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Hillary Clinton made a surprise cameo in the premiere of the 'Murphy Brown' reboot

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Hillary Clinton cameo Murphy Brown CBS

  • Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had a cameo in Thursday night's "Murphy Brown" premiere.
  • In the cameo, Clinton applies for a secretary position, saying that she is very qualified, having worked as a secretary for "a very large organization."
  • CBS kept the cameo a secret, even cutting it out of advance episodes it sent to critics. 

 

Since losing the 2016 election but winning the popular vote, Hillary Clinton has kept a fairly low profile. But on Thursday night she made a surprise national appearance in the first episode of CBS's reboot of "Murphy Brown," a cameo kept so secret that it even caught critics off guard, as the footage wasn't included in advanced screener episodes.

The former Secretary of State only made a brief appearance in the episode, but she wasn't afraid to lean in to some self-deprecating humor. 

In the cameo, Clinton applies to to be a secretary for investigative journalist Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen). She walks into the newsroom in one of her trademark pantsuits (this one is bright red). Clinton jokes that she looks exactly like Hillary Clinton and has the same name, but she spells hers "with one L."

Murphy Brown then asks "Hilary" Clinton if she has previous secretarial experience. 

"Absolutely. For four years I was the secretary of a very large organization." She also said, "I do have some experience with emails."

You can watch the clip below: 

 

 

SEE ALSO: The 6 worst new network TV shows this fall, from 'FBI' to 'New Amsterdam'

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Sony just caved on two major PlayStation 4 features, and it demonstrates that Microsoft is making smart moves with Xbox

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Xbox vs Playstation

Sony's PlayStation 4 is the most popular video game console in the world.

Over 80 million PS4 consoles have been sold across the past five years, which puts Sony ahead of both Microsoft's Xbox One and Nintendo's Switch by tens of millions of units sold. But that dominance also puts Sony on the defensive as Microsoft and Nintendo both attempt to compete.

Nintendo's answer has been the wildly popular Switch console: It's less of a response to the PlayStation 4 than a brilliant evolution of the failed Wii U. Nintendo, as ever, is doing its own thing.

Microsoft's answer, however, has been a direct offensive — a multi-faceted one with massive, precedent-breaking impacts:

SEE ALSO: Microsoft has a problem with Xbox that it can't buy its way out of

DON'T MISS: Microsoft's ambitious plan to build the future of gaming includes a Netflix-style gaming service, blockbuster games streamed to phones from the cloud, and — yes — new consoles

1. Cross-play, the most important change to the game industry since polygonal graphics, is now a reality.

If a game is nearly identical on multiple game platforms, why can't all of its players play together? The technical hurdles to overcome are minor, and game developers would prefer not to split up their players.

Microsoft and Nintendo have both made major pushes towards allowing cross-play in the past year, but Sony refused to play ball.

The reason why, of course, is money.

With over 80 million consoles sold, Sony is ahead of Microsoft's Xbox One and Nintendo's Switch by tens of millions of units. And, as the market leader, there's little business incentive for Sony to work with competitors like Microsoft and Nintendo. So, for the past year, Sony has repeatedly refused to allow cross-play on the PlayStation 4.

But public sentiment on cross-play has shifted dramatically, and that sentiment forced Sony's hand. As of this week, Sony is officially giving in and allowing "Fortnite" players across competing game consoles to play with PlayStation 4 players.

That's a huge, precedent-breaking shift.

Since the days of the original Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Master System, game console manufacturers have refused to let their users play with the competition. But that stance has made less and less sense as games become increasingly similar across competing platforms. It's the logical endpoint to multiplayer gaming.

If the same "Call of Duty" game is released on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, it stands to reason that everyone playing that game should be able to play together — regardless of their console. And now, the public seems to agree.

When Microsoft enabled this functionality in 2017 in one of the biggest games in the world, "Minecraft," it opened the floodgates.

Suddenly, "Minecraft" players on Xbox One could play with iPhone and PC and even Nintendo Switch players. There was just one notable exception: Sony's PlayStation 4. It continues to be the exception, and it's not a measure of Microsoft not working with Sony — Sony apparently halted talks.

But with "Fortnite," Sony is taking the first steps toward allowing broader cross-platform functionality on the PlayStation 4. "This represents a major policy change for Sony Interactive Entertainment," Sony's announcement reads. "We are now in the planning process across the organization to support this change."



2. Netflix-like subscription services that offer massive game libraries for download.

One of Microsoft's smartest moves since introducing the Xbox One in 2013 has been the introduction of Xbox Game Pass. The service, which costs the same price as a single video game for a full year's subscription, offers access to over 100 video games — including brand-new games published by Microsoft.

Subscribers can simply download whatever games they want directly to their console. It's a heftier lift up front — you have to download files that can be as large as 100GB — but it provides a much more comfortable, standard gaming experience.

It's quite a deal.

And the service is apparently popular enough that Sony just matched it with its own version: PlayStation Now is now strikingly similar to Game Pass.

Though PlayStation Now has existed for several years, it used to stream video games to your console. That could result in some choppy gameplay moments, or input lag, or any variety of other issues. 

But Sony, having seen the success of Game Pass, has recently altered its PlayStation Now service. The service, which costs $100 annually but offers a larger library than Microsoft's Game Pass, now allows games to be downloaded directly to your console. 



Microsoft is making smart moves that endear it to the most dedicated gamers, while Sony is bleeding goodwill.

Being in second place has forced Microsoft's Xbox division to be scrappy and innovative. Instead of chasing Sony's lead, Microsoft has taken smart steps toward appealing to game console buyers — and those steps have been effective.

They've been so effective, in fact, that Sony's being forced to respond with its own version of the same services.

What Sony is missing, however, is Microsoft's bigger play with Xbox Game Pass and cross-play: An overall move away from dependence on the Xbox as a hardware platform, and a move toward Xbox as a service available on a variety of devices. 

Back in June, at the video game industry's annual trade show E3, Xbox leader Phil Spencer spoke about the future of Xbox. "Our cloud engineers are building a game streaming network to unlock console-quality gaming on any device," Spencer said. "Not only that — we are dedicated to perfecting your experience everywhere you want to play. On your Xbox, your PC, or your phone."

Services like Game Pass and cross-play are building blocks of this future, where you simply play games on whatever device you've got.

Meanwhile, Sony has spent the last year arguing against cross-play with head-scratching statements like, "I'm confident we'll get to a solution which will be understood and accepted by our gaming community, while at the same time supporting our business." While Sony is far ahead in terms of console sales, the company has been losing in the court of public opinion, specifically with the cross-play issue, for the last year-plus.

Regardless, the competition is great for consumers, especially now that cross-platform play is finally being embraced by all of the major game console manufacturers.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Stephen Colbert mocks Brett Kavanaugh's blistering Senate hearing: 'Please, save your indignation'

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  • Stephen Colbert on Thursday criticized the "indignation" of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's defense in his Senate hearing earlier that day, following Christine Blasey Ford's sworn testimony that he sexually assaulted her.
  • "Please, save your indignation that, finally, someone is taking one woman's accusation of sexual assault seriously," Colbert said in his monologue.

Stephen Colbert on Thursday criticized the "indignation" Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh showed in his Senate Judiciary Committee hearing earlier that day, following the sworn testimony of Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault before the committee.

Colbert started his monologue by playing clips of conservative commentators on Fox News calling Ford's testimony "very sympathetic," "exceptionally credible," and "a disaster for Republicans."

The "Late Show" host then turned to Kavanaugh's angry, impassioned defense of himself and attacks on the hearing's process.

"Perhaps the Kavanaugh quote that sticks with me is his passionate condemnation of the hearing and its repercussions," Colbert said.

"You sowed the wind for decades to come," Kavanaugh said in his opening statement at the hearing, in an extended condemnation of Democratic senators. "I fear that the whole country will reap the whirlwind."

"You really need a better weatherman," Colbert said. "Because, let me tell you, brother, this is the whirlwind, and the wind was sown when Donald Trump had 19 credible allegations of sexual assault against him, bragged about sexual assault on tape.

"And your Republican buddies up on that committee said, 'Yeah, but we want our guy on the Supreme Court' — and that's you, Brett. That doesn't mean you're guilty, but please, save your indignation that, finally, someone is taking one woman's accusation of sexual assault seriously."

The "Late Show" host then showed a clip of Kavanaugh saying at the hearing, “Today, I have to say, I fear for the future."

"Hashtag #MeToo," Colbert replied.

Watch the monologue below:

SEE ALSO: An evolving count of which senators are voting for Trump's Supreme Court pick

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The makers of 'Fortnite' have removed an 'embarrassing' and 'careless' breast animation from the new season of the game

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Calamity Jiggle

  • After "Fortnite" Season 6 rolled out Thursday, players noticed that Calamity — a new "Fortnite" outfit — featured sexualized breast animations.
  • The game's developer, Epic Games, said the animation was unintended and pushed out a patch to correct it in less than 24 hours.
  • "Fortnite" is a free game with a massive audience of young players. Epic likely wants to avoid upsetting parents with sexual content.

Just a day after launching the Season 6 update for "Fortnite," Epic Games has rolled out a patch to correct a sexualized animation. 

Shortly after the release of the Season 6 update, players noticed that one of the game's new legendary costumes, Calamity, had an animation that would make her breasts bounce suggestively:

The Calamity outfit has multiple iterations with different clothing, but only the base tank top outfit displays the animation. The dancing animation can be done on command, making it a ripe target for trolling players.

In a statement to The Verge, an Epic Games spokesperson called the animation "embarrassing." 

"This is unintended, embarrassing, and it was careless for us to let this ship. We are working now to fix this as soon as possible," the statement said.

Toeing the family-friendly line

Video game developers have received waves of criticism for unrealistic portrayals of women's bodies, which range from impossible anatomy to outright disrespectful clothing choices. While some companies have chosen to focus on more positive representations of women, others have historically chosen to lean on the gross sex appeal.

"Street Fighter V," for example, came under fire when a glitch caused female characters' breasts to move before each match:

As a free game that makes most of its money from selling cosmetic changes, "Fortnite" has a vested interest in making character models appealing to players.

However, "Fortnite" also has a huge audience of young players, and could risk alienating families by including sexual content. So far, the game has successfully toed the family-friendly line by injecting large doses humor alongside the gun-wielding gameplay.

With today's patch, the animation has been wiped from the game. But Epic will need to start keeping better track of the content that rolls out the door.

SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know about 'Fortnite' Season 6

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NOW WATCH: Apple took another subtle jab at Facebook during its iPhone XS event

The directors behind the death-defying documentary 'Free Solo' explain why they made the risky decision to film Alex Honnold's 3,000 foot climb up El Capitan without a rope

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  • "Free Solo" directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin recount what led to them agreeing to film Alex Honnold's attempt to solo climb El Capitan.
  • The filmmakers also explain why filming what was going on in Honnold's life on the ground was just as important as his climb.

 

For Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and her husband Jimmy Chin, the idea of doing a documentary on rock climber Alex Honnold was more intriguing to them because of how he is on the ground than when he's thousands of feet above it during a climb.

Before Honnold became known the world over for his incredible free solo climbs (mountain climbing without ropes or other protective equipment), he was a kid who was incredibly intelligent but also scared of everything: people, physical contact, even vegetables. But that same kid blossomed into a young man who fights his fears by climbing mountains.

“It was the potential of being a story that spoke to a lot of people and could inspire,” Vasarhelyi told Business Insider about her original interest in doing a movie on Honnold.

But Honnold had another idea. He wanted them to shoot him soloing up the 3,000 foot high El Capitan wall in Yosemite National Park.

“He said, ‘If we’re to make a film, the only film-worthy thing in my life is doing this,” Vasarhelyi recalled.

Chin has filmed Honnold soloing for 10 years. He knew Honnold had the skill to pull off the climb. But he also knew how crazy it was to even attempt it. It would be a four-hour climb, at least. Every single step would need to be perfect. His level of concentration needed to be super sharp throughout the entire climb because his next move could be his last.

Could Chin say El Cap is the Super Bowl of soloing?

“It’s beyond the Super Bowl,” he said. “The mental capacity to do that is unlike any athletic achievement I’ve seen, whether it’s extreme sports or professional sports of Olympic sports. You have to play the perfect game for four hours. You throw an interception in the Super Bowl, compared to this, it’s not really a big deal.”

Free Solo 3With that danger in mind, Vasarhelyi and Chin told Honnold they had to think about if they wanted to proceed. And they thought about it — for months. Could they go forward with doing a movie that could end with their friend falling to his death?

They say the moment that really pushed them to finally agree to film the attempt was a chat Chin had three years ago with author and avid climber Jon Krakauer, one of the survivors of the disastrous 1996 expedition to Mount Everest and the man who wrote "Into the Wild" and "Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman." Who better to get advice from?

Chin told Krakauer he and Vasarhelyi were considering doing a movie on Honnold and his soloing of El Cap. The author simply replied: “Holy s--t.”

"He was quiet for a while," Chin said. "And we walked for a little bit further, and I asked if it’s even okay for us to do this. He was like well, 'Is he going to do it whether you film it or not?' And I said yes. And he said, 'Are you one of the best people to do this?' And I said yes. And he said, 'If this is one of the greatest athletic achievements of all time, shouldn't it be captured?' And I was like 'Yes.' We kind of went from there."

With Vasarhelyi and Chin on board, they set out for Yosemite to make “Free Solo” (in theaters Friday). For months they filmed Honnold’s day-long training sessions on El Cap and his humble existence off the mountain living in a van.

Chin and his team of mountain climbers/cameramen used huge 4k cameras to capture Honnold on the wall, which he said is unheard of when filming climbing because of the weight of the equipment. But he and Vasarhelyi wanted “Free Solo” to be more than just a highlight video. They wanted to go a step further, not just visually, but emotionally. And that’s what Vasarhelyi was doing on the ground, trying to peel back the layers of the complex Honnold.

“It was basically a conversation that kept going for a year and a half,” Vasarhelyi said about creating a verite feel to the movie.

As “Free Solo” makes very clear, Honnold is not an open person. His life is completely focused on climbing and everything else comes second, including opening up to Vasarhelyi. But a fascinating thing happened during the filming process: He found a girlfriend who could tolerate his lifestyle.

Sanni McCandless is the complete opposite of Honnold. A big personality and not afraid to challenge Honnold, the relationship between the two is an interesting subplot in “Free Solo,” as the driven climber begins to let his guard down (the two go climbing one time and a mistake by the inexperienced McCandless leads to Honnold falling and injuring himself before the El Cap climb; in another scene, the two look for a house in Las Vegas).

Free Solo 2Then there’s the lead-up to the climb itself. At one point in the movie, Honnold starts his solo climb of El Cap but then dramatically stops and climbs back down to the ground. From that point on, it’s unclear not only if Honnold will attempt the climb again but if he still wants Chin and Vasarhelyi there to film it.

“In our minds we’re not allowed to push him one way or the other,” Chin said. “But I would like to think he understood the amount of passion and heart that this whole crew was putting into it.”

“But Alex responded in an honest way,” Vasarhelyi added. “Which was, ‘I have to be stronger and better.’”

It all culminates in a dramatic conclusion where the filmmakers capture the dramatics on the ground between Honnold and McCandless as well as Honnold’s historic trek.

Audiences are already dazzled by “Free Solo.” It won the people’s choice award at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, which inevitably thrust it into the race for the best documentary Oscar. But as much as Vasarhelyi and Chin love how audiences have reacted to the movie so far, the standout for them is how Honnold sees it.

“He says he has the opposite experience from the audiences,” Chin said. “Everybody loves the love story and him as a fascinating documentary character and then are cringing during the climb. He loves the climbing footage and cringes during everything else.”

 

SEE ALSO: The director of Robert Redford's final movie describes the pressure and joy of closing out an icon's career

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HBO Sports exec says the future of the network will be 'high access, high ambition' programming now that it's dropping boxing after 45 years

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Peter Nelson Kevin Winter Getty

  • HBO recently announced that it would soon stop broadcasting professional boxing matches after 45 years.
  • In an interview with Business Insider, HBO Sports Executive Vice President Peter Nelson detailed some of his programming plans going forward.
  • Nelson said the goal is to do “high access, high ambition” programming going forward, like the Bill Simmons-produced "Andre the Giant" documentary and LeBron James' "The Shop" show, which will feature Drake in the next episode.

 

Thursday marked a major pivot for HBO when the network announced that it will no longer feature professional boxing content.

That’s 45 years after its first televised match, and in that time, HBO didn’t just air some of the greatest boxing matches ever, it also produced award-winning programming on the sport.

But without a dominating force like Mike Tyson to keep the casual boxing fan interested throughout the last few decades, HBO Sports Executive Vice President Peter Nelson pulled the plug.

“We've had consistent audience research saying that boxing is no longer a determinant factor for HBO subscribers,” Nelson told Business Insider on Friday.

In many ways, HBO's move away from broadcasting boxing is an indication of how far interest in the sport itself has fallen from the zeitgeist. But it also shows where HBO Sports wants to focus going forward: programming that draws in a wide audience, not just in a specific sport but on aspects of the culture that transcends it.

Or as Nelson put it — “high access, high ambition” programming.

“Our mission is to use sports as a lens into socio-economic, political, and cultural issues,” Nelson went on to say. “I think humanizing individuals, creating empathy around different communities, allowing that to cross-pollinate for people in a way that allows them to contextualize themselves and the world around them. That's at the heart of what we strive to do.”

And there are different ways HBO Sports is planning to accomplish that going forward, including continuing some of the programming that's a staple to the network, like the HBO Sports documentary. But some of those plans are a bit more outside the box.

Andre the Giant 2 WWE

Documentaries will still be front and center

With Bill Simmons signed onto the network, he’s brought more current topics of sports documentaries to HBO, the sort that made ESPN’s “30 for 30” brand — which he helped launch — so popular. His executive produced “Andre the Giant" documentary, released earlier this year, became the most-watched doc in HBO Sports history. Nelson said he’s currently in talks with Simmons about making more documentaries, in addition to unscripted projects.

Then there’s the first-ever acquired documentary by HBO Sports, “Momentum Generation.” Executive produced by Robert Redford, the surfing documentary was purchased by HBO at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, and Nelson said festival acquisitions will be part of their content strategy going forward.

But perhaps HBO’s most ambitious project in the documentary space coming up is the multi-part Muhammad Ali documentary, “What’s My Name | Muhammad Ali", which is directed by Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day,” “The Equalizer” movies).

Muhammad AliThough a documentary on the greatest boxer of all time is hardly anything new (HBO itself has done numerous docs already on Ali), Nelson touts this one as having a different feel than most because of Fuqua’s involvement and how it will be told.

“It will be told in Ali’s own words,” he said. “That will be the driver of the narrative. I think that is what makes this project special, the perspective of the viewer is going to be shaped by what Ali has to say about himself, his own time, and the context of which he lived.”

“What’s My Name | Muhammad Ali” will air in the spring of 2019.

Making programs that go beyond sports

Outside of the traditional documentary space, Nelson said he’s in talks with IMG’s original content division about partnering on more projects similar to "Being Serena," the series HBO aired on Serena Williams this past year. It’s also expanding its "24/7" series beyond boxing to golf, as its next one will be focused on the Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson match that will take place on November 23. The all-access style of "24/7" will air during the lead-up to the match.

And then there’s “The Shop,” the conversational show from LeBron James set in a barbershop that has already gained attention for its honest, unfiltered chats with the likes of Odell Beckham Jr. and Jon Stewart, not to mention James’ own frank talk on it.

The Shop John Johnson HBONelson revealed to Business Insider exclusively that the show’s next episode will feature a chat between James and Drake and is set to run in October.

Though HBO has been a staple of all facets of sports for decades, it’s never been in close collaboration with some of the biggest names in sports until now. Nelson is focused on continuing the type of programming that delves deeper into the people we cheer for.

“What we look to do is programming that tells stories that bring in viewers beyond what they care about that particular sport or sporting event,” Nelson said.

SEE ALSO: The directors behind the death-defying documenatry "Free Solo" explain why they made the risky desicion to film Alex Honnold's 3,000 foot climb up El Capitan without a rope

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Terrence Howard thinks Marvel could have a 'huge franchise' if he returned as War Machine, but says 'f--- 'em'

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  • During an interview on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," Terrence Howard said that Marvel "could have a huge franchise" if he returned to play James Rhodes/War Machine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
  • But he's not interested: "F--- 'em," he said.
  • Howard played Rhodes in "Iron Man," but was replaced by Don Cheadle in "Iron Man 2," who has been in the role since then.

 

Actor Terrence Howard has zero interest in ever returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In an interview with Andy Cohen on "Watch What Happens Live" on Thursday, Howard said that fans still ask whether he would return to his role as James Rhodes, a.k.a. War Machine, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He sounded confident in the commercial possibilities of it, but he's done with Marvel.

"You know what’s so funny?," Howard said. "Even though I love Don Cheadle so much and I love what he’s done, I still hear a lot of fans asking, 'Am I going to come back and be War Machine? Am I going to come back and be War Machine?' I think they could have a huge franchise off of it, but f--- ‘em."

Howard played Rhodes, the Air Force pilot who is Tony Stark's best friend, in 2008's "Iron Man." But he was replaced by Cheadle in 2010's "Iron Man 2" (Howard claimed that he was replaced due to a salary dispute). Cheadle has been in the role ever since, having appeared in "Iron Man 3," "Avengers: Age of Ultron," "Captain America: Civil War," and most recently "Avengers: Infinity War," where he survived the Thanos snap. 

Considering the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though, Marvel probably isn't longing for Howard's return — just this year, "Black Panther" and "Infinity War" made over $3 billion combined at the worldwide box office.

Watch the entire clip below:

 

SEE ALSO: X-Men fans think the first 'Dark Phoenix' trailer is too similar to the disappointing 'X-Men: The Last Stand'

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NOW WATCH: A top movie actor reveals how he learns different accents

Only 24% of mobile users who downloaded DC's new streaming app have actually paid for a subscription, according to a new study

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  • According to a Sensor Tower study, the DC Universe mobile app has been downloaded by over 140,000 users since September 9 on Google Play and the App Store.
  • But just 24% of them have actually paid for a subscription.
  • The study estimated that in-app subscriptions have brought in approximately $185,000.
  • The app has performed significantly better on Google Play than on the App Store, according to the study.

 

New analysis from mobile-data insights firm Sensor Tower, provided to Business Insider, says that the DC Universe app for DC Entertainment's new streaming service has been installed by around 143,000 iOS and Android users — but just 24% of them have subscribed and paid for the service. 

DC Universe officially launched on September 15 on Apple's App Store, but the app was available for Android users to download several days earlier via Google Play on September 9. The study looked at app downloads up to September 19 and the revenue it brought in until September 26. It did not include pre-orders or subscriptions through other platforms such as desktop and Roku.

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

Sensor Tower found that the service's in-app subscriptions have brought in approximately $185,000. This means that, at $7.99 a month after a one-week free trial, over 33,000 — or 24% — of the service's app downloads had resulted in paid subscribers at the time of the study.

A Sensor Tower representative said that, based on independent research, for most subscription video on demand services, one-third of users who download the app convert to a paid subscription. This suggests that DC Universe is tracking slightly below the average so far.

The chart below shows daily downloads of the app and revenue brought in from September 9 to September 26.

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Sensor Tower also found that the DC Universe app has performed significantly better on Google Play than on the App Store. It currently sits at 1,458th out of the top 1,500 apps on the iPhone in the U.S. and at 1,263rd on the iPad. It ranks 28th among Google Play's top free new apps.

Revenue-wise, it ranks 580th on the iPhone and sits at 521st on iPad among all apps. On Google Play, it ranks 281st.

DC Universe is set to launch its first original series, "Titans," on October 12.

SEE ALSO: New downloads of MoviePass have plummeted as the service has introduced unpopular features

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NOW WATCH: A top movie actor reveals how he learns different accents


The release date for the next 'X-Men' movie, 'Dark Phoenix,' has been changed for the second time

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  • Fox, the movie studio behind the "X-Men" franchise, has changed the release date for "Dark Phoenix" for the second time.
  • The movie has been pushed back from February 2019 to summer 2019.
  • The change comes less than two days after the first trailer for the movie debuted.

 

Less than two days after the first trailer premiered, the release date for the next "X-Men" movie has been pushed back — again.

Rather than coming to theaters on February 14, the movie has been moved to the busy summer blockbuster season on June 7 (via Deadline). That's about a month after Marvel's "Avengers: Infinity War" sequel comes to theaters in May, and a month before "Spider-Man: Far From Home" arrives in July. Either Fox feels confident enough about the movie to release it among so many other big titles, or last-minute changes to the movie are potentially being made.

This is the second time that Fox, the studio behind the "X-Men" franchise, has pushed the movie. It was originally scheduled for this November, and production issues have reportedly plagued it. Montreal newspaper La Presse reported in July that the movie was undergoing extensive reshoots.

The first "Dark Phoenix" trailer debuted during Wednesday's "The Late Late Show" to mixed reactions from fans. Some are excited to see Simon Kinberg's directorial debut, but many feel it looks too similar to 2006's disappointing "X-Men: The Last Stand," which also attempted to bring the acclaimed Dark Phoenix storyline from the comics to the big screen.

"Gambit," an "X-Men" spin-off movie starring Channing Tatum that has faced development issues for years, was also moved from June 7 to March 2020, according to Deadline.

Watch the "Dark Phoenix" trailer below:

 

SEE ALSO: The next 'X-Men' movie's official title has been revealed, and there's no 'X-Men' in it

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10 stars leading Google's efforts to build a media and entertainment empire (GOOG, GOOGL)

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Google, entertainment, YouTube, executives

 

With its army of computer engineers, Google is an icon of the Silicon Valley tech world.

But it's also one of the most powerful players in the entertainment and media industry, thanks to an impressive catalog of products and services that spans digital music, videos, gaming and sports.

YouTube, the Google-owned video-sharing hub, is the No. 2 most visited site on the web and one of the world's top sources of music.

But YouTube is just one part of Google's sprawling entertainment empire:

  • Google Play, which serves as the digital store for Android and its more than 2 billion active users across the globe, moves tons of music, movies, TV shows and games. 
  • YouTube TV, the internet-based multi-channel TV service, is not yet two years old but is already enticing customers away from the much-maligned traditional cable players.  
  • And then there's the world of emerging media like virtual reality and smart speakers. 

To make its mark in the industry, Google has enlisted an impressive stable of entertainment industry veterans and tech-savvy innovators, dispatching them to outposts in Los Angeles, New York and other key entertainment hotspots. 

The team helping Google expand its entertainment empire includes dealmakers, creatives and techies. Here are some of the key must-know players on the team:

SEE ALSO: Music honcho Lyor Cohen played hardball with YouTube for years, then shocked everyone by joining the enemy. Here's how he stayed on top and why he says it's time haters 'liberate' themselves.

SEE ALSO: Apple should look at YouTube TV and be embarrassed that it didn't come up with the idea first, analysts say

Lyor Cohen, YouTube's Global Head of Music

He's a rap aficionado, turned label chief, turned digital-music exec.

During a 30-year career as a record producer and music exec, Lyor Cohen worked with or helped develop such acts as Jay-Z, The Killers, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, and Kanye West.  

Then he switched sides

YouTube scored a major coup when it hired Cohen in 2016. Among his old label pals, the move was unpopular. For a variety of reasons, many once saw Google as a threat. The main knock is that YouTube doesn't pay enough for the music videos that helped turn the site into an entertainment juggernaut. 

But Cohen, the former CEO of Recorded Music at Warner Music Group, has done much to patch up the relationship. Cary Sherman, CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America, the labels top lobbyist, complimented the job Cohen's done.

"I think Lyor Cohen is doing a very good job of persuading the people at YouTube that they need to be partners with the music industry," Sherman told Business Insider in a recent interview.

Meanwhile, YouTube remains one of world's the largest music distributors. And to counter a challenge from Apple Music and Spotify, Cohen recently helped launch YouTube's new subscription music service. 

 

 



Susanne Daniels, Global Head of Original Content at YouTube

Susanne Daniels is one of the people responsible for bringing the series "Cobra Kai," to YouTube Premium. 

If you're from a certain generation, the show's title is instantly recognizable and may remind you that you once tried fighting your brother while standing on one leg.

The series, which has met with glowing reviews, is based on "The Karate Kid" films, and reprises the lives of two main characters, played by Ralph Macchio and William Zabka.     

YouTube Premium, formerly known as as YouTube Red, offers ad-free streaming of all of YouTube's user-generated video. In addition, Premium also offers high-production quality film and TV fare from A-list directors. And that's where Daniels comes in. 

She oversees development, programming and production of all of Premium's films and shows. Before Google, Daniels worked on such shows as such shows as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dawson’s Creek, and Gilmore Girls at places like MTV, Fox, LifeTime TV and The WB.

 



Jonathan Zepp, leads media & entertainment for Android & Google Play

Google Play is the online store with the inside track to all those billions of Android users. This, and the fact that sometimes the menu at Netflix is lackluster, has helped make Play a top web retailer.

Jonathan Zepp manages partnerships and business strategy for Entertainment, Sports and News video content. He and his team also drive business and content operations for the Google Play Movies & TV first-party service.

According to a story in Variety, Zepp has helped raise Google’s sales of downloadable film and TV shows, or what is known in the business as transactional electronic sell-through.

Prior to joining Google, Zepp worked at Sony Network Entertainment, Paramount Pictures and Napster. Zepp started out as a corporate and intellectual property lawyer.



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The creators of Amazon's new show 'Forever' talk about keeping the premise a secret and what it's like to work in TV when there's too much of it

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  • Amazon's "Forever" premiered in early September, but the creators, stars, and TV critics were sworn to secrecy about the show's plot. 
  • Business Insider spoke with series creators Alan Yang and Matthew Hubbard about keeping the show's details secret, and what it was like pitching a show that has so much mystery surrounding it.
  • Yang and Hubbard also talked about what it's like making the transition from network comedies to streaming (they love how short the seasons are), and what it's like to write for TV when there is so much of it. 

Amazon's comedy "Forever," which premiered September 14, was presented to the public in a mysterious way.

Its trailer was more of a quirky montage of a relationship and didn't explain the show's plot at all. But even shrouded in mystery, the show has a huge draw. It stars Fred Armisen and Maya Rudolph and Catherine Keener. It's created by two great comedy writers: Alan Yang ( "Master of None") and Matthew Hubbard ("30 Rock").

In early September, I spoke to Yang and Hubbard about the show. But at the time, Amazon didn't want the show's mysterious plot leaked in reviews or profiles. So we waited a few weeks to let people get through the series.

WARNING: Heavy spoilers ahead for Amazon's "Forever."

At the end of the first episode of "Forever," Fred Armisen's character, Oscar, dies. In episode two, Maya Rudolph's character, June, adjusts to life without her husband. By episode three, June's made big changes in her life, including getting a new job in Hawaii. But at the end of the episode, she dies. June comes to and sees a very thrilled Oscar in a mysterious and very mid-century modern neighborhood in the afterlife, where she realizes she'll spend forever with him.

But spending forever together isn't as great as Oscar and June imagine. The married couple's afterlives are still a bit dull, and they begin to learn things about each other that they didn't even know while they were alive. For example, June finds out that, throughout their entire relationship, Oscar changed the way she loaded the utensils in the dishwasher.

I talked to Yang and Hubbard about keeping the premise a secret, how they pitched a show where the male lead dies in episode one, and how they distinguish their show from "The Good Place," that other afterlife comedy that people are obsessed with right now.

Carrie Wittmer: I read your lovely note that Amazon sent  journalists. You guys said that this show holds a really special place in your heart, could you talk about that?

Matthew Hubbard: When we put this show together, the first idea we had was 'What if Fred and Maya were ghosts that don't haunt people?' That was really it ... Then we were like that's not enough, and then we started to talk about what would it be like if they were married, and what would happen if you were in a relationship, and it was literally never going to end ...  and what would that mean. It was just an idea that we talked about a lot, and when we got the writers in, everybody was talking about their relationships. 

Alan Yang: And I think a lot of the best stuff comes from personal experience, right? We put elements of ourselves in the show. It's set in the town I grew up in Riverside, and a lot of the marriage stuff is based on stuff from Matt's life. For instance, that argument about the utensils in the dishwasher.

Wittmer: I've had that argument with my boyfriend.

Yang: Are you utensils up or utensils down?

Wittmer: Up.

Yang: Oh, yeah. Matt's of the, “who cares camp.” So his wife was on him.

Wittmer: But my boyfriend changes it.

Yang: Oh yes.

Hubbard: He does change it?

Wittmer: Yep. Found out in a very similar way that June does on the show. Except I don’t think we’re dead.

Hubbard: What was cool and maybe special to us, we had this crazy swing, where you're in a supernatural world, you're in the afterlife, but we also kept trying to ground it in reality, and that's hard and challenging but, you know, fun, and it was cool for us.

Wittmer: You’ve both been writing for television for a while now. What’s it like now that there are so many shows?

Yang: Too many.

Hubbard: Too many.

Yang: I was just saying in the last meeting that there is the Sean Penn show, a Jim Carey show, and a Kevin Costner show. I hadn't heard of any of them until two days ago.

Hubbard: I just heard about "Yellowstone" [the Kevin Costner show], I thought you were kidding with me.

Wittmer: I haven't even watched "Yellowstone." I don't have time to watch the Jim Carey show, I probably won't have time to watch the Sean Penn show.

Hubbard: Well, thank you for watching this one!

Wittmer: I love all the shows both of you have done in the past. Do you feel some kind of pressure to have something truly unique and special in this time where there is just so much?

Yang: Ultimately, the idea is something you want to be passionate about and something you want to spend a big chunk of your time working on. But it certainly doesn't hurt to have something hokey or a premise that people can talk about, right?

Hubbard: And the biggest thing was the premise of the show was a logical extension of the emotional story we wanted to tell.

Yang: It's a relationship show. It's a show about marriage, and longterm relationships. We want to do stuff that challenges us and is ambitious and original and unique, and to me, why do anything, regardless of how many shows are on TV, why do anything unless it's something that hasn't been done before? And I think taking that risk is worth it — you may fall on your face but, you know, why make new trends.

Wittmer: Were there any issues pitching this high concept?

Hubbard: We did this a little unusually. Because the show was so unique and so specific, we walked in and said “This is a show about a marriage,” and then we just told the story of the first three episodes. We just went literally beat by beat. A lot of execs at that point were like, "WHAT!?"

Wittmer: Both main characters die!

Yang: Exactly! Exactly. So that was really fun, and Maya and Fred came to all the pitches and so it was really fun.

Hubbard: It was kind of like proof of concept.

Yang: And we sold the show, so it worked!

Wittmer: Was there something specific about Amazon that made you decide to go with it?

Yang: It's the kind of thing where it was the right place for it. And they came really hard and were willing to commit because we said, pretty much straight up, “If we're not going straight to series, I don't know if we'll make the show.” Because a pilot makes no sense.

Wittmer: Yeah, because most people are probably gonna be like, “Well, I came to watch a Fred Armisen show but now he’s dead.”

Yang: Exactly. It didn't really make sense to just shoot one. So Amazon was very, very aggressive and interested in the show immediately. They provided us with tremendous resources and they've been really supportive the whole way, so it's been a great experience.

Wittmer: Has it been difficult for you to be so secretive about the plot?

Yang: Yes! I don't know what to say in any interview.

Hubbard: It is hard especially when you get into marketing. It's like... you want people to know about the show, but you also don't. But everyone at Amazon just leaned into the mystery. That's what we worked for really hard on that trailer, to just show that it was about a marriage, but there was some weird stuff out of context happening.

Wittmer: My favorite show on TV right now is "The Good Place," and these have very similar premises but they're so different.

Hubbard: Could not be more different.

Yang: They could not be more different. The tone and the themes are so different.

Wittmer: Did you have any push back with people saying something like, “Oh, there's already another afterlife comedy?”

Yang: Not really. I mean, I know those guys, I love those guys, I directed those guys, and I've worked on that show a little, and I've obviously worked with Mike [Schur] a ton [Yang worked on ‘Parks and Recreation’]. So we knew early on there's maybe a tiny overlap in the Venn diagram of the premise.

Wittmer: Very tiny. Afterlife comedy is my new favorite genre, I think.

Yang: Maya did a guest spot on "The Good Place." And she was like, “Hey, does this step on this show?” And we said no, because they could not be more diametrically opposed. We felt good about that.

Hubbard: Yeah, we weren't worried about that. We actually had some writers from "The Good Place," just because we'd worked with them before.

Wittmer: Yeah, I noticed some familiar names like Joe Mande in the credits.

Yang: Some of the writers worked on "Parks and Rec" and "Master of None" with me. And they could tell us if there was any overlap, and we just didn't do it.

Hubbard: The amazing thing is what they're trying to contend with on "The Good Place," the questions they're trying to answer on that show, it helped us know we were dealing with a slightly different thing.

Wittmer: We talked about how much TV there is earlier. But what shows do you actually watch?

Hubbard: Oh man, I'm pretty swamped with stuff. I love "Atlanta," obviously, that show is great. And I just finished watching "The Assassination of Gianni Versace" from a while ago. And that guy, who plays Andrew Cunanan, Darren Criss, is amazing.

Wittmer: That's a great one. One of my favorites of the year so far. [Note: we spoke before “Versace” won multiple Emmys]

Yang: Have you ever watched "The Great British Baking Show?"

Wittmer: Oh my God, yes!

Yang: I think that's my favorite.

Wittmer: I went to the beach Labor Day weekend, but all these new episodes came out, so.

Yang: Yeah, I know...

Wittmer: So I mostly did that.

Yang: Yeah, I love that show. F---ing love it.

Wittmer: I watch a show like that but then I complain. I'm like, "Oh my gosh, I have too much TV to watch and it's literally my job!"

Hubbard: The life of the TV Critic... it's crazy. I can't imagine what it's like. Remember when there would be like six comedy shows and a few dramas?

Wittmer: Both of you have worked on network comedies. What are some of the differences working for streaming that you guys like?

Hubbard: Only having eight episodes.

Wittmer: The twenty-two episode a year tradition is kind of going away. It's too much.

Hubbard: My big thing is not having commercials is huge. Any network show you can do, it's going to be 21 minutes and 35 seconds. It is very hard to tell a story at the level of complexity that the audience demands now in 21 minutes. This new streaming world gives you some freedom that I think is really cool.

Yang: Yeah, freedom of time, freedom of space, all that stuff.

"Forever" is now available to stream over at Amazon with a Prime subscription.

SEE ALSO: The director of Robert Redford's final movie describes the pressure and joy of closing out an icon's career

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With Facebook's new headset, the future that virtual reality fanatics dream of is closer than ever — but we're not there yet (FB)

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  • Facebook unveiled the Oculus Quest, its first standalone virtual reality headset that tracks where you are in a room.
  • Business Insider got to try it out.
  • It's a remarkable device, but it still has some obvious shortcomings.
  • However, it points to a wild future ahead for virtual reality.

I got shot in the head on Wednesday.

Crouching behind a wooden crate in the desert, I was caught in a gunfight when a stray bullet hit me square in the face. My vision went red; I was dead — until I respawned 10 seconds later, after running behind new cover.

I was at Facebook's big virtual reality conference, Oculus Connect, in San Jose, California, trying out the latest VR headset from the Silicon Valley tech giant. The new device, the Oculus Quest, is slated for a Spring 2019 launch, and attendees were given the opportunity to test it out in a series of demos at the event.

It's the first major virtual reality headset that is both completely standalone and able to track a user's location in the real world — meaning you're freed from having to place external sensors or lug around a backpack-mounted computer to power the experience.

oculus quest headset

From my admittedly brief time with it, it was a significant step towards the future promised by virtual reality boosters — fully immersive virtual environments, accessed through a simple headset — but the technical shortcomings of the present were still on clear display.

I got to try out two demos. One was Project Tennis Scramble, a quirky tennis game where you face off against a real-world opponent in virtual reality, as the racket and ball morph into quirky sports objects like golf clubs and beach balls. 

During the demo, the headset felt a little heavy on the face, and the Oculus Quest's motion-sensitive hand controllers struggled to return the ball in the direction I was intending — though I am admittedly terrible at real-world tennis, so I may not be the best judge of this.

oculus quest tennis

Significantly more impressive was Dead & Buried, a Wild West multiplayer shooter that was being held in a 4,000 square foot arena. Teams of three faced off against each other, hiding behind real-world objects that corresponded to pillars and crates in a virtual world. 

It felt exciting and immersive, and the first time I got shot, I involuntarily jolted backwards. It was surreal to feel real-world objects corresponding to the virtual environment. And the standalone headset meant I felt unimpeded by wires or additional equipment, free to run around the area as I wished.

In contrast: During demos of the older Oculus Rift headset, which must be tethered to an external computer, Oculus employees had to hold attendees' cables for them to they didn't get tangled in them.

facebook oculus rift

This freedom, alone, makes it a significant step foward. And it makes it a far more compelling product than the likes of the Oculus Go, which, while standalone, can't ascertain users' real-world position or head motions, making it little more than a toy.

But it still fails to to solve any of the fundamental problems bedeviling virtual reality. It's bulky and heavy, and will be draining to wear on your face for long periods. You can't focus well on virtual objects close to you. And while it demoed well in carefully controlled environments, it's not yet at all clear how it will perform in people's actual homes. 

During the event keynote on Wednesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the company believes it needs about 10 million users on a VR platform to actually be self-sustaining and making it worth developers' time to keep building for it.

But a Facebook representative I interviewed refused to commit to hitting that target for Oculus Quest sales, stressing that it's only the first generation of products — suggesting the company isn't exactly convinced it will be a commercial success.

oculus quest facebook

Without trying it extensively in "real" environments, away from Facebook's minders, I'd be hesitant to recommend anyone buy the Oculus Quest — and even then, it would come with caveats.

But it's still remarkable — and demonstrates the potential of virtual reality more clearly than ever.

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SEE ALSO: Facebook is walking a tricky tightrope with its big bet on the next frontier in human interaction, and the future of the company could be at stake

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How Anderson Cooper, Rachel Maddow, and Sean Hannity opened their shows for a week perfectly illustrates how Americans see the news differently

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Anderson Cooper of CNN, Rachel Maddow of MSNBC, and Sean Hannity of Fox News are three of the biggest primetime anchors in media today.

Each anchor and their respective cable news network takes a unique and different angle on the news of the day during primetime programming. As a result, their audiences can come away with different perspectives on what's happening in the US today.

Because of the role and platform that each host has, all three are able to shape and influence what viewers believe is the most important news in the world.

For a week, we watched all of their shows to compare what news each led their program off with. Here's how the three primetime cable news anchors opened up their shows every night from September 10-14.

SEE ALSO: Newspaper front pages from where Trump held his rally one night perfectly illustrate how Americans see the news differently

DON'T MISS: 11 iconic newspaper front pages from world-famous events

Monday, September 10: Anderson Cooper, CNN

Cooper, who frequently opens his 8 p.m. ET show with his "Keeping Them Honest" segment, led off his show discussing the White House's response to the anonymous op-ed in the New York Times and its search to find out who wrote it.

He also talked about Bob Woodward's new book, "Fear: Trump in the White House", and how President Donald Trump and his administration were responding to the book.



Monday, September 10: Rachel Maddow, MSNBC

Maddow, who comes on the air on MSNBC at 9 p.m. ET, opened up her show discussing the developments on Hurricane Florence. She was the first of the three anchors sampled to discuss the hurricane at the top of her show, and the only one to discuss the storm at the top of the show all five nights that week.

She also talked about: the Republican attempt to set up a confirmation vote for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh later in the week, the Democrats' attempts to delay the vote, the court proceedings surrounding Russian agent Maria Butina, the White House's response to Woodward's forthcoming book, former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos being sentenced to prison for 14 days, and Trump's expected declassification of Justice Department surveillance documents.



Monday, September 10: Sean Hannity, Fox News

Hannity, who comes on at 9 p.m. ET on Fox News, led off his show with his well-known "Opening Monologue" discussing the Democrats' desire to impeach Trump if they win back the House of Representatives in the midterm elections this fall.

He also addressed policies Democratic candidates would support if elected to Congress, the impact the midterm elections could have on the Trump agenda, and the alleged bias and corruption of the "deep state" in the Justice Department and FBI toward Trump.



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CNN founder Ted Turner reveals he's battling a form of dementia that affects his mind and body

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  • CNN founder Ted Turner has revealed he's battling Lewy body dementia. 
  • The neurodegenerative disease alters his memory, mood, movement, and behavior. 
  • Turner opened up about his battle with the disease in an interview with CBS set to air on Sunday morning.

CNN founder Ted Turner revealed he is suffering from Lewy body dementia, a neurodegenerative disease that alters his memory, mood, movement and behavior.

In an interview set to air on CBS on Sunday, Turner, 79, opened up about his struggle with the disease and said he has a hard time remembering its name.

"It's a mild case of what people have as Alzheimer's," Turner said in the interview. "It's similar to that. But not nearly as bad. Alzheimer's is fatal. Thank goodness I don't have that. But, I also have got... I can't remember the name of it."

Then Turner said: "Dementia. I can't remember what my disease is."

Lewy body dementia affects more than a million individuals in the United States, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

In excerpts of the interview released by CBS, Turner said he was misdiagnosed with depression before doctors realized it was actually dementia that was affecting him.

He added that his main symptoms are being tired, exhausted and forgetful.

The billionaire philanthropist launched CNN in 1980 as the country’s first 24-hour all-news network.

He later became the vice chairman of Time Warner but resigned in 2003 and is no longer involved in the company. He said that other than occasionally watching CNN, he doesn't watch much news anymore.

"I think they're sticking with politics a little too much," Turner said. "They'd do better to have a more balanced agenda. But that's, you know, just one person's opinion."

Join the conversation about this story »

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For the first time since the original, a new 'Minecraft' game is in the works — and it's arriving in 2019

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  • For the first time since the original "Minecraft," the series is getting a new entry.
  • It's not a sequel — the game is named "Minecraft: Dungeons," and it's a dungeon crawler along the lines of "Diablo."
  • "Minecraft: Dungeons" is scheduled to arrive on PC in 2019. It's not clear when it will come to other platforms.


For the first time since "Minecraft" arrived in 2011, a new entry in the series is in the works from the same studio that created the original. It's named "Minecraft: Dungeons" — it was revealed on Saturday during an annual "Minecraft" live broadcast known as Minecon Earth 2018.

From what we've seen so far, it looks like a very "Minecraft-y" version of beloved classics like "Diablo." It sounds lke that, too! 

"Dungeons" is described as, "an all-new action-adventure game inspired by classic dungeon crawlers," in its announcement. Alone, or with a group of up to four friends, you'll tackle, "a ruthless swarm of new-and-nasty mobs" in a variety of locations: "canyons, swamps and — of course — mines." 

Minecraft Dungeons

The game is said to be a passion project for the folks at Mojang — the Swedish studio that was founded to create the original "Minecraft." It's the first of several new initiatives within Mojang aimed at expanding the universe of "Minecraft."

Unlike "Minecraft," the focus in "Minecraft: Dungeons" is action. 

"We wanted to focus on making sure that we made the dungeon crawler part as good as possible," Mojang creative lead Jens Bergentsen told me in a phone interview last week. 

To that end, don't expect to see a lot of the usual mining and crafting. 

"I would say that it's a distilled version of 'Minecraft,'" Bergentsen said. "Building in the game is something that we've talked about a lot, but we were concerned that it would distract from what the game was about. So in 'Minecraft Dungeons,' it's strictly an adventure game with a story attached to it."

The game is scheduled to arrive on PC first in 2019 — a beta will precede its arrival, but don't expect anything like the soft launch "Minecraft" had. "Minecraft: Dungeons" is getting a relatively standard beta before a "traditional" release, we're told. 

Check out the game's debut trailer right here:

SEE ALSO: 'Minecraft' for the Nintendo Switch proves what's so great about both the game and the console

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Watch this gamer beat 'Super Mario Bros.' in under five minutes and set a new world record in the process

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  • Kosmicd12, a video game speed runner, set a new world record by completing "Super Mario Bros." in 4:55.913

The simple fun of Super Mario Bros. made it an instant classic when it hit the original Nintendo in 1985, but over the years, players dedicated to beating the game as fast as possible have turned it into a sweet science. Yesterday one gamer managed to set a world record after completing "Super Mario Bros." in 4 minutes and 55.913 seconds, beating the previous record by less than one second.

Kosmicd12, a speed runner on Youtube and Twitch, completed the game on a standard Nintendo console with a regular controller, using a number of exploits and previously known tricks to skip through the game. 

Kosmicd12 had held the world record in the past, but after this run he said it may not be possible to get the time any lower than 4:55.

Then again, that's what was once said about running a 4-minute mile. 

SEE ALSO: Nintendo's new Netflix-like service for classic games is a shattering disappointment, but it's so inexpensive that you should try it anyway

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These are the 20 best soccer players in the world, as ranked by the new 'FIFA 19' video game

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Fans worldwide are anticipating the September 28 release of EA Sports' "FIFA 19," one of the top-rated soccer video game franchises. FIFA is celebrated for its attention to detail, featuring dozens of teams from leagues across the globe as well as the national men's and women's teams from the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

EA works to accurately recreate each player and their specific skill set for the new FIFA game each year, then provides weekly updates to reflect real-life performance. With the 2018 World Cup complete and European soccer leagues now underway, fans will soon be able to see how FIFA ranked the players on their favorite team. But for now, take a look at the game's top ranked players for the 2018-19 soccer season.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal/Juventus - 94 Overall

FIFA 19’s cover star is the world’s most popular player, and for good reason. He was the top goal scorer in Europe’s Champions League during 2018 and led Real Madrid to its fourth championship in five years. In July, Ronaldo joined the Italian squad Juventus for a $110 million transfer fee and will earn $35 million a year for the next four years.



2. Lionel Messi - Argentina/FC Barcelona - 94 Overall

Messi has long been considered Ronaldo’s top rival, and this year he became the first player to earn a fifth Europe Golden Shoe award, which is given to the top scorer in Europe’s national leagues. Messi recorded his 600th career goal in March and still holds the European Golden Shoe record for most goals in one season, with 50.



3. Neymar Jr - Brazil/Paris Saint-Germain - 92 Overall

Neymar is considered Brazil’s best player, carrying the legacy of Ronaldo and Ronaldinho in international competition. He is the ntional's team third-highest scoring player of all-time. After his debut season for Paris Saint-Germain in 2017-18 was cut short due to injury, Neymar started this season by leading the team to three straight wins.



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Masseur files lawsuit against Kevin Spacey accusing him of sexual battery and false imprisonment

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  • Kevin Spacey is being sued for false imprisonment and sexual battery in a lawsuit filed earlier this week. 
  • The lawsuit stems from an alleged incident at his Malibu, California, home in 2016. 
  • Spacey is already being investigated by police in the US and UK over other alleged sexual assaults.

Actor Kevin Spacey is accused of sexually assaulting a male masseur at his house in Malibu, California, according to a lawsuit stemming from an alleged incident from 2016.

In a lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court earlier this week by a John Doe masseuse, Spacey is being sued for unspecified damages over false imprisonment and sexual battery claims.

"Spacey assaulted and battered plaintiff by forcing plaintiff to touch his scrotum, testicles, and penis, grabbing plaintiff's shoulders and pulling him in for an apparent attempted forced kiss, and grabbing plaintiff’s genitalia," the lawsuit says.

Spacey is already being investigated by police in the US and UK over other alleged sexual assaults.

The lawsuit filed this week claimed Spacey's conduct was "extreme and outrageous" and that he "acted with reckless disregard for plaintiff's rights and feelings."

The masseuse claimed that because of the alleged incident, he still suffers from "severe mental anguish, emotional pain and distress, fear, humiliation, grief, embarrassment, nervousness, worry, anger, frustration, helplessness, nervousness, sadness, stress, mental and emotional distress, and anxiety."

He said he reported the incident to police, but the Los Angeles Police Department refused to confirm that it had been reported to The Guardian.

Spacey was first accused of sexual misconduct by actor Anthony Rapp, who claimed he was 14 when Spacey, then 26, made a sexual advance to him.

Spacey, now 59, said he did not remember the incident but apologized for "inappropriate drunken behavior."

The actor has since been fired by Netflix's "House of Cards" and removed from Ridley Scott's film, "All the Money in the World."

SEE ALSO: Kevin Spacey's new movie made only $126 on its opening day, with an estimated 6 people seeing it per theater this weekend

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'NBA 2K19' and other sports games have gone overboard with ads — and it's ruining the fun (EA, TTWO)

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"If it's in the game, it's in the game." 

For more than two decades, video game studio EA Sports seared this slogan, which plays in the opening credits of nearly every one of its games, into the hearts and mind of millions of fans. With each new season it seems more true; sports games reflect everything fans expect from their favorite sports, no matter how small the detail.

Unfortunately, that also includes advertisements.

Sports games have adopted the same penchant for aggressive advertising as their real-world counterparts. As the games have grown more complex, so have the ads. 

Here's how sports video games have become a vehicle for sponsors:

This social media-style replay from 'NBA Live 19' not-so-subtly features the Jordan Jumpman in the background.

In trying to build a product that feels identical to the real thing, sports video games have fully embraced the sponsorship culture of professional sports. Basketball games feel like the worst perpetrators.

Take-Two Interactive's "NBA 2K19" and EA's "NBA Live 19" each include extensive sponsorships from Nike and its Jordan brand. Both games feature Jordan and Nike clothing worn by the virtual players, and Jumpman logos are emblazoned across arenas and backgrounds.

As part of its career mode, "NBA Live 19" even has players compete in virtual versions of real-life Jordan-branded events, such as Quai 54, a Parisian streetball tournament.



You can't miss the Gatorade coolers during 60-second timeouts.

As in live sports, most of the ads in sports games are in the background. But it feels different seeing them in a video game. In a video-game context, it's difficult to ignore that the Gatorade-sponsored timeout happens to feature a pair of Gatorade coolers right behind your team, with the logos facing the camera.

Even during the story mode cut scenes in "NBA 2K19," I found myself distracted by the large brand logos on my character's clothes.



Jumpman even leaped into my in-game text messages.

If the games restricted the ads to just the same places you'd find them in actual sports events, they wouldn't be so annoying. But they don't.

The games also throw in lots of branded apparel, such as designer sneakers and clothing. So, regardless of how you choose to play, the ads are omnipresent.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

'Night School' wins a competitive weekend at the box office

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Night School Universal

  • The Kevin Hart-Tiffany Haddish comedy "Night School" wins the weekend box office with $28 million.
  • The Warner Bros. animated movie "Smallfoot" took in a respectable $23 million.

 

It was a close race for the top spot at the domestic box office this weekend, as Universal's "Night School" finished the weekend below industry projections and Warner Bros' "Smallfoot" kept a steady pace.

But when the smoke cleared, "Night School" was the winner, raking in an estimated $28 million.

The latest comedy from the director of "Girls Trip," Malcolm D. Lee, the equalizer for "Night School" was that it has Tiffany Haddish and Kevin Hart as its stars, two of the most popular actors working today.

Despite coming in under its projected $30 million opening, Universal can't frown with a $28 million start for "Night School." Most studio comedies would beg for that kind of box office coin its opening weekend.

WB's family friendly "Smallfoot" — featuring the voices of Channing Tatum, James Corden, Zendaya, LeBron James, and Danny DeVito — came out at the right time as there hasn't been an attractive kids title in theaters for a while.

That led to a $23 million opening, which is stronger than the studio's 2016 animated release, "Storks" ($21.3 million).

Holdovers "The House With a Clock in Its Walls" and "A Simple Favor" continue to make good bank. "Clock in Its Walls" had an impressive $12.5 million second weekend, just a 53% drop after winning the box office last week, and "Simple Favor" has been impressive since its September 14 opening, taking in $6 million this weekend and a domestic total of over $43 million.

SEE ALSO: HBO Sports exec says the future of the network will be "high access, high ambition" programming now that it's dropped boxing after 45 years

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