• Rapper Meek Mill was given a 2-4 year prison sentence on Monday for violating probation.
• Mill's attorney, Joe Tacopina, told Business Insider that his team will appeal what he called a "ridiculous" sentence.
• Tacopina cited multiple instances of the judge's alleged "personal bias," including asking Mill to record a song dedicated to her. 

Rapper Meek Mill was sentenced in a Philadelphia court on Monday to a 2-4 year prison sentence for violating his probation on a 2009 gun and drug charge, and his lawyers are set to appeal the decision. 

One of Mill's attorney's, Joe Tacopina, told Business Insider that his team is gearing up to appeal what he called a "ridiculous" sentence from the court, referencing multiple instances of the judge's alleged "personal bias" in the case.

"Because this case is subject to future litigation, there will not be a comment at this time," a representative for the court told Business Insider.

When sentencing the 30-year-old rapper, Common Pleas Judge Genece Brinkley cited a pair of arrests from Mill this year, a failed drug test, and a failure to comply with a court order restricting his travel for concert performances, according to an Associated Press report. 

Mill, born Robert Williams, was arrested in March after a fight in a St. Louis airport, though those charges were later dropped. In October, he pleaded guilty to reckless driving after he was arrested following the surfacing of a video that showed him doing wheelies on a dirt bike in Manhattan. 

In sentencing Mill to be imprisoned, Brinkley went against the recommendation of the Philadelphia district attorney and Mill's probation officer, both of whom suggested that Mill not be incarcerated for the violations. 

Tacopina told Business Insider that Brinkley showed a "personal stake" in the decision, and he recounted an odd scene that allegedly occurred between Mill, former girlfriend Nicki Minaj, and the judge inside the courtroom chambers in 2013 as an instance of Brinkley's "inappropriateness."

Tacopina said Brinkley "requested that [Mill] re-record the Philadelphia group Boyz II Men song 'On Bended Knee,'" and include a shout-out to Brinkley on the song. 

He said Mill and Minaj laughed at her, thinking she was kidding, and Brinkley said, "No, I'm serious." Tacopina said Mill declined the request and that Brinkley added, "Okay, suit yourself."

Tacopina also said that Brinkley at one point asked Mill to leave his Roc Nation management and return to his former Philadelphia-based manager Charlie Mack, who Tacopina said is a friend of Brinkley's. 

Brinkley has overseen Mill's case since 2009, when he was sentenced to eight months in prison. The rapper was placed on probation for five years, a period that has been extended several times, including an added five years of probation following a violation in 2013.

SEE ALSO: Ben Affleck says he will donate future profits from Weinstein films to abuse victims charity

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NOW WATCH: 13 details you might have missed in 'Stranger Things' season 2

• Total music listening hours have increased during the past few years
• Streaming music subscribers listen to 4 hours more per week than non-streamers

Between smartphones, tablets, smart speakers, and laptops people can listen to music at any time of the day from anywhere they'd like. Nielsen's Music 360 Report, charted here by Statista, found that all of this easy access has increased the amount of time Americans spend listening to music by quite a bit in only one year. People who subscribe to music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music have even more music at their fingertips, and as we can see, they spend almost four more hours jamming out than non-subscribers. Streaming technology is also helping traditional radio station stay relevant – the report found that 72% of online music streamers also listen to some form of radio. 

SEE ALSO: Broadcom's bid for Qualcomm could shake up the chip industry

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• Manhattan District Attorney Cyprus Vance reportedly plans to pursue an indictment against Harvey Weinstein as early as next week
• NYPD investigators said on Friday that they were gathering "credible" evidence of rape by Weinstein and may seek an arrest warrant.
• Weinstein allegedly hired private security companies to investigate and cover up sexual-harassment allegations against him

Manhattan District Attorney Cyprus Vance plans on presenting evidence to a grand jury for rape charges against disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, WNBC reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, senior officials familiar with the investigation say the DA plans to pursue an indictment against Weinstein, potentially next week or soon thereafter.

New York Police Department investigators said last week they were gathering "credible" evidence of rape by Weinstein, and planned to seek an arrest warrant.

After publicly making allegations against Weinstein last month, "Boardwalk Empire" actress Paz de la Huerta provided the NYPD with evidence that Weinstein raped her twice in her apartment in 2010.

Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said they found de la Huerta's story believable and had corroborated portions of her account. Speaking at a police briefing Friday, Boyce said that if Weinstein was in New York and the allegations against him were recent, the NYPD "would go right away and make the arrest. No doubt." He also urged other victims to contact his office, saying allegations against Weinstein would be investigated.

The New Yorker reported on Monday that Weinstein hired private security companies staffed with former foreign intelligence agents to investigate and cover up sexual harassment allegations against him when they first started emerging in the fall of 2016.

As part of that effort, Weinstein hired Kroll, a corporate-intelligence firm, and Black Cube, a company operated primarily by former Israeli intelligence officers, according to the report. The film mogul also "directed" journalists to tell him which women were making allegations against him.

The New York Times first reported on the claims against Weinstein last month, and The New Yorker followed up with several new detailed allegations shortly after. In all, nearly 60 women have accused Weinstein of varying degrees of sexual misconduct. Sonam Sheth and Associated Press contributed to this report.

SEE ALSO: Harvey Weinstein hired companies staffed by ex-foreign intelligence agents to squash allegations against him

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NOW WATCH: 10 things you missed in the new 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' trailer

• Actress Kristina Cohen accused actor Ed Westwick of raping her in 2014.
• Westwick denied the accusation in a statement, and said he didn't know Cohen.
• Cohen filed a police report, and the LAPD is investigating her accusation. 

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating a rape allegation against "Gossip Girl" star Ed Westwick, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

On Monday, actress Kristina Cohen wrote in a Facebook post that Westwick raped her at his Los Angeles home in February 2014. Westwick has denied the incident ever occurred, writing in a statement that he didn't know Cohen. Cohen has since filed a police report at the LAPD's Hollywood precinct, according to THR. 

THR obtained a copy of the report, which states that police are investigating the claim that the “suspect forced victim to have sexual intercourse inside his residence three years ago.”

Westwick played Chuck Bass on The CW's "Gossip Girl," and currently stars on the BBC series "White Gold." In a tweet and Instagram post on Tuesday, Westwick denied Cohen's allegation. 

"I do not know this woman," Westwick wrote. "I have never forced myself in any manner, on any woman. I certainly have never committed rape." On Tuesday afternoon, Cohen's representative told Business Insider she had "no comment at this time" about Westwick's denial.

In Cohen's Facebook post and an interview with THR, she said Westwick raped her in his home, which she visited with producer Kaine Harling, whom she dated briefly in 2013.

"I was woken up abruptly by Ed on top of me, his fingers entering my body," Cohen wrote on Facebook. "I told him to stop, but he was strong. I fought him off as hard as I could but he grabbed my face in his hands, shaking me, telling me he wanted to f--- me. I was paralyzed, terrified. I couldn’t speak, I could no longer move. He held me down and raped me."

SEE ALSO: 'Gossip Girl' star Ed Westwick denies rape accusation from actress: 'I do not know this woman'

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NOW WATCH: 9 details you might have missed from the trailer for 'Stranger Things' season 2

Celebrities are just like us. They watch Netflix!

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Drake said that his new obsession is Netflix's original series "Ozark," which came out in July and stars Jason Bateman and Laura Linney. 

"My taste in television or movies is always kind of similar to my approach to music, which is, I like when people really hit the nail on the head with real human emotions," Drake told THR. "So with 'Ozar,' it's just the family dynamic. The arguments. The love. The struggles. I really relate to how accurate it is."

In honor of Drake's new interest, below is our original review of "Ozark" from July:

What if "Breaking Bad" started in the middle of its run? When Walter White is half-way Heisenberg, but there's still some humanity left.

Imagine if we never got to see White as a chemistry teacher: We just casually see him at work, having dinner with his family. Then suddenly, he pleads for his life with the leader of a Mexican drug cartel.

Trade Bryan Cranston for Jason Bateman (who you probably know as Michael Bluth on "Arrested Development"), and you have Netflix's newest drama, "Ozark."

In "Ozark," Bateman's character, Marty, is somewhat reminiscent of Michael Bluth. He's the slightly awkward dad who's trying really hard to impress his kids. He's hard-working to a fault. But Bateman's performance, even just in the excellent first episode, will convince you he's got acting chops that go far beyond comedy. (Bateman is also executive producer, and directs four out of the ten episodes, including the premiere.)  

From creators Mark Williams and Bill Dubuque, "Ozark" follows Bateman's Marty Byrde, a financial planner living in Chicago. In the first minutes, Marty seems like a normal guy. He's good at his boring job, he's a good dad, and is maybe an absent husband to Wendy (the always excellent Laura Linney). But by the end of the episode, you find out Marty has been laundering money for a Mexican drug cartel for years. And he's in trouble: He has to get out of Chicago, and find a way to launder a lot of money for his drug lord boss in very little time.

What separates "Ozark" from "Breaking Bad" is its slow pace (despite a thrilling pilot), and a "fish out of water" element. Worlds collide as the Byrd's suddenly (seriously, within one weekend) pack up their entire life in Chicago and move to the Missouri Ozarks.

The series is good — though not really good. It's worth wasting a weekend on your couch if you have some time.

There are a lot of elements that work. "Ozark" is beautifully shot and the soundtrack is biting, which elevates the tension. And the decision to have Wendy tell the kids what their father is doing, and why they actually moved to the Ozarks, pushes the narrative forward in a way that many other shows wouldn't dare. The kids' knowledge of their dad's illegal side gig provides a unique dynamic, and leads to a punny scene where Marty explains how money laundering works to his son while they're doing laundry.  

"Ozark" probably wouldn't work if it didn't have Bateman and Linney leading the way. The secondary characters are all well-acted, particularly Julia Garner as Ruth, who also proved herself a talented young actress on FX's "The Americans." But there's something missing. These other characters, from the Ozark natives to the FBI agents, are just not that engaging or layered enough. You don't really care about who they are or what their motives are, save for Marty and Wendy's son, Jonah, who might have some of his dad's bad side in him. 

You can watch the "Ozark" trailer below:

SEE ALSO: You might sympathize with serial killers while watching Netflix’s ‘Mindhunter,’ one of the best shows of the fall TV season

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• Drake is looking to produce and star in TV and movies. 
• Apple seems eager to back his productions as it gears up to spend billions in Hollywood. 

Drake is looking to become a force in TV and movies, according to a fantastic new feature in The Hollywood Reporter that includes an interview with the Canadian rap superstar. 

He has at least one powerful backer in his corner: Apple, which is said to be planning to spend billions on video content in the next few years. 

One of Apple's top executives working on movies and music, Jimmy Iovine, says that Drake has the "go-ahead" to produce whatever shows or movies he wants. 

That's partially due to Drake's massive profile as a celebrity rapper and former child TV star, but it also speaks to the close relationship between Drake and Apple Music. Drake is one of the few non-Apple executives to receive major stage time at an Apple announcement — he introduced the Apple Music app at Apple's developer conference in 2015, for example. 

"If I had a company today, I would give it to Drake and Future [Drake's manager] to run in a minute. They're incredibly talented guys. Very, very gifted," Iovine told The Hollywood Reporter. 

"Drake almost single-handedly helped us become culturally relevant from the day we launched," said Robert Kondrk, the VP of media apps and content at Apple Music.

Drake doesn't reveal many details about the projects he's currently working on, or even what the name of his production company will be.

If Apple does end up funding one of his projects, it won't be the first scripted video project from a rapper that Apple has backed. Apple previously funded Dr. Dre's "Vital Signs," a biopic series envisioned by the Beats co-founder who joined Apple in 2014 when it bought his headphone company. That project has yet to see the light of day.

The entire Hollywood Reporter feature is worth reading, especially for Drake fans.

SEE ALSO: Inside Apple’s rocky road to Hollywood, and what happened to Dr. Dre’s show

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• Drake told The Hollywood Reporter that he has been pursuing a first-edition copy of the first "Harry Potter" book for four years.
• A first-edition copy just hit the market for $160,000, and Drake said he's interested in buying it.
• The rapper has an estimated net worth of $90 million.

In a revealing new profile in The Hollywood Reporter, Drake said that he has been pursuing a rare copy of the first "Harry Potter" book for four years. 

Drake told the publication that he has read all of J.K. Rowling's best-selling book series, and that he is interested in buying a first-edition copy that reportedly just hit the market for $160,000. 

After THR's Tatiana Siegel told Drake that she was reading the series to her children, the rapper, "as if to talk himself into the purchase" of the rare book, responded, "I should get it. My birthday's coming up. Maybe I'll buy it for myself as a treat."

While THR lists the book as "Sorcerer's Stone," the first edition he's chasing is more likely one of the rare first hard-cover printings of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (the UK title), which the UK publisher Bloomsbury printed just 500 copies of in 1997.

Nonetheless, the purchase would not make much of a dent on Drake's fortune.

The 31-year-old rapper was named the fifth richest hip-hop artist in the world by Forbes this year, with an estimated net worth of $90 million. 

SEE ALSO: The 50 best-selling music artists of all time

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• Drake has recently become obsessed with the indie film "The Florida Project," he told The Hollywood Reporter.
• "The Florida Project" follows the lives of a poverty-stricken mother and her daughter living in a motel near Disney World.

Sean Baker's independent film "The Florida Project" has been in the theaters for a little over a month, and has earned itself copious praise from critics, a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and the affection of Drake.

In The Hollywood Reporter's profile of Drake, the musician-actor said he became obsessed with the film after attending a private screening of it.

"That was one of my favorite things I'd seen in a long time, just because it taught me something about a world I would never think of and what it was like to live there," Drake said. "It was just very pure and very human."

"The Florida Project" follows the life of poverty-stricken Halley (Bria Vinaite) and her 6-year-old daughter Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) as they struggle to survive from week to week.

Halley and Moonee live in The Magic Castle motel on the outskirts of Disney World, in a community that works continuously to keep its head above water, with little-to-no success.

Most of the film is seen through Moonee's point of view, as she and her friends run through their neighborhood finding new ways to amuse themselves. Together they trick strangers into giving them money for ice cream, and terrorize Bobby, the motel's manager (who is artfully played by Willem Dafoe). 

"The Florida Project" proves once again that Baker is able to fully immerse his audience in a world they might not have been privy to otherwise, just as he did in his 2015 hit "Tangerine." Baker has again delivered captivating, nuanced portraits of impoverished people, worthy of all the praise it has received.

"The Florida Project" is currently playing in select cities, and you can check here to see if it's playing at a theater near you.

SEE ALSO: Drake says his new favorite Netflix show hits the 'nail on the head with real human emotions'

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Since the actor Anthony Rapp last month accused Kevin Spacey of making a sexual advance when Rapp was 14, several other people have come forward to accuse the Spacey of sexual misconduct.

Most of the allegations involve Spacey inappropriately touching, or making sexual advances toward, younger male actors. The accusations start as early as the 1980s, around the beginning of Spacey's acting career, and run into the late 2000s.

Last week, Spacey's representatives responded to Business Insider's request for comment on the subsequent accusations, saying: "Kevin Spacey is taking the time necessary to seek evaluation and treatment. No other information is available at this time."

After eight people who worked on Netflix's "House of Cards" accused Spacey of sexual harassment or assault in a CNN report Thursday evening, Spacey's agency and publicist dropped the actor, according to BuzzFeed News.

Production on "House of Cards" was suspended indefinitely on October 31, and Spacey was fired from the show on Saturday.

Here are all the men who have publicly accused Spacey of sexual misconduct:

READ MORE: Kevin Spacey gets dropped by his agent and publicist after 'House of Cards' employees accuse him of sexual harassment and assault

Anthony Rapp

In an article published in late October by BuzzFeed News, the "Star Trek: Discovery" actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of making a sexual advance toward him when Rapp was 14 and Spacey was 26.

Rapp said the incident happened in 1986, while Rapp and Spacey were cast members in a Broadway production, when Spacey invited him to a party at his Manhattan apartment. He said Spacey later found him watching TV in a bedroom and that Spacey picked him up, placed him on the bed, and lay on top of him.

"I still to this day can't wrap my head around so many aspects of it. It's just deeply confusing to me," Rapp told BuzzFeed News.

In a statement, Spacey apologized to Rapp, saying he did "not remember the encounter" but that if it happened it "would have been deeply inappropriate, drunken behavior."

His apology to Rapp sparked criticism when he chose to come out as gay in the same statement.

Roberto Cavazos

The actor Roberto Cavazos in a Facebook post accused Spacey of trying to touch him without his consent at the bar of London's Old Vic theater in 2008.

Spacey was the artistic director of the theater from 2004 to 2015, and Cavazos appeared in numerous plays there starting in 2008.

"I don't remember how many people told me the same story: Spacey would invite them to meet him to 'talk about their careers,'" Cavazos said in the post, originally written in Spanish. "When they arrived at the theatre, [Spacey] had prepared champagne on the stage, beautifully lit. Each story varied in how far the picnic went, but the technique was the same. More common was to find him at the bar of the theatre, grabbing whoever caught his attention."

"There are many of us who have a 'Kevin Spacey story,'" he continued. "It seems the only requirement was to be a male under the age of 30 for Mr Spacey to feel free to touch us. It was so common that it became a local joke (of very bad taste)."

Tony Montana

The independent filmmaker Tony Montana told Radar Online that Spacey groped him at a Los Angeles bar in 2003, when Montana was in his 30s.

"I went up to order a drink, and Kevin came up to me and put his arm around me," Montana told the outlet. "He was telling me to come with him, to leave the bar. He put his hand on my crotch forcefully and grabbed my whole package."

Montana said Spacey then told him, "This designates ownership." Montana said that after he removed Spacey's hand and walked away, Spacey, who appeared intoxicated, followed him into the bathroom.

"I backed him out the door, and I pushed him," he said. "One of his friends was in line, and I said, 'It's time to take your boy home.' They all ended up leaving."

Montana said he had post-traumatic stress disorder for six months afterward.

• Barbara Corcoran is a founder of the real-estate behemoth The Corcoran Group.
• In 2008, she was offered a position on ABC's "Shark Tank" — only to have the offer rescinded.
• So she took about eight minutes to write a powerful letter to the studio owner that persuaded him to give her another shot.
• Ultimately, Corcoran got the position. She said that standing up for herself via the letter was a matter of "self-pride."

Anyone who was friendly with Barbara Corcoran in 2008 knew she was going to Hollywood.

Corcoran, a founder of the real-estate behemoth The Corcoran Group, had just been offered a part on the ABC series "Shark Tank" and was delivering the news to everyone she knew.

On an episode of Business Insider's podcast, "Success! How I Did It," Corcoran told US Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell that she was so excited about landing the "Shark Tank" gig that she "signed the contract and sent it back without even reading it."

From there, things went downhill, she said.

"They call and say they've changed their mind; they've invited another woman for the one female seat," she said. "I just couldn't believe it. It was like Ramone Simone" — Corcoran's former business and romantic partner who ultimately left Corcoran for her assistant — "all over again. It really felt like that, like how could that be? How could that be?!"

Corcoran said she was "near tears, honestly, because I couldn't imagine why something I envisioned" wasn't going to come true.

"I already had bought two new suits and signed autographs," she said.

But Corcoran wasn't one to resign herself to a disappointing fate. She told Shontell:

"At least I had the presence to get angry, right? And sit down and write a very potent text to Mark Burnett, who owned the studio. And I had the people sense to make his assistant promise me over the phone that if I wrote it she'd print it out and walk it over to him."

The letter began: "Mark, I understand you've asked another girl to dance instead of me. Although I appreciate being reserved as a fall-back, I'm much more accustomed to coming in first.

"I think you should consider inviting both of us to LA for your try outs."

Corcoran went on to list why she deserved to participate.

For example, she said she "had all my big successes on the heels of rejection," including from a teacher who told her she'd "always be stupid" because she couldn't read. (Corcoran later told The New York Times she had dyslexia.) And Corocan said Simone had told her, "You know you'll never succeed without me!"

Corcoran told Shontell that writing the letter "made a nine-year difference in my life."

"Think about it — just for writing an email that took about eight minutes," she said. "But it was really more than that. I was standing up for myself. That's why I earned it."

The next day, she said, she got a call saying she could compete for the seat.

Corcoran shared with Shontell some of the lessons she learned from the experience, including "the importance of standing up for yourself."

"I had learned that over and over again, because even if it doesn't work, you feel self-pride," she said. "You'd think if you really tried something and you didn't get it that you would feel embarrassed, but I never found that to be the case. I felt self-pride that I tried, and then, of course, so many tries you wind up getting a few yeses along the way, and this happened to be one of those yeses."

Read the full text of the letter:

Mark,

I understand you've asked another girl to dance instead of me. Although I appreciate being reserved as a fall-back, I'm much more accustomed to coming in first.

I think you should consider inviting both of us to LA for your try outs. Here are my reasons why:

1. I do my best when my back's against the wall. I love the heat of the competition as I've learned it brings out my best. I've had all my big successes on the heels of rejection and frankly, it's right up my alley. There was Sister Stella Marie in 5th grade who said I'd always be stupid just because I couldn't read. Then there was the New York old boy network trying to lock me out of their real estate fortunes, until I became their largest competitor. Then there was The Donald himself who wrongly swore in court I'd never see a penny of the $4m commission he owed me for saving his ass and making the largest land deal in the city's history. And of course there was my ex-partner Ramone Simone who parted with the words, "You know you'll never succeed without me!" I consider your rejection a lucky charm.

2. If you have both ladies in LA, you can mix it up a bit and see which personalities make the best combination for your show. I've found in building teams myself that the combination of personalities is always more important than the expertise or strengths of single individuals. You may even drop a man for me because, believe it or not, I'm just as smart and mean as the next guy.

3. Last, I've known from the get-go the shark role is a perfect fit for me. Everything I've done so far in the business and TV worlds has made me ready. My style is different than the other sharks' and your audience would fall in love with me. I've watched thirty-seven dragon episodes so far and know I could rival the best shark on each show in shrewdness and personality. It seems to me that the same two sharks steal most of the shows and I know I'd be one of them.

The reputation you have in your field is equal to the reputation I have in mine, Mark. I know you're the best at what you do and I trust you'll reach the right decision. I've booked my flight for the 6th and hope to be on that plane.

Thanks,

Barbara

SEE ALSO: Shark Tank star Barbara Corcoran reveals how getting dumped for her secretary and sending 1 gutsy email helped turn her into a business mogul

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NOW WATCH: 'Shark Tank' star Barbara Corcoran: How I went from a 10-kid household and more than 20 jobs to become a real estate mogul

• Lin-Manuel Miranda will star in "Hamilton" for a three-week run at the Teatro UPR in Puerto Rico.
• Miranda has decided to bring "Hamilton" to Puerto Rico to send a hopeful message to those affected by Hurricane Maria.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of the Tony award-winning musical "Hamilton," announced Wednesday that he will be bringing the musical to Puerto Rico, and reprising his leading role for a three-week run in 2019.

“When I last visited the island, a few weeks before Hurricane Maria, I had made a commitment to not only bring the show to Puerto Rico, but also return again to the title role," Miranda said. "In the aftermath of Maria we decided to expedite the announcement of the project to send a bold message that Puerto Rico will recover and be back in business, stronger than ever."

Miranda has been actively trying to raise money for those affected by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, and recently released the song "Almost like Praying" to help raise money for relief efforts.

"Hamilton" will run at the University of Puerto Rico’s Teatro UPR, from January 8 to 27, where Miranda's other musical "In the Heights" played in 2010. 

Teatro UPR suffered significant damage from Hurricane Maria and will need to be put in working order prior to "Hamilton's" debut in Puerto Rico, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"Hamilton's" producer Jeffrey Seller said he hopes that the musical will "play a positive role in bringing the artistic pulse of the community back to life."

SEE ALSO: Lin-Manuel Miranda could become the youngest person ever to win Hollywood's coveted EGOT

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• YouTube hosts thousands of disturbing videos featuring promotional images from popular children's characters, according to recent analysis.
• Some of the videos are targeted at children on YouTube. Many of the videos tap into popular keywords.
• YouTube says it screens videos to pull inappropriate ones from its children-oriented YouTube Kids app, and encourages people to flag any videos they view as inappropriate on its platforms.
• But writer James Bridle, who highlighted the problem in a recent Medium post, said that the way the company's site is designed, it essentially encourages the production and posting of such videos. 

 
Parents who let their kids watch YouTube unattended might want to pay closer attention to what they're viewing. 

YouTube is serving up to kids thousands of disturbing videos, many from obscure producers, that are sprinkled in with kid-friendly ones from well-known studios, according to analysis in a recent Medium post and past reporting from the BBC. At first glance, the inappropriate videos can be hard to distinguish from the benign ones, often involving well-known characters and themes. But they can often be violent or involve abuse to kids, and many appear to be generated automatically and cheaply in an apparent attempt to profit off the sometimes indiscriminate tastes of younger kids.

"The architecture [that Google and YouTube] have built to extract the maximum revenue from online video is being hacked by persons unknown to abuse children, perhaps not even deliberately, but at a massive scale," wrote writer and artist James Bridle, who took to Medium on Monday to help sound the alarm about the continuing phenomenon.

In a statement to Business Insider, YouTube said that while it is looking out for younger viewers, it's trying to keep its site as open as possible.

"We’re always looking to improve the YouTube experience for all our users and that includes ensuring that our platform remains an open place for free communication while balancing the removal of controversial content," the company said in the statement. It continued: "In the last year, we have updated our advertising policy to clearly indicate that videos depicting family entertainment characters engaged in inappropriate behavior are not eligible for advertising on YouTube."

Peppa Pig's disturbing trip to the dentist

One video Bridle highlighted as "controversial" that hasn't been removed is a knockoff video of Peppa Pig, a popular animated character in the UK. The BBC first reported on the disturbing video in March. Posted to YouTube last year, the clip looks and sounds similar to a real Peppa Pig video and even involves a similar situation — going to the dentist.

But the knockoff video is punctuated with the disturbing sound of a child wailing in the background. When Peppa gets to the dentist's office, he injects her with a green serum and proceeds to pull out all her teeth. She then has to fight a sinister-looking masked monster. Needless to say, the real Peppa Pig's dental visit isn't nearly as horrifying. 

That's just one of many disturbing pseudo-Peppa Pig videos on the site, Bridle said.

"Many are so close to the original, and so unsignposted  —  like the dentist example  —  that many, many kids are watching them," he wrote on Medium. "I understand that most of them are not trying to mess kids up, not really, even though they are."

But bogus Peppa Pig clips represent a small portion of the disturbing kids videos that can be found on the site, Bridle noted. There are thousands of other videos that may not show disturbing content per se, but are upsetting nonetheless, because they appear to be automatically generated based on popular keywords and tuned specifically to attract kids' clicks, according to Bridle.

"There are vast, vast numbers of these videos," Bridle said. "Channel after channel after channel of similar content, churned out at the rate of hundreds of new videos every week. Industrialized nightmare production."

It's unclear what motivates users to post the disturbing content to the site. Last year, in an attempt to discourage these types of videos, YouTube began pulling ads from videos that depict kids characters engaged in inappropriate behavior, removing the ability for the creators to make money off of them. 

YouTube Kids may be designed for kids, but it's not a guaranteed refuge from inappropriate videos

YouTube recommends that parents direct their children to its YouTube Kids app. That app, which regularly garners more than 11 million weekly viewers, is designed to offer kid-friendly content aimed at audiences younger than 13.

But disturbing videos have infiltrated the YouTube Kids app as well. Parents have reported that the app has shown videos of popular animated characters dying in a car crash, others of popular characters urinating on each other, and one of a real child apparently bleeding after her forehead was shaved, The New York Times reported.

A YouTube representative told The Times that videos uploaded to its site are automatically scanned to see whether they are appropriate for its Kids app and monitored after they are posted. The company also encourages parents to alert it to videos that are inappropriate for YouTube Kids. YouTube representatives review such videos and can remove them. 

Fewer than .005 percent of the videos on YouTube Kids were removed in the last 30 days because they were inappropriate, the company representative told The Times. "We strive to make that fraction even lower," the representative said. 

Yet despite YouTube's efforts, there are still plenty of creepy, kid-targeted videos on its sites. And it doesn't appear to be all that hard for kids to find them. 

SEE ALSO: The new YouTube kids app is being criticized for 'unfair and deceptive' advertising

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• A "Harry Potter" game is in production for smartphones, made by the same people who created Pokémon Go.
• It's the first game from a new studio dedicated to creating games in the "Harry Potter" universe.
• The game is named "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite," and it's described as something very similar to Pokémon Go.

Niantic, the company that makes the hit mobile game "Pokémon Go," is currently making a smartphone game set in the universe of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter.  

"The game will use state-of-the-art AR mobile technology and allow players to go on adventures, learn and cast spells, discover mysterious artifacts, and encounter legendary beasts and iconic characters as they explore real-world neighborhoods and cities across the globe," the press release reads. 

"Harry Potter Wizards Unite" is only described as a "mobile" game; it's likely to come to both iPhone and Android, as previous Niantic games have. There's no release date, but it sounds like we're waiting until at least 2018 — the press release says more information will be shared at some point next year.

Niantic CEO John Hanke teased a bit more information about the game in his personal announcement letter: "'Harry Potter: Wizards Unite' will leverage the full stack of the Niantic Platform while also providing an opportunity to pioneer all new technology and gameplay mechanics," he wrote.

Given Niantic's history of making games that use the geolocation and augmented-reality features of smartphones, and the descriptions given, it sounds like "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite" will have players interacting with the real world through their smartphone camera. Perhaps you'll encounter a famous Romanian Longhorn dragon somewhere in the middle of Manhattan! Who knows.

Niantic is partnering with a new WB Games studio, Portkey Games, to create "Wizards Unite." The studio is described as "a new games label dedicated to creating video game and mobile experiences inspired by J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World." 

For now, details about the game are scant, but we'll hear more about it in 2018.

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• Actor Terry Crews has filed a police report to the LAPD alleging sexual assault, according to multiple news outlets.
• Last month, Crews said on Twitter that his genitals were groped at an industry event last year. 
• Last week, The Hollywood Reporter reported that agent Adam Venit was the subject of Crews' tweets, though Crews has not confirmed this publicly.
• Venit has been put on leave from his position at agency WME. 

Actor Terry Crews ("Brooklyn Nine-Nine") has filed a police report to the LAPD alleging sexual assault, TMZ first reported Wednesday. Captain Cory Palka with the LAPD confirmed the report to Variety.

The LAPD has not yet responded to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Following reports of sexual harassment and assault against film producer Harvey Weinstein that surfaced last month, Crews said on Twitter that he was sexually assaulted at an industry event last year by a "high level Hollywood executive."

Since Crews' alleged incident occurred last year, it is within the statute of limitations for sexual assault in the state of California. 

Last week, The Hollywood Reporter reported that WME agent Adam Venit was the subject of Crews' tweets. Venit was put on leave by WME. Crews has not publicly identified Venit, however, and Venit has not commented.

Here are Crews' tweets about the alleged incident, which we've condensed: 

"This whole thing with Harvey Weinstein is giving me PTSD. Why? Because this kind of thing happened to ME. My wife n I were at a Hollywood function last year n a high level Hollywood executive came over 2 me and groped my privates.

"Jumping back I said What are you doing?! My wife saw everything n we looked at him like he was crazy. He just grinned like a jerk.

"I was going to kick his ass right then — but I thought twice about how the whole thing would appear. '240 lbs. Black Man stomps out Hollywood Honcho' would be the headline the next day. Only I probably wouldn't have been able to read it because I WOULD HAVE BEEN IN JAIL. So we left."

Crews said he talked to everyone he knew who worked with the executive about what happened to him, adding that the executive called him the next day to apologize but "never really explained why he did what he did."

Crews said he opted not to take it further because he didn't want to be "ostracized — par 4 the course when the predator has power n influence."

"Who's going 2 believe you?" he added.

"Hollywood is not the only business [where] this happens, and to the casualties of this behavior — you are not alone," Crews wrote. "Hopefully, me coming forward with my story will deter a predator and encourage someone who feels hopeless."

SEE ALSO: The LAPD is investigating a rape accusation made against actor Ed Westwick, who gained fame playing Chuck Bass on 'Gossip Girl'

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As Netflix's library of original content continues to expand and expand, it's worthwhile to take stock of all that the service currently offers.

While the second season of "Stranger Things" is the company's most recent cultural phenomenon, Netflix has a slew of other great original shows — like the serial killer drama "Mindhunter" and the women's wrestling comedy "Glow" — that might have flown under your radar. 

Of course, the service has also had its share of flops, including the historical epic "Marco Polo," and the Kathy Bates-led sitcom "Disjointed."

To figure out which Netflix original series are worth your time, we turned to the reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes to rank the shows by their composite critical reception.

We excluded any show that did not have enough reviews to receive a designation of "Fresh" or "Rotten." We also did not include children's shows, talk shows, or series that were continued from other networks, and we used audience scores to break any ties. 

Here are 54 of Netflix's original shows, ranked from worst to best, according to critics:

SEE ALSO: The 9 shows Netflix has canceled, including its first big hit 'House of Cards'

54. "Disjointed" — 17%

Critic score: 17%

Audience score: 74%

Netflix description: "Pot activist Ruth Whitefeather Feldman runs a medical marijuana dispensary while encouraging her loyal patients to chill out and enjoy the high life."

53. "Iron Fist" — 17%

Critic score: 17%

Audience score: 77%

Netflix description: "Danny Rand resurfaces 15 years after being presumed dead. Now, with the power of the Iron Fist, he seeks to reclaim his past and fulfill his destiny."

52. "Between" — 22%

Critic score: 22%

Audience score: 71%

Netflix description: "After a mysterious disease kills every resident over 22 years old, survivors of a town must fend for themselves when the government quarantines them."

• Barely Famous stars Erin and Sara Foster will join Bumble as Heads of Creative for Bumble BFF and Bumble Bizz
• The two women will be working with CEO and founder Whitney Wolfe Herd on brand awareness and content as well as live events.

Whitney Wolfe Herd's relationship app Bumble has a new advantage over competitor LinkedIn. 

Actresses and television producers Erin and Sara Foster have been announced as the Heads of Creative for Bumble BFF and Bumble Bizz, the friendship and networking arms of the website.

Bumble, which just started out as a dating app, just launched its Bizz platform in October.

The Fosters have been working on ideas with Wolfe Herd on everything from dinners and panels to TV shows within the app and partnerships with female-led companies. 

Bumble says meeting the sisters was 'kismet'

Whitney Wolfe Herd wasn't looking for two new employees when she invited Erin and Sara Foster to speak about their careers at the "Women in Entertainment" panel on June 13 but that was, in fact, what she left with.

The sisters were supposed to talk about their careers in entertainment and Erin's time as a screenwriter but the conversation quickly shifted to female friendships and women coming together to motivate each other in business. 

"It was kismet," Wolfe Herd said. Wolfe Herd was blown away by the sister's passion for the mission of Bumble and how genuinely excited the two were about females coming together. "I felt like I couldn't live without them."

Bringing new perspectives to Bumble

Erin and Sara, who are known for their satirical portrayal of Hollywood on Barely Famous, are thrilled to bring a fresh perspective to the company. 

"It's not every day an opportunity like this comes around," Sarah Foster said. "Everyone wants to be in tech. Silicon Valley is the new Hollywood."

When we asked them about why Bumble was right for them, both shared their passion for what Bumble and Herd do for women. 

"For me, it's about inclusion," Sara said. 

"Bumble is a place for women to find friends and be creative and clever who deserve to be in the conversation and surround themselves with men who encourage that," Erin echoed.

The two women said they are inspired and impressed by their new boss as Heads of Creative for Bumble BFF and Bumble Bizz. 

"A product is a direct reflection of its CEO," Erin said. "Whitney believes in a mission but she never comes across as overcompensating. Watching her makes us better." 

Similarly, Sara said, "She's so humble but she's also such a boss. She's genuinely happy for the success of other women."

Plans to put Bumble's friendships and networking tools on the map 

Wolfe Herd said the sisters were "bouncing around a thousand ideas before we officially started." 

"We weren't really looking," Wolfe Herd said about hiring a head of creative for Bumble BFF and Bumble Bizz. "We didn't want to look at who was famous at the moment and just attach ourselves to them. We wanted someone who would rally cry for this brand and with their passion, we couldn't not." 

For the remainder of 2017, the sisters plan to focus on brand awareness for Bumble. 

"We want to make people laugh and be honest. We firmly believe in letting women know, 'hey this is all fake'," Erin said about the perceptions of Hollywood stars, including themselves, on social media. "We want to work to make women feel better."

In 2018, their focus will shift to content within the app, panels and dinner that bring users and influencers together, and more partnerships with female-run companies. They also plan to help open a Hive, a networking lounge similar to the one the company opened in New York, in Los Angeles. 

"It will be a hub for conversations and real-life connections," Erin Foster said about the space. "Women are so powerful when we come together."

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• Nintendo's newest console, the Switch, is getting its first video streaming service.
• The first service to arrive is Hulu, and it could mean that Netflix, YouTube, Amazon, and others are coming next.

Nintendo's hot new game console, the Switch, is finally getting a video-streaming service: Hulu. 

The service is the first video-streaming service to head to Nintendo's Switch, which launched in March. Similar services from Netflix, YouTube, Amazon, and others still haven't come to the Switch. 

Though the console is capable of powering streaming services like Netflix and YouTube, those services have been bizarrely absent from the console — until now, that is. Nintendo's previously said that the Switch is a "gaming device first," but that streaming video services weren't off the table.

The Switch is a perfect fit for streaming services. The console can be docked and played on a television, or taken in handheld mode as a portable console. The screen size and portable factor make it a great device for watching video wherever you want.

Hulu should start popping up on the Nintendo eShop — the Switch's digital storefront — on Thursday. It's the same service offered elsewhere, whether you have the video-on-demand streaming package from Hulu or the live TV package. 

SEE ALSO: The Nintendo Switch doesn't have Netflix or Hulu — here's why

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"Horizon Zero Dawn" is one of the best games of 2017, and a good reason to own a PlayStation 4 unto itself.

Just look at this:

If you haven't already played the excellent, massive third-person action game, now's a great time to pick it up: It's just $20 on Amazon and Best Buy. That is an absurdly good price for such a great game.

So, what's the game about? Here's the skinny.

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In "Horizon Zero Dawn," you play as a female hunter named Aloy. This is Aloy:

The world of "Horizon Zero Dawn" is shrouded in mystery. There are ruins of what looks like modern society:

And there are cave paintings depicting society before whatever happened, happened:

• On Monday, actress Kristina Cohen accused "Gossip Girl" actor Ed Westwick of rape. She filed a police report to the LAPD, which is investigating the allegation.
• On Wednesday, a second woman, actress Aurélie Wynn, accused Westwick of rape. 
• Wynn said the alleged assault happened in July 2014, and that she was inspired to come forward after hearing Cohen's story. 

A second woman has accused actor Ed Westwick of rape. Westwick is well known for his role as Chuck Bass on "Gossip Girl."

In a statement posted on Twitter and Instagram, Westwick denied the claim, saying he has "absolutely not" committed these alleged acts. 

On Monday, actress Kristina Cohen wrote in a Facebook post that Westwick raped her at his Los Angeles home in February 2014. On Tuesday, Westwick denied the incident occurred, writing in a statement that he didn't know Cohen. Cohen has since filed a police report at the LAPD's Hollywood precinct, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Now a second woman, actress Aurélie Wynn, has accused Westwick of rape. Wynn wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday that Westwick sexually assaulted her in July 2014. 

“I said no and he pushed me face down and was powerless under his weight,” Wynn wrote. Wynn wrote that she was wearing a one-piece bathing suit at the time of the alleged assault, and said Westwick ripped it. 

Wynn also said that at the time the alleged assault occurred, she was dating "Glee" actor Mark Salling. Wynn said when she told Salling about the incident, he blamed her and broke up with her. Salling recently pleaded guilty to child pornography possession. 

Wynn wrote that she felt inspired to come forward after Cohen did. 

“I believe you Kristina Cohen and thank you for speaking up so eloquently and really encompassing what young female actresses have to go through at the hands of men like Ed Westwick," Wynn wrote. "Without you I would not have had the strength to speak up publicly about my ordeal."

Here is Westwick's full statement, which he posted on social media Thursday:

"It is disheartening and sad to me that as a result of two unverified and provably untrue social media claims, there are some in this environment who could ever conclude I have had anything to do with such vile and horrific conduct. I have absolutely not, and I am cooperating with the authorities so that they can clear my name as soon as possible."

Wynn did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. Business Insider has also reached out to Westwick's lawyer for comment. 

You can read Wynn's entire post below:

SEE ALSO: The LAPD is investigating a rape accusation made against actor Ed Westwick, who gained fame playing Chuck Bass on 'Gossip Girl'

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