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China 'publicly disappeared' its most famous actress 3 months ago with only cryptic clues left

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fan bingbing

  • One of China's most well-known actresses has been missing since July 1.
  • Fan Bingbing was last seen visiting a children's hospital in Beijing. She has also been inactive on social media.
  • Her disappearance came after a journalist with state-run TV accused her of tax evasion.
  • Earlier this year a state-run newspaper said Fan was "under control," but that report was quickly deleted.
  • China has banned its state media from reporting about her, so we are no closer to knowing what's happened.
  • Many companies she advertised for have since pulled her face from their campaigns.

Fan Bingbing, one of China's most prominent actresses, went missing exactly three months ago.

She was last seen in public on July 1, when she visited a children's hospital in Beijing, according to the South China Morning Post.

Her latest post on microblogging site Weibo was on June 2, although her account was seen liking multiple posts on July 23, the newspaper reported. She previously posted on social media at least once a day.

Fan's disappearance came shortly after she was accused of signing secret contracts for a movie to avoid paying taxes. She has appeared in dozens of movies, including the 2014 film "X-Men: Days of Future Past," and appeared in ad campaigns for well-known brands like Louis Vuitton and De Beers.

fan bingbing xmen

In May, Cui Yongyuan, a former TV host with the state-run China Central Television, suggested that the actress had signed two contracts: One for 10 million yuan ($1.5 million), which was used for her taxes, and another 50 million yuan ($7.3 million), which was kept secret.

These are referred to as "yin-yang contracts" likely named because one contract is public and the other is not. In Mandarin Chinese, yin means dark and yang means light.

Fan's representatives later released a statement accusing Cui of insinuation and defamation, and Cui later apologized, according to the Straits Times.

But that appeared not to be enough to save her from state scrutiny.

fan bingbing

In late July, the independent Chinese newspaper The Economic Observer reported that police in Jiangsu province were examining Fan's financial case and that several of Fan's staff members were also under police investigation.

But shortly after it was published, that report appeared to have been taken offline. Posts speculating on Fan's whereabouts were also removed from Weibo.

In early September, some two months after Fan's disappearance, China's state-run Securities Daily newspaper reported that the actress had been put "under control, and will accept the legal decision."

That story was also taken offline hours after it was published, but was noted by several news outlets including Taiwan News.

fan bingbing de beers

There have been virtually no news about Fan in China's state press because in June, authorities issued guidelines to state media telling them not to report on "yin-yang contracts" or tax issues facing people in the entertainment industry.

Rumors of her whereabouts, however, remain rife.

The Chinese arm of Radio France Internationale and the movie industry site Duowei News reported in late September that officials in Jiangsu province were still investigating her case.

Hong Kong's Apple Daily tabloid also reported that Fan had been questioned by authorities but was not allowed to leave her house.

fan bingbing cannes

Fan's associates have also appeared to be punished. Earlier this month, a Chinese director who worked with Fan on the movie for which was accused of signing secret contracts saw his cameos mysteriously deleted from another movie at the Toronto film festival in September.

At the time of her disappearance Fan was also reportedly suing a Chinese billionaire for defamation after he accused her of sleeping with China's vice president and of pocketing bribes from the arrangement.

Guo Wengui, the billionaire she was suing, regularly posts hourlong rants with unverified claims against Chinese officials. He claimed that Fan disappeared because "somebody wants to shut Fan up," not because of tax-evasion allegations.

Many companies she advertised for, including De Beers and Australian vitamin brand Swisse, have also suspended her image from their campaigns since her disappearance, the Associated Press reported.

Rod Wye, a former official at the British Embassy in China and an associate fellow at Chatham House, told The Sun last month: "For someone like her to be 'publicly disappeared' sends out a message that no matter how high you rise, the Party can cut you down again."

“You can't tell who will be singled out next," he said.

SEE ALSO: Fan Bingbing was reportedly suing a billionaire who accused her of sleeping with China's vice president when she vanished

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


The 50 best TV show seasons of all time, according to critics

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Breaking Bad

The most critically acclaimed TV shows in history have earned their praise by repeatedly producing innovative and memorable seasons.

Shows like "The Wire," "Breaking Bad," and "The Larry Sanders Show" consistently won over critics, and their best seasons have set a standard for what great television should look like.

To find out which series have been the most influential, we turned to the review aggregator Metacritic for its list of the all-time best TV seasons, which ranks shows by their composite critical reception. We used audience scores to break any ties.

Check out the 50 best TV-show seasons of all time, according to critics:

SEE ALSO: The 20 most-watched TV episodes ever, ranked

50. "The Handmaid's Tale" (Season 1)

Metacritic score: 92/100

User score: 7.8/10

Notable episodes: ""Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum," "Jezebels"



49. "Homeland" (Season 1)

Metacritic score: 92/100

User score: 8.3/10

Notable episodes: "The Weekend," "Crossfire,"Marine One"



48. "Rectify" (Season 2)

Metacritic score: 92/100

User score: 9.1/10

Notable episodes: "Mazel Tov," "The Great Destroyer,"Unhinged"



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Why there won’t be a 'Minecraft 2,' according to the people in charge of 'Minecraft'

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Minecraft

  • With over 150 million copies sold, and over 90 million monthly active players, "Minecraft" continues to dominate.
  • Microsoft paid $2.5 billion for "Minecraft" back in 2014, and the game has grown tremendously since then.
  • Microsoft is looking to expand the universe of "Minecraft" with new games — and even announced one — but isn't looking to create a sequel, according to Microsoft's head of "Minecraft," Helen Chiang.

Nearly 100 million people are playing "Minecraft" every month, and over 150 million copies of the game have been sold. It's the second highest-selling game of all time, just below "Tetris." 

With all that success, it's fair to assume that Microsoft might be interested in churning out sequels — the lifeblood of the entertainment industry. After all, Microsoft paid $2.5 billion for "Minecraft." It's realistic to expect new games from a property that cost so much to buy.

Not so, says Microsoft.

"I really don't think that makes sense for 'Minecraft,' given the community," Helen Chiang, head of "Minecraft" at Microsoft, told Business Insider in a phone interview. "It's something that always fractures the community."

minecraft nintendo switch

Chiang was speaking to the community-driven approach "Minecraft" has always taken, ever since its first days as a PC-only work-in-progress. Many of its 91 million-plus monthly players are playing together, exploring mines and crafting in groups.

That's part of the reason why the first new "Minecraft" game from Microsoft isn't "Minecraft 2."

Instead, the game is called "Minecraft: Dungeons," and it's a dungeon crawler game — along the lines of "Diablo" — set in the "Minecraft" universe. It was revealed over the weekend during a livestreamed fan event, known as "Minecon Earth." The game's being created by a group within Mojang, the Swedish game studio that was created to develop "Minecraft."

One glimpse of "Dungeons" offers a strong clue of what to expect:

Minecraft Dungeons

Though the game looks distinctly like the original "Minecraft," it doesn't contain the signature elements: Don't expect to mine and/or craft very much.

"I would say that it's a distilled version of 'Minecraft' in the sense that we wanted to focus on making sure that we made the dungeon crawler part as good as possible," Mojang creative lead Jens Bergentsen told Business Insider in a phone interview. "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."

That's right: A "Minecraft" game without building. Madness!

It's these type of "Minecraft" games, like "Dungeons," that Microsoft is interested in creating. 

"The way that we've decided to expand — and I think 'Dungeons' is the first example of that — is a way that we're trying to keep our community together," Chiang said. "That's why our updates our free. We don't want to ask [players] to move from 'Minecraft 1' to 'Minecraft 2.' We want them to just enjoy 'Minecraft.' And there's other ways that we can expand that are more meaningful and authentic to what we want to be, rather than just releasing another iteration in the way that most other franchises do."

Minecraft (Super Duper Graphics Update)

Beyond the community reasons, there's another, perhaps more obvious reason that a sequel to "Minecraft" doesn't make a lot of sense: What would that game even be? Does it need to exist?

"I don't think there's really a need for 'Minecraft 2'," Bergentsen told me. "You would be able to create a 'Minecraft 2' game in 'Minecraft.'" 

That fact, along with the continued strong sales of the original game, make a strong argument.

SEE ALSO: 'Minecraft' is still one of the biggest games in the world, with over 91 million people playing monthly

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NOW WATCH: Apple's entire iPhone XS event in 8 minutes

How fake weather is made for TV and movies

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Stories are not always sunshine and rainbows. Oftentimes you need to recreate heavy snowstorms, rain showers and other extreme weather to make a production feel more realistic. That's where people like Jeremy Chernick of J&M Special Effects come in. We spoke with Jeremy to find out how various weather is recreated on Broadway, live shows, and film to look like the real thing. Following is a transcript of the video.

Narrator: Whether you need a snow storm, a huge gust of wind, or a fake rain shower, this man's got you covered. Some TV shows and movies film scenes in extreme weather to make the story feel more realistic. But there's one big problem with that approach.

Jeremy Chernick: You can never count on the weather to work for you.

Narrator: Jeremy Chernick is a designer at J&M Special Effects in Brooklyn.

Chernick: You can't schedule the entire crew around waiting for snow.

Narrator: So you often have to make it yourself. Jeremy's company creates practical special effects for a variety of live shows, music videos, and other productions.

Chernick: All the Disney Broadway shows, "Aladdin," "Frozen."

Narrator: He made it rain on Shawn Mendes at the 2018 MTV VMAs. J&M also rents out equipment for TV shows like "Gotham," and "Elementary." Basically, any conditions you can imagine, he can whip up. But the trick to creating fake weather is that it just needs to look real in the camera frame.

Chernick: You don't need all the weather in the world to know it's raining in a shot this big. You just need rain in the background or rain on top.

Narrator: So what exactly does it take to create the illusion of weather on camera or on stage?

Chernick: There are a lot of different ways that rain is done. And it depends on whether you're interior or exterior.

Narrator: Outside, you can get a permit to hook up a hose to a fire hydrant or a water truck.

Chernick: You can split that water out to a variety of locations, and usually high big towers go up that can spray water from unbelievably high.

Narrator: Indoors you need a self-contained system attached to water supply.

Chernick: Right above me is a rain bar. So we have rain that is pouring down in sort of a five-inch channel, so if you're looking dead at it, it looks pretty three-dimensional because you have rain here and here, and plus we can add a level of sort of mist into that that will just give it an even larger depth of field. And you can rows and rows and rows of them. The systems in place to keep that rain from never ever dripping unless you wanted it to rain is actually more complex than the moments when it's actually raining. It's mostly fairly low tech.

Narrator: There are a number of different products that are used to replicate snowflakes.

Chernick: You can get pretty large paper flakes that are squares and they fall in a very beautiful and specific way, you can get shredded paper that falls sort of organically. You can get it shredded plastic, which has a different feel to it, and the way that you deliver that is through blowers that are blowing it far overhead and a long distance.

Narrator: They also have special soap-based products that won't stain clothes or make the ground slippery.

Chernick: Essentially, it's like tiny bits of foam and that is a machine that is pushing that soap through a filter that makes it into snowflakes. Environmentally, there's all sorts of stuff that ends up in the air to fill a picture in terms of haze, fog, smoke.

Narrator: These effects are usually produced with a fog machine.

Chernick: The most commonly used interior fog is glycol based, which is a type of alcohol.

Narrator: Sometimes you want the fog to fill the screen, and other times you want low-lying fog, which requires a few special tricks.

Chernick: That is most often done now using liquid CO2, or liquid nitrogen to chill the glycol fog to a very cold level. And that coldness is what heats it low to the ground. The thing that's funny about wind, to me, is that you don't see wind unless it's either moving clothing or hair, or if it has some fog or some level of fog in it.

Narrator: J&M has fans of all sizes. We have incredibly quiet fans designed specifically for live television.

Narrator: With any of these weather effects, you want to be extra careful to protect camera equipment and the actors.

Chernick: There's a shield, there's plastic bagging, there's sometimes tents.

Narrator: There's also a risk of flooding indoors.

Chernick: Often scenery is going to be built and designed with water catch underneath, so it will be raining on what looks like the floor, but it's designed to collect water.

Narrator: While these weather systems may not be exactly like the real thing, they get the job done.

Chernick: You don't have to do a huge amount of post work if your special effects are right and they look right. And they're telling your story. And the realistic stuff, is you can tell it's real.

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The 7 movies or TV shows coming to Netflix this week that are worth watching

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blazing saddles

New titles come and go on Netflix every week, but choosing what to stream can be a daunting task.

That's why, every week, Business Insider rounds up which of the newly arrived movies and TV shows on Netflix are actually worth watching.

This week's titles include the classic-horror film "The Shining" and the return of Netflix's animated comedy, "Big Mouth."

New movies and TV shows coming this week:

  • "Blade" and "Blade II" (Movies — coming Monday, October 1): Marvel has practically given up on the half-human, half-vampire daywalker known as Blade — both on screen and in the comics. Fortunately, you can re-live the first two "Blade" movies, starring Wesley Snipes in the title role, on Netflix starting Monday.
  • "Blazing Saddles" (Movie — coming Monday, October 1): Mel Brooks' classic western-comedy, starring the late, great Gene Wilder, is now available to stream.
  • "Mystic River" (Movie — coming Monday, October 1): Director Clint Eastwood's 2003 drama, starring Sean Penn and Tim Robbins, won both of those actors Oscars and was also nominated for best picture, best director, and more.
  • "The Shining" (Movie — coming Monday, October 1): Stanley Kubrick's classic-Stephen King adaptation arrives just in time for Halloween.
  • "V For Vendetta" (Movie — coming Monday, October 1): Director James McTeigue hasn't made a good movie since his directorial debut with "V For Vendetta," but it's a compelling-enough adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel of the same name, with great performances from Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving and slick action sequences.
  • "Big Mouth" Season 2 (TV show — coming Friday, October 5): Nick Kroll's crude but hilarious animated comedy about teenagers experiencing puberty with the help of "hormone monsters" returns on Friday after a brilliant first season. 

SEE ALSO: Netflix and Amazon are neck-and-neck in offering the best value to film buffs

Join the conversation about this story »

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

The 50 worst TV shows in modern history, according to critics

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cavemen

Many of the worst television shows originate from some highly questionable concepts that make you wonder how they ever got approved.

ABC's "Cavemen" series in 2007, for instance, was based on characters from a short-lived Geico commercial. And Fox's 2014 reality show "I Wanna Marry Harry" saw 12 women compete for the chance to marry a Prince Harry look-alike who they thought was the real Prince of Wales.

Both shows were critical disasters, and each lasted only one season — as many of the worst reality shows, dramas, and sitcoms have.

To find out which programs critics have hated the most, we turned to the review aggregator Metacritic for its list of the worst TV shows, which goes back to 1995. The list ranks show seasons by their composite critical reception.

Check out the 50 worst TV shows from least to most objectionable, according to critics:

SEE ALSO: All 65 of Netflix's notable original shows, ranked from worst to best

50. "Twenty Good Years" (NBC, Season 1)

Critic score: 29/100

User score: 5.9/10

What critics said: "It is a male version of 'The Golden Girls,' but with weaker writing." — The New York Times



49. "South Beach" (UPN, Season 1)

Critic score: 29/100

User score: 8.6/10

What critics said: "A preposterous and pretentious drama series." — The Washington Post



48. "Hidden Hills" (NBC, Season 1)

Critic score: 29/100

User score: Unavailable

What critics said: "This series reflects the way wealthy, neurotic, overly busy and sex-obsessed TV executives and producers think America lives, in other words, the way they live. They're wrong." — The Detroit News



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3 great TV shows to watch on Netflix this week

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Made in Mexico

Peak TV is too much TV. But we're here to make it easier to pick what shows to watch.

Every week, we put together a list of three great shows for you to try.

We pick shows you can finish in a day, and others you can try out and binge for weeks to come. And it's not just new releases either: We mix in some old favorites you might have missed in addition to shows that have recently landed on Netflix.

From Netflix's new reality series "Made in Mexico" to "Designated Survivor," a canceled show that Netflix recently saved, here are three great TV shows you can binge-watch on Netflix this week:

SEE ALSO: The 75 worst movies of all time, according to critics

"Made in Mexico" — A Netflix Original

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 8

Netflix's answer to Bravo's "Real Housewives" franchise is a good start for the streaming service's reality TV exploration. Its people and stories are vibrant, exciting, catty, but the show and the people on it still have some heart that will keep you watching more. 



"Charmed"

Seasons: 8

Episodes: 178

It's October, which means that it's officially witch season. So while you definitely won't have time to watch 178 within a week, now is a good time to revisit The WB with drama, especially because The CW's reboot comes out soon. It's a fun, easy binge that you won't have to pay too much attention to.



"Designated Survivor"

Seasons: 2

Episodes: 43

"Designated Survivor" isn't brilliant, but it's good fun and a step above other network political dramas. It has a lot of unexpected twists, and it moves its story along instead of dragging out a mystery for an entire season.

The show was canceled by ABC in May, but Netflix recently announced it will be making another season, which will come out sometime in 2019. 



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The latest Google Easter egg is a secret adventure game hidden inside Google Search — here's how to play (GOOG, GOOGL)

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Google Search

If you were looking for an excuse to delay productivity, an adventure game found hidden inside Google Search can easily take up at least a few hours of your Monday morning.

Thanks to a Reddit user who posted on the r/google thread, we now know about a secret game hidden inside Google's code. Upon entering the game, the user is sent on a wild goose chase to hunt down the colorful letters that make up the Google logo. The game is a text adventure, meaning you only have to type in simple words and commands to navigate through it.

Google has become well known for its number of tricks and surprises hidden within the confines of its search engine. There's an entire Internet community out there devoted to discovering these "Easter eggs," and an extensive list of them can be found on this Wikipedia page.

Here's how you can access the game yourself:

SEE ALSO: You can now use Google Maps to poll your friends on where to eat — here's how to do it

Start by entering "adventure game," "text adventure," or "text game" in your Google Search engine.



Next, right-click on the page and select the "Inspect" option.

The game can be found through the web browser's developer console. This is can be accessed one of two ways: right-click on the page and select the "Inspect" option, or use your keyboard for the shortcut option (Command + Option + I on your Mac or Command + Shift + I on your PC).

The game will work best on Chrome, Google's internet browser.



Toggle over to "console," and this prompt will appear. Type in "yes," obviously.

Opening up the Inspect feature will access the browser's developer mode, which may look a bit confusing at first with lines of code and developer jargon. However, you don't have to worry about all that — it's not a part of the game.

Locate the "Console" tab, where you'll find a prompt that asks (somewhat reminiscent of the "Saw" movies) if you want to play a game.

Enter "yes," because you haven't gotten this far to not play the game.



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'The Nun' is now the highest-grossing movie in the 'Conjuring' franchise worldwide

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the nun

  • "The Nun" continued its worldwide win streak over the weekend, claiming the top spot at the global box office for the fourth weekend in a row with $16 million.
  • That brings its worldwide total to $300 million, the most of any film in the "Conjuring" franchise.
  • With a production budget of just $22 million, "The Nun" is a major win for Warner Bros.

"The Nun" held the top spot at the worldwide box office for the fourth weekend in a row. Despite being the worst-reviewed movie of the "Conjuring" series, it is now the highest-grossing movie in the franchise.

The movie came in fifth at the domestic box office with $5.4 million in its fourth weekend of release, but it still dominated globally with $16 million, bringing its worldwide total to $330 million. The horror flick has been a consistent winner since its debut with the highest opening weekend for a "Conjuring" movie in the US.

The movie initially saw its best foreign opening in Mexico, with over $10 million. Jeff Bock, the senior box-office analyst at Exhibitor Relations, told Business Insider that was because the movie starred the Mexican actor Demián Bichir and appealed to Latino audiences.

"It's the sort of play that many studios have been going after, by not casting people just so it will do well in North America but throughout the world," Bock said, adding that horror films often do well in South America and Mexico specifically.

This past weekend, the movie saw its best foreign haul from France with $2.3 million, and then Russia with $1.7 million, suggesting "The Nun" appeals to a wide audience.

Whether it continues its global win streak or not, the movie, which had a production budget of just $22 million, is already a major win for Warner Bros, a studio that saw a trio of success stories at the end of summer with "The Nun," "Crazy Rich Asians," and "The Meg."

SEE ALSO: 11 horror movies and TV shows coming to Netflix in October, just in time for Halloween

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

The folks behind 'Grand Theft Auto' just put out a new trailer for their next blockbuster, 'Red Dead Redemption 2'— take a look

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Red Dead Redemption 2

  • On October 26, Rockstar Games is scheduled to launch "Red Dead Redemption 2" — the most highly-anticipated game of 2018.
  • Ahead of launch, the game is getting shown off in lengthy gameplay videos.
  • The second such video arrived on Monday morning, and it's full of thrilling cowboy escapades.


In "Red Dead Redemption 2" — the first major game from Rockstar Games since the launch of "Grand Theft Auto 5" in 2013 — you're going to do a lot of robbing and stealing.

It is, after all, a raucous action game starring a gang of outlaws in the 1890s. And that's what fictional gangs of outlaws do: They rob and steal.

Red Dead Redemption 2

But even vicious gangs of outlaws need time off.

And that's what a lot of the new trailer for "Red Dead Redemption 2" focuses on — all the things you can do in its massive open world that isn't the typical outlaw stuff.

Perhaps you'll take in a show:

Red Dead Redemption 2

Or play cards:

Red Dead Redemption 2

Or demonstrate your expert knife skills:

Red Dead Redemption 2

And that's just for starters!

When "Red Dead Redemption 2" arrives on October 26 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, it promises all manner of chicanery.

The latest trailer is no exception — check it out right here:

SEE ALSO: I played 2018's most anticipated game, 'Red Dead Redemption 2' — here are the 12 most interesting things I learned

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NOW WATCH: An aerospace company reintroduced its precision helicopter with two crossing motors

Lionel Messi has turned on his own teammates as FC Barcelona continues to struggle for victories

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Lionel Messi

  • Lionel Messi says FC Barcelona's defence is to blame for the club's shoddy recent form.
  • Barcelona is currently top of the Spanish La Liga soccer table, but has failed to post one win in its last three matches and has conceded more goals than it has scored.
  • Messi even said it is taking the "minimum" to score against the team.
  • The criticism firmly points the finger at players like goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen and defenders Gerard Piqué and Clément Lenglet.

FC Barcelona has failed to win in each of its last three matches in all competitions, and Lionel Messi has blamed the defence.

Barcelona currently sits atop the Spanish La Liga soccer table having banked 14 points from the opening seven fixtures, the same points haul as rivals Real Madrid CF.

But that has not stopped Messi from criticising players like goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen and defenders Gerard Piqué and Clément Lenglet for the club's recent run of form.

The poor form began when Barça drew 2-2 against Girona on September 23 before posting a 2-1 loss at Leganes three days later. Most recently, the club drew 1-1 against Athletic Bilbao.

The team has conceded more goals than it has scored in that winless run and Messi believes defensive issues are at fault.

"We didn't expect the recent results," Messi told beIN Sports cameras. Against Bilbao, the team "created situations to win" and "couldn't manage" to secure the victory.

Data from statistics website Whoscored.com supports Messi's argument. Barcelona attempted 20 shots on goal, but only scored once. Bilbao, meanwhile, scored one goal from eight shots attempted. Barcelona also had a greater share of the football with a 70% to 30% possession split.

Lionel Messi

"We must be stronger defensively," Messi said, noting that last season "it was tough" to score against Barcelona. "Now it is taking the minimum to do it.

"It can't happen that we concede goals in every game, we must improve and become strong in the defensive area because that is the most important thing."

Messi called for calmness in the fixtures ahead as Barcelona take on Tottenham Hotspur in a crucial UEFA Champions League match on Wednesday, before a trip to Valencia CF on Sunday.

"We must carry on and look forward because we have a tough game coming up on Wednesday," he said. "We know we have to be at our best and move forward with calmness."

SEE ALSO: Read all of Business Insider's coverage for the 2018-2019 soccer season right here

DON'T MISS: Lionel Messi confused an Argentinian teammate for a fan and posed for a photo with him

UP NEXT: Lionel Messi's brother has been convicted of illegally possessing a gun that ended up in 'a blood-stained boat'

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NOW WATCH: What it takes to be an NFL referee

Sony's annual PlayStation conference has been canceled this year due to a lack of announcements — but PS4 owners still have plenty to look forward to

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playstation vue sony

  • Sony's PlayStation Experience will not be held in North America for the first time since its launch in 2014.
  • Sony Worldwide Studios Chairman Shawn Layden said the event was canceled due to a lack of major announcements.
  • The PlayStation 4 remains the most popular video game console in the world, and Sony plans to increase communication with fans moving forward.

Sony's annual PlayStation Experience video game conference will not take place in 2018 due to a lack of new announcements, Sony Worldwide Studios Chairman Shawn Layden has confirmed.

In past years, PlayStation Experience has been the launching pad for Sony's biggest reveals. But the PlayStation 4 has dominated the console market this year with major releases like "Marvel's Spider-Man" and "God of War," leaving Sony with just a few exclusive titles to promote going into 2019.

"We wouldn't have enough to bring people all together in some location in North America to have that event," Layden said during Sony's promotional blogcast. "We don't want to set expectations really high and not deliver on it. It was a hard decision, but we have determined that this year we will not hold PlayStation Experience."

Layden said the company didn't want to disappoint fans with a lack of meaningful news. Instead, Sony will focus on providing more frequent updates and communication to keep fans excited for the future of PlayStation.

During the blogcast, Layden said Sony is still preparing previously announced games, like "Days Gone" and "Dreams," for release in 2019, but those didn't warrant a full conference.  

spiderman ps4

The current iteration of PlayStation Experience was launched in 2014 as a celebration of PlayStation's 20th anniversary. Along with announcing new games, PlayStation Experience offered panel discussions with developers, hands-on demos, and dozens of exhibitors over the course of a weekend.

Layden said the original goal of the event was to gather fans and bring them closer to Sony's new first party titles.

The Last of Us: Part II

But even without the excitement of PlayStation Experience, PS4 owners can still look forward to exclusive games like "The Last of Us: Part II" and "Ghost of Tsushima." Plus, "God of War" and "Spider-Man" both set sales records for the PlayStation 4 this year, and the console continues to sell better than Microsoft's Xbox One or the newer Nintendo Switch.

Despite its sales advantage over the other consoles, Sony recently opened the doors to crossplay with other platforms. "Fortnite: Battle Royale" is the first game to allow PlayStation gamers to play with people on other consoles, but Sony has hinted that other games will soon be following suit.

Sony also rolled out full PS2 and PS4 game downloads for PlayStation Now subscribers in September, placing the service in direct competition with the Xbox Game Pass. 

SEE ALSO: Sony is finally allowing 'Fortnite' players on PlayStation 4 to play with people on Xbox One and Nintendo Switch

SEE ALSO: PlayStation Now allows downloads for PS4 and PS2 games like the Xbox Game Pass

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Azealia Banks reveals why she thinks Elon Musk was right to settle with the SEC and who Tesla should tap as its new chairman (TSLA)

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elon musk azealia banks

  • Azealia Banks tells Business Insider that she is "proud" of Elon Musk's decision to settle with the SEC, paying a $20 million fine and agreeing to step down as chairman. 
  • Many theorized that Banks would have testified in the SEC investigation, had Musk not settled, and the rapper said she had already been planning courtroom outfits. 
  • "I would have walked up in that courtroom looking like a pussycat," Banks said. "It would have been historic... but this way was ultimately better for America and the public."
  • Banks' top pick for Musk's replacement as Tesla's next chairman is former Alphabet chairman, Eric Schmidt.

Azealia Banks wants the world to know she does not hate Elon Musk. 

"All of these shorts are up my ass thinking I somehow hate Elon and I don’t," Banks told Business Insider in an interview via Twitter DM on Saturday, shortly after news broke that the Tesla CEO had reached a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

Banks, best known for her rap career, has been an unexpected player in Musk's and Tesla's recent drama. Banks originally criticized Musk following the infamous "funding secured" tweet, but she has since turned into a Tesla supporter. Now, Banks says she believes Musk made the right decision to agree to step down as the chairman of Tesla's board of directors and pay a $20 million fine.

"I don’t think he should be embarrassed for any reason," Banks said. "S--- like this happens to people in charge of huge amounts of money all the time. It's pain from the game."

The SEC sued Musk last week, alleging that Musk made "false and misleading statements" in a series of mid-August tweets about taking Tesla private. 

Soon after Musk's posted the tweets, Banks stayed at one of Musk's Los Angeles properties for a weekend, pulling the rapper into Musk's orbit during one of the most publicly tumultuous periods of his life. Banks told Business Insider she saw Musk "scrounging for investors" when she stayed at his house, despite the CEO claiming at the time he had funding secured to take Tesla private. 

The future of Tesla, according to Azealia Banks

Eric Schmidt

While Banks says she hasn't communicated directly with Musk following the weekend, she has followed Tesla news closely. After originally being offended by Musk's behavior, Banks says she now wishes him the best and is "proud" of his decision to settle with the SEC and step down as chairman. 

Banks also has suggestions for who Tesla should tap as its next chairman: former Alphabet executive chairman Eric Schmidt or another executive who has worked at Google. It's a good match, according to Banks, because they're "smart as hell" but won't take the media spotlight off of Musk. 

Banks isn't the only person to float Schmidt's name. Last week, Brad Meikle, senior analyst at Williams Trading, told The Street that there is talk that Tesla is considering hiring "someone like Eric Schmidt, a rock star," as chairman. 

campbell blood diamondsThe SEC settlement puts an end to what could have been another appearance by Banks in Tesla's saga. 

Some theorized that Banks' weekend at Musk's property could have led to her testifying as part of the lawsuit. And, Banks said she was already planning courtroom looks inspired by Naomi Campbell's "blood diamond" testimony in the trial of Liberia's former President Charles Taylor. 

"I would have walked up in that courtroom looking like a pussycat," Banks said. "It would have been historic... but this way was ultimately better for America and the public."

Now, Banks is content to wish Musk the best, even if she isn't above capitalizing on the press coverage of the ongoing drama. On Saturday, Banks offered a special $4.20 deal on soap, a reference to Musk's infamous 420 "funding secured" tweet. She also told Business Insider she'd be interested in collaborating with Grimes to produce a soundtrack for the SEC investigation. 

"I hope Elon is somewhere (without grimes’ dumb ass) celebrating and relaxing with his kids," Banks said on Saturday. "I’m sure they had it rough watching this whole thing play out ... I didn’t want them to have to see their dad being torn apart. That would make any child cry." 

If you have a story to share about Tesla or Elon Musk, email ktaylor@businessinsider.com.

SEE ALSO: Rapper Azealia Banks wants to work with Elon Musk's ex-girlfriend Grimes to create a soundtrack for the 'funding secured' SEC investigation

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MoviePass emailed former subscribers to tell them they'll be enrolled in a new plan unless they opt out, and experts are calling it 'unfair and abusive' (HMNY)

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MoviePass

  • On Friday, MoviePass sent an email to subscribers — some of whom say they had already canceled their subscription or let it lapse — offering them a one-movie-a-day "test group" plan for $9.95 a month to get them to use the service again.
  • But the email says users will have their membership automatically restored and be charged $9.95 a month beginning October 5 unless they opt out.
  • Many people who say they canceled or never renewed their monthly MoviePass membership were upset, accusing the company of planning to re-enroll them without their consent.
  • Joan Martínez Evora, a lecturer in business law at the University of Miami Business School, described the MoviePass email to Business Insider as "unfair and abusive," and Andrew C. Wicks, the Ruffin Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, said it was "inappropriate and potentially bordering on bullying the customer."

MoviePass appears to be taking desperate measures to try to beef up its subscription numbers.

On Friday, the movie-ticket subscription service sent an email to members whose subscription had lapsed informing them that they would be enrolled in a "select test group" of subscribers who could watch one movie a day, based on its limited "existing inventory," for $9.95 a month.

But MoviePass says in the email that those who do not opt out of the test-group plan will see their subscription restored and the credit card on file charged $9.95 monthly beginning October 5.

The email, with the not-so-urgent subject line "MoviePass Updates," was flagged to Business Insider on Friday by a person who said they canceled their subscription but still received the email. The person said they completed the opt-out prompt and hoped they had now fully cut ties with MoviePass.

The complete letter is below:

moviepass opt in letter

The news quickly spread on social media over the weekend, with many former MoviePass users saying they were baffled about why they would have to opt out of a service they didn't renew or outright canceled.

MoviePass' "terms of use" webpage says: "To cancel, you must notify MoviePass in writing via email at least one business day prior to the next billing date stating your intent to cancel and providing the full name and email address on the account. You may also cancel your membership by using the MoviePass app. Cancellations are not effective until confirmation is sent to you via email, and you are responsible for all charges until cancellation is confirmed."

Though stories have emerged recently detailing the difficulties of unsubscribing from MoviePass, experts who spoke to Business Insider described this as the most egregious yet.

"Signing up consumers without their permission is unfair and abusive," said Joan Martínez Evora, a lecturer in business law at the University of Miami Business School. "Placing technological barriers like hiding icons from the screen, or showing errors, or automatically re-enrolling without giving fair notices with reasonable choices are unacceptable and the resulting 'agreements' unenforceable."

Andrew C. Wicks, the Ruffin Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, described the email as "inappropriate and potentially bordering on bullying the customer."

"How many times do I have to say 'no' before you hear 'no'?" Wicks said.

MoviePass sent Business Insider the following statement about the Friday email:

"MoviePass sent an email offer on September 28, 2018 to a set of members who had not yet opted-in to the new offering of three movies per month. The offer was the opportunity to restore their original unlimited plan (up to one new movie title per day based on existing inventory) — the subscription plan they had originally signed up for. This was a one-time promotional offer that is valid through October 5 for some subscribers, many of whom have expressed an interest in the original plan and a request for its return. As part of the offer, if the member does not wish to return to the original plan, they can simply opt-out in the email prior to October 5 and they will not be auto-charged.

"There are a number of members who received the email from whom we have previously received conflicting indications over the last several months — having initially opted-out and then opting back in as we tweaked the offering. We had left their accounts suspended in an abundance of caution and are now offering them the opportunity to return to the plan that they originally liked."

MoviePass did not immediately respond to Business Insider's inquiry about why people who canceled the service were saying they still received the email.

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'Black Mirror' season 5 is reportedly coming to Netflix this year, and it could include a choose-your-own-adventure episode

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  • "Black Mirror" season 5 is expected to come to Netflix in December, according to a new Bloomberg report.
  • Netflix is also developing interactive specials where viewers can choose the next storyline in a show or movie, according to the report.
  • One of these "choose-your-own-adventure" programs could be an episode of "Black Mirror."

 

"Black Mirror" could be returning sooner than expected. According to Bloomberg, which cites anonymous sources, the fifth season of the hit sci-fi anthology series is expected to come to Netflix in December.

Furthermore, Bloomberg reports that the streaming company is developing "choose-your-own-adventure"-like specials, which would allow viewers to choose the next storyline in a TV episode or movie. According to the report, the first of these specials could be a season 5 episode of "Black Mirror."

When asked for comment, a Netflix representative wrote in an email that, "You have the ability to choose your own response from Netflix," linking to both a Netflix logo and a YouTube video of 10 hours of crickets chirping. 

It's no secret that Netflix has developed a reputation for being a media disrupter. It's revolutionized how people consume television while also purposely moving into producing its own shows and movies — it's premiered a number of Oscar-caliber movies at film festivals this year, most notably Alfonso Cuarón's "Roma." Could interactive storytelling be one more way the streaming service tries to disrupt the status quo?

It's not a new idea — as Bloomberg points out, Netflix has already experimented with interactive television in animated children's programs, and HBO explored the storytelling technique with its Steven Soderbergh-directed series "Mosaic." But Netflix wants to make the experience mainstream, and Bloomberg implies that Netflix's upcoming "Minecraft" series, based on the popular video game, would be interactive. 

"Black Mirror" is coming off an award-winning fourth season, as the episode "USS Callister" won the Emmy award for Outstanding Television Movie last month. 

SEE ALSO: All 19 episodes of 'Black Mirror,' ranked from worst to best

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Google will let some people play one of the biggest video games of the year for free, right from the Chrome browser — even if you have a lousy PC (GOOG, GOOGL)

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assassin's creed odyssey

  • Google will stream the "Assassin's Creed Odyssey" video game to play directly from the Chrome web browser for its experimental game streaming service, called Project Stream.
  • You'll be able to play the game from Chrome much like you would with a console or PC, except the visuals for the game and your controller inputs will be transmitted over the internet. 
  • Better yet, it'll be free. 
  • The catch: There are a limited number of spots for Project Stream.

Google will let people play "Assassin's Creed Odyssey," one of the most-anticipated video games of the year, straight from the Google Chrome web browser for a new experimental service called Project Stream, the company announced on Monday.

The game will be free-of-charge to play for the duration of the Project Stream test, which will end in mid-January. 

Normally, "Assassin's Creed Odyssey" requires an Xbox One, PlayStation 4, or reasonably powerful gaming PC to play. However, Google will be streaming the entire game's visuals, as well as you inputs from a controller or keyboard and mouse, over the internet. That means that, in theory, you can play it from any computer, no matter how powerful, as long as you have the Chrome browser installed.

A quick recap on the game: "Assassin's Creed Odyssey," the latest in the blockbuster "Assassin's Creed" franchise, takes place in ancient Greece, during the times of Homeric myth. As the protagonist, one of the titular assassins, you fight a vast conspiracy across land and sea.

To have a chance at being selected to participate in the project, you'll have to sign up for Project Stream via the project's website. Google notes that open spots are limited, and there's no guarantee of selection. The company will send an email notification to those who are selected. 

google project stream

To sign up, you'll need to be a US resident and 17 years old or older. You'll also need a computer, and 25 megabits per second of internet speed (Google can help test your connection to make sure you meet this mark).

You'll need a good internet connection as the game will be streamed to your computer, much like how video is delivered from services like Netflix. But there's a little more to streaming a game than a movie. Not only does it need to show you the video feed in real-time; it needs to register your controller inputs at a speed fast enough to match the action on-screen. 

The game will be streamed at a 1080p full-HD resolution at 60 frames per second, so your internet connection need to be able to reliably carry a lot of data. If your computer can reliably stream Netflix videos in 4K ultra-HD resolution, you should be in the clear, per Netflix's own recommendation. 

Otherwise, any computer that can stream video should be up for the job. Google didn't specify exactly what computer you'd need, suggesting you could use a Mac, Windows 10 computer, or a Chromebook, just as long as you have a Google account, an account with Ubisoft (the game's publisher), and the Chrome web browser. 

Google's Project Stream service isn't the first of its kind. Nvidia is currently running a beta of its GeForce Now game streaming service. Another company called Shadow also offers a game streaming service that gives you access to a high-end computer in the cloud.

You can check out a video of "Assassin's Creed: Odyssey" being played on Project Stream in the video below:

 

SEE ALSO: The folks behind 'Grand Theft Auto' just put out a new trailer for their next blockbuster, 'Red Dead Redemption 2'— take a look

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INSIDE MONSTER JAM: What it takes to be a monster truck driver

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We went behind the scenes of Monster Jam, the monster truck spectacular that performs in stadiums and arenas around the world. On a recent show at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., we spoke with rising Monster Jam star Brianna Mahon. One of the few female drivers on the Monster Jam circuit, Mahon began her motorsports career as a motocross racer, but a hand injury sidelined her dreams of glory in that sport. 

While in cosmetology school, Mahon got a call from Monster Jam driver and instructor Tom Meents, who offered her a chance to try out for the company. Soon, Mahon found herself under the bright lights of stadiums full of cheering fans. 

We talked to Mahon to tell her story and she revealed what it takes to be a monster truck driver. Following is a transcript of the video. 

Narrator: This is Monster Jam, the monster truck spectacular that electrifies audiences in stadiums and arenas around the world. These drivers put their lives on the line every time they suit up, but thanks to extreme safety precautions, they often walk away unscathed after even the most intense accidents. One of the sport's rising stars is probably not who you'd imagine would behind the wheel of a monster truck.

Brianna Mahon: My name is Brianna Mahon, I'm the driver of the brand new Whiplash Monster Jam truck.

Narrator: Brianna Mahon may not look like your typical Monster Jam driver, but she definitely drives like one. 

Mahon: I'm out here in a male world, you know, dominating for the females, and to have a truck that stands out so brightly against everybody else's, it's such an honor.

Narrator: Brianna Mahon's need for speed evolved on the motocross track.

Mahon: I was born into the fast lane and I never left. We were in a male-dominated sport and the men didn't really want us there. They felt that we were a threat because we were faster than them. And, I mean I remember sitting on a line and the guy next to me, his dad would hit him in the back of the shoulder and say, "You better take that girl out. Don't let her beat you."

Narrator: An injury to one of her hands brought Mahon's motocross career to an end.

Mahon: In 2014, I was sitting in cosmetology school and kinda got a phone call from Tom Meents himself and he had heard about my background and thought I'd be a great candidate to try out. So I spent all of 2014 training and driving a truck and learning about Monster Jam. And in 2015, I won Rookie of the Year.

Narrator: But Mahon wasn't done with her career in the beauty industry. Today, she owns a hair salon in Illinois.

Mahon:  When I get new clients, I tell them and they're just floored. Like, "You don't look like a Monster Jam driver."

Narrator: Of the 83 active Monster Jam drivers, only 14 are female.

Tom Meents: Seeing men in the sport is, it's cool, but when you have a lady that rocks the house, that's epic.

Mahon: Honestly, it's an adrenaline rush that I just don't even think you can explain until you're in it. It's an awesome, awesome experience.

Meents: The women in our sport, they've proven they're just as good as the men. You could tell there was something special about her. Competitive, tough, and never wants to give up on training.

Narrator: The drivers get to hone their skills at Monster Jam University, a facility in Paxton, Illinois that's operated by Tom Meents.

Meents: They have a place like Monster Jam University where they can perfect their craft, get better when they're out there, and then they can bring their epic performances to the track.

Narrator: According to Monster Jam, each truck costs around $250,000 to build.

Mahon: Our trucks are 12-foot tall, they're about 12-foot wide and they weigh anywhere from 10 to 12 thousand pounds, 1,500 horsepower. Our tires are 66 inches tall. They're massive! They're like the biggest tires on any vehicle around. And, you know, it's just so cool to drive such a big beast of a truck.

Meents: They maneuver around the stadium at amazing speed and can fly over 40 feet in the air. They're 100% like engineered fighter jet airplanes.

Narrator: On a rainy night at MetLife Stadium these trucks were put to the test. Due to a lack of traction on the track, the drivers couldn't perform a lot of their signature maneuvers like full backflips and riding on two wheels. What the show lacked in fancy tricks, it made up for with mud.

Mahon: We have the best safety technology. We're fireproof head to toe, head restraint, neck restraint, we have 7-point harnesses that hold us into the seat, fire shoes and gloves, and we take every precaution necessary. And that's why you don't see the injuries in Monster Jam like you do in any other sport. Because we're head to toe, fully protected.

Narrator: The drivers first compete in races, followed by a freestyle round. There's no cash prize for the winner, the drivers are all salaried employees. Monster Jam wouldn't share specifics about the drivers' salaries.

Mahon: We're all hired contract workers, basically and we come in and do our job and get to go home at the end of the day. Awww, thank you. I get messages all the time of girls that say, you know, "You're my role model, I look up to you."

You can't put a price tag on that. We get to compete on the same tracks, in the same trucks on the same level as the men and that's really what makes it special and a really cool sport because there's nobody here pushing us down, everybody's building us up.

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'Mega Man 11' is the run-and-gun reboot fans have been waiting years to play

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Mega Man 11 Shot

  • "Mega Man 11" revives an iconic character, mixing classic gameplay with modern graphics and presentation.
  • Precise controls and unique special weapons make Mega Man a joy to play, despite unforgiving pitfalls and tough enemy bosses
  • With four difficulty settings, the game is welcoming for newcomers but still holds a challenge for veterans of the series.
  • The updated presentation and voice acting bring a refreshing dose of personality to a tried and true formula.

"Mega Man 11" is the game fans of the series have been waiting for. It treats the Blue Bomber with the sort of love and respect that a 30-year-old franchise deserves.

Once easily recognized alongside iconic characters like Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog, Mega Man has struggled to make the jump to the current generation of consoles. Until now.

Sniper Joe, an age-old Mega Man enemy, guards the path with his shield and blaster.

Developer Capcom's formula for Mega Man has always been roughly the same: The heroic robot must jump and shoot his way through eight stages and eight enemy bosses in order to find and defeat the evil Dr. Wily.

Each stage is carefully crafted based on the boss's theme and can be completed in any order. Completing a stage and defeating the boss will grant Mega Man a special ability to help him beat the rest of the stages.



Each of the eight robot masters guards their own unique stage.

In "Mega Man 11," Capcom has successfully distilled the core of the series and placed it in modern packaging. That includes full voice acting, high-definition graphics, lighting effects, multiple difficulty levels, and online leaderboards for high scores.

Though most of these featureswould be considered standard for a single-player platforming game in 2018, Mega Man has long been trapped in an odd nostalgia loop that has stunted the series' growth.



In "Mega Man 11," the bosses start out as Mega Man's pals before being turned against him.

The Mega Man series has always been influential, but the gameplay began to stagnate as newer technology allowed for more possibilities beyond Mega Man's 2D world. Capcom's Mega Man spin-offs continued to layer more complex mechanics on top of the original formula, but as things got more complicated, the series began to lose its charm and simple identity. 



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After missing its original release date and angering fans, Kanye West's next album is now scheduled to come out in November

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  • Kanye West's next album, "Yandhi," was scheduled to drop on Saturday night, but it didn't.
  • On Monday, his wife, Kim Kardashian West, announced on Twitter that the album will instead debut on November 23, which is Black Friday.
  • West has garnered controversy this year for his pro-Trump stance, which made headlines again over the weekend when he went on "SNL" wearing a MAGA hat and began a rant where he praised Trump in the final moments of the broadcast before his mic was cut off.

 

Kanye West failed to deliver on his promise to release his next album, "Yandhi," on Saturday, leaving fans confused and angry. But for those still sticking with West who are willing to wait a little longer, "Yandhi" officially has a new release date.

West's wife, Kim Kardashian West, tweeted on Monday that the album is now scheduled to drop on November 23 — Black Friday — and said it will be "worth the wait."

West tweeted last Thursday that "Yandhi" would be released on Saturday, when West was the musical guest on "Saturday Night Live." Instead, West ranted about Donald Trump during an off-air speech that was met with mostly negative reactions from the studio audience.

"If I was concerned about racism I would've moved out of America a long time ago," West said.

West has courted controversy this year for his pro-Trump stance. On Sunday, West tweeted a photo of himself wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat. The caption said, "this represents good and America becoming whole again.  We will no longer outsource to other countries. We build factories here in America and create jobs.  We will provide jobs for all who are free from prisons as we abolish the 13th amendment. Message sent with love."

He later clarified his comments on the 13th Amendment, saying in a later tweet, "the 13th Amendment is slavery in disguise meaning it never ended We are the solution that heals." He then tweeted that he wants the 13th Amendment to be amended, not abolished.

Earlier that day, Trump tweeted, "Like many, I don’t watch Saturday Night Live (even though I past hosted it) - no longer funny, no talent or charm. It is just a political ad for the Dems. Word is that Kanye West, who put on a MAGA hat after the show (despite being told “no”), was great. He’s leading the charge!"

West retweeted it on Monday.

"Yandhi" will be West's second-solo album of the year following "Ye," which dropped in June. 

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

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Amazon-owned IMDB is reportedly close to announcing a new streaming service

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Marvelous Mrs. Maisel amazon

  • IMDB, which is owned by Amazon, is reportedly readying its very own streaming service that will offer old TV shows and movies.
  • It will be available for Fire TV users and will be free, supported by ads, according to the report.
  • The move signals Amazon's intentions to get a piece of the $70 billion TV ad market.

If you're one of those people who can't have enough streaming services, you're in luck. IMDB — the Internet Movie Database — is expected to announce its very own streaming service, according to CNBC. The announcement is expected to be made sometime this week.

IMDB, founded in 1990 as a fan-operated website, was purchased by Amazon in 1998 and has grown into a valuable resource for people in the entertainment industry, from actors to publicists to journalists. But it's probably best known as the website where you can easily look up film and TV credits, or check on what your favorite actor or direct is filming next.

The new streaming service, which will reportedly offer TV shows and movies, will be a free, ad-supported video service available on Amazon's Fire TV, which has about 48 million users. CNBC says it will be similar to The Roku Channel or the early days of Hulu, when users could watch episodes of TV with ads without a subscription. The new service will also be available to Amazon Prime subscribers, according to the report.

The Information first reported Amazon's efforts to build an IMDB streaming service in early August. IMDB was not immediately available to comment on the latest report.

Amazon, which is already competing in the streaming space with its Prime Video service, is reportedly in talks with networks to obtain the rights to stream older TV shows and movies on IMDB's upcoming service.

Amazon Prime's biggest competitors in streaming right now are Netflix and Hulu, the latter of which offers both ad-supported and ad-free subscriptions. By launching a new, ad-supported streaming service from IMDB, Amazon is signaling that it's interested in more than just growing its Amazon Prime subscription service: It's also interested in getting a piece of the $70 billion TV advertising market.

SEE ALSO: MoviePass emailed former subscribers to tell them they'll be enrolled in a new plan unless they opt out, and experts are calling it 'unfair and abusive'

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