Even if they've never read it, most people in America have heard of the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip series. 

Launched in the mid-80s, the strip was at its height published in more than 2,400 newspapers, reaching an audience of hundreds of millions. As of 2010, sales of Calvin and Hobbes books had neared 45 million.

But its creator, Bill Watterson, as is as mysterious as his comic strip is popular. The only known photo of him was taken nearly 30 years ago. According to lore, he wouldn't even take a phone call from Steven Spielberg. He abruptly retired in 1995, and according to Stephan Pastis, creator of the "Pearls Before Swine" strip, not even other cartoonists interact with him. 

But in a new post on his blog, Pastis reveals he's gotten the one-up on his colleagues: Watterson, it turns out,  was the author of the three recent "Pearls" strips.

Let me tell you. Just getting an email from Bill Watterson is one of the most mind-blowing, surreal experiences I have ever had. Bill Watterson really exists? And he sends email? And he’s communicating with me?

But he was. And he had a great sense of humor about the strip I had done, and was very funny, and oh yeah….

…He had a comic strip idea he wanted to run by me.

To strips would focus on a little girl, "Libby" ("Lib" is close to "Bill" backwards), who wants to take over the strip from Pastis' "Pearls" avatar because she thinks his work isn't good enough. You can see the results here, here, and here.  

"Pearls" appears in 650 papers nationwide. 

Click here to read the full post »

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Walmart has issued a statement saying one of its trucks was involved in the Saturday morning accident that left comedian Tracy Morgan in critical condition.

The driver of the truck has just been charged with one count of death by auto and four counts of assault by auto.

NBC had earlier reported a Walmart tractor-trailer had caused the six-vehicle wreck that also killed one of Morgan's comedy writers and left two others injured.

ABC reported this afternoon that police had learned the truck's driver had dozed off. 

Here's Walmart's full release:

“We’re praying for the family and friends of the passenger who lost his life in the terrible accident in New Jersey. Our hearts go out to everyone involved and we hope those who were injured get the care that they need and make a full recovery.  

“This is a tragedy and we are profoundly sorry that one of our trucks was involved. We are working quickly to understand what happened and are cooperating fully with law enforcement to aid their investigation.

“The facts are continuing to unfold. If it’s determined that our truck caused the accident, Walmart will take full responsibility.

“Safety is our absolute highest priority, but that is no comfort whatsoever to the families and friends who are suffering today. We offer them our deepest condolences. We can’t change what happened, but we will do what’s right for the family of the victim and the survivors in the days and weeks ahead.”

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The character of Hazel Grace Lancaster, a 16-year-old battling cancer in the new film 'The Fault In Our Stars' based on the book of the same title, is played by Shailene Woodley. 

But Woodley's character channels someone else, someone real; a young woman named Esther Earl from Beverly, Massachusetts, who lost her battle to thyroid cancer in August of 2010. Earl was 16 when she died.

John Green, who wrote the book, had met Earl at a Harry Potter conference back in 2009. Earl supported Green's decision to write "The Fault In Our Stars;" the two remained friends until Earl passed away.

Green paid tribute to her on his website and also by being a major donor to the charity Earl's parents started in her memory called "This Star Won't Go Out."

Earl, it seems, gave a real face to cancer while she was alive. She experienced her fears and her pain very publicly, sharing them with the world on social media. 

People reports,

Earl had a very big Internet presence on multiple platforms including Twitter and Tumblr. However, her friends, family, and fans got to know her best through her funny and empathetic videos. "I'm not always amazing," she said. "I'm not always strong and you guys should know that." 

In fact, Earl's videos remain live on YouTube, though she passed away nearly four years ago.

She's incredibly candid, and talks about how lonely it was at the end. On August 9th, she put up a video where she admitted she had lost touch with most of her friends.

"I just sit on my bed," she says, "and sometimes my couch. And I am mostly just hanging out with my family."

Here, she reacts to learning about Esther day, which John Green dedicated to her on August 3rd of 2010. She died just 3 weeks later.

Her parents published a book called "This Star Won't Go Out: The Life & Words of Esther Grace Earl," a collection of Esther's drawings and notes along with family stories. John Green wrote the introduction.

One letter in the book was written when she was 14 to her 17-year-old self. She had instructed her parents to read it if she died before she was able to open it.

"If you haven't done something amazing, don't forget to try," 14-year-old Esther tells her future self. "The worst that can happen is you fail, and then you can just try again until you succeed."

You can learn more about Esther in People Magazine or on This Star Won't Go Out. 

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"Blue's Clues" was one of the most popular children's shows on Nickelodeon throughout its decade-long run from 1996-2006.

Steve Burns, who hosted the show, became a major celebrity among the younger crowds and was even nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 2001. In 2000, he was named one of People's most eligible bachelors alongside George Clooney and Ben Affleck.

But in 2002, at the height of the show's popularity, the beloved Burns abruptly left "Blues" to "go to college" in his final episode. The actor was actually 29 years old at the time.

Rumors immediately began to swirl that Burns died of a drug overdose, was a drug addict, or was killed in a car crash.

When I asked a coworker/fan of the show (who shall remain nameless) what she thought happened to Steve, she too had heard he turned to drugs.

Not so, says Burns — who is very much alive — in an interview for Nickelodeon’s special “Behind the Clues: 10 Years with Blue.” 

Burns reveals that one of the main reasons he left the show was because he was going bald, and he didn't want that to happen on national television in front of his young fans.

"I knew I wasn't going to be doing children's television all my life, mostly because I refused to lose my hair on a kid's TV show," Burns, now 40, said in an interview on the Nick Jr. special.

"And it was happening ... fast," he added.

We went back to early "Blue's Clues" episodes and indeed, Burns had a full head of hair.

But over the years, his hairline started to recede.

By his final episode, Burns was covering his bald spot with a hat.

That's when Nickelodeon hired 24-year-old Donovan Patton to replace Burns.

Patton had an enviable head of hair that took over "Blue's Clues" until the series finale in 2006.

Since then, Steve Burns has pursued a career in music and has even worked with members of The Flaming Lips to produce his debut album "Songs For Dustmites."

He hasn't appeared much on-camera since "Blue's Clues."

Considering many actors remain on television despite hair changes, something does feel a little fishy.

(h/t Huffington Post)

SEE ALSO: The Only 10 Shows You Should Watch This Summer

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WARNING: There are major spoilers if you haven't seen Sunday's episode

"Game of Thrones" is one TV's hottest shows right now, so fans are doing whatever they can to avoid spoilers.

If that's the case, fans may want to stay away from actress Lena Headey's Instagram account.

Headey, who plays Queen Cersei Lannister on the series, has been posting photos that many fans see as potential spoilers.

For example, Sunday night's episode involved a brutal battle between Oberyn "The Red Viper" Martell (Pedro Pascal) and Ser Gregor Clegane (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson).

It culminated in Oberyn getting his eyes gouged out. 

Many fans think one of Headey's previous Instagrams looks awfully similar to the way Pascal's character met his demise.

Before the episode aired, Headey posted this photo jokingly gouging out fellow cast member Pedro Pascal's eyes two months ago.

The image is from a feature in Hunger Magazine; however, fans noted the similarity was uncanny.

Fans have also been speculating the meaning of another one of Headey's photo posted a month ago. The photo found below is of stones making up a heart shape with the caption "my stone heart."

Warning: MAJOR potential spoiler ahead.

Many fans suspect this as a spoiler for the return of Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) who becomes known as "Lady Stoneheart" in the books after she's brought back to life.

However, not every cast member's Instagram spoils the show.

Here's a fun off set photo from Pedro Pascal's account showing the very different sizes of Pascal and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, who plays The Mountain on the series.

SEE ALSO: This 'Game Of Thrones' Actor Got The Role By Lifting Someone During The Audition

AND: How Sunday night's awesome "Game of Thrones" battle came together

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When Apple announced its acquisition of Beats Electronics for $3 billion, rapper Dr. Dre became hip-hop's wealthiest artist. 

Dre is now worth about $800 million after the deal.

Dre also just recently bought a $40 million mansion in Los Angeles. 

News of Dre buying his new $40 million mansion broke before the deal became official, but we can't help but think the new digs were a bit of pre-celebration. 

Dr. Dre may be his rap name, but his real name is Andre Romelle Young.

Dre was born in Compton, California. He first made it big with hip-hop group N.W.A. in the 1980s.

N.W.A. consisted of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, DJ Yella, MC Ren, the Arabian Prince, and the D.O.C. Their second album, "Straight Outta Compton," marked the beginning of "gangsta rap."

Bryan Cranston has won his first Tony award for best lead actor in his Broadway debut in "All the Way."

The 58-year-old actor stars as President Lyndon B. Johnson after John F. Kennedy's assassination as he seeks re-election. 

The win means Cranston is now halfway to receiving one of the most coveted awards, the EGOT.

Winning an EGOT occurs when an individual receives an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award.

Cranston has previously won three Emmys for role as a chemistry teacher turned meth cook on "Breaking Bad."

Just how rare is the award?

Only 12 individuals have ever been awarded with the EGOT:

Liza Minneli, James Earl Jones, and Barbra Streisand technically also have EGOTs. However, each received one of their awards as an honorary one.

SEE ALSO:  A Complete List Of Tony Award Winners

AND: Bryan Cranston reveals the grossest scene from "Breaking Bad"

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Microsoft's promised price cut has arrived: You can now buy an Xbox One for only $399.

The $399 bundle ditches the Kinect motion sensor that used to come included with every Xbox One. If you want, you can still pick up a Kinect sensor for an extra $100.

The Kinect lets the Xbox One track your body's movement in addition to letting you use voice commands. Microsoft used to include a Kinect with every Xbox One in an attempt to encourage developers to innovate and bake Kinect features into their games.

The price cut comes after news that Sony had sold significantly more PlayStation 4 systems than Microsoft's Xbox One. As of April, Sony has sold over 7 million consoles. Microsoft has announced it has sold 5 million.

The gap in sales could be attributed to Sony's decision to de-bundle its own PlayStation Camera from its PlayStation 4 package before it even went on sale, a move that allowed Sony to enter the next-gen market at a price point $100 cheaper than Microsoft.

SEE ALSO: The complicated history of Tetris, which just turned 30

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The 68th annual Tony Awards aired live on Sunday on CBS, celebrating the best of Broadway. 

TV stars Bryan Crantson and Neil Patrick won their first stage awards, while Audra McDonald had a record-breaking sixth win for “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill."

Cranston's "All the Way" won for best play, while "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" received the award for best musical.

See who else took home the top awards below (via Variety):

Best Play
“Act One”
“All the Way”
“Casa Valentine”
“Mothers and Sons”
“Outside Mullingar”

Best Musical
“After Midnight”
“Aladdin”
“Beautiful — The Carole King Musical”
“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder”

Best Revival of a Play
“The Cripple of Inishmaan”
“The Glass Menagerie”
“A Raisin in the Sun”
“Twelfth Night”

Best Revival of a Musical
“Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
“Les Misérables”
“Violet”

Best Book of a Musical
“Aladdin”
“Beautiful — The Carole King Musical”
“Bullets Over Broadway”
“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder”

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
“Aladdin”
“The Bridges of Madison County”
“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder”
“If/Then”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Samuel Barnett, “Twelfth Night”
Bryan Cranston, “All the Way”
Mark Rylance, “Richard III”
Chris O’Dowd, “Of Mice and Men”
Tony Shalhoub, “Act One”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Tyne Daly, “Mothers and Sons”
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, “A Raisin in the Sun”
Cherry Jones, “The Glass Menagerie”
Audra McDonald, “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill”
Estelle Parsons, “The Velocity of Autumn”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Neil Patrick Harris, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
Ramin Karimloo, “Les Misérables”
Andy Karl, “Rocky”
Jefferson Mays, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder”
Bryce Pinkham, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Mary Bridget Davies, “A Night With Janis Joplin”
Sutton Foster, “Violet”
Idina Menzel, “If/Then”
Jessie Mueller, “Beautiful — The Carole King Musical”
Kelli O’Hara, “The Bridges of Madison County”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Reed Birney, “Casa Valentina”
Paul Chahidi, “Twelfth Night”
Stephen Fry, “Twelfth Night”
Mark Rylance, “Twelfth Night”
Brian J. Smith, “The Glass Menagerie”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Sarah Greene, “The Cripple of Inishmaan”
Celia Keenan-Bolger, “The Glass Menagerie”
Sophie Okonedo, “A Raisin in the Sun”
Anika Noni Rose, “A Raisin in the Sun”
Mare Winningham, “Casa Valentina”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Danny Burstein, “Cabaret”
Nick Cordero, “Bullets Over Broadway”
Joshua Henry, “Violet”
James Monroe Iglehart, “Aladdin”
Jarrod Spector, “Beautiful — The Carole King Musical”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Linda Emond, “Cabaret”
Lena Hall, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
Anika Larsen, “Beautiful — The Carole King Musical”
Adriane Lenox, “After Midnight”
Lauren Worsham, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder”

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Beowulf Boritt, “Act One”
Bob Crowley, “The Glass Menagerie”
Es Devlin, “Machinal”
Christopher Oram, “The Cripple of Inishmaan”

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Christopher Barreca, “Rocky”
Julian Crouch, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
Alexander Dodge, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder”
Santo Loquasto, “Bullets Over Broadway”

Best Costume Design of a Play
Jane Greenwood, “Act One”
Michael Krass, “Machinal”
Rita Ryack, “Casa Valentina”
Jenny Tiramani, “Twelfth Night”

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Linda Cho, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder”
William Ivey Long, “Bullets Over Broadway”
Arianne Phillips, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
Isabel Toledo, “After Midnight”

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Paule Constable, “The Cripple of Inishmaan”
Jane Cox, “Machinal”
Natasha Katz, “The Glass Menagerie”
Japhy Weideman, “Of Mice and Men”

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
Christopher Akerlind, “Rocky”
Howell Binkley, “After Midnight”
Donald Holder, “The Bridges of Madison County”

Best Sound Design of a Play
Alex Baranowski, “The Cripple of Inishmaan”
Steve Canyon Kennedy, “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill”
Dan Moses Schreier, “Act One”
Matt Tierney, “Machinal”

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski, “After Midnight”
Tim O’Heir, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
Mick Potter, “Les Misérables”
Brian Ronan, “Beautiful — The Carole King Musical”

Best Direction of a Play
Tim Carroll, “Twelfth Night”
Michael Grandage, “The Cripple of Inishmaan”
Kenny Leon, “A Raisin in the Sun”
John Tiffany, “The Glass Menagerie”

Best Direction of a Musical
Warren Carlyle, “After Midnight”
Michael Mayer, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
Leigh Silverman, “Violet”
Darko Tresnjak, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder”

Best Choreography
Warren Carlyle, “After Midnight”
Steven Hoggett & Kelly Devine, “Rocky”
Casey Nicholaw, “Aladdin”
Susan Stroman, “Bullets Over Broadway”

Best Orchestrations
Doug Besterman, “Bullets Over Broadway”
Jason Robert Brown, “The Bridges of Madison County”
Steve Sidwell, Beautiful — “The Carole King Musical”
Jonathan Tunick, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder”

SEE ALSO: Bryan Cranston Is One Step Closer To Receiving One Of The Most Coveted Awards Ever

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Hugh Jackman hosted the Tony Awards last night, and entertained audiences from start to finish.

In the middle, he started talking about how, in middle school, he was in The Music Man, and how he remembers every word to the opening number, "Rock Island."

Note: Former theater kids at home wanted you to know that they also know the words to "Rock Island."

He began to sing it solo (though the actual number involves about eight men) for a whooping, cheering audience.

"If you think about it, this might be the first rap song, written in 1957," Jackman says.

Then, Jackman announces CBS awards show favorite LL Cool J and rapper T.I. (really?) would be joining him on stage to sing "Rock Island."

The audience, full of theater people, loved it.

The audience at home, full of theater people, were warming up to it.

You could tell T.I. just learned the song recently. He was a beat early on his lyric "the piper pays him" every time. You wouldn't have noticed if you didn't know the song, but Jackman, also singing, came in on the right beat, and so each delivery of the line sounded like an echo. But it was funny. 

And, really, the audience was into it.

Watch the whole thing here:

SEE ALSO: A Complete List Of Tony Award Winners

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Teen phenomenon “The Fault in our Stars” had a huge opening weekend at the box office. 

The adaptation of John Green’s best-selling novel about two cancer stricken teens who fall in love made a big $48 million this weekend. 

The 20th Century Fox movie cost an estimated $12 million to make. 

The Shailene Woodley film passed both “Maleficent” ($33.5 million) and Tom Cruise’s new sci-fi flick “The Edge of Tomorrow” ($29.1 million). 

Other than the “Twilight” franchise, “The Fault in our Stars” had the largest opening weekend for a teen romance since 2001’s “Save the Last Dance.” 

Last Tuesday, “The Fault in our Stars” became Fandango’s largest pre-selling romance movie ever, beating 2012’s “The Vow” with Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams. 

That movie debuted to $41.2 million.

SEE ALSO: Meet the 16-year-old girl who lost her battle with thyroid cancer — and inspired "The Fault in our Stars"

AND: "The Fault in our Stars" author explains the miracle drug used in the film

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Broadway star Audra McDonald made history Sunday night by winning her sixth Tony Award, as well as becoming the first person to ever win in four different performance categories. 

McDonald, 43, took home the statue for best lead actress in a play for her portrayal of a broken-down Billie Holiday in “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill.” 

The play tells the "personal tales of difficult choices, bad breaks, worse men, and some of the most glorious songs ever written," according to the show's website, which calls McDonald's performance, "the role she was born to play."

After McDonald's big win, she tearfully accepted her award to a standing ovation and paid tribute to the legacy of female African-American singers. She also thanked her late parents for ignoring their doctor's advice to medicate their overactive daughter and instead directing her toward the theater. 

McDonald has previously won awards for her roles in "Carousel," "Master Class," "Rag Time," "A Raisin In The Sun," and "Porgy and Bess."

Her historic win tops Angela Lansbury and Julie Harris's previous records of five acting Tonys each.

SEE ALSO: A Complete List Of Tony Award Winners

MORE: Bryan Cranston Is One Step Closer To Receiving One Of The Most Coveted Awards Ever

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It just became a lot safer to use Popcorn Time.

Legally, Popcorn Time operates in a nebulous gray area. It works by allowing users to stream pirated movies and TV shows without having to worry about deleting the incriminating data afterwards — Popcorn Time does all the dirty work for you. With its streaming option, intuitive Netflix-style interface, and self-tidying service, it's no wonder Popcorn Time has taken off.

TorrentFreak reports Popcorn Time has now included a free virtual private network (VPN) service in its newest Popcorn Time beta. This VPN feature will now automatically mask users' web traffic from their cable service providers.

A VPN acts like a middleman between your computer and the Internet. Traditionally, when you visit a website, a record exists that says your computer requested access to that website using your computer's unique identifier, called an IP address. With a VPN enabled, your computer connects to an outside server first, which assigns a randomized IP address and then requests the website on your behalf, leaving no trace on your part.

Technically, VPN services can still sometimes be linked back to individual computers and users, but there's a few things that set Popcorn Time's VPN service apart. The company running the service, Kebrum, isn't located in the U.S., and the company doesn't keep long-term logs. This acts like a one-two punch to U.S. authorities, as they won't be able to legally request Kebrum's user info — and even if they somehow could, there wouldn't be any user information stored to fork over.

It can be a little confusing, but Popcorn Time figured out an easy way to distill the goal of the VPN service into just one button: Just click the lock icon to turn the cloaking service on or off.

For current Popcorn Time users that want to use the new feature today, you can download the newest beta here.

There's no telling how long Popcorn Time will stick around, but it certainly just got harder for the average user to get caught.

SEE ALSO: Verizon demands Netflix take down messages calling its internet slow

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Like the rest of you, we were incredibly excited to binge watch the second season of "Orange Is the New Black" over the weekend. Who knew a show that shines an important spotlight on the hardships and indignities of prison life could be so fun.

But if you think OITNB shows it all, you're about to find out a disgusting truth. While the women in OITNB face miserable conditions and abuse, it's nothing compared to what real people experience in the jail where they film scenes from the second season as well as other jails in Suffolk County, New York.

Riverhead jail in Long Island — just a hop, skip, and a jump from the white sands and posh life of the Hamptons — is notorious for its inhumane conditions. Raw sewage bubbles from the floor, toilets explode, rodents and roaches infest the kitchens, black mold covers the walls, and drinking and bathing water runs brown and stinks of sewage.

The "ping-pong" toilets at Riverhead are NSFTV (Not Suitable for TV) because they are too wildly disgusting. Let a former prisoner, 23-year-old Paul Alver, explain why:

Because the plumbing doesn't work, when someone flushed his toilet in the cell next to mine, the human waste would bubble up in my own toilet, feet from where I slept. Sometimes we woke up with sewage flooding our cell floors.

Can you imagine crowding on a table during a flood of feces that lasts 30 hours? Watch former prisoner Jason Porter describe this and other repugnant conditions:

These stories are just two of hundreds shared by people housed in Suffolk County's jails. And there's precious little they can do about it. Prisoners who try to file grievances often face retaliation. One formerly incarcerated person said officers cut off heat until he agreed to abandon his request for grievance forms.

Before OITNB became a hit show, the New York Civil Liberties Union and Shearman & Sterling LLP filed a class-action lawsuit in 2012 on behalf of current and future prisoners in Suffolk County jails. The suit demanded that the county clean up its jails for violating people's constitutional right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment and for showing deliberate indifference to the harms incarcerated people are suffering.

But more than two years later, Suffolk County has refused to make even basic fixes to its jails — even now that Riverhead is in the spotlight.

Join the New York Civil Liberties Union's call to tell Suffolk County that instead of wooing Hollywood, it should stop violating the law and clean up its jails.

There's something seriously wrong when Hollywood can film a show at a jail, but actors can't drink the water that real people living there are forced to drink.

This post originally appeared on the ACLU's blog. It has been reprinted with permission.

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Before classically-trained dubstep violinist Lindsey Stirling made it big, she performed in school cafeterias and would occasionally have to sleep in airports as she hustled her way to the top.

Going the traditional route just wasn't working out for Stirling a couple of years ago, she tells Business Insider. Making one hit song could cost millions of dollars, and no one was willing to make a bet on her. 

"I got discouraged because no one was interested," Stirling says. "They'd say, 'I'm sorry you're just too different, we don't know what to do with you.' No one was interested in the kind of artist I wanted to be."

In 2010, Stirling wound up on Fox's "America's Got Talent," where she was known as the hip-hop violinist. But Stirling wanted to be more than that. So she took all of her favorite influences and is now often referred to as the "Skrillex of classical music," a title she says she relates to.

"I think that's a pretty cool title," Stirling says. "It was Skrillex who got me into dubstep. He made it melodic — not just a bunch of crazy sounds. I want to make dubstep something beautiful."

Thanks to artists services and ticketing startup CrowdSurge, Stirling has been able to sell tickets to her show on her own terms. Unlike traditional ticketing platforms, CrowdSurge does not withhold sales data from the artist. For her 2014 tour, Stirling has so far sold over 13,000 tickets through CrowdSurge. 

When you buy tickets to Stirling's shows, you'll be directed to a CrowdSurge-hosted page on her own website. Within the first 30 minutes of tickets going on sale in the U.S., CrowdSurge sold 25% of the tickets to Stirling's shows. Some individual performances are completely sold out.

CrowdSurge also makes it easy for artists to connect with their fans. Through Stirling's CrowdSurge-powered campaign she collected over 16,000 fan email addresses for the purposes of interacting with fans And Stirling has taken full advantage of that.  

One of the more memorable experiences Stirling has had thanks to CrowdSurge was when she met a fan who only had a month to live due to cancer. She was touched that he picked her show to be his very last concert.

"It's so magical to be able to meet your fans," Stirling says. "It's about people and connecting."

Watch Stirling in action below. 

SEE ALSO: Sorry, Apple: These Are The Best Headphones You Can Buy

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Prosecutors say the driver who allegedly hit a bus carrying comedian Tracy Morgan and six others hadn't slept in more than 24 hours, the Associated Press reports.

The driver, 35-year-old Kevin Roper, has been charged with one count of death by auto and four counts of assault by auto.

He'll face his first court appearance on Wednesday.

Comedian James "Jimmy Mack" McNair died in the crash and Morgan, of "30 Rock" and "Saturday Night Live," was critically injured. Others involved in the crash were also hurt.

Morgan's publicist said on Sunday that the comedian's condition is improving, CNN reports. He suffered broken ribs, a broken nose, a broken leg and a broken femur. He had surgery on Sunday and he's expected to stay in the hospital for several weeks.

Roper was a driver for Walmart. He was released on bail after he turned himself into police. He allegedly failed to stop for slowing traffic ahead of him and slammed into the bus carrying Morgan and others.

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Nicolas Cage made an epic appearance at a Guns N' Roses concert this weekend at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.

If being accompanied by Andrew Dice Clay, holding a cane, wearing a cowboy hat and chaps wasn't enough, the actor wore a T-shirt with his own face on it underneath his Mardis Gras beads.

Guns N' Roses posted the picture to their Instagram account, simply stating, "Mr Nicolas Cage and Mr Andrew Dice Clay."

The unlikely duo then joined the band on stage for a final bow.

It's almost as mindblowing as that time Macauley Culkin wore a photo of Ryan Gosling wearing a photo of Macauley Culkin.

SEE ALSO: LL Cool J and T.I. Rapped Songs From 'The Music Man' At The Tony Awards And The Audience Went Wild

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At its E3 press conference Monday, Microsoft-owned 343 Industries announced two new "Halo" titles, including a next-generation makeover compilation of the first four games and a brand-new game to be released in late 2015.

“Halo: The Master Chief Collection” will include the first four “Halo” games optimized for the Xbox One console and remastered at 1080p HD and 60 frames per second. The single-disc anthology will release on November 11 for $59.99, and it will feature a new prologue before the first game, “Halo: Combat Evolved,” and a new epilogue after “Halo 4.” The collection will also feature all of the multiplayer content from all four games, including all previously released download-only maps.

The November release of “The Master Chief Collection” will coincide with the premiere of a live-action “Halo” television series, called “Halo: Nightfall,” which will be executive produced by Ridley Scott. (Another live-action “Halo” series, this one by executive produced by Steven Spielberg, is still in the works.) 

According to 343 Industries General Manager Bonnie Ross, the first “Halo” TV series, “Nightfall,” will lead into the next official “Halo” game in 2015, officially titled “Halo 5: Guardians.”

“Halo 5: Guardians” will be the second “Halo” title helmed by 343 Industries, which took over the franchise after the original developer Bungie split with Microsoft in 2007. 343 Industries’ first full-length “Halo” game, “Halo 4,” received positive reviews from critics after its release in November 2012.

 “When we first started 343, we made sure we actually paved and deepened the foundation of the universe,” Ross said. “I feel that’s critical to have success and people loving the universe over the next 10 to 20 years. This is about a universe worthy of devotion, of being able to tell hundreds of stories. At 343 we put a ton of emphasis on the fiction, the foundation.”

The “Halo” games, to this point, have generated more than 50 million units in sales. Microsoft will certainly welcome more “Halo” content — both the games and the TV series — as its fledgling Xbox One console aims to compete with Sony’s better-selling PlayStation 4.

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This past weekend, Governors Ball held its 4th annual event on Randall's Island, a three-day festival packed with big acts, raucous partying, and a laundry list of activities and amenities for festival-goers who wanted a break from the music. 

The sprawling festival was even bigger than years past with four stages of music that featured acts like Jack White, Vampire Weekend, Outkast, and the Strokes. 

Unlike last year, the weather was perfect — bright sunny skies and warm temperatures continued throughout the weekend.

We headed down to the festival to check out what it was all about. 

Festival organizers arranged a number of public transportation options for getting to the festival. We decided to go low-key and walk across the RFK Bridge to Randall's Island on foot.

The festival grounds were already kicking as we made our way over.

The lines looked intimidating when we arrived, but they moved quickly. We didn't wait more than five minutes to make it inside.

Jerry Seinfeld is back with the fourth season of his popular web show, "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee."

The new trailer features many A-list cameos, from Sarah Jessica Parker ...

... to Jon Stewart.

Aziz Ansari has breakfast with Seinfeld ...

While comedian George Wallace takes him for a late night ride.The new season of “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” premieres on June 19.

Watch the trailer below: 

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