• "Pokémon Go" just got two updates: 50 new Pokémon characters and a new "dynamic weather system."
• Those who played the "Pokémon Ruby" and "Pokémon Sapphire" video games will recognize the new characters from the Hoenn region — they include Treecko, Torchic, and Mudkip, and more will be added in the weeks to come.
• "Pokemon Go" will also now take weather into account, reflecting players' local weather patterns. Certain characters like Mudkip are most likely to appear on rainy days, for example, and attacks like Charizard’s Fire Spin will be more effective on sunny days. 
• "Pokémon Go" creator Niantic Labs put out a new video that highlights the updates — watch it below. 

SEE ALSO: Here's your first look at all the new emoji coming next year

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NOW WATCH: A guy who reviews gadgets for a living spent a week with the iPhone X and the Pixel 2 — the winner was clear

• Harvey Weinstein's years of alleged sexual harassment and assault were enabled by a "complicity machine" that included tabloid journalists and assistants, according to a New York Times report. 
• Weinstein reportedly made his "low-level assistants" help facilitate his alleged encounters with women and procure "penile injections" for his erectile dysfunction.
• One of Weinstein's former assistants, who told the Times she was forced to provide him with erectile dysfunction drugs, also told Variety that she is planning to sue Weinstein for sexual harassment. 

Harvey Weinstein had an extensive network of enablers who helped him cover up years of alleged sexual harassment and assault, according to a New York Times report published Tuesday.

Weinstein reportedly sought the help of agents and tabloid journalists in an effort to undermine his accusers. He also reportedly forced some of his "low-level assistants" to help facilitate his alleged encounters with women, and even made them procure "penile injections" for his erectile dysfunction.

Two of Weinstein's former assistants, Sandeep Rehal and Michelle Franklin, told the Times that they were forced to provide Weinstein with the injectable erectile dysfunction drugs Caverject and alprostadil, and that they helped arrange his repeated encounters with women.

Franklin told the Times that Weinstein fired her in 2012 after she told the movie mogul, "It's not my job, and I don’t want to do it," in response to arranging his encounter with a woman who later appeared "emotionally bruised."

Rehal told the Times that Weinstein paid for his erectile dysfunction drugs and other items for his encounters with his company credit card, and she said that Weinstein paid her a $500 bonus for supplying the drugs.

Rehal's attorney also told Variety on Wednesday that she plans to sue Weinstein for sexual harassment. Rehal worked for Weinstein for two years, before quitting in February 2015 due to an "intolerable work environment," her attorney told Variety.

In a statement responding to the Times story, Weinstein's attorneys, Blair Berk and Ben Brafman, said Weinstein did not bill personal expenses to the company.

"At no time during his tenure at either Miramax or TWC did Mr. Weinstein ever utilize company resources for personal expenditures, and in the few instances where there was any confusion, Mr. Weinstein immediately reimbursed the company out of his own pocket," the attorneys said in their full statement, as Variety reported.

Weinstein was fired from The Weinstein Company board on October 8, following bombshell reports from The New York Times and The New Yorker that detailed decades-spanning allegations of sexual harassment and assault against him.

The 8,000-word New York Times report published Tuesday details the full extent of Weinstein's history of efforts to cover up his alleged misconduct, and it's worth a read.

Business Insider has contacted Weinstein's lawyers for further comment.

SEE ALSO: Lena Dunham and Tina Brown say they warned the Clinton campaign about working with Harvey Weinstein

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• Six women filed a lawsuit in federal court on Wednesday alleging that Harvey Weinstein and his associates' efforts to cover up sexual misconduct allegations amounted to racketeering.
• The women are seeking class-action status to represent "dozens, if not hundreds" of other victims.
• The suit alleges that Weinstein and those "complicit" in his behavior conspired to cover up sexual assault and harassment.

Six women filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, The Weinstein Company, Miramax, and others, alleging that their coordinated efforts to cover up his sexual abuse amounted to racketeering.

The suit, filed in a federal court in New York, alleges that Weinstein and multiple "complicit" individuals and companies conspired to lure women under the guise of career advancement so that Weinstein could sexually harass or assault them, then silence any accusations of wrongdoing.

The women are seeking class-action status to represent the "dozens, if not hundreds" of women who say Weinstein harassed or assaulted them. The suit alleges that the defendants' actions constitute a violation of the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations act.

"This coalition of firms and individuals became part of the growing 'Weinstein Sexual Enterprise,' a RICO enterprise," the suit alleged. "The Weinstein Sexual Enterprise had many participants grew over time as the obfuscation of Weinstein's conduct became more difficult to conceal."

The suit alleges that Weinstein and his co-conspirators lured victims to hotel rooms, office casting couches, or Weinstein's homes under the pretense of professional development opportunities. It goes on to allege that Weinstein would then pursue unwanted sexual conduct, including flashing, groping, fondling, harassing, battering, false imprisonment, sexual assault, attempted rape, and rape.

The women said in the suit that Weinstein and his allies engaged in a pattern of "isolating and blacklisting" victims to cover up Weinstein's "predatory tactics." They added that the defendants' behavior harmed the victims' business and career prospects and reputations, and caused severe emotional and physical distress.

Weinstein's victims "were aware of Weinstein's ability to make or break their careers, as well as to continue to inflict emotional distress," the suit said. "Moreover, Weinstein wielded and was outspoken about his power and ability to either launch their careers or ruin their personal and professional reputations forever."

'The Weinstein Sexual Enterprise'

The suit also names as defendants each member of The Weinstein Company's board of directors, including Weinstein's brother Robert Weinstein.

The plaintiffs include the actresses Sarah Ann Thomas, Zoe Brock, Katherine Kendall, Nannette Klatt, Melissa Sagemiller, and the scriptwriter and actress Louisette Geiss. Most of the women publicly shared their allegations against Weinstein with news outlets in recent months.

Allegations against Weinstein first came to light in several bombshell reports from The New York Times and The New Yorker, which documented multiple women's experiences with Weinstein going back decades. Dozens of women have now stepped forward in news outlets or on social media to accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct to varying degrees.

Most of the alleged encounters detail "business meetings" that occurred in Weinstein's hotel suites that turned into scenes of sexual harassment or assault. These accusations stretch back as far as the 1980s and include a variety of film industry figures, including actresses, assistants, and other employees.

After the stories broke, Weinstein was fired from the Weinstein Company, which he co-founded. Police departments in New York City, London, Los Angeles, and Beverly Hills have launched investigations into allegations against him.

SEE ALSO: Lena Dunham and Tina Brown say they warned the Clinton campaign about working with Harvey Weinstein

DON'T MISS: Harvey Weinstein reportedly made his assistants 'procure penile injections for his erectile dysfunction'

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• Disney is reportedly in talks to buy 21st Century Fox's TV assets.
• RBC analyst Steven Cahall breaks down the potential details of the deal and thinks 21st Century Fox will spin off the assets Disney isn't interested in.
• 21st Century Fox could grind higher as the details of the deal are worked out and announced, Cahall said.
• Watch 21st Century Fox's stock price change in real time here.

It's looking like Disney could be the eventual buyer of 21st Century Fox's entertainment and TV business, but many of the details are unknown. No deal has yet been announced, but reports from CNBC citing unnamed sources are predicting an announcement as early as next week.

In a note sent out to clients on Wednesday, RBC analyst Steven Cahall tried to work out how a potential deal could spin.

"Assuming that Fox bonds don't travel, Fox could potentially spin off Fox News/Broadcast/FS1-2 etc. as 'Fox SpinCo' while leaving the rest of the assets and the debt for Disney to acquire," Cahall predicts.

Creating a spin-off company before selling to Disney could be a clean way for Disney and Fox executives to package the deal. Spinning off the assets Disney isn't interested in to form a debt-free company would provide a clean balance sheet for the Murdochs to do with as they please. They could continue to run the business as it's own entity, but would also be able to bring the assets under the News Corp umbrella or seek a separate buyer as the media industry leans toward forming big content conglomerates.

The so-called "Fox SpinCo" would have an estimated $2.8 billion in annual earnings before taxes, interest and amortization. The assets that would remain part of 21st Century Fox before Disney's acquisition, what Cahall calls "RemainCo" could pull in about $4.7 billion a year in earnings. Disney is reportedly interested in the business at an enterprise value of about $60 billion, which implies a 10.5 value to earnings ratio.

Combined, the RemainCo and Fox SpinCo assets would be worth about $37 per share, according to Cahall's estimates, which is about 11.6% higher than the company's current price of $33.15. Cahall said this means there is room for the company's shares to move higher after a deal is announced.

21st Century Fox has risen 32.2% over the last month as various reports about a potential sale have circulated. Shares have added another 0.49% on Wednesday after Cahall's report.

Cahall was sure to hedge his valuations of the company by saying the deal still has to be announced, then approved by regulators.

Read more about the impacts of a potential Disney-Fox merger here.

SEE ALSO: Disney is about to go to war with Netflix and Fox could be a big weapon

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NOW WATCH: This is why you should be buying gold

The year is nearly over, and you might finally have enough time to actually play some of the biggest games of 2017. Finally!

That, of course, begs the question: What to play? There were dozens of great games this year, and it's hard to know where to start.

We've got your answers right here — these are the 10 best games of 2017, in order.

SEE ALSO: 16 reasons why now is the perfect time to buy an Xbox One

DON'T MISS: Forget 'Call of Duty' — the hottest game of 2017 is an insane 100-player battle royale

10. "South Park: The Fractured But Whole"

If you're a "South Park" superfan, you probably already own "The Fractured But Whole." If not, and you're not sure, know that this is a game for you. Even if you hate role-playing games, you can turn the combat difficulty way down and just enjoy a very long South Park experience.

If you're anything like me, a casual "South Park" fan at best who just wants to play a good game, "The Fractured But Whole" is also for you. It might not be one you have to rush out and grab today, but it's one to keep in mind as the holiday season rages on.

Read our full review of "South Park: The Fractured But Whole" right here.

9. "Cuphead"

Video games never look as good as "Cuphead." It's a ridiculously gorgeous game, and that's because it's all hand-drawn. Seriously! Just gawking at "Cuphead" is enough to impress. Playing it, however, is even better.

If you're familiar with "bullet hell" games, you'll be right at home with "Cuphead." The gist is this: A bunch of different things are happening on screen at any one time, and you have to decide where to prioritize your actions. Perhaps it's most important that you keep jumping from cloud to cloud, lest you fall to your death. Or perhaps it's most important that you shoot that enemy in its stupid face.

The only constant in "Cuphead" play is change — you're constantly deciding what to prioritize, and that can change from second to second. It's a tremendously challenging, tremendously satisfying game with more style than most games. 

Read our full review of "Cuphead" right here.

8. "HQ Trivia"

On its face, "HQ Trivia" is a simple, multiple-choice trivia game. You watch a host as he/she rattles off question after question — if you get the answer right, you get to keep playing. Miss one, and you're out. 

What's amazing about "HQ Trivia" is how that simple concept is implemented.

At two times every day, the game goes live through the app. This isn't a pre-recorded segment, though — "HQ Trivia" is live every day. That means you and a couple hundred thousand of your closest friends are all competing live, together. And that's led to some amazing stuff in real life, like groups of friends playing live together. 

In 2016, "Pokémon Go" got people together in huge groups to hunt down pocket monsters. In 2017, "HQ Trivia" is that cultural phenomenon — using the modern smartphone in a way that no one else has before: to create an incredible game! 

• Akshay Kumar — one of the biggest names in Bollywood — will play the lead role in "Padman," a movie inspired by the true story of a man who invented a low-cost device to make sanitary pads for women and girls in his village.
• The film aims to remove the stigma around periods.
• Kumar told Business Insider that he believes entertainment can normalize taboo subjects in a way that other mediums can't.

Around the world, millions of low-income women and girls do not have access to sanitary pads or tampons. As a result, many miss or drop out of school, stunting economic opportunities down the line and reinforcing taboos around menstruation.

The issue is especially prevalent in rural India. In a 2016 Nielsen survey, 93% of girls in Bihar and Jharkhand, India — rural states in the country — said they miss one to two school days every month during menstruation on average.

An upcoming Bollywood film called "Padman" aims to help remove the stigma around periods. One of the most famous actors in Bollywood, Akshay Kumar,  plays social activist Arunachalam Muruganantham — the lead role in the film, which is inspired by a true story.

Known as "India’s Menstrual Man," Muruganantham invented a machine that could produce low-cost sanitary pads for women and girls in the early 2000s. The machine — which he is working to expand to 106 countries— can make pads for less than a third of the price of ones by commercial brands.

In an interview with Business Insider, Kumar said he believes that movies (and entertainment in general) can be a powerful way to turn the tide on taboos.

"I didn't want to make a documentary," he said. "I wanted to make a commercial film so people can see it. It's a film you can take your children to, even though it talks about sanitary pads. It's a universal subject. Nobody has ever tried to touch this subject."

Twinkle Khanna, who is married to Kumar and serves as one of the film's producers, said that "Padman" is a story about an innovation that improved the lives of women.

"I was immediately gripped by the story of this man on two levels. One, because it was about menstruation; and two, because it was a story about somebody who persevered against everything, who lost his wife, who was ostracized from his village. He did not give up."

She adds that "Padman" seeks to alleviate the burden of shame that comes from having a period in India. It's uncertain whether the film will achieve the ambitious goal of normalizing menstruation, but a huge name like Kumar could make that more likely.

"Padman" is set to release worldwide on January 26.

SEE ALSO: Bill Gates has read nearly all 37 books by this scientist — here are 7 of his favorites

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NOW WATCH: Amazon has an oddly efficient way of storing stuff in its warehouses

Just a few years ago, eSports was a community for video gamers who gathered together at conventions to play CounterStrike, Call of Duty, or League of Legends.

Today, the history of eSports continues to write itself, as media giants such as ESPN and Turner broadcast eSports tournaments and competitions where major cash is on the line.

More and more schools have begun developing programs and degrees for students that wish to pursue a career in this industry, from degrees in the business of eSports to the design and development of video games themselves.

What are Athletic & eSports Scholarships?

An athletic scholarship is financial aid awarded to student-athletes from the college’s athletic department. They are granted based on the student’s athletic ability and how they can contribute to the team. A coach decides how much a student receives in scholarship (and which students receive them).

Rules and regulations of collegiate sports, including scholarships, are implemented by both the NCAA and the NAIA. Both associations offer athletic scholarships to students so that scholarships are not solely based off the athletic department budget.

And the business of collegiate athletics is now moving into video games. In 2016, the video game retailer KontrolFreek awarded 10 students scholarships based on their academic accomplishments and collegiate participation in competitive online video games.

The eSports industry is valued at nearly $900 million. So along with the growing number of schools that offer degrees and programs in gaming, KontrolFreek aims to expand the idea of the “student-athlete” by offering scholarships that are over $2,000. KontrolFreek’s scholarship is unique in that applicants only need to play on behalf of the school’s eSports program. Rank is not a factor.

Robert Morris University’s scholarships offer room and board for highly skilled gamers, similar to how student-athletes with high potential are currently recruited for basketball or football.

Top eSports Schools & Scholarships

Backed by the Salt Lake City school’s video game development program, the University of Utah will become the first major sports school to offer scholarship for competitive video gaming. The funding for the program comes directly from Utah’s Entertainment Arts & Engineering department, which The Princeton Review named the country’s best video game design program in 2016. Their structure shows the possibilities other schools can take to approach eSports, which has largely the same structure as traditional sports except that it does not reside in the athletic department.

Staffordshire University will be the first university in the UK will launch their degree for eSports in September 2018, which will allow students to learn about hosting and promoting gaming events, or explore the culture and fan bases of gaming. The three-year degree is broken down each year on the business of eSports, to developing a “team-based eSports event” and eventually a large-scale commercial eSports event that includes creating a business plan for an eSports company. Staffordshire University focuses the degree around employability for their students and also offers development classes such as Computer Games Development, Games Studies, and Computer Game Animation.

Video Game Colleges, Courses & Programs

The University of California-Irvine has begun recruiting students on partial scholarships dedicated solely to video games. The university also has a 10-player team that competes in tournaments that include millions of dollars in prize money.

The department is filled with 70 high-end gaming computers and high-end gaming gear that were donated by companies like iBuyPower, Logitech, and Vertagear. UCI has become known as the “Mecca of gaming” for a variety of reasons, including its degree in Computer Game Science.

In its first season, Maryville University’s eSports Club recently captured the League of Legends championship at Dreamhack, which is held in Austin, Texas and considered the biggest tournament in North America. The university provides student players assistance in preparing for professional leagues with knowledgeable staff and dedicated space for competition. Their Game Design degree, like many other schools that offer such a degree, focuses on visual communication and game design theories, rather than the culture and businesses behind gaming environments.

Other schools such as Robert Morris University and University of Pikeville are expanding the concept of collegiate sports to include video games by creating eSports teams, offering scholarships to gamers, and building eSports facilities.

More to Learn

The market for eSports continues to grow, and it's showing no signs of slowing down in the coming years. That's why BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has put together a comprehensive guide on the future of professional gaming called The eSports Ecosystem.

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

1. Subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. >>Learn More Now
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Disney CEO Bob Iger will stay with the company past 2019 if a deal can be worked out for 21st Century Fox's TV assets, according to the Wall Street Journal's Ben Fritz. Iger would help integrate Fox's assets into Disney's portfolio the reportn said. 

Wednesday's news comes just one day after a CNBC report suggested the two sides were closing in on a deal for Fox's TV assets, which has an enterprise value of about $60 billion. The assets include A&E and Star TV networks, as well as its regional sports operation, movie studios, and stakes in Sky and Hulu, and others. The proposed deal would leave Fox with its news and sports assets. 

This story is devleoping.

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NOW WATCH: The stock market is flashing warning signs

• Disney is close to buying a bunch of assets from 21st Century Fox, according to CNBC.
• Such a deal could mean Disney ends up owning 30%-40% of the domestic box office, and 60% of Hulu.
• The potential deal could likely face scrutiny from the DOJ.

On Tuesday, CNBC reported that Disney was close to a deal to buy large chunks of 21st Century Fox. Such a deal could lead to quite a concentration of power in media.

CNBC reported that Disney could pick up “Fox's Nat Geo, Star, regional sports networks, movie studios and stakes in Sky and Hulu, among other properties.” Disney would leave Fox’s news, broadcast network, and sports intact (except the regional sports networks).

This would be a mammoth deal for media, and could set Disney up for a coming war with Netflix (as my colleague Mike Shields and I looked at yesterday). The competition with tech is key, as it's likely the argument Disney would make to the DOJ. Disney would probably say that the DOJ should allow the deal to go through because Disney needs the new assets to stand against the vanguard of Silicon Valley giants invading Hollywood, from Netflix to Amazon to Facebook to Apple. It’s the same basic argument AT&T has made in favor of its proposed purchase of Time Warner, which owns properties like Turner, Warner Bros., and HBO.

That argument hasn’t exactly been a slam dunk so far for AT&T, though the extent to which President Trump’s animosity toward CNN has affected that particular deal isn’t entirely clear.

Still, the threat from Silicon Valley to many media incumbents is undeniable, and should be a factor when deciding the antitrust implications of combinations like Disney-Fox. On the other side will be an evaluation of how much power such a deal would consolidate in the hands of Disney. And according to the CNBC report, it would be quite a lot.

There were two examples I found particularly meaningful: Hulu, and the box office. According to CNBC, Disney is interested in both 21st Century Fox’s movie studio and its stake in Hulu.

Here’s what that would mean:

• Disney would own 30%-40% of the domestic box office. This year so far, Disney makes up about 18% of the US box office — and the new ‘Star Wars’ movie hasn’t even come out yet. Add that to Fox’s 12% and you get around 30%. But looking at last year, Disney's power would be even more pronounced. Disney made up just over 26% of the domestic box office and Fox around 13%, combining for close to 40%. Such a large market share would make Disney an even bigger player than it already is in negotiations with the ailing movie theater giants.
• Disney would own 60% of Hulu. Right now, both Disney and Fox own 30% stakes in Hulu, with Comcast (30%) and Time Warner (10%) rounding out the field. Picking up Fox’s stake would allow Disney to control Hulu’s destiny. Hulu has recently gained breakthrough success with original content like “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and launched its own live TV competitor to cable. There are many ways Disney could go with Hulu, but controlling the service would certainly give it a leg up in the valuable streaming video arena.

These are just two examples, and they don't even touch on sports (ESPN, and so on), but they illustrate the kind of advantage this deal would afford Disney. The main question for regulators will be whether such a concentration of power is needed to allow Disney to compete against foes and frenemies in industries spanning from tech to telecom (AT&T, Verizon), or whether it’s a step too far in curbing competition.

SEE ALSO: The 10 biggest box-office bombs of 2017

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• A Saudi prince has been revealed to be the buyer of the world's most expensive painting, priced at $450 million.
• This particular prince reportedly did not have a history of collecting art and was a friend of Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
• The painting is expected to arrive at the Louvre in Abu Dhabi, a museum in the United Arab Emirates.

A Saudi prince has been revealed as the buyer of the world's most expensive painting, priced at a staggering $450 million in an auction at the world-famous Christie's Auction House in November.

Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud has been identified as the mystery buyer of Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi," according to a New York Times report published Wednesday. Prince Bader, part of a distant branch of the wealthy royal family, is not generally known as a major art collector or someone with a large source of wealth, according to The Times.

Christie's representatives attempted to identify Prince Bader and his source of finances before the sale, after he gave a $100 million deposit to qualify for the auction, The Times said. Pressed for more information, Prince Bader reportedly gave a terse reply, saying he was in the real estate business and was one of the country's 5,000 princes.

Prince Bader is also reportedly a friend and associate of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who recently embarked on a countrywide crackdown on corruption that touched $100 billion and implicated over 200 people, including members of the royal elite. The nature of the painting — a rendition of Christ — and the timing of the purchase — less than two weeks after the corruption purge — calls into question whether the Crown Prince has been selectively targeting people in the crackdown, The Times reported.

Although Prince Badar did not respond to The Times' detailed request for comment, the Louvre in Abu Dhabi — a museum in the United Arab Emirates — tweeted Wednesday that the "Salvator Mundi" was "coming to Louvre Abu Dhabi," The Times said.

You can read the full report here»

SEE ALSO: WATCH: Art agents frantically bid on a rare $450 million painting

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NOW WATCH: The CIO of a crypto hedge fund reveals why you should be cautious of the ICO bubble

This year in music saw a number of innovative album releases from acclaimed artists. 

Rap great Kendrick Lamar started the year off strongly with "DAMN.," his third, critically lauded LP.

Artists like Lorde, SZA, and St. Vincent followed suit, with standout works that critics universally praised.

To get a full picture of the year's critical consensus in music, we turned to the reviews aggregator Metacritic to rank the most well-received albums of 2017.

Note: Metacritic's ranking excludes free albums, mixtapes, and reissues.

Here are the 25 best albums of the year, according to critics:

SEE ALSO: Here are Spotify's top 5 songs of the year — one of which is its most popular of all time

25. Rodney Crowell — "Close Ties"

Critic score: 86/100

User score: 7.1/10

Sheryl Crow and Rosanne Cash appear alongside country legend Rodney Crowell on his poignant 17th studio album. The Observer called it "delicately sung and immaculately played," and "a high point in an impressive career."

24. Tinawiren — "Elwan"

Critic score: 86/100

User score: 8.0/10

The seventh album from Tuareg band Tinawiren wraps rock and blues music up in a drifting, hypnotic sound influenced by the group's homeland, Mali. Exclaim called it "a can't-miss release" that makes "the geographically distant feel welcomingly familiar."

23. Paul Weller — "A Kind Revolution"

Critic score: 86/100

User score: 8.2/10

Veteran British rock musician Paul Weller's 13th studio album is a crisp and melodically inventive collection. Record Collector called it "a proper major work, revealing an artist at ease with himself without resting on his laurels."

• Sony's PlayStation 4 has now sold over 70 million units.
• The PlayStation 4 is, by far, the most popular console in the world.
• Over 7 million PlayStation 4 consoles were sold in the last five months.

Sony's PlayStation 4 continues to dominate Microsoft's Xbox One and Nintendo's Switch. As of December 3, the PlayStation 4 reached 70.6 million consoles sold. That puts Sony in the lead by a mile.

More specifically, Sony's PlayStation 4 sales are more than double that of the closest competition — the "closest competition," of course, being Microsoft's Xbox One. Though Microsoft no longer reports sales numbers for its Xbox One console, the best estimates put the Xbox One somewhere in the realm of 30 - 40 million units sold.

In just the last five months, from July 1 to December 3, the company sold over 7 million PlayStation 4 consoles. Doesn't sound like a lot? Even 2017's hottest new console, Nintendo's Switch, sold just 4.7 million units in its first four months. Nintendo estimates it'll sell around 14 million Switch consoles in its first year, while Sony's expecting to move a whopping 18 million PlayStation 4 consoles in the same amount of time.

The continued success of the PlayStation 4 is due to several different factors:

1. The PlayStation 4 was the less expensive console when it launched in 2013, coming in at $100 less than Microsoft's Xbox One.
2. The PlayStation 4 is an attractive box that easily fits into your home, and using it as more than a game console is a snap.
3. A lineup of killer blockbuster games, from "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" to "Horizon Zero Dawn" to "Bloodborne," made the PlayStation 4 a must-have console. All three of those games are only playable on PS4.
4. Success begets success — the PlayStation 4 has overtaken the zeitgeist as "the" game console to own if you're going to buy a game console.

Though Sony's exclusive game lineup isn't full of bangers in the coming months, an impressive array of major exclusives are currently in the works. And if you're looking for a way to enjoy more 4K content on your new 4K TV, the PlayStation 4 Pro offers an upgrade path to even prettier games. All of which is to say one thing: Sony's PlayStation 4 isn't showing any signs of slowing down. 

SEE ALSO: The PS4 is the most popular game console in the world — here are its 29 best games

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NOW WATCH: 5 hidden features only PlayStation 4 power users know about

• Jay Leno reportedly just bought a $13.5 million mansion in Newport, Rhode Island.
• The nine-acre property features a pool, tennis court, gardens, terraces, and a six-car garage.
• The home features an ornate, French-inspired interior design.

While Jay Leno has apparently practiced financial discipline throughout his career, he made a recent exception by purchasing a $13.5 million mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, according to the Boston Globe.

The nine-acre property would give Leno and his wife, Mavis, plenty of room to house and entertain guests, as there are eight bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, a tennis court, pool, and private beach.

And the most appealing feature for Leno might be the six-car garage, which will give the antique carenthusiast the opportunity to keep his newest purchases safe from the elements.

Take a look at the property below.

SEE ALSO: Vanna White's former Los Angeles home has its own private vineyard — and it could be yours for $47.5 million

The sprawling property is spread over nine acres.

The house was built in 1936.

Its previous owner was Verner Zevola Reed Jr., who was the US ambassador to Morocco under President Ronald Reagan and vice president of Chase Manhattan Bank.

• Ben Mendelsohn plays King Henry VI in "Darkest Hour," one of the rare times he hasn't played a bad guy in a movie.
• Don't worry though, he's got some major bad guy roles coming, like Sheriff of Nottingham in "Robin Hood" and the villain in "Ready Player One."
• But he's quiet about a possible return of his "Rogue One" character Director Krennic in any future "Star Wars" movies. 

After years of being a struggling actor in Australia, Ben Mendelsohn got his breakout in 2010 as the patriarch of a crime family on the run in “Animal Kingdom,” and hasn’t looked back since.

Finding his mark playing complex dark characters in indies like “The Place Beyond the Pines” and “Slow West,” Mendelsohn hit it big when he scored the role of Director Orson Krennic in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” last year. But in his latest role Mendelsohn proves he can do more than just play the bad guy. As King George VI opposite Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour” (in theaters December 22), Mendelsohn shows off his softer side as he plays a man tasked with keeping the United Kingdom strong during World War II while trying to match wits with Churchill, though suffering a stammer when he speaks. (He plays the same character who earned Colin Firth a best actor Oscar for “The King’s Speech.”)

Mendelsohn talked to Business Insider about preparing for the challenging task as well as his upcoming anticipated roles, which range from the Sheriff of Nottingham in “Robin Hood” to a gaming nerd in “Ready Player One” — yes, he’s a bad guy in both.

Jason Guerrasio: When you had to wrap your head around that you're going to play King Henry VI, was it exciting or scary?

Ben Mendelsohn: It was both. It was very unexpected. I got why [director] Joe [Wright] thought of me in one respect. If you look at me in profile and look at him it's not a bad match. There are certain, well, I guess, shyness to me and the portrayal of him. But other than that it's a pretty big risk. 

Guerrasio: And when you say risk, you mean the weight of the role?

Mendelsohn: Yeah. It's a risk from Joe's perspective. I think there's plenty of people he could have cast that were more, um —

Guerrasio: English. 

Mendelsohn: Yeah. Exactly. Wouldn't have to worry about the accent stuff. But I'm very thankful that he did ask me to do it. And then it's the company you're in. Gary Oldman playing Winston Churchill, that is a film I would go see. 

Guerrasio: What was the research like? Did you want to go really deep in knowing everything about King Henry?

Mendelsohn: No. I was mostly interested in what I could see and hear. I was less interested in the various interpretations of the man. I knew the rough outlines of his situation. It was really to get a sense of where the stutter was and what feeling you get from him. 

Guerrasio: So basically watching "The King's Speech" would have screwed you up.

Mendelsohn: By the time the Jello had nearly set I went back and watched "The King's Speech." I hadn't planned on it and then I just thought, you know what — um, I'm trying to find a way to say this that you won't have to edit me —

Guerrasio: Screw it!

Mendelsohn: Yeah. Thank you. [Laughs.] And I'm glad I did because it is a beautiful portrayal.

Guerrasio: Was it less looking at how Colin did the voice and more how he moved as the King? His swagger?

Mendelsohn: It was less of that. No. I wasn't looking at Colin's performance as to how he interpreted the guy. I wasn't interested to try to take up or ignore, it was more getting the whole sense of the story. The stuff that affected me more was the business with his dad and brother. That's what I took on board a bit more. 

Guerrasio: It sounded like you got in early with Gary, all the actors were given a good chunk of rehearsal time before shooting started. 

Mendelsohn: They had a long rehearsal period which I was there for a few days of. And thank God we did. Look, it was a task and it helps a lot to get comfortable with the people you're going to be doing it with. Gary and I had met before, we worked on "The Dark Knight Rises."

Guerrasio: That's right!

Mendelsohn: We don't do anything together, but we are in one scene where Commissioner Gordon gets up and makes a little speech in the back of Wayne Manor. So we were together over a couple of night shoots together. 

Guerrasio: While shooting "Darkest Hour," between shooting are you and Gary talking in your character voices? Are you scared you'll lose the stutter?

Mendelsohn: Well, once you know where it is you can pick it up and put it down. You don't need to do all that stuff.

Guerrasio: The connection between you and Gary is you both play bad guys so well. For you, is it hard to find a role like this? Something that just on paper doesn't scream, "evil!"

Mendelsohn: I consider it a real compliment to be offered the bad guy. No complaints on that. But it was a delight to be offered this role in part because he's a good guy. 

Guerrasio: Is it more fun to play the dark roles?

Mendelsohn: No. Well, it depends. I think it's more fun to work than not to work. 

Guerrasio: [Laughs.]

Mendelsohn: There's a certain malevolent delight that baddies get to express. But that's pretty short lived. 

Guerrasio: Coming up you play the Sheriff of Nottingham in the latest “Robin Hood” movie. Will you give him a more playful feel? Like Alan Rickman did in “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves?"

Mendelsohn: Ah, no one is ever going to top Alan Rickman. 

Guerrasio: He was damn good in that role. 

Mendelsohn:No one is ever going to top that, and I'm not trying. But this is an origin story of Hood, it's a very explosive kind of piece. But no, the sheriff is not a good guy at all. But Nolan Sorrento in “Ready Player One” is a fantastic bad guy. He’s a nerd that's got too much power. I guess most bad guys you look at what they do with their flaws. How they've compensated for them in some way and how they try to make everyone else pay for it. That seems to be one of the thematic things about most bad guys. 

Guerrasio: I think that's why people gravitate to those kind of roles, they plug their darkness and insecurities into what they see that character doing. 

Mendelsohn: Yeah. And that kind of misbehaving, as it were, comes vicariously. 

Guerrasio: With “Ready Player One,” was that just another "pinch me" moment in your career?

Mendelsohn: Oh yeah. I remember meeting Spielberg for the first time and I said, "I don't know what your intention is but this is good enough for me, I got to sit in a room with you." He had seen "Bloodline," he was a big "Bloodline" fan.

Guerrasio: Are you bummed there's no more "Bloodline?” Did you feel there was more story to be told?

Mendelsohn: I think from my point of view [my character] Danny Rayburn was always in the early part of that telling. I think that those guys had a lot more in them. But that's the way it is. Few things have been as good to me as "Bloodline." 

Guerrasio: With the news that Rian Johnson is going to expand "Star Wars" and is tasked with making more movies — not to mention all the one-off movies — is it possible Director Krennic comes back?

Mendelsohn: I don't know. I really don't know what's happening with any of that. 

Guerrasio: Was it a one-and-done contract for you, or did you have an option for multiple films?

Mendelsohn: It would be remiss for me to discuss contractual details. 

Guerrasio: Well, I had to try.

Mendelsohn: [Laughs.]

Guerrasio: And I guess this is another one you can't really say, but are the rumors true that you'll be in Captain Marvel?

Mendelsohn: That’s another I wish we could talk about, but I can neither confirm or deny the existence of such a project, if there were such a project. [Laughs.]

Guerrasio: Honestly, these kind of questions, are these fun for you? Because you've had to navigate through them a lot for a year-plus now.

Mendelsohn: Look, honestly, I'm a guy who sat around being out of work for a very long time so this is not a problem. [Laughs.] This is a very, very lucky position to be in.  

SEE ALSO: The 10 biggest box office bombs of 2017

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• During Wednesday night's "Late Show" monologue, Stephen Colbert mocked Al Franken for the latest sexual-misconduct allegation made against the Minnesota senator.
• Colbert referred to a Politico report in which a woman accused Franken of trying to forcibly kiss her in 2006 and saying "It's my right as an entertainer."
• Franken resigned Thursday after losing support from a large number of Democratic senators.

Stephen Colbert on Wednesday night addressed the latest sexual-misconduct allegations against Sen. Al Franken and the movement of congressional Democrats calling on Franken to resign from his seat.

"It seems like every day a new man is being accused of sexual misconduct," Colbert said during his "Late Show" monologue. "But not today. Today it's the same man."

The "Late Show" host pointed to a Politico report published Wednesday in which a former congressional aide said Franken tried to forcibly kiss her after a taping of his radio show in 2006, before he was a senator. She said that when she avoided the kiss, Franken responded by saying, "It's my right as an entertainer."

"No, it isn't — I'm an entertainer, and I happen to always carry a copy of the Bill of Rights for Entertainers," Colbert said, pulling out a small notebook. He joked that entertainers had the right to skip the line at airports and Disneyland as part of a list of advantages that excludes sexual misconduct.

"Franken says this allegation is categorically not true, but this accusation appears to be the straw that groped the camel's back," Colbert added. He then cut to a news clip showing the growing list of more than 30 Democratic senators who had called on Franken to resign, which he did in a news conference Thursday afternoon.

"Do I hear 31? 32? Sold! To make room for the gentleman from Alabama!" Colbert joked, a reference to the sexual-assault allegations against Roy Moore, the Senate candidate whose support among Republicans has grown recently.

Watch the segment below:

This article was updated after Al Franken announced his resignation.

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• In a speech announcing that the United States would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on Wednesday, President Trump began to slur his words. 
• Some people, including "The Daily Show" host Trevor Noah, speculated that this was because Trump had dentures. 
• Noah said that if people tweeted the hashtag #DentureDonald, it would upset Trump because he is vain.

On Wednesday, President Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, but his speech didn't seem to flow easily — and people noticed.

"As moving as it was today to watch Donald Trump add fuel to the Middle East conflict," host Trevor Noah said on "The Daily Show" Wednesday night, "it was even more disturbing to watch the conflict between Donald Trump's teeth and his tongue."

In Trump's speech making the announcement, he seemed to have a bit of a struggle with the words, and some people wondered if he had dentures that were falling out.

On his show, Noah pointed out Trump's speech problem, and laughed uncontrollably after showing the clip where Trump struggled to say, "God bless the United States."

"Did Donald Trump just Adele Dazeem the United States?" Noah said, referring to that time John Travolta said Idina Menzel's name very wrong at the 2014 Oscars. "You know what it seemed like the whole time? It seemed like someone hit him with a blow dart just before he went out to make the speech."

Noah then wondered if he was being mean, and if it was really that bad of a mess-up on Trump's part. So he showed the clip again.

"It was worse! It was so much worse," Noah said, laughing. "He's slurring and stumbling over the words. He sounded like he just had a drink with Bill Cosby. What's going on there, man?"

Noah speculated that this happened because Trump wore dentures.

"This used to happen to my grandfather all the time," Noah said. "His dentures would start falling out and then he wouldn't be able to finish his sentence. Think about it. Have you ever seen Trump eat an apple or a pear or vegetables of any kind? Have you? Think about it. Fake teeth, fake hair, fake tan. There's no part of his body that's real."

Noah added that there's no shame in having dentures. "But there is shame in Donald Trump having dentures, because he's vain as hell," he said.

You can watch the clip, which includes clips from Trump's speech, below:

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When it comes to listening to the games I play on my Sony PlayStation 4, I haven't exactly been an audiophile.

Until lately, I simply used a pair of Apple earbuds that came with my iPhone, plugging them into the headphone jack on the PS4. They were available, easy to use, and good enough.

I probably would have kept on using them, except their microphone didn't work with the voice chat feature in some of the games I was playing. Wanting to chat with my fellow players, I decided to check out some other options. I used that search as an excuse to explore wireless headphones and to see what I was missing while wearing my earbuds.

Sony makes two excellent pairs of wireless headphones for the PlayStation 4 — the $99 Gold and $199 Platinum wireless headsets. I recently got review units of both and look forward to testing them. But for several months now, I've found my own personal sweet spot: Plantronics'  RIG800HS headphones.

The RIG800HS are wireless, cost $150 — right between Sony's two offerings — and are made by the same 56-year-old audio communications company that became famous for providing headsets for NASA. Oh, and they're awesome.

Take a look:

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Hands-down, Plantronics' RIG800HS headphones are the most comfortable wireless headphones I've ever used.

Purely on a comfort level, the RIG800HS headphones are the best I've ever worn — not just while playing video games, but for everything else too. They're incredibly lightweight and feel just right when you wear them — not too snug and not too loose. You can shake your head around, and they'll stay put.

Most importantly, they're durable. Despite wearing them for hours on end while playing games, my ears didn't get sweaty, and I never felt the pressure you sometimes feel when you wear a pair of over-ear headphones for too long. The headphones' design is perfect.

They also deliver great sound.

If you want to be truly immersed in a video game or a movie, you need good sound. After more than four weeks of testing the RIG800HS headphones, I can say they offer one of the best audio experiences I've ever had.

When watching movies, the sound was excellent and well-balanced. But the headphones truly excelled when I was playing games, most notably "Destiny 2." 

Thanks to the RIG800HS, I could really appreciate the audio design of the game, from the sound of snow crunching underneath my character's feet to the subtle glass-shattering sound when one of my bullets hit the perfect spot in an enemy robot.

And best of all, the headphones helped me perform better. In competitive multiplayer matches, I could hear action happening all around me or off in the distance. That helped me navigate the battlefield and make smarter moves.

The headphones' microphone is cleverly designed, but it didn't work well in one key way.

The RIG800HS headphones include a microphone, which you can use in games to chat with other players. The microphone sounds great to those you're chatting with. And it's got a cool design. You turn it on by simply flipping it down; you mute it by flipping it back up.

Unfortunately, one of the key features related to the microphone didn't work in my tests. The headphones have a dial that is supposed to allow you to adjust the relative volume of the game you're playing and your voice chats with other players. As you decrease the game volume, chat volume is supposed to go up and vice versa.

But when I turned down the game volume, the chat volume went down also. It could be this problem had to do with the game I was playing; I only tested the feature with "Destiny 2."

I love the idea of the feature, but because it didn't work, I ended up having to turn off the game's audio completely so I could hear the chat room clearly.

• Paul Thomas Anderson's latest movie, "Phantom Thread," is another memorable work from the auteur.
• Daniel Day-Lewis gives his usual tour-de-force performance, but it's his costar Vicky Krieps who is the standout.

Paul Thomas Anderson is arguably at his best when he delves into themes of obsession, and "Phantom Thread" (in theaters on Christmas) is full of that.

Movies like "Boogie Nights," "There Will Be Blood," and "The Master" examine characters driven by desires that will never be attained. With every achievement reached, another is seen on the horizon. It's their drug of choice: Never be satisfied.

In "Phantom Thread," Anderson uses the character of Reynolds Woodcock as his latest example. Woodcock is a dressmaker in 1950s London whose life revolves around his obsession of making the most beautiful dresses he can imagine.

Daniel Day-Lewis plays Woodcock as a soft-spoken man with huge talent but also a huge ego. He has created a world where his every need is taken care of by his sister (played with ice-queen goodness by Lesley Manville) so he can strictly focus on his work, which is sought by the most powerful and famous women in the world. But as with every obsession, there has to be more. And that's where Alma (Vicky Krieps) comes in.

Woodcock plucks her from a countryside tavern she's waitressing at and brings her into his world. But first he has to take her measurements, which he does on their first date. Can she be worthy of his designs? It's strictly a formality, however. His eye has never failed him. He knows this is his muse.

Thus begins a relationship that despite all of Alma's efforts is one-sided. The only affection she is given is when Woodcock is exhausted after completing a dress. But it's those times that keep her going with the relationship. He is obsessed with the work, but she is obsessed with him. And this is where the movie takes an unexpected turn that's as twisted as it is beautiful.

"Phantom Thread" is as exquisitely crafted as the dresses in the movie. Its costume and set design instantly suck you into the setting. And Anderson (who shot the movie himself) has created a dark love story that is wickedly funny and that offers some of the best performances of the year.

Day-Lewis gives his usual master class in acting. He plays Woodcock as a man as driven as Daniel Plainview in "There Will Be Blood," but not as psychotic. His bursts of anger are to drive people away so he can dig deeper into his work. But he's found his match in Alma, and Anderson has found a star in Krieps.

Krieps is the movie's standout. She is up to the task of acting opposite a legend like Day-Lewis, playing Alma with a feistiness that energizes the scenes when Woodcock and Alma trade jabs at each other. And her dry comic timing is one of the movie's many highlights. I can't wait to see more of her work.

SEE ALSO: In a career filled with bad guy roles, Ben Mendelsohn in very thankful to show a different side in Churchill drama 'Darkest Hour'

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• Apple announced its apps of the year on Thursday.
• The picks include two puzzle games and a meditation app.
  
• These choices are based at least in part on the merits of the apps, rather than exclusively on downloads.

Meditation, photo editing, and puzzles were the themes of the best apps of the year as determined by Apple employees.

The company on Thursday released its year-end list of top US apps for iPhones and iPads. In addition to publishing the list of the most-downloaded apps and games, Apple also chose an app of the year and a game of the year for both the iPhone and the iPad.

Apple's iPhone app of the year is Calm, a health and fitness app that provides soundtracks and guides for meditation, including routines to help you sleep. It's free, but many of its features are available only through in-app purchases or a subscription.

Apple's iPhone game of the year is Splitter Critters, a creative and cute puzzler in which players navigate the game's two-dimensional world by ripping it apart and pasting it back together. The $3 game features a new augmented-reality mode.

The company's iPad app of the year is Affinity Photo, a professional-level photo-editing suite that can handle uncompressed RAW files and allows you to create an unlimited number of layers. It costs $20.

Apple's iPad game of the year is The Witness, a beautiful single-person puzzle game. It's $10.

Apple's employees determine the apps of the year. Their picks are supposed to be based at least in part on the merits of the apps, rather than on other criteria such as how many downloads they have.

The company determines its top apps on a per-country basis and picked different ones in other countries. You can see the full US list here.

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Isaac, Taylor and Zac first started performing together as a band back in 1992. Five years later they were household names with their hit single "MMMBop." The three brothers have been recording songs and touring the world ever since, and they've also started their own record label and beer company. We chatted with Hanson about their current tour, how they got into the beer business, and what's next for the trio. Following is a transcript of the video.

Zac: Hi. I'm Zac. That's Taylor. This is Isaac. We all have the same last name. It's Hanson.

We are a band called Hanson.

Taylor: We've been playing music for 25 years, and somehow we have not killed each other yet.

Zac: Yes.Which is really the only achievement we've achieved. As far as achievements go.

So, one of our most famous songs is called "MMMBop."

Talking about how we got started is a little different than, I think, most bands, because ...

Taylor: We were so young.

Zac: We're brothers. And two:  we were incredibly young. I was 6.

At that time, we were just singing. I mean, we were just a vocal group. We had ... we all played piano at some level.

We played a ton of schools. And we were able to sort of be this reflection of potential for kids. That was really the first place we saw screaming girls.

Isaac: Yeah, exactly.

Zac: I think that's why maybe we weren't quite as shocked by it when, you know ...

Taylor: when it happened in a big way.

Zac: ... international stardom came.

They say that you're most likely to meet your significant other at work. And we are a part of that statistic. We all met our wives playing concerts.

Our inspiration was '50s music. Was rock 'n roll. Was looking at young artists who had started in their teens. The Jackson 5 and Chuck Berry ...

Taylor: The Beach Boys.

All: Buddy Holly.

Taylor: The heart of this band is to be creating things. And to be inventing things. And to be excited about the future.

We started a record company, you know, on our third album, before I was twenty years old.

We have put out six major studio albums. We have a global fan base that we still tour with all the time, year after year.

We chose to start a record company, because we could see that there wasn't a future at a major label that was focused on quarterly earnings and sort of stacking stacking artists like assets that they could just trade.

And really the decision in starting a record company was about whether we were invested in our own future, or whether we were going to really just become a commodity.

We set up a distribution deal, built a new team with a new management company, and did a lot of stuff that nobody had any idea how to do.

Five years ago, we started a beer company. Four years ago we started a craft beer and music festival. And really had a passion for craft beer and the culture around craft beer as well.

Isaac: Which I think is one of the more important things really, about the kind of craft beer experience. At least for us in a lot of ways. Besides obviously making quality beer. But the community itself actually felt very similar to the music community.

Taylor: Mmmhops is a title of a beer, not the whole company, but the title of our first beer. And it is definitely one of those, you know, names that's so ridiculous that it just had to be. It had to exist. And it's been fun to share that with people.

The Christmas album has been a long time coming. And ever since the first one, which was received so well ...

Isaac: Back in 1997.

Taylor: Yeah, twenty years ago.

There was a trickle of, "Are you guys gonna make a follow-up?"

People expect to be reflective. To be reminiscent. To go back and be nostalgic. And so they expect to open up the box of things that they loved, and come back to it.

Zac: Certain anniversaries just can't be ignored. And when we reached 25 years this year, it seemed like it was important to kind of stop and look back a little bit more than we normally would.

We decided to do a tour, really talking about the history of the band. You look at it the audience, and you see your peers, and you see their kids, and you see their parents.

Taylor: You know, the future of music is not just this one-way street. Where we send things out, and then people applaud. It's you share music, and you get a response. And then you hear the response. And you hear the interaction between fans. And then you keep trying to create opportunities for that to grow. And, for us, there actually are potentially twenty-five more years or more in our future, if we choose it. And it feels like we're at a place where we can make that choice.

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