Elon Musk and the indie musician Grimes took both the business and music worlds by surprise in May when they first revealed they were dating.

Since then, Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher, has also found herself involved in some of Tesla's narrative.

That narrative has gotten increasingly complicated in the weeks since Musk tweeted out his interest in taking the electric car company private, and wrote the two words that have resulted in hundreds of headlines and even an SEC investigation: "Funding secured."

In the wake of the now-famous tweet, rapper Azealia Banks reportedly spent a weekend at Musk's house while waiting to work on a collaboration with Grimes, which is where things get even more complicated, but more on that later.

Now, the Tesla CEO's relationship with Grimes could be on the rocks, as the two appear to have unfollowed each other on Instagram, and Musk has unfollowed Grimes on Twitter.

Here's a look at how their relationship has progressed from the beginning:

Claire Boucher, better known by her stage name Grimes, is also a producer and outspoken advocate for female artists and their treatment by the press and music industry. She's released multiple albums to critical acclaim, and her breakout album, "Visions," won the Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year.

She first met Elon Musk over Twitter. Musk was planning to make a joke about artificial intelligence — specifically, about the Rococo Basilisk character in her "Flesh Without Blood" video — and discovered she had beaten him to the punch.

In May, shortly before the Met Gala, Page Six reported that the pair had been "quietly dating" for a few weeks.

• The 2018 box office is up 9% from last year, and the summer movie season is up over 11%.
• This has happened thanks to sequels working and audiences flocking to diverse titles like "Black Panther" and "Crazy Rich Asians."

At the start of 2018, the forecast for the box office was not great.

Coming off a 2017 when Hollywood saw one of the worst summer movie seasons in history, and a year when movie attendance was at its lowest in 25 years, Wall Street braced everyone for an unremarkable 2018.

But so far the 2018 box office hasn't just turned out to be better than 2017; it's having one of its best in recent memory.

Not only are all the sequels hitting on the mark, or better than projected (remember when we were complaining there were too many sequels being made?), but there are also movies being released by the major studios that cater to diverse audiences, and those have turned out to be cash cows, too. Highlights include Disney's "Black Panther" at the beginning of the year and "Crazy Rich Asians" from Warner Bros. to close out the summer.

“Diversity and inclusion in film is paying off big,” comScore box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian told Business Insider. “'Black Panther' was important on so many levels: box office, culturally, how it resonated with audiences around the world. It set the tone in a lot of ways in how the year was going to be different, but much more exciting and financially more robust than anyone had imagined.”

And things have only gotten better in the summer months, as the box office compared to last summer is up over 11%. Some observers believed the only way the box office could go was up because 2017’s summer was the worst in decades. But the number of movies that worked between the release of “Avengers: Infinity War” in late April to “Crazy Rich Asians” this past weekend was staggering.

So what was so different from this summer season compared to last? Could a MoviePass bump be the reason?

Since the movie-ticket subscription service changed to a $9.95-per-month model to see one movie a day, it has gained over 3 million subscribers. And its members used the service so much over this summer that MoviePass barely stayed in business by August.

“Credit MoviePass a little,” Jeff Bock, senior analyst for Exhibitor Relations, told Business Insider. “They have certainly helped create a bigger appetite for audiences.”

MoviePass boasted it was responsible for 6% of the domestic box-office take this year (which is currently up 9% compared to this time last year).

But not everyone is sold.

"I don't know, I feel like it still just comes down to the content," Dergarabedian said in reference to any MoviePass bump. "I don't see that as the driving force. It's more emotionally driven than financially driven. I think more important is what is the social-media chatter about a movie. I would lay any boom or bust more at the doorstep of social media than any other factor."

What everyone can agree on is that the 2018 box office has been fueled by the success of movie sequels this summer, which in past years have not done so well. But in 2018 it seems Hollywood concocted the perfect formula of franchises audiences wanted to see — “The Avengers,” “Mission: Impossible,” “Incredibles,” “Deadpool,” “Jurassic World” — and followed through by making good sequels.

“There were really no high-profile bombs this summer,” Bock said. “That’s a lot of credit for Hollywood, as audiences are more apt to sample another sequel if the hits keep coming. Negative reviews and media scrutiny can actually erode the entire box office when bombs are dropping left and right.”

But the hit sequels are not a surprise at the studios. Universal’s president of domestic theatrical distribution, Jim Orr, told Business Insider that last year’s stories about the death of the summer movie season were greatly exaggerated.

“This is not hindsight or Monday-morning quarterbacking. Last summer had a couple of titles move out of late summer and you had a couple of titles that underperformed and then all of a sudden people were writing about the death of the industry and that was just never going to be the case,” he said. “There was just too much good product to be slated for this year, and the year after, and the year after.”

Though Disney is still ruling the box office this year with titles like “Black Panther,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” and “Incredibles 2,” Universal always brings a more diverse slate to audiences and is in second place with releases like “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,” the teen comedy surprise hit “Blockers,” and “Skyscraper,” which hasn’t done well domestically but has earned over $225 million internationally.

Orr believes the successful 2018 box office has proved that audiences don’t want just superhero movies. They want a variety of stories to choose from at the multiplex.

“We purposely have a very diversified approach to our slate,” he said. “We did exactly that in the summer of 2018, it's just the perfect example of trying to reach every audience and have something for everybody. Different genres available to the audience can pay off extraordinarily well.”

But will the Wall Street forecast come to fruition the rest of the year? Titles like “Venom,” “Aquaman,” and “Mary Poppins Returns” are the big moneymakers on paper. Yet they could bomb.

This year there's no “Star Wars” end-of-the-year release to pick up any slack, and 2018 marks the first time since 2014 (the year before “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” opened) that Disney is not releasing a movie from the beloved saga in December. It released “Solo: A Star Wars Story” in May.

“We’re not going to have a good September,” Dergarabedian said, adding that last year’s September did so well because of the record-breaking success of “It” from Warner Bros. There’s no major title like that slated for September.

“But there’s a lot still on the way,” he added. “The Oscar season films could break out, especially the ones that are topical. That’s the nature of the beast: It’s a cyclical business.”

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

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How a black cop infiltrated the KKK — the true story behind Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman'

Netflix has begun to cancel shows, but that doesn't mean it's getting rid of your favorites.

39 Netflix original series will be returning with new seasons in the near future.

Only a few of the series have official release dates, including the upcoming season premieres of "Marvel's Iron Fist" and "Ozark."

On Monday, Netflix announced the renewal of its critically acclaimed original comedy series "Glow" for a third season.  

Other hit shows that have been renewed by the streaming service, like "Stranger Things" and "Black Mirror," are either in production or awaiting release.

For this list, we have included only renewed Netflix series that are yet to air, and we've included official release dates if applicable. We've excluded children's shows and reality series.

Here are the 39 Netflix original series that are coming back for another season:

SEE ALSO: All 73 of Netflix's notable original shows, ranked from worst to best

"Ozark" (Season 2) — Premieres August 31

Date renewed:August 17, 2017

"Marvel's Iron Fist" (Season 2) — Premieres September 7

Date renewed: July 22, 2017

"BoJack Horseman" (Season 5) — Premieres September 14

Date renewed: September 21, 2017

New data from mobile research firm Apptopia shows how many hours Android and iOS device sunk into the most popular smartphone games — and there were a few surprises on the list.

Most notably, the data reveal that "Fortnite: Battle Royale," the international sensation, still claims fewer playing hours than years-old games like "Clash of Clans" and "Candy Crush Saga." However, it's worth noting that "Fortnite" wasn't even available on Android during the time covered by the report, and still made a strong showing for itself.

The data shows how many hours the game was played worldwide, across both Android and iOS devices, between the May and July of 2018. The list includes two battle royale titles, a few "Bejeweled"-inspired color-matching games, and a handful of games for younger children. 

As a heads up, every game on this list is free to download, largely relying on in-app purchases and subscriptions to make money.

Here are the top mobile games, ranked by the total number of hours users spend playing them:

SEE ALSO: The most famous Fortnite streamer said he won't play with women, and it's raising some serious questions about the cost of internet fame

Aquatic-themed puzzle game "Fishdom" starts off our list with 1.51 billion hours played from May through July of 2018.

"PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Mobile" is the free-to-play smartphone version of the popular battle royale game, and takes ninth place with 1.52 billion hours played.

"Slither.io" is the perfect simple, low-pressure game for players who enjoy the cult classic "Snake" and just want to kill a few minutes on a bus ride or while waiting in line. "Slither.io" users played for 1.54 billion hours.

Warning: This post contains spoilers for this week's episode of "Better Call Saul."

• David Costabile reprised his "Breaking Bad" role as Gale in this week's episode of "Better Call Saul."
• "Breaking Bad" fans will remember that Gale was shot and killed by Jesse in the season three finale of "Breaking Bad."
• Costabile told Business Insider that "Saul" co-creator Peter Gould had discussed Gale returning as far back as the first season.
• Costabile said he didn't have to be sold on the idea of coming back, and that Gale "died too soon."
• But he wasn't told he'd have to sing a Periodic Table song, and he said it took him weeks to memorize it.

If you thought Gale Boetticher died too soon on "Breaking Bad," the actor behind the character agrees with you.

Fortunately for Gale, and actor David Costabile, the creators behind the "Breaking Bad" prequel "Better Call Saul" weren't done with Gale either. Costabile reprised his role as the chemist on Monday's episode of "Better Call Saul," called "Something Beautiful," in a brief but satisfying cameo.

"There was not much of a sell," Costabile told Business Insider of when he was asked to return as Gale. "Because he died too soon, there was definitely more to say and it was a fun challenge to go back and say it."

The idea of returning had actually been planted in Costabile's head since the first season of "Better Call Saul" (season four is now airing). Costabile said he ran into "Saul" co-creator Peter Gould at a breakfast place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where "Breaking Bad" and "Saul" are set, as the first season of "Saul" was wrapping up filming.

"I was in Albuquerque shooting something else," Costabile said. "I ran into Peter and we sat down and had breakfast. At that point even, he was like 'I think it would be really fun to have you on the show' and I said 'I think that would be really fun, too.'"

Fans of "Breaking Bad" who watched Monday's "Better Call Saul" episode probably instantly recognized him as the chemist who gets caught in the middle of Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Gus Fring's (Giancarlo Esposito) drug conflict. He pays the ultimate price, as he's killed by Jesse (Aaron Paul) in the season three finale after Gus orders Gale, who had been Walt's lab assistant, to learn Walt's meth formula. 

In analyzing Gale's "Saul" cameo, Costabile described his character as "earnest." Indeed, he seems to be in high spirits in the episode, obviously completely unaware of the fate that awaits him later in life. In the episode, Gus meets Gale in a chemistry lab where Gale is singing a Periodic Table song, reciting all of the elements. Gale hands over meth samples he's tested for Gus and offers to cook a better batch himself, which Gus declines — a slight nod to his future.

Costabile said that it was easy to get back into the character of Gale as soon as he was back in Albuquerque, and he looked forward to playing someone who was "just so vastly different in tone from most everyone else on the show." But the song he had to sing was a different story.

"They did not tell me that I was going to have to sing this tune that I have to sing [when they asked me to return]," Costabile said.

He added that it took him weeks to memorize it: "I think from the moment they told me I just started memorizing it. I should have suspected that that was going to happen to me at some point and memorized it [previously] but I had not. I knew any number of elements in the Periodic Table but I didn’t know them all and I didn’t know them in that sequence particularly at that tempo. But it’s in there now and it’s not coming out. It’s on the 'hard drive.'"

As for viewers seeing more of Gale in "Better Call Saul?" He was less open about that.

"Did you think that you were going to see him ever again?" he asked. "That same feeling should continue for you."

"Better Call Saul" airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on AMC.

SEE ALSO: 'Better Call Saul' is inching closer to 'Breaking Bad' in its fourth season, and is one of the best shows on TV

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How a black cop infiltrated the KKK — the true story behind Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman'

Television continues to deliver one great show after another this year, but only a select few have come out on top with critics.

Seven shows this year — either returning with new seasons or brand new — have garnered the coveted 100% critic score on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. And there are a few surprises.

Some excellent series failed to make the cut, like AMC's "Better Call Saul" season four and Netflix's "Glow" season two, both with 98%, and HBO's "Sharp Objects" with 93%.

Among the ones that did manage the perfect 100% range are a crime anthology and a long-running sci-fi, and three are available to stream on Netflix.

Below are seven TV shows with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic score in 2018:

SEE ALSO: The 6 movies that have a 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes in 2018

"The Bold Type" — season two

How to watch: Available at the Freeform website with an account and on Hulu

Description: "The Bold Type gives us a glimpse into the outrageous lives of the young women working at the nation's top women's magazine, 'Scarlet.' Jane, Kat, and Sutton are three best friends working at the magazine's headquarters in New York while also trying to navigate their careers, identities, and individual voices in a sea of intimidating leaders. This next generation of unapologetically fierce working women is primed to take on the world and smash the patriarchy — one selfie at a time."

What the critics said: "The Bold Type dramatizes the lives of its three leads without turning any of the women into caricatures. The newsroom and New York they inhabit aren't the world's most accurate depictions of life in digital media, but they're also far from fanciful. The show is still finding its footing, and so none of its main characters have become personality avatars, the way Sex and the City's Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte each came to stand for a particular kind of New York City woman. But the first episodes of Season 2 are promising." — Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic

"Cobra Kai" — season one

How to watch: Available on YouTube Red

Description: "Thirty years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, a down-and-out Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) seeks redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai karate dojo, reigniting his rivalry with a now successful Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), who has been struggling to maintain balance in his life without the guidance of his mentor, Mr. Miyagi."

What the critics said: "'Cobra Kai' is extremely entertaining, but even more so if you loved 'The Karate Kid' (and its sequels) growing up. Zabka and Macchio are all in with the reprisal of their iconic roles and that's really the hook. Some of the stuff will certainly go over your head if you weren't into the movie, but YouTube is hoping that the popularity of the movie over decades has enough passionate fans to launch this series (and YouTube) into the streaming zeitgeist." — Jason Guerrasio, Business Insider

"Dear White People" — season two

How to watch: Available on Netflix

Description: "Students of color navigate the daily slights and slippery politics of life at an Ivy League college."

What the critics said: "Weighing personal satisfaction with national priorities isn't easy, but 'Dear White People' blends them in such a way to illustrate how they're linked. Each part is powerful because each part is honest, even when what it builds toward is an uncertain future." — Ben Travers, Indiewire

• "The Last Jedi" actress Kelly Marie Tran wrote an op-ed published in The New York Times Tuesday addressing the online harassment she experienced for months.
• Toxic Star Wars fans wrote racist and sexist comments on her social media accounts and in edits on Wookieepedia (a Wikipedia of sorts for "Star Wars").
• In the op-ed, Tran wrote that the hateful language led her "down a spiral of hate."

In June, Kelly Marie Tran — who plays Rose Tico in "The Last Jedi," and is the the first woman of color to have a large role in the Star Wars franchise — deleted all of her Instagram posts after receiving online harassment for months. Her account still existed, with "Afraid, but doing it anyway" written in the bio. 

Tran addressed the racist and sexist online harassment she experienced in a powerful op-ed published in The New York Times on Tuesday. In the op-ed, she wrote that the online harassment took her "down a spiral of self hate."

Tran faced racism and sexism online surrounding her casting in "The Last Jedi." For instance, in December 2017, someone edited the Rose Tico Wookieepedia page (a Wikipedia of sorts for "Star Wars") so that her name was "Ching Chong Wing Tong" and her home was "Ching Chong China."

"It wasn’t their words, it’s that I started to believe them," Tran wrote. The op-ed addressed how the aggressive online harassment made her feel. Tran also explained how feelings of invalidation because of her gender and race were evident before she became a target of "Star Wars" fans.

"Those words awakened something deep inside me — a feeling I thought I had grown out of," Tran wrote. Tran said that her entire life, she'd felt like an "other" because she was Asian. Through media and Hollywood (and more), she was taught that because she was Asian, she existed in the margins: always supporting characters played by more desirable people.

Tran also went into more detail about the dark period that the words said to her online provoked.

"I thought, 'Oh, maybe if I was thinner' or 'Maybe if I grow out my hair' and, worst of all, 'Maybe if I wasn’t Asian.' For months, I went down a spiral of self-hate, into the darkest recesses of my mind, places where I tore myself apart, where I put their words above my own self-worth."

Tran wrote that she wanted to live in a world where children of color don't grow up wishing they were white, a world where women are not scrutinized.

"I want to live in a world where people of all races, religions, socioeconomic classes, sexual orientations, gender identities and abilities are seen as what they have always been: human beings."

At San Diego Comic Con in July, Rose Tico cosplayers rallied in support of Tran. The rally was organized by Nerds of Color, a site devoted to inclusion in nerd culture including films like Star Wars, superhero movies, and video games. Tran is not only the first woman of color to have a leading role in a Star Wars movie: she is also the first Asian woman to appear on the cover of Vanity Fair. 

"And I am just getting started," she wrote.

Read the full op-ed here.

SEE ALSO: A 'Breaking Bad' actor reprised his role in this week's 'Better Call Saul,' and had to sing a song that took him weeks to memorize

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How a black cop infiltrated the KKK — the true story behind Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman'

• Amazon's incredibly popular Prime service is losing a major benefit: ad-free Twitch viewing.
• Going forward, Twitch viewers who want an ad-free experience will have to pay for Twitch Turbo.
• The video-streaming company explained the change in a blog post on Monday, saying it "re-evaluated some of the existing Twitch Prime benefits."
• Many Twitch users are furious about the change. 

Amazon's Prime service offers loads of benefits: free shipping on a ton of Amazon products, a library of streaming entertainment, and even discounts at Amazon-owned Whole Foods.

And up until this week, if you were an Amazon Prime subscriber, you could also enjoy an ad-free viewing experience on Twitch, the video-streaming service owned by Amazon. But on Monday, Twitch announced a major change to its Twitch Prime service that would no longer make that the case:

"As we have continued to add value to Twitch Prime, we have also re-evaluated some of the existing Twitch Prime benefits. As a result, universal ad-free viewing will no longer be part of Twitch Prime for new members, starting on September 14."

Put more simply: Even Twitch Prime paying subscribers will see ads on Twitch streams.

The only way to remove ads from the Twitch experience now is to pay even more for Twitch Turbo, a separate subscription service for Twitch that costs $9 a month.

It's a move that Twitch fans are furious about.

"I'm just floored at Amazon's greed here. I'm considering ditching Prime altogether," one Reddit user wrote on the Twitch subreddit.

"I'd honestly prefer to have ad-free viewing instead of the free games," another user wrote.

As the latter post alludes to, Twitch Prime recently began offering free games and in-game content to subscribers. Much of the time, these are less than thrilling — loot-box partnerships that Amazon strikes with game-makers like Blizzard Entertainment for "Overwatch," for example.

Getting free loot boxes for "Overwatch" is nice, but it's not a strong argument for paying for Twitch Prime.

More importantly, Sony and Microsoft offer excellent free games through PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold every month, while the offerings through Twitch Prime are paltry at best. And it's these free offerings that are being cited as a replacement for ad-free Twitch viewing.

"On top of everything you get through Amazon Prime, this year alone we've offered members more than $1,000 worth of games and loot," Twitch said in the blog post. But for many, the main reason to subscribe to Twitch Prime was the ad-free experience.

As one Reddit user succinctly put it: "I probably claim less than 25% of the free stuff they offer with Prime. Ad-free viewing is the only perk besides the monthly free sub that I care about. Big yikes from me for this change."

SEE ALSO: The 18 best perks you get with an Amazon Prime membership

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NOW WATCH: NYU professor says Facebook should pay taxes for making us less productive

• "One Cut of the Dead" is a horror-comedy zombie movie that was made for $27,000 and has made 250 times that in Japan, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
• The movie has sold internationally and is expected to double its current gross of $7.2 million when all is said and done.
• Critics love the movie, too, and it has a 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.

"One Cut of the Dead" is a zombie-comedy that opens with a 37-minute take and was made for $27,000 — and it's taking Japan by storm.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie — which was written, directed, and edited by local filmmaker Shinichiro Ueda in eight days — has made over 250 times its budget at the Japanese box office, where moviegoers receive discounts for repeat viewings and showing up in zombie costumes. And it shows no signs of slowing down as it's set to get a wider release through October.

"One Cut of the Dead" has grossed $7.2 million and THR reported that it's projected to make double that when all is said and done.

The movie originally opened in an art-house theater in Tokyo last November, distributed by the Enbu Seminar drama school. Then it arrived at three cinemas in Tokyo in June after gaining buzz throughout the international film circuit. Now it's playing on 200 screens and has been sold internationally to South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Germany, the U.K., and Scandinavia, according to THR.

Despite an unknown cast and a micro budget, the movie has managed to gain plenty of buzz with audiences and critics alike. According to THR, it got a standing ovation and won the Audience Award at this year's Udine Far East Film Festival in Italy.

It also has a 100% critic score on review-aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes based on 10 reviews, including from Indiewire, Variety, and THR.

Variety called it a "marvelously inventive horror-comedy" that "breathes new life into the zombie genre." It also has a 100% audience score based on 23 user ratings.

Watch the trailer for "One Cut of the Dead" below:

SEE ALSO: Hollywood insiders explain why the box office has had an incredible rebound in 2018

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How a black cop infiltrated the KKK — the true story behind Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman'

"Hits & Misses" author and former "Saturday Night Live" staff writer Simon Rich walks us through a week of writing for the iconic show. Following is a transcript of the video.

Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!

Simon Rich: "SNL" has been functioning I believe in pretty much exactly the same way since 1975. On Monday, you meet the host. Lorne calls on you one at a time and you say a few ideas. You don't actually have to write those ideas, you're mainly just trying to make everybody laugh. Sort of a colossal waste of time, creatively, but a nice diplomatic thing to sort of say to the host, "Don't worry, we're all pretty funny, you're gonna be okay and not humiliate yourself."

And then you write pretty much until Wednesday morning. Write all day Tuesday, and all night Tuesday. And at Wednesday there's a big table read where the cast and the host read all of the pieces out loud. Sometimes the list will be like 50 sketches. It takes like four or five hours, this read through. The producers, Lorne, and the host, and the head writers, they go back into a room, and they pick the 10 or 12 best ones, the ones that made everybody laugh the most. It's pretty meritocratic, I mean if something works, it's in definitely, all the time. And it doesn't matter if it was written by a first year writer whose name people are forgetting, the sketch goes into the pile.

Thursday, you rewrite these sketches as a group, trying to punch them up and improve them. And Friday and Saturday you're rehearsing, and building sets, and building props, and designing costumes. And then at 8 p.m. on Saturday there's a full dress rehearsal. It's two hours long. Lorne watches the sketches on a little monitor. You sit next to him, he tells you his notes.

The great thing about working for Lorne is that he gives you full creative freedom. He lets you try whatever you want. There aren't heavy notes, but when there is a note, you trust it, because it's backed by, you know, decades and decades of mastery of comedy.

Then they go into another little room, and they cut another half an hour out of the show, based on which sketches performed the worst in front of the audience. So it can be really stressful because you really work hard on your sketches, but there's multiple times at which they could just be cut completely out of the show. Like in sports, you know, if you strike out you just have to kinda try to forget it because next week you have another show to do.

A lot of people assume that "SNL" is like a really competitive, socially toxic environment. That there's like, backstabbing, and rivalries, and feuds. It's really not true. In my experience it is one of the most friendly groups I've ever seen. People were incredibly generous to one another, helping each other out all the time, for zero credit. People like Seth Meyers, and Colin Jost, who were senior writers, were extremely generous with their time, explaining to me stuff which in hindsight was unbelievably basic.

Like I would do things sometimes in my sketches where a character would be like, "All right, here we are at the dentist's office." Because I was like, "We need some exposition about where they are." And they would be like, "You know you could just, like, show a dentist's office. And I was like, "Oh wow, that's a really amazing..."

And I saw that everywhere I went, every year when the new writers came in, because it was mostly people who have never written for television before. Stand-up comedians, or people who have written funny articles for magazines, or he hires like, playwrights, or people who've done some web videos. He almost never hires somebody who's written for another actual television show. So you have all these novices coming in. The more experienced writers are so nice, and they really teach them. And so I'm super grateful for the experience, because it was fun, but also I learned almost everything I know at that show.

Join the conversation about this story »

• A survey of 3,000 people by research firm MusicWatch showed that smart speakers are prompting owners to listen to more music and online radio. 
• The survey also found that roughly half of the respondents worry that the devices are becoming too intrusive.
• And it's no wonder: There have been incidents that have caused some people to wonder if the devices are spying on them.

A new survey has some good and bad news for the smart-speaker makers.

The devices, such as the Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Apple HomePod, appear to encourage owners to listen to more music and web radio according to a survey of 3,000 respondents by MusicWatch, a market research company.

Since all three companies also offer music services, the devices could help drive growth in businesses like Amazon Prime Music, Google Play Music, and Apple Music. 

But the bad news is that MusicWatch also found that nearly half of those surveyed (48 percent) said they were concerned that voice-assistant devices and smart speakers are becoming too intrusive, Russ Crupnick, managing partner at MusicWatch, told Business Insider.  

“It’s clear that these devices are driving music consumption,” Crupnick said. "However, as powerful and pervasive as these devices are becoming consumers still have a healthy fear about their privacy.”

Smart speakers likely will become the hottest consumer-gadget of the year. Though none of the top manufacturers reveal sales figures, research from Canalys and Strategy Analytics both estimate that sales grew 200 percent in the first quarter of 2018 from the same period a year earlier. 

People love smart speakers but don't yet fully trust them

Smart speakers and digital assistants enable owners to speak commands, rather than keying them in. The machines can also talk back. People ask them the time, the weather, to schedule reminders and sometimes to shop. To perform these functions, some of the devices must record what owners say and then send back the information to the company. The thought of being recorded spooks some people.

Some people also fear --though there's no proof that this has happened -- is that some bad actor will intercept the recordings or somehow rig the devices to eavesdrop. Nonetheless, a family in Portland, OR., who owned an Amazon Echo, learned that the machine erroneously interpreted commands, and recorded a conversation in their home. The machine then sent the recording to an associate.

Beyond just that episode, there have been incidents that made some people unsettled about having these devices in their home. Google had to disable a feature on its Google Home Mini speaker after it turned out that a hardware problem caused it to listen in on a reviewer all day. More recently, Amazon had to issue a fix after some of its Echo speakers randomly erupted in a creepy laugh.

Now, the burden is on these companies to be transparent about these devices, when they record, and how much control they have over their data.

And there are signs that these companies are taking on the challenge. On Monday, when a reporter asked Google Home if it was listening, the device responded this way:

"Google Home listens for the hot word ("Hey, Google" or "Ok Google") and after it hears it, or after you’ve physically long pressed the top of your Google Home device, it sends a recording of what you say to Google."

That’s a more serious response but one that some people still may find unsettling.

Smart speakers could take us back to the future

Still, Crupnick said that he found nothing in his survey that indicates the privacy concerns are affecting sales or usage. On the contrary.

• Crupnick said 55 percent of those surveyed and who own smart speakers said they are listening to their streaming music services more often.
• He said 2/3 indicated that they're listening to more online radio, such as NPR and iHeart radio.
• About 75 percent said they're re-discovering songs that they hadn't heard in a long time.
• In a sort of back-to-the-future response, Crupnick said that 64 percent are listening to more music at home.

It calls to mind how, decades ago, people would listen together to albums played on turntables — a kind of social music sharing which no longer exists, but that looks set to re-emerge thanks to smart speakers.

“When we conducted focus groups of smart speakers,” Crupnick said, “It was incredible to see families again gathering to listen to music. I hadn’t seen that since high school.”

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• Danny Boyle has left James Bond 25 over "creative differences," according to a tweet on Tuesday from the official James Bond twitter account.
• The movie, which is to begin shooting in December, is slated for release on November 8, 2019.

Danny Boyle will not have a James Bond movie on his filmography. 

The Oscar-winning director is leaving the next movie in the legendary franchise over creative differences, according to a tweet from the official James Bond account on Tuesday. 

"Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Daniel Craig today announced that due to creative differences Danny Boyle has decided to no longer direct Bond 25," the tweet read.

Boyle was previously announced as the director of the 25th movie in the 007 franchise, which will once again star Daniel Craig as the iconic secret agent.

The movie, which is currently untitled, has a November 8, 2019 release date. Production is to begin on December 3 of this year.

Prepare for the internet to go crazy with suggestions on who should take over the director reins. And the producers will have to hustle if they want it to make its November 2019 release date. 

Business Insider contacted MGM for comment but did not get an immediate response.  

SEE ALSO: The 7 TV shows that have a 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes in 2018

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• A Gulfstream G-IV private jet blew two tires while taking off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey on Tuesday.
• According to TMZ, rapper Post Malone is reportedly on board the jet.
• The Gulfstream jet was en route to Luton Airport in London, England at the at the time of the incident.
• The jet is currently circling above Connecticut as it tries to burn off fuel.
• According to the Associated Press, the Gulfstream has been diverted to Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport in Massachusetts where it is expected to make an emergency landing. 

A Gulfstream G-IV private jet blew two tires while taking off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey Tuesday morning, the Associated Press reported.

The luxury jet is believed to be carrying rapper Post Malone, according to TMZ.

The jet, which is believed to have 16 passengers on board, was en route to Luton Airport in London, England, when the incident took place shortly before 11 a.m. 

Post Malone's tour schedule indicates he is scheduled to perform in Reading, England on Friday. The rapper attended the MTV Video Music Awards in New York on Monday where his song "Rockstar" won Song of the Year. 

According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24 and the Associated Press, the Gulfstream spent a couple of hours circling above Northern New Jersey before diverting to Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport in Massachusetts. 

The Gulfstream jet is currently flying in circles at 6,850 feet over the Connecticut coast while trying to burn fuel to lighten the plane's weight, according to reports.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.

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• David Costabile, who plays Mike "Wags" Wagner on Showtime's "Billions," revealed to Business Insider how he takes care of Wags' signature twisty mustache.
• "There’s a double dose of waxing a day," Costabile said — and he does it all himself.
• "It's got to be Wags length," he added.
• He also revealed the fan reaction after the first season aired when he knew that "Billions" would be a hit.

Mike "Wags" Wagner, the loud-mouthed COO of Axe Capital on Showtime's "Billions," has one of the best mustaches on TV, and it's especially known for its curl.

The actor behind Wags, David Costabile, revealed to Business Insider that to get the perfect "Wags mustache," it involves a lot of waxing.

"For the twisty mustache, there’s a double dose of waxing a day," Costabile told Business Insider while promoting his cameo on this week's "Better Call Saul." "There’s a wax in the morning and a wax throughout the rest of the day. Two separate waxes."

And Costabile does it all himself.

"I’m in charge of the 'stache and the goatee," Costabile said. "They’re precisely measured and calibrated. Can’t go too far, can’t go too small. It’s got to be Wags length."

"Billions" wrapped up its third season in June, and Showtime has already renewed it for a fourth season. It follows U.S. attorney Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti), who turns his sights on the arrogant Wall Street billionaire David Axelrod (Damien Lewis), who he suspects of insider trading and bribery. Wags is Axelrod's right-hand man at Axelrod's New York-based hedge fund, Axe Capital.

When asked how often "Billions" fans approach him in New York City, Costabile said it happens a lot on Wall Street and at Grand Central. But there's one fan reaction in particular that sticks out in his mind. After the first season had aired, Costabile said that a garbage man in his neighborhood shouted enthusiastically at him. 

"A guy collecting garbage was driving by in my neighborhood and he leaned out and yelled, 'Yo, I love your f---ing show, you’re the best f---ing character on TV!'" Costabile said. "At that point I was like, 'Wow we’ve got a hit. When this guy is screaming out at Wags, that’s when you know.'"

SEE ALSO: A 'Breaking Bad' actor reprised his role in this week's 'Better Call Saul,' and had to sing a song that took him weeks to memorize

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• Apple and Google earn big money through the commissions they charge for sales made through their smartphone app stores.
• Right now, they take a 30% cut of most sales made through their stores.
• But that rate could soon plunge, the Macquarie analyst Ben Schachter said in a research note.
• The companies face regulatory and legal challenges over the rates they charge, as well as growing pushback from developers, Schachter noted.
• If Apple and Google were forced to cut their rates, it could cost them billions of dollars in revenue and operating profits, he estimated. 

For years now, Apple and Google, in addition to their main businesses, have had a growing and profitable side gig in charging developers hefty commissions when those developers sell apps, subscriptions, and other items through their app stores.

But maybe not for much longer.

Apple and Google face regulatory threats and pushback from developers that could hamper their app-store businesses and force them to reduce the cut they take from each sale, Ben Schachter, a financial analyst with Macquarie Research, said in a research note Monday. Though the companies' app stores are just sideshows to their main businesses, they could both take a significant hit to their financial results if they are forced to reduce rates, he said.

Apple, for example, could take a $16 billion hit to its adjusted earnings if it's forced to make a major cut to its App Store commission rates, he said in the note.

"We believe that the traditional ... commission rates for app distribution may come under pressure," Schachter said in the note, adding, "Changes in the commission rates would meaningfully impact profits."

Apple started taking a 30% cut when it launched the App Store

Both Apple and Google charge a 30% commission on purchases made through their app stores, including app purchases, subscription sign-ups, and in-app purchases of digital goods. Both companies also now charge 15% on subscription charges after the first year, a reduction to entice developers to focus on subscription-based business models.

Though the basic 30% commission has been the norm since Apple launched the iPhone App Store 10 years ago, it's increasingly coming under scrutiny. Earlier this month, Epic Games announced it would distribute the Android version of its megapopular game "Fortnite" through its website rather than through the Google Play app store. It opted out specifically because it didn't want to pay the search giant a commission on in-app purchases, which is the main way it makes money off "Fortnite."

Epic's move drew widespread publicity because it was so unusual for a developer to opt out of one of the two major global smartphone app stores. But it may soon be followed by others, Schachter said.

"We've had behind-closed-door discussions with game developers who claim that [Apple's] and [Google's] commission structure is unfair and that they may take a more public role in pushing back against the business model," he said.

Developers are starting to push back against those commissions

And it's not just game-makers who are getting fed up. Spotify, in a recent regulatory filing with the Security and Exchange Commission, called out Apple and Google for charging it commissions that aren't applied to rival music-subscription services. The statement was the latest move by Spotify to bring the issue to the attention of consumers and regulators, Schachter said.

Like Epic Games, Spotify has essentially opted out of that model. Though iPhone users can download Spotify from the App Store, they can't sign up for its premium subscription service through it. Instead, they have to do that through its website.

Apple and Google could also see pushback from other developers, particular from streaming-video providers such as Netflix, Schachter said. As that market starts to mature and the players become less focused on signing up new users, they may start to become more concerned about the commissions they're paying to Google and Apple, he said, adding that those concerns may heighten as the two giants rev up their respective video services.

Already, Netflix is testing directing smartphone users to sign up for a subscription to its service via their web browsers rather than through its app, Engadget reported Tuesday.

As Google and Apple "continue to add more services and directly compete with app developers," Schachter said, "we suspect some of these voices from the music, video, game businesses and others may become louder."

Apple and Google also face increased regulatory and legal pressure

But the app-store commissions are likely to come under pressure from others besides developers, most notably from the legal and regulatory arena, Schachter said.

In the next year, the US Supreme Court is scheduled to hear an appeal of an antitrust lawsuit filed against Apple by consumers that targets its commission fees. They charge that Apple's monopoly over the distribution of apps on the iPhone means developers have no choice but to pay its commissions, which the developers then pass on to their customers in the form of inflated prices. Should the court allow the case to continue, it could eventually upset the whole business model of the App Store.

Meanwhile, Google's business practices have for years been under scrutiny by European competition regulators. Last month, they hit the company with a $5 billion fine for forcing smartphone makers to install its apps.

Such regulatory scrutiny may only increase, Schachter said. Developers such as Spotify are complaining directly to regulators, he noted.

With the big market growing rapidly (global app sales hit $86 billion last year) and with Apple and Google offering more services that compete with those of leading app makers, the companies' commissions and app stores are increasingly likely to draw regulators' attention, he said.

"We are concerned that given AAPL and GOOG's dominance of mobile [operating systems] combined with their growing efforts to add value and services to customers using those OSs, it will draw regulatory and legal attention," Schachter said, referring to the companies by their ticker symbols.

He continued: "We are particularly concerned that as AAPL and GOOG add more features and offerings such as voice assistants, Apple Music, YouTube Red, a potential video service from AAPL, and more, that competing developers will claim that AAPL and GOOG's position as owners of the platforms may give them 'unfair competitive advantages.'"

Apple and Google could take a big hit to sales and profits

Should all this pressure on the app-store commissions lead to decreased prices, the two giants could take a big hit, Schachter said. Over the past year, 14% of Apple's total revenue came from its services business, much of which is derived from commissions on App Store sales.

If nothing changes with commission rates, Apple should see an average commission rate of about 27% on such sales in its fiscal 2020, he estimated, taking into account the 15% rate it charges on ongoing subscriptions. The company's App Store revenue would be about $20.1 billion that year, while its total company earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) would be about $78.6 billion, he said.

But if Apple were forced to slash its average commission rate to 15%, its App Store sales would fall to $11.2 billion in fiscal 2020, and its total company EBIT for the year would drop to $69.7 billion. If it had to cut commissions to 5% on average, its App Store revenue would be just $3.7 billion, and its companywide EBIT — essentially its operating profit — would be $62.2 billion.

Those estimates "highlight just how levered operating profit is to the high-margin dollars of the App Store," Schachter said.

Google could see a similar hit if it were forced to slash Google Play commissions, he said.

Assuming everything stays the same and the company continues to get an estimated average commission of 27% on app-store sales, Google will pull in $10 billion in such revenue in 2020, and its companywide EBIT will be about $40.2 billion.

But if rates were cut to 15%, Google's app-store revenue would be just $5.6 billion that year, and its EBIT for the year would be $35.8 billion, he said. If rates plunged to just 5%, its app-store revenue would be about $1.9 billion, and its total EBIT would be $32 billion.

SEE ALSO: The uproar over how 'Fortnite' is being released for Android shows how much we have acquiesced to Apple's way of doing business

READ MORE: Europe's competition czar is wrong — it's long past time to break up Google

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• Rapper Azealia Banks and Tesla CEO Elon Musk's lives have become entangled after Banks spent the weekend at one of Musk's properties earlier in August and made a series of claims about the billionaire on social media. 
• Banks claimed Musk ignored her when she visited his house, misrepresented their interaction, and has taken control of her phone. 
• "I'm like in tears right now," Banks told Business Insider on Monday evening. "This has nothing to do with me."
• Here's a timeline of the Banks-versus-Musk battle, as decoded via Business Insider exclusives, social media, and more.

Azealia Banks and Elon Musk are an unlikely pair.

However, in some of the most high-pressure weeks in the Tesla's CEO's career, the rapper has become an unexpected source of complications for the billionaire. 

Banks has publicly claimed on social media that Musk avoided her after inviting her to his home, misrepresented the situation to the media, and — most recently — took possession of her phone. Musk, meanwhile, has denied many of Banks' claims and apparently deleted his Instagram account, following her most recent call out. 

The interactions between the two typically outspoken celebrities can be difficult to untangle. Here's everything we know about the timeline of how things have gone down between Banks and Musk. 

SEE ALSO: Internal documents reveal the grueling way Tesla hit its 5,000 Model 3 target

July 30: Grimes announces on Twitter she plans to collaborate with Banks.

Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher, is a Canadian musician and producer. 

Boucher attended the Met Gala in early May with Musk. At the time, Page 6 reported the pair had met on Twitter and been "quietly dating" for the past few weeks. 

While Boucher was fated to bring Musk and Banks together, her relationship with the rapper goes back significantly longer than her romance with Musk. Back in 2014, Boucher tweeted a heart emoji at Banks' now-deactivated Twitter account. 

In summer 2018, Boucher and Banks confirmed plans to collaborate. In July, Boucher tweeted she had started a number of beats for Banks and just needed the rapper to visit Los Angeles to finish the work. 

August 7: 'Funding secured.'

"Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured," Musk tweeted on August 7, before issuing a formal statement on the company's website. 

Tesla shares skyrocketed following the tweet, rising by as much as 12%, to over $381. 

However, the tweet also plunged Tesla into intensified scrutiny. The Wall Street Journal reported on August 8 that the SEC had made an inquiry into Tesla regarding the truthfulness and motivation of Musk's tweets.

August 10: Banks arrives at one of Musk's Los Angeles properties and crosses paths with the CEO.

Banks told Business Insider she arrived early on Friday morning, with The New York Times confirming last week that she arrived at one of Musk's Los Angeles properties in the predawn hours. 

Banks said in an Instagram DM to Business Insider on August 13 Musk seemed distracted over the weekend. 

"I saw him in the kitchen tucking his tail in between his legs scrounging for investors to cover his ass after that tweet," she said. "He was stressed and red in the face."

Banks added: "He's not cute at all in person."

Banks also said that she was not trying to eavesdrop but that Musk seemed to be scrambling.

Most people probably bought their Nintendo Switch for the incredible Nintendo-made games: "Super Mario Odyssey," "Zelda: Breath of the Wild," and "Mario Kart 8" are all critically acclaimed top sellers.

But one of the best aspects of the Nintendo Switch is its ever-growing library of "indie" games from smaller-scale or independent publishers.

Nintendo lovingly calls these games "Nindies."

Indie games are perfect for the Nintendo Switch. Since they tend to be smaller and not as visually complex as console games like "Call of Duty," these games often run very smoothly on Nintendo's hardware — and they're affordable, too. But the best part is that you can take these addictive games with you: Unlike the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, any game you play on the Switch in your living room can also be played while on the go, which is perfect for long commutes or trips.

If you're wondering where to start, these are the 13 best indie games for the Nintendo Switch that are worth your money:

SEE ALSO: 10 reasons you should buy a Nintendo Switch instead of the PlayStation 4

Stardew Valley

From Nintendo:

"You've inherited your grandfather's old farm plot in Stardew Valley. Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life. Can you learn to live off the land and turn these overgrown fields into a thriving home?"

Price: $15

Super Meat Boy

From Nintendo:

"Super Meat Boy is a tough as nails platformer where you play as an animated cube of meat who's trying to save his girlfriend (who happens to be made of bandages) from an evil fetus in a jar wearing a tux."

Price: $15

Enter the Gungeon

From Nintendo:

"Enter the Gungeon is a bullet hell dungeon crawler following a band of misfits seeking to shoot, loot, dodge roll and table-flip their way to personal absolution by reaching the legendary Gungeon’s ultimate treasure: the gun that can kill the past."

Price: $15

The story of a video game called "Half-Life 3" is a long and complicated one. 

As many gamers will recall, the final installment of the "Half-Life" episodic trilogy (formally known as "Half-Life 2: Episode 3,") was first announced back in 2006, to the delight of a dedicated cult following of the series, but the game has yet to be released 12 years later, and the company behind the series has no official plans to manifest the game any time soon.

While this substantial delay would normally be enough to convince any fan base that the project had been abandoned long ago, there have been just enough cryptic updates, leaks, and rumors out of Valve, the game platform that created the franchise, to keep the Half-Life diehards on their toes, and many gamers are still holding out for the lost-but-not-forgotten conclusion to the beloved series.

And while this long, tragic story isn't likely to have a happy ending, it's a fascinating look at just how far fans of a beloved franchise will go to keep their hope alive, and how it even resulted in the creation of an internet meme that still continues to crop up on social media and forums.

So for those who haven't kept up with the series over the last 12 years, here's a brief timeline of the Half-Life saga: a tale of broken promises, disappointed fans, and undying hope: 

SEE ALSO: Microsoft's Xbox One is getting a truly bizarre-looking controller with two giant buttons — take a look

First, a quick Half-Life recap.

The Half-Life series consists of four psychological thriller, first-person shooter games that follow protagonist Gordon Freeman, a physicist who battles an alien invasion that he inadvertently helped unleash.

First released in 1998, Half-Life won over 50 Game of the Year awards and is commonly praised as one of the greatest — and most influential — games of all time. Half-Life 2 was also critically acclaimed when it came out in 2004, and became known for its relatively advanced computer graphics and incorporation of artificial intelligence.

After the second game, developers at Valve adopted a new "episodic" strategy, which involved releasing shorter games more frequently, to avoid another 6-year development gap between releases. This led to the release of Half-Life 2: Episode 1 (2006) and Half-Life 2: Episode 2 (2007).

Half-Life 2: Episode 3 was scheduled to be released for Christmas of 2007, but was delayed several times, leading many to believe the game had been abandoned. At least, at first.

In 2008, concept art featuring the games' iconic protagonists started popping up on the internet, giving fans hope that the development was just taking longer than expected.

According to the Half-Life 3 wiki by FANDOM, several sets of concept art (like the ones uploaded to Picasa by Valve artist Andrea Wicklund pictured above) started circulating online. 

At this point, the game was still being eagerly anticipated. Valve higher-ups gave vague answers to questions about the eventual release date, including marketing director Doug Lombardo, who hinted in an interview that the company "may" make an announcement at the end of the year.

They did not make an announcement at the end of 2008, or any year since.

11 filmmakers have directed one or more of the 24 "007 James Bond" films to date — but Danny Boyle will not be one of them.

The official James Bond Twitter account announced on Tuesday that Boyle — the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind "Slumdog Millionaire," "Steve Jobs," "28 Days Later," and more — exited the untitled 25th Bond film over "creative differences."

The movie is scheduled for a November 2019 release date and was supposed to start production later this year, which means a replacement director will probably be announced soon if it wants to meet the release date.

Of those 11 Bond directors, none have been a woman or person of color, so with Boyle gone, it feels like a good time to consider the likes of Steve McQueen, Kathryn Bigelow, and more.

But no matter who replaces Boyle, they'll most likely be directing star Daniel Craig in his last Bond film after he reluctantly came back for his fifth outing as the character. The pressure's on.

Below are 10 filmmakers who should direct the next James Bond movie: 

SEE ALSO: Director Danny Boyle has exited the next James Bond movie over 'creative differences'

Kathryn Bigelow

Films include: "The Hurt Locker," "Zero Dark Thirty," "Detroit"

If MGM is looking for Oscar-winning filmmakers to take over the Bond franchise, then it should set its sights on Bigelow, the only woman to ever win the best directing Oscar for the 2009 film "The Hurt Locker." Bigelow is an expert in crafting tension, as seen in her films of real-life high stakes like "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Detroit."

Scott Cooper

Films include: "Crazy Heart," "Out of the Furnace," "Black Mass," "Hostiles"

Cooper's "Hostiles," about a 19th century Army captain who reluctantly escorts a Native American family back to their tribal land, was his best film to date. It was criminally overlooked in the 2017-2018 awards circle, but proved he's ready to take on something bigger like Bond. (It's also on Netflix in the US.)

Debra Granik

Films include: "Winter's Bone," "Leave No Trace"

Granik went eight years without releasing a feature film between this year's "Leave No Trace" and 2010's "Winter's Bone," which earned a best picture Oscar nomination and Jennifer Lawrence her first best actress nomination. But she didn't lose her edge with "Leave No Trace" and would be a worthy replacement for Boyle on Bond. 

• "Crazy Rich Asians" author Kevin Kwan faces up to three years in prison if convicted of draft-dodging in his home country of Singapore.
• All men in Singapore are required to serve two years of national service.
• Kwan tried to renounce his citizenship from Singapore in 1994, but was rejected. 
• The film's Singapore premiere happened on Tuesday, but Kwan was not in attendance. 

Author Kevin Kwan, who wrote the novel "Crazy Rich Asians" that the hit film is based on, faces arrest if he returns to his home country of Singapore where the novel and film take place.

Kwan has been accused draft-dodging by the government there, and faces up to three years in prison if convicted. All men who are citizens of Singapore are required to serve at least two years of national service in the army, police, or civil defense after they turn 18. Kwan faces up to three years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine for allegedly avoiding his required service.

On Wednesday, the Singapore ministry of defense issued a statement: 

"Crazy Rich Asians" held its Singapore premiere Tuesday, and Kwan was not present. 

SEE ALSO: We talked to 'Crazy Rich Asians' author Kevin Kwan about the Herculean effort of making the first studio rom-com with Asian leads, and cosmetic surgery for fish

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