Since the year 2000, The Sims have taken the gaming world by storm. The popular game lets you play puppet master to Sim families you create. With this power comes the power to kill your Sims. We spoke with Lyndsay Pearson, Executive Producer of The Sims, to see why players are given that power and why the Grim Reaper is part of the game. Following is a transcript of the video.

Lyndsay Pearson: Something important about the world of the Sims is the Sims cannot directly hurt each other. So it really has left any sort of injurious interaction of the player choosing to do something to the Sim. And in most cases, you cannot directly smite a Sim. You have to set up a situation in which they end up having to meet the Grim Reaper in one way or another.

The reason it existed in the first place is it really is a game about all these different aspects of life. And dying is part of life. It is part of that cycle. In the original Sims, because they didn't age and time didn't pass, death was more accidental. And it actually provided an unpredictable pushback to your otherwise normal routine. The, I'm making breakfast and now I'm on fire, was sort of an unpredictable problem to solve, right?

As we introduced aging in the Sims 2, it became a time pressure for you to try and accomplish the objectives or the aspirations that your Sims had for themselves. And you'd say okay, your Sim is becoming an elder now, you really need to work to try and achieve what they want to achieve before their time has come. And as we talked about with money cheats, there are cheats to set age lengths to longer or turn off death.

There's features that let you play a game of death to win back your life. There's lots of ways to play with it. And honestly, it unlocked a new type of gameplay where your Sim could be a ghost, or your Sim could have a friendship with the Grim Reaper or play chess with him, and so we tried to turn it into - we took this dark notion of the fact that people die and tried to turn it into this kinda gamey mechanic with a little more whimsy to it.

Why are there so many ways to die? It's just funny, is really what it comes down to. 'Cause it's just like, they're not even that normal half the time. We let your Sim die of old age in Sims 2, and your Sims can starve, but it's really hard to do, honestly. So most of the other deaths are accidents, and it's being hit by a meteor, or being electrocuted when you're trying to fix something, or something that surprises you, and that really has more to do with the kind of interrupting the flow of your game. And you're trying to do this, and then all of a sudden this crazy thing happens and now what do you do?

Death by pool is pretty classic. We made it harder in Sims 3 when we let them climb out of the pool by themselves, so you just had to get a little more clever in how you trapped them. You're like wow, we've introduced this very morbid notion to a whole generation.

Where did the Grim Reaper come from originally? Well, the way things have normally appeared in the Sims is we're trying to take what some might call mundane concepts of going to work, having a job, playing out these boring parts of life, and add something a little bit whimsical or caricature-like on top of them. So rather than just having a Sim sort of fade into nothingness and just die off in a dramatic way, introducing a character gives you something to play off of.

If you're playing a household with two Sims, and one of them got electrocuted and the Grim Reaper shows up, that lets the other Sim have someone to interact with to say, "Hey, actually, I'm gonna bargain for their life." So it's a way to take this kind of abstract idea and turn it into a character that you can then interact with, it can do funny things. It really was to try and make something that was otherwise pretty devastating, especially if it's a character you spent a lot of time with, that now is just gone, try and give it a little bit of lighthearted humor to make it feel gamey rather than like, punishing.

Join the conversation about this story »

• According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix is considering giving Alfonso Cuarón's "Roma" an expanded, exclusive theatrical run before it streams on Netflix. 
• This would be a sharp pivot from its original plans, which were to release the movie on Netflix as well as in select theaters on the same day (known as "day and date").
• That's been Netflix's usual policy, which hasn't landed it in the good graces of theater chains.
• But Cuarón reportedly wants an expanded theatrical run for the movie, and Netflix wants to make its high-profile filmmakers happy while improving its awards chances.

Netflix might be softening its stance in its biggest fight with movie theaters.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix is considering giving "Roma," the Alfonso Cuarón-directed Oscar contender, an exclusive theatrical run before premiering it on the service for streaming. This would be a sharp pivot from its original plans, which were to make it available to stream the same day it ran in select theaters (called "day and date"). 

In fact, that's been Netflix's usual policy, which has never landed the company in the good graces of theatrical chains. Because of this policy, most major theater chains have refused to play Netflix movies. That stands in contrast to competitor Amazon, which gives its original movies exclusive theatrical runs before streaming (and has reaped the rewards at the Oscars).

Anonymous sources told THR that Netflix film chief Scott Stuber is pushing head of content Ted Sarandos to give the movie, and others from high-profile filmmakers, an extended theatrical run prior to its debut on Netflix in order to improve Netflix's awards-season chances and make those filmmakers happy.

Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider and declined to comment to THR.

Netflix once flirted with the idea of buying Landmark Theaters  in order to guarantee its movies play in theaters, but ultimately passed on the chance. And Business Insider reported in April that Netflix had rejected offers to play its films at some arthouse theaters, possibly out of fear of underperforming.

Netflix's lack of theatrical distribution has been a headache for the company. Earlier this year, Netflix pulled out of the Cannes Film Festival after a new rule disqualified any film without a theatrical distribution in France.

Netflix has been attracting top talent in the industry to boost its profile. Along with Cuarón and Greengrass, Netflix is premiering movies from the Coen Brothers and more at the Venice Film Festival, which began on Wednesday. But now it needs to keep them happy. 

"Roma" does not have a release date yet, but was expected to arrive on Netflix and in select theaters later this year. Netflix's official description of the movie is, "A story that chronicles a tumultuous year in the life of a middle-class family in Mexico City in the early 1970s." 

Learn details about Netflix's other movies that are premiering at Venice here.

Watch the "Roma" trailer below:

SEE ALSO: Netflix wants to kickstart its Oscar chances with these 6 movies

Join the conversation about this story »

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

• DC's upcoming streaming service, DC Universe, will launch September 15.
• Its first original live-action series, "Titans," will premiere October 12, with episodes released weekly.
• DC Entertainment CCO Jim Lee spoke to Business Insider about how DC Universe is different than other streaming services like Netflix.
• He addressed the controversy around the first gritty trailer for "Titans," and revealed that "Doom Patrol" characters will be introduced in "Titans."
• Lee also touched on how introducing people to Batman is one of the easiest ways to get new fans hooked on comics and DC Universe.

DC Entertainment and Warner Bros.' new streaming service, DC Universe, finally has a release date: Batman Day (September 15).

The announcement was made during a live show of "DC Daily," hosted by Kevin Smith, on Wednesday. The service will be $74.99 for an annual subscription, or $7.99 a month. The premiere date for the service's first live-action original series, "Titans," is October 12, with each of the 12 episodes released weekly.

DC Universe will include numerous original series, both live action and animated, which are expected to be rolled out following "Titans." The service will also include a huge collection of digital comic books that span decades of material, including the first appearances of Superman and Batman, and DC-specific film and television adaptations.

It's this emphasis on fan service that separates DC Universe from other streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon. Netflix in particular is expected to have at least 1,000 original shows and movies by year's end, but DC Universe is more concerned about being a platform for fans of DC, which is home to classic characters like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, and more.

"DC Universe is not an attempt to be everything to everyone," Jim Lee, CCO of DC Entertainment and a veteran comic book artist, told Business Insider. "It’s an attempt to be the most immersive experience for fans of the DC characters and stories."

Lee said DC was the first comics publisher to offer its comic books on digital platforms the same day they were available in print (in 2011), so DC Universe was a natural next step. The comics industry has managed to sustain print publication for decades, but as with any media, it has had to adapt to technological changes in recent years. Even Netflix has entered the comics game, buying comics publisher Millarworld last year in an exclusive deal to develop TV projects based on its comics.

"We’ve always been very cognizant that fans want to find our material in a way that’s most convenient and find it in the most easily accessible way," Lee said. "It’s always sort of a mandate to look at technology and trends and figure out the best way to deliver content."

That evolution may be integral to attracting casual fans or even those who have never read a comic book (to which Lee joked "shame on you!" with a laugh).

Lee said casual fans most likely know DC Comics characters through other media, such as movies and TV, and that DC Universe offers them a chance to dive into the long history where those characters originated: comic books. One of the easiest ways for new fans to immerse themselves in DC mythology is by introducing them to Batman, according to Lee.

"He’s a character who just works on a very high-concept level," Lee explained. "He was a child who endured a horrible tragedy. He saw his parents killed in front of him and he vows to not let this happen to anyone in Gotham City ever again and he dedicates his life to fighting for justice and being a champion for those that are marginalized. That’s a very powerful concept."

Lee added that some of DC's best content are Batman stories, such as "Year One" and "The Dark Knight Returns" — both written by veteran comics writer Frank Miller — so it's an "amazing experience getting into the history of Batman." 

But for the "Titans" original series, the show's depiction of Batman's protege Robin caused quite a stir when the first trailer was released last month. The show's Robin, played by Brenton Thwaites, isn't exactly a fan of the Caped Crusader, and the trailer was ridiculed for a scene in which Robin exclaims "F--- Batman!" while murdering a group of thugs.

The full trailer is below:

The trailer's darkness and grisly violence drew criticism from fans online, but Lee thinks fans should wait for the final product.

"It's a trailer," Lee said. "It’s a glimpse at some of the series. But at the end of the day the core concept behind the Titans is that they are a bit lost and broken when they start out. The reason they identify with one another is because they are looking for unity and family and connection to people with whom they see themselves. I think that’s one of the elements that’s stressed in that trailer is that these characters — particularly Robin with his 'memorable line' — is trying to reject his past because there’s something that’s happened in Gotham and he’s trying to forge his own path and not fall into the same temptations that he saw his mentor [Batman] fall into. So in that respect I think it’s true to the core concept."

Lee said he'd spoken with Marv Wolfman, the writer and co-creator of the 1980s "The New Teen Titans" comic book series, since the trailer debuted, and that Wolfman had nothing but praise for it.

"[Wolfman] said, ‘Look, if I had the opportunity to tell that story without the limitations that I had back in the 80s, I would have been very tempted to tell it this way because that’s how young people talk and feel — they are very emotive and expressive in their language,’" Lee said. "I think that it’s a gracious way to tell this story and shows that stories have to evolve and change with the times."

Lee also revealed that characters from another DC Universe original series, "Doom Patrol," would be introduced in "Titans." Not all of DC Universe's shows will be connected in that way, but Lee said that the platform gives creators the freedom to do so.

"We can give showrunners the freedom to find the best way to tell the best possible stories with these characters," he said. 

Other shows expected to come in 2019 are "Swamp Thing," adult-animated comedy "Harley Quinn," and the third season of "Young Justice," rebranded as "Young Justice: Outsiders."

SEE ALSO: There are major signs that Ben Affleck will not return as Batman in the next solo movie

Join the conversation about this story »

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

• Carl Schramm resigned from the board of Helios and Matheson Analytics, MoviePass' parent company.
• In his resignation letter, Schramm raised concerns about the corporate governance of Helios and accused management of witholding material information from the board for months.
• The past few months have been tumultuous for MoviePass and its parent company, which has instituted a series of unpopular changes designed to combat its massive cash burn.
• Helios pushed back on Schramm's concerns and said it was "unaware of any unanswered requests for information by Mr. Schramm."

Carl Schramm has resigned from the board of MoviePass' parent company, Helios and Matheson Analytics, the company disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Thursday.

In Schramm's resignation letter, he said that for several months he'd raised "questions and expressed concerned about the corporate governance" of Helios, and he accused management of withholding material information from the board for months. He also criticized management for not giving the board "sufficient time" to examine "complex documents, to review significant transactions, or to discuss how the proposed actions fit into the company's strategic plan."

"These concerns have increased substantially over the past eight weeks as management apparently has made a number of important corporate decisions and executed significant transactions either without board knowledge or approval, or in board meetings initiated with only a few hours of advance notice by email (at least one of which I did not even know had been called until the meeting had concluded)," Schramm continued. "Just last week, I learned that management withheld material information from the board for several months."

Schramm is a professor at Syracuse University and formerly ran the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a non-profit focused on entrepreneurship and education. He'd served on the board of Helios since November, 2016, a few months before the company took a majority stake in popular movie-theater subscription app MoviePass last summer.

The last two months have been tumultuous for MoviePass and its parent company. As over three million subscribers have flocked to the service, it has struggled to keep its cash burn, which rose to an estimated $45 million in July, under control. After the service shut off in late July because the company temporarily ran out of money, Helios took an emergency loan of $5 million to turn it back on. In the wake of the loan, MoviePass made drastic changes to its business model. First, MoviePass announced that it would raise prices to $14.95 and ban major blockbusters from the app, at least for the first few weeks. After subscriber outcry, MoviePass quickly reversed those changes and instead instituted a cap of three movies per month (the service previously allowed one movie per day).

Despite Helios management saying the changes to MoviePass had helped slow its cash burn dramatically, the stock price has not recovered. It's currently trading at around $0.02.

Helios pushed back on Schramm's concerns in the Thursday filing.

"The company is unaware of any unanswered requests for information by Mr. Schramm," the filing states. "The board and committees of which Mr. Schramm was a member have met at least 25 times at duly convened meetings thus far in 2018, and the company firmly believes that it has kept the board fully informed and has provided all information needed for board members to exercise their responsibilities."

This is not the first controversy surrounding Helios' board. In June, Business Insider reported that current Helios board member, Muralikrishna Gadiyaram, was under investigation in India after allegations of major fraud involving Helios' former parent company, Helios and Matheson Information Technology.

Here is the full resignation letter from Schramm, addressed to Helios CEO Ted Farnsworth:

As you know, for several months now, I have raised questions and expressed concerns about the corporate governance of Helios and Matheson Analytics, Inc. (the "Company"). I have sought, often unsuccessfully, information about the Company's financial status and operations, and explanations of Company strategy. I have objected to the manner in which a number of business decisions have been presented to the Board of Directors by management, without sufficient time for the Board to examine complex documents, to review significant transactions, or to discuss how the proposed actions fit into the Company's strategic plan.

These concerns have increased substantially over the past eight weeks as management apparently has made a number of important corporate decisions and executed significant transactions either without Board knowledge or approval, or in Board meetings initiated with only a few hours of advance notice by email (at least one of which I did not even know had been called until the meeting had concluded). Just last week, I learned that management withheld material information from the Board for several months.

These and other actions have interfered with my ability to exercise my responsibilities as a board member. Taken together, they confirm that, despite my best efforts, my ability to effectively dis charge my duties as a director has been compromised beyond repair.

Accordingly, effective immediately, I hereby resign from the Board of Directors of Helios and Matheson Analytics, Inc., and from any and all committees of which I am a member.

In accordance with Section 11(b)(1) of the Securities Act, from this date forward, I disclaim any and all responsibility for any part of any registration statement filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission by or on behalf of Helios and Matheson Analytics, Inc., or any of its affiliates, including but not limited to the Form S-3 filed on January 25, 2018, the Form S-3 filed on July 2, 2018, and any other corporate filings.

Join the conversation about this story »

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

• Marvel has removed an anti-Mormon reference from the digital edition of a recent "Amazing Spider-Man" comic, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, will remove it in future print editions, as well.
• The controversial image refers to a book called "CES Letter," which aims to "get official answers from the LDS [Mormon] Church on its troubling origins, history, and practices."
• Marvel told THR that the artwork "was included without awareness by Marvel of its meaning."
• The artist, Ryan Ottley, told THR, "I have no animosity toward members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My entire family are members, as are many of my friends."

Comic books aren't without their controversies, and Marvel is trying to reel in its latest one by removing an image from digital and future print editions of a Spider-Man comic.

In the fourth issue of Marvel's relaunched "Amazing Spider-Man" comic, which went on sale in print and on digital platforms August 22, artist Ryan Ottley included a reference to an anti-Mormon book called "CES Letter." The book, written by Jeremy Runnels, details Runnels' quest to "get official answers from the LDS [Mormon] Church on its troubling origins, history, and practices," according to the book's official description. 

The issue's storyline follows a Spider-Man stripped of the morals and responsibility of Peter Parker in a freak accident, who is now taking TV interviews and corporate sponsorships. During one interview, Spider-Man is wearing a number of sponsored patches on his costume, including one that reads "CES Letter."

The image is below:

Marvel has already removed the image in the digital edition of the comic, and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, will remove it in a second print edition to be released on September 19.

"The art reference in Amazing Spider-Man #4 was included without awareness by Marvel of its meaning," Marvel told THR in a statement. "As a policy, Marvel does not permit hidden controversial messages in its artwork. The reference will be removed from all subsequent printings, digital versions and trade paperbacks."

Ottley also provided a statement to THR.

"I’ve spoken with Marvel about my recent artwork, and I have no animosity toward members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," he said. "My entire family are members, as are many of my friends, and I would never include anything mean-spirited about them or their beliefs. The reference was in regards to a subject I am interested in and a personal decision I made in my life. It has nothing to do with the character, the story or Marvel."

The new artwork is below:

This isn't the first time Marvel has removed controversial images from a comic. An issue of "X-Men Gold" was criticized for including anti-Semitic messages last year, and Marvel removed the images, by artist Ardian Syaf, from the digital editions and print editions that followed. Like this case with the "Amazing Spider-Man" comic, Marvel did not realize the messages were included, and said that the art "was inserted without knowledge behind its reported meanings."

SEE ALSO: A DC Comics exec gave us a rundown of its upcoming streaming service, and addressed the controversy over the violent 'Titans' trailer

Join the conversation about this story »

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

Setting off the fall TV season, a few fan-favorite shows shows are returning with new seasons next month.

SEE ALSO: The 5 most anticipated new TV shows premiering in September

5. "The Good Place" (Season 3) — Premieres September 27 on NBC

Summary: "The show follows Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell, 'House of Lies,' 'Veronica Mars'), an ordinary woman who enters the afterlife and, thanks to some kind of error, is sent to the Good Place instead of the Bad Place, which is definitely where she belongs."

4. "BoJack Horseman" (Season 5) — Premieres September 14 on Netflix

Summary: "Meet the most beloved sitcom horse of the '90s, 20 years later. He’s a curmudgeon with a heart of...not quite gold...but something like gold. Copper?"

3. "American Horror Story: Apocalypse" (Season 8) — Premieres September 12 on FX

Summary: "A groundbreaking anthology horror drama series created and produced by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk."

• "La La Land" director Damien Chazelle's new Neil Armstrong biopic "First Man" earned rave reviews after its premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday.
• Ryan Gosling stars as Armstrong in the film alongside Claire Foy.
• Through an adaptation of James R. Hansen's biography of Armstrong, "First Man" depicts the challenges that led up to NASA's historic Apollo 11 mission in 1969.

"La La Land" and "Whiplash" director Damien Chazelle's latest film, "First Man," a biopic of astronaut Neil Armstrong starring Ryan Gosling, has earned rave reviews from critics following its premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday. 

Gosling stars as Armstrong in "First Man," alongside Claire Foy as Armstrong's wife, Jan. The film depicts the turbulent build-up to NASA's historic Apollo 11 mission in 1969, through an adaptation of James R. Hansen's biography of Armstrong.

Critics who saw the movie at Venice have praised it as a gripping and hyper-realistic representation of the challenges that came with being the first man to step foot on the moon.

With 12 reviews out of the Venice premiere, "First Man" stands at a 92% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Owen Gleiberman from Variety called the film a "turbulently spectacular and enthralling drama" that is "so revelatory in its realism, so gritty in its physicality, that it becomes a drama of thrillingly hellbent danger and obsession."

Gleiberman also wrote in his review that the authenticity of "First Man" made the Oscar-winning 1995 space drama "Apollo 13" "look like a puppet show." 

In a review for The Playlist, Jessica Klang labeled the film "an immersive, immaculately crafted, often spectacular and satisfyingly old-fashioned epic that may well become the definitive moon-landing movie."

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter called it a "sober, contemplative picture" with "emotional involvement, visceral tension, and yes, even suspense, in addition to stunning technical craft."

"First Man" opens nationwide on October 12. 

Watch the trailer for the film below:

SEE ALSO: The 69 worst science fiction movies of all time, according to critics

Join the conversation about this story »

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

• Snapchat users discovered on Thursday morning that the app's map labeled New York City as "Jewtropolis."
• The cause was the vandalism of the mapping software from Mapbox, a third-party company that supplies mapping information to Snapchat, StreetEasy, and Citi Bike.
• The change went unnoticed by Mapbox, and was visible for a few hours Thursday morning until being fixed about 9 a.m. ET. 
• Mapbox confirmed that it was an act of human vandalism, but it still isn't sure how the change was able to slip through the cracks unnoticed.

Snapchat users took to social media to post screenshots showing the Snap Map labeling New York City as "Jewtropolis" early Thursday morning.

The cause? It turns out that the mapping software company Mapbox, used by Snapchat, the Weather Channel, StreetEasy, Citi Bike, and more, was vandalized to display the anti-Semitic moniker in place of New York City.

The company said the issue was resolved shortly before 9 AM ET.

Mapbox is utilized by a variety of developers, and used by over 400 million people per month, but not all services that rely on Mapbox's data were affected by the vandalism. Other companies like Vice and Vox that use Mapbox did not seem to be affected, The Verge reported. 

In a statement to Tech Crunch, Mapbox CEO and founder Eric Gundersen said Mapbox uses humans and AI to check for vandalism, but the company is still looking into how this particular act of vandalism slipped through the cracks. Mapbox did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. 

"This is now 100 percent fixed and should have never happened. It’s disgusting," Gundersen told Tech Crunch. "We’re constantly scanning for this, and it’s an error on our part [to have missed it].”

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Everything wrong with the iPhone

• The maker of the enormously popular game "League of Legends," Riot Games, is a massive game studio with thousands of employees.
• The studio was recently accused of fostering a sexist, hostile work environment.
• Riot acknowledged the accusations on Wednesday and issued an apology.
• "We’re sorry. We’re sorry that Riot hasn’t always been — or wasn’t — the place we promised you. And we’re sorry it took so long for us to hear you," the post reads.

The Los Angeles-based game studio behind the massively popular game "League of Legends" has apologized following repeated accusations of fostering a hostile, sexist work environment.

In a letter published Wednesday titled, "Our First Steps Forward," Riot Games apologized to former and current employees, the people who play "League of Legends," and its business partners.

"We're sorry," the letter says. "We’re sorry that Riot hasn’t always been — or wasn’t — the place we promised you. And we’re sorry it took so long for us to hear you."

The apology letter is the first open admission from Riot Games of a culture problem — one that was first reported by Kotaku in an investigative piece published in early August, then resurfaced by a former high-level Riot Games employee this week.

"The frequency and intensity of inappropriate behavior in the workplace had become a concern not long after I arrived," Barry Hawkins, who was a director of product management at Riot Games, wrote on his blog in a piece titled "The Story of Why I Left Riot Games."

"There were two predominant flavors of behavior," he said. "One was the use of sexual references and gestures by straight men toward other straight men, and the other was the sexist and inappropriate language about women."

What led Hawkins to leave Riot, he said, was an incident involving Riot Games' former CEO Brandon Beck at an off-site event held for hiring managers in 2013:

"They shared an example of how one candidate did not take an offer initially, but because we persevered and followed up, they eventually did take our offer. At the end of that example, Brandon laughed and said, 'I was about to say something.' He paused, and then went on to say, 'No doesn't necessarily mean no.'"

More than just a joke during the speech, the anecdote ended up enshrined in a slide deck, Hawkins said.

It was this that led Hawkins to leave Riot Games — in an email follow-up, Hawkins said he politely confronted the Riot Games CEO, which led to a series of meetings that eventually persuaded him to leave. He now works for Hulu as a director of technical program management.

Beck stepped down as CEO of Riot Games in late 2017. The company's new CEO, Nicolo Laurent, is overseeing a freshly formed group within Riot that aims to evolve the company's culture.

"We’ve built a new team to lead our cultural evolution," Riot's letter reads. "This group and their work will impact every corner of this organization, and will also accelerate our existing cultural and inclusion work. We are all committed to keeping the best parts of today’s Riot—like our focus on player empathy—while tirelessly looking toward the future. The team will be accountable to our CEO directly."

Moreover, Beck and co-founder Marc Merrill are recusing themselves, "from matters relating to the broad culture, diversity, and inclusion initiative," a Riot Games representative told Business Insider this morning.

Read the full letter from Riot Games right here.

SEE ALSO: One of the world's biggest game studios has been hit with multiple allegations of fostering a hostile, sexist work environment

Join the conversation about this story »

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

• The upcoming Neil Armstrong biopic "First Man" omits the American flag being planted on the moon.
• Star Ryan Gosling defended the decision and said Armstrong's mission to the moon was "widely regarded in the end as a human achievement."
• He added, "I don't think that Neil viewed himself as an American hero," and that the movie reflects Armstrong's humility.
• The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday to rave reviews.

The upcoming Neil Armstrong biopic "First Man," from "Whiplash" and "La La Land" director Damien Chazelle, premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday to rave reviews and early Oscar buzz. But the movie doesn't include a key scene in Armstrong's mission to the moon and an integral moment in American history.

The movie omits the American flag being planted on the moon, and the movie's star Ryan Gosling, who plays Armstrong, defended the decision when asked about it at Venice (via The Telegraph).

Gosling, who's Canadian, argued that the first voyage to the moon was a "human achievement" that didn't just represent an American accomplishment, and that's how Armstrong viewed it.

"I think this was widely regarded in the end as a human achievement [and] that's how we chose to view it," Gosling. "I also think Neil was extremely humble, as were many of these astronauts, and time and time again he deferred the focus from himself to the 400,000 people who made the mission possible."

Gosling added, "He was reminding everyone that he was just the tip of the iceberg - and that's not just to be humble, that's also true. So I don't think that Neil viewed himself as an American hero. From my interviews with his family and people that knew him, it was quite the opposite. And we wanted the film to reflect Neil."

Gosling also joked that he's Canadian, so he "might have cognitive bias."

"First Man" arrives in theaters October 12 and also stars "The Crown" star Claire Foy as Armstrong's wife, Janet. It currently has a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.

SEE ALSO: 'La La Land' director's Neil Armstrong biopic 'First Man' starring Ryan Gosling got rave reviews after premiere

Join the conversation about this story »

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

• Australian actor Damon Herriman has been cast as Charles Manson in Netflix's "Mindhunter" season 2, according to Collider.
• The Wrap reported this week that Herriman is also playing Manson in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."
• "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" takes place in the 1960s, while "Mindhunter" will take place in the 80s.

Talk about typecasting — the same actor will reportedly play cult leader and murderer Charles Manson in two upcoming projects.

Australian actor Damon Herriman will play Manson in the second season of Netlix's "Mindhunter," according to Collider. And TheWrap reported on Tuesday that Herriman was also cast as Manson in Quentin Tarantino's next film, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."

Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The former would take place in the 1980s, when Manson is already locked away, while the latter will take place in the 1960s. "Mindhunter" follows two FBI agents who begin interviewing imprisoned murderers, which leads to the term "serial killer" being coined. "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" is about the murder of Sharon Tate, played by Margot Robbie, by the Manson Family.

Sources told Collider that Herriman already shot his scenes for "Mindhunter" in July. Herriman played a role in "Top of the Lake: China Girl" last year and has been filming the thriller "The Nightingale," from "The Babadook" director Jennifer Kent. He also appeared in FX's "Justified."

"Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" comes to theaters July 26, 2019. "Mindhunter" season 2 does not have a release date yet.

SEE ALSO: Neil Armstrong movie 'First Man' omits the American flag being planted on the moon, and star Ryan Gosling defended the decision

Join the conversation about this story »

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

"Star Wars." "Alien." "The Terminator." "Harry Potter." All of these film franchises and more are anchored by some of the most iconic female characters of all time. 

DirecTV surveyed 1,003 people about who they thought were the most iconic female film protagonists ever and provided the results to Business Insider.

Below are the 17 characters people found the most iconic, ranked by the percentage of people that cited each character. Respondents were given a list of 70 female characters to vote on (here's the full list), with a write-in option available.

The survey also asked people what films or franchises they would most like to see remade with female protagonists. The top result for films people would like to see with a woman in the lead role was the "James Bond" franchise with 15.4%, followed by "Indiana Jones" (13.8%), and "Mission: Impossible" (11.1%).

The top result for movies that people want to see remade with an all-female cast were "The Hangover" with 12.6%, followed by "Fight Club" (10.2%), and "Men in Black" (9.6%).

The results below are based on female and male votes, but broken down between men and women, the results were slightly different. Women found Leia Organa from "Star Wars" the most iconic, while men found Ellen Ripley from "Alien" the most iconic.

Below are the 17 most iconic film protagonists of all time, based on a DirecTV survey:

SEE ALSO: A DC Comics exec gave us a rundown of its upcoming streaming service, and addressed the controversy over the violent 'Titans' trailer

17. Marry Poppins

Percentage: 1.8%

Movie: "Mary Poppins" (1964)

Played by: Julie Andrews

16. Erin Brockovich

Percentage: 1.8%

Movie: "Erin Brockovich" (2000)

Played by: Julia Roberts

15. Belle

Percentage: 1.8%

Movie: "Beauty and the Beast" (1991)

Voiced by: Paige O'Hara

• The founders of Cousins Maine Lobster appeared on "Shark Tank" in 2012. They landed a $55,000 deal with Barbara Corcoran.
• When the "Shark Tank" producers initially reached out to them, the founders declined — twice — because their business was only two months old.
• Looking back, they say going on the show was one of the best decisions they've ever made.

Cousins Maine Lobster opened for business in April 2012. In July, they landed a $55,000 deal with Barbara Corcoran on "Shark Tank."

But the Cousins Maine Lobster founders — Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac — very nearly missed out on this opportunity.

Tselikis told Business Insider that the "Shark Tank" producers reached out to them and invited them to try out for the show shortly after Cousins Maine Lobster launched. The founders declined — twice.

"Looking back," Tselikis said, "it's one of those things where you think, 'What the hell were we thinking?' But what we were thinking was: We have two months of business, we don't know where we're headed, we don't have a lot of history to justify certain valuations."

What's more, Tselikis said, they didn't know how or whether they wanted to scale their company. At the time, Cousins Maine Lobster was a lone food truck in southern California.

Finally, the founders relented and agreed to try out for "Shark Tank."

Initially, they were asking for $55,000 in exchange for 5% of their company, noting that they couldn't keep up with customer demand and needed the Sharks' help.

Unsurprisingly, some of the Sharks were skeptical. Kevin O'Leary (a.k.a. "Mr. Wonderful") couldn't fathom why the founders were valuing the business at over $1 million, given that they had just $150,000 in sales so far.

Daymond John said the founders' valuation was "crazy" and asked them to give him their best offer. Tselikis and Lomac came back with 7% to 8%. John declined and went out.

Robert Herjavec then offered the founders $55,000 for 25%. The founders turned him down, so he offered them $100,000 instead.

"You don't need that much money," said Barbara Corcoran, adding that she was a "genius marketer" and sharing all the ways she'd change the company's branding.

After a quick round of negotiations, Corcoran and the founders agreed on a deal: $55,000 in exchange for 15% of the company.

Today, according to the company's website, they have 20 trucks in 13 cities throughout the US and restaurants in cities including Taichung, Taiwan. According to Money, the company brought in more than $20 million in 2017.

Tselikis said of the company's appearance on "Shark Tank," "Looking back, it's probably one of the best decisions we ever made."

SEE ALSO: Startup founders who convinced 'Shark Tank' sharks like Mark Cuban to invest say too many entrepreneurs overlook a crucial element of a winning pitch

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 'Shark Tank' star Barbara Corcoran: How I went from a 10-kid household and more than 20 jobs to become a real estate mogul

• At a Indianapolis Colts luncheon on Wednesday, Peyton Manning gave a behind the scenes account of his United Way sketch on "Saturday Night Live" in 2007.
• The retired NFL quarterback was supposed to hit child actors with a football, but he wanted to stop because he felt uncomfortable.
• But then one of the parents begged him to hit their kid.

One of Peyton Manning's most famous "Saturday Night Live" sketches almost didn't happen.

Speaking at the 2018 Indianapolis Colts kickoff lunch on Wednesday, TMZ reported, the former Colts quarterback gave a behind-the-scenes account of his 2007 "SNL" hosting gig.

One of the most enduring sketches to come out of the episode was a digital short spoofing Manning's ads for the United Way organization.

The script called for Manning to play touch football with a group of kids, and get too competitive — striking multiple kids with his laser-like throws.

While the ball they were working with was a Nerf football made to look like a real pigskin, Manning said he was still uncomfortable looking like he was actually hitting kids.

"I remember the director said, 'Peyton, you're a charitable guy, this is why it's going to be funny. And it's only going to work if you're all in, and you whack these kids right in the head.' And I kept saying my mother is going to be so disappointed," Manning recalled.

He gave it a go, but found it "very awkward and uncomfortable" hitting the child actors in front of their parents. So he finally told the director he couldn't do it. Manning said the director was accommodating, saying they didn't have to do something that put Manning out of his comfort zone.

But Manning quickly changed his mind when one of the child actors' parents came up to him and begged him to hit their child.

"And right then, I cannot make this up, one of the parents of the child actors runs out onto the set and tells the director, 'I want him to hit my kid in the face!,'" Manning recalled. "I said, 'I will do it. I will knock your kid out."

Manning, who retired from the NFL in 2015, now has two children of his own, 7-year-old twins Marshall and Mosley.

Watch the full sketch below:

SEE ALSO: Odell Beckham Jr was such a prodigy in high school that Peyton Manning rigged a drill just to be able to work with him

DON'T MISS The NFL's biggest quarterback problem was quietly fixed thanks to players starting earlier and lasting longer

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What it takes to be a World Cup soccer player

• Amazon looks set to become the second US company to reach a market capitalization of $1 trillion.
• But it could grow to be much bigger than that, says Daniel Morgan, a portfolio manager at Synovus Trust.
• Amazon's cloud business is growing rapidly in a fast-growing industry, he noted.
• Meanwhile, it has an advertising business that few are paying attention to that has the potential to rival Google and Facebook, he said.

Amazon is close to becoming the second US public company ever to hit a market capitalization of $1 trillion, but if you ask Daniel Morgan, it's got plenty of headroom after that.

The e-commerce giant's cloud business, Amazon Web Services, is growing rapidly and that growth looks set to continue, said Morgan, a senior portfolio manager at Synovus Trust, an investment firm that owns shares in Amazon. Meanwhile, he said, Amazon has a kind of under-the-radar business that's already making lots of money, is on track to more than double in size this year, and has plenty of potential — advertising.

"They're positioned so well right now," Morgan said.

Amazon's shares closed regular trading Thursday at $2,002.38, giving it a market capitalization of $977 billion. Its stock will have to get to a little higher than $2,050 a share for the company to reach a valuation of $1 trillion, given its current share count. Morgan doesn't think it will hit that level this week, but thinks it won't take much for it to get there.

Regardless, he's in it for the long haul, in part because of AWS. Amazon's cloud business holds about 30% of the market of the core cloud computing market, putting it far ahead of its rivals, including Microsoft and IBM.

The cloud and advertising are driving Amazon's growth

AWS continues to grow rapidly; in the second quarter, its sales grew by 49% over the same period a year earlier. And it could continue to do so for years to come; Morgan estimates that the cloud computing market as a whole will grow at a 33% compounded annual growth rate through 2020.

"This cloud phenomenon to me is huge," he said.

But many Amazon investors are focused on AWS. What they don't seem to be paying much attention to is Amazon's ad business, Morgan said.

The company's "other" revenue, which largely comes from advertising, hit $2.2 billion in the second quarter, which was up a whopping 132% from the same period last year. This fiscal year, Amazon's other revenue should reach $10.3 billion, accounting for some 8% to 10% of its total sales, he projects.

And that could be only the start of its rapid growth. To Morgan, Amazon has the potential to be the third major player in digital advertising, alongside Google and Facebook. To him, here's what Amazon has going for it:

• It has data that's valuable to advertisers. Google knows what you're searching for, and Facebook knows your friends and interests, but Amazon knows what you shop for and buy, Morgan noted.
• It's got the resources to compete. Amazon has the money and reach to compete toe-to-toe with digital advertising's Big Two, he said.
• It has its own streaming video network. Amazon's Prime video service has million of users who tune in regularly to watch shows such as "The Man in the High Castle" and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." The company knows what people are watching, who they are, and what they like to buy — data that could potentially fuel a profitable ad business, if Amazon can figure out how to do it without alienating users that have gotten used to commercial-free viewing, Morgan said.
• Its the leader in the smart speaker market. Amazon's Echo speakers are now in millions of homes and its Alexa assistant, which underlies them, could eventually be in many more, now that other companies are using it in their own devices. That ability to reach so many consumers along with the data that Amazon has on their shopping habits could make audio ads distributed through Alexa another big opportunity for the company, he said.

"This is something a lot of people don't talk about," he said, referring to Amazon's advertising business. "It's under the weeds." 

But, he continued, the ad business, could be "another gold mine."

SEE ALSO: Amazon's stock popped 3% after it blew Wall Street away by reporting a record $2.5 billion profit

SEE ALSO: Amazon is increasingly tying Whole Foods to its Prime service – and it could be the gateway to $1 trillion

SEE ALSO: Amazon just bagged $2 billion in ad sales — and insiders think it's going to start giving Facebook and Google a run for their money

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: We used a headset that transforms your brain activity into a light display — here's how it works

• A new report in The Daily Beast cites unnamed sources as saying NBC News' general counsel called the journalist Ronan Farrow multiple times last year and threatened to launch a "smear" campaign against him if he kept reporting on the movie producer Harvey Weinstein.
• NBC News last year declined to publish Farrow's reporting on allegations of sexual harassment and assault against Weinstein, and the reasons remain unclear.
• Rich McHugh, a producer Farrow worked with on the story, also said NBC executives "ordered" him to stop reporting on the story. NBC News has denied that characterization and said it declined the story over concerns about Farrow's sourcing.
• Farrow ultimately took his reporting to The New Yorker, where his stories won him a Pulitzer Prize.

NBC News executives have been accused of threatening to launch a smear campaign against the journalist Ronan Farrow last year if he continued reporting on the allegations against the movie producer Harvey Weinstein, The Daily Beast reported on Thursday.

Farrow, who at the time worked at NBC News, started investigating allegations of sexual harassment and assault against Weinstein as early as November 2016, The Daily Beast said, citing unnamed sources.

The network declined to publish Farrow's reporting on the subject but allowed him to take it to another outlet. Farrow ended up publishing multiple stories about sexual-harassment allegations in The New Yorker, which won him a Pulitzer Prize in public service last year.

Now, sources are adding detail to what remain unclear circumstances surrounding NBC News' decision to pass on the story.

Citing multiple unnamed sources, The Daily Beast on Thursday said that the network's general counsel, Susan Weiner, made multiple phone calls to Farrow and threatened to smear him if he continued reporting on Weinstein.

The Daily Beast did not give further details as to the nature of those alleged calls, though it quoted an NBC representative as denying the allegations as "absolutely false."

"There's no truth to that all," the person reportedly said. "There is no chance, in no version of the world, that Susan Weiner would tell Ronan Farrow what he could or could not report on."

Also Thursday, Rich McHugh, a producer Farrow worked with on the Weinstein story at NBC News, was quoted by The New York Times as saying he had been "ordered to stop" reporting on the story by executives. He reiterated those claims in a statement published Friday morning.

McHugh left NBC News about two weeks ago. In Friday's statement, he indicated he left the network over what he viewed as its reluctance to pursue the Weinstein story. Read his statement below.

Why did NBC News refuse to publish the story?

NBC News has disputed McHugh's characterization of the events leading to its passing on the story.

"The assertion that NBC News tried to kill the Weinstein story while Ronan Farrow was at NBC News, or even more ludicrously, after he left NBC News, is an outright lie," an NBC News representative told Business Insider in a statement.

NBC News said it allowed Farrow to pursue the story for a different outlet in August of last year because Weinstein's accusers were not willing to go on the record at the time.

Noah Oppenheim, the president of NBC News, told The Times that the network "repeatedly made clear to Ronan and Rich McHugh the standard for publication is we needed at least one credible on-the-record victim or witness of misconduct." He continued: "And we never met that threshold while Ronan was reporting for us."

He added that McHugh "was never told to stop in the way he's implying."

When Farrow's first story about the accusations was published in The New Yorker in October, however, he named several of Weinstein's accusers.

In response to McHugh's claims, Farrow told The Times in a statement: "Rich is a fantastic producer and journalist. He's a person of integrity, and he cared deeply about the investigative stories we worked on together and the importance of seeing them through."

Chris Francescani, a journalist who worked with McHugh at NBC News in 2016, sided with McHugh and Farrow's version of the events. "McHugh and Farrow are telling the truth," he tweeted. "NBC News executives are not."

Reached by Business Insider on Friday, a representative for The New Yorker said Farrow had "no comment beyond what he told The New York Times."

A report by HuffPost published in October said that during Farrow's reporting process, Oppenheim had relayed claims by Weinstein's lawyers that Farrow had a conflict of interest in reporting the story because Weinstein had helped revive the career of Farrow's estranged father, the director Woody Allen.

But the network's critics believe there's more to it. "Something else must have been going on," McHugh said in his Friday statement.

Farrow suspected that Oppenheim might even have been communicating with Weinstein directly about the story, The Daily Beast said, citing its sources. Oppenheim had been moonlighting as a screenwriter in Hollywood, having written for films including "Jackie." It's not clear whether Oppenheim had been working on any films with Weinstein at the time.

Last summer, according to The Daily Beast, Oppenheim had mentioned to Farrow that Weinstein objected to Farrow's reporting — before Farrow had even asked Weinstein to comment on the allegations. An NBC News representative told The Daily Beast that Oppenheim never spoke with Weinstein about Farrow's investigation.

The Times noted that NBC News did not devote any airtime to covering the allegations against Weinstein on the day The Times first revealed them, while other national news broadcasters like CBS and ABC did.

Alleged threats from Weinstein's people

Both McHugh and The Daily Beast's sources also described threats from Weinstein's associates to NBC News, McHugh, and Farrow.

"Externally, I had Weinstein associates calling me repeatedly," McHugh told The Times. "I knew that Weinstein was calling NBC executives directly. One time it even happened when we were in the room."

According to The Daily Beast's sources, Charles Harder, an attorney for Weinstein, also sent legal threats to Farrow and other NBC News producers claiming that the network had assured him that Farrow would not use any of the reporting about Weinstein he obtained while working for the network. Business Insider has contacted Harder for comment on this. NBC News did not comment on it to Business Insider.

"We immediately were clear with Weinstein's legal team that we disputed the characterizations," the NBC News representative told The Daily Beast.

Weinstein has repeatedly denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex. He was charged with rape, criminal sex conduct act, sex abuse, and sexual misconduct in New York in May and is not allowed out of the states of New York and Connecticut.

Farrow is writing a book, called "Catch and Kill," which is expected to detail NBC News executives' refusal to publish his story on Weinstein.

SEE ALSO: NBC has some serious explaining to do

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What's going on with Elon Musk

2018 has been a great year for movies that has reinvigorated the box office. But every year comes with the obvious duds at the cinema, and this summer is no exception.

That statement is especially true for August, which saw an unusually high number of movies that were torn apart by critics and bombed at the box office (thanks goodness for "Crazy Rich Asians"). This August was just a dumping ground for bad movies.

We gathered the 10 worst movies of summer 2018 according to critics (six of which were released in August) and ranked them from bad to worst, based on this list from review-aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.

They range from a Melissa McCarthy R-rated puppet comedy to one of the worst-reviewed films of Mark Wahlberg's career.

Below are the 10 worst movies of the summer, according to critics:

SEE ALSO: Neil Armstrong movie 'First Man' omits the American flag being planted on the moon, and star Ryan Gosling defended the decision

10. "A-X-L"

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 27%

Release date: August 24

What critics said: "From the poster, 'A.X.L.' looks like one of the fake movies Vinny Chase would star in on Entourage, which might lead you to believe that it’s a good choice for a night of getting drunk and laughing at a bad movie with your friends. It is not." — Katie Rife, AV Club

9. "Breaking In"

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 27%

Release date: May 11

What critics said: "Just in time for Mother’s Day, 'Breaking In' gifts moms everywhere with a thrill-free, home-invasion thriller about a mom (Gabrielle Union) who’ll stop at nothing to keep four bad guys from killing her two kids. That’s the plot, folks. It never goes any deeper than that, or gets any less predictable." — Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

8. "Overboard"

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 25%

Release date: May 4

What critics said: "The initial premise, so self-consciously silly in 1987, seems even more implausible in the internet age. Wouldn’t it be national news that the playboy son of one of the wealthiest men in the world and heir to his company has gone missing and/or died in a shark attack, which his vengeful sister tries to claim in order to get control of her ailing father’s company?" — Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press

• "Black Panther" star Chadwick Boseman confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the movie will campaign for best picture at the Oscars, not the new "popular film" category.
• "I dare any movie to try to compare to the [level of] difficulty of this one," he told THR.
• The Los Angeles Times recently reported that Marvel Studios will launch a serious Oscar campaign for the first time to get "Black Panther" nominated, and that Disney has hired a veteran Oscars strategist.

There's no denying that Marvel's "Black Panther" is a worldwide phenomenon, but when it comes to the Oscars, Marvel wants the top prize — best picture — over a "popular film" nomination.

Star Chadwick Boseman, who plays the title character in the movie, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter's "Awards Chatter" podcast that the movie will campaign for best picture rather than the new "achievement in popular film" category that will be introduced at the 2019 Oscars.

"We don't know what it [the new prize] is, so I don't know whether to be happy about it or not," Boseman told THR. "What I can say is that there's no campaign [that we are mounting] for popular film; like, if there's a campaign, it's for best picture, and that's all there is to it."

The Los Angeles Times recently reported that Marvel Studios is preparing to launch a serious Oscar campaign for the first time to get "Black Panther" a best picture nomination. According to the Times, Disney hired veteran Oscars strategist Cynthia Swartz to lead a best-picture campaign backed by significant funding from Marvel.

"A good movie is a good movie, and clearly it doesn't matter how much money a movie makes in order for it to be 'a good movie' [in the minds of Academy members] because if [it did], the movies that get nominated and win [which have tended in recent years to not be blockbusters] wouldn't get nominated," Boseman continued. "And if it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter on both sides. For my money, the only thing that matters is the level of difficulty."

Boseman added that what "Black Panther" did — creating its own world, culture, politics, and more — was "very difficult."

"I dare any movie to try to compare to the [level of] difficulty of this one," he said. "And the fact that so many people liked it — if you just say it's [merely] popular, that's elitist."

"Black Panther" grossed over $700 million domestically and $1.3 billion worldwide, and has a 97% critic score on review-aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.

SEE ALSO: 5 movies in 2018 that could be nominated for the new, controversial 'popular film' award at the Oscars

Join the conversation about this story »

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

• Eminem surprise-released his tenth studio album, "Kamikaze," on Thursday night, and listeners are mixed on it from early online reactions. 
• On the album, the 45-year-old rapper disses President Trump, Drake, music critics, and a host of young rappers.

Eminem surprise-released his tenth studio album, "Kamikaze," late Thursday night, and early reactions from social media users and critics range from highly positive to negative.

On the album, the 45-year-old rapper disses President Trump, Drake, music critics, and a host of young rappers, over a group of beats that largely echo the trap-influenced sound of recent rap.

Eminem tweeted out the release of "Kamikaze" on Thursday night with a caption that read, "Tried not 2 overthink this 1... enjoy," followed by a middle finger emoji. 

Most Eminem fans were quick to jump on the album as a return to form for the rapper, following the release of his critically panned 2017 album "Revival."

One critic at Forbes and others on social media were less positive about the project, taking him to task for using homophobic slurs and for the general quality of the music. 

Listen to the album below:

SEE ALSO: Spotify shared its 10 most popular songs of the summer, and Drake won by a landslide

Join the conversation about this story »

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

• "Sorry to Bother You" is one of the most powerful and originally told movies of the year.
• Lakeith Stanfield gives one of his best performances yet in his young career, as he's the face of director Boots Riley's examination of class, race, and greed in an altered present-day Oakland.

Every weekend we pick an indie movie currently playing in theaters we think is definitely worth your time and money, and this week's is "Sorry to Bother You."

If you love movies you probably had quite a fulfilling summer, but if you still haven't seen Boots Riley's fantastic debut feature "Sorry to Bother You," the summer movie season isn't over for you yet.

A fantastical look at class, race, and greed, "Atlanta" star Lakeith Stanfield gives one of his best performances yet as Cassius "Cash" Green, a telemarketer in Oakland who discovers an incredible talent at his job that propels him to becoming a top "Power Caller": he can talk like a white person. This unique gift leads to him being able to sell anything over the phone, even high-powered weapons and human labor. Though his friends, who are trying to organize a union at the company, and his socially conscious girlfriend, Detroit (played perfectly by Tessa Thompson), try to make Cash understand he's a part of the problem, the money is just too good for Cash to step away. He gets so deep in the company that he comes face-to-face with the CEO he's doing the selling for, Steve Lift (Armie Hammer). And then things get really interesting (and by interesting, I mean weird). 

Riley mixes comedy and an important social message to deliver a movie that gets more fascinating and outlandish the deeper you go. And it's the incredible talents of Stanfield — whose ability to go from perfect comedic timing to heartfelt emotional pain at the turn of a switch — that makes Riley's insane story work on the screen. In the hands of a lesser actor, the movie would crumble into manufactured shock value.

Along with great supporting performances by Thompson, Danny Glover, and Terry Crews (David Cross is the one behind Cash's white voice), the movie has top-notch production design to put you in a skewed reality, reminiscent of a Michel Gondry movie. 

Nothing is as it seems in this movie, and that's what makes it so memorable.

See where "Sorry to Bother You" is playing near you.

Our indie movie picks from previous weekends:

• "Eighth Grade"
• "Blindspotting"
• "The Miseducation of Cameron Post"
• "BlacKkKlansman"
• "Support the Girls"

SEE ALSO: 38 movies you shouldn't miss this fall, including "Venom" and "Creed 2"

Join the conversation about this story »

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