• Matt Lauer has been sending "Today" show producers criticisms about recent episodes, according to Page Six.
• In one instance, he reportedly felt the wrong music was used to open a segment.

It seems Matt Lauer is still keeping a close eye on his old job.

The former "Today" show coanchor, who was fired by NBC in November after the network received a complaint of "inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace," sent notes to show producers criticizing certain aspects of recent episodes, according to Page Six.

Sources told Page Six that Lauer, who has been staying in the Hamptons and working on his marriage, has been sending messages detailing what he sees as mistakes on the show. In one instance, he reportedly sent a producer an email saying that he felt the show used the wrong music to start a segment.

Despite Lauer's critical view, the show has flourished in ratings since the longtime host was fired. For the two weeks following Lauer's departure, "Today" won the crucial first two hours among all the morning shows.

On Tuesday, NBC announced that Hoda Kotb would be Lauer's permanent replacement as coanchor of "Today."

Representatives for "Today" were not immediately available for comment.

SEE ALSO: "Today" coanchor Hoda Kotb says NBC isn't paying her close to "Matt Lauer money" — and her salary is reportedly less than 1/3 what he made

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NOW WATCH: We asked the host of HQ Trivia 12 questions to see how much he knows about game shows

• Eric Trump suggested Ellen DeGeneres was part of the "Deep State" in a tweet on Tuesday.
• On Wednesday, DeGeneres responded by saying she was honored that he thought she was powerful enough to be involved. 
• The Deep State is an alleged group that uses its power to influence the government, and is a popular conspiracy theory among some conservatives. 

On Tuesday, Eric Trump tweeted his concerns that comedian Ellen DeGeneres was a member of the "Deep State," an alleged clandestine group that works to circumvent the democratically elected US government, according to a conspiracy theory popular among some conservatives.

DeGeneres responded on her talk show Wednesday by saying she was "honored" that he thought she was powerful enough to be involved. She also said that even if someone asked her to be involved, she's too busy.

Eric Trump's theory that DeGeneres is part of the Deep State stems from his Twitter account, specifically its suggestions of who he should follow. Twitter suggested he follow Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and DeGeneres, and he interpreted this to mean she was part of the Deep State.

DeGeneres said Wednesday that she had never heard of the Deep State before she found out why her name was trending on Twitter. 

"I just want to say, Eric, I am honored that you think I'm powerful enough to be part of a government conspiracy," she said. "I am sorry to disappoint you. I am not part of the Deep State. Even if somebody wanted me to be involved, I don't have that kind of time. I've got my gay agenda meetings on Mondays, on Wednesday Beyoncé and I host an Illuminati brunch. And then Portia [de Rossi] and I on the weekends are desperately trying to have a baby. So I can't. I don't have time."

You can watch the whole video below:

SEE ALSO: Who will win big at the 2018 Golden Globes — and who should win

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• Rose McGowan wrote in an upcoming memoir, previewed by Vanity Fair, that director Robert Rodriguez used knowledge of her alleged Harvey Weinstein rape against her in the filming of 2007's "Planet Terror," which Weinstein produced.
• Rodriguez denied McGowan's claims in a statement to Business Insider, saying there were "some key factual errors" in McGowan's account. 
• Rodriguez said in October that he cast McGowan in "Planet Terror" to get back at Weinstein for the alleged rape.

In an upcoming memoir previewed by Vanity Fair, Rose McGowan wrote that Robert Rodriguez, her former romantic partner and "Grindhouse" director, used McGowan's confiding in him about her alleged raped by Harvey Weinstein as a "tool for mind games" against her (as Vanity Fair described it).

McGowan wrote that Rodriguez used his knowledge of the alleged rape against her in a "Grindhouse" scene in which Quentin Tarantino, playing a character in Rodriguez's half of the double-feature,"Planet Terror," attacks McGowan's character.

She wrote that Rodriguez then "sold our film to my monster," meaning the Weinstein-owned Dimension Films.

Rodriguez denied McGowan's claims in a statement to Business Insider on Thursday. He said there were "some key factual errors" in the Vanity Fair story and McGowan's account, including that Weinstein's Dimension Films had already begun funding "Planet Terror" at the time of shooting. 

"These inaccuracies may appear to put me at odds with Rose, but I have no quarrel with her," Rodriguez wrote. "It's when publications don't fact check these basic things, you end up with something inaccurate that then has to be disqualified. And I don't want to have to disqualify it because I agree with what Rose is trying to do overall, which is continue to push for change both in our industry and beyond."

In October, Rodriguez said that he cast Rose McGowan in "Planet Terror" to get back at Harvey Weinstein for the alleged rape, which she had told him about. Rodriguez said Weinstein subsequently tried to "bury" the film, which had a tepid box office performance for Dimension Films.

In his statement on Thursday, Rodriguez said that he stood by his October statement. He added that the attack scene McGowan described was always in the script and that McGowan never expressed concerns with performing it.

Read Rodriguez's full statement below:

"It is unfortunate that Vanity Fair reporter Evgenia Peretz did not reach out to me for comment or clarification, even after my widely reported statement in October 2017 regarding Rose McGowan and Harvey Weinstein. It is deeply disappointing that the fact checkers at publishing house HarperOne did not reach out to me either.  As a result, there are some key factual errors in the piece. 

These inaccuracies may appear to put me at odds with Rose, but I have no quarrel with her. It’s when publications don’t fact check these basic things, you end up with something inaccurate that then has to be disqualified. And I don’t want to have to disqualify it because I agree with what Rose is trying to do overall, which is continue to push for change both in our industry and beyond.

That said …

• I did not sell the movie to the Weinsteins, they had a first look on my next project, and I owed them two more after that.  (Grindhouse, Spykids 4 and Sin City 2 fulfilled my obligations to them.)
• I met Rose in April of 2005. The Weinsteins began funding Grindhouse by at least the first week of November of 2005 because I was shooting the fake Machete trailer for the film on November 16, 2005. I then started scouting locations and designing the production for Grindhouse with key crew members, hired and paid for by the Weinsteins, before Thanksgiving 2005.
• Full preproduction on Grindhouse with the entire crew began on January 23^rd 2006, and Principal Photography began on March 17, 2006. Rose began filming March 26, 2006. The point is that it was already an official Weinstein movie for at least 5 months before principal production even began on the Planet Terror segment of Grindhouse. There was certainly ample time for Rose to decide not to be in a film funded by the Weinsteins and reject the movie and the script before shooting ever began. And if she ever had a problem with making the movie for them I would have completely understood, changed the role, and cast someone else.
• The scene described in the Vanity Fair article where the rapist taunts the character played by Rose (before she turns around and stabs him in the eye and kills him) was in every draft of the script since the first draft issued to cast and crew dated January 24, 2006. Furthermore, that very scene wasn’t even filmed until 5 months later, on June 28, 2006. Again, if there was any objection to the scene there was plenty of time to address it. It was never brought up as being an issue. In fact, the point of the scene was always to be empowering because it’s when her character turns the tables against her oppressors."

SEE ALSO: Robert Rodriguez says he cast Rose McGowan in 'Grindhouse' to get back at Harvey Weinstein

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NOW WATCH: We asked the host of HQ Trivia 12 questions to see how much he knows about game shows

• For the first time, hip-hop surpassed rock as the most popular genre in the US last year, according to Nielsen's year-end report.
• Eight of the top ten most popular artists came from the hip-hop/R&B genre, with Drake and Kendrick Lamar taking the first and second spot, respectively.
• Nielsen noted that the growth of the hip-hop/R&B genre was "powered by a 72% increase in on-demand audio streaming" in the genre. 

For the first time ever, hip-hop surpassed rock as the most popular genre in the US in 2017, according to Nielsen's year-end report on the music industry.

Nielsen said the hip-hop/R&B genre ended as the largest genre of the year in terms of "total consumption," which includes album sales and album-equivalent streaming figures. 

Seven of the top ten most-consumed albums of the year came from the hip-hop/R&B genre, with Kendrick Lamar's "DAMN." taking the second spot behind Ed Sheeran's "Divide."

Drake and Lamar came in first and second, respectively, on Nielsen's list of the ten most popular artists of the year, in terms of total consumption. Eight of the top ten artists came from the hip-hop/R&B genre.

Nielsen noted that the growth in popularity of the hip-hop/R&B genre was "powered by a 72% increase in on-demand audio streaming" in the genre. 

Overall, on-demand audio streaming saw a 59% increase in 2017. This figure boosted the total volume of music consumption up by 12.5% compared to 2016, despite year-over-year declines in album and track sales. 

SEE ALSO: 37 albums that music critics really hate, but normal people love

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NOW WATCH: We asked the host of HQ Trivia 12 questions to see how much he knows about game shows

• Seven young adults went undercover as students at a Kansas high school for the documentary series "Undercover High."
• The volunteers, aged 21 to 26, made themselves look younger, and one of them even got braces to look the part.
• They discovered issues students were going through that even the administration didn't know about.

You couldn't pay most people to relive their high school experiences.

But that's exactly what seven young adults did on the new A&E documentary series "Undercover High," which premieres on Tuesday. The show follows the seven participants, ages 21 to 26, as they pose as students at Highland Park High School in Topeka, Kansas, during the spring 2017 semester. 

The goal of the undercover program is to expose the challenges students and school staff go through, as well as provide administrators with details students would ordinarily never share with them.

"I always wonder, what is a student not telling us that they will only tell a peer?" Dr. Tiffany Anderson, superintendent of Topeka Public Schools, said in an early episode of the series.

Over the course of the semester, participants were exposed to bullying, sexual harassment, poverty, violence, and drug addiction, among other issues. And in some cases, administrators did not realize the extent of the problems.

"All of those topics are discussed at some level at school, but between students, the insight is just much deeper than what we would have gained otherwise," Anderson told Business Insider.

The participants made an effort to look like convincing high school students. The men shaved to look younger, while one female participant, a 25-year-old named Erin, was even fitted with braces to look the part. They took a full course load and did assignments like the rest of the student population.

Although the group received psychological training before the semester began, nothing could prepare them for what they experienced.

As early episodes of the show indicate, cell phone use is rampant among students throughout the school, and social media became a greater source of pressure and stress than they were for participants who graduated as recently as five years ago.

"The kinds of challenges that I experienced in high school along with my peers are now 24/7 issues because of technology, computers, cell phones, and social media," Shane Feldman, an undercover student who graduated from high school in 2012, told Business Insider. "There's no real escape."

Issues surrounding social media quickly arose for the participants. One female participant, a 22-year-old named Lina, caught wind of a group text in which more than 20 male students were making alarming sexual remarks about her on one of her first days as a student.

"I think my heart kind of stopped for a minute," she said. She later informed the school's principal, who discovered that some of the participants in the group text weren't even students in the school district.

"Undercover High" is an effort between A&E and Lucky 8 productions. The companies previously collaborated on the A&E show "60 Days In," which follows law-abiding citizens who go undercover as inmates in an Atlanta jail. The show is now in its fourth season.

The first episode of "Undercover High" airs Tuesday, January 9 at 10 p.m. EST. It will be followed by an after-show featuring a psychotherapist and an adolescent psychologist who were advisers on the show, as well as a member of a crisis text line and some of the undercover students themselves.

Watch a preview for the series below:

SEE ALSO: Regular people went undercover in an Atlanta jail as part of an experiment — and for the first time in 4 years, someone blew their cover

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NOW WATCH: Inside the best high school in America, which costs $53,000 a year

• Ryan Murphy, who created "Glee," "American Horror Story," "American Crime Story," and "Feud" has been working with Fox for years.
• He credits Fox executives for his successful career in television. 
• On the Television Critics Association press tour, Murphy said that he is hopeful about Disney's acquisition of Fox, but admitted that it terrified him at first. 
• Murphy is hopeful because he thinks Disney CEO Bob Iger has done a tremendous job with Pixar and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

Star showrunner Ryan Murphy is optimistic about Disney's acquisition of Fox, which he's been working with for years. 

At the Television Critics Association press tour, Murphy told Lucas Shaw of Bloomberg that because of Fox's support  of his career there, he's "hopeful" about the Disney acquisition, but he's also "very emotional."

In December, Disney agreed to acquire 21st Century Fox's film studio and a large chunk of its television production assets for $52.4 billion. The package includes a collection of pay-TV channels like FX and National Geographic as well as entertainment properties like the X-Men, "The Simpsons," and "Avatar."

Murphy's career in television has boomed over the past decade, and specifically the past five years. While some of his shows like "Glee" and "American Horror Story" are campy, they tell stories about diverse characters that are culturally relevant, like 2017's "Feud: Bette and Joan," which shed a light on the mistreatment of women in Hollywood.

Murphy started with Fox in 2003, when he co-created the show "Nip/Tuck" for FX. Murphy told Bloomberg that before that, he'd been told that he was "unemployable."

But "Nip/Tuck" was a success, and paved the way for "Glee" and "American Horror Story," which led to "American Crime Story" and "Feud: Bette and Joan." "American Horror Story," which premiered in 2011, arguably started the trend of anthology series like "Fargo" and "True Detective" that aren't miniseries, but tell a different story every season. 

Murphy said he has been surrounded by people at Fox who have always encouraged him to follow his interests and passions, specifically noting John Landgraff who runs FX and Dana Walden, who runs Fox.

When he heard about the Disney deal, Ryan said he was worried at first and wondered, "Am I going to have to put Mickey Mouse in 'American Horror Story?'"

But Murphy said that Disney CEO Bob Iger was encouraging and kind, and let him know that the reason Disney acquired Fox was because it was interested in what was already there — not in transforming it. "Iger has done a tremendous job taking over communities and keeping those communities intact — like Pixar and Marvel," Murphy said.

Murphy said it's a great time to be a creator, and that no matter where he is, he wants to continue hiring more women and minorities, and fighting for women to get equal pay.

"I want to continue wherever I go," he said. 

SEE ALSO: Who will win big at the 2018 Golden Globes — and who should win

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NOW WATCH: Behind the scenes with Shepard Smith — the Fox News star who's not afraid to take on Trump

• Jimmy Iovine, the head of Apple Music, is reportedly leaving the company in August.
• Iovine joined Apple in 2014 when the tech giant acquired Beats, a headphone company he founded with rapper Dr. Dre.
• His departure will reportedly coincide with the full vesting of his Apple shares.

Music legend Jimmy Iovine, who heads Apple Music, will leave the iPhone maker in August, according to Billboard.

Iovine's departure from Apple is timed to match the full vesting of his shares in the company, sources told Billboard. It's not certain whether Apple will replace him.

Apple never disclosed Iovine's official title, but he worked closely with the team that developed the company's streaming music service, Apple Music. 

Iovine, the former CEO of Interscope Records, joined Apple in 2014 when the tech company acquired Beats Electronics. Iovine founded Beats, best known for its high-quality headphones, in 2008 with the rapper Dr. Dre. 

Before Apple bought Beats, Beats launched a streaming music service of its own that eventually formed the basis of Apple Music. Since its June 2015 launch, Apple Music has grown to more than 30 million paying subscribers, according to Billboard. 

SEE ALSO: Apple just shared some staggering statistics about how well the App Store is doing

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NOW WATCH: 7 science-backed ways for a happier and healthier 2018 — this is what you do the very first week

• Paula Fairfield, sound designer for HBO's "Game Of Thrones," appeared on Radio Lab's Big Little Questions podcast.
• She revealed that in order to make the sounds for Daenerys' dragons, she takes recordings from birds and insects – but she also uses a more bizarre sample.
• To make the sound of Drogon's purr while he's with Daenerys, she uses the sound of giant turtles mating.

The bizarre sounds that come from Daenerys Targaryen's dragons in "Game of Thrones" have baffled some fans.

Last year a Quora user took to the site to ask: "What sounds make up the dragons' roars in Game of Thrones?"

At the time, nobody seemed to have the answer.

Now, the show's sound designer Paula Fairfield has revealed all on Radio Lab's Big Little Questions podcast.

Speaking to presenter Tracy Hunt, Fairfield revealed that she uses the usual samples you might expect, such as "shrieky" bird noises, insects, and different kinds of reptilian recordings, to create the distinctive sounds of the dragons.

But she also uses something a little more obscure — and there's a reason.

"I have sounds I might choose simply by certain personality traits that I might want to push forward," she explained. "[Daenerys] named that dragon after Khal Drogo, her hot late husband, so Drogon is like her lover. He’s whistling at her all the time, he’s whistling at her butt and saying, 'Ooh baby.'"

To project this sense of sexual tension, she uses the sound of two giant tortoises mating.

"The groan of the male actually became, with some work and adjustments and stuff, the basis of Drogon’s purr with [Daenerys]," she added.

"The funny thing about the purr with Drogon was watching people watch it and giggling when they heard it but not really knowing why, and to me it's because it had that essence, that kind of sensual, sexual essence.

"They’re very powerful, they can be very scary, they can be very destructive," she added of the dragons. "But what’s kind of magical in 'Game Of Thrones' is that the intimate scenes also melt your heart and bring you closer to these characters that should be burning your face off."

SEE ALSO: These photos of The Mountain from 'Game of Thrones' and his tiny girlfriend have baffled Instagram users

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

Regardless of if you love watching the Oscars or love to hate-watch it, the highlight is always when there's an upset winner.

With months of being told why a person or film is going to win, there's nothing like watching the genuine surprise and spontaneous, authentic reaction when someone seems to steal away Hollywood's biggest prize. That can range from Roberto Benigni standing on his seat after winning best actor in 1999 to Adrien Brody planting a big kiss on presenter Halle Berry when he won the award in 2003. And let's not forget the way "Moonlight" shocked the world last year.

Here are the 21 biggest upsets in Oscar history ranked:

SEE ALSO: RANKED: The 10 worst movies to win the best picture Oscar — and what should have won

21. Marcia Gay Harden wins best supporting actress for "Pollock" (2001)

A big indicator of who will win on Oscar night comes from the nominations and wins before that night, which is what makes Harden's win so shocking. Her performance as Lee Krasner did not get recognized at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, or BAFTAs. But her name was called on the biggest night.

20. Anna Paquin wins best supporting actress for "The Piano" (1994)

Rarely does the Academy award children, but at 11 years old Paquin took the award, beating out Emma Thompson ("In the Name of the Father"), Winona Ryder ("The Age of Innocence"), Rosie Perez ("Fearless"), and Holly Hunter ("The Firm"), who was also nominated in the best actress category for playing opposite Paquin in "The Piano." She would win in that category.

19. "The King’s Speech" wins best picture (2011)

What was thought to be a film that would showcase Colin Firth's talents to earn him an Oscar (and it did), the movie shocked the likes of nominees "The Social Network," "The Fighter," and "127 Hours" to win the top prize.

• The Weinstein Company could reportedly be sold for $500 million.
• The small figure is in the wake of the scandal surrounding its cofounder, Harvey Weinstein, who was fired after sexual misconduct allegations were revealed last year.
• Six companies are reportedly in the running.

Following a December 22 deadline, The Weinstein Company is currently in the process of being sold and has narrowed down the potential buyers to six companies, according to The Wall Street Journal.

However, in the wake of the colossal controversy surrounding the company following the sexual assault and harassment allegations against its cofounder Harvey Weinstein, who was fired in October, whichever company takes TWC will be getting it for a bargain price.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the company could go for less than $500 million and its shareholders may lose all of their equity.

TWC received about 20 offers and its board of directors has narrowed down the list to six potential buyers, which includes Lionsgate and production company Killer Content, which is working with filmmaker/philanthropist Abigail Disney, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The top bid of $500 million is an underwhelming figure for the company that Harvey and brother Bob Weinstein launched in 2005 after leaving the previous company they founded, Miramax, which became a mega power in the independent film world in the 1990s.

With the company reportedly carrying $500 million-plus in debt, the only thing that’s attractive is its library (which includes Quentin Tarantino movies “Django Unchained,” “Inglourious Basterds,” and “The Hateful Eight”), but it’s clearly not as lucrative as it once was.

“A company’s library of titles depreciates faster than they used to,” Hal Vogel, media analyst and founder of Vogel Capital Management told Business Insider. “With so much production on the streaming side now, older libraries don’t trade for so much.”

Then there’s also the legal bills against Harvey Weinstein and the company that the buyer will have to take on. Weinstein’s alleged sexual misconduct over three decades has led to lawsuits against TWC and Weinstein being the subject of criminal investigations.

“One of the companies will eventually win out, but money is only one consideration,” Vogel said. “You can expect that the litigation will come out for years to come. It’s going to be costly and it’s going to drag on.”

The Weinstein Company had no comment for this story.

SEE ALSO: Who will win big at the 2018 Golden Globes — and who should win

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NOW WATCH: Behind the scenes with Shepard Smith — the Fox News star who's not afraid to take on Trump

• ABC has canceled "The Mayor."
• The comedy premiered in October, and starred Brandon Micheal Hall, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Lea Michele. 
• It aired 9 episodes.

A lot of shows were canceled in 2017, and in the new year, cancellations will start rolling in, especially for unsuccessful fall shows.

The first show to die in 2018? ABC comedy "The Mayor." On Thursday, Entertainment Weekly reported that the show had been canceled by ABC.

"The Mayor" was about a rapper who, in an attempt to promote his music, runs for mayor. But he unexpectedly wins, and has to actually be the mayor. It was fresh and politically relevant, so we're sad to see it go. The show starred Brandon Micheal Hall, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Lea Michele. 

The earnest, clever comedy was a welcome presence in ABC's comedy lineup. It premiered in October and ran for nine episodes.

SEE ALSO: All the TV shows that have been canceled in 2017

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NOW WATCH: Celebrities flocked to these underground poker games where someone once lost $100 million in one night

As the new year progresses, we'll start to learn which freshman TV shows will survive, and which are destined to die. 

Back in November, we predicted that 8 new fall shows would get canceled. And you might be watching some of them. 

Two of those shows have been officially canceled including ABC's "The Mayor," which was canceled on Thursday. "Wisdom of the Crowd" starring Jeremy Piven was canceled by CBS in November after poor ratings and accusations of sexual misconduct against Piven. 

"Me Myself & I" starring "SNL" alum Bobby Moynihan hasn't been officially canceled, but CBS pulled it from the lineup after only a few episodes aired.

In the fall 2017 season the pickings were weak, which means only a few will survive. So we rounded up the shows with the highest risk of getting canceled. 

Here the new fall 2017 TV shows that will probably get canceled, and the two that did:

SEE ALSO: 6 new fall TV shows that critics hate, but normal people love

8. "The Mayor" — ABC (canceled January 2018)

Unfortunately, "The Mayor" debuted with mediocre ratings, which have gotten even worse since. We're sad it was canceled, since it's an absolute delight, and one of the best new shows of the season. 

7. “Ten Days in the Valley” — ABC

As a limited series, ABC probably wasn't planning on ordering a second season for this series anyway, but it's one of the lowest rated new shows, and struggled so much in its Sunday night time slot that it was moved to Saturday nights (aka TV wasteland). Not even the amazing Kyra Sedgwick can save this show from getting the ax, which is sad because she's very good in it. Official word on its cancellation will likely come after the final episodes air on January 6.  

6. "Kevin (Probably) Saves the World" — ABC

"Kevin (Probably) Saves the World" didn't have good ratings from the start, and they have dropped since the premiere. Kevin (probably) won't be saving the world much longer. 

• Disney buying parts of 21st Century Fox is evidence of the company doubling down on streaming video.
• Its upcoming streaming services are just Disney doing what Disney does best.
• Watch the price of Disney move in real time on Markets Insider.

It's now old news that Disney is buying 21st Century Fox's entertainment assets, pending regulatory approval.

What is less clear, is whether the acquisition will be enough to save Disney from the ever-further reaching Netflix and the impact of video streaming services. For Steven Cahall at RBC Captial Markets, it is the perfect move.

"Searching our feelings, we already feel the narrative of Disney changing with investors turning away from the dark side (ESPN) and towards the good within (content, DTC)," Cahall and his team wrote on Wednesday.

ESPN is still is a huge cash cow for Disney, but for Cahall, it represents Disney's old way of doing business. ESPN relies on cable companies paying a huge premium for its content relative to other channels. As more consumers cut the cord in favor of streaming video services, ESPN has become a growing problem for its parent company.

The Fox acquisition then, is Disney embracing the streaming video trend. 

Disney is an expert at monetizing its content, as evidenced by its parks and massive merchandising efforts around its popular franchises. Think about how many Star Wars toys you saw this holiday season. Disney's move to the streaming world is Disney doing what it does best, contextualized for today's streaming media environment.

As Disney starts its own over the top video platforms, as it said it will do with a sports service in 2018 and a TV and movie service in 2019, expanding the breadth of its offerings makes it a better Netflix competitor. It's not just trying to capture a bigger portion of its old cable business, Disney is trying to re-organize itself in the new streaming era.

The reframing doesn't change Cahall's rating of the company. In fact, Cahall chose Disney as a top pick before the acquisition and said his conviction is even stronger now.

"It is defensive to ecosystem challenges, a major beneficiary of tax reform and has an evolving narrative around content/DTC with the FOXA deal," Cahall said. "It's a worldclass content company and deserving of a premium to the market."

Cahall has a price target of $135 for Disney, about 20% higher than where the stock is currently trading.

Millennials did a terrible job picking stocks last year, read about which ones were their favorites here.

SEE ALSO: Millennials did a terrible job picking stocks in 2017

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NOW WATCH: A Nobel Prize-winning economist says Trump's tax plan won't crash the economy

Benjamin Kickz, an 18-year-old entrepreneur who sells incredibly rare sneakers to celebrities, sat down with Business Insider to discuss how he does it all. The following is a transcript of the video.

Benjamin Kickz: My name is Benjamin Kickz and I'm 18 years old and I get sneakers for a lot of celebrities and also sell them on my website to the public.

I got into sneakers at 13, so like, 5 years ago, but I really started selling them heavy at 15. Basically what made me get into buying and selling shoes was because my mom bought me this one shoe, the LeBron 9 Galaxys, and everyone was like “oh this is the wave.” I just felt like I had the sauce, so I just started buying shoes.

The first sneakers I ever bought was either the Galaxy Foams or the Milo 7s. And then my dad was like “oh, you must be crazy, you're out of your mind.” And then I sold them for $1,000. He was like “oh, so you found someone just as dumb as you.”

Basically, I started off with DJ Khaled cause he was the first celebrity that I sold sneakers to. Then he introduced me to a bunch of other people like P. Diddy and French Montana and all of them.

Before he had a Snapchat, we would just hang out all the time and do stuff. Then he made a Snapchat which obviously went viral I'm pretty sure we all know.

And then from there, he just started posting Snapchats of stuff we always use to do. And people used to think it was funny and not normal but it was regular stuff we did.So he put me on through Snapchat basically and then just helped my business. How's business, you know, it's boomin'.

A lot of my clients are in the music industry but I guess it's because I was always into hip-hop as a kid, like, that's all I listened to. After DJ Khaled, he introduced me to a bunch of other artists, so I guess it just went from there. Athletes too but I'm not into sports as much I'm into hip-hop. Some of my favorite artists are like Migos, Drake, Future, Lil Wayne, obviously.

Manny: What is it like to hang and party with Drake?

Benjamin: I mean, I don't think he's like how he is in his music because I've never been with him when he's in his feelings, so I don't know. But like … he's cool, he's mad cool.

Manny: So out of all those artists who are your biggest customers?

Benjamin: Probably P. Diddy. Like, he just buys like, phew. Yeah, very, very bulk.

Manny: Tell me about what you think about the Under Armour shoes.

I think the Under Armour shoes are amazing, I love them. I got a pair for myself, personally. The Steph Curry ones. I think the Big Baller Brand shoes, I think they're dope. Everyone's saying they're too expensive for like $500 retail price. Personally, I think it's a little high, but the shoe's dope and obviously they're some of the best players out right now so, you know, do your thing.

Manny: They're getting a lot of props for just taking their own lane and making their own shoe. Is that something you could see yourself getting into?

Benjamin: Yeah, most definitely. I mean, I wouldn't mind a contract depending on like, who it would be, but I would definitely do my own shoe also. I have some things in the making, but I don't know, we have to put it all together, you know?

Manny: What's your merch? What's your brand?

Benjamin: Oh, Boomin'. This.

Manny: How's that doing?

Benjamin: Boomin'.

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• The White House has requested to screen "The Post" and has been granted permission by 20th Century Fox, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
• This comes despite past comments by the movie's stars, Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep, that criticized Trump and his administration.
• The movie will screen in the White House and Camp David.

Steven Spielberg's political drama "The Post," a movie that evokes the rocky relationship between today's media and White House, will reportedly be screened by the Trump administration.

Trump's team requested to screen the movie, and was granted permission to do so at the White House and Camp David, where the president will be hosting a summit this weekend with top GOP lawmakers, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

This latest development is a surprise following the remarks made by one of the movie's lead actors, Tom Hanks, who told The Hollywood Reporter that he wouldn't screen the movie at the White House if asked.

"Right now, without a doubt, there are people in power trying to — if not quash or stop the right to publication, [then at least] denigrate it to the point [where] they are saying there is no truth to it whatsoever," Hanks said.

20th Century Fox's "The Post" stars Hanks as Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee and Meryl Streep as the paper's publisher, Kay Graham, who battle with Richard Nixon's administration to uncover and publish secret government records on the US effort in the Vietnam War. These would become known as the Pentagon Papers.

For decades, Hollywood studios have provided the White House with movies for the president and first family to view. That is no different with Trump's presidency as numerous new releases have been sent to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue when asked, according to THR. 

But the Trump administration asking to see "The Post" is interesting after what Hanks has said publicly, as well as Streep. At last year's Golden Globes ceremony the actress used her speech to fire off on Trump. Trump then fired back on Twitter calling the actress overrated. 

"The Post" is currently playing in select theaters and is nominated for six Golden Globes (which will take place on Sunday).

20th Century Fox and The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

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Mark Cuban is stepping into the ring with another high profile billionaire to stake his claim in the world of professional wrestling. The other billionaire is Vince McMahon, chairman and CEO of WWE, which has ruled supreme as the world's number-one "sports entertainment" company for decades.

Cuban's cable and satellite network AXS TV— formerly known as HDNet — acquired the rights to broadcast New Japan Professional Wrestling in 2015. NJPW, or "New Japan," as it's commonly known, is a popular Tokyo-based promotion that some fans view as a grittier, more physically intense alternative to WWE programming. The network airs new episodes of New Japan Pro Wrestling on Friday nights at 8p ET.

In 2016, AXS hired legendary WWE announcer Jim Ross to broadcast New Japan matches for the network's weekly broadcasts. Ross, who is a part-time WWE employee, told us that Vince McMahon gave him his blessing to work for NJPW as well as WWE. 

Ross is currently promoting the release of his new book "Slobberknocker: My Life in Wrestling," which he wrote with Paul O'Brien. 

In an interview with Business Insider, AXS TV Fights CEO Andrew Simon credited the hiring of Ross with the growth of awareness about New Japan in the US. Although Simon declined to share exact viewership numbers, he said that AXS TV has experienced "double-digit growth every year since launching the series in 2015."

In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Mark Cuban dismissed the idea that McMahon should be threatened by his network's foray into the squared circle. “No, he thinks we’re just little sh---,” Cuban told Sports Illustrated. “We’re not a threat because of the language. That’s the biggest challenge, the language. But if you’re a purist for wrestling, and you like the action, it’s the best promotion by far. People here aren’t going to connect as directly, but if you really love wrestling, then it’s a no-brainer.”

Simon further emphasized the WWE's dominance in terms of US market share.“Today, New Japan is still a niche player compared to the sheer size of WWE. ‘Monday Night Raw’ and ‘Smackdown’ are doing 3 million-plus, you know, and New Japan is still getting its foothold in the US.

"That said, there has been no faster-growing wrestling company in the world.”

AXS TV will broadcast New Japan Pro Wrestling's biggest show of the year — Wrestle Kingdom 12— on Saturday, January 6 at 8p E.T. Jim Ross will call the event along with his announcing partner Josh Barnett, a former UFC Heavyweight champion and NJPW veteran. The broadcast will feature a match between NJPW superstar Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho, a veteran performer and off-and-on WWE employee who said he got Vince McMahon's blessing to participate in the event. Following is a transcript of the video.

Jim Ross: New Japan is a wrestling promotion that’s been in business since the early 70’s. It was created by Antonio Inoki. Antonio Inoki fought Muhammad Ali in a mixed martial arts match years and years ago.

It’s a very successful wrestling promotion in Japan. The number one promotion in Japan now is New Japan. So, they produce their television show. They have a digital network — all those good things. But their style is, fundamentally, a throwback.

 [AXS TV broadcasts New Japan matches in the US]

It’s on AXS TV. Mark Cuban is the owner of AXS TV. I’m pretty lucky. I don’t have to worry about my checks clearing. I get a check from Vince. I get a check from Mark. And thus far, they’ve all been good, so I like that.

[Ross is a legendary WWE announcer and executive. He still works for WWE on a part-time basis. Ross started announcing for New Japan in 2015.]

Working with Mark Cuban has been cool, and, you know, Vince – they’re a lot alike. They’re wealthy guys that have built their own empires. And I so much appreciate and respect that.

I think Vince has got all he can say grace over, over his empire. And he’s got complete confidence that his brand is growing, is healthy, and it is. I’m sure that New Japan would love to have the success that Vince has built with the WWE. They obviously want to enlarge their footprint in North America as another territory that they’re gonna conquer.

It’s a fun product to watch. It’s very straightforward. And some of our shows have one match on them.  So, you can really settle in and tell that story — the strategy and reference back to what happened, you know, earlier. "He hurt his leg, remember? Just after the match started, he got his knee clipped," or whatever.

So, you can bring all these stories forward and you’ve got time to do it. Our directive by the AXS TV folks is to call the match like it was a sporting event and stick to the action.

If we start talking about things that are totally unrelated to what you’re seeing, there is a disconnect. There has to be. That would be like Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, in the middle of a live play, while the ball is snapped, talking about what’s trending today on the NFL. They’re gonna talk about the play. 

But, the one-hour show is a big difference for me, and the quality is a lot like the old NWA days, you know, when Dusty Rhodes was booking the NWA and Ric Flair was hotter than a firecracker. It’s a very basic formula, and I think that’s what New Japan does very well.

So, if you’re an old wrestling fan and have become a little bit displaced because you preferred a more physical, more straightforward approach more often than not, then New Japan might be a real good program to check out, without question.

If you like wrestling, right now is probably the coolest time in the world to be a fan.  

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• David Letterman's new Netflix original talk show premieres January 12 with Barack Obama as its first guest. 
• The hour-long show is titled "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman," and it airs monthly.
• Jay-Z, George Clooney, and Tina Fey are among the five other guests set to appear.

President Barack Obama will be the first guest on David Letterman's new Netflix original talk show, which premieres on January 12, Netflix announced on Friday.

The series is titled "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman."

New episodes of the show will air monthly, and each episode is an hour long. 

Netflix announced a lineup of influential guests for the show's first six episodes, including Jay-Z, George Clooney, and Tina Fey, with the following tweet:

Letterman retired from CBS' "Late Show" in 2015, after hosting the show for 22 years. 

Netflix landed its deal with Letterman in August. The company described the series by saying that its "interviews will take place both inside and outside a studio setting. The conversations are intimate, in-depth and far-reaching, with the levity and humor Dave’s fans know and love. Field segments will bring Dave to locations far and wide, expressing his curiosity and desire to dig deeper on a specific topic related to the iconic guest featured in the episode."

Netflix made a previous run at a talk show series with Chelsea Handler's "Chelsea," which it canceled in October after two seasons that failed to move the needle in a crowded landscape. In contrast to Letterman's monthly series, "Chelsea" initially aired three times a week before scaling back to weekly episodes in its second season.

Watch a trailer for the new Letterman series below:

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• The New York Times is debuting a powerful new ad tied to its groundbreaking reporting on sexual harassment.
• The ad will premiere during the Golden Globe Awards this Sunday.
• The ad seeks to highlight The Times' pursuit of truth in practice, as well as the type of enduring change it can effect in the world.

After debuting its hair-raising ad series about the value of truth last year, The New York Times is back with another hard-hitting ad. 

The Times will take the stage at the Golden Globes this Sunday to unveil the latest iteration of "The Truth is Hard" campaign, highlighting how women's voices are coming to the fore as it pertains to sexual harassment — and the role that its own reporting has played in it.

The ad is similar in style to last year's ad, and uses typography and subtle music to drive its message home. It features black text against a white background, with a back-and-forth between the words "He said" and "She said" until the words "She said" take over the screen. The ad then closes with the lines "The Truth has power. The truth will not be threatened. The truth has a voice."

The latest ad undoubtedly capitalizes on the momentum that has built up around the issue of sexual harassment in Hollywood and beyond, grounded in The Times' own reporting, including its high-profile coverage of the allegations against Harvey Weinstein brought to light by reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey.

"It is the most consequential reporting we've done in a long time, and the impact it has had on society and culture can’t be overstated," said The New York Times' SVP and head of brand David Rubin. "So it made a ton of sense to incorporate it, and highlight how The Times brings you a certain quality and understanding of news that you can’t get elsewhere."

The timing of the ad is no accident either, coinciding with the first major event of Hollywood's awards season. The campaign will also include print and digital ads focusing on other Times stories moving forward.

"With the award season kicking off on Sunday, the topic will definitely be talked about quite a bit," said Rubin. "The ad allows us to be a part of that conversation and gives us a way to talk about our role in it."

Since the first work debuted for The New York Times last February, the focus of The Times' marketing has shifted from a broad defense of the truth to highlighting the pursuit of truth in practice, as well as the type of enduring change it can effect in the world.

"The brief for the new campaign was to highlight the power of the NYT reporting — to show that the dogged pursuit of the truth can actually change things," said Leilanni Todd, associate creative director at Droga5, the ad agency that worked with The Times on the ad. "Their coverage of the women who were victims of sexual assault and harassment is the perfect example of timely, brave reporting that shows how independent journalism can hold power to account."

Ultimately, the goal of the campaign — as is the goal of all of The Times' marketing — is to highlight the value of paying for the media organization's reporting. The ad comes on the heels of a banner subscription year for The Times, with subscriptions hitting a record-total of 3.5 million.

"The goal behind all of our marketing is to get people to pay for the news," said Rubin. "The communication challenge is not about getting people to read our stories, it's about getting people to understand the need to support them."

Catch the full ad here.

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The PlayStation 4 is, by far, the most popular game console in the world.

Over 70 million consoles have been sold, and that's just in the past few years. 2018 shows no signs of slowing, with major entries in the "God of War" and "Spider-Man" game franchises on the schedule. 

Here's everything we know so far!

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1. "Shadow of the Colossus"

In 2018, the best game from 2005 arrives on the PlayStation 4. It's called "Shadow of the Colossus," and it's getting a gorgeous remake on the PlayStation 4.

When the game originally launched in 2005, it was a revelation for PlayStation 2 owners. Though it may look like a standard video game, "Shadow of the Colossus" is anything but — the diminutive character you see above is who you play as, and he's got an objective: Take down gigantic monsters. But why? And what are these "monsters"? Are they monsters, or is he, for murdering them?

Release Date: February 6

2. "God of War"

The newest entry in the "God of War" franchise stars the same bald-headed marauder from previous games, but Kratos looks a bit different than the last time we saw him. Aside from that epic new beard, he's apparently moved on from the Grecian setting of previous games to a more domestic existence in a Norse setting. At the very least, he looks like he'll be playing the role of a mentor — Kratos is a dad now (and there'll apparently be some interaction as the player using both Kratos and his son). This is not the same vengeance-driven hyperviolent demigod we're used to seeing — and, frankly, good — but a (slightly) more reserved family man.

Release Date: Q1 2018

3. "Spider-Man"

This is the classic Peter Parker/Spider-Man you already know and love.

"Our Spider-Man features a 23-year-old Peter Parker who has become a masterful Spider-Man," the game's creative director, Bryan Intihar, said of the game. "While he may be more experienced, Peter and Spider-Man’s worlds continue to collide as he tries to juggle them."

The new Spider-Man game features a massive New York City that you can swing around, with plenty of enemies to pummel along the way.

Release Date: Q1/Q2 2018

• Justin Timberlake's new music video for his latest song, "Filthy," takes place at a tech keynote in 2028.
• Timberlake introduces his audience of executives to a sophisticated new robot that has style and dance moves on par with the singer himself.
• Donning a black turtleneck in the vein of late Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Timberlake shows how tech culture has bled into pop culture.

If there's any question that Apple has taken over the planet, look no further than Justin Timberlake's latest music video. 

The video for his new single,"Filthy," released Thursday, takes place at the Pan-Asian Deep Learning Conference in the year 2028. Timberlake is on-stage to introduce the audience of Malaysia tech executives to a sophisticated robot with dance moves and sexual prowess not unlike the singer himself. 

While Timberlake's movements are far more graceful than the average tech CEO, his black turtleneck and pop star approach to a simple product announcement appear designed to invoke at least some comparisons to Apple's late CEO, Steve Jobs. 

Though the video takes place 10 years in the future, at present there's nothing surprising about a tech keynote full of gold confetti and loud music. Amazon Web Services had live DJs and disco lighting before each of the keynotes at November's Re:Invent conference. And Salesforce's Marc Benioff led a confetti drop during Dreamforce just two weeks before. 

That said, we should give credit where credit is due. Microsoft's been in the dancing game for much longer than either of those companies. 

SEE ALSO: Apple Music boss Jimmy Iovine is leaving the company in August, after his shares fully vest

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