• Tavis Smiley is defending himself following the suspension of his PBS talk show over allegations of sexual misconduct. 
• PBS suspended "Tavis Smiley" following an investigation that produced "multiple, credible allegations" of misconduct.
• The allegations included engaging in sexual relationships with multiple subordinates and creating a verbally abusive and threatening environment.
• Smiley appeared on "Good Morning America" on Monday to reiterate and expand on a defense he first made last week, following his show's suspension.

Talk-show host Tavis Smiley continues to defend himself against the sexual misconduct allegations that resulted in the indefinite suspension of his eponymous PBS show earlier this month.

Smiley appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Monday, saying that PBS "made a huge mistake" in suspending him from its network.

PBS told Variety last week that it had "engaged an outside law firm to conduct an investigation immediately after learning of troubling allegations regarding Mr. Smiley." The investigation found "multiple, credible allegations" of misconduct that included sexual relationships with multiple subordinates and creating a verbally abusive and threatening environment.

The 53-year-old host immediately defended himself in a video posted to Facebook last week, after the news broke of his show's suspension.

"To be clear, I have never groped, coerced, or exposed myself inappropriately to any workplace colleague in my entire broadcast career, covering 6 networks over 30 years," he said in the video. 

Smiley reiterated his defense on "GMA," saying that the relationships he had with subordinates were consensual. 

"I celebrate and applaud these women who had the courage to come out," he said. He also expressed concern that, in today's environment, "people end up being guilty simply by accusations."

Smiley went on to deny the accusations that his show had a threatening work environment.

"The environments are intense at times," he said. "I'm not an angry black man and this notion of a hostile environment just doesn't fit."

Following PBS' suspension of his show, Walmart, a previous sponsor of "Tavis Smiley," and an independent book distributor that Smiley worked with both distanced themselves from the host.

Smiley concluded his "GMA" interview by saying, "PBS made a huge mistake here."

"They need to fix it. They need to correct it," he said. "I'm going to do anything to protect my reputation."

A PBS spokesperson responded to Business Insider's request for comment on Smiley's "GMA" interview with the following statement, pointing out inconsistencies in Smiley's statements:

"Tavis Smiley needs to get his story straight.

First, today on Good Morning America, Mr. Smiley acknowledged he has had multiple sexual encounters with his employees, then struggled to recall the number of current employees with whom he has had sex. This contradicts his Facebook post from last week, where he cited only one previous relationship with an employee. Mr. Smiley even told viewers, 'I don’t know where your heart’s going to lead you.' PBS is certain that it should not lead to multiple sexual relationships between the owner of a company and subordinates over many years particularly where employment decisions may be linked to sex.

Second, Mr. Smiley claims he applauds women who have come forward, yet his company requires former and current employees to sign non-disclosure agreements. Witnesses who have bravely come forward to speak with the independent investigators retained by PBS report a fear of retribution for speaking out. PBS stands by its decision to respect the anonymity of those who are afraid to come forward publicly. Additional allegations are continuing to come to light since last week’s announcement.

In contrast, PBS has been consistent: PBS stands by the integrity of its investigation, which has been conducted by an outside firm with expertise in such matters. Mr. Smiley’s own words today coupled with the information discovered during the investigation confirms PBS’ decision to indefinitely suspend the distribution of 'Tavis Smiley.'"

Watch the interview below:

SEE ALSO: PBS suspends 'Tavis Smiley' following sexual misconduct investigation

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NOW WATCH: 10 things you missed in the 'Avengers: Infinity War' trailer

There's one stand-out feature of "Star Wars: Battlefront II:" It's ridiculously gorgeous.

The new game, which is available for Microsoft's Xbox One, Sony's PlayStation 4, and Windows PCs, is full of lovingly detailed scenes like the one above. It's visually stunning throughout, from its brief single-player campaign to its large-scale online multiplayer mode. 

Unfortunately, that's about the only good thing about "Battlefront 2."

SEE ALSO: The new 'Star Wars' game is embroiled in controversy, and fans are furious — here's what's going on

WARNING: Spoilers ahead!

This review will include important details about "Star Wars Battlefront II's" story and gameplay. So, if you don't want to see or read any spoilers, turn back!

Review note: I played a review copy of "Battlefront II" provided by game publisher Electronic Arts on a PlayStation 4 Pro in 4K resolution.

"Battlefront II" is a middling first-person shooter game wrapped in expensive clothing.

The first few times I shot a gun in "Battlefront II," it was cool. It made the characteristic "Star Wars" gun noise. The corresponding stormtrooper or Rebel soldier reacted accordingly. 

The thousands of times after that were far less satisfying.

That's because the act of shooting in "Battlefront II" is terribly boring. There just aren’t a lot of weapons to choose from, and the game doesn’t allow you to customize the ones it does include in the single-player campaign.

What's more, there's an almost carnival game-like feeling to shooting weapons in "Battlefront II." For one thing, it generally doesn't seem to matter where you hit your enemies. For another, those enemies repeatedly tend to come out of obvious "monster closets," areas of the game that open to release bad guys when you when you trip a particular trigger.

Worse than all that, though, is the enemy encounters aren't particularly exciting. The game has only a limited number of different types of enemies, and they aren't very smart. That may be an intentional reflection of how the movies portray stormtroopers. But even if it is, it's just not very fun.

The single-player story is a mess, even by video game standards.

Compared with the original "Battlefront," "Battlefront II" has one big new feature: a single-player story mode.

The story focuses on Iden Versio, an Imperial Special Forces officer. In its pre-launch marketing of the game, Electronic Arts, "Battlefront II's publisher," has been billing Versio as a loyal member of the Bad Guys. 

Versio's story begins when she sees the second Death Star explode, as depicted in "Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi." That sends her on a mission of revenge — or so we're led to believe, anyway. What actually happens is she soon realizes she's fighting for the wrong side and abruptly changes her allegiances.

The problem is that her about-face is literally unbelievable. We're supposed to just swallow the idea that even though Versio is an elite-forces commander whose father reported directly to the leaders of the Imperial Army, she didn't realize she was fighting for the Bad Guys until after the fall of the Empire.  

Versio's abrupt switch might have been OK if it had been handled well. But it's not. Instead, her "turning point" moment is so poorly executed it's impossible to believe. One minute she's blindly following orders, and the next minute she's turning on long-time colleagues and murdering dozens of former comrades. 

It's the kind of deus ex machina nonsense that video games are notorious for, but how it's handled in "Battlefront 2" is among the worst cases I've seen.

Netflix has done some house cleaning in 2017, cutting expensive shows like "The Get Down," and old favorites like "House of Cards."

It's also killed flops like "Girlboss" and "Gypsy" after only one season.

Most recently, Netflix announced that the third season of the comedy series "Love" — starring Gillian Jacobs and Paul Rust, from co-creator Judd Apatow — will be its last.

Netflix historically has canceled very few shows — only about 14. And eight of those were canceled this year. Some shows have been canceled abruptly without a chance for a final season and conclusion. But others including "Love," "House of Cards," and "Bloodline" got warning and were able to wrap things up. 

If Netflix CEO Reed Hastings gets his way, expect even more shows to get canceled in the future.

"We've canceled very few shows," Hastings said earlier this year. "I'm always pushing the content team. We have to take more risk. You have to try more crazy things. Because we should have a higher cancel rate overall."

Here are the shows Netflix has killed, along with their critic and audience ratings from Metacritic.

Additional reporting by Jethro Nededog.

SEE ALSO: The 14 best new TV shows of 2017, ranked

"Love": canceled after three seasons

Netflix description: "A couple must navigate the exhilarations and humiliations of intimacy, commitment and other things they were hoping to avoid."

Critic rating: 76/100

Audience rating: 7.5/10

Date canceled: December 2017 (the final season will be released in 2018)

"Haters Back Off!": canceled after two seasons

Netflix description: "The odd ball family life of Miranda Sings, an incredibly confident, totally untalented star on the rise who continues to fail upward by the power of her belief that she was born famous, it's just no one knows it yet."

Critic rating: 54/100

Audience rating: 7.1/10

Date canceled: December 2017

"House of Cards": canceled after six seasons

Netflix description: "A Congressman works with his equally conniving wife to exact revenge on the people who betrayed him."

Critic rating: 73.6/100

Audience rating: 7.8/10

Date canceled: October 2017 (the final season will be released in 2018)

An increasing number of traditional media companies want to capitalize on the growing industry of eSports.

Currently, there are approximately 300 million people worldwide tuned in on eSports. It is projected that by 2020, the number of viewers will be closer to 500 million.

Recently, shares of video game manufacturers have lifted to all-time highs thanks to a new generation of consoles, the promise of VR gaming, and the adaptation of many titles in professional gaming that attract revenue, as well as paying spectators at tournaments and competitions.

eSports Stocks to Invest In

Activision Blizzard, Inc. (ATVI)

Activision reported a rise in revenue from its high-margin digital business to $1.35 billion (about 84% of its total revenue of $2 billion, which was just shy of their projection of 2.01 billion). Results in the reported quarter were driven by the popularity of the company's sci-fi first-person shooter game Destiny 2. The console version of Destiny 2, which was released September 6, was recognized as the best-selling console game of 2017 in the United States to date despite less than a month of sales, according to research firm NPD Group. 

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA)

As a result of their efforts to shift players toward mobile and digital, EA’s digital sales rose 23% and accounted for 61% of overall revenue. The future of EA is looking promising since digital games have lower fixed costs and sustained future profits.

Sales rose 21.7% to $689 million in the second quarter ending September 30 as more gamers bought their titles online instead of purchasing physical copies from retail stores. EA's net loss narrowed to $22 million form $38 million and revenue rose 7% thanks to its latest editions of Madden NFL and FIFA. Investors have bid up EA shares by 50% since the start of this year.

EA had some recent negative publicity regarding its release of Star Wars Battlefront II and the microtranscations involved. Many of the more famous playable Star Wars characters (such as Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Princess Leia) were unavailable to play from the start and required in-game credits to unlock. Some Reddit users did the math and determined it would take dozens of hours of play to acquire the necessary credits; however, players could also pay real money for randomized, virtual "loot crates" that contain the currency used to unlock these characters.

The problem worsened when EA responded on Reddit to the outcry by saying "The intent is to provide players with a sense of pride and accomplishment for unlocking different heroes." The response received more than 670,000 downvotes, the most in the history of Reddit by a wide margin.

EA deactivated micro-transactions entirely on the day before the game's release but said it planned to reintroduce them later after making some changes. The company's share price dropped 2.5% on launch day, and Wall Street analysts lowered their expectations for the stock. By the end of November, EA had lost $3 billion in stock value since the launch.

Despite this, Battlefront II was still the second best-selling game in November (the biggest month for game sales all year) behind only the juggernaut Call of Duty: WWII.

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (TTWO)

Raising their full-year adjusted revenue forecast in its second-quarter, Take-Two is in a “sweet spot” for game releases, according to Goldman Sachs. It has been noted that their investment in new content like Grand Theft Auto and its efforts to monetize existing content, as well as the new release of NBA 2K18, have contributed to the increase in revenue. With only one month of sales, NBA 2K18 has become the best-selling sports game this year. Take-Two is also bringing existing titles to new devices such as the Nintendo Switch, which has sold 50 million units so far. 

Companies Investing in eSports

YouTube has made the biggest investment into eSports to date, signing a multi-year broadcasting deal with Faceit to stream its eSports Championship Series (ECS) pro gaming league. Faceit is an eSports platform where consumers and eSports enterprises can organize competitions online. It also is involved on the production side of eSports events.

In 2014, Amazon was acquired by Twitch, the live streaming video platform that has been and continues to be the leader in online gaming broadcasts.

Other big companies such as Microsoft, Activision Publishing, and Capcom have been investing in growing the console market with games such as Halo 5, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and Street Fighter IV. The eSports market is continuing to open up to a broader audience with companies such as Super Evil Megacorp and Blizzard Entertainment who have introduced eSports to mobile gamers through Vainglory and Hearthstone.

Even brands such as Coca-Cola, Red Bull, Pizza Hut, and American Express have explored professional video gaming. Coca-Cola was one of the first of the nonendemic brands to jump into the industry.

Business Opportunities in eSports

Investment in the industry is largely driven by partnerships with other sports properties and leagues. Teams like the Miami Heat, Manchester City, West Ham, and the Philadelphia 76ers are investing in players and teams in the eSports space. It gives opportunities for more growth and fan base development while also creating new and appealing assets to sell to current and future corporate partners.

Big opportunities to build new fan bases and engage with the rapid growing audience of eSports opens doors for marketers to gain assets such as naming rights, branded content, experimental activation, or jersey branding.

Twitch and YouTube only add value to the industry as more stakeholders and events emerge, thus making broadcasting and streaming tournaments and competitions all the more in demand in this growing industry.

At the current rate of growth of engagement and number of leagues competing, event production has become essential to meet the demands of spectators as well as leagues themselves. These events provide not only an opportunity for leagues to participate for prize money, but also for businesses to directly advertise and sell products to engaged customers.

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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• Color-by-numbers apps are really popular on the App Store right now, with four different apps rising to the top of the free apps chart. 
• The apps have a combined 3.2 million downloads over the past month.
• But most users are adults — the average user age of color-by-numbers apps is around 30. 

Coloring apps are having a moment. 

Of the top free apps in the App Store right now, four of the top 25 are coloring apps — including the No. 3 app in the App Store, called Color by Number.

That, along with Colorbox, Pixel Art, and Unicorn, are also dominating the top free entertainment apps chart. They make up four of the top five apps on that chart, with Netflix being the only non-coloring app among the top five. 

All four apps bear a striking resemblance, though they're made by different developers. The apps provide pixelated images that are filled with different numbers. Like traditional "color by numbers" drawings, you fill all the squares that have the number with the same color. 

Here's the Color By Number app in action:

According to app intelligence firm Apptopia, all four apps have a combined 3.2 million iOS downloads over the past month. Oddly enough, Apptopia found that the average age of coloring book users hovers around 30 — apparently you're never too old to enjoy coloring. 

One important thing to note: While these apps are free to download, they aren't exactly free to use. With Color by Number, for example, you can get a free three-day trial, then the app costs $7.99 per week. There are monthly and yearly subscription options too, which cost $19.99 and $99.99 respectively. 

SEE ALSO: My favorite new app is a beautiful coloring book that just won Apple's prestigious Design Award

Join the conversation about this story »

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

• 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: What those tiny rivets on your jeans are for

• Photographer Joana Toro spent a year performing as Hello Kitty in Times Square after moving to New York in 2012 to study English.
• A roommate introduced her to the world of street performers dressing as iconic characters like Mickey Mouse and Elmo.
• Many of her fellow performers were immigrants from Latin America who had trouble finding other jobs.

In 2012, after working as a photographer in Latin America for the better part of a decade, Joana Toro moved to New York to study English.

Toro soon found herself in need of extra money, which led her roommate Marcela to introduce her to the semi-legal world of Times Square street performers. She was captivated by the mostly immigrant performers, who make a living by dressing as iconic characters, posing for pictures with tourists, and asking for tips.

“It was shocking at first to see Mickey Mouse did not speak English and was an immigrant from Mexico,” Toro told The New York Times. “ ... It was surreal. A paradox.”

Soon after her introduction, Toro took up her own costume. For a year and a half, she donned the cumbersome costume of Hello Kitty and saw firsthand a world that most people can't imagine.

Toro shared some photos from her experience, and you can see the rest at her website. 

SEE ALSO: I visited the top 3 skyscrapers in New York to see which had the best view — and the winner is clear

Toro was first introduced to the world of costumed performers by her roommate Marcela, who dances salsa with a Barack Obama mannequin.

When Toro decided to become a costumed character, she first tried wearing a Minnie Mouse costume. She ended up also trying Mickey Mouse and Dora the Explorer, before settling on Hello Kitty.

She rented the costume from Berta, a Mexican immigrant. She warned Toro that the gig was hard work and not very lucrative.

Forty years after first falling in love with "Star Wars" in theaters, Finnish photographer Vesa Lehtimäki is bringing the franchise's most beloved ships and fighters to planet Earth.

Lehtimäki dug up his old scale models from the 1980s and carefully photographed them in the great outdoors, so the ships appear to be parked on Earth. The results will delight any aspiring pilot with the Rebellion.

You can check out more of Lehtimäki's stunning work on Instagram.

SEE ALSO: All the 'Star Wars' movies, ranked from worst to best

"I saw the first movie in its theater run back in 1977," Vesa Lehtimäki told Business Insider. "For my generation, that's like Woodstock."

As a kid, Lehtimäki bought scale models and built them. Later, they made their way into cardboard boxes where they collected dust for four decades.

In 2009, Lehtimäki began photographing his son's "Star Wars" LEGO toys and rediscovered his passion for the franchise. He also dug up his old scale models.

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Music streaming giant Spotify is already getting into the holiday spirit of giving by sharing its global data on the top Christmas music. 

Mariah Carey's seasonal staple, "All I Want For Christmas Is You," is the service's most-streamed Christmas song of all time, with over 217 million global streams, the company said.

Michael Bublé, whose cover of "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas" came in at number three on Spotify's top five list this year, was also "overwhelmingly the most popular artist in Christmas playlists," Spotify said.

Check out Spotify's global list of its top 5 most popular Christmas songs of 2017 below, along with a breakdown of the most distinctive Christmas song for each age group:

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

5. Ariana Grande — "Santa Tell Me"

4. Justin Bieber — "Mistletoe"

3. Michael Bublé — "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas"

• Matt Damon says the men not involved in sexual misconduct in Hollywood aren't being talked about enough.
• He says most people he knows "don't do that."
• Damon said that if he found he was on a project with people who had been accused of misconduct, he would handle it on a "case-by-case" basis.

Matt Damon thinks the men in Hollywood who aren't sexual predators should be talked about more.

The flood of sexual-misconduct allegations that has hit Hollywood since The New York Times and The New Yorker published bombshell reports detailing those against Harvey Weinstein have included some of the biggest names in entertainment, media, and politics.

But Damon says not all the men in Hollywood are despicable.

"We're in this watershed moment, and it's great, but I think one thing that's not being talked about is there are a whole s---load of guys — the preponderance of men I've worked with — who don't do this kind of thing and whose lives aren't going to be affected," Damon told Business Insider while promoting his new movie, "Downsizing," opening in theaters Friday.

"If I have to sign a sexual-harassment thing, I don't care, I'll sign it," he said. "I would have signed it before. I don't do that, and most of the people I know don't do that."

Damon has recently been under fire for comments he made about sexual misconduct in Hollywood. Late last week, in an interview for ABC News' "Popcorn with Peter Travers," Damon told the Rolling Stone critic that there was a "spectrum of behavior" to consider.

"There's a difference between, you know, patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right?" Damon said. "Both of those behaviors need to be confronted and eradicated without question, but they shouldn't be conflated, right?"

Damon said the sexual-misconduct allegations against Al Franken, the Minnesota senator who recently resigned, weren't in the "same category" as those against Weinstein.

Damon's comments drew criticism, including from Minnie Driver, his "Good Will Hunting" costar and ex-girlfriend, and Alyssa Milano, who launched the recent #MeToo social-media movement encouraging women to come forward with their stories of sexual misconduct.

Business Insider also asked Damon whether the current climate in Hollywood had made him more conscious of the people he'd work with on future projects. Would he back out of a movie if an actor, director, or producer had been accused of sexual misconduct?

"That always went into my thinking," Damon said. "I mean, I wouldn't want to work with somebody who — life's too short for that. But the question of if somebody had allegations against them, you know, it would be a case-by-case basis. You go, 'What's the story here?'"

SEE ALSO: "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" director Rian Johnson reacts to the backlash and addresses the movie's most shocking moments

Join the conversation about this story »

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Gwendoline Christie can rock a stormtrooper uniform just as well as a full plate of armor.

The Sussex-born actress, best known as the indomitable Brienne of Tarth on "Game of Thrones," reprises her role as the first female stormtrooper, Captain Phasma, in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." Captain Phasma commands the First Order's legions of stormtroopers.

In honor of Christie's meteoric rise to fame, we're taking a look back at her career.

SEE ALSO: These photos of 'Star Wars' ships on Earth are mesmerizing

Born October 28, 1978, Gwendoline Christie grew up in the countryside of Sussex, England.

Source: Stylist

Her first passion was rhythmic gymnastics, but she suffered a serious back injury at age 11. "I was told that I wouldn't be able to dance again at that level," she told Access Hollywood.

Source: Access Hollywood

"I decided I'd become an actress instead," she said. At age 15, Christie took on the role of Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare's "Macbeth" and felt she found her calling.

• Scientists who love Star Wars say the movies are science fantasy, not science fiction.
• That distinction means the audience is immersed in an alternate universe where not all forces act the way they do on Earth.
• But there are a few very believable ways the franchise employs technology and physics to craft a credible story. 

You might assume that "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," which is still set in a “galaxy far, far away,” would have little to do with the physics life on Earth.

But a high-profile physicist disagrees. 

Kevin Grazier is a planetary physicist who designed the software NASA used to explore Saturn on its Cassini mission. Grazier, a computer science professor at West Point, also made sure the cinematic science was sound in films like "Gravity" and the TV series "Battlestar Galactica."

He acknowledges that you have to suspend a good deal of scientific disbelief to get on board with some parts of "The Last Jedi."

The idea that a lightsaber that can cut, melt, and burn through just about anything, and the notion that Jedis can use a force to project themselves into distant battlegrounds are both pretty far-fetched. For a devoted Star Wars fan like Grazier, that's okay.

“Does it matter if that science is inaccurate? No,” he told Business Insider.

But there are a few surprising ways that some of the franchise's boldest ideas are grounded in not-so-far-off scientific principles and technology.

Here are four of the coolest ways that the characters in Star Wars are (almost) like us. 

SEE ALSO: The wildest scientific discoveries of 2017

Robots like C-3PO and BB-8 are plausible future helpers.

The way the Star Wars crew employs artificial intelligence is not so far from reality.

“In the not too distant future we will probably have droids that are as smart as C-3PO and BB-8” Grazier said. 

Currently, Google’s AI is doing okay at a handful of languages — whereas C-3PO is fluent in over 6,000. But researchers are betting that Google’s AI is going to get much smarter in the coming years — in 2014, it was estimated to have an IQ around 26.5, but by 2016, Google AI had nearly doubled its smarts to an IQ of 47.3. That's still not as sharp as an average six-year-old, but it's an impressive leap.

Last week, scientists at NASA announced they’d successfully employed Google’s machine learning to track down two new planets. 

Meanwhile, a robot named Sophia managed to become the first AI of its kind granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia earlier this year. Sophia still sounds very robotic, but it can converse without pre-programmed responses — a potential first step towards more robot helpers for humans.

Moving at warp speed is a possibility that can't be ruled out.

Is it possible to travel faster than the speed of light like the valiant Rebellion fighters do?

Grazier said there’s scientific evidence that other dimensions could exist beyond our familiar four dimensions of space and time. That's a potential reality that quantum physicists wrestle with every day. If the multiverse does exist, it’s possible that alternate universes and dimensions don’t share the physical laws of our own.

That idea is ripe for exploration in a fictional series like "Star Wars," since we don’t have definitive answers to properly refute it. Grazier said the question marks about the laws of quantum physics are big enough that "you can sell this as a way to travel faster than light."

'The Force' may actually be with you.

The forces we experience on Earth may not operate like the powerful, people-projecting, weapon-deflecting one in "Star Wars" — but force fields do happen here. 

“If there’s a magnetic field and a charged particle passes through it, it will experience a force,” Grazier said. "That’s a real-life force field."

But channeling enough force to project a hologram to a distant battle is, of course, unrealistic. 

“It’s the degree, amount, rate, that makes it impossible,” Grazier said. 

Still, some force fields on Earth are nearly as mysterious as those in the movies.

A report in The New York Times about the US government's efforts to investigate potential UFO sightings described an incident in which pilots saw something bizarre on their screens in flight.

“They’re seeing an object that seems to have a force field — as they describe it — around it, that’s hovering before it suddenly disappears out of the sky as soon as they think they’re getting a radar lock on it,” Times Reporter Helene Cooper said on The Daily podcast.

• An animatronic President Trump has arrived at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
• The robotic Trump stands next to Abraham Lincoln, and remarks that "to be American is to be an optimist."
• Earlier this year, Disney was rumored to be reconsidering having the animatronic Trump deliver remarks, which would have represented a break with a tradition that dates to 1993. However, Trump recorded his own lines earlier this year.

The animatronic President Trump has arrived at the Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida — and like every American president since Bill Clinton, the robotic Trump has a speaking role.

"Above all, to be American is to be an optimist — to believe that we can always do better — and that the best days of our great nation are still ahead of us," says Trump, in part, according to the Orlando Sentinel. "It’s a privilege to serve as the President of the United States, to stand here among so many great leaders of our past, and to work on behalf of the American people."

The Hall of Presidents is one of Disney World's oldest attractions, first opening in 1971. Visitors are treated to a short film on the history of the American presidency, followed by the grand reveal of exactingly-crafted audio-animatronic versions of every president to date. Lincoln, Washington, and the sitting president all deliver short speeches.

According to The New York Times, Trump "stands next to a seated Abraham Lincoln in the center of the stage with his signature hair, his suit jacket unbuttoned and his tie dangling extra low." While Disney hasn't yet released robo-Trump's full comments, you can watch a video preview of his appearance below.

Some fans who got an early look are sharing a closer look at the animatronic President Trump, as well:

The Trump animatronic "features the latest advances in technology that enable smoother and more lifelike movements," writes Disney in a blog officially announcing the new addition to the Hall of Presidents.

The Hall of Presidents closed in January, shortly before Trump's inauguration. Originally, it was slated to reopen in late June, ahead of the Independence Day holiday. However, that date was pushed out, sparking rumors that Disney was rethinking giving President Trump a speaking role. 

Disney denied those reports: "We have been working closely with the current White House — just as we have with previous administrations — and the president’s recording session has been scheduled," Disney said in a June blog entry. 

Disney has included a new short film, titled "The Idea of a President,"with the attraction, according to the Sentinel report. The film highlights some of the major dilemmas faced by Washington, FDR, and others. It also "deals with stickier topics such as race relations and wage disparity," the Sentinel reported. 

And if you were curious, here's what the robo-President Obama had to say when he was the centerpiece of the show during his years in office:

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What is eSports? History & Rise of Video Game Tournaments

Years ago, eSports was a community of video gamers who would gather at conventions to play Counter Strike, Call of Duty, or League of Legends.

These multiplayer video game competitions would determine League of Legends champions, the greatest shooters in Call of Duty, the cream of the crop of Street Fighter players, the elite Dota 2 competitors, and more.

But today, as the history of eSports continue to unfold, media giants such as ESPN and Turner are broadcasting eSports tournaments and competitions. And in 2014, Amazon acquired Twitch, the live streaming video platform that has been and continues to be the leader in online gaming broadcasts. And YouTube also wanted to jump on the live streaming gaming community with the creation of YouTube Gaming.

eSports Market Growth Booming

To put in perspective how big eSports is becoming, a Google search for "lol" does not produce "laughing out loud" as the top result. Instead, it points to League of Legends, one of the most popular competitive games in existence. The game has spawned a worldwide community called the League of Legends Championship Series, more commonly known as LCS or LOL eSports.

What started as friends gathering in each other's homes to host LAN parties and play into the night has become an official network of pro gaming tournaments and leagues with legitimate teams, some of which are even sponsored and have international reach. Organizations such as Denial, AHQ, and MLG have multiple eSports leagues.

And to really understand the scope of all this, consider that the prize pool for the latest Dota 2 tournament was more than $20 million.

Websites even exist for eSports live scores to let people track the competitions in real time if they are unable to watch. There are even fantasy eSports leagues similar to fantasy football, along with the large and growing scene of eSports betting and gambling.

So it's understandable why traditional media companies would want to capitalize on this growing trend just before it floods into the mainstream. Approximately 300 million people worldwide tune in to eSports today, and that number is growing rapidly. By 2020, that number will be closer to 500 million.

eSports Industry Analysis - The Future of the Competitive Gaming Market

Financial institutions are starting to take notice. Goldman Sachs valued eSports at $500 million in 2016 and expects the market will grow at 22% annually compounded over the next three years into a more than $1 billion opportunity.

And industry statistics are already backing this valuation and demonstrating the potential for massive earnings. To illustrate the market value, market growth, and potential earnings for eSports, consider Swedish media company Modern Times Group's $87 million acquisition of Turtle Entertainment, the holding company for ESL. YouTube has made its biggest eSports investment to date by signing a multiyear broadcasting deal with Faceit to stream the latter's Esports Championship Series. And the NBA will launch its own eSports league in 2018.

Of course, as with any growing phenomenon, the question becomes: How do advertisers capitalize? This is especially tricky for eSports because of its audience demographics, which is young, passionate, male-dominated, and digital-first. They live online and on social media, are avid ad-blockers, and don't watch traditional TV or respond to conventional advertising.

So what will the future of eSports look like? How high can it climb? Could it reach the mainstream popularity of baseball or football? How will advertisers be able to reach an audience that does its best to shield itself from advertising?

Robert Elder, research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled an unparalleled report on the eSports ecosystem that dissects the growing market for competitive gaming. This comprehensive, industry-defining report contains more than 30 charts and figures that forecast audience growth, average revenue per user, and revenue growth.

Companies and organizations mentioned in the report include: NFL, NBA, English Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, NHL, Paris Saint-Germain, Ligue 1, Ligue de Football, Twitch, Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, ESPN, Electronic Arts, EA Sports, Valve, Riot Games, Activision Blizzard, ESL, Turtle Entertainment, Dreamhack, Modern Times Group, Turner Broadcasting, TBS Network, Vivendi, Canal Plus, Dailymotion, Disney, BAMTech, Intel, Coca Cola, Red Bull, HTC, Mikonet

Here are some eSports industry facts and statistics from the report:

• eSports is a still nascent industry filled with commercial opportunity.
• There are a variety of revenue streams that companies can tap into.
• The market is presently undervalued and has significant room to grow.
• The dynamism of this market distinguishes it from traditional sports.
• The audience is high-value and global, and its numbers are rising.
• Brands can prosper in eSports by following the appropriate game plan.
• Game publishers approach their Esport ecosystems in different ways.  
• Successful esport games are comprised of the same basic ingredients.
• Digital streaming platforms are spearheading the popularity of eSports.
• Legacy media are investing into eSports, and seeing encouraging results.
• Traditional sports franchises have a clear opportunity to seize in eSports.
• Virtual and augmented reality firms also stand to benefit from eSports.  

In full, the report illuminates the business of eSports from four angles:

• The gaming nucleus of eSports, including an overview of popular esport genres and games; the influence of game publishers, and the spectrum of strategies they adopt toward their respective esport scenes; the role of eSports event producers and the tournaments they operate.
• The eSports audience profile, its size, global reach, and demographic, psychographic, and behavioral attributes; the underlying factors driving its growth; why they are an attractive target for brands and broadcasters; and the significant audience and commercial crossover with traditional sports.
• eSports media broadcasters, including digital avant-garde like Twitch and YouTube, newer digital entrants like Facebook and traditional media outlets like Turner’s TBS Network, ESPN, and Canal Plus; their strategies and successes in this space; and the virtual reality opportunity.
• eSports market economics, with a market sizing, growth forecasts, and regional analyses; an evaluation of the eSports spectacle and its revenue generators, some of which are idiosyncratic to this industry; strategic planning for brand marketers, with case studies; and an exploration of the infinite dynamism and immense potential of the eSports economy.

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

1. Subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
2. Purchase & download the full report from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT

Join the conversation about this story »

• Harvey Weinstein reportedly tried to raise $25 million from Netflix, knowing press reports of sexual harassment allegations were weeks away from being published.
• Netflix turned down the deal, according to Page Six.
• The Weinstein Company and Netflix have a long history together.

Harvey Weinstein tried to raise $25 million from Netflix just weeks before numerous allegations of sexual harassment were made public, Page Six reported Monday.

Weinstein apparently knew of the upcoming articles by The New York Times and The New Yorker when he approached Netflix, according to the report. He proposed a $25 million deal in exchange for part of his film catalog, Page Six said, but Netflix turned him down.

Page Six also reported the deal was for "emergency cash," and that it does not know if Weinstein sought approval from The Weinstein Company board for the proposal.

According to previous press reports, Weinstein spent huge sums of money to try to discredit his accusers and keep their allegations from being made public. The New Yorker reported one invoice for "intelligence" to "stop the publication of a new negative article" was for $600,000.

The Weinstein Company had worked with Netflix for many years. One deal saw the streaming giant become the sole US home of the company's recently released films from 2016 onward.

"The deal that we've just completed with Netflix is probably the biggest deal in the history of The Weinstein Company," Harvey Weinstein said at the time the deal was signed.

The Weinstein Company also produced the Netflix series “Marco Polo,” one of television's most expensive shows, and have co-hosted a Golden Globes party for three years.

However, after Weinstein was removed from his company following sexual harassment allegations, Netflix's chief content officer Ted Sarandos downplayed the connection between the two.

“Our business with the Weinstein Company is pretty arm’s distance,” he said in October.

Netflix has tried to be proactive during the recent wave of sexual misconduct allegations in Hollywood.

The tech giant bowed out of a bid for The Weinstein Company and fired Kevin Spacey after several sexual misconduct allegations were raised. It will also be hosting this year's Golden Globes party solo.

Netflix did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment Monday night.

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• Speculations over who will design Meghan Markle's wedding dress began soon after her engagement to Prince Harry was announced.
• Israeli designer Inbal Dror has sketched three designs, which were leaked on Tuesday.
• This isn't the first time Dror has designed couture for elite clients.
• In 2016, Beyonce wore a bespoke dress designed by Dror to the Grammys.

The world has been hit with a serious case of Royal Wedding Fever since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement at the end of November.

First, there was the endless speculation over where the couple would marry — which was later announced to be St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. 

Then it was the date, which was confirmed on Friday to be Saturday May 19, 2018.

Now, the public has moved on to guessing which label Markle will choose to design her wedding dress.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Israeli fashion designer Inbal Dror — whose dresses are shown in the Instagram post below — was asked by palace officials to provide some sketches of potential wedding dress designs for Markle last week.

When approched by Business Insider, a spokesperson for Inbal Dror declined to comment on whether Dror had been approached by the palace.

Nevertheless, the spokesperson did say: "We have been responding to an initiative of the Bridal Council to present the sketches [for Markle]."

As of this morning, the dress designs have been leaked via celebrity news site TMZ. A spokesperson for Inbal Dror then sent the designs to Business Insider a few hours later. See them below:

The three designs from Dror, each annotated with the phrase "for Meghan Markle, with love," all feature tight bodices, high-neck collars, long sleeves, lace accents, and flowing skirts — which could be insights into the type of dress Markle is looking for.

British Fashion Council chairman Harold Tillman told the Daily Mail that he wouldn't be surprised if Markle and the royal family chose an international designer to craft the bride's gown — especially in light of the fact that Markle isn't British herself.

"We need to be embracing international business," said Tillman. "If we get ourselves into, 'She's marrying a British royal so she has to wear British' then we're isolating ourselves."

Dror's trademark styles tend to feature elegant fabrics, tight bodices, and plunging necklines. Her dresses typically tend to sell for between $8,000 and $10,000 (£6,000 and £7,500), although it's difficult to estimate how much a bespoke bridal gown for the royal wedding would cost.

This wouldn't be the first time that Dror has provided a bespoke dress for an A-Lister client. In 2016, Beyoncé wore a bespoke Inbal Dror gown — shown above — to the Grammy Awards.

The dress also featured long sleeves, white lace accents, a high collar, and flowing skirt — much like Dror's designs for Markle.

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What is eSports? History & Rise of Video Game Tournaments

Years ago, eSports was a community of video gamers who would gather at conventions to play Counter Strike, Call of Duty, or League of Legends.

These multiplayer video game competitions would determine League of Legends champions, the greatest shooters in Call of Duty, the cream of the crop of Street Fighter players, the elite Dota 2 competitors, and more.

But today, as the history of eSports continue to unfold, media giants such as ESPN and Turner are broadcasting eSports tournaments and competitions. And in 2014, Amazon acquired Twitch, the live streaming video platform that has been and continues to be the leader in online gaming broadcasts. And YouTube also wanted to jump on the live streaming gaming community with the creation of YouTube Gaming.

eSports Market Growth Booming

To put in perspective how big eSports is becoming, a Google search for "lol" does not produce "laughing out loud" as the top result. Instead, it points to League of Legends, one of the most popular competitive games in existence. The game has spawned a worldwide community called the League of Legends Championship Series, more commonly known as LCS or LOL eSports.

What started as friends gathering in each other's homes to host LAN parties and play into the night has become an official network of pro gaming tournaments and leagues with legitimate teams, some of which are even sponsored and have international reach. Organizations such as Denial, AHQ, and MLG have multiple eSports leagues.

And to really understand the scope of all this, consider that the prize pool for the latest Dota 2 tournament was more than $20 million.

Websites even exist for eSports live scores to let people track the competitions in real time if they are unable to watch. There are even fantasy eSports leagues similar to fantasy football, along with the large and growing scene of eSports betting and gambling.

So it's understandable why traditional media companies would want to capitalize on this growing trend just before it floods into the mainstream. Approximately 300 million people worldwide tune in to eSports today, and that number is growing rapidly. By 2020, that number will be closer to 500 million.

eSports Industry Analysis - The Future of the Competitive Gaming Market

Financial institutions are starting to take notice. Goldman Sachs valued eSports at $500 million in 2016 and expects the market will grow at 22% annually compounded over the next three years into a more than $1 billion opportunity.

And industry statistics are already backing this valuation and demonstrating the potential for massive earnings. To illustrate the market value, market growth, and potential earnings for eSports, consider Swedish media company Modern Times Group's $87 million acquisition of Turtle Entertainment, the holding company for ESL. YouTube has made its biggest eSports investment to date by signing a multiyear broadcasting deal with Faceit to stream the latter's Esports Championship Series. And the NBA will launch its own eSports league in 2018.

Of course, as with any growing phenomenon, the question becomes: How do advertisers capitalize? This is especially tricky for eSports because of its audience demographics, which is young, passionate, male-dominated, and digital-first. They live online and on social media, are avid ad-blockers, and don't watch traditional TV or respond to conventional advertising.

So what will the future of eSports look like? How high can it climb? Could it reach the mainstream popularity of baseball or football? How will advertisers be able to reach an audience that does its best to shield itself from advertising?

Robert Elder, research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled an unparalleled report on the eSports ecosystem that dissects the growing market for competitive gaming. This comprehensive, industry-defining report contains more than 30 charts and figures that forecast audience growth, average revenue per user, and revenue growth.

Companies and organizations mentioned in the report include: NFL, NBA, English Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, NHL, Paris Saint-Germain, Ligue 1, Ligue de Football, Twitch, Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, ESPN, Electronic Arts, EA Sports, Valve, Riot Games, Activision Blizzard, ESL, Turtle Entertainment, Dreamhack, Modern Times Group, Turner Broadcasting, TBS Network, Vivendi, Canal Plus, Dailymotion, Disney, BAMTech, Intel, Coca Cola, Red Bull, HTC, Mikonet

Here are some eSports industry facts and statistics from the report:

• eSports is a still nascent industry filled with commercial opportunity.
• There are a variety of revenue streams that companies can tap into.
• The market is presently undervalued and has significant room to grow.
• The dynamism of this market distinguishes it from traditional sports.
• The audience is high-value and global, and its numbers are rising.
• Brands can prosper in eSports by following the appropriate game plan.
• Game publishers approach their Esport ecosystems in different ways.  
• Successful esport games are comprised of the same basic ingredients.
• Digital streaming platforms are spearheading the popularity of eSports.
• Legacy media are investing into eSports, and seeing encouraging results.
• Traditional sports franchises have a clear opportunity to seize in eSports.
• Virtual and augmented reality firms also stand to benefit from eSports.  

In full, the report illuminates the business of eSports from four angles:

• The gaming nucleus of eSports, including an overview of popular esport genres and games; the influence of game publishers, and the spectrum of strategies they adopt toward their respective esport scenes; the role of eSports event producers and the tournaments they operate.
• The eSports audience profile, its size, global reach, and demographic, psychographic, and behavioral attributes; the underlying factors driving its growth; why they are an attractive target for brands and broadcasters; and the significant audience and commercial crossover with traditional sports.
• eSports media broadcasters, including digital avant-garde like Twitch and YouTube, newer digital entrants like Facebook and traditional media outlets like Turner’s TBS Network, ESPN, and Canal Plus; their strategies and successes in this space; and the virtual reality opportunity.
• eSports market economics, with a market sizing, growth forecasts, and regional analyses; an evaluation of the eSports spectacle and its revenue generators, some of which are idiosyncratic to this industry; strategic planning for brand marketers, with case studies; and an exploration of the infinite dynamism and immense potential of the eSports economy.

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

1. Subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
2. Purchase & download the full report from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT

Join the conversation about this story »

• Disney's stock was flat even after its latest "Star Wars" flick reported a great box office weekend.
• Movie sales may not translate into consumer product sales, according to Jefferies Analyst Stephanie Wissink.
• The frequency of "Star Wars" movie releases may challenge merchandise sales for each individual movie. 
• To watch Disney's stock price move, click here.

Though "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" had a solid opening weekend box office, bringing in an estimated $220 million in ticket sales, parent-company Disney's challenge is milking every last bit of profit out of its franchises.

Though Disney has historically been an expert in converting movie watchers to consumers, the frequency with which new "Star Wars" films come out is "testing historic patterns," Stephanie Wissink, an equity analyst at Jefferies, said.

Hasbro, Mattel, and Jakks Pacific — makers of "Star Wars" toys and merchandise — may only get a minor boost from the latest movie because the frequency of movie releases has challenged merchandise sales for each of the individual films.

"Star Wars" sales-to-date were down more than 50% compared to 2015 sales, when "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" came out, according to Wissink, and it was also down from sales for its last interstitial film, "Rogue One." 

"Recognizing that the 'tail' on Jedi might be shorter, as Disney preps for another minor film in May 2018, the window for sales related to Ep 8 is closing quickly," Wissink wrote in a note.

Hasbro has the most to gain from Disney's "Star Wars" product sales. Wissink forecasts Hasbro could earn $450 million to $500 million in global sales, which includes China, in 2017, though Jefferies thinks some of that volume may be shifted into 2018.

Wissink cautioned that the 20% to 25% discounts that retailers were promoting on "Star Wars" merchandise could signify that there is "some risk of inventory carryover" for "Star Wars" products.

Disney's stock was flat on Wednesday at $111.05 per share though it was up 4.72% for the year. Shares of Hasbro, Mattel, and Jakks were down.

To read more about how Disney plans to beat streaming movie service competitors, click here.

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We'll never let go.

It's been 20 years since one of Hollywood's most doomed love stories hit the screen and audiences fell in love with Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On."

To celebrate the momentous anniversary, "Titanic" is returning to theaters. Beginning on December 1, the film will be re-released at AMC theaters. The 20th anniversary re-release celebration will take place for one week.

The nearly 3.5-hour movie is one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, dominated the 1998 award season, and continues to make lists of top movies to see in your lifetime.

Since its premiere in December 1997, the cast of "Titanic" has taken on several more award-winning roles, and Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio have maintained their friendship. 

Keep reading for a look at how the star-studded cast looked then, what they look like now, and what they've been up to in between.

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Leonardo DiCaprio played the adventurous vagabond artist, Jack Dawson.

Jack falls in love with Rose and eventually meets his demise in the chilly waters of the Atlantic floating on a door. 

Director James Cameron recently defended his movie ending saying Jack had to die despite years of fans insisting he and Rose both could have fit on the door.

Since "Titanic," Leonardo DiCaprio has starred in several critically acclaimed films including "The Departed," "Inception," "The Wolf of Wall Street," and "Revolutionary Road," which he played alongside Kate Winslet. He also finally won his first Oscar in 2016 for his work in "The Revenant" after years of jokes and memes.

DiCaprio is also active in education about climate change and most recently attended the 2017 People's Climate March in protest of President Trump.

Kate Winslet played the rebellious upper-class 17 year old, Rose DeWitt Bukater.

Rose falls in love with Jack despite her engagement to the arrogant Cal Hockley. 

Sci-fi movies and action films ruled in 2017. 

That's according to Google's ranking of the top 50 movies of the year. The annual list highlights the top 50 movies of 2017 based on the most popular content worldwide on the Google Play store. It's important to note that Google's list is not a critical ranking, but is based entirely on top sellers.

The year's hottest films included action-adventure films like "Wonder Woman," "Rogue One," and "Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2," and also left room for sci-fi movies like "Arrival" and "Life." Animated movies were popular too, scoring three of the top 10 spots. 

While almost every film came out in 2017, a few were released at the end of last year. 

Here are the 50 films that dominated our screens this year:

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50. "The Dark Tower" (2017)

49. "Baywatch" (2017)

48. "Patriots Day" (2016)