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Sixth Grade Teacher Suspended For Showing 'Saw' To Class

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Saw

I remember when I was a kid, the only movies we were shown at school were Shrek and Schindler’s List. I honestly can’t think of two more diametrically opposed movies. Anyway, it seems there’s a trend going round at the moment of teachers showing their pupils wildly inappropriate films.

Recently a US teacher was investigated for showing a sixth grade class R-rated films such as The Campaign and Ted, while in the UK a music teacher was forced to apologize for showing Psycho to a class of 13-year-olds. However, these two pale into insignificance compared to a French teacher who showed a class of 11-year-olds James Wan‘s horror classic Saw.

According to France’s The Local, the teacher, Jean-Baptiste Clement, told pupils “This will be your first horror film.” The issue came to parents attention when one student came home “visibly in some discomfort.”

Clement has reportedly been called into a disciplinary meeting and suspending pending an investigation. The school has suggested he could suffer a more serious punishment once the investigation is complete.

Saw, which is Rated NC-17 in the US (and only a 16 in France), is certainly pretty harrowing. In fact, you could say it kick-started the recent obsession with torture-horror. Usually when it comes to ratings on movies, I’m a pretty liberal guy, but I have to say, showing Saw to an 11-year-old is a bit much.

How about you? What was the highest rated/most graphic film you ever saw as a kid? Let me know below.

SEE ALSO: The first trailer for "The Wolf of Wall Street" >

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The First Trailer For 'The Wolf Of Wall Street' Is A Giant Gatsby-Sized Party With Leonardo DiCaprio

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Gatsby won't be the only wealthy lord Leonadro DiCaprio plays this year.

DiCaprio returns to the big screen this fall as overly wealthy New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort in "The Wolf of Wall Street" throwing parties that look bigger and badder than those he threw in "The Great Gatsby."

Back with director Martin Scorsese ("The Departed," "Shutter Island"), DiCaprio stars with Jonah Hill and Matthew McConaughey in the biographical crime drama based on the memoir by Belfort. 

The trailer is played to the overture of Kanye West's "Black Skinhead" from his new album, Yeezus.

"The Wolf of Wall Street" is out in theaters November 15. Perfect timing for Oscar season.

This is the best part of the trailer:

leonardo dicaprio wolf of wall street

In case you're not convinced this is a more current "Gatsby" (minus the tragic love story):

"Wolf of Wall Street":

wolf of wall street

"Gatsby":

the great gatsby leonardo dicaprio

SEE ALSO: Steven Spielberg's nightmare scenario for Hollywood is already coming true

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Miss Utah Falls Apart While Answering An Easy Question About Women Earning Less Than Men

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Miss Utah Marissa Powell

Miss Utah Marissa Powell, who looked stunning in a white strapless evening gown at the Miss USA pageant, bombed her final onstage question last night at the Planet Hollywood Casino & Resort in Las Vegas. 

"Real Housewives of Atlanta" star/Miss USA judge NeNe Leakes asked Powell, who was named the most photogenic at the pageant, to answer the following question: 

"A recent report shows that in 40% of American families with children, women are the primary earners, yet they continue to earn less than men.  What does this say about society?"

This is a great question, and something you'd expect a Miss USA candidate to be well-prepared for.  It's part of a much larger discussion that has been going on for a long time now and it's a great opportunity for a Miss USA contestant to totally nail it.  

Here's Miss Utah's incoherent response, though: 

"I think that we can relate this back to education and how we are continuing to try to strive to...figure out how to create jobs right now, that is the greatest problem. I think especially the men are, um, seen as the leaders of this so we need to try to figure out how to create education better so we can solve this problem. 

You can really see the heartbreak and disappointment in Powell's eyes in the video posted below.  She clearly knew she messed it up.

Even Host Giuliana Rancic said a sympathetic "Thank you, sweetheart" when Powell finished her answer.

Keep in mind, though, that these ladies generally spend over a year preparing for the pageant.  It's not easy. 

What's more they have spent an exhausting two weeks in Vegas packed with red carpet events, photo shoots, restaurant and club outings, charity work and the preliminary competition (swim wear, evening gown and interviews) prior to the live competition.  

Once they've made it into the top ten, all of their hard work and dreams come down to the final question, which is aired on live television to an audience of millions. 

Watch the video below: 

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This Jay-Z Ad For His Samsung-Backed Album Has Been Seen 1 Million Times In 24 Hours

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Jay-Z announced his new album "Magna Carta Holy Grail" in a 3-minute-long Samsung ad that aired during the NBA playoffs last night.

In less than a day, the video has accumulated more that 1.2 million views on YouTube.

Jay-Z teases bits of the album's sound in the commercial, but he also gives Galaxy owners an exclusive opportunity. The first million users to download an app for the album June 24 will get the tracks for free on July 4, which is 3 days before the album actually drops.

Watch the ad below:

And here's an ad teasing the album:

jay z album samsung

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'Man Of Steel' Flies Past The Competition With Record June Opening — Here's Your Box-Office Roundup

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superman man of steel henry cavill

Poor reviews didn't mean anything for "Man of Steel" this weekend. 

The film set a new opening-weekend record for the month of June and beat the three-day box-office earnings of "Fast & Furious 6" earning $125.1 million in the course of four days. 

Its earnings soared past the previous openings of every other Superman film even when inflated for adjustment. 

(It undoubtedly helped the film came out on Father's Day weekend.)

Meanwhile, the film is currently sitting at a 56% on review site Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences, however, gave it a fresh A- according to audience market research firm CinemaScore.

It's just the latest film that critics have called wrong at theaters. "The Great Gatsby" is another perfect example of a film that received scathing early reviews, but went on to beat analyst expectations opening weekend. 

"Man of Steel" wasn't the only box-office winner this weekend. 

Seth Rogen's apocalyptic comedy "This is the End" featuring buddies like James Franco and Jay Baruchel scored a big $32.8 million. 

Out of the top ten this week are Warner Bros.' "The Hangover Part III" after a month. The film has earned most of its $310 million earnings overseas (65%). 

The studio's May hit "The Great Gatsby" also fell out of the top 10 after six weeks earning $300 million worldwide.  

Here are this week's winners and losers in Hollywood: 

10. Disney's "Iron Man 3" holds on at the box office for its seventh week with $2.9 million. Tony Stark's third return to the big screen has earned a massive $1.2 billion at theaters. In the coming weeks Disney will have its "Monsters Inc." prequel and troubled "Lone Ranger" come to theaters.  

9. Sony's "After Earth" drops another two spots this week earning $3.8 million. The film, featuring both Will and Jaden Smith has earned $102.8 million worldwide in three weeks. The M. Night Shyamalan film cost an estimated $130 million to produce. 

8. "Star Trek Into Darkness" dropped nearly 51% this week with $5.7 million. Director J.J. Abrams' sequel to the 2009 hit has earned $412 million since its debut five weeks ago. 

7. DreamWorks Animation's "Epic" brought in $6 million. This is the last week it should dominate the top ten as an animated flick. Disney and Pixar's "Monsters University" drops in theaters this weekend.  

6. Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn's return to comedy in "The Internship" dropped nearly 60% at the box office this weekend earning $7 million. Though the film has brought in about $31 million domestic, the film isn't faring so well overseas earning a meager $5 million overseas. 

5. Last week's horror winner "The Purge" dips four spots this week earning just $8.2 million. The film, which cost a small $3 million to make, has already earned its money back and more with $58.5 million in ticket sales. 

4. "Fast & Furious 6" fell two spots this week earning $9.4 million. The film has now earned $637 million worldwide at theaters in four weeks. 

3. Lionsgate's magic movie "Now You See Me" is still making waves earning another $10.3 million in week three. The film featuring Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, and Morgan Freeman among others has passed its estimated $75 million production budget in three weeks with $107 million worldwide. 

2. Seth Rogen's epic star-filled comedy "This is the End" debuted to a $20.5 million weekend. Over the course of its five-day release (it opened Wednesday) it took in $32 million — just shy of February's "Identity Thief" with Melissa McCarthy ($34 million). The film did take in more than 2008's "Pineapple Express" ($27 million). 

1. "Man of Steel" flew past the three-day weekend of "Fast & Furious" to claim the second-highest opening weekend of the year with $113 million. Since its Thursday release, Zack Snyder's Superman reboot has earned $125 million at theaters. Worldwide, it has brought in $200 million. It is now the second-highest opening for a superhero origin story at the box office only behind 2002's "Spider-Man."

More Superman:  Why 'Man of Steel' is killing it at the box office

SEE ALSO: What critics are getting wrong about "Man of Steel"

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Here's What We Can Expect From 'The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug' Based On The Trailer

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The Hobbit 2 Trailer

Last week The Hobbit 2 trailer finally broke free and swarmed all over the internet.

As an avid reader of The Hobbit, I was certainly curious to see what Peter Jackson had in store for the middle installment of his Hobbit Trilogy.

So far The Hobbit has been a mix of original lore-based moments, for example the cave troll scene, and new and unexpected additions, such as Azog The Defiler.

Does The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug continue this tradition?

Well, watch the trailer again below and then head down to check out my observations:

Tensions Are Rising

Any fan of Middle-Earth lore will know that Elves and Dwarves have a pretty rocky relationship. For centuries the two races have had an uneasy and often turbulent cordon sanitaire between their homelands.

However, Thorin’s journey takes him straight through the center of Mirkwood, the home of the Elves led by Thranduil. The trailer opens with the Elvenking (played by Lee Pace) giving Thorin a dressing down, and as you can tell from Thorin’s expression, he doesn’t like it one bit. It looks like the friction between the two fantastical races could become a central plot point forThe Hobbit 2. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m always pro-Dwarf. Mostly due to their awesome facial hair.

Do A Barrel Roll!

The scenes in Mirkwood are some of the most iconic in The Hobbit. The trailer gives us several glimpses of the gang avoiding the giant spiders that plague the wood, but most prominent is the scene in which Thorin’s company escape down a river in barrels.

Now, I can imagine it might jar with some hardcore Lord of the Rings fans who preferred the original movie trilogy’s more adult tone. Having said that, the moment is one of the most memorable chapters in the original book and not to lovingly recreate it would have been sacrilege. For better or worse, Jackson seems to have souped up the original scene with some added sword fighting and chasing Elves.

Sword Swinging Galore

Talking about fighting, the trailer wasn’t wanting for action scenes. With a few exceptions, the trailer was basically a quick-fire montage of elves firing arrows, goblins jumping around and Dwarves swinging blades. Now much of the exposition is out of the way, here’s hoping The Hobbit 2 can dedicate more screentime to some great battle scenes. There certainly seemed to be more clashes than was present in the original book, and of course, Azog The Defiler has made a terrifying return.

Meeting the New Characters

As well as the aforementioned Thranduil, the trailer also provided some quick glances of other incoming characters. We saw Evangeline Lilly as the conscientious elf Tauriel, and Luke Evans as Lake-Town’s premiere bow-slinger, Bard. We also caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a giant bear attacking the Dwarves. Was this Beorn? In the book Beorn is a giant man who can transform into an even giant-er bear. Officially, he is an ally of the Dwarves, but he is also known to anger quickly and be distrustful of outsiders. Does this blink-and-you’ll-miss it moment hint that Thorin and Co will incur Beorn’s wrath when they first meet?

Smaug The Money-Hungry Dragon

Although technically a ‘new character’, I think Smaug at least deserves his own paragraph. I was quite surprised to actually get a good look at the titular antagonist in The Hobbit 2 trailer. Jackson had kept his appearance hidden throughout An Unexpected Journey, and I thought he might be maintaining the shroud of secrecy until closer to theDesolation of Smaug’s release.

Luckily, I was proven wrong and we got to see Smaug in all his red-scaled glory. What was immediately noticeable is that Jackson’s Smaug has a surprisingly emotive face for a giant lizard. Of course this makes sense considering Smaug can talk and was motion captured by Benedict Cumberbatch. Hopefully, later trailers will show even more of the dragon within the Lonely Mountain.

What did you think? Did The Hobbit 2 trailer give you everything you wanted, or were you left a bit disappointed? Let us know below.

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Jay-Z Is Releasing A New Album On July 4

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jay-z barclays

Watch out Kanye. 

Jay-Z announced he's dropping a new album called Magna Carta Holy Grail this year.

Even more exciting? It's coming out July 4.

Hov announced his 12th solo studio album during an unexpected 3-minute Samsung ad that aired during the NBA finals Sunday night.

Jay-Z's last solo album was 2009's "The Blueprint 3."

Even better?

The rapper announced the first 1 million people to download an app for the album will get the entirety free. The catch is that you need to have a Samsung Galaxy.

The rapper hinted at some big news when he posted a photo on his Life + Times website saying "NBA Finals Game Five — Tune In - Turn Up the Volume."

Check it out the ad below:

SEE ALSO: More than 1 million people have already watched Jay-Z's ad

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15 Outrageous Scenes In Martin Scorsese's 'Wolf Of Wall Street' We Can't Wait To See

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dwarf throwing wolf of wall street trailer

People have been buzzing about Martin Scorsese's new movie, "The Wolf of Wall Street," for over a year now, and finally we get a peek at what it's going to look like.

The trailer is out!

And it looks as wild as we had hoped. How could it not? The true story of the Wolf of Wall Street is completely out of control.

The story is the memoir of Jordan Belfort, a Long Island kid who rose to become a millionaire penny stock scammer and boiler-room boss.

Back in the 1990s, Belfort ran Stratton-Oakmont, a Long Island-based pump and dump that found itself on top of the Wall Street world. Think: Drugs, hookers, parties with performing midgets.

And then it all came crashing down. Belfort went to jail for 20 months and lost everything.

You can check out the trailer below:

We've also already taken a look at "The Wolf of Wall Street" script, written by Terence Winter, and luckily a bunch of the most awesome scenes seem to have stayed in the movie.

We've put them together for you here. [WARNING: Spoilers follow.]

The movie opens with a very professional commercial about Belfort's firm, and then goes into a scene of him and his brokers having a dwarf-throwing contest.

According to the script, classical music plays as "a conservative group of smiling, ethnically-diverse actors surrounding their young chairman Jordan Belfort," pose through a Gene Hackman voice-over.

Then you head to Stratton-Oakmont headquarters and 700 20-something stockbroker bros are chanting and throwing around dollar bills to see who can throw a cape-clad dwarf into a dollar sign bulls-eye.

Jordan is being played by Leonardo DiCaprio.



More chaos: Jordan's first day in the bullpen of L.F. Rothschild in 1980s suspender-wearing Wall Street.

Jordan walks in and is immediately berated by his supervisor, Scott Mollen, who tells him he'll be "the connector" calling 500 clients all day. "You are lower than f*cking pond scum," Mollen tells him.

Luckily, Belfort also meets Danny Porush(played by Jonah Hill), Mollen's much more polished superior. "F*ck him," he tells Jordan, "I'm senior broker here and he's just a worthless piker. Let's grab lunch later."

And then then the opening bell rings as Porush yells, "Let's f*ck!" And the race begins — brokers dial like crazy and everyone is screaming — it's the sound of greed, says Jordan's voice-over.



At lunch, Danny and Jordan have a martini-drinking contest until one of them passes out.

They're at a high-end restaurant and Danny is doing coke from a spoon when the Maitre'D comes over. He tells him:

"Here's the game plan Luis. Bring us two Absolute martinis straight up. Precisely seven and half minutes later you'll deliver two more, then two more after five minutes until one of us passes out."

Jordan says he doesn't drink and tries, and fails, to order a 7-Up.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
    



Britney Spears Releases New Squeaky-Clean Single 'Ooh La La'

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britney spears wango tango

Britney Spears unveiled a new bubblegum-slick single "Ooh La La" and it's rated PG.

It's relative for the "...Baby One More Time" and "Slave 4 U" hit-maker.

"Ooh La La" is the first single off "The Smurfs 2" soundtrack. The 3-D family comedy sequel, starring Neil Patrick Harris, Katy Perry, and Jayma Mays, hits theaters late July.

The mid-tempo dance-pop track, which plays over the movie's credits, features family-friendly lyrics about breaking it down and dancing all night. 

The single was produced by Dr. Luke, Cirkut, and Ammo, who mixed “Till the World Ends” and “Hold It Against Me" on Spears' last album, "Femme Fatale."

Mama Spears is proud to deliver a song her sons, Sean and Jayden James Federline, can enjoy.

The music video release date has yet to be announced.

Spears returns to the studio this summer, collaborating with Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am on her eighth studio album.

Listen to the "The Smurfs 2" track here.

More music: Jay-Z just announced a new album

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'Thor' Star Chris Hemsworth Gave Superman's Henry Cavill Advice For 'Man of Steel'

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Playing a superhero on the big screen is like a rite of passage, a secret club for actors. Chris Hemsworth has already proven he's got the muscle, brawn, and acting chops to conjure up a mean God of Thunder in ThorThe Avengers, and the upcoming  Thor: The Dark World. So, if you were gearing up to play the comic book world's most notorious and well-known character, why wouldn't you want to seek his advice?  

Well, Man of Steel's Henry Cavill recently dished to Shortlist magazine about his experience prepping for the role and revealed: 

"I did briefly speak to Chris Hemsworth at Comic Con, who played Thor. I just walked up to him and said, 'Mate, I wanted to say hi, my name is Henry, I’m playing Superman. What’s it like?'" 

Apparently, Hemsworth responded, “Don’t worry about it. The fans are a lot more supportive than you think. They’re behind you the whole way, so just enjoy it.'"

"He's a really nice bloke," Cavill said.

SEE ALSO: What critics are getting wrong about 'Man of Steel'

More Superman: Why 'Man of Steel' is killing it at the box office

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12 Reasons Superman Reboot 'Man Of Steel' Is Soaring At Theaters

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man of steel posterWarning: Spoilers follow.

"Man of Steel" is soaring at theaters.

Since its opening Thursday, the film has earned a remarkable $125 million in the U.S.

Warner Bros. has been trying to find a way to bring a Superman reboot back to the big screen for a while. There are plenty of reasons why they got it right this time.

After an early screening last Tuesday, we left thinking the film was good — not great. 

After seeing the film a second time over the weekend with excited moviegoers in a more relaxed atmosphere and without expectations, we enjoyed director Zack Snyder's take on Superman much more.

Not only does Snyder's version have longevity for a newly-announced sequel, but a "Justice League" film as well. 

See why "Man of Steel" is killing it at the box office >

Superman's home planet of Krypton gets a bigger back-story.

Most people know the story.

Superman's home planet of Krypton is facing imminent doom and as a last-ditch effort his parents send him to Earth while they perish along with the alien planet.

The film doesn't rush by here.

Instead, director Zack Snyder and his producers spent time researching a way to extend the Kryptonian culture in the film. 

They reached out to University of British Columbia linguist, Dr. Christine Schreyer to help create a new language. In addition, producers decided that Superman's people should be inspired by the the Kings of medieval timescomplete with a caste system in order to make them more realistic.

If you've seen the 1978 "Superman," Snyder gives some nods.

(Source: "Man of Steel" production notes)



Krypton's no longer a crystallized ice palace.

Snyder took creative liberty to make Superman's home planet look less like Snow Miser's ice kingdom.

Now, it looks like something out of James Cameron's "Avatar" complete with giant mythical beasts, a creepy pod center to artificially grow Kryptonian life, and a core that brings back memories of Pandora's Tree of Souls.



We're not taken through Superman's entire childhood.

When Kent lands on Earth, we don't follow along to see what happens next.

That's okay.

Instead, we're blasted 33 years into his future, which is fine because we get to see bits and pieces of his early life in flashback sequences. It's a fresh take on the earlier Superman films before it.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
    


Dave Chappelle Is Heading On Tour This Summer

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dave chappelle

Dave Chappelle is back and heading on tour this summer.

The stand-up comedian will headline the first-ever live tour for sketch comedy site "Funny or Die," the Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival.

The 5-week, 13-city summer tour running from the end of August thru September will also feature Flight of the Conchords, Demetri Martin, Kristen Schaal, and John Mulaney.

Rumors of the 39-year-old Chappelle's return to stand-up started circulating in February when he flaunted new material at New York's The Comedy Cellar. Later that week he made a surprise appearance during Chris Rock's set where the pair riffed about a potential tour.

Chappelle abruptly departed from "Chappelle's Show" in 2005, mid-third season, to escape the pressures of fame, according to an interview with  TIME MagazineHe vanished from the public eye, embarking on a spiritual retreat in Durban, South Africa.

Tickets for the Oddball Festival go on sale Friday on Funny Or Die's website. Fingers crossed that his co-headlining status, shared with the New Zealand-based musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, will keep him from being overwhelmed by the spotlight.

Watch a trailer for the tour below.

SEE ALSO: Jay-Z is releasing a new album July 4

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Samsung Is Spending $5 Million To Subsidize Jay-Z's New Album, And Actually It's A Brilliant Use Of Its Money

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Jay-Z

At first glance, Samsung's $5 million deal with Jay-Z to release his new album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, as a free copy on 1 million Galaxy and Note mobile devices, seems like a collossal act of marketing hubris.

But it's not. Once you understand Samsung's corporate finance structure, it turns out to be a fantastically good deal for the Korean electronics giant.

First, the case for the prosecution:

  • Samsung is unlikely to see a significant boost in mobile phone sales because customers tend to be locked in to two-year contracts.
  • Samsung owners only get a three-day period of exclusivity with the new album, so the "advantage" of having a Galaxy S-4 rather than an iPhone is short-lived.
  • Because each copy of the album is being given away free, they may not count as sales and thus not add to Jay-Z's ranking on sales charts.
  • Not every Samsung owner is a Jay-Z fan, so there's a question of how well targeted this campaign is (although the music will only be available to anyone who is willing to download an app, so there is an element of self-selection).
  • Lastly, writing Jay-Z a one-off check for $5 million, to reward him for recording an album he was certainly working on anyway, just seems excessive.

That all turns out to be irrelevant once you look at the scale of the advertising budgets Samsung is working with. This chart comes from Horace Dediu, who maintains a blog post titled The Cost of Selling Galaxies:

Cost of selling galaxies

Samsung spends more than $4 billion annually on advertising. $5 million is, therefore, barely a rounding error in Samsung's accounts.

And Samsung isn't strictly paying for phone sales. Sure, a small number of people will be tipped in favor of a Galaxy rather than an iPhone because of the offer. What Samsung is really getting is free PR and the media exposure that goes with that.

As of 3 p.m. today, Google News registered 312 news sources carrying stories about the deal in the last 24 hours. That number will surely double in the next week or so. And then there's the word of mouth ... and so on.

To buy that level of exposure through traditional advertising would have cost multiples of $5 million. (Oddly, had Samsung done just that, few would have noticed or complained about the budget.)

In the 3 minute TV commercial Jay-Z made to support the giveaway, he says, "We don't have any rules. Everyone is just trying to figure out, that's why the internet is like the wild west, the wild, wild west. We need to write the new rules."

In part, it's scripted, self serving nonsense. Jay-Z isn't really that interested in writing the new rules of the internet. Rather, one of the songs on his album has a "wild west" theme.

But he is right about one thing: The old rules — in which a $5 million budget would have been blown on TV commercials within just a few weeks — are increasingly pointless.

SEE ALSO: This Jay-Z Ad For His Samsung-Backed Album Has Been Seen 1 Million Times In 24 Hours

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6 Laws From 'Lord Of The Rings'

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return of the king lord of the rings

In "The Hobbit," "The Lord of the Rings," and "The Silmarillion," J.R.R. Tolkien conjured an entire universe called Middle Earth in extreme detail. If he created a real, spoken language for the Elves, complete with grammar and phonology, you better believe he added a few governing laws.

Hobbits call their police "Shirrifs," according to the Lord of the Rings Wiki. Also known as The Watch and not to be confused with the Bounders, who protect the Shire from outsiders, they wear no uniforms and carry no weapons — not even gardening tools.

To the best of our nerdy abilities, Business Insider has compiled some of the most important laws enforced by the Shirrifs and other law enforcement agents of Middle Earth:

1. The trusty LOTR Wiki also tells us that most successions of power on Middle-Earth follow equal primogeniture, meaning the first-born, regardless of gender, inherits the kingdom. But only three women ever come to power in Tolkien's trilogy. Most royal ladies had sons, we guess.

2. According to the terms of "acquisition by gift" under property law, Gollum has no legal claim to the One Ring after "The Hobbit." He and Bilbo Baggins face off in a riddle contest and mutually agree on the stake — the ring. To read more of the legality behind the ring's ever-changing ownership, visit The Volokh Conspiracy, a legal blog from a libertarian perspective.

3. According to J.R.R. Tolkien's essay "Laws and Customs Among the Eldar," the Eldar, an immortal Elvish race, can only marry once. They mate for eternal life, kind of like penguins.

4. In Gondor, one of the kingdoms of men, swim at your own risk. Gollum's dip in the Forbidden Pool, which conceals one of the two entrances to the den of the rangers of Ithilien, is punishable by death.

5. In Ithilien, a fiefdom of Gondor, releasing a prisoner forfeits your own life. In "The Two Towers," Faramir, captain of Ithilien and son of the Steward of Gondor, sacrifices himself for Frodo in a tear-jerking scene. (Don't worry. He lives.)

6. Again in "The Two Towers," Gandalf tries to enter King Theoden's hall in Rohan, but a soldier mentions "The Law of the Golden Hall." He then confiscates the troupe's weapons. In the Hall of Edoras, you cannot possess a weapon.

Most of Sauron's combat strategies violate the various laws of war set by the Geneva Convention. These laws govern acceptable wartime conduct and forbid attacking civilians' homes. Considering the orcs burn entire villages, that wouldn't fly today.

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Why Disney Beats Warner Bros. At Superhero Movies

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the avengersLooking at the recent popularity and profitability of Disney’s Marvel movie franchises, I’ve frequently wondered why Time Warner, the parent company of DC Comics, has failed to replicate that success with its characters.

Whereas Disney was able to brilliantly weave all of its Marvel movies together into a web that culminated with The Avengers - now the third-highest grossing movie of all time - Time Warner has had mixed results with its biggest comic book franchises.

Although Christopher Nolan’s gritty Batman trilogy generated high returns for Time Warner over the years, its attempt to reintroduce Superman fell flat. Other movies such as Green Lantern, Jonah Hex and Catwoman have been disastrous.

With some of the most recognizable characters in comic book history, why has Time Warner failed to pull all of its biggest characters together into a long-discussed Justice League movie? Why is Time Warner sitting on top of a gold mine but having so much trouble rounding up the miners?

Warner Bros. vs. Buena Vista

In a previous article, I discussed how fast Disney’s media empire is growing compared to Time Warner, which was once the largest media conglomerate on the planet. Last quarter, Time Warner’s Film and TV entertainment division, Warner Bros., reported a 4% decline in revenue to $2.7 billion. Its net income grew 23% to $263 million, roughly 60% of which was attributed to its films. By comparison, Disney’s studio entertainment division posted 13% top line growth to $1.3 billion, which means that its Buena Vista studio is actually larger than Warner Bros.’ movie studio.

In 2011 and 2012, Warner Bros. faced a major problem - two of its core franchises, Harry Potter and The Dark Knight - were coming to an end. At the same time, Disney’s Marvel heroes were united in a series of profitable standalone movies that culminated in The Avengers, which has grossed $1.5 billion to date. Let’s compare the box office revenue of Marvel and DC films over the past few years.

Disney/MarvelInternational GrossWarner Bros./DCInternational Gross
Iron Man$585,174,222Superman Returns$391,081,192
Iron Man 2$623,933,331Batman Begins$374,218,673
Iron Man 3$948,993,000The Dark Knight$1,004,558,444
Thor$449,326,618The Dark Knight Rises$1,084,439,099
Captain America$368,608,363Green Lantern$219,851,172
The Incredible Hulk$263,427,551Watchmen$185,258,983
The Avengers$1,511,757,910Jonah Hex$10,903,312

Source: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/

Although Marvel’s returns look impressive, only two of these films were directly produced by Disney’s Buena Vista studios - Iron Man 3 and The Avengers. After Disney acquired Marvel in 2009, Marvel’s prior agreements with Comcast’s Universal and Viacom’s Paramount, which had previously produced its films, eventually ended. Starting with The Avengers, Disney’s Buena Vista took complete control of all of its related franchises. Meanwhile, all of the mentioned DC Comics films were directly produced by Warner Bros.

With sequels on the way for Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, Disney has already signed the majority of its main stars into multi-film deals. Meanwhile, Time Warner’s only big DC Comics release is its Superman reboot, The Man of Steel, which is scheduled to be released this June. Meanwhile, Nolan’s Batman trilogy has concluded, and further possible sequels will not star Christian Bale. Green Lantern, meanwhile, was so poorly received by critics and the audience that any future release will likely be another reboot. Jonah Hex andWatchmen inhabit different parts of the DC Universe altogether, which are not related to Superman or Batman.

A lack of integration is destroying the DC movie universe

The impressive thing about Marvel’s ability to connect its franchises together into a cohesive Marvel movie universe is that it was done with the lack of several of its key franchises. Prior to Marvel’s acquisition by Disney, the movie rights to Spider-Man were sold to Sony’s Columbia Pictures division, while the rights to X-Men, Fantastic Four and Daredevil were all sold toNews Corp.'s 20th Century Fox. In other words, Marvel assembled the Avengers universe, led by Iron Man, with one hand tied behind its back.

Meanwhile, Time Warner has all the movie rights to its main DC characters but seemingly no way to assemble them into a single universe. While Marvel’s films have Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury popping up in different films to recruit the Avengers, Christopher Nolan’s Batmanfilms were not connected in any way to Green Lantern or Superman. In fact, both Nolan’s Batman and the new Superman film, directed by 300 and Watchmen director Zack Snyder, actively attempt to be grittier and more grounded in reality than their campier source material. It’s as if the directors dread the concept of Batman teaming up with Superman or Green Lantern, which occurs frequently in the print comics and cartoons.

Without the willingness to create a film where Batman and Superman team up, representing a merging of the more realistic and more magical sides of the DC universe, then a Justice League film, which could consist of Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Flash and Aquaman, would be impossible. This has worked before in Warner Bros.’ animated series, but a live action version would be a monstrous undertaking. With Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan out of the picture, a new Batman must be cast, and new films featuring Wonder Woman and the other characters would have to be made.

In other words, if Time Warner wants to replicate Marvel’s success, it has to create an overarching story over multiple franchises with long-term plans to converge them all into a single movie.

Not all is lost yet

If The Man of Steel proves to be successful, then Time Warner shouldn’t simply let the film continue into another self-contained trilogy that eventually concludes with both the main star and director leaving the franchise. It needs to use its sequels to tie together the rest of the DC Universe just as Disney has with The Avengers. With Superman usually being regarded as the leader of the Justice League, then its sequels could open up a whole new exciting universe of comic book films, as dynamically connected as the books on which they are based. If Time Warner is successful, then the returns could be enormous, as seen in this breakdown of Time Warner’s business segments in fiscal 2012.

 RevenueY-O-Y GrowthOperating IncomeY-O-Y Growth
Networks$14.2 billion+4.0%$4.9 billion+10.0%
Film and TV$12.0 billion-5.0%$1.2 billion-3.0%
Publishing$3.4 billion-7.0%$0.5 billion-20.0%

Source: Time Warner Annual Report

If Time Warner can unveil a full-fledged DC movie universe in the next two or three years, then its Film and TV gains can easily offset any weakness in its lagging Publishing segment. In addition, returns from its Hobbit trilogy should also boost the segment’s top and bottom line growth even more.

Therefore, Time Warner needs to hurry and round up the miners to start digging into its DC Comics goldmine. 

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Loki Will Not Appear In 'The Avengers' Sequel

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loki the avengers

Plot details for Marvel’s The Avengers 2 are shrouded in mystery and cloaked in intrigue. What we do know for sure is that writer/director/demi-god Joss Whedon has finished a first draft of the script, admitting as much on the Empire podcast:

I’ve turned in a first draft, but the story is very set. Everybody’s very much on board with the exact movie I’m trying to make which is what worked the first time.

It turns out that when Whedon says “everybody” is on board he’s not exactly telling the whole truth. When asked about a specific scene in The Avengers involving Loki, Whedon unleashed a massive bombshell; Tom Hiddleston is not going to be reprising the role in The Avengers 2:

Imitating what I did before is the surest way to do it not as well. Second of all, and Loki is not there to say those terrible things.

Holy crap, that’s gigantic news! Hiddleston’s portrayal of the scheming Loki was a real highlight of the first movie, delivering a performance full of crackling one-liners and cruel intent.

That being said, maybe it’s time for some new bad guys to be introduced. Loki has already appeared in Thor and The Avengers, while we’ll see him again in November in Thor: The Dark World. Perhaps it’s a good move to have Asgard’s conniving villain sit out The Avengers 2.

Are you disappointed that Loki won’t be appearing in The Avengers 2? Drop your thoughts in the comment section below.

SEE ALSO: Why "Man of Steel" is killing it at the box office

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Kim Kardashian's Baby Could Have One Of These Names

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kim kardashian kanye west

Since Kim Kardashian gave birth Saturday to her and Kanye West's first child, the next thing people want to know is the name of the new Kardashian baby. 

The Twitterverse has been ablaze trying to guess the name of Kimye's first born.

Others are placing bets.

Why do we care?

The big reveal of the baby's name will most likely be revealed on E!'s "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" to provide a bump in the ratings. 

Kim waited until the premiere of the new season to unveil the baby's gender.   

When Kim's wedding to Kris Humphries was broadcast on E! it was the most-watched event on the network with 10.5 million viewers.

So far, E! News reported the name will start with the letter 'K." Any rumors of a baby named North West can be put to rest.

Naturally, this isn't a surprise considering the Kardashian clan all have 'K' names (Khloe, Kourtney, Kris, Kendall, Kylie). 

People reports Kim told friends the middle name could be Donda in honor of Kanye's late mother who was a driving force behind his career.

First, here are rumored names for the celebrity baby.

Khrist: Blog Naughty But Nice Rob claims the name will be Christ with a 'K.' 

“I know it is shocking, but let’s remember this is a guy that is naming his new CD ‘I Am A God.’ So it makes perfect sense that the child of a god would be named Christ with a K.” 

Comment: We know Kanye thinks of himself as some sort of Jesus figure since his latest album is called "Yeezus."  

Kai Georgia Donda West: HollywoodLife.com claims a close family source revealed this was one name thrown around.  

Comment: There's a reference to Kanye's mom as the middle name. 

Now, here are some of the 'K' names mentioned on Irish bookmaker paddypower.com along with the odds for each name.

Kim 8/1

Kara 9/1

Kalila 13/1

Kerensa 14/1

Kallista 14/1

Kimana 18/1

Kris 20/1

Kay 20/1

Kimye 25/1

Kristen 25/1

Kaitin 25/1

Kinga 33/1

Though it's most likely the newest Kardashian will have a 'K' name, there are also 8/1 odds the name will be Donda , and 20/1 for Daron and Atlanta.

Other possible names? 

Kanwe 

Kleo (Kleopatra) Kanye has a penchant for Egyptian jewelry.

SEE ALSO: The unstoppable rise of Kanye West's ego

AND: Kim Kardashian gives birth to baby girl

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Here's What 6 TV Homes Would Cost In Real Life

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Nathan Fillion

When it comes to home sweet home, sometimes TV gets it just right.

And other times, the small screen is oh-so-wrong.

Face it: The titular "2 Broke Girls" couldn't afford the rent on their apartment in a trendy neighborhood of Brooklyn (if they paid the rent, that is).

So what would it cost to snag some of today's popular TV homes? And how practical are the settings for the characters who live there?

From sitcoms to dramas, check out the real-world price tags for the fictional dwellings six hot TV shows call "home."

SEE ALSO: 6 Money Habits Of The Rich That The Rest Of Us Can Copy

The Big Bang Theory

Seven years (at least), and that elevator still doesn't work.

Other than that, the downtown Pasadena, Calif., apartment is a fairly realistic -- and affordable -- choice for a couple of university scientists, says Bill Podley, president of Podley Properties, a Pasadena-based firm.

What it would cost in real life: That two-bedroom one-bath in an older, no-frills building with a simple lobby and communal laundry room would likely rent from $1,800 to $2,200 a month, says Podley.

Who really lives in the area: Students, young singles, young married couples, elderly singles and some new-to-the-area transplants waiting to buy in the area, he says.

The one thing that might be a bit off: That basement laundry room, says Podley. In a 1950s or '60s building -- the most likely vintage -- that space "would be subterranean parking," and the communal laundry room would be located elsewhere, he says.

In Pasadena, a basement laundry room would be more common in a 1920s building, says Podley. But a building of that era would likely be a bit more upscale (think fancier lobby and more luxurious apartments) and more expensive, he says.



Castle

Where would you live if money were no object?

For the best-selling author Richard Castle, the answer is: a supercool, mega-bucks loft in Manhattan.

And while the inside of that home sweet home is actually a soundstage, the creators have gotten the details right, says Siim Hanja, senior vice president and director for Brown Harris Stevens in New York. "It reminds me of places I've seen."

What it would cost in real life: Anywhere from $6 million to $10 million, Hanja says. Typically, loft-dwellers gut the inside and create their own, very personal spaces, he says. And, with the circular staircase, the exposed brick and beams, and the skylight, "This one has some really interesting details in it," he says.

Fifteen years ago, Castle "could have bought it for $1.5 million, put another $700,000 into it, and that's why he's got a place like he's got today," says Hanja.

Who really lives in the area: In neighborhoods such as SoHo and Tribeca, some loft-dwellers are "the really lucky ones who got there 30 years ago and got it for nothing," Hanja says. Today's buyers include tech wizards, financial industry and Wall Street types, Europeans enjoying a second home, trust-fund kids, and successful people in the arts, says Hanja. "So a successful author? Absolutely."



Mike And Molly

This sitcom love story is also a love note to the Windy City.

And it gets the real estate right, says Matt Laricy, managing partner with Americorp Real Estate in Chicago.

The Flynn family home -- in an unidentified Chicago neighborhood -- is "like the typical bungalow that we have," he says.

"In Chicago, most of our housing was built in the late '50s," says Laricy. "Brick ranch, Georgian, bungalow and Cape Cod -- those are the basic ones." For the most part, Laricy says, you walk down the street, you're going to see these types of houses. It's pretty realistic that you could move right in and find one of those.

What it would cost in real life: "Each neighborhood is different," he says. "Depending on condition," figure $225,000 to $300,000, he says.

And now that that Mike and Molly finished off the basement as a studio apartment, add about $25,000, he says.

Who really lives in the area: Chicago's in-town neighborhoods are home to a lot of city and county employees, such as cops, city workers and teachers.

In the show, Molly's parents bought the house years ago to raise their family. And, "20 to 30 years ago, those houses were pretty cheap," says Laricy. "I'd say it's pretty realistic -- absolutely."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
    


Brad Pitt Stops Traffic In New York, As Thousands Attend Premiere Of Zombie Movie He Says 'Speaks About Our Time'

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Brad Pitt World War Z

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of screaming fans brought Times Square to a standstill as they waited to catch a glimpse of Brad Pitt at the premiere of his new thriller, "World War Z."

The 49-year old actor took his time to talk to reporters on the appropriately-designed "Z-shaped" red carpet, often breaking away to sign autographs and pose for photographs with fans.

"We're not doing this small... we're going big this summer," Pitt said of the premiere that resembled a music festival.

Pitt stars in and produced the apocalyptic thriller based on the book by Max Brooks. He's the son of the legendary Mel Brooks.

Pitt plays a former United Nations investigator who traverses the world in a race against time to stop a zombie pandemic that is threatening to decimate humanity.

"We liked this idea of taking a genre and using that as, I guess, a metaphor for pandemics, and what if one of these pandemics jumped the tracks. Would we be ready? What countries would be in better shape, what countries would take the biggest hit," Pitt said of the zombie thriller.

While Pitt sees the film as more of a summer thriller than a cautionary tale, he's nonetheless intrigued by the political subtext.

"A movie is only good if it speaks about our time, if it's personal in some way, and it plugs into the zeitgeist to irritate a little bit. I think we got that here," he said.

As for letting his children see it, Pitt feels the movie is not appropriate for the younger ones.

"My two oldest I've let see it, and they've loved it. Parental guidance, it's called parental guidance," Pitt said of only allowing Maddox, 11, and Pax, 8, to see the film.

Pitt, and fiance' Angelina Jolie, have six children.

Jolie has long been recognized for her humanitarian work, and served as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR. In 2012, she was promoted to Special Envoy.

So how does Jolie feel about Pitt representing the U.N in the film?

Pitt laughed, saying: "She just didn't want me to embarrass them."

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Kanye West's 'American Psycho' Parody Is Pretty Amazing

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For the release of his sixth-studio album, Kanye West enlisted the help of Kourtney Kardashian's husband Scott Disick and pal Jonathan Chebum to make a short promotional film.

Kanye released the short in full on his website as a tribute to the most memorable scene in "American Psycho."

Check it out below:

Here's the original:

"Yeezus" is out today. You can download it at Kanye West's website.

SEE ALSO: People are making bets on the name of Kanye and Kim Kardashian's baby

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