• Terry Crews has built a career by doing everything from action movies ("The Expendables") and comedy series ("Brooklyn Nine-Nine"), to being a game-show host ("Who Wants to Be a Millionaire") and pitchman (Old Spice).
• But at one point, after playing in the NFL, he was broke and had a job sweeping floors at a factory.
• Now, he's one of the most recognizable faces on the planet — and even has a furniture line.

Terry Crews learned the hard way that you should never take an opportunity for granted. 

He was 11 years old when a woman at his church, impressed by his drawing ability, offered to have him create a sign for her storefront. She would give him $25 for the work, which for a kid from a blue-collar family in Flint, Michigan was quite a pay day. He was told to complete the sign within a week.

“I thought, ‘This is going to be easy!’” Crews recalled to Business Insider in a recent interview. “So I spent the week watching cartoons, hanging out, playing around, and the day before it was due I started. But the paint wasn’t sticking to the canvas, everything was going wrong, it was awful. The woman showed up at the house and looked at it and was like, ‘I’ve never been more disappointed.’ I was crushed. I didn’t put any effort into it. I vowed to work hard after that. I never wanted anyone to have that disappointment in me again.”

And Crews’ career proves that he’s never forgotten that life lesson. 

From being the face of Old Spice commercials to his memorable roles in movies ("Idiocracy," "The Expendables") and TV ("Brooklyn Nine-Nine"), thanks to his hulking size matched with his comedic talents, Crews, 49, has gone from being broke after a lackluster career in the NFL, to being an actor who seems to always have a new goal he’s chasing down.

And recently Crews also stood up and became part of the #MeToo movement — the viral wave on social media denouncing sexual misconduct in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein allegations. Late last year, Crews said in a series of tweets that a Hollywood executive groped him at a party in 2016. This, and subsequent statements and interviews, led to Crews being included in Time magazine's Person of the Year: “Silence Breakers.”   

For this piece, Crews took Business Insider through some of the landmark moments of his career to show that when it comes to his brand, as he puts it, “I’m happy, but I’m never satisfied.”

Broke and sweeping floors in a factory after quitting the NFL

Terry Crews’ career in the NFL was not a memorable one. Basically a glorified tackling dummy in the league after being drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the 11th round in 1991, Crews also played for the San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins. He walked away from the game after being on the practice squad for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1996. He played a total of 32 games over his 5-year career.

With no other career to fall back on, Crews tried to get into acting, but quickly realized having the NFL on his resume didn't equal instant success.

"It was a big shock to me," Crews said about not finding immediate fame in the entertainment world. "I moved to Los Angeles thinking that because I was a football player, I was going to get a lot of big opportunities. They didn't even have a football team then, nobody cared!"

Crews said he spent a year broke, and had to get a job sweeping floors at a factory to make ends meet.

"I realized I had to start all over again," he said. "I gotta sweep these floors and make sure they are clean but I also felt like I was doing something about the situation. It was a gut check."

Finding his big break in "Friday After Next"

With no acting experience but a lot of desire, Crews got himself into auditions thanks to his size and outgoing personality. It led to him being cast on the syndicated show "Battle Dome" in 1999 — think a combination of "American Gladiators" and pro wrestling — where he played the character "T-Money" for two seasons. He also got extra work on movies like "Training Day" and the Matthew Perry comedy "Serving Sara."

Then in 2002 he got his big break.

After working security on the set of 2000's "Next Friday," the sequel to the Ice Cube stoner comedy "Friday," Cube cast Crews in the third movie, "Friday After Next." Crews played Damon, an ex-con who basically was the intimidating presence in the movie (as Tommy "Tiny" Lister's Deebo character was in the first two movies).

But Crews took the character to a whole new level and became a standout in the movie. This was particularly because his Damon character is sexually attracted to another male character, Money Mike (Katt Williams), a storyline that at the time in black culture was very taboo.

"I remember talking to Katt and saying, 'If this is the last thing we ever do, they can love us or they can hate us, but we have to make sure they never forget us,'" Crews said. "That was our whole mantra. Do something that will just make everyone's eyes bug out."

And they did just that. Crews said he pushed the homosexual tendencies of the Damon character to the point that even on set fellow actors thought it was going too far.

However, despite the movie being a box-office bomb (it grossed only $33.3 million worldwide), Crews was one of the highlights.

"At the premiere, Ice Cube came up to Katt and me and he was like, 'That whole third act with you and Katt takes over the whole movie.'" Crews said. "And I was like, wow. I got respect from people in the industry because I was willing to go all in."

The Old Spice commercials

Crews' "all in" approach led him to be a huge part of an advertising campaign that has influenced the way commercials are made today.

In 2010, he began doing commercials for Old Spice deodorant called "Odor Blockers," and the company's YouTube channel suddenly became one of the most addictive destinations on the site. Created by the Wieden+Kennedy ad agency and directed by Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, of "Tim and Eric Awesome Show" fame, the videos instantly became viral thanks to Crews insanely yelling and screaming while doing bizarre things (with the help of CGI). Whether it was rolling his head down a bowling lane, popping his now-famous pecs, or suddenly appearing in another brand's commercials, Crews embodied the insanity that made the commercials — as well as Isaiah Mustafa's equally zany "Smell Like a Man, Man" Old Spice commercials — go on to win advertising awards and spawn countless imitators.

"I remember the first time we shot any of the Old Spice commercials we did three on the same day because we kept coming up with ideas," Crews said. "I had to sign contracts and fax them to Wieden+Kennedy on set because I was only signed to do one ad."

"I trusted these guys and it was a magical moment," Crews continued. "It's been eight years and I'm still doing them. I'm filming a new one on Thursday!"


President Camacho from "Idiocracy"

Through the years Crews has played some entertaining characters, but his most memorable (so far) is President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho from the 2006 movie "Idiocracy."

Though hardly anyone saw the movie when it was released, it's found a second life on Blu-ray, cable, and streaming. And Crews' portrayal of the president in a future when corporations are king and everyone is stupid has gotten to cult icon status.

There was even talk of Crews portraying Camacho in some anti-Donald Trump ads that "Idiocracy" director Mike Judge was going to make during the 2016 presidential campaign. But Crews balked, saying he would only do it if all the candidates were made fun of.

Looking back now, Crews feels he's protective of the Camacho character because of how it can be shaped to any political agenda — none of which the actor wants to be a part of.

"People are way more complex than Republican and Democrat, and that's what I love about 'Idiocracy,' it just told the truth," Crews said. "That's the comedy I like to do. I still think there's room to do Camacho stuff, I would love to. But I want to also just tell the truth and then let it lay."

"Brooklyn Nine-Nine"

Recently, Crews' steadiest work has been playing Detective Sergeant Terence "Terry" Jeffords for five seasons on the Fox comedy series "Brooklyn Nine-Nine."

And if you're wondering, no, it's not a coincidence Crews' character is named Terry on the show.

"We designed the role for Terry, we named the character 'Terry' just to tell him how much we wanted him to do it," Michael Schur, co-creator/executive producer of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," told Business Insider in an email. "Everything about Terry Crews is impressive — his talent, his work ethic, his courage, his activism, everything. In fact, his biceps are the least impressive thing about him, which is saying something."

There is no better place than TV for actors to work on their craft, and Crews is appreciative of the show for that — and for the incredible response he's received from the show's fans over the years.

"One woman told me she watches 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' because her son passed away and they enjoyed watching it together," Crews said. "So when she watches it now it brings her back to that time. You start to realize the influence. This is beyond me."

Furniture line

That's right, Terry Crews has furniture named after him.

Crews said he was helping a friend out on a furniture line when he was suddenly offered his own.

"On the [list of] things I want to accomplish, furniture wasn't on there but art was," Crews said. "I felt, wait, furniture is art, if you make it it's art!"

Crews dove into the project, coming up with sketches on his own. It was evident for those working with him that he wasn't just going to slap his name on anything placed in front of him.

"He had so many solid ideas that the difficult part was choosing which ones to pursue for his first collection," Jerry Helling, creative director of furniture maker Bernhardt Design — which is doing Crews' line — told Business Insider in an email. "His knowledge of design and his passion for the industry, combined with his artistic skills made him an ideal collaborator."

Crews' collection ranges from seating to tables, all inspired by ancient Egypt. A second collection will be coming out in the spring.

Using his art skills to make a TV show

Before scoring a football scholarship to attend Western Michigan University, Crews got an art scholarship. He's also been a courtroom sketch artist (back in his hometown of Flint, Michigan), and even painted portraits of NFL players to earn some extra cash during his playing days (sometimes charging $5,000 a portrait).

Now Crews is trying to combine his passion and his celebrity status to make a show.

He's prepping a pitch to send around Hollywood of a talk show in which he'll interview a guest while also sketching them. The pilot has already been shot with his "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" costar Andy Samberg as the guest.

"The pilot looks great, we got a lot of pitch meetings lined up," Crews said. "Our biggest thing is will the show be 30 minutes, or 10 minutes, or even a couple of minutes? We can tailor to whoever wants it. So we're keeping it open to any format."

Time magazine Person of the Year: "Silence Breakers"

Recently, the biggest thing on Crews' mind has been an incident that happened to him at a party back in 2016, he said.

In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct allegations this past October, Crews was one of the many who spoke out about sexual harassment.

Through a series of tweets, the actor said that a "high level Hollywood executive" groped him at a party he attended with his wife.

Crews later revealed that the exec he was talking about was Adam Venit, head of the motion picture department at the talent agency William Morris Endeavor. The same agency represented Crews (the actor has since left WME). After a one-month suspension, Venit went back to work at WME and was demoted.

Crews, who has since filed a report with the LAPD alleging Venit sexually assaulted him, was later named as one of the "Silence Breakers" in Time's Person of the Year issue.

Looking back on the past months, Crews said telling his story was "a good thing" because it revealed who really was in his corner.

"I found out who my friends really were through this thing," Crews said. "There were a lot of people that I thought were behind me and weren't. I didn't cry in my bed, 'Oh, I've been betrayed,' as a businessman the difficult times revealed who was there for me and who wasn't."

"I'm thankful," Crews continued, "because I would have gone for years thinking these people had my back. I would have just kept going. Sometimes you don't see until something weird happens, and it doesn't get weirder than what happened to me."

SEE ALSO: Inside the 14 long years it took for the director of Amazon's Grateful Dead documentary to finally get his dream project made

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President Donald Trump's first year in office is drawing to a close, and White House photographers have documented just about every day in thousands of photos.

From Trump's first 100 days, to top-level meetings with cabinet members and foreign dignitaries, the photographers employed by the White House were given access to capture defining moments of Trump's presidency that the independent press corps were not.

Here are the White House photos that stand out the most from Trump's first year in office:

SEE ALSO: The White House photographer has taken more than 2 million photos during Obama's presidency — here are the best

DON'T MISS: 10 cringe-worthy awkward moments from Trump's first year in office

January 20, 2017: President-elect Donald Trump walks to take his seat for the inaugural swearing-in ceremony at the US Capitol in Washington, DC.

January 31, 2017: Trump joins Judge Neil Gorsuch, his wife Louise, and other in prayer in the Green Room of the White House, following Trump's announcement of Gorsuch as his nominee to the US Supreme Court.

February 28, 2017: Flanked by Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Paul Ryan, Trump delivers his Joint Address to Congress at the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC.

President Donald Trump's first year in office has included many awkward moments.

Whether implying a 19th century abolitionist was alive or ignoring a handshake from the German Chancellor, Trump provided plenty of fodder for ridicule from his online critics and amusement from his supporters.

Here are 10 of the most cringe-worthy awkward moments from Trump's first year in office:

SEE ALSO: The 22 women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct

DON'T MISS: Trump's most outlandish, bombastic, and eye-popping tweets of 2017

Trump implies Frederick Douglass is alive

During a Black History Month event, Trump implied that Frederick Douglass, the revered 19th century black abolitionist, was alive. Speaking about Douglass in the present tense, Trump praised his accomplishments and claimed that the former slave and celebrated writer was becoming more well-known.

"Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who's done an amazing job and is getting recognized more and more, I notice," Trump said.

Critics ridiculed Trump for his comment. Comedian Seth Meyers joked,"Keep your eye on that Fred Douglass kid, he's going places. Fred Douglass is an up-and-comer."

Trump appears to reject a handshake with German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Trump appeared to reject an offered handshake from German Chancellor Angela Merkel during her visit to the White House in March.

When photographers asked for a handshake, Merkel leaned over to Trump and seemed to ask him to shake hands.

Trump didn't appear to respond to the question, and he didn't look over at Merkel as she spoke to him. It's unclear if it was a deliberate snub or unintentional. They have shaken hands at other meetings since.

Melania Trump swats her husband's hand away

First Lady Melania Trump made waves when she appeared to swat her husband's hand away while walking down a tarmac in Tel Aviv with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, in May.

• Microsoft-owned "Minecraft" continues to be a massive success.
• The monthly player count is at 74 million, an increase of nearly 20 million players across 2017.
• Nearly 150 million copies of the game have sold — a staggering sales number for any single video game. 

"Minecraft" continues to be one of the most popular games ever made. 

The creation/survival indie game that Microsoft purchased back in 2014 for $2.5 billion has now sold 144 million copies, and enjoys a monthly userbase of 74 million players. The latest numbers were revealed in an interview with Helen Chiang, the new head of Microsoft's "Minecraft" group, at PopSugar.

Those numbers are exceptional, even by "Minecraft" standards.

The game has been a notoriously explosive phenomenon since early in its life; "Minecraft" started as a work-in-progress game, made by a single man (Markus "Notch" Persson). It had rudimentary graphics and controls. It was only available on PC. It was prone to breaking, because it was an unfinished game being made by a single person. 

And yet, millions of people bought and played that early version of "Minecraft." When Microsoft bought the game back in 2014, the tech world was surprised and confused by the purchase. Persson did not join Microsoft.

But clearly that early success has persisted under Microsoft's care. Just to compare, more people play Minecraft on a monthly basis than the populations of France, UK, Italy, or South Korea.

But why is it so popular? We're talking about a game that looks like this:

Think of "Minecraft" as virtual LEGO.

It's a system for fitting pieces together to create something — sometimes amazing somethings— from nothing. "Minecraft" provides endless building blocks and a blank canvas. It's up to you to create something incredible, or silly, or referential, or whatever, using the tools it provides. The tools are blessedly user-friendly, as are the systems for employing those tools.

With that in mind, it's not hard to understand why "Minecraft" has been such a hit. That it's graphically rudimentary and simple to play just makes it all the more accessible to a large audience — nearly 75 million people every month, apparently.

SEE ALSO: Xbox and PlayStation may finally play nice together for the first time, and it's all because of 'Minecraft'

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• In an interview with Business Insider, "Divorce" star Thomas Haden Church opened up about working on a more diverse set. 
• HBO, and his co-star Sarah Jessica Parker, made sure that the set on season two of "Divorce" was more diverse than the first, including more episodes directed by women. 
• Church said he prefers working with women, because "if everybody you work with is a dude, you just get into macho bulls--t. "

As the #MeToo movement continues, it inspires more open and honest discussions about equal pay for women and equal representation in the film and television industry.

In an interview with Business Insider, "Divorce" star Thomas Haden Church had quite a few thoughts on diversity in the industry, and why it's better for everyone. He said that he prefers working with women, and always has because, "If everybody you work with is a dude, you just get into macho bulls--t. "

On season two of HBO's half-hour dark comedy "Divorce," co-star and producer Sarah Jessica Parker, with the help of HBO, created a more diverse set, from production to directors to crew. In season two, there were more female-directed episodes than in season one.

Business Insider recently sat down with Church, who plays Robert Dufresne on "Divorce." You might recognize him from "Sideways," which got him an Oscar nomination in 2005. He also played the Sandman in "Spider-man 3."

When asked about the diverse work environment Parker created on the season-two set, Church dove into a well-over five-minute answer. 

"It's like instead of waiting for diversity to happen, HBO is like, 'Why don't we sort of plant those seeds and make sure those seeds flourish.' The majority of television and clearly the majority of film directors are men, but I've been out of TV for so long that I don't know what the balance is."

Before Church got into film roles, he starred on the 90s sitcoms "Wings" and "Ned and Stacey." "Divorce" is the first television show he's worked on in twenty years. When Church is not acting, he lives on a cattle ranch in Texas. 

"I always preferred working with women," Church said. "It's . . . it's just easier. If everybody you work with is a dude, you just get into macho bullsh--t. And when I've been directed by women, you just don't have to navigate the same sort of ego stuff, you know? You just don't. And it's because men and women are different, and I think in working relationships those relationships are a strength."

Church said that stories, especially on "Divorce," work better when there are more voices involved. Not every show about a man should just be a guy's take on a guy's behavior.

"I mean, it's the only way to really, I think to be authentic," he said.

"There's got to be a balance to it to really be the best you can be," Church continued. He then said he'd love to see a female NFL coach, a female NBA coach, and even female players in those leagues. "The further we push equality in gender, race, any of it, it's the further we really understand who we are."

You can watch season one of "Divorce," where Church is absolutely hilarious, on HBOGo and HBONow. Season two airs new episodes Sunday nights on HBO.

SEE ALSO: Terry Crews explains how going public with his allegation of sexual assault changed him as a businessman

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

• "Saturday Night Live" took on President Donald Trump's Stormy Daniels scandal this week.
• The cast also addressed Trump's medical report and the government shutdown.
• Jessica Chastain was the host and Troye Sivan was the musical guest.

On the one-year anniversary of his presidency, "Saturday Night Live" took on recent reports that President Donald Trump had a brief affair with porn star Stormy Daniels.

The Wall Street Journal reported on January 12 that Daniels said she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, and that his lawyers paid her $130,000 to keep quiet about it during the campaign.

InTouch magazine subsequently published a full interview with Daniels from 2011 on Friday, in which she described her alleged affair with Trump, including that they apparently watched "Shark Week" in his hotel room.

The White House has said the "allegation was asked and answered during the campaign," and directed any further questions to Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen, who told The Journal that Trump "vehemently denies any such occurrence." He didn't specifically address the accusation that he paid Daniels to stay quiet.

After congratulating Trump for keeping the government open for "almost one year," Colin Jost opened the "Weekend Update" segment saying he was excited he could finally Google "Stormy Daniels" on his work computer.

"Porn star Stormy Daniels said that while she was having an affair with Donald Trump, he told her she was beautiful and smart just like his daughter, which is somehow the grossest thing a man has ever said to Stormy Daniels," Jost said.

Micheal Che said he was bummed Daniels didn't share more shocking details about her alleged encounter with Trump.

"Trump grabs women by the vagina as his opener, so his actual sex must be insane, right?" Che said. "But the craziest thing that we got was that he was spanked by a magazine and he's afraid of sharks. Well of course he's afraid of sharks — he has the body of a seal."

Cecily Strong then appeared playing Daniels, who Jost said was an "unlikely ally" for Trump's critics.

"Things are so bad right now, there are so many women just desperately trying to figure out how to be empowered by me, and the best they can say is I'm a female director," she said, and Jost asked if she also directed porn.

"Yeah, Colin, because unlike your industry, we actually have female directors, imagine that!" she responded. "Now, I get it that I'm not what these people envisioned their hero would look like. But guess what, America? I'm the hero you deserve right now."

Trump's medical report

The episode also spoofed Trump's doctor and rear admiral Ronny Jackson, who presented his report on Trump's physical during a White House press briefing this week.

Playing Jackson, Beck Bennett delivered the president's "unbiased, 100% accurate health assessment," including his "gorgeous, 44-inch 'Coke bottle waist,'" and "legs that, well they seem to go on forever."

"It's my expert medical opinion that the president's got a rockin' bod, with the perfect amount of cushion for the pushin', and if given the chance, I would," he said.

He then fielded reporter's questions on whether the report was fabricated, and on Trump's mental fitness. Bennett said he usually only gave the mental test to determine if someone is "a monkey in people clothes."

Addressing the Daniels scandal, Bennett said he couldn't confirm or deny the report, but that if the encounter did occur, "she's a lucky woman." He added that the medical team also gave the president a "sex exam" at his request.

"He blew the doors off that sucker. He nailed every position perfectly," he said.

Aidy Bryant, playing White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said Trump also "crushed" the Tide Pod Challenge.

Elsewhere on the episode, the "SNL" cast had sketches on Amazon's HQ2 search and a much more violent version of "Fresh Prince." Comedic veteran Kate McKinnon also played special counsel Robert Mueller, and host Jessica Chastain delivered an opening monologue musical number about the women's march and Time's Up campaign.

SEE ALSO: Porn star Stormy Daniels describes alleged affair with Trump, including watching Shark Week in his hotel room

DON'T MISS: Meet 'Stormy Daniels' — the porn star whom Trump's lawyer allegedly paid to keep quiet about a sexual affair

Join the conversation about this story »

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Each year, one song taps into the hearts and ears of the public on its way to topping the Billboard year-end song chart.

Times have changed, though.

While rap and R&B have dominated in the 2000s and 2010s, the early days of the chart saw an eclectic mix of hits at the top, including multiple entries from acts like The Beatles and Elvis Presley.

Billboard has beentracking the top song of each year since 1946. Business Insider compiled each hit below so you can see, and hear, which song was the soundtrack of your birth year (so long as you're between the ages of 1 and 71).

Check out what made it to the top of each year below:

SEE ALSO: The 50 best-selling albums of all time

2017: Ed Sheeran — "Shape of You"

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2016: Justin Bieber — "Love Yourself"

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2015: Mark Ronson — "Uptown Funk!" (feat. Bruno Mars)

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• Researchers have looked into how parents' TV-watching habits affect their kids, but there's not much research on how listening to a podcast or radio show influences childhood development.
• It's likely that playing a podcast in the background would not be as disruptive to kids as television.
• But parents shouldn't expect that young children are learning about the world by listening to informative podcasts, either.

Being a parent comes with millions of questions.

Many of the most anxiety-provoking ones fall into a simple category: "How is whatever I'm doing affecting my child?"

That question even applies to what parents do to relax.

Research suggests that even having a television on in the background can have lasting negative effects on kids' language development — especially if it's running for hours every day. The flashing light and varied noises from a TV are designed to draw attention, so they can interrupt children's play, which is valuable learning time. Watching TV can also make parents less likely to interact with young children, which is crucial for development as well.

But what about the rapidly growing world of podcasts and audio storytelling? Is it equally disruptive for a parent to listen to a podcast while a child plays? Or might kids learn from what they hear?

There aren't many studies that directly address how audible entertainment like podcasts or talk radio affects young children, according to Jenny Radesky, a pediatrician who specializes in child development.

Radesky is the lead author of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Media and Young Minds policy, and said this lack of research may be a sign that there aren't major concerns. 

"I think scientists have been less worried about the disruptive aspects" of audio storytelling, she said.

Podcasts and parenting

Podcasts are often created to be seamless and pleasing to listen to, with less attention-grabbing features than TV. That suggests the programs are less likely to distract a child who is actively playing. But what about the effect of podcasts on parental attention?

"It's possible that when a parent's attention is really absorbed in a podcast, they're trying to listen to a story or learn about science, it's going to be hard for them to respond to children's cues also," Radesky said. "But on the other hand, I think it's also really important for parents to feel enriched ... so I don't have as strong of an opinion as to whether they should listen to podcasts."

As any parent knows, childcare often involves intense days that begin early and require hour after hour of focused interaction with someone who they adore but who is definitely not yet a good conversationalist. If listening to a podcast is a way to recharge while a child plays or does something else, there's likely value in that.

"Parents seek [an audio show] out either for pleasure or for learning and parents deserve that," Radesky said. "You can usually pause and attend to something that a child might need."

Learning from listening

Along with an ever-growing list of great podcasts for adults, there's been an explosion in child-focused audio shows lately, including Story Pirates and Tumble. But while older kids might learn from and enjoy the content, younger ones (up to two years old) probably won't get any benefit.

Research indicates that recorded voices don't mean much to very young children, since they process language best when it comes from a person who is reacting to cues the baby is giving, according to Radesky. 

Studies have tested whether a child can better distinguish Chinese language tones if recorded Chinese voices were played to them when they were very young, but the results showed that recordings don't offer the same benefits of hearing and seeing a real person speak.

A child will start to really process audio, like a book on tape, around the age of three or four. But even in case, Radesky said kids will still probably benefit most if an adult is there to explain the story and answer questions.

Choosing when, whether, and how to listen

Although playing an occasional podcast may have little impact on young children, many of us play podcasts from our smartphones — and Radesky recommends that parents remain aware of how absorbed in a phone we become.

Radesky researches how mobile devices affect kids, and some of her work on the topic has revealed that children's behavior changes when parents start staring at their phones. Some kids quiet down and stare into space, others begin to act up.

Other studies have shown that parents of kids with behavior problems are more likely to spend more time on their phones. It's possible those kids act out more because they want parental attention, but it's also possible that those parents are using their phones to take a break from their kids.

Like children, adults need to find balance when using technology. Choosing when to turn on a podcast should therefore be a conscious decision, Radesky said — it's ok to listen as a way to stave off boredom or relieve stress, but we shouldn't interrupt important bonding, and meals and joint play time should stay focused on real interaction.

"If we start to feel more self-awareness about what's driving our media use behaviors it helps us be more reflective," said Radesky. We can figure out "what parts of that [use] are good and fulfilling and which parts are starting to disrupt things."

SEE ALSO: 12 of the best science podcasts that will make you smarter

Join the conversation about this story »

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• Ed Sheeran proposed to his long-term girlfriend Cherry Seaborn over Christmas.
• Sheeran announced their engagement via Instagram on Saturday afternoon.
• Sheeran and Seaborn first met back at school but didn't start dating until 2015.
• The pair bumped into each other by chance at a bar in New York while Sheeran was touring.

Ed Sheeran may be best known for wooing the world with his romantic pop hits, but now the singer-songwriter is officially off-limits.

26-year-old Sheeran announced his engagement to 25-year-old hockey player and former risk strategist Cherry Seaborn on Saturday afternoon via an Instagram post. The photo — a polaroid of the pair cuddling — is captioned: "Got myself a fiancé just before new year. We are very happy and in love, and our cats are chuffed as well xx."

Sheeran and Seaborn first met when they attended school together at Thomas Mills High School in the village of Framlingham in Suffolk, according to The Sun.

Sheeran reportedly had a crush on Seaborn even back then, despite her being in the year below.

After they finished their secondary education, Sheeran famously dropped out of school to pursue a career in music.

Seaborn, on the other hand, went to Durham University then flew across the Atlantic to study Molecular Biology at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina for a short stint. She reportedly chose the university for its hockey facilities, having captained her British team in back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013, according to her bio on the Duke website.

Despite their different career paths, the pair came together in 2015 when they bumped into each other in a bar in New York. Sheeran was touring at the time, and Seaborn was reportedly working as a risk strategist at an NYC-based consulting and advisory company.

They started dating, although their relationship was kept largely under wraps until Taylor Swift, a close friend of Sheeran, threw the happy couple a one-year anniversary party in 2016. Swift posted a photo of the couple to her Instagram, which has since been deleted.

Despite keeping their relationship largely private (there are only a few photos of the pair on Sheeran's social media accounts, while Seaborn's accounts are all private), Sheeran has been honest with the press regarding his feelings towards his now-fiancee.

In an interview on BBC Radio 2 in February 2017, Sheeran said: "I spent every day for a year with this certain person, we kind of have a strong relationship now, which is good.

"I'm really secure now, we live together and we have cats, and I think when you have cats that's kind of it."

And according to his engagement post, the couple's cats, Dorito (shown below) and Calippo, are "chuffed" with the news as well.

There's no word yet on when the pair is getting married. Nevertheless, 2018 could be a busy year regarding national sweethearts getting hitched.

The UK's other favourite redhead, Prince Harry, is marrying Meghan Markle in May, while "Game of Thrones" stars Kit Harrington and Rose Leslie have alluded to their upcoming wedding taking place this year, also.

SEE ALSO: Step inside Jamie Oliver's lavish £8.9 million, Grade-II listed family home complete with seven bedrooms, a huge kitchen, and a super-king bed fit for Louis XIV

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If you've been online recently, you've probably seen this. This is one of two clips released by the Department of Defense. Both videos show a thermal image of an unidentified flying object. The videos have been widely shared and scrutinized. A lot of people think this is the first real evidence that extraterrestrials exist, and that they've visited us here on Earth.

There's just one thing. Most people in the scientific community don't think these videos prove anything.

People have been claiming to see UFOs for decades. Countless videos purporting to show alien aircraft have been popping up since the invention of film. But this video is unique. It was released by the Department of Defense who found the video noteworthy enough to study and release.

Until 2012, the DOD says it ran a secret "Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program." The program was funded by $22 million dollars worth of "black money." These are funds the Pentagon sets aside for classified programs.

Cmdr. David Fravor: "Both of us, both airplanes see a disturbance in the water and a white, 40-foot-long Tic Tac-shaped object."

This is Cmdr. David Fravor. He was one of the Navy pilots that spotted the UFO.

Cmdr. David Fravor: "I get over to the 8 o'clock position, it's at about the 2 o'clock position, and I decide I'm gonna go see what it is and it's about 200 feet below me. And I cut across the circle and as I get about a half mile of it, it rapidly accelerates to the south in about two seconds and disappears."

All this seems pretty incredible, so why don't scientists care?

Caleb Scharf: "I think it's very, very difficult as a scientist to look at something like this and say anything except, you know, it's intriguing. But I would need a vast amount more documentation and context to really understand what's going on here."

Caleb Scharf is an astronomer and director of the multidisciplinary Columbia Astrobiology Center.

Caleb Scharf: "The difficulty with this kind of problem is that you can't plan for it."

Carolin Frueh: "Yeah, because I think that's exactly, one cannot tell much from the video."

That’s Carolin Frueh, she's an assistant professor at Purdue School of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Carolin Frueh: "Yeah, I would like to know what the wind was ... was there turbulence?

What they're talking about, is the scientific method. Basically, before scientists will accept something as fact, a lot of research and testing has to be done. And it all has to take place in a controlled environment.

Caleb Scharf: "You can't plan for it. You can't really set up a thorough, proper scientific experiment. It's all reliant on serendipitous data. And that's one of the most difficult kinds of problems to solve in science. So I'm not surprised that we don't have a good answer yet."

Caleb Scharf: "I suspect pilots across the decades have seen all sorts of interesting stuff out of their window. But again, jumping to saying what you're seeing could be some advanced technological spacecraft. That's a really big leap to make."

But these videos were released by the US government. There has to be some significance ... right?

Caleb Scharf: "I suppose there's a spirit of openness about it, if you don't know what you're looking at, then throw it out to the world and say "Look this is what we've got. You can interpret it in a variety of different ways."

If we're using the scientific method, hard evidence and a cacophony of data are the best metrics for explaining this phenomenon. But what if you did see it for yourself? Would you still need an experiment to explain it?

Cmdr. David Fravor: "I believe, as do other folks that were on the flight who visually saw it, that it was not from this world."

The Cmdr. is not alone. The videos continue to be scrutinized by a lot of people who agree this is an alien aircraft.

As for the DOD, other than releasing the video, they haven't said much. Presumably they have access to more data from the flight, and from reports made immediately after the encounter. Releasing more info could begin to answer to scientists' questions. But ultimately, even that might not be enough.  

Caleb Scharf: "On the one hand, I could be really cynical about all of this but I think it's really wonderful that people are intrigued by phenomena that they see out in the world. That's a good thing. That's a positive thing, our curiosity is a positive thing. And to be honest, if there are strange things floating around up there, I'd like to know what they are. The difficulty with this kind of problem is that you can't plan for it."

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• Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank announced their engagement on Monday morning.
• Buckingham Palace released their official engagement photos a few hours later.

Princess Eugenie and London socialite Jack Brooksbank announced their engagement via Buckingham Palace on Monday morning.

Buckingham Palace released the official engagement photographs a few hours later on the Royal Family's Twitter page. Two images were released, a little while after a photoshoot in the Picture Gallery inside the palace.

Scroll down to see the full-length versions.

The couple will marry in Autumn 2018, according to the palace's official statement, at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle — the same venue that Prince Harry will marry Meghan Markle in May this year.

Brooksbank, 31, has been described by UK society magazine Tatler as "the king of the London club scene." He is the manager of the Kensington branch of the Mahiki nightclub, a venue popular with the younger generation of the royal family.

He also helps promote Casamigos Tequila, the alcohol brand set up by George Clooney, as a "brand ambassador."

Brooksbank and Eugenie have been together for more than seven years. They started dating in 2010, while Eugenie was still a student at Newcastle University, where she studied English literature, art history, and politics.

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• Alison Brie, who is the star of Netflix's "Glow," came to James Franco's defense on the SAG Awards red carpet Sunday night.
• She told E! News that not everything that's been reported about Franco, who is her brother-in-law, has been accurate.
• On Saturday, Scarlett Johansson slammed Franco for wearing a Time's Up pin to the Golden Globes, saying, "I want my pin back."

Alison Brie defended her brother-in-law James Franco a day after Scarlett Johansson publicly slammed him. 

While walking the red carpet at Sunday night's SAG Awards, Brie, who is the star of Netflix's "Glow" and is married to Dave Franco, was quick to defend James amidst allegations of sexually 'exploitative' behavior with women.

“I think that above all what we’ve always said is that it remains vital that anyone that feels victimized should and does have the right to speak out and come forward,” Brie told E! News. “I obviously support my family, and not everything that’s been reported has been accurate, so I think we’re waiting to get all the information. But of course now is the time for listening, and that’s what we are all trying to do.”

The day before the SAG Awards, which James Franco attended despite the allegations, "The Avengers" star Scarlett Johansson criticized him at the LA Women's March. Johansson called out Franco for wearing a Time's Up pin at the 2018 Golden Globes. 

“My mind baffles," Johansson said. "How could a person publicly stand by an organization that helps to provide support for victims of sexual assault while privately preying on people who have no power? I want my pin back, by the way.”

Some were quick to criticize Johansson for her comments about Franco, since she hasn't come forward with a statement addressing the allegation that Woody Allen sexually assaulted his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow. Johansson has worked with Allen on three films including "Match Point," "Scoop," and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." 

In fact, Johansson came to Allen's defense a few years ago. 

James Franco was nominated for a SAG Award for best actor in a leading role for "The Disaster Artist," but he lost to Gary Oldman for his role as Winston Churchill in the "The Darkest Hour."

You can watch Johansson's speech at the Women's March in LA below:

SEE ALSO: 9 actors who have publicly denounced Woody Allen or donated their salaries to charity after working on his movies

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NOW WATCH: Why most scientists don't care about these incredible UFO videos

• Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg extolled the #MeToo movement and shared a personal experience of sexual harassment at Sundance Film Festival on Sunday.
• Ginsburg spoke at a Q&A in advance of the debut of "RBG," a documentary on her life and career. 

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg praised the #MeToo movement and shared a personal experience of sexual harassment in a conversation at the Sundance Film Festival on Sunday. 

"I think it's about time," Ginsburg told moderator Nina Totenberg of the #MeToo movement, which has seen many women come forward with accounts of sexual misconduct in recent months. "For so long, women were silent, thinking there was nothing you could about it. But now the law is on the side of women or men who encounter harassment, and that’s big thing."

The 84-year-old justice, a 25-year veteran of the Supreme Court, was at the festival for the debut of "RBG," a biographical documentary of her life and career as a prominent women's rights lawyer, leading toward her Supreme Court appointment in 1993. 

"Every woman of my vintage knows what sexual harassment is though we didn't have a name for it then," Ginsburg said, before, as CNN notes, sharing a personal incident of sexual harassment as a student at Cornell University in the 1950s.

Ginsburg said she was preparing for a chemistry test when her instructor offered "a practice exam." She said she found out the next day the practice exam was actually the real test. "And I knew exactly what he wanted in return," she said. "And that's just one of many examples."

"The attitude towards sexual harassment was 'get past it, boys will be boys.' This was not considered anything you could do anything about, that the law could do anything about," she continued. 

She said that she did not ignore the incident with her college instructor, but instead confronted him at his office later and said, "'How dare you? How dare you?' And that was the end of it."

When Totenberg asked about the justice's health at 84 years old, Ginsburg said it was "very good," to a round of applause.

"As long as I can do the job full steam, I will be here," she said. 

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• Director Jennifer Fox recounts being sexually abused at the age of 13 in her new movie, "The Tale."
• Laura Dern plays Fox, who after coming across a story she wrote at 13, begins to uncover her "special" relationship with two adult coaches.
• The movie is getting an incredible response at the Sundance Film Festival.

Jennifer Fox has spent her career making documentaries, but with her latest movie, “The Tale,” she’s turned to narrative storytelling and uses the structure to explore her experience with sexual abuse.

In the era of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, “The Tale” is a project that has shown up right when everyone in Hollywood is publicly grappling with sexual misconduct. But the process of making "The Tale" started long before the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct allegations kick-started the conversation.

Unlike documentaries, which can be shot and edited at a quick pace (while a hot-button issue is in the zeitgeist), narrative storytelling takes a lot longer. You have to develop a script, get the money, cast it, shoot it, edit it, and so on. It takes years, and can lead to movies with a social pulse feeling dated when finally released.

Fox didn’t anticipate our culture’s current examination of sexual misconduct when she decided to make “The Tale,” but sometimes a story and an issue link up.

"The Tale"

At 13 years old, Fox wrote a story titled “The Tale” for a school project. It addressed a girl talking about her “special” relationship with two adult coaches — one male, one female. She said the work was fiction, but in fact it was all too true. Fox has now taken it and adapted it into a movie.

In the film, Laura Dern plays Jennifer. Like Fox, she’s a thriving documentarian. But when her mother (Ellen Burstyn) comes across “The Tale” story she wrote at 13, she sends it to her daughter as she realizes, reading between the lines, that what Jennifer wrote was truth not fiction.

At first, Jennifer deflects her mother’s theory. Reading the story she composed 40 years ago, she doesn’t see anything that would suggest that the relationships she had with her coaches (the female, her horse riding coach; the male, her running and conditioning coach) were inappropriate. But quickly her childhood memories return, and eventually Jennifer heads out on a fact-finding mission that leads to her confronting the two coaches (played by Frances Conroy and the late John Heard in the present day, and Jason Ritter/Elizabeth Debicki in flashbacks).

But what is striking about “The Tale” is the unconventional way the story is told.

Flashbacks and unreliable memories

Fox uses flashbacks to recount her 13-year-old self in the 1970s. But she often replays scenes and sequences numerous times, as the character receives revelations from friends and family that change what she thought happened. This dramatizes how memory can never be 100% reliable, and shows how the brain can alter facts to cope with bad memories.

Fox also uses her documentary style, setting up scenes in which grown-up Jennifer asks questions to her younger self, and the two coaches, as if the scenes were revealing one-on-ones for a doc.

However, the part of the movie that’s going to get the biggest reaction is the graphic nature of the sexual content. Fox doesn’t hold back in showing how the coaches manipulate Jennifer into a sexual relationship with the male coach, with scenes depicting the coach having sexual encounters with her, even taking her virginity.

The scenes are very tough to watch, but they are essential to the movie. They are not there to glorify or titillate, but to lay out to the audience how the coaches made Jennifer feel she was the one with the power, and was becoming a woman through their guidance, when in fact she was just their pleasure toy.

Dern gives a powerhouse performance as a strong-willed woman who has to reexamine her life. Child actress Isabelle Nélisse plays 13-year-old Jennifer with a maturity that’s astounding to watch. Burstyn, Ritter, Debicki, Conroy, and Heard all give strong supporting performances (Common plays Jennifer’s boyfriend — but it’s not his best work).

“The Tale” is the first movie that really epitomizes the #MeToo movement. Though there will likely be a lot of talk about the sex scenes in the movie, this is a story that needs to show the horrors to tell it correctly.

The powerful stories of victims revealed in newspapers, magazines, and websites since last October is what has made the country take notice. This is not the time to water things down.

“The Tale” is seeking distribution.

SEE ALSO: Nicolas Cage's movie at Sundance, "Mandy," uses his vintage, insane acting style to prefection and has all the makings of a cult classic

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• Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George just debuted the PG 2, a new Nike basketball shoe he designed in collaboration with PlayStation.
• The shoe features a light-up PlayStation logo, haptic feedback like a PlayStation DualShock controller, and eyelets that are the same colors as the buttons on the controller.
• The shoe costs $110 and goes on sale February 10.

NBA star Paul George has declared his love for PlayStation in the form of a new basketball shoe. 

Called the PG 2, the limited-edition shoe was the result of a collaboration between Nike and PlayStation. George debuted the shoe during Saturday's game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

George, a forward for the Thunder, is an avid gamer and considers himself one of "one of the biggest gamers in the NBA." Here's how he described his love for PlayStation in a news release about the new shoe:

"I just had a knack for video games. As soon as I discovered PlayStation, I was throwing hints here and there to my dad — cutting out the clipping of a video game, cutting out the clippings of the PlayStation, leaving it on his dresser. I remember on Christmas morning, I unwrapped my gift and sure enough, it was the PS2. I've been a PlayStation guy ever since."

The PG 2 has a few clever PlayStation-themed touches, like a light-up tongue that flashes George's logo on one shoe and the PlayStation logo on the other.

A button on the inside of the sneaker turns the lights on and off, and when you press it, it'll pulse like a PlayStation DualShock controller, according to Engadget.  

Plus, the eyelets are the same colors as a PlayStation controller — red, pink, blue, and green — and the sock liner of the shoe features a special dynamic starry theme that anyone who buys the shoe will be able to download for their PlayStation 4. 

Here's a closer look at the shoe:

The PG 2 will cost $110, according to Engadget, and goes on sale February 10. 

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• Netflix is set to release its fourth-quarter earnings after the bell on Monday.
• Millennials on several popular investing apps seem bullish on the company.
• Watch Netflix shares trade in real time here.

Netflix is set to report earnings on Monday after the market close, and millennials are jumping over each other to buy the stock ahead of the release.

The company is the 16th-most popular stock on Robinhood, the trading app popular with millennials, and the sixth-most held stock among young investors on the Stockpile app, which lets its users trade in fractional shares of companies. Ahead of earnings, both apps saw their users buying shares of Netflix more than they were selling.

Robinhood users appear enthusiastic this season, buying shares 20% more often than they sold them — although less so than the last earnings report, when the ratio was closer to 30%. Stockpile users, who often lean towards long-term investing, are buying Netflix shares 5.3 times as often as they are selling.

Wall Street is expecting Netflix to report adjusted earnings of $0.50 on revenue of $3.277 billion. The company has a massive original content budget that has helped it drive continual growth in mature markets, like the US, as well as new areas where the streaming service has recently become available.

Investors will be watching for any comments on increased competition in the streaming video space. Disney recently acquired the entertainment parts of 21st Century Fox and is expected to use the content from the acquisition to fuel its upcoming streaming services.

On Robinhood, users seem bullish on the entire streaming video market. 82% of investors who hold shares of Netflix also hold shares of Disney, Shrey Shahi, head of data science at Robinhood, told Markets Insider.

Netflix is set to release its earnings report after the market close on Monday.

Read more about how Netflix's growth hasn't slowed down, even in the US.

SEE ALSO: Netflix may already be in half of all US homes, but it's still growing like crazy

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• The classic game series "NBA Jam" may be coming back.
• The game's announcer spoke with ESPN about the project in a recent interview.
• It's not clear whether the game is coming this year — it hasn't even been officially announced — or where it's headed.

Twenty-five years after the original "NBA Jam" set arcades on fire, the classic over-the-top basketball series is making a triumphant return — maybe.

A "remake" is said to be in the works at Microsoft, according to the game's original announcer, Tim Kitzrow.

"I can't speak anything to the specifics, but I can tell you there is movement in the works to get it done for the 25th year," Kitzrow told ESPN in a recent interview. "I'm hoping that we get a remake that does justice to the original."

That's confusing for a few reasons. Primary among them: Microsoft doesn't own the rights to "NBA Jam."

Longtime "NBA Jam" fans may remember a previous remake of the game — 2011's "NBA Jam: On Fire Edition" — that EA put out. This game:

It makes sense that EA put out that game, as EA owns the rights to "NBA Jam," which it acquired after Acclaim folded in 2004. The original arcade game was made by Midway, a Chicago-based game company. Microsoft isn't involved in the series — at least not that we know of.

It's possible that EA is working with Microsoft on an "NBA Jam" remake for the Xbox One, but it's more likely that such a game would come to the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch as well. The game was notably missing from the recent Super NES Classic Edition console.

Thus far, though, no such "NBA Jam" remake project has been officially announced. With the game's anniversary this year, and a set of new game consoles primed for high-flying slam dunks, the timing is certainly ripe. As the game's creator, Mark Turmell, told ESPN: "There's so much more that can be done. It's really sort of an untapped category."

Microsoft and EA didn't respond to requests for comment as of publishing.

SEE ALSO: This is how a video game company persuaded the NBA to approve the wildly popular 'NBA Jam' in 1992

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• Megyn Kelly responded Monday to Jane Fonda's continued criticism of Kelly over a question the host asked Fonda about her plastic surgery in September. 
• In a monologue at the end of her "Today" show, Kelly used Fonda's controversial Vietnam War protest to argue that the actress "has no business lecturing anyone on what qualifies as offensive."

Megyn Kelly responded Monday to continued jabs from actress Jane Fonda over an interview Fonda gave on "Megyn Kelly Today" in September. 

Kelly's interview with Fonda, 80, went viral after the actress responded negatively to Kelly's question about her plastic surgery. Fonda has repeatedly criticized Kelly for the interview since, and on Saturday told Variety that she would appear on "Megyn Kelly" again when Kelly "comes around and learns her stuff."

"Now, a word on Jane Fonda, who appears to be fixated on an exchange I had with her months ago on this show," Kelly started a monologue at the end of her show on Monday morning. "When she first complained, I chose to say nothing. It's time to address the 'poor me' routine."

Kelly justified her question by saying that Fonda was promoting a "film about aging," and that the actress had previously discussed her plastic surgery in TV appearances, which Kelly supported with several clips of Fonda's interviews. 

Kelly then laid into Fonda over the actress' controversial Vietnam War protests, which, Kelly argued, negated Fonda's "moral indignation" over the plastic surgery question: 

"This is a woman whose name is synonymous with outrage. Look at her treatment of military during the Vietnam War. Many of our veterans still call her 'Hanoi Jane,' thanks to her radio broadcast which attempted to shame American troops. She posed on an anti-aircraft gun used to shoot down our American pilots. She called our P.O.W.s hypocrites and liars and referred to their torture as 'understandable.' Even she had to apologize years later for that gun picture. But not for the rest of it. By the way she says she is not proud of America. So, the moral indignation is a little much. She put her plastic surgery out there. Honestly, she has no business lecturing anyone on what qualifies as offensive."

Watch the segment below:

SEE ALSO: Megyn Kelly asked Jane Fonda about her plastic surgery — and the actress wasn’t having it

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• Rogers Communications ended a $100 million joint venture with Vice Media for its cable channel, Viceland Canada, on Monday, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 
• Viceland Canada reportedly had substantial revenue loss and low ratings.

Canadian media giant Rogers Communications is set to pull Vice Media's Canadian cable channel, Viceland Canada, off the air.

On Monday, Rogers terminated the $100 million joint venture it signed with the Montreal-founded media company (now based in New York) in 2014. The problem: low ratings and substantial revenue loss, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

According to THR, Viceland Canada suffered a $2.49 million pre-tax loss in 2016, the last fiscal year measured. The channel's overall revenue fell 14.1 percent from the $6.36 million it posted in 2015. 

Viceland Canada will go off the air with Rogers on March 31. A Vice spokesman told Business Insider that the company's Toronto production studio will remain open moving forward, and that the company is in talks to keep Viceland Canada on air after March 31 (though he didn't specify a particular partner to take the place of Rogers).

"In this crowded content universe and as audience habits change, we continue to evolve our strategy to deliver unique content to Canadians," Rogers Communications said in a statement to THR on Monday. Rogers signed its $100 million pact with Viceland Canada in 2014 as a three-year deal for production and distribution.

Moving forward, Viceland's content — including programs like the talk show "Desus & Mero" and the marijuana docu-series "Weediquette" — will reportedly be available to Canadians on Vice.com. 

Vice Canada president Ryan Archibald said in a statement on Monday that the company will keep "continue to grow in Canada in 2018" despite the end of its deal with Rogers:

"We have a lot of opportunity ahead of us and will be announcing some new exciting partnerships soon. As we build VICE into the preeminent home for today's most impactful storytellers and bring those stories to viewers across the world though digital, mobile, and our award-winning studio, keeping VICELAND alive as a showcase of the content and people that shape our culture is a priority for us. Rogers Media's initial investment helped to establish our studio as a leading producer of some of the most engaging Canadian content out there and we thank them for their partnership." 

Viceland has also suffered low ratings in the US — considerably lower than H2, the History channel branch Viceland replaced in 2015.

The cancellation of Viceland Canada comes in the wake of a New York Times report last month that reported a history of allegations of and settlements over sexual misconduct in the company.

Vice Media suspended its president, Andrew Creighton, and chief digital officer, Mike Germano, after the report. On Monday, Vice announced that it was investigating new claims of sexual misconduct made by a former Vice  reporter, Billie JD Porter. 

In November, The Wall Street Journal reported that Vice Media was expected to miss its 2017 revenue target of $800 million. The company was last valued at $5.7 billion after the private-equity firm TPG invested $450 million in Vice in June.

Vice Media has received big investments from Disney, Hearst, and A+E Networks.

Correction: A previous version of this story said that Viceland Canada's Toronto studio would reportedly be closing as a result of the termination of its deal with Rogers. The studio is staying open, according to a Vice spokesman. 

SEE ALSO: 19 Netflix original shows that both critics and audiences agree are amazing

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Netflix blew past subscriber growth targets both internationally and in the US in its Q4 earnings Monday.

Netflix gained 8.3 million subscribers globally, which made Q4 "the highest quarter in our history," Netflix said in its letter to shareholders. 

The stock soared to record highs in after-hours trading following the news, up over 7% (after gaining around 3% in trading Monday).

Netflix came in slightly above Wall Street expectations on revenue, and in-line with estimates on EPS.

The streaming giant also turned in rosy subscriber growth guidance for Q1, well above Wall Street expectations. This was an area of concern for some analysts before earnings, given the lack of a big hit like "Stranger Things" (Q4) to anchor its originals lineup in Q1.

This result should wash away any lingering doubts about the effect Netflix's price hike would have on subscriber retention in the US, as Netflix posted 1.98 million net adds in the US in Q4, above Wall Street forecasts of 1.29 million, and its own guidance of 1.25 million. It also blew past international growth targets.

Netflix said its strong performance was "fueled by our original content slate and the ongoing global adoption of internet entertainment." The company also mentioned that it took a $39 million "non-cash charge in Q4 for unreleased content we’ve decided not to move forward with."

Netflix took time to spotlight marketing in its letter to shareholders, saying that "big hits like 13 Reasons Why, Stranger Things and Bright result from a combination of great content and great marketing." The company said it would take marketing spend up "a little faster than revenue for this year" (from $1.3 billion to about $2 billion).

Here are the key numbers for Netflix's Q4 earnings:

SEE ALSO: Netflix's 'Glow' star Alison Brie defended James Franco on the red carpet, after Scarlett Johansson called him out at the Women's March

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