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Here's The Season When Your Favorite TV Show Peaked

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Television is enjoying a renaissance these days as the creative people in show business realize that season-long arcs can be a more compelling way to build a story than two hours in the cinema.

The shows also tend to generate a lot of controversy and debate about their high and low points. We pulled data from IMDB user review scores for some of the most compelling, popular, or immortal shows of the the past couple years to try to find when they peaked according to viewers.

On IMDB, registered users are able to give numerical reviews, 0-10, of television episodes. On the following charts, each episode is represented by a diamond. The x-axis is the seasons of the show. The y-axis is the score of each episode.

It's remarkable how one season can change the trajectory of an entire series.

We added a trend-line to the charts to track how the average ratings for the seasons changed over time.

Here we go:

"The Sopranos," which is widely credited with kicking off the small-screen renaissance, had outstanding odd-numbered seasons and slightly less-so, but still-outstanding even-numbered seasons. (In this chart, Season "6" refers to 6a and Season "7" refers to the final nine, 6b)

IMDB television scores

 

"South Park" on Comedy Central got its best reviews in its sixth and seventh seasons but remains an animation powerhouse.

IMDB television scores

 

We can just admit it folks. It's okay. The fourth season of "Arrested Development" kind of sucked compared to the masterpiece that came before. Now the healing can begin.

IMDB television scores

 

"It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" won our hearts with a bold and unprecedented first season, but according to IMDB has become more erratic since.

IMDB television scores

 

After a rough first three season, "Seinfeld" hit outstanding quality for six seasons running. The eighth season is Peak "Seinfeld."

IMDB television scores

 

"Breaking Bad" will not stop getting better. It's remarkable.

IMDB television scores

 

"The Simpsons," the journeyman of the group, peaked in season six and really started to decline in season nine, as thousands of loud, drunken arguments across America have by and large confirmed. Still, it's held steady for over a decade, which is nothing to sniff at.

IMDB television scores

 

"Battlestar Galactica" had a rocky third season but finished strong. Also, ardent fans of the series can actually see the reviled "Black Market" episode — in season 2 — from this chart alone. Just abominable.

IMDB television scores

 

"Dexter" has had a rocky ride, but the second through fourth seasons are made up of some of the best stuff they'd ever done.

IMDB television scores

 

"Family Guy" has seen a bit of a dip in quality recently according to IMDB, but the show has pulled off almost a dozen seasons of solid performance, which is an achievement to say the least.

IMDB television scores

 

"Friends" was a consistent performer for years and peaked right at the end.

IMDB television scores

 

"Mad Men" peaked in Season 4 and you know it.

IMDB television scores

 

"Futurama" has come back from the dead with remarkable regularity, so the show's sustained performance is stunning. Still, budget cuts, years off the air and a writer exodus hollowed out the new product on Comedy Central.

IMDB television scores

 

You may be shocked that "Grey's Anatomy" is still on the air, let alone doing some of the best work they've ever done.

IMDB television scores

 

This chart does not do justice to the roller coaster that was watching "Lost" in real time.

IMDB television scores

 

"The Office" got pretty unbearable after season 5. However, it's widely acknowledged that they pulled off one hell of a finish.

IMDB television scores

 

HBO's "Six Feet Under" started strong, lagged in the middle, but really pulled it off in the final season.

IMDB television scores

 

"The West Wing" was awesome, and then Sorkin left, so it stopped being quite as awesome.

IMDB television scores

 

The third and fourth seasons of "The Wire" were absolutely its strongest. Season two's "Longshoremen" and season five's "Baltimore Sun" subplots were considerably weaker stretches.

IMDB television scores

 

UPDATE: By request, here's "24."

television reviews

 

And here is "Saturday Night Live." SNL has had an excellent track record over the past couple of years following a particularly rough patch.

SNL rating

And by Reddit request, Weeds. Looks like a clever concept will only take you so far.

Weeds

SEE ALSO: 16 things you never knew about the golden age of TV

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If You Binge-Watch Shows On Netflix, Then You Have To Check Out This Page

How Kate Upton Transformed From Swimsuit Model To 'Vogue' Cover Girl

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kate upton

Kate Upton was just named Model Of The Year at the Style Awards.

The honor puts her in the ranks of other fashion favorites like Christie Brinkley and Joan Smalls. 

But just one year ago, Upton's future as a model seemed uncertain. 

The industry speculated that Upton would be stuck with the identity of a swimsuit model forever. 

She moved beyond her Sports Illustrated cover and has since been courted by Vogue and major fashion labels. 

Upton hit the modeling scene in the 2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition. She was featured in body paint.



The next year, she appeared on the magazine's cover. Her spread was seen as instantly iconic.



She also walked the runway for a swimwear line. It seemed Upton had found her calling as a swimsuit model.



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'I'M REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE RIGHT NOW': Eminem Gives Bizarre Interview During Michigan-Notre Dame Game

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eminem college football espn interview

Detroit native Eminem joined ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit and Brent Musburger at halftime of last night's Michigan-Notre Dame game, and it was deeply weird.

The rapper seemed spaced out and was sparse with his words at first.

Herbstreit, apparently sensing what was going on, urged the production team to send it to commercial after a minute or two.

"Live TV freaks me out a little bit," Eminem said.

Here's the first part of the interview (more below):

Eminem got a little more responsive when they came back from commercial, but it was still awkward. Musburger tried to get him to talk about gambling and the Detroit Lions, and Eminem finished the segment by talking about how he has Musburger on his announcer fantasy team.

"I'm really uncomfortable right now," said Eminem to end the interview.

The rapper was on the broadcast to promote his new album. This is the danger of forced cross-promotion.

Part two:

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Here's The Preview For Next Week's 'Breaking Bad' Episode You're Looking For

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There are only three episodes of "Breaking Bad" left.

While you're still picking your jaw up off the floor after tonight's episode, here's next week's preview.

The following episode of "Breaking Bad" is called "Ozymandias" the name of a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley about the decline of leaders. AMC previously released a teaser trailer with Walter White (Bryan Cranston) reading the work while the camera pans across the desert.

SEE ALSO: How much Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston earn for "Breaking Bad"

AND: Viewers are freaking out over Sunday's anxiety-ridden 'Breaking Bad' cliffhanger

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15 Movies You Need To See Before The End Of The Year

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catching fire katniss jennifer lawrenceAfter a sluggish August at the box office, the fall will be jam-packed with superheroes, sequels, and films that take you to the center of space. 

November and December will be two of the busiest months of the year with big releases out every weekend and the return of Jennifer Lawrence in two anticipated films.

From epics in space and sea to historical adaptations and buzzed-about sequels and comedies there's a little bit of something for everyone.

Not sure what to see? We have you covered.

We figure it's senseless to do a fall preview for films and leave December off the list, so we've compiled the best movies you should see for the rest of the year.

"Rush"

Release Date: September 13

Why to see it: We weren't completely sold on Ron Howard and Chris Hemsworth's Formula One-inspired film at first considering Nascar is more popular in the U.S. However, the film has received high praise at the Toronto Film Festival. Variety calls it one of the "great racing movies of all time."

Based on the rivalry between two Formula One drivers during the 1976 season, Howard recently told HuffPostUK that he considered canceling the project because he didn't think he would find the right person to play Hunt.

Watch the trailer



"Gravity"

Release Date: October 4

Why to see it: The movie about an astronaut and engineer (George Clooney and Sandra Bullock) getting lost in space comes from the director of "Children of Men" (2006) and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004).

If the dynamictrailers haven't won you over, critics are calling it the must-see movie of the fall after its debut at the Venice Film Festival.

Watch the trailer



"Captain Phillips"

Release Date: October 11

Why to see it: It's been a long time since we've seen Tom Hanks shine in a big role ("Catch Me If You Can"). According to early reviews, his return portraying Captain Richard Phillips during the 2009 hijacking of an American cargo ship by Somali pirates is worth the wait.

Watch the trailer



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Viewers Are Freaking Out Over Sunday's Anxiety-Ridden 'Breaking Bad' Cliffhanger

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walt breaking bad shock phoneWarning: If you are not caught up, major spoilers follow.

It's safe to say the final 20-25 minutes of the latest episode of "Breaking Bad" were not only some of the most intense moments of the series, but also some of the most intense minutes of television.

Immediately following the episode, it was all any fan was talking about online.

Since the series' return last month, every episode has been intense, however, tonight the entire episode had us on edge. The deeper the episode progressed, the farther our stomachs recoiled into our chests. 

Don't read any further if you haven't watched the latest episode.





Jesse turns the tables on Walt (Bryan Cranston) when he lures him out to the desert and gets him to unknowingly confess his crimes on tape for his DEA brother-in-law Hank (Dean Norris).

While it appears Jesse and Hank have the upper hand, fans know you should never expect a happy ending on "Breaking Bad."

Thinking only Jesse is after him, Walt calls Todd (Jesse Plemons) and his uncles to come out and off his former partner. Once Walt finds out Hank and his partner are also there, he tries to call the crew off, but it's too late.

Todd and his uncles show up at the end of the episode and it's an all-out gun fight between the DEA officers and the family.

todd uncles breaking badNow, Jesse's hiding out in a Cadillac and Hank and his partner Gomey are firing from behind a vehicle. Who's going to live? Who's going to die? We won't know until next week because the episode cut off in the middle of the gun fire! Seriously!

Though we knew Todd's uncles would be trouble, everyone was floored by the radical turn of events.

Even our own Joe Weisenthal couldn't stand it.

The episode also had celebrities on edge.

Diehard fans will remember Aaron Paul first teased this episode on Twitter back in January. He reacted the same way. 

Paul promises the episodes will continue to only get more intense.

Need more "Breaking Bad"? Watch next week's preview

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The First Trailer For Woody Harrelson And Matthew McConaughey's New HBO Detective Series

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While most people were watching football or "Breaking Bad," HBO debuted the first trailer for a new detective series starring Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey.

Called "True Detective" the show revolves around detectives Rust Cohle (McConaughey) and Martin Hart (Harrelson) as their 17-year pursuit of a serial killer in Louisiana is recounted through what appear to be flashbacks.

The show premieres on HBO in January.

Check it out below:

SEE ALSO: Viewers Are Freaking Out Over Sunday's Anxiety-Ridden 'Breaking Bad' Cliffhanger

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This Is The Most Exciting Gadget Sony Has Made In Years (SNE)

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Sony made a surprise product announcement today for a device called the PS Vita TV.

The tiny gadget is a very similar to the Apple TV and Roku.

The PS Vita TV will only be available in Japan at first. It'll cost the equivalent of about $95 U.S., putting it in the same price range as the $99 Apple TV. Sony's box has a slot that lets you load games for the PlayStation Vita, Sony's portable video game console, so you can play them on the big screen using a regular PlayStation controller. It can also play some games from the original PlayStation.

The Vita TV will be able to connect to the upcoming PlayStation 4 console and will let you wirelessly beam games from the console to the Vita TV if the Vita TV is in another room. That's the most exciting feature. With one PS4 console, you could theoretically play your games in any room in the house.

Finally, the Vita TV has Hulu and some other streaming video services specific to Japan. The company did not announce when or if the device will launch in the U.S., but it will launch in Japan in November.

Here's a demo video of the PS Vita TV:

SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know about Apple's next iPhone, the iPhone 5S

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'Riddick' Rules During The Slowest Weekend Of The Year — Here's Your Box-Office Roundup

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riddick and dog

As expected, it was a slow box-office weekend with Vin Diesel's long-awaited cult sequel "Riddick" the only new wide release. 

With virtually no competition — last week's newcomers "Getaway" and "Closed Circuit" fell sharply — it left "Riddick" open to easily take what was — and should stay — the slowest weekend of the year. 

In small releases, The Weinstein Company's hyped secret-revealing documentary "Salinger" debuted in four theaters to $91,000. 

For comparison, Jennifer Hudson's "Winnie Mandela" in 32 theaters this weekend, opened to $69,600. 

Out of the top ten this week are last week's duds "Getaway" and "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones." 

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

10. "The World's End" moves down two spots rounding out the top ten with $2.3 million. In its third week, Simon Pegg's latest film has earned $38.6 million worldwide. 

9. "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters" moved up one spot in week five despite a drop in nearly 350 theaters earning $2.5 million. What happened here? Many probably didn't realize this film was out due to light marketing. Since it debuted during a slow August, fans of the the series are probably turning out. The film may also be seeing more screen time. When it originally debuted screening times for the sequel to the 2010 film were far and few between to find. 

8. With few films out this weekend, Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine" saw a bump moving up four spots with $2.7 million. 

7. "Elysium" moves down one notch earning $3.1 million. After week five, Neil Blomkamp's latest commentary on society has earned $212 million worldwide with slightly more money coming from abroad. 

6. After nearly beating out "The Butler" last weekend, concert film "One Direction: This Is Us" drops nearly 75% with a gross of $4.1 million. The film is playing out better overseas — it's earned $50 million worldwide — but may have a tougher time hitting the $100 million mark now at theaters. 

5. Disney's "Planes" continues to draw in families with another $4.3 million in week five. The "Cars" spinoff from Disney toons rather than Pixar is a cost-effective win for the Mouse House since the animated film only cost an estimated $50 million as compared to more costly tons while still appearing to have the Pixar appeal to children. 

4. Warner Bros.' break-out comedy "We're the Millers" brings in another $7.9 million in week five. The Jennifer Aniston comedy cost an estimated $37 to produce and has brought in more than $178 million worldwide. 

3. Speaking of break outs, Lionsgate's comedy "Instructions Not Included" continues to surprise with another $8.1 million. After its success last weekend, the film opened in 369 more theaters this weekend. 

2. Weinstein's "Lee Daniels' The Butler" continues to be a big audience draw earning $8.9 million. The historic piece has been at the top of the box office for nearly four weeks. The film should hit $100 million domestically by the end of this week. 

1. Vin Diesel's return as night-seeing "Riddick" earned $18.7 million. Compared to previous films in the franchise, it grossed more than 2000's "Pitch Black," but didn't perform better than big-budget "Chronicles of Riddick." The third film in the Vin Diesel franchise wasn't expected to earn more than $20 million opening weekend as it caters toward a very specific audience.

SEE ALSO: 15 movies to see before the year ends

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Patrick Stewart Got Married And His 'X-Men' Co-Star Ian McKellen Officiated

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Patrick Stewart Ian Mckellan Sunny Ozell

Patrick Stewart, 73, got married for the third time this weekend to his 35-year-old jazz singer girlfriend of five years, Sunny Ozell.

The British actor announced the news via Twitter, simply stating:

Stewart's "X-Men" co-star and good friend, Sir Ian McKellen, officiated the ceremony.

"I did my part," the "Lord of the Rings" actor wrote on his official Facebook page, sharing a photo of himself holding a "Minister" t-shirt, the couple's marriage certificate, and giving the "live long and prosper" hand sign to his "Star Trek" star friend.

Ian McKellan

The pair, promoting "X Men" at Comic-Con in San Diego in July, are apparently pretty close.

Patrick Stewart Sir Ian McKellan

SEE ALSO: 15 Movies You Need To See Before The End Of The Year

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Business Insider Still Has A Few Paid Editorial Internships Open This Fall

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maggie newsroom alison pills

If you're an aspiring journalist interested in Lifestyle, Advertising, Entertainment, PersonalFinance, Lists, or SocialMedia, Business Insider has the perfect internship for you!

We are still on the hunt for a few star interns to join our growing team this fall. The internship is a four-month paid position that requires you work in our Manhattan office at least three full days a week, preferably five.

As an intern at Business Insider, there's no getting coffee, filing, or making copies.

Our interns are an integral part of our team. Many of our current writers and editors started as interns.

BI Interns spend their time doing meaningful work: researching, writing, pitching and producing features.

Other perks? We have free snacks, a great office environment, and a ping-pong table where we hold quarterly tournaments.

When it comes to qualifications, a journalism background and experience writing for a news site always helps, as do copy-editing skills and light HTML and basic Photoshop experience (think cropping). Knowledge of social media and previous writing experience are both useful, too.

Please send your resume and three journalism clips to jliebman@businessinsider.com. Please briefly describe which BI section interests you most and why. And, please note: this internship requires that you work in our Manhattan office. The internship term runs four months.

Interested in a journalism internship but have never heard of Business Insider? Here's some reading on our company and where we're headed.

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'Grand Theft Auto V' Cost More To Make Than Nearly Every Hollywood Blockbuster Ever Made

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gta v

Other than movies, one of this fall's most anticipated releases is the long-awaited next video game in the "Grand Theft Auto" franchise. 

GTA V comes to stores September 17, and when it does it won't only be one of the most expensive games ever made, but also one of the costliest pieces of entertainment to have hit shelves. 

At $266 million, the fifth installment of the Rockstar game will have surpassed the estimated production budget (without marketing) for every Hollywood blockbuster adjusted for inflation except "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" which cost an estimated $300 million. 

According to a report in Scotland-based paper The Scotsman, the game's development and marketing budget cost £170 million (equivalent to $266 million).  

How does this compare to the cost to make other video games? 

Here are three of the priciest games to date: 

Red Dead Redemption (also a Rockstar game): $80-$100 million

Disney Infinity: $100 million+

"Grand Theft Auto IV": $100 million 

The only game who that would come close to matching the price of GTA V would be "Star Wars: The Old Republic" which was rumored to cost $200 million after the game was in production for six years. Cinemablend believes the price was slightly lower due to LucasArts licensing fees 

It should come as no surprise GTA V comes at a high cost. Last year, the video game industry was worth an estimated $67 billion, according to Forbes. (Note this figure includes not only console and PC games but also games for mobile devices.) 

In four more years, the industry should be valued at $82 billion, according to a report from the Worldwide Market Forecasts for the Video Game and Interactive Entertainment Industry. 

Last year, the box office took in $10.8 billion in ticket sales. 

Rockstar estimates the game will make $1 billion before the year's end. 

It wouldn't be an absurd figure for the game to earn. Not only is the "Grand Theft Auto" franchise well recognized, but other titles have made that kind of cash. 

The previous two "Call of Duty" (CoD) releases both earned more than $1 billion — and fast. 

Last year, "Call of Duty: Black Ops II" grossed $1 billion after just 15 days in release. 

Prior to that, Activision's previous release, "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" crossed the $1 billion mark in 16 days. 

To compare that to the film industry, it took "Avatar" 17 days to earn $1 billion worldwide.

SEE ALSO: The official trailer for GTA V

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There's A Breaking Bad Meth Lab Toy Set And LEGO Wants Nothing To Do With It

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breaking bad citizen brick meth lab LEGO

LEGO does not want to be associated with a lookalike brick toy set that recreates a meth lab from AMC's hit drama "Breaking Bad."

Citizen Brick already sold out of the $250 Superlab Playset— complete with more 500 drug-related parts! — that the company notes "is not sponsored, authorized or endorsed by the LEGO Group, owners of the registered LEGO(R) trademark."

The Drum reports, "Lego has refused to endorse the controversial use of its product owing to the inappropriate nature of its ‘adult content’." 

LEGO is currently focusing on toys with a scientific focus. It recently made headlines for creating a new female scientist figurine— avoiding gender bias inclinations of making her wear pink and donning other "girly" accessories. But she's breaking stereotypes rather than breaking bad.

This isn't the first time LEGO become unintentionally linked to the popular, but definitley not child friendly, TV show. A "LEGO Breaking Bad The Video Game Parody" gained more than 1.4 million views since late April.

While LEGO made a video game for "Lord of the Rings," "Batman," "Star Wars," and "Indianna Jones," the Danish company probably won't have Walter White star in a real game any time soon.

Here are images of Citizen Brick's now sold out meth lab play set:

breaking bad citizen brick meth lab LEGO

breaking bad citizen brick meth lab LEGO

breaking bad citizen brick meth lab LEGO

Here are the characters:

breaking bad citizen brick meth lab LEGO

SEE ALSO: Apple Is Nearly Doubling Its Design Team To Make Better Ads

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The Craziest Costumes At Burning Man [PHOTOS]

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Burning Man Costumes

When it's nearly 100 degrees in the middle of the Nevada desert, clothing is limited, and sometimes even optional at Burning Man — "an annual art event and temporary community based on radical self expression and self-reliance in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada."

But for those who do choose to wear clothing, it's all about the costumes.

And the ornate outfits have become a huge part of the festival.

Bikinis, body paint, tutus, masks, headdresses, wigs, floral crowns and feathers  it's all there!

Often all worn at once.

Everyone used bikes to get around the Burning Man desert, but that didn't stop people from breaking out their best costumes.



Like this guy, who went all out in green.



Or this creative dog-in-a-cage costume.



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Miley Cyrus, Tina Fey, And Bruce Willis Kick Off 'SNL' This Season

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tina fey amy poehler saturday night live snl sarah palin

Tina Fey is returning to "Saturday Night Live," "don't cha' know?"

The former Weekend Update anchor and Sarah Palin impersonator will host the 39th season opener on September 28.

It's her fourth time hosting since she left the show in 2006.

Fey's familiar face will help balance out the crop of "SNL" newbies, replacing leading men Jason Sudeikis, Fred Armisen, and Bill Hader. Head writer Seth Meyers is slated to depart in the fall, when he takes over Jimmy Fallon's "Late Night" desk.

The celebrities picked to host the following two episodes are pure ratings bait — having made unflattering headlines recently.

Fresh off her cringeworthy MTV Video Music Awards performance, Miley Cyrus tackles both the hosting and musical guest gigs on October 5.

Bruce Willis, who bailed on "Expendables 2," much to the dismay of co-star Sylvester Stallone, will host for the second time on October 12. Katy Perry is the musical guest.

Fey will be joined by musical guest Arcade Fire, whose first single off the highly anticipated "Reflektor" album drops Monday night.

Fingers crossed Sarah Palin does something silly before the end of the month to warrant one of Fey's inimitable impressions.

SEE ALSO: A Compilation Video Of 'Saturday Night Live' Cast Members Breaking Character In Laughter

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Miranda Kerr Is Noticeably Absent From The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Line-Up

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miranda kerr

Today, Victoria's Secret announced the line-up for its famous annual fashion show. 

Familiar faces like Adriana Lima, Karlie Kloss, and Alessandra Ambrosio will appear on the runway at this year's show, which will air December 10 on CBS. 

Noticeably absent was longtime Angel Miranda Kerr, Vogue reports

In April, Kerr announced she was leaving the brand after six years as an Angel. 

Kerr said she was focusing on being a mother to her young son, and on other contracts with brands ranging from Kora Organics skincare to Reebok.

But reports claimed that Victoria's Secret dropped Kerr because of her "difficult" reputation and because she wasn't selling as much lingerie as other models. 

Victoria's Secret later put up a united front with Kerr, saying that she would be walking in the brand's annual Fashion Show. 

Her absence from the line-up, which an astonishing 9.3 million people watched last year, suggests that her split with the brand was less than amicable. 

SEE ALSO: How Miranda Kerr Became Too Hot For Victoria's Secret

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The Awesome Cover Artwork Drawn For Harry Potter's 15th Anniversary

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harry potter

Harry Potter has been around for 15 years. 

In celebration of the anniversary of J.K. Rowlings' wizarding series, Scholastic rolled out new covers of all its books this fall in paperback editions.

Back in February, we showed the artwork for the first new cover looking drastically different from the old covers.

The art, which comes from Kazu Kibuishi, takes the focus off of Harry and places it on the memorable characters and environment that make the story come alive.

If you haven't checked out the artwork and are a Potter fan, they're worth seeing. 

While in a Barnes & Noble over the weekend, I passed by a display of all the newly drawn books. They're beautifully done.

Compare the front covers with the original artwork (right) below:

The new "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" focuses more on Harry's first year of heading to school.

harry potter and the sorcerers stone

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

chamber of secrets harry potter new and old covers"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

harry potter prisoner of azkabanThe new cover for "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is a bit more frightening.

harry potter goblet of fireThe new cover for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is by far our favorite. 

harry potter and the order of the phoenix"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

harry potter and the half blood prince"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"

harry potter and the deathly hallowsScholastic is selling all of the books together in this special edition set for $58 online. Seems like a pretty good deal when all of the books cost $100.93 separately.

Here's the set from the front:

harry potter setHowever, the best part is that the spine of every book joins together to form the Hogwarts' castle.

harry potter book setHaving grown up with the books, one thing I like better about the old covers is that each book had some sort of color scheme denoted by the color Harry's name was written in. That made it easy to tell which book your friends were on without asking. There was no confusing the green book ("Half-Blood Prince") with the blue of the fifth ("Order of the Phoenix"). There's no denying Kibuishi's original take on the popular character.

Which covers do you prefer? Let us know in the comments.

SEE ALSO: 28 things you never knew about how the Harry Potter movies were made

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Here's Which Celebrities Are Speaking Out On Syria — And Why Most Are Staying Silent

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Sean Penn celebrity protest

Sean Penn, George Clooney, Jane Fonda, Susan Sarandon and a handful of other celebrities can usually be counted on to be Hollywood's most outspoken anti-war protesters. 

But not when it comes to the current situation with Syria.

So why does the cat suddenly have Hollywood's tongue?

Vocal celebrity progressive activists Ed Asner, 83, and "M*A*S*H" star Mike Farrell, 74, opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about why they think Hollywood is staying quiet.

Farrell explains, "an all-out war in Iraq under Bush, a Republican who was very unpopular in Hollywood, was a much bigger deal than potential missile strikes against Syria under the direction of Obama, a Democrat who drew millions for his campaigns from showbiz industry donors."

Ed AsnerAdds "Mary Tyler Moore" actor Asner, "It will be a done deal before Hollywood is mobilized. This country will either bomb the hell out of Syria or not before Hollywood gets off its a--."

Asner, who has seven Emmy awards to his name, further explains that a main reason celebrities haven't come forward in protest is because they don't want to be called racist.

"A lot of people don't want to feel anti-black by being opposed to Obama," says Asner.

Asner continued about the current president: "I voted for him, but I'm not proud. He hasn't thrown himself on the funeral pyre. I wanted him to sacrifice himself. Instead, he has proved himself to be a corporatist, and as long as he's a corporatist, he's not my president. A lot of people have lost hope -- with the betrayals, the NSA spying ... People aren't getting active because 'Who gives a sh--?' is essentially the bottom line."

Farrell echoed his friend's sentiments: "He's a disappointment to me and other people I know."

Hollywood's silence is deafening in contrast to the handful of celebrities, from Martin Sheen to Neil Young and Barbra Streisand, who railed against the Bush administration throughout the 2000s, imploring Bush against going to war with Iraq.

But while many past protestors are remaining silent, a select few are speaking out via social media.

Earlier this week, Madonna posted a strong message to her Instagram account. It has over 34,000 "likes."

Madonna Syria

Signer Azealia Banks went on a Twitter tirade expressing her disapproval by publicly questioning whether the Obama administration might be in a “diabolical ego race” with rivals like Russia and Iran, and declared, “America should mind it’s business this time.” 

Azealia Banks twitter syria

And Obama isn't doing himself any favors by upsetting Univision. Feeling snubbed by the prez, anchor Jorge Ramos tweeted Monday: 

SEE ALSO: 'Grand Theft Auto V' Cost More To Make Than Nearly Every Hollywood Blockbuster Ever Made

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The Beatles' Secretary Shares 11 Years Worth Of Stories About Groupies, Drugs, And John's Mood Swings

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freda kelly the beatles secretary

Freda Kelly was at the heart of Beatlemania.

She was a shy teenager from Liverpool, England who managed a local band's fan club. Then in 1961, the group's manager, Brian Epstein, asked if she'd like to help them make it big.

Kelly remained with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr for 11 years as their secretary, confidante, and number-one fan.

She shares her favorite stories in the documentary "Good Ol' Freda," which premiered at SXSW Film Festival in 2010 and is rolling into select theaters across the country now.

You can watch "Good Ol' Freda" on iTunes.

Here are the best behind-the-scenes anecdotes and reveals about the Beatles from Freda Kelly's recent IAmA thread:

12. Politics couldn't hold their attention as teenagers.

“Early on, did you find members of the band very politically driven?” —headinmyphones

freda kelly the beatles secretary“No. When we were just teen-agers, we weren't discussing politics (although we were all Labor party then until the Tax Man came along. And then George wrote the song "Tax Man" and complained about Labor and the Conservative party).” —FredaAndRyan

11. Later, they became public activists for LSD.

“How open were they about the use of LSD? I know Lennon took it.” —timmytheh

“They were very open about LSD. Paul signed a petition for one of our national papers supporting it.” —FredaAndRyan

10. They ate grilled cheese with "plastic cheese."

“What was/is their favorite types of cheeses?” —Salanderson

“Well really we just had cheddar or Cheshire in those days. Cheese on toast. But we used kraft cheese singles to make it. We called it ‘plastic cheese.’” —FredaAndRyan10. “Funniest groupie story?” —zanthelad

freda kelly the beatles secretary9. They had low expectations.

“Since they blazed a trail in stardom and celebrity, how did the massive beatlemania phenom affect them? Did they have trouble dealing with it?” —FatherDamo

I know John thought this could last about 2 years. Nobody could see, not even them, how long it was going to last or the way things were going to go.” —FredaAndRyan

8. Ringo Starr needed ego boosts.

“Do you have any stories of members of the band playing pranks on each other or yourself?” —scalzo19

freda kelly the beatles secretary“A few months after Ringo joined the band, I went to see them perform in a theatre, and before I went to see them I decided I was going to shout a request to Ringo to sing 'Boys,' but I didn't know that someone had already told them I was going to do that. I was shouting it out for Ringo because he was not getting as many requests as the other three. But when I did shout the request, Ringo knew it was me, stood up from his drum seat and he told me to sit down and be quiet. He said something like "oh sit down Kelly." So I didn't come out from under my seat until the show ended out of embarrassment.” —FredaAndRyan

7. They lived with mom and dad for a while.

“what is something that most people would not know about the beatles but you think should?” —shtaaap

“They came home on a regular basis for family celebrations, weddings and christenings, Paul had so many relations he was back in Liverpool more than the others and still is. And they all lived at home up until they moved to London (even when they had the number one record in the world).” —FredaAndRyan

6. And when they found fame, the US of A became their second home.

“Did they have a favorite tourist spot or local attraction they were fond of in America?” —BaysideLo

“They just loved America but didn't say what particular part. When they got back from America the first time, they were amazed.” —FredaAndRyan

freda kelly the beatles secretary5. “Funniest groupie story?” —zanthelad

“There were two sets of girls, and they were both called the Apple Scruffs. They were about 14-17 years old. And they used to just hang around Apple all day, they would go from school and stay there until eight or ten o'clock at night just waiting for a Beatle to go in or out of Apple. Eventually the Beatles got to know them, and George wrote a song about them because all the Beatles got to like them.” —FredaAndRyan

“Was the song released? If so, which song?” —SECRETLY_STALKS_YOU

“It was released but I think it was on George Harrison's ‘All Things Must Pass’ album. The song was called ‘Apple Scruffs.’" —FredaAndRyan

4. John Lennon needed the most attention.

“Whats your favorite story about john lennon?” —davidleewhite

freda kelly the beatles secretary“John Lennon fired me in a dressing room one time! He was upset that I spent too much time with another musical group called The Moody Blues' dressing room. What happened when I went into The Beatles' dressing room, he was not amused that it had taken me all that time to come into the dressing room. So he asked me whose fan club secretary I was - are you the Moody Blues' fan club secretary or the Beatles. And I just laughed it off and said theirs, and he said I'm sacking you you can go back to the Moody Blues. Well what happened then I said fine, but I went to the other 3 and asked if they were sacking me and they said no, certainly not, so I said to John well you can do your own fan mail and I'll just do the other three's. And then he turned to me and said he was only joking, and I said no you weren't, you were telling the truth, and he said please come back. Then I said "get on your hands and knees and beg me to come back." And he said "I'll meet you halfway" and I knew I couldn't push him any further, he said he would get down on one knee and I said that will do. And I kept working for him for another 7 years.” —FredaAndRyan

3. They cared for Freda as a dear friend.

“Did you get any cool merchandise or memorabilia as a result of your job?” —scalzo19

“My wedding telegrams are my most treasured. They were all in India when I got married, and they all individually sent me telegrams congratulating me.” —FredaAndRyan

freda kelly the beatles secretary2. And she crushed on a different Beatle every day.

“Did you secretly wished to be one of their other half?” —fishbonez

“Not really, no. I was a teen-ager when I started this job, and I naturally had crushes. But the crushes changed all the time, and by a certain point they became like brothers to me.” —FredaAndRyan

1. Fifty years later, she can sum them up in four words.

freda kelly the beatles secretary“If you had to sum up each member of the group in one or two words based on your time with them, what would they be?” —MonaMonzano

“John the moodiest. Paul the one was never cross or angry. Ringo for humor, really, and dancing. And George was thoughtful.” —FredaAndRyan

SEE ALSO: Ricky Gervais Reveals Far Too Much In Funny Reddit AMA

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