Apple's performance in the past few years has been truly mind-boggling.

CEO Tim Cook used that exact phrase in the company's conference call yesterday. And he wasn't just blowing smoke.

If you get too caught up in the daily Apple details, you miss the big picture.

So here's a quick look at the big picture.

Apple has generated $29 billion of cash in the last six months. That's not revenue, it's cash--what's left over after Apple pays all its expenses.

At that rate, Apple is generating $7 million of cash per hour. 24 hours a day. 7 days per week.

Apple now has $110 billion of cash. If Apple's bank account were a stand-alone company, it would be the 37th biggest company in the United States (by market cap).

Source: YCharts.

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Artist Thomas Kinkade, known as "The Painter of Light" left more of a dark scene after he passed away earlier this month at the age of 54.

Famous for his mass-produced, idyllic images of baseball fields, cottages along rivers and scenes from Disney films, Kinkade was more troubled in his personal life than his paintings suggested.

Reports of heavy drinking (Kinkade's brother said he had recently relapsed) and a volatile relationship with his girlfriend came out after the famous painter's untimely death.

Kinkade had been living with his girlfriend, Indian-born Amy Pinto Walsh, after he and his first wife, Nanette, separated two years ago.

Now Nanette has taken out a restraining order against Pinto Walsh, banning her from releasing any of Kinkade's trade secrets after she threatened to release personal photographs and information about the family.

The petition, to be heard by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Patricia M. Lucas, seeks to prohibit Pinto-Walsh from making statements or engaging in conduct that has the effect of defaming, criticizing, disparaging or discrediting Kinkade, Nanette Kinkade, or any company owned by Kinkade "to appear in a negative light or false light." 

What exactly these women know that we don't is unclear, but Kinkade's company did face a few financial problems in the past, with one of his companies filing for bankruptcy in order to break a large art studio space lease.

And Gawker assumes such secrets have to do with Kinkade's ability to mass-produce subpar art.

Get to know Kinkade and his works better below.

Now watch this teen artfully transform her acne-scarred face with makeup >

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Peter E. Bacanovic, the Merrill Lynch broker who spent five months in prison for his role in the Martha Stewart insider trading scandal, has just unloaded his Upper East Side townhouse for $6 million, according to the New York Observer.

In addition to housing the disgraced banker, the brownstone has another claim to fame: its facade starred in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" as the apartment building where Holly Golightly lived.

The buyer is listed only as a Cyprus-based holding company, but it paid $5.97 million for the building, slightly over the $5.85 million asking price, according to the Observer.

Does this apartment building look familiar?

It played a starring role in "Breakfast at Tiffany's," as the home of Holly Golightly.

The building is currently divided into two separate duplexes, with 10 rooms altogether.

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This is the casting call flyer that Kurt Cobain and the rest of Nirvana personally handed out at The Roxy in Los Angeles the day before shooting the Aug. 17, 1991, video for their iconic 1990s classic, "Smells Like Teen Spirit." The flyer worked so well that hundreds of Cobain fans were turned away at the door.

The band wanted 18-25 year olds (so not quite high-schoolers) to take on a "high school persona, ie., preppy, punk, nerd, jock ... "

Cobain convinced the video's director to allow the extras, who had been forced to sit on the bleachers and watch the shoot for hours, to join in on the video's final mosh pit scene and destroy the soundstage. "The last 30 seconds of that video is those kids destroying the set and I just happened to have a roll of film in the camera," then-first time director Samuel Bayer said.

Cobain told author Michael Azerrad that "Once the kids came out dancing they just said 'fuck you,' because they were so tired of this shit throughout the day."

"Smells Like Teen Spirit"—shot in Culver City's GMT Studios—cost between $30,000 and $50,000 to make and went on to win two MTV Video Music Awards. It's known as the anthem for apathetic kids.

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Madeleine McCann was just 3 years old when she disappeared from a holiday apartment in Portugal in 2007.

The disappearance sparked a media storm, including accusations of neglect by her parents and multiple (mostly discredited) sightings, but the official investigation was closed in 2008 due to a lack of evidence.

Last night, however, British police announced they have moved to reopen the case.

Andy Redwood, the  officer in charge of a review of the case, told the BBC's Panorama program that 37 officers have been reviewing more than 40,000 pieces of information over the last year. They had found more than 200 leads they think need to be reexamined.

They are now appealing to Portuguese authorities to officially reopen the case.

British police have also released an image of what Madeleine might look like now, though Redwood admitted:

"We are working on the basis of two possibilities here - one is that Madeleine is still alive; and the second that she is sadly dead."

The New York Times reports that the initial investigation only found one suspect — a 33-year-old man who lived with his mother nearby — despite million dollar rewards offered by JK Rowling, Richard Branson, and others.

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We can't seem to get rid of Kate Upton. Yesterday, she went on Fox and Friends and tossed around a football with the Giants' Jason Pierre Paul.

Upton didn't get the ball in the net, but she was also wearing incredibly high heels. Watch:

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Zooey Deschanel, Ashton Kutcher and Jennifer Lopez are trying their hands behind-the-scenes as well as in front of the camera.

Whether producing, directing, writing, designing, hosting or parenting, these 15 celebs have mastered the art of multitasking.

Here are 15 famous faces who haven't taken a breath since they made it big in Hollywood. 

Ashton Kutcher: Model/Actor/Producer/Tech Guy

We've all come to know Ashton Kutcher as one-half of the dude-team in "Dude, Where's My Car?" and one-third of the comedy-team in "Two and a Half Men," but the ex-Mr. Demi Moore was originally a model. 

Not that big of a shocker.

Kutcher still models from time to time and is also the face of the Nikon camera. But the actor also has a successful production company, Katalyst, that created "Punk'd" and more. He might even be an astronaut soon.

And somewhere, between all of that, Kutcher still finds time to be an investor in countless start up companies such as Dwolla and Gidsy.

Donald Glover: Writer/Actor/Comedian/DJ/Rapper

If you're one of the few who watches the critically acclaimed comedy "Community," Donald Glover is the beloved jock-turned-lovable nerd Troy Barnes. 

But the actor originally started out his career as a writer for "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." Glover was later picked up by Tina Fey to write for "30 Rock." He was only 21.

He even started his own sketch comedy group Derrick Comedy that became a sensation on YouTube with the success of the NSFW video "Bro Rape." 

After that came "Community," stand-up specials, DJ-ing and finally rapping. 

Yes folks, Glover has a rap alter ego named Childish Gambino. Glover released his first solo album, "Camp," in November 2011. 

Jennifer Lopez: Dancer/Singer/Actress/Producer/TV Judge/Mom

Jenny from the Block made her way to stardom as a fly girl on "In Living Color." 

She's come a long way, hasn't she? 

After dancing up a storm for a few years, J-Lo finally got a record deal and released the smash hit album "On the 6." From there came the acting career that started off strong ("Selena," "Out of Sight") but is getting stale ("Maid in Manhattan," "The Back-Up Plan"). 

Now the singer/dancer/actress is a successful producer, celebrity judge on "American Idol" and a business mogul with a bestselling fragrance and beauty line. 

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Marc H. Bell, CEO of Friendfinder Inc.—which owns the Penthouse adult entertainment brand and a string of sex web sites—got a nice pay raise last year. His total compensation rose from $314,000 to $818,000, paid almost entirely in cash.

The raise was curious because FFN underperformed in 2011. Revenue sank to $331 million from $346 million, subscribers to FFN's adult sites also fell from about 951,000 to 828,000. Ad revenue at Penthouse was negligible.

The company was unprofitable, again. The stock launched at $8.30 in 2011 and was trading in pennies by the end of the year.

The half-million-dollar raise came with other benefits. Bell doesn't actually work full-time for FFN. The annual report says he devotes 10 percent of his time to managing ARMOUR, a residential real estate investment trust (see page 42).

Bell does pretty well in the real estate business. FFN doubtless searched diligently for a location for its Boca Raton, Fla., corporate headquarters but by amazing coincidence found that the best deal on the 8,000-square-foot space came from Bell himself, who rents the space to his own company for $150,000 a year.

Here's the compensation chart (click to enlarge):

See Also:

12 Utterly Bizarre Facts About The Rise Of Lululemon, The Cult-Like Yoga Brand 

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Since the day we started publishing office tours, readers have demanded that we do one of our own offices. 

And so now we have!

When you enter the office you are greeted by one of our very own Business Insider interns. Today it is Jhaneel Lockhart, writing for Careers.

Of course we have a big logo up front.

And a waiting area.

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In a world where nearly anyone with a MacBook and headphones can call themselves a DJ, only a select few have the talent and drive (and representation) to actually succeed. Helping such artists along the way are the genius founders of dGi Management. Partners Damon DeGraff and Yoni Goldberg have made it their business – not to mention their passion – to develop and nurture the standout stars of this saturated market.

But for dGi, DJs were only the beginning.  The rapidly growing company now represents an impressive roster of celebrity DJs, recording artists, record producers and cultural influencers. From Rev Run to The Misshapes, this client list effortlessly runs the gamut from hip-hop to hipster. With nightly fees soaring into the thousands — on top of numerous endorsement opportunities – DeGraff and Goldberg pioneered their way to the top of this underworld.

We selected a group of artists from dGi who exemplify everything we deem cool. Click through for a look into a world most of us only enter well past our bedtimes.

Photographed by: Spencer Wohlrab

Produced by: Marni Golden

Art Direction: Patrick Biesemans

Hair & Makeup by: Allie Smith

1. The Misshapes: Greg Krelenstein, Leigh Lezark & Geordan Nicol

soundcloud

Song most played on your iPod:
At the moment "Move in the Right Direction" by the Gossip - it's from the forth-coming album.

How did you get into the biz?
Our party Misshapes

What's the biggest perk/con of your job? 
Perk: Travel

Who are your style & music icons, inspirations and/or mentors? 
Madonna

What's your most memorable career-related moment? 
Meeting/working with Madonna & Karl Lagerfeld

2. KirillWasHere

Song most played on your iPod:
Jackie Mason - "Jews & Gentiles"

Party must-have song:
Ludacris - "What's Your Fantasy?"

How did you get into the biz?
A combination of drugs & alcohol gave me the confidence to harass drunk girls at a party with a camera one night three years ago.

What's the biggest perk/con of your job?
Perk: Free alcohol. Con: Hangovers.

Who are your style & music icons, inspirations and/or mentors?
Style: Anything that makes a doorman not want to let me in.

What's your most embarrassing and/or memorable career-related moment?
I forget almost everything I do on account of the blackouts. I have a man crush on Jason Statham and recently I ran out of a party because I was too scared to meet him.

What advice would you give to someone entering this profession? 
Biggest lessoned learned? Don't become a nightlife photographer, be a DJ. I wish I was.

3. DJ M.O.S.

Baby I'm A Star every Wednewsday at Mister H in the Mondrian Hotel, soundcloud 

Song most played on your iPod:
Michael Jackson - "Baby Be Mine"

Party must-have song:
The Romantics - "Talking In Your Sleep" 

How did you get into the biz?
I started out as an intern at Elektra Records in the promotions department for two years, then moved to MTV as music marketing intern. During that time I picked up a residency at Luhan which was a hot spot back in the day and few spots in the lower east side. At the end of my internship MTV offered me a job, I turned it down to pursue deejaying full time. The rest is history. 

What's the biggest perk/con of your job?
Getting a chance to travel the world, doing what I love and getting paid for it. Biggest con, doing interviews...lol. Seriously the biggest con would be dealing with drunk people making requests. 

Who are your style & music icons, inspirations and/or mentors?
My style icon growing up was Grand Puba, he was always fresh back in the 90's. Musically would have to by The Neptunes, Pharrell and Chad are geniuses. 

What's your most embarrassing and/or memorable career-related moment?
The most embarrassing moment was having my laptop fail during a party in front of a bunch of people I went to college with. I was so looking forward to killing it, but instead I tanked. The most memorable was deejaying for the President at Tyler Perry's studio in Atlanta, doesn't get better than that. 

What advice would you give to someone entering this profession/biggest lessoned learned?
The only advice I would give someone is to believe in yourself; if you don't believe it's possible you've already failed.

"He who says he can and he who says he can't are both usually right" – Confucius

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Meg Ryan has listed her Bel Air property yet again. She's tried before to sell, but failed. So now she's trying again.

The six-bedroom, seven-bathroom house is now on sale for $11.4 million, according to Realtor.com.

That price tag is about $3 million less than it was the last time she had it on the market.

For awhile, Diane Keaton stayed in the home, renting it at $40,000-a-month. But that arrangement seems to be over and the house is back up for grabs.

Welcome to 755 Stradella Road in Los Angeles.

The home is a 6,877-square-foot Spanish-styled estate.

The house was built in 1931.

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Diddy's East Hampton house was broken into earlier this month. Though the intruder didn't steal anything (he was just looking for a cool hangout spot), the rapper should consider himself lucky.  

Other celebrities haven't been so fortunate. In recent robberies, Kate Moss lost valuable artwork, Rachel Bilson an entire shoe collection and Paris Hilton lost $2 million in jewelry.

From 2008-2009, a group of mostly teens referred to as "The Burglar Bunch" and "The Bling Ring" robbed the homes of various celebrities including Lindsay Lohan, Megan Fox and Hilton collecting nearly $3 million in stolen items.

Consequently, Sofia Coppola is directing a film titled "The Bling Ring" inspired by the actual events of the gang of six. The film is rumored to star Emma Watson and Kirsten Dunst, stars who have had their homes broken into.

Lindsay Lohan

Bling Ring gang robbery
When: May 12, 2009

Three people tried to break into Lohan's home, but reportedly ran off when the alarm sounded.

Police released surveillance footage a week later to help identify the thieves. 

Stolen: nearly $130,000 worth of clothes and jewelry.

Audrina Patridge

Bling Ring gang robbery
When: February 2009, on the night of the Academy Awards

The Hills star didn't sit passively by after news she was robbed. Patridge found a proactive approach best, taking to her blog to tell the world of the crime. It didn't end there, though. She then uploaded the surveillance footage of a man and woman breaking into her home and leaving with two full bags. 

No one came forward to identify the Bling Ring members involved.

Stolen: Accused of taking nearly $43,000 worth of items including Patridge's passport, jewelry, a laptop and designer jeans.

“They took bags and bags of stuff,” Patridge said. “They took my great-grandma’s jewelry, my passport, my laptop, jeans made to fit my body to my perfect shape.” 

Orlando Bloom

Bling Ring gang robbery
When: July 2009

When Bloom was in New York City, a group of burglars entered the actor's home through a window.  

Stolen: $500,000 in jewelry, a few Rolexes, a Louis Vuitton laptop-size bag and a Alex Perry dress belonging to Miranda Kerr.

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For the average reality TV-watching American, there isn’t much to be learned from the endless shows that seem to recklessly feature nothing but arguments, fights and sex.

But there are a few valuable gems in the bunch that produce worthy advice amid the drama. In particular, if you’re learning how to budget, there are a few shows that can make you smarter with your money.

Why Learning How to Budget is Crucial

In the United States, we’ve faced tougher economic conditions over the past few years than we have in decades. Over a short period of time, millions of Americans lost their jobs, homes and overall stability to the financial crisis and recession.

Though the economy is now headed toward recovery, millions of workers are still unemployed. And those who are working need help holding on to their cash as gas prices and other costs continue to rise.

Learning how to manage money by setting up a budget is important in giving your family much-needed financial stability. Luckily, there is a lot of great advice to help you get started — and some of it comes right from your TV set.

TV Shows that Can Make You Financially Smarter

There are tons of reality shows on TV willing to educate you on matters that won’t improve your life, but if you want to get smarter with your money, here are six that get the job done:

1. Clean House

Clean House is a show that started with the energetic, flower-wearing host Niecy Nash and her fun crew cleaning up the “mayhem and foolishness” in homes. Now the show has a new host (former Cosby kid Tempestt Bledsoe), designer (Didi Snyder) and crew cleaning up excessive clutter, selling as much as possible in a yard sale for extra cash, then remodeling the home with the money earned.

Clean House Financial Tip: The show offers two great financial tips surrounding yard sales. The first is that you can sell unwanted items in your home to earn some extra cash (be sure to check the worth of valuable items before tagging them with a price). Also, you can save a ton of cash on great items by negotiating at someone else’s yard sale.

2. The Apprentice and Celebrity Apprentice

The Apprentice and Celebrity Apprentice are two shows known for bringing tons of drama to TV screens. Led by mogul Donald Trump, both shows follow contestants who are fighting to win the final spot as Trump’s apprentice. The main difference between the shows is that the winner of The Apprentice wins a job running one of Trump’s companies, while the winner of Celebrity Apprentice donates a large cash reward to a chosen charity.

The Apprentice Financial Tip: If you can overlook the inevitable drama encompassing both shows, you can learn some great tips on ways to budget money. In many episodes, contestants are given a small amount of money and are expected to pull off major feats.

3. House Hunters

House Hunters is a fun show following individuals, couples or families in search of a new home with the assistance of a realtor. Each episode starts with the buyer examining three properties based on personal preferences.  After a choice is made considering home price and style, neighborhood and other factors, the buyer makes an offer that is usually accepted by the seller.

House Hunters Financial Tip: Buying a home can be a challenging task, so viewers of House Hunters can benefit from learning various aspects of the buying process, including determining what you can afford, choosing homes based on neighborhood property values, negotiating the price based on home features, asking the buyer to pay for closing costs and even how escrow works.

4. Extreme Couponing

Extreme Couponing follows people who are extremely talented at saving tens or sometimes hundreds of dollars in a single shopping trip by using coupons. Participants in the show typically set a goal for their final purchase, then organize their coupons to meet that goal. In some cases, participants have been known to have a zero balance or even receive cash back from the store after making purchases.

Extreme Couponing Financial Tip: One overlooked way to save money is through the use of coupons. Coupons can be found just about anywhere (newspapers, circulars, online) and can help you save a ton on purchases. So it’s good to utilize tips from participants on the TV show that can help you find the best bargains. But if you want to make couponing a lifestyle, first ask yourself: is extreme couponing for you?

5. Top Chef

Top Chef is a mouth-watering elimination show that pulls together talented cooks and chefs from around the country to compete in a number of strenuous timed cooking challenges. Each week, a contestant is eliminated until one is named top chef and wins a large cash prize.

Top Chef Financial Tip: Aside from looking at all of the amazing food on Top Chef (which could actually encourage you to go out and spend your last dime in a restaurant), viewers have the benefit of watching contestants work with limited funds to pull off huge meals  that sometimes feed hundreds of people. Some episodes have even required chefs to create great dishes with random items found in the cabinet.

6. Extreme Cheapskates

Extreme Cheapskates was a one-hour TLC special featuring people who found outrageous ways to save money. In the special, a mom made reusable toilet paper out of old towels and clothes to save $20 a month on store-bought toilet paper, while a man created meals on a budget by buying kidneys, hearts and a goat head. Yikes! The special was turned into an eight-episode series that will air this summer.

Extreme Cheapskates Financial Tip: The self-proclaimed penny pinchers on this TV show are undoubtedly extreme in their attempts to save money. While you may not want to consider their sometimes risky measures to cut corners, you can attempt your own variation of their ideas to pad your budget in a major way.

Reality TV is everywhere — it’s nearly impossible to avoid. So why not get the most of the shows you do watch by acquiring some valuable financial knowledge at the same time? You won’t regret your decision!

–

Go Banking Rates is a proud supporter of Financial Literacy. Test your Financial IQ through our Financial Literacy Quiz. Make the pledge to become Financially Literate. Get Smarter. Grow Richer.

Don't forget TLC's 'The Duggars': See how they raised 19 kids without going into debt >

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Alex Rodriguez went on "The Insider" and spoke with Kevin Frazier about his love life (the episode airs tonight).

According to the New York Post, Rodriguez had some very nice things to say about his ex-girlfriend Cameron Diaz:

"I don’t like talking about my relationships, but I will tell you about CD: She’s probably one of the greatest human beings I’ve ever met, and just an amazing light."

But marriage, it just may not be in the cards for A-Rod again. When asked about marriage, A-Rod said he looks up to one of the most famous bachelors in the world:

"I’m not sure. I think my new hero is George Clooney. He’s my new role model. I think he’s done it right."

Sorry ladies. Doesn't look like A-Rod is ever gonna put a ring on it.

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Wall Street-ers, here's the deal. 

We understand that you can't watch all of the films and TV shows that we tried to pitch you in the past.

Other than looking forward to big-budget films like "The Dark Knight Rises" and "The Avengers," it's hard to put much interest into the stage and screen entries that don't get an insane amount of attention. 

So we've put together a short list of entertainment projects that should cater to your sensibilities. 

From movies about investment banking gone wrong to great shows about CIA controversies, here are just six projects coming up the pipeline in Hollywood that should tickle your fancy. 

TV Show: "Homeland" (Showtime)

What's it about:

"Homeland" follows Claire Danes as CIA operative Carrie Mathison who is warned by an asset that an American POW (Damien Lewis) has been turned by Al-Qaeda. 

Why should you care: 

It's all about war, government conspiracy and problems with homeland security. Why wouldn't you care? 

Season two of this critically acclaimed show begins September 30th. It'll be easy to catch up as the first season aired only 12 episodes. 

Feature Film: "Cosmopolis"

What's it about: 

"Twilight" star Robert Pattinson plays a young millionaire on an "Odyssey"-like trek across Manhattan as he attempts to get a haircut. On the way, he deals with a grisly riot, dinosaurs and the corruption of society. 

Why should you care: 

The movie is based on a book by Don DeLillo and if the film is anything like its source material, there are some fun little nuggets that Wall Street-ers will appreciate involving money and stocks. 

"Cosmopolis" opens in May.  

Feature Film: "Arbitrage"

What's it about: 

Richard Gere plays a trust fund magnate who has secretly lost half his investment fund's resources and is desperately trying to sell is trading empire off before his Bernie Madoff-like fraud scheme comes out in public. 

Why should you care: 

Gere is being heralded as the next Michael Douglas from "Wall Street" but with a heart. And the film is said to be as good as last year's indie hit "Margin Call."

Plus the Madoff-like angle here really makes the plot relevant for our times. 

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• For the first time in nearly ten years, TLC will be reuniting for a U.S. concert tour later this year. Band member Left Eye, who was killed ten years ago yesterday in a car accident in Honduras, will make a special hologram appearance on the tour á la Tupac Shakur at Coachella.

• How much would you pay for Michael Jackson's black surgical mask? Some wacko Jacko fan is willing to cough up $20,000 for the germ-infested item at auction.

• Wiz Khalifa busted for weed at a ... ho-tel, mo-tel, Holiday Inn, say whaaat?

• Britney Spears' fiancé Jason Trawick is now her conservator. Sounds like a healthy relationship.

• Kaley Cuoco shows off her bikini body (covered in paint) while on a girls vacation in Anguilla.

• Vevo, YouTube's go-to music channel, is going the MTV route. Wanting to offer more than just music, the video channel is launching six scripted and unscripted series.

• Megan Fox as Lois Lane? Neil Patrick Harris as Two-Face? Sort of. The two are among numerous actors lending their voices to a "Robot Chicken" DC Comics special for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.

• Octomom Nadya Suleman blows $520 of a welfare check on a haircut. Taxpayers are really happy about it.

• In other classy news, Ke$ha pees in the street and tweets a photo. Someone take this girl's phone away.

• Meryl Streep's latest film is about sex. Watch below.

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In what seems like a cruel but kind of hilarious joke, Steve Carell has tweeted a violent end to Michael Scott, his iconic "boss" character from "The Office."

Carell seems to be making a reference to M*A*S*H here, but who would believe that anyone would let a man who has so much trouble with diversity leave the United States? And what happened with the love of Michael Scott's life Holly (Amy Ryan)?

If Carell is being serious (well, as serious as one can be about a situation as ridiculous as this), the actor/comedian has effectively silenced those pesky and persistent rumors about his possible return to "The Office" for good. 

Considering how lacking in quality most of the episodes have been this past season, we don't blame Carell for not wanting to come back. But we're just sad that we officially will never again see Michael Scott's best characters: Agent Michael Scarn, Prison Mike, Ping, Michael Klump and so many more. 

Now check out the 6 Hollywood projects that Wall Street-ers should not miss this year >

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Martin Scorsese really loves 3-D … a lot. 

Since Scorsese's Oscar nomination for "Hugo," filmed in 3-D, the director said he plans to shoot all future films in 3-D. 

In fact, he's so enthralled with the technology Scorsese said, given the chance, he would have shot all films "post-'Raging Bull" in the format at a CinemaCon panel Wednesday.

Right. This is great and all, but 3-D is so two years ago. The director should set his sights on something revolutionizing such as shooting films at 48fps like Peter Jackson … on second thought, maybe not. 

Look, Scorsese. We get it. We see the appeal of 3-D. "Avatar" was amazing. 

However, did you see the latest "Harry Potter" flick? How about the Disney conversions (We love Disney, but we're still not sure what was so 3-D about "Beauty and the Beast").

Scorsese is like a kid in a candy store discovering 3-D for the first time. 3-D movies were a novelty when "Avatar" came out in 2009. The films brought back a nostalgia from when we picked up cardboard glasses and looked at moving images on paper. 

Of course, there are some films that are extraordinary in 3-D (again, "Avatar," "How to Train Your Dragon"); however, with the amount of quick 2D to 3-D conversions (a la Disney and for a quick cash grab,) 3-D has become an eyesore at times.

The result shows at theaters as 3-D films haven't fared as well at the box office since 2010. 

In 2010, 3-D revenue from the box office dropped drastically from "Alice in Wonderland ($80m+) in March to "Cats & Dogs" ($6.9m). 

Last year, at least 30 films were made in 3-D, the majority of them being sequels. The films accounted for 16.7% of total box office revenue ($1.7 billion) down from more than $2 billion in 2010.

Bottom line, 3-D is good for some things (i.e. original concepts), but kills others. Needless to say, making every single one of your future films in 3-D would kill a good thing.

In the meantime, get ready to shell out more for a Scorsese flick. We hope Leonardo DiCaprio likes 3-D. 

Now, check out three awesome new "The Dark Knight Rises" images>

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While watching films such as "Scarface," "Blow," "Boogie Nights," "Traffic" or "Pineapple Express," do you ever wonder what the actors on-screen are actually snorting, smoking or drinking, take after take?

Most of the time, it's not the actual substances—unless your name is Nicolas Cage—who once told reporters he snorted doctor-approved cocaine to prepare for his role in "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans."

Instead, Hollywood prop masters have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Often, actors are simply snorting ingredients usually used to bake a cake and special stores have devoted their business to legal, herbal bud used on film sets.

On Showtime's "Weeds," the herbal tobacco makes the actors feel a little lightheaded, says the show's executive producer Roberto Benabib. 

"According to them, it gets them higher than regular marijuana. They end up smoking so much of it they get very lightheaded and they don't like it. Sometimes they do take after take and you will see them getting woozy because it has a strange effect on them. But it's totally legal and it is what we are supposed to use."

Cocaine: the fake stuff.

According to various movie industry reports, propmasters turn to these substances when coke is needed for films:

• Powdered milk

• Crushed up vitamin B
  

• Powdered sugar

• Baking powder

• Soy baby formula

• Baby powder
  
  
• Baby laxatives
  

• Camera angles: Directors can film from certain angles to make it look like actors are snorting coke when it's actually just a matter of editing.
  
  
• Hollywood prop master Jeff Butcher says he prefers "a vitamin called inositol. It is a B-vitamin of some kind and I believe that it is the most common cocaine cut [used on film]. With inositol, you get a little bit of energy lift, but it is very mild."
  

Watch this crazy cocaine scene starring Mark Wahlberg and John C. Reilly that was cut from "Boogie Nights" at the last second:

Q&A site Quora posed this very question and received some revealing answers.

Nicolas Cage snorts a "prop" in "Bad Lieutenant."

"There's a scene where Terence [Nicolas Cage's character] rips open a bag of coke and snorts it. Nic was so realistic I was frightened," "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" director Werner Herzog told Vulture. I thought he was no longer snorting the prop cocaine, the saccharine. So I asked Nic, 'What is it that you are snorting?' He just smiled and said, 'The prop, of course.' But he was just so realistic."

Perhaps Cage was "so realistic" because at points he was actually snorting cocaine.

"The strangest thing of all is that in Australia, they still use cocaine to clear your sinuses and it’s a true story—I had a massive sinus infection—and they sent me to the doctor who did this cocaine solution thing and put it in my nose," Cage explained to reporters during a press conference for the film.

“I came out and just started taking notes and I noticed my mouth was getting really dry and I was feeling very invincible and I started improvising the scenes and coming up with ideas and I was swallowing a lot so then I was graphing it in the script—this is coke so this is what he’s doing here, there’s going to be a lot of swallowing, a lot of lip smacking."

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Tommy Marth, the saxophone player for the rock band The Killers, was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head at his home in Las Vegas.

Marth was discovered Monday in his backyard and according to TMZ, reports have officially ruled the death a suicide. 

The 33-year-old musician played with the band on their 2008-2009 world tour and provided music for two albums "Sam's Town" in 2006 and "Day & Age" from 2008.

The Killers tweeted about their loss on Tuesday: 

"Last night we lost our friend Thomas Marth. Our prayers are with his family. There’s a light missing in Las Vegas tonight. Travel well, Tommy."

Marth is survived by his parents and two siblings. 

To learn more about Marth's life as a musician in Vegas and his journeys on the road, check out this article from Las Vegas Weekly. 

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