NEW YORK (AP) — NBC, after being heartened by some long-sought success this past fall, has fallen into a deep midwinter freeze.

The network has badly stumbled recently, hitting its three lowest viewership levels for a traditional television season in the past four weeks, the Nielsen ratings company said. The only exception came the week NBC televised the Pro Bowl.

NBC expected some tough times with the end of the pro football season and its popular Sunday night game. Two other popular shows, the reality singing competition "The Voice" and the sci-fi drama "Revolution," are on hiatus, which network entertainment President Robert Greenblatt noted a month ago in a bid to lower expectations.

"No one is more aware of what January through March will bring than us," he said.

Yet the depth of NBC's recent troubles has to be disheartening. NBC was feeling good about the musical drama "Smash," yet the 4.5 million people who watched its second-season premiere last week represented its smallest audience. The medical drama "Do No Harm" was cancelled after two weeks when it reached a paltry 2.2 million people last week in the time slot NBC once dominated with "ER."

The detective series "Deception," with Victor Garber, seems headed for a short life after reaching 3.1 million people last Monday. The comedy "1600 Penn," about a family living in the White House, had only 2.6 million people on Thursday, Nielsen said.

The audiences for all four of those series put together roughly equaled the number of people who saw "The Walking Dead," about a sheriff's deputy fighting zombie-like people, on AMC on Sunday night, Nielsen said.

Thirty-three other broadcast programs had bigger audiences than NBC's most-watched show last week, "Dateline NBC." The network has turned over its Friday night schedule to the news division with "Dateline" and Brian Williams' newsmagazine, "Rock Center."

CBS, led by the Grammy Awards, thoroughly dominated prime time on broadcast TV last week. Its average audience was twice that of second-place Fox. Seventeen of the 20 top broadcast programs last week were on CBS, with the exceptions being two episodes of "American Idol" on Fox and ABC's "Modern Family."

CBS averaged 13.2 million viewers for the week (8.0 rating, 13 share). A ratings point represents 1,147,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation's estimated 114.7 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of in-use televisions tuned to a given show.

Fox was second with 6.5 million (3.8, 6), ABC had 6.3 million (4.1, 7), NBC had 4.3 million (2.8, 5), the CW had 1.6 million (1.0, 2) and ION Television had 1.2 million (0.8, 1).

Among the Spanish-language networks, Univision led with a 3.7 million prime-time average (1.9, 3). Telemundo had 1.3 million (0.7, 1), UniMas had 960,000 (0.5, 1), Estrella had 230,000 (0.1, 0) and Azteca 130,000 (also 0.1, 0).

NBC's "Nightly News" topped the evening newscasts with an average of 9.6 million viewers (6.4, 12). ABC's "World News" was second with 8.6 million (5.8, 11) and the "CBS Evening News" had 7.5 million viewers (5.0, 9). It was the biggest audience for CBS' evening newscast since January 2009.

For the week of Feb. 4-10, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: "Grammy Awards," CBS, 28.38 million; "NCIS," CBS, 21.79 million; "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 18.98 million; "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 16.67 million; "Person of Interest," CBS, 14.88 million; "American Idol" (Wednesday), Fox, 14.27 million; "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 14.12 million; "American Idol" (Thursday), Fox, 13.28 million; "Criminal Minds," CBS, 11.98 million; "2 Broke Girls," CBS, 11.37 million.

___

ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co. CBS is owned by CBS Corp. CW is a joint venture of Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corp. Fox and My Network TV are units of News Corp. NBC and Telemundo are owned by Comcast Corp. ION Television is owned by ION Media Networks. TeleFutura is a division of Univision. Azteca America is a wholly owned subsidiary of TV Azteca S.A. de C.V.

___

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http://www.nielsen.com

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Everyone's in the dark when it comes to Netflix's "House of Cards" ratings, including lead actor Kevin Spacey.  

Last week, Netflix rolled out all 13 episodes of the political drama on its streaming site at once and since then the big question is how many people are tuning into watch. 

Though Netflix's Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos won't divulge on the specifics, he revealed during All Things D's Dive Into Media conference that its new original series is currently the most-watched thing on the site in all 40 countries where it operates. 

To clarify, Sarandos defines "most-watched" in terms of the number of people viewing and the number of hours they're engaging with the program. 

When All Things D pushed for metric data, he refused to give away any numbers.

Sarandos explained he refuses to deliver ratings because he sees it as an apples-to-orange comparison with network ratings. 

"If I come out to you and say that we attracted more viewers than a show on another network then that's bad news for them, and not particularly good news for me because I don't monetize it in any way," he said. "I don't sell advertising, I'm not jockeying for a position with  cable operators." 

However, you would think that the star of the show, Spacey, must want to know how many eyeballs are watching his performance as conniving congressman Francis Underwood. 

If so, that's too bad, because according to Sarandos, he's in the dark, too.  

"I don't tell him," says Sarandos. "I tell him that we're thrilled. He says, 'Are you happy with the numbers?' I tell him we're thrilled with the numbers in absolute and relative to what we expected."

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The movie "Identity Thief" opens nationwide this weekend, and though we love a good laugh, this flick comes at a cost: the truth.

The topic deserves the national attention that the movie, starring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy, will generate, but the devil is in the details. And many of the details in "Identity Thief" are wrong.

Here are five major plot points that do a disservice to an often-misunderstood crime:

Jurisdiction. The movie turns on the premise that the crook needs to "be standing right here" to make an arrest, as a police officer tells Bateman's character. Bateman lives in Colorado, while McCarthy's character is making the false charges in Florida. Not so. "If the perpetrator is found, they are usually arrested in the area in which they live, and all local, state and federal documentation is sent to that court system," said Raul Vargas, a fraud specialist with Identity Theft 911. "Keep in mind, jurisdiction is based upon the area in which the crime occurred, not the area in which the victim lives.

[Related Article: 7 Ways to Protect Your Privacy Before Facebook Gets Hacked]

Statistics. In the film, police also tell Bateman that "5 to 10 percent of the time, the thief is caught"-- a wildly optimistic statement. In reality, according to Vargas, fewer than 1 in 1,000 identity thieves are successfully prosecuted. And the crime is far more rampant than this movie shows. In the real world, 20 people are victims of identify theft every minute. That's a new victim every three seconds.

Logistics. After speaking to police, Bateman's character tracks down McCarthy halfway across the country. While it's a recipe for laughs, in real life it's an extremely complicated disaster since identity theft is increasingly happening online and across national borders.

[Related Article: 5 Things to Do Immediately If Your Identity Is Stolen]

Criminals' sophistication. According to the movie's promotional material, "Unlimited funds have allowed Diana to live it up on the outskirts of Orlando, where the queen of retail buys whatever strikes her fancy." As identity theft has gotten more attention, it also has gotten more sophisticated. While retail fraud still happens, the trend is toward online shopping and banking fraud where criminals can hijack your wallet without leaving their laptop. When retail fraud does happen, cards are hijacked, used and often discarded. Crooks rarely impersonate a victim for an extended period of time.

Motivation. In an attempt to round out McCarthy's criminal character, they've given her outsider status and a soft heart. As McCarthy has said in the press, "it is less about her stealing and acquiring things as it is feeling like she is part of these people's lives." Well, in real life it's always about the stealing. Don't be mistaken. Identity thieves are after one thing: your money.

This article was originally published on the Identity Theft 911 blog.

Related Articles:

The Danger Of Not Checking Your Credit Report

The 10 Dumbest Risks You Take With Your Smartphone

4 Ways Identity Theft Can Affect Your Credit

SEE ALSO: The 10 Most Expensive Cities In The United States >

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More women copy Kim Kardashian's style than Kate Middleton's. 

But much of fashion industry continues to snub Kardashian, despite her massive exposure. 

At a recent Elle cover shoot, Kardashian's stylist described how difficult it was to find clothes for her. 

"People wouldn't lend me the clothes. But that's fashion snobbery," Nicola Formichetti told Elle.

Formichetti has worked with Lady Gaga in the past. 

It's almost unheard of for a designer to snub a cover model of a major magazine. Formichetti didn't say which designers refused to work with Kardashian. 

In the end, Tom Ford, David Yurman, and Oscar de la Renta were featured in the spread.  

But why do many fashion labels hate Kardashian? 

According to Benjamin Wallace in New York Magazine, it's her curves and ambition. 

"Kim Kardashian—a sexpot with curves and a prodigious behind, a sybarite as well as a full-on capitalist—is an affront to everything it holds dear," Wallace wrote last year. 

But despite her uphill battle, Kardashian, and her curves, are blazing a trail. 

SEE ALSO: What Happens To Victoria's Secret Underwear After You Return It >

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It's been nearly a fortnight since all 13 episodes of Netflix's original series "House of Cards" premiered online.  

And while media has openly discussed and reviewed the pilot and opening episodes, we haven't heard much about the later episodes yet, even though some have already finished the series.  

Certainly, the first episode is open for discussion right after the premiere, but Netflix has in itself caused a slight conundrum in the television-consumption universe. How do you talk about a show when you're not sure how much of it anyone has viewed? 

Is episode 11 taboo to discuss after day one of the series rollout? (Unless you're sick or staying at home with a case of the Netflix binge, we think so.) But, how about after day three or four? How about a week? 

Looking ahead, when will it be okay for media to discuss the season one finale openly? (IGN has already dissected the entire series.) 

Not only has the political drama flipped the TV model on its head by releasing episodes in bulk, but at the same time it has limited the number of discussions that would normally come from outlets about a 13-episode television show's continuous plot.   

During AllThingsD's D: Dive Into Media conference discussion with Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos yesterday, this very issue was became a topic of discussion.

It was suggested the 13-episode rollout not only prevents people from discussing singular episodes after consumption, but also speculation about what may come next in the storyline.  

However, Sarandos says the problem isn't that people aren't talking about the drama. Rather, he claims people are discussing the show constantly and that conversation's growing every day. 

"We're not trying to dismantle or destroy television," says Sarandos. "We're trying to evolve television in a way that consumers really want."

Instead, Sarandos suggests "House of Cards" is starting a new style of Watercooler conversation with different rules. 

"The rules are on spoiler alert. The thing you talk about, some of it is what episode are you on," says Sarandos. "If I'm on eight and you're on four. You and I talk about four, but I know not to talk about five." 

There's only one problem with this logic. 

The ability to recall what occurs on one single episode and then retain that in a catalogued folder to recall at any given moment is asking a lot of a typical viewer.  

If you asked someone right now what happened on season 5 episode 11 of "How I Met Your Mother" we highly doubt you could tell us the episode storyline off the top of your head. (For those wondering, the episode followed Robin and Marshall smoking their last cigarettes.) 

We asked the Business Insider newsroom what episode they're currently on (if they're watching at all). 

Some have already finished the series, and the majority haven't been vexed or frustrated in the least when trying to discuss the show with others. 

What we found is that people are just waiting for others to catch up to where they are or finish viewing the series before beginning discussions.  

• "I'm on episode four. Not a huge problem though, if it comes up I just tell them that." — reporter Max Nisen 
• "I find that I talk about it and consume it like a movie rather than a TV show." — reporter Tony Manfred 
• "I finished it in a week. I don't find it hard to talk about because most of my friends are pretty far or have seen the whole thing too. For friends hadn't watched it yet, I just would re watch from the beginning with them." — reporter Kevin Smith
• "Finished it. It was kind of annoying having to remember what to not spoil." — Walter Hickey

Of course, this doesn't solve the issue for entertainment writers who may not be sure when the right time is to discuss the season finale; however, it  does demonstrate that Sarandos has a point — the series is altering the way we discuss a show. 

Ultimately, the way that may be best to treat something like "House of Cards" original series, and its impending rollout of "Arrested Development" come March is as a movie to discuss once before and after users are finished viewing.

Watch Sarandos discussing "House of Cards" at AllThingsD's D: Dive Into Media below:

SEE ALSO: Why Netflix refuses to give out ratings for 'House of Cards' >

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Karlie Kloss has been hawking her "Perfect 10 Kookie" behind-the-scenes at fashion week, on her Instagram and by literally handing them out on the streets of New York City.

The cookie is a collaboration between the 20-year-old model and Momofuku Milk Bar benefiting the Feed Foundation.

For every "Perfect 10 Kookie" sold, Feed will provide ten school meals to hungry children around the world.

The gluten-free cookie — made up mainly of almond flour, agave and mini chocolate chips — is similar to Momofuku's less-healthy compost cookie, which contains chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coffee, graham cracker crust, pretzels and even potato chips.

We tasted Karlie's slightly-healthier kookie today at the Business Insider office:

Here are the reviews from Business Insider reporters:

• "Not as good as Compost Cookies, but I also don't complain about cookies." — Dylan Love
• "Tasty. They're not rock-hard like most cookies. Definitely not as good as Compost cookies but a close second if they're actually healthier." — Alyson Shontell
• "I'm all about gluten-free products, but it seemed like there was something missing here. It was certainly chocolaty enough, but very chewy, and not in a Chips Ahoy kind of way. It was more like eating dry oats." — Kirsten Acuna
• "I'm really into gluten, but I would definitely eat another one."  — Laura Stampler
• "I thought the perfect 10 kookie had a disproportionate amount of nuts and oats compared to chocolate and actual cookie. It was very soft though, which I did like a lot. This wouldn't be my first choice if presented with different options."  — Kevin Smith
• "Not quite a compost cookie, but I liked it. It wasn't too sweet and didn't make me feel gross after eating it." — Leah Goldman

Looks like the people in this office would prefer an actual compost cookie to its healthier, model-endorsed counterpart.

Not that we were complaining too much:

SEE ALSO: We Tasted Lay's Crazy New 'Chicken & Waffles' Potato Chips — Here's The Verdict >

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Sacha Baron Cohen and his wife Isla Fisher are selling their Hollywood Hills West home for $2.595 million, according to a report in the LA Times (via Estately).

The stars of The Dictator and Wedding Crashers are leaving behind the Mid-century property with four bedrooms and two and a half baths. It also comes with a lagoon-style pool, spa, and outdoor gym.

Rumor has it that the Cohens have been renting out the house for the past few years for $10,995 a month while living in a larger home nearby.

2950 Okean Place was originally built in 1959, and was recently renovated.

Source: LA Times

The house is a single-story, and has views of the surrounding canyon and mountains.

Source: LA Times

The beamed ceilings rise to 22 feet within the home.

Source: LA Times

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Freddie Wong and the team behind the blockbuster web series “Video Game High School” have shattered the record for a film campaign on Kickstarter, the crowdfunding site that has helped a number of aspiring and established filmmakers secure financing for their projects.

Wong, Brandon Laatsch and Matt Arnold, who created “Video Game High School,” raised $808,341 from more than 10,000 backers as of Monday night, when the campaign ended. The money will be used for the second season of the show, which began production last week.

Certain projects on Kickstarter have raised millions of dollars, the most famous being the Pebble Watch, but this project takes the cake on the film side. It has raised close to double the amount as the next two most successful campaigns for a film or video project, Blur Studio’s “The Goon,” and Charlie Kaufman’s “Anomalisa.”

“Kickstarter has shifted from funding creative projects to funding products and videogames; the biggest funded are consumer electronics and video game projects," Wong told TheWrap. “So we're very happy it can support us in this way. Not only do we have direct access to an audience in terms of being able to get feedback, but direct access in terms of being able to have projects funded so we can try and take some of the risk out of film production.”

The “VGHS” team had set a goal of $636,010 – the full cost of Season One, which they broke down to the dollar on their own site, RocketJump, in this chart. That season, which raised almost $275,000 on Kickstarter, attracted more than 50 million viewers last summer between YouTube and RocketJump.com, a proprietary site that will also host Season Two.

Also Read: YouTube Star Freddie Wong Launches a Summer Blockbuster -- Without a Film Studio

Most of the extra money the campaign raised will be used on production. Wong, Laatsch and Arnold have already begun on Season Two, filming on location and using YouTube's new studio space in Los Angeles. They have also brought on high-profile sponsors, like Dodge, to defray the costs of costly action scenes.

Also Read: Ken Jeong, 'Halo,' Red Bull Take Early Streamy Awards (Exclusive)

This new season will take viewers further inside the world of the eponymous high school for videogame savants. Wong compared it to the evolution of “Harry Potter,” as the story went from revealing that a wizard world exists to exploring the social lives of the wizards and the existence of several other schools around the world.

In this case, the story will go from introducing viewers to this unique high school to diving further into the dynamics at the school and its competition with other schools. Whereas the first season was more of a film strung out over 10 10-to-20 minute episodes, this season will consist of six TV-length episodes ranging from 22 to 25 minutes.

“In the time we had been shooting season one, people’s tolerance of longer-form narrative online went up significantly,” Wong said.

“Everyone loved the last episode of season one, which was 22 minutes long. We wanted to open it up, explore B plot and side characters.”

Some of the extra money will also be dedicated to rewarding contributors, which took up a significant amount of their costs in season one. This time around, they have 10,613 people to reward.

The strangest prize is an easy choice. For $2,500, Wong will show up on someone’s doorstep and deliver them donuts.

"The first priority is to go to reward people," Wong said. "Whatever the pledge, we have to make sure people get that."

SEE ALSO: How 'House of Cards' is changing the way we discuss television shows >

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A height difference which bucks the trend is no obstacle to love in celebrity circles.

We take a look at the famous men who date taller women.

Mick Jagger has a history of dating Amazonian beauties, from ex-partner Jerry Hall, to current sweetheart, fashion designer L'Wren Scott.

Towering model-turned-chef, Sophie Dahl, found true love with minuscule musician Jamie Cullum.

Rod Stewart always had a penchant for leggy blondes and current wife, Penny Lancaster's go on all the way up to Rod's waist.

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Former Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP lawyer Art Chung left the prestigious firm after only 15 months and took a 50 percent pay cut to pursue a career writing trivia for game shows.

In a recent interview with Bloomberg Law, Chung said he went to law school because it was "the path of least resistance" after earning a political science undergraduate degree.

But in practice, he never felt that passionate about being a lawyer.

So after 15 months at Thacher, he took a huge pay cut, moved into a smaller apartment, and went to work writing trivia questions for Regis Philbin's show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire."

He worked for the show for 10 years and left just last year to move to NPR's "Ask Me Another."

When asked what he's learned from writing trivia games for television shows, — he's also written for "Cash Cab" and "The World Series of Pop Culture" — Chung revealed "lawyers like to be on television. We had so many contestants who were lawyers. They both know a lot of trivia and they also want to show the world they know a lot of trivia."

Check Out Chung's entire interview with Bloomberg Law: 

SEE ALSO: Former Lawyer Says Oprah Inspired Her To Leave Biglaw And Open A Bra Shop

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• Lady Gaga has been forced to cancel the remainder of her "Born This Way Ball" tour so she can undergo hip surgery. “After additional tests this morning to review the severity of the issue, it has been determined that Lady Gaga has a labral tear of the right hip caused by strenuous repetitive movements in her performances,” it was announced LittleMonsters.com. The release notes Gaga “will need surgery to repair the problem, followed by strict down time to recover.”  Refunds for the cancelled performances will be available at point of purchase as of today.
• "Game of Thrones" star Peter Dinklage has been cast in a "key role" in "X-Men: Days of Future Past." Director Bryan Singerconfirmed the news, tweeting: "Officially like to welcome #PeterDinklagefrom #GameOfThrones to #XMEN#DaysofFuturePast Very very excited!"
• AMC is adapting the popular arctic nightmare novel "The Terror" by Dan Simmons into a TV show set in in 1847 about an Arctic expedition whose crew stumbles upon a terrifying ice monster.
• In case you're one of the few people watching "The Jeff Probst Show" on CBS, you should know it's been canceled.
• Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, James Franco and Michelle Williamsstunned on the red carpet (more like yellow brick road) for last night's Los Angeles premiere of "Oz: The Great and Powerful."
• Kate Uptondidn't know she landed the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition for the second year in a row until the news leaked online.
• Ke$hadrinks her own pee in her new MTV docuseries "My Crazy Beautiful Life." “I was told drinking my own pee was good… Somebody tried to take my pee away from me and I said, ‘That is mine!’ So I snatched it up and took a chug and it was really gross so I don’t do it anymore.”

SEE ALSO: Female celebrities who tower over their male lovers >

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If you're not interested in the world of books and publishing, this item will be lost on you. But if you're a bibliophile of any degree, you'll be shocked that John Wiley & Sons has changed its logo and now goes only by "Wiley."

The company, which specializes in textbooks, has been calling itself Wiley for some time. But it retained the old-fashioned "J" in its logo, and many, many readers will always know the place as John Wiley (particularly if you ever bought one of the titles in its blockbuster "For Dummies" series). John Wiley was the son of the founder, Charles. The company's logo for a longtime boasted that it was in business "since 1807."

No more!

Here are the new and old logos.

New:

Old:

It's not clear when the change happened, but it was noticed recently by Brand New, the corporate image design blog.

The change must be fairly recent, because usage guidelines for both logos are still on Wiley's web site.

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"Wedding Crashers" duo Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are teaming up again for "The Internship" — a comedy about two 40-somethings forced to intern at Google after losing their jobs.

Not only did "The Internship" shoot on Google's campus, but the search giant is getting even further involved by having a Google+ Hangout with the film's stars and hosting the trailer on the Google Play YouTube account.

"The Mountain View, Calif.-based Internet search giant does not have a financial stake in the 20th Century Fox movie," reports the L.A. Times, "but did give the film crew access to its campus in September and also consulted on creating a Google-like set."

"The Internship" hits theaters June 7th. Rose Byrne, John Goodman, and Max Minghella co-star.

Watch the trailer below:

SEE ALSO: Not even Kevin Spacey knows the ratings for "House of Cards" >

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SAG-AFTRA and the advertising industry are launching commercial contract talks on Valentine's Day under a cone of silence with a minimal disclosure of details -- offering a vivid contrast to the six-month strike that crippled the blurb biz 13 years ago.

It's the first major contract to come up for renewal by SAG-AFTRA since members approved merging SAG and AFTRA last March following a robust campaign that promised more bargaining power.

Both sides declined to comment on the talks, which will take place in Gotham. The current contract, which covers roughly $1 billion in annual earnings, expires on March 31 but the union has made no efforts to mobilize the members about the issues.

And that's a step that would be expected if SAG-AFTRA were to seek a strike authorization vote, as was done in 2000 amid a pledge by the ad industry to not sign a deal unless the pay-per-play system of compensation, known as "Class A," was replaced by quarterly buyouts. Both sides posted their entire bargaining proposal on the Internet; during the strike, SAG and AFTRA held hundreds of rallies and pickets, culminating in a boycott of Ivory Soap, Tide and Crest before getting a deal that preserved Class A, boosted cable pay by 140% and gave the union jurisdiction over Internet ads.

"Educating the members was critical back then," said Gordon Drake, a strike captain and negotiating committee member in 2000. "We felt that members needed to feel they were part of the union so we were able to hold out for that deal. So I completely disagree with the approach that SAG-AFTRA is taking to this negotiation."

The strike came following the election of William Daniels as SAG president in 1999 over incumbent Richard Masur in a campaign that promised a far more aggressive bargaining stance. After negotiations cratered, the SAG and AFTRA boards voted 150-0 to go on strike -- a show of unity that began dissipating as the strike went on, particularly among members outside Hollywood who contended in the aftermath that settlement's terms had been achievable without a strike.

In recent years, the self-styled moderates within SAG have taken over the leadership of the union in elections by pushing hard for merger and largely avoiding public confrontation with employers. SAG-AFTRA's only recent disclosure about the commercial negotiations came Feb. 3 after its national board gave its blessing to the package of proposals, hammered out via the "wages and working conditions" member meetings in recent months.

That announcement had no elaboration of the package, however. David White, the union's national exec director and chief negotiator, said, "While there are difficult issues to negotiate ahead, we anticipate a productive dialogue with our bargaining partners and expect a result that is positive for our members." SAG-AFTRA co-president Roberta Reardon told Variety last month the merger would have an impact on all of the union's successor contracts. "So it's going to be a year where we discover that solidarity, power and leverage are not just words. And the consolidation within the media industry will have a huge impact on these contracts," she said.

For its part, the ad industry -- repped through the joint policy committee of the American Assn. of Advertising Agencies and the Assn. of National Advertisers -- has broached the possibility of a strike.

The committee told members in December to consider "prudent planning" in the case of a strike including rescheduling production planned for March 31 through June. It also advised members to consider taking steps to maintain rights on current commercials if those rights are expiring in the three months after March 31.

The union and the industry are in the final seven weeks of a one-year extension to the three-year contract reached in 2009. SAG and AFTRA sought and received the extension in mid-2011 in order to focus their efforts on a merger. The key gains in the current commercials contract included a payment structure for work made for and moved over to the Internet and other new-media platforms and retention of the Class A method of pay-per-play.

The 2009 deal yielded a $36 million pay hike over three years, including $21 million more in pension and health contribution and held down annual salary gains to about 2% and included a first-ever cap on employer contributions to pension and health.

Drake still believes that SAG-AFTRA leaders needs to tell members more about contract details heading into negotiations and cites his own experience two decades ago while rehearsing for a dance scene with Annette Bening in "Bugsy." "I told her that I didn't have a SAG contract, so she told the production assistant to get me one," he recalled. "That didn't happen because of the leaders but because of a member."

Click here for more film news on Variety.com.

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Steve Madden is one of the most successful shoe designers of all time. 

Despite his massive success, he told the New York Times that he receives no recognition from the industry. 

Madden feels he's snubbed as a "creator of knockoffs," reports Laura M. Holson at the Times. 

It also irks him that fashion’s elite snub him as a creator of knockoffs.

“We get no credit from the design community,” Madden told the Times. “Are we influenced by Christian Louboutin? Of course we are. He’s brilliant. But we are, for the most part, creating new shoes every day, and they don’t get it.”

Madden does not even belong to the Council of Fashion Designers of America, a mainstay among his peers. 

“I’m not in the CFDA, but Puff Daddy is,” Madden said. “And it’s a joke.”

Madden is referring to rapper Sean Combs, who now goes by Diddy. 

But Madden said he makes his customers happy and that's all that really matters. 

“For our market,” he told the Times, “we are Christian Louboutin.”

The fashion industry has snubbed many other successful entrepreneurs, like Kim Kardashian. 

Good product is ultimately what sells shoes. Madden has that covered. 

SEE ALSO: How Tory Burch Became A Billionaire In Less Than A Decade >

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Scholastic announced earlier this week it will be rolling out revamped covers for the popular "Harry Potter" series in celebration of its 15th anniversary.

Yes, the young wizard from Hogwarts has been around for a decade and a half.

Wednesday, Scholastic unveiled the cover for author J.K. Rowling's first book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," and it's very different from the previous installments. 

The new covers will depart from the old ones by depicting one scene in particular from each book instead of hinting at plot points and characters featured throughout the book.

The artwork comes from Kazu Kibuishi who's most known for his work on the comic Flight.

Here's the old cover of the first book:

And, here's the new one:

What's most striking about the new cover is the lack of Harry's prominence on the cover. 

He takes up a good third of the original cover, and now blends in with a crowd of wizards in a scene from Diagon Alley in Kibuishi's rendering. 

The new version of Harry appears to resemble actor Daniel Radcliffe who portrayed "the boy who lived" in the popular film franchise more than his original counterpart.

The art works, depicting a boy—Harry—eagerly entering the wizarding world for the first time.

Kibuishi explained in a press release his reasoning behind the new cover: 

"As an author myself, I tried to answer the question, 'If I were the author of the books -- and they were like my own children -- how would I want them to be seen years from now?' When illustrating the covers, I tried to think of classic perennial paperback editions of famous novels and how those illustrations tend to feel. In a way, the project became a tribute to both Harry Potter and the literary classics."

Also notable is the departure in stylized font for author J.K. Rowling's name along with a simpler typeface for the book's subtitle. 

The other six books in the series will also receive new cover treatments. The new artwork will debut in September in a box set. 

What do you think — is the new cover better?

SEE ALSO: How 'House of Cards' is changing the way we discuss television shows >

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Bruce Willis appeared completely unrecognizable during a BBC interview last week.

While promoting the latest installment of his "Die Hard" franchise on the "The One Show," the actor mumbled and stumbled through short quick answers and appeared disoriented when the hosts attempted to engage him in small talk about the film and lighthearted world news. 

He seemed stumped when cued to discuss the asteroid making its way toward earth tomorrow, questioning whether it was a real: 

"I thought that went right past us."

And, when complimented on "A Good Day to Die Hard," rather than comment on the movie, he turned the discussion to focus on his problem with the film title: 

"What about the title? Are you confused by it? I don't quite understand it."

The interview left many British viewers unsatisfied, wondering what was going on with the actor.  

Willis later apologized for his awkward interview, telling U.K. radio station Xfm that he was just jetlagged. 

"I have to apologize," said Willis. "I didn't get very many compliments about it. They said it was a little stale. But I was so jetlagged. I'm very sorry, you kids on The One Show." 

Willis added it was nothing to worry about healthwise.

"I was a little bit boring, I think. I had a little sinking spell, that's all."

"A Good Day to Die Hard" is out in theaters today.

Watch the interview below: 

SEE ALSO: Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson working at Google in their new "The Internship" trailer >

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Looking for this year’s best music? Now that the Grammy winners have been announced, you may want to put that top single on repeat or check out the full album for more great hits.

You don’t need to shell out $1.29 for each MP3 song or $9.99 or more for full albums to hear your favorite songs. Instead, head over to sites where you can play Grammy-nominated music free or download full albums starting at $2.99.

Here are six sites to get your fix of free or cheap music from this year’s Grammy Awards.

If you’re looking for a free Web-based service similar to Spotify, GrooveShark offers free streaming music that you can share with friends.

Many Grammy-nominated songs and albums can be played right from the Web for free, like Kelly Clarkson’s album Stronger or Blunderbuss by Jack White.

If sharing music with your friends is important, GrooveShark also integrates with social networks. Users can add their friends to see what they’re listening to and share artists and playlists by email and using Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites.

Google Play

For more discounts and free music downloads, check out Google Play.

Just like Amazon, Google Play is offering discounted Grammy downloads. Get Kiss by Carly Rae Jepson for just $2.99 or Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange for $4.99, both $7 less than the current iTunes Store price.

Google Play also offers free songs that are updated regularly and can be added to your library with one click.

Do you have another great source for listening to your favorite Grammy nominees? Let us know on our Facebook page.

Spotify

Spotify is a free streaming service with an advantage over other options: You choose the songs you want to hear. Spotify gives you access to 20 million songs on-demand, meaning you can listen to “Call Me Maybe” all day if you’d like.

You’re not limited to just hit singles. Listen to full albums from this year’s Grammy nominees, like Gotye’s Making Mirrors and Some Nights by Fun.

If you’d rather listen to just the hit songs, check out Grammy playlists Spotify users have created. With the “ShareMyPlaylists” plug-in, you can listen to more than 40 tracks by this year’s Grammy nominees with one click.

Pandora

If you’d rather put your music on autopilot, Pandora allows you to listen nonstop based on your tastes.

Pandora acts more like a radio than a library of music. Users create “stations” based on their favorite artists, songs, and music genres. Create a “Mumford & Sons” station, and you’ll hear their songs mixed in with similar artists.

Pandora’s algorithm chooses music based on what you like and what you don’t. Give songs you love a “thumbs up” to hear more, or click “thumbs down” for tracks you don’t like and you’ll never hear that song again.

To make finding Grammy-nominated music easier, Pandora has a list of Grammy stations by genre that you can play with one click.

While you can’t hear your songs whenever you want, Pandora mixes music from your favorite artists with songs you might not have heard before. If you’re looking to discover new music similar to your favorite artists, Pandora may offer some pleasant surprises.

Amazon.com MP3 Store

If you prefer to own music rather than just streaming, Amazon.com is offering deals on this year’s winners as well as past nominees.

Check out albums for this year’s nominees starting at $2.99, with single songs starting at $0.69. Pick up El Camino by the Black Keys, nominated for “Album of the Year” for just $2.99. Adele’s“Set Fire to the Rain” is one of several award-winning tracks available for $0.69.

Amazon also has past nominees starting at $2.99 per album. Breakaway from nominee Kelly Clarkson is just $2.99 and Norah Jones’s Come Away With Me currently goes for $3.99.

Amazon also offers free downloads with Grammy artists mixed in. Browse their listings and check back often for new additions that you can add to your digital library.

YouTube

If you’re looking for the quickest way to listen to your favorite songs gratis, search for top tracks on YouTube. Most artists have their own channels with official music accompanied by HD video.

Taylor Swift’s YouTube Channel boasts more than 1.2 billion views. You can watch one of her latest hits and Grammy “Record of the Year” nominee “We Are Never Getting Back Together”right from your computer or smartphone.

You can also check out the Official Grammys YouTube channel for video and interviews with artists from the awards show.

SEE ALSO: 10 States Where The Most People Live On The Edge Of Financial Ruin

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If you're spending Valentine's Day alone, a few celebrities are offering to spend their time with you.

For the fifth year running, celebrity auction site Charitybuzz is hosting its Annual Valentine's Day auction.

More than 50 events are up for grabs ranging from VIP meet ups with Lady Gaga to private dates with model Chrissy Teigen.

All of the funds received go toward charities including the Voice Health Institute and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. 

While many of the auctions closed February 11, a few of them are still open right now.

See how much people are spending to get close to the stars, and which celebrities you can still bid on.

$1,050 is the highest bid right now for a private dance lesson with Val Chmerkovsky of "Dancing with the Stars" in NYC.

You can bid on the auction here until 3:20 p.m. ET.

$3,000 is the current bid for 4 VIP tickets to a Lady Gaga concert in Philadelphia February 19 or 20 and to meet Mother Monster herself.

You can bid on this auction here until 1:00 p.m. ET. Proceeds will go to Project E.T.H.E. to Benefit Hearts for Hope Foundation.

$3750 is the highest bid to attend 2013 NYFW in September with Petra Nemcova.

You can bid on this auction here until 2 p.m. ET. Money will go toward the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation.

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Gerard Butler is suing the producers of "Motor City" for $5.1 million in damages, claiming he was not paid after the film was scrapped last summer.

Butler is alleging breach of contract and breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing in a suit filed this month in California Superior Court.

Randall Emmett and George Furla's Emmett/Furla Films, which financed "Motor City," is named as a defendant, as is the limited liability company, Motor City Productions, that was established for the film.

Also read: Vendors, Crew Angry Over Money Owed on Emmett/Furla's Shuttered 'Motor City' (Exclusive)

Production on "Motor City" ended abruptly last summer when backing for the revenge thriller fell through with two weeks to go before cameras started rolling. Joel Silver’s Dark Castle was also producing the film, and Warner Bros. was set to distribute. Neither Silver nor Warner Bros. were named in the suit.

Butler's salary consisted of a $4 million pay-or-play component, meaning he was guaranteed payment even if the film was never made. He was also due to receive up to $2 million in deferred compensation, according to the lawsuit.

However, Butler's attorneys allege in the suit that in August of last year, the actor's agents at Creative Artists Agency were informed that production would be shut down and his guaranteed payment would not be forthcoming.

"Seeking to capitalize on Butler's hugely popular persona and worldwide recognition, Defendant solicited Butler's services as the lead actor in a theatrical motion picture tentatively entitled Motor City," the suit reads. "After offering Butler the starring role in the motion picture on a pay-or-play basis, Defendant then used and exploited Butler's attachment to the motion picture to pre-sell the distribution rights and raise financing."

Click here for the full suit

Rick Rosenthal, an attorney for Emmett/Furla, counters that the company never signed a contract with Butler and described the suit as "frivolous."

"There is no written agreement between the parties and there were still outstanding deal points that were material to the deal that were not agreed upon," Rosenthal told TheWrap. "Everybody wishes the movie had gone forward, but they do not have any legal liability."

Butler's deal was originally supposed to be richer. According to the suit, he was initially offered $6 million in guaranteed fixed compensation and up to $4.5 million in deferred compensation. Butler agreed to lower his price after Emmett/Furla said that the film's budget had been scaled back, but he claims in the suit that he only consented to the new salary after the producers acknowledged that the majority of his fee was pay-or-play.

The actor claims that not only was he never paid his guaranteed salary, but because of his commitment to the film, he was forced to turn down other roles and did not seek alternative projects.

In addition, the lawsuit states that the actor negotiated with producers of "Olympus Has Fallen," another action film he was working on, to ensure that he would complete filming on that movie in time to start production on "Motor City."

As part of that pact, Butler assumed liabilities on the film of $1.1 million, the suit claims.

A spokeswoman for Butler did not respond to request for comment nor did his attorney Brian Wolf.

In November, TheWrap reported that vendors and crew members on the aborted production were owed roughly $500,000 in unpaid bills.

At the time, Emmett said in an interview with TheWrap that all of the outstanding debts would be paid by January. He insisted he was not ducking payments, but said that the company was still auditing invoices and verifying their legitimacy.

Some vendors say that as of this week they are still waiting to be reimbursed for their work on the film, although others have been paid.

Rosenthal said on Wednesday that he could not speak to any specific bills, but said his client would address any "legitimate" debts.

Emmett/Furla financed $250 million in productions last year. It recently released "Broken City," starring Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg. It is also working on several big-budget productions like Peter Berg’s Seal Team drama “Lone Survivor" and "2 Guns," starring Wahlberg and Denzel Washington, both of which are slated for release this year.

Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.

SEE ALSO: This popular web series broke the Kickstarter film record after raising nearly $1 million >

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