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The 25 worst superhero movies of all time, ranked from bad to unwatchable

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batman and robin

Marvel's "Avengers: Infinity War" is on the horizon and the anticipation for the most ambitious crossover event in history is sky-high.

But not all superhero movies are preceded by so much excitement and many are followed by extreme disappointment.

Business Insider compiled a list of the most infamous superhero movies that have the unfortunate distinction of being the worst in the genre (which has also generated a lot of great movies, including this year's "Black Panther").

Many of these movies are remembered not for how they elevated the form, but for how they practically destroyed their respective franchises ("Batman & Robin" ring any bells?).

Below are the 25 worst superhero movies of all time, ranked by how awful they are:

SEE ALSO: The 50 best superhero movies of all time, ranked

25. "Spider-Man 3" (2007)

Directed by Sam Raimi

Raimi's first two "Spider-Man" movies are two of the best superhero movies ever made. So what happened? Well, Raimi didn't get to make the movie he wanted to. As with so many superhero movies, the studio inserted itself into the film's making a little too much, insisting that the villain Venom be in the movie, which already had two villains that Raimi wanted to work with — the Sandman and Harry Osborn (who becomes the second Green Goblin after his father's death in the first film). Raimi's trilogy had been working toward Harry's eventual transformation, and Sandman played to Raimi's interests and strengths as a horror filmmaker. Venom being shoehorned into the film was a recipe for disaster, and resulted in a cluttered plot including one of the worst scenes in superhero movie history, in which Peter Parker dances in a jazz club to make Mary Jane jealous and creeps out everyone in the process.

 



24. "Justice League" (2017)

Directed by Zack Snyder

Okay, I probably enjoyed "Justice League" more than most, but in the grand scheme of things, it is not a good movie, and will be remembered as an utter failure. It ended its entire domestic theatrical box-office run with just under $230 million. By comparison, "Black Panther" made over that in its opening weekend. Box office isn't everything, but for a movie that was supposed to be DC and WB's answer to Marvel's "The Avengers," it is a devastating disappointment, and just goes to show that audiences are not attracted to the DC Extended Universe's "throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" way of making movies. 



23. "The Amazing Spider-Man" (2012)

Directed by Marc Webb

As pun-inspired as hiring Webb to direct a Spider-Man movie was, the fact that Sony rebooted the character just five years after "Spider-Man 3" was no laughing matter. It proved to be a major waste of time, basically re-telling the hero's origin story that we had already seen done better. This time, Andrew Garfield was cast in the title role, and his chemistry with Emma Stone is the best part of the film. But "The Amazing Spider-Man" felt like the wrong reboot at the wrong time.



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SLOW BURN: The 13 movies that took the longest time to make $100 million at the box office

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pulp fiction

Most record-setting blockbuster films reach nine-figure grosses by getting off to a hot start, as Marvel's "Black Panther" did at the start of this year.

But many other films, like Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction," have instead raked in money on a slow burn. 

To find out which movies took the most time to reach the nine-figure mark at the domestic box office, we turned to Box Office Mojo for its ranking on the subject.

Here are the 13 movies that took the longest to reach $100 million at the US box office, ranked by the number of days they took:

SEE ALSO: The 10 highest-grossing movies of all time

13. "Die Hard: With A Vengeance" (1995) — 143 days

Days to $100 million: 143

Domestic gross: $100,012,499

Global gross: $366,101,666
 



12. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" (2002) — 148 days

Days to $100 million: 148

Domestic gross: $241,438,208

Global gross: $368,744,044



11. "Driving Miss Daisy" (1989) — 150 days

Days to $100 million: 150

Domestic gross: $106,593,296

Global gross: $145,793,296



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How does MoviePass make money?

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By now, most people have heard of MoviePass and its deal of a movie a day in theaters for the price of $9.95 per month. In fact, there are multiple subreddits  dedicated to MoviePass. Even elitist moviegoers forego referencing Rotten Tomatoes for movie recommendations now that MoviePass has made the theater experience financially accessible.

Users of MoviePass ask about limitations of the subscription service from restrictions on theater locations to whether or not users are allowed to see the same movie twice. There are actually few limitations of service which further poses the question, how does MoviePass make money?

Mitch Lowe, CEO of MoviePass, sat down with Senior Correspondent Steve Kovach to discuss the MoviePass business model and the many ways MoviePass turns a profit. Following is a transcript of the video.

Steve Kovach: It's a service that sounds too good to be true. MoviePass, you pay 10 bucks a month, and you can watch pretty much unlimited movies in theaters.

You lose money when I see one movie. How does this business model work out for you in the end?

Mitch Lowe: I always find it interesting that, to get that question, because, you know, Netflix has to borrow billions of dollars a year to stay in business; to create the content, that they don't earn enough money to pay for. If you read the reports about Spotify, they spent two billion dollars more on content than the revenue they generated. And we're no different.

We're building a big subscriber base of film lovers who, over time, we have dozens of ways to make money. For example, marketing on behalf of studios. The film distribution system is completely broken. It's so hard to get a film out in the theater that's not a big blockbuster hit. And there's hundreds of millions of dollars spent marketing those films. We're an incredibly effective partner for those studios. We have people who are coming to our site, you know, four and five times a week where we can sell advertising. And we're on our way to get to break-even on our subscription.

Steve Kovach: So right now, just the subscription part, you're essentially break-even, maybe sometimes a little bit profitable.

Mitch Lowe: We're not there yet. When you do kind of an all-you-can-eat subscription, the first people who join are people in New York, people who go, "Geez, it's a no-brainer. I'm spending $15 on a ticket. This is $10, I'm gonna save money on my first ticket." Or they're the 11% of moviegoers who already go to 18 films a year. Over time, slowly but surely, you start to acquire more of the casual moviegoers. This is why we priced it at $9.95. So where 89% of film-goers, over 200 million people, only see four movies year. And they spend $40 to $60 a year on movie tickets. When they join MoviePass, now they're spending $120. We're increasing their consumption and they'll do it because it's $9.95 and it's an unlimited value for them.

Steve Kovach: So the hope is, it's kind of like the gym membership model, that maybe some of these people won't actually go to as many movies, and they'll, kind of, make up for the people who are going every day. Is that how you're thinking about it?

Mitch Lowe: Not quite. What it ends up is, if you look at the distribution between the casual moviegoer who now is going about 10, 11 times a year. That's roughly what, they're spending $9.95 and they're going a little bit less than one a month. They're kind of breaking even on it. And we add all these other values, like special screenings that are only for MoviePass subscribers. We're going to bring back some of the classics into the big screen that, you know, people haven't seen on the big screen ever, that will be exclusive for MoviePass subscribers.

Steve Kovach: So you're big pitch, is we have well over two million subscribers now, we should easily get to five by the end of the year, it's just going to grow from there. We're going to juice those numbers a little bit by offering these deals once every few weeks. Then you go to marketers and say, what can we do, how can we work with you? How can you pay us to access these people?

Mitch Lowe: Exactly, and our subscribers are so thrilled with the value they are getting, that they're very open to recommendations.

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Stormy Daniels just released a sketch of the man she said threatened her in 2011 — and the internet is torn over whether it looks more like Tom Brady or Willem Dafoe

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The Stormy Daniels sketch

  • The porn star Stormy Daniels on Tuesday released a sketch of a man she said threatened her in a parking lot in 2011.
  • The internet quickly began identifying celebrities who seemed to bear a resemblance to the man.
  • There was disagreement. Some said Tom Brady; others said Willem Dafoe.

The porn star Stormy Daniels took to ABC's "The View" on Tuesday with her attorney, Michael Avenatti, and released a sketch of the man she says threatened her in a parking lot in 2011 to keep quiet about an affair she says she had with Donald Trump years earlier.

The internet quickly jumped on the sketch, questioning whether the man looked more like New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady — who has ties to Trump — or the actor Willem Dafoe.

Brady seemed to be a favorite pick:

Others were sure the man depicted looked like Dafoe:

Some presented both sides:

Daniels first mentioned the threat during a "60 Minutes" interview on CBS last month. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, said a man approached her in a Las Vegas parking lot in 2011 weeks after she agreed to tell a sister publication of In Touch magazine about what she has said was a yearlong affair with Trump that started at a Lake Tahoe celebrity golf tournament in 2006.

The story did not run because Michael Cohen, Trump's longtime personal lawyer, threatened to sue the publication, though it was published earlier this year after reports indicated Cohen facilitated a $130,000 payment to Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election.

Daniels said the man who approached her in Las Vegas told her: "Leave Trump alone. Forget the story."

She said he leaned in, looked at her infant daughter, and said: "That's a beautiful little girl — it'd be a shame if something happened to her mom."

Daniels said she took the comment as a direct threat. She never saw the man again but said she would "100%" be able to recognize him if she did. She said she did not report the incident to the police because she was scared.

SEE ALSO: Stormy Daniels' lawyer gives ominous warning to Michael Cohen's associates: 'Anyone that had any contact with this man in the last 20 years should be very concerned'

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump tried to cut a secret deal with Planned Parenthood — here's what happened

The biggest porn site in the world is now accepting a 'privacy-focused' cryptocurrency called Verge

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Pornhub

  • Pornhub has begun accepting cryptocurrency payments for its subscription-based service.
  • The cryptocurrency is called Verge, a "privacy-focused" digital currency that emphasizes anonymity. 
  • Two of Pornhub's affiliate sites, Brazzers and Nutaku, will also accept payments in Verge.


Pornhub is now accepting payments for its premium content in a cryptocurrency called Verge, a "privacy-focused" digital currency which was created in 2014 under the name "DogeCoinDark." (It should be noted that DogeCoinDark has no relation to the currency Dogecoin, which was created one year earlier.)

As for why Pornhub is only accepting Verge cryptocurrency payments, a relatively obscure digital currency, a spokesman for the adult entertainment website said that its users specifically asked for it. A January 2018 post with close to 6,000 votes on Pornhub's suggestion page requested that the website start accepting Verge payments.

In a statement, Pornhub said that Verge's focus on providing user anonymity made it an obvious choice when it came to a cryptocurrency partnership on its site. "Verge is a secure and anonymous cryptocurrency, which is very near and dear to us here at Pornhub," the statement read. "[Verge] provides that extra layer of security many people look for, particularly in the adult entertainment industry."

On its website, Verge is described as a cryptocurrency which  "improves upon the Bitcoin blockchain" and uses open-source software like Tor and I2P —  both of which have been used in connection to the former trading site for illicit goods, the Silk Road. Pornhub's statement says that the currency allows for anonymous transactions "by obfuscating the IP address and geolocation of its users so that they are untraceable."

While the vast majority of Pornhub's revenue comes from ads that appear alongside its videos, the site generates a portion of its earnings from its streaming-subscription service, called Pornhub Premium, which provides users with access to ad-free videos and HD content. The company declined to share the percentage of revenue it receives from subscription-based content, but said that more than 2 million people had signed up since Premium's launch in 2015, and that the demand for subscription-based content is growing.

This is the first time that Pornhub's official website has accepted digital currencies, but subsidiaries of the site's parent company, MindGeek, have accepted cryptocurrency payments in the past. Just last month, MindGeek-owned Playboy.TV began accepting cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ethereum on its platform.  

Along with Pornhub's official site, two of its affiliate sites, production company Brazzers and adult gaming portal Nutaku, will also begin accepting Verge.

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Barbara Bush is 'alert', talking — and enjoyed a glass of bourbon

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barbara bush

  • Former First Lady Barbara Bush is alert, having conversations, and enjoying bourbon despite her failing health.
  • She has COPD, which makes it harder for her to breathe, and congestive heart failure.
  • Bush decided to forgo any more medical treatment and seek "comfort care" at home, surrounded by family.

Former first lady Barbara Bush appears to be doing well at home despite her failing health.

Monday night, Bush was alert and was having conversations — along with a glass of bourbon — despite her COPD making it difficult for her to breathe, a source close to the family told Jenna Gibson of CBS News.

A family spokesman said on Sunday that Bush is in "failing health" and will not seek additional medical treatment.

After a number of recent hospitalizations and consulting with her family and doctors, the 92-year-old chose not to seek additional medical treatment and will instead focus on comfort care.

"It will not surprise those who know her that Barbara Bush has been a rock in the face of her failing health, worrying not for herself — thanks to her abiding faith — but for others," family spokesman Jim McGrath said in the statement. "She is surrounded by a family she adores, and appreciates the many kind messages and especially the prayers she is receiving."

Along with COPD, Bush is battling congestive heart failure and has also been treated for a thyroid condition known as Graves' disease since she lived in the White House.

Bush was first lady from 1989 to 1993 while her husband, George H.W. Bush, was the 41st president. She has been a fixture of American politics and the Bush dynasty for decades.

SEE ALSO: Former First Lady Barbara Bush is in 'failing health' and won't seek additional medical treatment

DON'T MISS: Inside the 'storybook' marriage of Barbara and George HW Bush — who have been married longer than any first couple, and still say 'I love you' every night

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How a series of deadly Russian apartment bombings in 1999 led to Putin's rise to power

Roseanne Barr scoffs at New Yorker criticism, saying writer of controversial 'Roseanne' joke has been 'sent to the gulag'

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Roseanne

  • The New Yorker television critic Emily Nussbaum criticized the "Roseanne" reboot for the joke it made about ABC's minority-led comedies "Black-ish" and "Fresh Off the Boat."
  • Roseanne Barr replied to a tweet about the article, and said the writer of the joke had been "sent to the gulag."
  • Nussbaum said the "Roseanne" reboot doesn't represent what made the original show so refreshing compared to the family sitcoms that were popular when it premiered in the 1980s.

ABC's reboot of the beloved sitcom "Roseanne" has generated a plethora of controversy in just a few episodes.

In episode three, a joke about ABC's minority-led sitcoms, "Black-ish" and "Fresh Off the Boat," upset a lot of people including The New Yorker TV critic Emily Nussbaum, who wrote a piece criticizing the joke and the reboot.

In the episode, Roseanne Conner (Roseanne Barr) and her husband Dan Conner (John Goodman) are sleeping on the couch, and the TV is on. Roseanne and Dan wake up.

"What time is it?" Dan says. "Did we miss dinner?"

"It's 11 o'clock," Roseanne says. "We slept from 'Wheel' to 'Kimmel.'"

"We missed all the shows about black and Asian families," Dan says.

"They're just like us," Roseanne responds.

On Tuesday, Barr replied to a tweet linking to Nussbaum's piece in The New Yorker (titled "How One Joke on 'Roseanne' Explains the Show"), scoffing that "the writer who wrote that joke has been sent to the gulag."

Shortly after, Barr tweeted again, and seemed to describe the criticism from The New Yorker and many other outlets since the premiere in March as dogs barking:

Why did Nussbaum (and others) take issue with the joke?

In her piece, Nussbaum writes that the joke diminishes the significance of "Black-ish" and "Fresh Off the Boat."

"The ABC Tuesday-night 'black and Asian' family sitcoms aren’t 'they’re just like us!' stories," Nussbaum writes. "To the contrary, they’re downright gonzo in their cultural specificity, spiked with in-jokes. Ironically, these are the shows that most directly carry on the legacy of the original, deeply autobiographical 'Roseanne,' which was a truth serum in a medium devoted to reassuring lies."

Nussbaum also points out that "Roseanne" is not the only show about a white middle to lower class family on ABC.

"The Middle," now in its ninth and final season, portrays a working-class family in Indiana. They struggle to pay the bills, can't afford to fix their house, often have to scrap money together, and have an autistic son. "Speechless" follows the struggles of a family with a son who has cerebral palsy and is unable to speak. 

"Roseanne" seems to stir up controversy with every episode, and it airs Tuesday nights on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.

SEE ALSO: 'Roseanne' had a joke about ABC's minority-led comedies 'Black-ish' and 'Fresh Off the Boat' — and people were not pleased

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25 high-paying jobs for creative thinkers

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Astronomer telescope stars

  • Creative jobs can be lucrative.
  • The Occupational Information Network (O*NET) lists jobs that require creative thinking.
  • They found plenty of high-paying jobs for out-of-the-box thinkers in the world of art and science


Creative jobs are out there. You just have to know where to look.

Business Insider combed through the Occupational Information Network (O*NET), a US Department of Labor database that compiles detailed information on hundreds of jobs, and looked at salary data on the US Bureau of Labor Statistics website to find positions that place high importance on "thinking creatively" and pay an average annual salary of over $50,000.

O*NET calculates how important "developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions" is in any job, assigning each a score between one and 100.

There are several jobs that place high importance on creative thinking skills — coming up with new and original ideas, projects, or products — where you can earn an average salary upwards of $50,000.

Here are a number of high-paying positions with a "creative thinking" importance level of 93 or higher:

SEE ALSO: The 20 best jobs for problem solvers

AND: 9 TED talks that can help you become insanely productive

Music composer or arranger

Average annual salary: $50,590

Creative-thinking importance level: 97

What they do: Music composers or arrangers write and transcribe original scores.

Projected growth through 2026: 5% to 9%



Interior designer

Average annual salary: $51,500

Creative-thinking importance level: 97

What they do: Interior designers plan, design, and furnish interiors of residential, commercial, or industrial buildings.

Projected growth through 2026: 2% to 4%



Set and exhibit designer

Average annual salary: $53,090

Creative-thinking importance level: 97

What they do: Set and exhibit designers design movie, theater, and television sets as well as special exhibits.

Projected growth through 2026: 10% to 14%



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Forget the Nintendo Switch — here are 5 reasons to buy the Nintendo 3DS instead

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new nintendo 3ds xl

Nintendo is on one of the hottest streaks of its 128-year history: The new Nintendo Switch console is a bona fide smash hit, with lots of amazing games available and more to come. 

But while the Nintendo Switch is super-great, I'd urge you to at least think twice about picking one up.

While all eyes are on the Switch, the 7-year-old Nintendo 3DS has quietly become one of the best deals in video-game history. You can get started with the Nintendo 3DS for a lot less than the Switch, and play some of the very best games of this or any other generation.

Here are a few reasons why the Nintendo 3DS might be the console to pick up for the Nintendo fan in your life this holiday season. 

SEE ALSO: Nintendo just unveiled a new portable console — here's what it is and why you should want one

1. Price

The Nintendo Switch costs $299. Meanwhile, the cheapest member of the Nintendo 3DS family of systems costs $79. 

Wait, "family" of systems? Stick with me here, because this is where it gets a little complicated. Nintendo offers a selection of consoles, in different shapes and sizes, all of which can play Nintendo 3DS games. 

The lineup, as you'll see on store shelves today: 

Nintendo 2DS ($79)— Not only is it the cheapest option, but it comes with a game pre-installed. You can buy a 2DS bundled with "Mario Kart 7" or "New Super Mario Bros 2." The drawbacks: It doesn't offer Nintendo's neat glasses-less 3D feature (if that's what you're into), you can't scan Nintendo's Amiibo figurines without a dongle, and it doesn't support buying and downloading classic Super Nintendo games like "Super Mario World," as the others do.

New Nintendo 2DS XL ($150) — The most recent addition to the line, and probably the best balance between power and price on the menu. It boasts a clamshell design, so you can fold it up and shove it in a pocket or backpack without worrying about damaging the screen. The only real trade-off is that you lose that same glasses-less 3D feature. But honestly, you won't miss it. 

New Nintendo 3DS XL ($199) — The best of the best, the tip of the top. It has all the same specs as the 2DS XL, but also offers that 3D feature. It's not strictly necessary, but the 3DS XL is for those who don't want to limit their options.



2. Aesthetics

Props to Nintendo for letting users customize their Nintendo Switch consoles — you can buy the system's Joy-Con controllers in an expanding range of colors, adding some flair. 

But if you want something that really stands out, the 3DS might be the console for you. 

When you buy a Nintendo 2DS, it'll come with a version of the console in a color scheme to match the game it comes with — red and blue for "Mario Kart 7;" white and red for "New Super Mario Bros. 2."

There's also a $159 version of the New Nintendo 2DS that looks like Pikachu, the mascot of "Pokémon" fame. Otherwise, you can get it in a slick-looking black-and-blue or black-and-orange configuration. 



3. Battery life

The Nintendo Switch gets three, maybe four hours of battery life when it's not connected to power, depending on what you're playing. 

Meanwhile, the New Nintendo 2DS XL and New Nintendo 3DS XL both get around 7 hours of playtime — though you'll get less if you use the 3D effects on the 3DS. The 2DS tops out at around 5.5 hours, which is still better than the Switch.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

A viral video that appeared to show Obama calling Trump a 'dips---' shows a disturbing new trend called 'deepfakes'

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Obama deepfake, Jordan Peele, Buzzfeed Video

  • BuzzFeed published a video that appeared to show former US President Barack Obama cursing and calling President Donald Trump names, but revealed the clip was actually fabricated using emerging video-editing technology.
  • The voice of director and actor Jordan Peele was actually used in the video, which had been inserted into an original clip of Obama, effectively creating a "deepfake" — aka a video of someone saying or doing something that didn't happen.
  • This technology, widely being called "the future of fake news," is already being used in controversial ways, including to insert the faces of celebrities into pornography.

A realistic-looking video that seemed to show former President Barack Obama cussing and calling President Donald Trump a "total and complete dips---," went viral on Tuesday, bringing attention to the dangers of a controversial video-editing technology that many have called "the future of fake news."

About halfway through the video, originally published by BuzzFeed, it is revealed that Obama had actually not uttered those words and that they were actually said by "Get Out" director and writer Jordan Peele, whose voice and mouth had been digitally inserted into an original — much less scandalous — video of the former president.

Here's the full video:


Peele, BuzzFeed, and Monkeypaw Productions used a controversial but widely available software to make the video, in an effort to demonstrate the dangers of "deepfakes," aka digitally manipulated videos that have the power to "make it look like anyone is saying [or doing] anything at any point in time," that didn't actually happen. According to BuzzFeed, the video took 56 hours to make, along with the assistance of a professional video editor.

"So the good news is it still requires a decent amount of skill, processing power, and time to create a really good 'deepfake,'" said BuzzFeed's news-media editor, Craig Silverman, in a post that accompanied the video.

Unfortunately, this technology is already being used by nonexperts for nefarious purposes, including inserting the faces of celebrities into pornographic videos, creating, in some instances, very convincing and disturbing results.

Deepfakes are most commonly created with the free AI software, FakeApp, that was popularized in forums dedicated to the sharing of fake videos on Reddit and Discord, and first reported on by Motherboard in December 2017. The software requires a large number of photos of the person whom the user wishes to insert into a video, so celebrities and public figures — like former presidents — have become naturally easy targets.

Even beyond nonconsensual pornography, the greatest potential dangers for this technology have only begun to emerge. Many experts have begun to ask what this technology, along with sophisticated audio editing, could mean for the future of fake news and media in general.

"It may sound basic, but how we move forward in the age of information is going to be the difference between whether we survive or whether we become some kind of f---ed-up dystopia," says Peele, in unison with the artificial Obama, who eerily and convincingly utters the same words.

SEE ALSO: Discord just shut down a chat group dedicated to sharing porn videos edited with AI to include celebrities

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Google, Apple, and Amazon are in a war that no one will win

YouTube CEO addresses video creators for first time since gun attack on its headquarters (GOOG, GOOGL)

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Susan Wojcicki

  • YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki addressed the site's video creators in a blog post for the first time since a shooting attack on the company's headquarters.
  • She recognized that YouTube's efforts to purge site of offensive material was hard on some creators 

For the first time since the shooting at YouTube headquarters earlier this month, CEO Susan Wojcicki addressed the video service's creator community and spoke about the future.

On April 3, 38-year-old Nasim Aghdam opened fire on YouTube employees with a handgun, wounding three before killing herself. Police have concluded that Aghdam, a YouTube video creator, embarked on her rampage after her clips had seen a decline in viewers and advertising revenue. Prior to the shooting, Aghdam made unfounded accusations that YouTube's goal was to censor her and ruin her life.

In this post shooting atmosphere, Wojcicki, named YouTube's CEO four years ago, directed a blog post to the creator community. She began by thanking them.

"As you can imagine, the last two weeks have been incredibly difficult for the people who work at YouTube, myself included," she wrote. "As challenging as the experience has been for our YouTube family, the outpouring of support and kindness from creators has bolstered our spirits."

The relationship between YouTube and some of the people who make and post videos to the site has been volatile for a long time, but has come under even more stress since March 2017. That's when YouTube began waging a campaign to remove materials that advertisers might find objectionable. This led to the loss of viewers, subscribers and ad revenue for some creators and fostered resentment. 

In a story published on Monday in Business Insider, former YouTube employees outlined a longtime problem at YouTube. Anytime YouTube alters the service, even innocuous changes, some creators become furious and irrational. Some even take out their frustrations by threatening YouTube staffers with violence.  

After thanking creators, Wojcicki in her post then recognized that YouTube's clean-up campaign was hard on a lot of creators.

"We know the last year has not been easy for many of you," she wrote. "In February, we made the tough decision to set a new eligibility criteria to monetize on YouTube. While we know some creators found this change frustrating, it strengthened advertiser confidence, making monetization and the broader community on YouTube stronger for creators building their business on the platform.

"For those who have not yet met the new threshold," she added, "keep creating and building your audience."

Wojcicki also said YouTube would continue to look for ways to improve communication with creators and enable them to strengthen ties to viewers. She credited new moderation tools, which enable a creator see comments before they go live, for helping to reduce abuse and spam on the platform.

SEE ALSO: 'I’m going to destroy you': Employees who worked at YouTube say violent threats from volatile ‘creators’ have been going on for years

Join the conversation about this story »

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A Wall Street analyst figured out the real price Netflix should charge customers — and he says it would destroy the company's growth (NFLX)

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Reed Hastings

  • The Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter on Tuesday reiterated his "underperform" rating on Netflix's shares.
  • His bearish view comes despite the company's earnings report Monday that said it added about 1 million more subscribers in the first quarter than analysts had expected.
  • Pachter is concerned about Netflix's cash burn and thinks the company can't turn that around and post significantly positive cash flow without raising prices to the point that it curtails growth.

When it comes to Netflix, Michael Pachter remains a bear — even after seeing the company post standout quarterly results on Monday.

Long skeptical of the streaming-video company's business model and its ability to generate meaningful returns for investors, the Wedbush analyst on Tuesday reiterated his "underperform" rating on Netflix's shares.

He did increase his price target to $125 a share from $110, but that only underlines his pessimism; in recent trading, Netflix shares were trading at $336.92, up $29.14 a share, or about 9%.

In explaining his rating, Pachter pointed to Netflix's ongoing cash burn. The company had a net outflow of about $284 million in its latest quarter, stemming from its operations and its investments in equipment and DVDs for its legacy business.

The company said Monday that it expected to continue burning through cash for the "several more years," Pachter noted. Realistically, the company won't be able to stanch the bleeding unless it dramatically raises prices — a move that could severely crimp its growth, he said.

"Until we see evidence that it can successfully deliver positive free cash flow, we advise investors to seek more compelling investment opportunities," Pachter said in a research note. "We believe that Netflix's valuation is unwarranted."

While Netflix's reported Q1 revenue and profits were in line with Wall Street's expectations, it added 7.4 million subscribers, about 1 million more than analysts had forecast. Many of Pachter's colleagues on the Street used Netflix's results to issue bullish reports on the company and raise their price targets to the stock's current level or beyond.

Even Pachter was impressed with that kind of subscriber growth.

"Netflix is absolutely delivering on its growth goals," Pachter said, adding that the company "is clearly doing something right."

But Netflix is essentially boosting its subscriber growth by underpricing its service, he said.

While the company posts a profit on its income statement, that accounting ledger accounts for only a portion of what it's spending on producing and licensing movies and TV shows. Once you factor in all the money Netflix is sending out the door, the company's cash flow is deeply in the red and getting worse.

Last year, the company's free cash flow — which takes into account operating expenses and investments in property and equipment and other long-lived assets — was in the red by $2 billion. This year, the company expects an outflow of $3 billion to $4 billion.

To break even from a cash flow perspective, Netflix would have to raise its prices to about $15 a month globally, Pachter estimated; right now, it charges $11 a month in the US and about $9 internationally.

To be a significantly profitable business, he said, it would have to charge about $20 a month.

At that level, Netflix's growth rate would almost certainly slow to a crawl, given the increasing number of competitors, all of which offer their services at significantly lower prices.

"In conclusion, we aren't yet ready to drink the Netflix Kool-Aid," Pachter said.

SEE ALSO: Netflix doesn't have to worry about the cloud threatening companies like Facebook and Google says CEO Reed Hastings

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Netflix's subscription service is growing by leaps and bounds

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Netflix is taking off with new subscribers. In recent years, the company has doubled down on producing original content, and it's proven to be a smart move.

The number of Netflix subscribers has been growing steadily ever since 2012, from less than 30 million to more than 120 million last year. As this chart by Statista shows, which is based off of Netflix's own information, the company's most marked growth has been with its overseas subscribers. And the company is predicting that its subscriptions will continue to increase: According to its internal predictions, Netflix anticipates even more growth over the course of 2018.

Chart of the day

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The 3 very British words that confuse people from outside the UK, according to dialect expert Korean Billy

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korean billy

  • In every language there are phrases that don't translate well.
  • Dialect expert and YouTube star Korean Billy told Business Insider listed some British words people from outside the UK struggle to understand.
  • He said his Korean mates can't quite grasp "codswallop," for one.

 

In every language, there are phrases that don't translate easily— and British English is no exception.

This is something YouTube sensation Korean Billy knows all too well.

The South Korean has become a sensation for making videos explaining British slang and dialects, inspired by his time studying in the north of England. His most popular videos include the dialect from Liverpool, and the way London "roadmen" talk.

When Business Insider met Korean Billy during his most recent trip to London to hear about why he started making his videos, he highlighted three inherently British words that he's found people from outside the UK struggle to understand.

Codswallop

"For me, one of the most British words that my mates back in Korea can't really understand would be 'codswallop,'" he said. "It’s like when you say something that doesn’t really make any sense — it’s like gibberish, I think."

The Oxford Dictionary defines the word as "nonsense," to be used in a phrase like: "I think that's a right load of old codswallop."

One theory suggests that a man named Hiram Codd patented a type of bottle for fizzy drinks. "Wallop" was a slang term for beer, and "Codd's wallop" was used by beer drinkers to mean weak or gassy beer.

Blimey

"Also, 'blimey,'" he said. "It’s like a British style of being surprised — like British 'Oh my god.'"

He's right, according to the Oxford Dictionary, which says the exclamation is "used to express surprise, excitement, or alarm."

It comes from "cor blimey," derived from "God blind me."

Cheers

friends cheers beer celebrate smiling happy

Surprisingly enough, he added: "When I also try to teach British accents or British English to my Korean mates I also teach the phrase 'cheers,' because my mates get really confused when they hear that phrase."

For Brits, "cheers" is a way to express good wishes — often while raising a glass before drinking — but it can also be another way of saying "thank you."

Deciphering the dialects

Billy told Business Insider that these words — as well as the word "posh" — all "sound strange" to his Korean friends.

"They all sound really British — even some American people can’t really understand those phrases," he said.

However, it's thanks to this that his videos have become so popular — he now has around 90,000 followers on YouTube.

"When I uploaded the British dialect videos, as I expected [my Korean audience] found it quite interesting because they didn’t know very much about the fact that there are different kinds of British dialects and accents," he said. "They only know BBC English or standard English.

"Korean people say they are really happy that they now know the fact that there are different styles of English and more than one British English."

You can take a lesson on the "Roadman" dialect from Billy here:

 

SEE ALSO: Korean Billy explains why he started making English dialect videos — and how they became so popular

SEE ALSO: 88 very British phrases that will confuse anybody who didn't grow up in the UK

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17 TV shows we don’t want to see rebooted as part of the revival craze

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Tina Fey 30 Rock

Reboots and revivals are, for better or worse, the hottest thing in TV right now.

Although it only ended in 2013, people including NBC entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt have been asked if "30 Rock" could return for a reboot. Greenblatt said it's a possibility, and people from the show like Judah Friedlander and Alec Baldwin have said they would return. 

“All those reboots work if they get everybody together," Baldwin told Extra in April. "They got all the ‘Will & Grace’ people. I’m sure that Tina [Fey] in particular and all the writers that work with her, if they came up with a good idea, which they certainly can."

Baldwin is right. Some reboots work, like "Twin Peaks," but many don't, like Netflix's fourth season of "Arrested Development," which failed to capture what everyone loved about the original three seasons.  

And with ABC's "Roseanne" reboot being such a ratings hit that even Trump is impressed, there will likely be more and more coming our way. But there are some shows we really hope don't get rebooted because it would ruin some of the magic of the original.

From "Friends" to "Friday Night Lights," these are 17 shows that we do not want to see rebooted:

SEE ALSO: The top 18 Marvel Cinematic Universe superheroes, ranked from worst to best

"Breaking Bad" (2008-2013), five seasons — AMC

"Breaking Bad," easily one of the best television shows of all time, already has a spin-off with "Better Call Saul," and it's actually really good. Given the way the series finale of "Breaking Bad" ended, we're hoping the story never moves forward. 



"Mad Men" (2007-2015), seven seasons — AMC

The series finale of "Mad Men" was telling but ambiguous, ending with the audience guessing what Don Draper did or didn't do. While "Mad Men" certainly didn't wrap up all the storylines that were left hanging, it tied up the necessary ones. "Mad Men" was always at its best when it was a tad incomplete, leaving major plotlines for the audience to think about, and a revival would ruin that. 



"30 Rock" (2006-2013), seven seasons — NBC

Would it be a thrill to see "30 Rock" come back? Absolutely. But it can't happen. The series finale, which aired in January  2013, wrapped up the show so well that a reunion of any kind would be a huge slap in the face to that carefully crafted and quite powerful episode. 



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It sounds like this year's 'Call of Duty' is getting some major changes, including a 'Fortnite'-inspired 'Battle Royale' mode — here's what we know so far

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Another year, another "Call of Duty" game. Sometimes it's set in the past, sometimes it's set in the future — the only constant is the franchise's annual release schedule.

By Thanksgiving, every year, there's a new "Call of Duty" game on the shelves.

Call of Duty: WWII

Last year it was "Call of Duty: WWII," as seen above — a throwback to the many previous "Call of Duty" games set during the events of World War II.

And this year, it's "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4." Little is known about the game — it's clearly set in the spinoff series of "Call of Duty: Black Ops" games, it's got a firm October release date, and it's coming to the usual places (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC). 

But this week, several reports emerged that paint a picture of what to expect from this year's big "Call of Duty" game. And it sounds more like "Fortnite" than "Call of Duty."

SEE ALSO: Battle Royale: These massive hits are battling to be the biggest video game in the world

1. "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4" is reportedly getting a "Battle Royale" mode along the lines of "Fortnite: Battle Royale" and "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds."

If you haven't heard of "Fortnite: Battle Royale" or "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" ("PUBG") yet, the premise is simple: 100 unarmed players parachute to an abandoned island that's rife with weapons and supplies, and whoever survives is the winner.

The mode has completely taken over video game culture, with everyone from celebrities to major game streamers to your kids playing either "Fortnite" or "PUBG." 

It sounds like "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4" is getting a mode along those lines, according to reports from various media outlets this week. "Raven Software has reportedly been tasked with adding a Battle Royale mode to 'Call of Duty: Black Ops 4,'" a report on "Call of Duty" news site Charlie Intel says. Eurogamer backed up that report with its own sources, and added a bit more information.

"Our source said ["Call of Duty's"] Battle Royale mode may not hit the magic 100 player mark seen in other Battle Royale games at the time 'Black Ops 4' comes out, but developers are working towards that number," the Eurogamer report states.



Expect Battle Royale to show up in a lot more major games this year.

If you've been paying any attention to video games in 2018, you've assuredly heard of the "Battle Royale" phenomenon. First popularized by "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds," then catapulted into stratospheric success by "Fortnite: Battle Royale," the genre has exploded in popularity as of late.

It's so popular, in fact, that video game industry analysts are predicting a slew of copycatting from the biggest game publishers in the world. "While we have yet to see direct competitive modes from our publishers under coverage, we fully expect [Activision, Take-Two Interactive, EA], and virtually everyone else to come up with their take on the 'Battle Royale' genre," Macquarie Capital analysts Benjamin Schachter and Ed Alter wrote in a note in early April. They also expect major publishers to build "some version into key known franchises, as well as potentially releasing various other stand-alone titles" in the "Battle Royale" genre.

If these reports are accurate, then "Call of Duty" is the first major franchise to adopt the burgeoning, explosively popular "Battle Royale" mode.



2. "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4" may be multiplayer-only, with no main story campaign.

The "Call of Duty" series is known for two things: Blockbuster single-player campaigns and highly replayable multiplayer.

It sounds like that's being cut in half in the case of "Black Ops 4," with a traditional single-player campaign being scrapped altogether.

"As 'Black Ops 4's' release date approached, it became evident that development on the single-player campaign wouldn’t be completed," a report on Polygon says, which is attributed to multiple anonymous sources working on the game.

Reports on Kotaku, Eurogamer, and CharlieIntel all corroborate Polygon's piece; it sounds like a series of co-operative missions are intended to stand-in for the traditional campaign, though it's not clear if they'll end up in the game that ships this October.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

People are spending over $1 million each day on the iPhone version of 'Fortnite' — and it's only been out for a month

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Fortnite Battle Royale

  • "Fortnite Battle Royale" has only been available on iOS devices for the last 30 days, but it's already grossed more than $25 million in that time.
  • Data from analytics firm Sensor Tower also shows how average daily player spending in "Fortnite" has topped $1 million globally on the App Store, with the game coming only second to Netflix in terms of the amount of time Americans spend inside the app.

 

"Fortnite" is the most popular game in the world right now. And even though it's only been available on iOS devices for a month now, it's already made a huge impact, according to new data from analytics firm Sensor Tower.

"One month after debuting as an invite-only test event, the mobile version of Fortnite has become a bona fide smartphone gaming sensation, having grossed more than $25 million in its first 30 days — and it has only been available to all iOS gamers since April 1," Sensor Tower wrote in a blog post.

The firm added that average daily player spending in "Fortnite" has topped $1 million globally on Apple’s App Store, grossing more than most of the other top-earning apps — mainstays like Tinder, Pandora, and YouTube.

And in another all-important category, "Fortnite" is second only to Netflix in terms of the amount of time Americans are actually spending inside the app. Clearly, people are playing this game a lot, and often.

"Fortnite" is still coming to Android phones, but for now, the game is available as a free download for iOS devices, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The game makes its money through in-app purchases, where you can buy virtual currency to buy new outfits for your character.

Sensor Tower predicts "Fortnite" could gross as much as $500 million by the end of 2018 across iOS and Android devices alone.

SEE ALSO: 'Fortnite' is roughly as popular as 'Apple' right now, according to Google Trends

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Drake has tied Elvis Presley's number of top 10 singles — here's where he ranks all time

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drake

Drake tied Elvis Presley's number of top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, after his latest release, "Nice For What," hit No. 1 on the chart, dethroning his previous No. 1 single, "God's Plan." 

The rapper has now earned 25 top 10 singles on Billboard's chart, which matches the mark Presley set with his last top 10 single, 1972's "Burning Love." 

Billboard notes that Drake has also added to the record he holds of the most Hot 100 entries among solo acts, with "Nice For What" being his 162nd single on the chart.

Drake still has ground to make up on the list of artists with the most top 10 singles, however. His contemporary Rihanna currently ranks third with 31 top 10 singles, and they are both chasing Madonna.

Here are the 14 bands and solo artists with the most Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles of all time:

SEE ALSO: Drake gave away nearly $1 million in the music video for his No. 1 single 'God's Plan'

Jay-Z — 21 singles



Whitney Houston — 23 singles



Paul McCartney — 23 singles



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'Fortnite' just lost a huge feature that's polarizing players

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Fortnite: Battle Royale (guided missile)

  • The controversial and delightful guided missile has been removed from "Fortnite: Battle Royale."
  • "Fortnite" maker Epic Games said the weapon is being put "into the vault" for the time being.
  • There's no promise that it's coming back, but Epic said it's working on "the next steps for its future."


The hilarious and controversial guided missile has been removed from "Fortnite," and there's no word on if it's ever coming back.

"We’ve gotten a lot of feedback around the Guided Missile, in particular concerns over fairness and strength of the weapon," an Epic Games Reddit post said. "We share your concerns, so we’ve put the Guided Missile into the vault while we figure out the next steps for its future."

The weapon does exactly what it sounds like: It's an explosive missile that can be remotely controlled.

In "Fortnite: Battle Royale," that means you can take cover and attack enemies remotely with the guided missile — something that's both hilarious and tremendously frustrating, depending on the situation. If you've just rapidly constructed a massive tower, sniped a dozen enemies, and a guided missile suddenly takes out out? It's not a great feeling.

But there's something far more amazing that can be done with the guided missile: It can be ridden, like a flying surfboard.

Like so:

Though the guided missile can be used for devastating late-game attacks in "Fortnite: Battle Royale" — such as taking out star players from relative safety — it can also be used for hilarious hijinks, like riding a missile straight across the entire world map.

That's exactly what one delightful person did, which you can watch in full right here:

Are these days gone forever? Let's hope not.

SEE ALSO: After a major 'Fortnite' outage, players are getting these free goodies

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Bernie Sanders praises Cardi B for supporting FDR and Social Security

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cardi bernie

  • Bernie Sanders praised rap star Cardi B in a tweet Wednesday.
  • Sanders said Cardi was "right" to praise President Franklin Roosevelt's creation of Social Security.
  • Cardi B has a shown political acumen recently, also weighing in on taxes.

Rapper Cardi B has a new fan: Sen. Bernie Sanders, the former Democratic presidential candidate.

In a tweet Wednesday, Sanders applauded the "Bodak Yellow" rapper after the Social Security Administration tweeted a quote from Cardi B in which she praised former President Franklin D. Roosevelt for creating the agency.

"Cardi B is right," Sanders said. "If we are really going to make America great we need to strengthen Social Security so that seniors are able to retire with the dignity they deserve."

The tweet was in reaction to a comment from a recent GQ profile of Cardi in which the star called FDR the "real 'Make America Great Again.'"

"Like, this man was suffering from polio at the time of his presidency, and yet all he was worried about was trying to make America great — make America great again for real," she told GQ. "He's the real 'Make America Great Again,' because if it wasn't for him, old people wouldn't even get Social Security."

Roosevelt created Social Security in 1935 as part of the ambitious New Deal plan designed to pull the US out of the Great Depression.

Sanders has long advocated for change to Social Security, including an increase in benefits through higher Social Security taxes on people's income above $250,000 annually.

Cardi B hasn't been shy about her political interests in recent months. In March, she went viral with a video demanding to know how exactly the government was spending her taxes.

"And, Uncle Sam, I want to know what you're doing with my f------ tax money," she said in the video. "Because, you know what I'm saying? When you donate, when you donate to a kid from a foreign country, they give you updates of what they're doing with your donation."

Additionally, Cardi B rattled off facts about presidents from James Buchanan to Herbert Hoover in the GQ profile.

"I love government. I'm obsessed with presidents. I'm obsessed to know how the system works," Cardi told the magazine

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