the end of the season. His character, despite his accuracy with the spear, was likely burned alive by dragon fire.

SEE ALSO: Christian McCaffrey, who will make $11 million this year, can't watch 'Game of Thrones' because he doesn't have his parents' password

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NOW WATCH: 8 details you might have missed on season 7 episode 4 of 'Game of Thrones'

Aziz Ansari says having more money than he 'ever imagined' has changed the way he looks at his work

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aziz ansari

Aziz Ansari doesn't have immediate plans for a third season of 'Master of None,' his hit Netflix show.

"I mean, those two seasons are really personal, and it's a lot of content, a lot of ideas," he told Mark Anthony Green in an interview with GQ. "Now I need a minute to refill my notebook. My life has not progressed enough for me to write season three yet."

Prodded by Green, Ansari went on to talk about how financial success has affected his willingness and ability to work. Here's Ansari:

"I was talking to a friend of mine the other day. We both have more money than we ever imagined. And I was like, Can you imagine if someone called us a few years ago and said, 'All right, you're going to have this much money when you're this age. What are you gonna do with it?' You would say all sorts of fantastical things, right? No one would say, Oh, I would figure out how to make more money and keep working all the time. Everyone just buys into this, like, Oh, I need to keep making stuff, I need to go make more money. I don't need to make more stuff. I've made a lot of stuff! I'm financially okay. I'm not gonna make stuff just for the sake of making stuff. I want to make stuff 'cause I'm inspired. Right now I don't really feel inspired."

Ansari has been traveling the world lately — Japan, France, Italy — taking time to recharge. He said removing himself from the urgency of his life in the US, full of meetings with other successful people who are moving on to the next thing, has lessened anxiety he might feel about taking a break, however temporary.

"I hope more people get very successful and then quit," Ansari told Green. "Shouldn't that be the game? That you make a bunch of money and just move to Italy and live a quiet life?" He continued: "No one who does what I do—or anywhere related in my world—is ever like, I'm done."

Read the full interview on GQ »

SEE ALSO: A man who retired at 34 says he can hardly find ways to spend the money he has

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McDonald’s in Japan serves ‘Teriyaki’ and ‘Ebi’ burgers — here’s what they’re like

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