The first TV spot for "Spectre" debuted during the NBA finals Tuesday night, and it gives us the best glimpse at the latest Bond film yet.  

Much like the first trailer for the film, this new teaser partially revolves around a secret from Bond's past that was uncovered at Skyfall, his childhood home.  

It also gives a shadow-shrouded glimpse of Oscar winner Christoph Waltz as the villain, who's identity is mostly still shrouded in mystery. 

The trailer also gives us glimpses of "Guardians of the Galaxy" star Dave Bautista, who plays Mr. Hinx, as well as Monica Belluci as Lucia Sciarra, and Lea Seydoux as Madeleine Swann. 

"Spectre" will be released in theaters on November 6, 2015.

SEE ALSO: See the first photo of Daniel Craig in "Spectre"

AND: Meet the full cast of the film

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Hugh Jackman has spent more than a decade as the primary face of the "X-Men" franchise, but that time is soon coming to an end.

And while the actor has previously blamed his inability to eat another egg white omelet as a part of his decision to leave Wolverine behind, apparently legendary comedian Jerry Seinfeld also had a hand in helping Jackman decide his future. How? By expressing the importance of leaving on a high note.

The Australian actor was a guest on "Live With Kelly and Michael" this week, and it was while discussing his reasoning for ending his Wolverine run that he namedropped Seinfeld as having a part to play in his decision. Said Jackman: 

"I was having a chat with him about a year ago at his birthday, and he was talking about why he finished the end of the series and how it was riding high. And he said he just always had this feeling, a belief, that you never know when either your energy or the audience's energy is going to dip over into, 'Please go!' He said you should finish on a high note."

What Jackman is referencing is the fact that the television series "Seinfeld" ended after nine seasons, despite the fact that the ratings were still soaring and the fact that it was one of the most popular shows around. The "X-Men" star saw parallels between this and where the comic book movie franchise currently is, and made a decision. He explained: 

"I've been doing it for 17 years, I love it; I think the movies are getting better. And all of a sudden, as he was talking, I went, 'This is it.'"

You may think that this would prove to be a sad moment for the actor, but instead he revealed that he has more energy going into his final Wolverine performance – which will be in director James Mangold’s "The Wolverine" sequel – than any other movie he’s done in the series. Said Jackman,

"It's the greatest feeling. I'm more excited about this movie than ever before, and I just know in my gut it's the right thing, and hopefully in five years I'm not coming back here and going, 'Why did I do that?'"

When you consider the entire breadth of Hugh Jackman’s tenure as Wolverine, this strategy really does make a whole lot of sense.

During the "X-Men: The Last Stand"/"X-Men Origins: Wolverine"years, had the actor decided to leave the part behind it would have been a rather terrible way to exit. Of course, in the last few years the franchise has bounced back in an incredibly huge way, and last year’s "X-Men: Days of Future Past" was one of the best received titles we’ve seen yet.

Hopefully this positive streak will continue through until March 3, 2017 when the next "Wolverine" movie comes out, and Jackman will get the high-note departure he desires.

SEE ALSO: Here's the advice Louis C.K. and Mark Zuckerberg's top digital guy gave Seinfeld when developing 'Comedians in Cars'

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NOW WATCH: Here's What The 'Seinfeld' Diner Is Like In Real Life

You probably already knew that "Jurassic World" was going to be rather successful when it finally hits cinemas on Friday. However, you probably didn’t realize quite how successful "Jurassic World" will be, and you might find yourself shocked by how many tickets are currently already being sold.

Fandango has revealed that "Jurassic World" is currently outselling every single summer blockbuster from 2014. For those of you with short memories, this is a list that includes "X-Men: Days Of Future Past," "Transformers: Age Of Extinction," "Godzilla," and Chris Pratt’s previous cinematic adventure "Guardians Of The Galaxy."

Last summer’s highest opening at the domestic box office came in the shape of "Transformers: Age Of Extinction," which too in a little more than $100 million in its first weekend.

Fandango’s revelation will have Universal dreaming that "Jurassic World" will match this total, while some executives are probably dreaming that it will exceed it. And they're probably right too. The fact that Fandango also revealed that "Jurassic World" currently represents over 90% of the site’s ticket sales for this weekend will only increase their excitement too.

It’s also worth noting that Universal is giving "Jurassic World" the best opportunity to make as much money as possible, because the fourth installment to the adventure franchise is being opened on 4,237 theaters. That’s the widest opening ever from the studio.

It also helps that that the domestic box office projections for 2015 are currently around $100 million down, which could suggest that herds of viewers may be flocking to their local cinemas this weekend, having saved up in anticipation. Because of all of this information, Deadline is estimating that "Jurassic World" could have an opening of anywhere between $110 million and $140 million.

Meanwhile, excitement over "Jurassic World" isn’t just restricted to the US.

Overseas estimates have teased that it could make as much as $300 million when it opens in 66 other territories. This is likely to be inflated too, because of the fact that "Jurassic World" is also being released on IMAX and in 3D.

Reviews for "Jurassic World" are currently embargoed, but early speculation regarding the Dino-infested blockbuster has been very positive. If the critics get behind the film too, who knows how high the box-office figure could go.

It’s all looking rather good for the future of the "Jurassic World" franchise, and if these figures actually prove to be correct, then the potential follow-ups will be all but assured.

Director Colin Trevorrow has already confirmed that he won’t be returning, but star Chris Pratt - who lit up the big screen last summer with the $750 million grossing "Guardians Of The Galaxy" - will almost surely return. And by that point he’ll be well on his way to being the most in demand leading man in Hollywood. Not bad for the former fatty from "Parks & Rec." 

SEE ALSO: Why it took 10 years to bring 'Jurassic World' to theaters

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NOW WATCH: 5 science facts 'Jurassic World' totally ignored

Mr. Grey may well be seeing you earlier than expected.

Publishers Random House have confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that a finished copy of “Grey,” E.L. James' upcoming sequel to the "Fifty Shades of Grey" trilogy has been stolen and U.K. police are investigating the theft.

Due out in just over a week in June, "Grey" retells the erotic misadventures from the original trilogy, but this time from the viewpoint of its S&M-loving billionaire Christian Grey.

Following the theft, there are fears that the novel could be leaked or sold to the media.

"Officers are making enquiries after receiving a report that a book had been stolen on 8 June," said Kent Police in a statement to THR.

“Grey will be published on June 18 – Christian Grey’s birthday – as planned,” a Random House spokesperson added.

SEE ALSO: Why Emilia Clarke turned down the lead in 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

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NOW WATCH: George R.R. Martin reveals which inconsistencies in 'Game of Thrones' are actually deliberate

Larry King has revealed the method behind his hilarious #itsmy2cents tweets— he just blurts out all the thoughts in his head and his wife tweets them for the internet to enjoy. 

King is best known for his 25-year stint hosting "Larry King Live," a CNN talk show. Though the show ended in 2010, King continues to share his signature sense of humor through Twitter, tweeting things like, "My middle name is BBQ."

Last night King discussed his Twitter game with Conan O'Brien on "Conan," the Daily Dot reports. 

"I sit down on Sunday nights and I stream out these thoughts," King told O'Brien. "I don't type them out, my wife sends them out." 

When his wife's not around, King dictates his tweets to voicemail. They're then transcribed by an assistant who posts them to King's Twitter account, @kingsthings, he has said.

King labels these Sunday twitter sessions with the hashtag #itsmy2cents. Often, they are simple questions and realizations that the average person wouldn't even stop to consider. For example, here's a tweet where King ruminates on a forgotten fashion trend. 

O'Brien highlights some of his favorites from King's Twitter musings, including, "I don't think I've ever eaten a turnip," and, "the rat is perfectly named."

Here are a few more of King's #itsmy2cents tweets:

You can check out King's entire interview with O'Brien below. 

SEE ALSO: One of Conan O'Brien's writers went on a Twitter rant insulting Jimmy Fallon, and Conan totally shut him down

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NOW WATCH: Dwight from 'The Office' explains how Twitter has evolved over the years

Warning: (Small) Spoilers Ahead

BD Wong has been acting since the early 1980s, showing up in memorable movies like “Father of the Bride” (and the sequel) as the flamboyant assistant of the wedding planner (played by Martin Short) to recurring TV roles such as playing Dr. George Huang on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”

But for the rest of the summer you’ll likely remember him best for playing another type of doctor.

Over 20 years ago Wong played Dr. Henry Wu in “Jurassic Park.” Dr. Wu only shows up for one scene, but like most things that happen in “Jurassic World” (opening in theaters Friday), you should be familiar with Steven Spielberg’s original to keep up with what’s going on in the latest film in the franchise.

In “Jurassic Park,” Dr. Wu is the chief engineer of InGen (International Genetic Incorporated), the bioengineering start-up responsible for recreating the dinosaurs featured in Jurassic Park.

In the film, when doctors Grant (Sam Neill), Sattler (Laura Dern), and Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) interrupt the ride they’re on which explains in general terms how the dinosaurs were cloned and enter the laboratory, there we find Wu with pencil and clip board in hand looking over the newly-cloned dinosaur eggs.

Through the main character’s visit to the lab and speaking with Dr. Wu, they (and the audience) have a better understand of how the dinosaurs came back into the world, and some major plot points…like the fact that they’ve cloned Velociraptors.

After that scene we don’t see Dr. Wu the rest of the film, leaving us to assume he either made it on one of the last boats to the mainland off Jurassic Park or he was gobbled up by the dinosaurs.

In “Jurassic World” we fast forward twenty-plus years later and the failure of Jurassic Park has now become the wildly successful Jurassic World. It's a fully-functional theme park beyond anything we saw in the first movie, including bigger dinosaurs.

This is the handy work of Dr. Wu, who is now the head of the InGen division that clones the dinosaurs.

We learn quickly that crowds flocking to Jurassic World are no longer satisfied with just seeing a Tyrannosaurus Rex or Raptor, and through this pressure to keep amazing audiences Dr. Wu and his team have pushed the envelope in their cloning habits. They've created dinosaurs (or perhaps it’s better to call them “attractions”) that marvel but are extremely dangerous.

As Wong explains it in this promotional video for “Jurassic World,” “they [InGen] are exploring new things because they have taken the technology to a really extreme depth, and that extreme depth leads to death.”

Like in “Jurassic Park,” Dr. Wu is once more part of a conversation in “World” that informs the audience in greater detail about the origins of these new dinosaurs and will be of importance as you watch the film.

But unlike “Park,” Dr. Wu doesn’t just disappear for the rest of the film. This time around he’s involved in matters that endanger everyone at Jurassic World and could possibly be of great importance for future movies in the franchise.

SEE ALSO: Why it took 10 years to bring "Jurassic World" to theaters

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NOW WATCH: 5 science facts 'Jurassic World' totally ignored

Nintendo's got a new game franchise and it's a delight. The game is called "Splatoon," and it looks like this:

Beyond just being a rad game, "Splatoon" is the first new franchise for a major Nintendo platform in over a decade. And it almost wasn't. It was almost yet another game from Nintendo starring everyone's favorite Italian plumber, Super Mario.

The man behind Mario, Donkey Kong, and myriad other gaming classics, Shigeru Miyamoto, told Edge Magazine as much in August 2014:

There were heated debates over who the main player character should be. Whether it should be Mario, or a squid. When we talked about the possibility of it being Mario, of course we could think of the advantages: anybody would be willing to touch it as soon as we announced that we had the new Mario game. But at the same time, we had some worries. If it were Mario, we wouldn't be able to create any new IP.

Thankfully, cooler heads won out and Super Mario – despite being beloved – was given some time off in Nintendo's new game. And that was the right decision: Nintendo can't lean on Mario for everything, and the characters in "Splatoon" are memorable in their own right. Just look at these player-created characters:

More importantly, characters like the Squid Sisters (pictured below) might never have made it into the game. Instead of two lady squids named "Callie" and "Marie" (get it? cali-mari?), that could be two goofy Toads! 

Instead, Nintendo took a risk and it paid off bigtime. And that's what we'd call "staying fresh."

SEE ALSO: Nintendo's first new original game in years is incredible

AND: Someone stole a truck filled with copies of Nintendo's new game

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NOW WATCH: The first TV ad for 'Spectre' gives us our best look at the next Bond movie yet

The next time you stay at a hotel, you may be able to stream Marvel's "Daredevil" on the TV in your room instead of on your phone's tiny screen.

Marriott Hotels said on Wednesday that it's adding a Netflix app to in-room TVs in some of its hotels.

That means that guests who stay at any of the six hotels that now have the Netflix app on in-room TVs — more are rolling out this summer and over the next 18 months — will be able to sign into their own Netflix accounts to stream.

People staying at the hotel only have to sign into their accounts once while they're at the hotel, and they'll stay signed in throughout their stay. Since they'll be streaming from their own accounts, they'll be able to start shows where they left off as well as see the recommendations tailored to them, just like they'd see on any other device they use to watch Netflix.

Guests are automatically signed out of their Netflix accounts when they checkout.

For now, Netflix on the in-room TV is only available at six Marriott hotels in the US, in cities like New York; San Jose, California; and Bethesda, Maryland; but the company says it'll offer Netflix in close to all of its 300 hotels in the US by the end of 2016. 

It's a smart move for both Netflix and Marriott. It makes the hotels more attractive to guests because it will be easier to watch Netflix on the biggest screen in the room. It could also help drive Netflix subscriptions, as the company will be offering its usual free 30-day trial to guests that aren't yet members. That same promise of a free 30-day trial is an attractive prospect to people looking for hotels with good entertainment options for their next stay — and that's sure to add to the already more than 40 million paying Netflix members in the US.

People already regularly stream video from services like Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, and HBO Go while they're in hotels, which has helped hasten the decline of in-room hotel entertainment companies like LodgeNet, which filed for bankruptcy protection in 2013.

The announcement comes as traditional TV viewing and ratings are down in the US and streaming video is rising.

On Wednesday, Netflix stock surged to a new record high of $692.

This year alone, the stock has more than doubled. From its bottom of around $60 per share in late 2011, the stock is now up better than 600%.

SEE ALSO: This is the best time to quit paying for TV, and it’s only going to get better

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The first TV ad for 'Spectre' gives us our best look at the next Bond movie yet

The old Batman is gone, and a new Batman has taken his place.

You may already know a bit about this — DC Entertainment has trumpeted the big shakeup in the pages of this week's "Batman" #41 for a while as part of it's company-wide revamp— and no one would blame you for thinking it was ridiculous. It is ridiculous! It's crazy and audacious and sounds extremely silly out of context. 

However, it's also a fantastic comic book.

If you're not caught up, there are spoilers ahead. 

Following last month's "Batman" #40, Bruce Wayne appears to have perished along with the Joker, leaving Gotham without a Batman. But there must always be a Batman, and the person who replaces Wayne is probably the last person anyone would expect: Commissioner Jim Gordon.

You know, the guy who was played by Gary Oldman in Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy:

Except, in the comics, he's currently younger than Oldman's version — 46, to be exact. He's still not quite Batman material, although he's probably more qualified than you think: This Jim Gordon is an ex-marine, believe it or not.

The story does acknowledge Gordon has a bit of a way to go before he's superhero material — hence some intense training, new haircut, and (alas) shaved mustache. And of course,  the pièce de résistance: A giant robot Batsuit. It kind of looks like a bunny, something that Jim Gordon even says himself, hilariously.

This new Batman is the work of the Powers Corporation, working in conjunction with the Gotham City Police Department to create a new kind of Batman, one that works within the confines of the law instead of outside it, to inspire hope in the justice system that we have. They're essentially trying to build a better Batman, but can Batman be built?

The current "Batman" creative team of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo has specialized in ballsy, go-for-broke storytelling full of ideas that often seem dubious, but end up being brilliant just because they're really good at making comics. These are the guys who decided to take a full year to retell Batman's origin —something that was easy to perceive as both wasteful and unnecessary, since Batman's origin isn't just well-known, it's pretty much a perfect comic book — and effectively redefined the character for a new generation. 

They're the Phil Lord and Chris Miller of comic books, continually proving the doubters wrong and earning the license to do whatever they want, and what they want frequently sounds crazy but is always compelling. 

So yes, it's easy to be frustrated with this change if you haven't been following along, but it's important to understand it in its context, as the continued attempts of talented creators testing the limits of the Batman myth, pushing its characters (and themselves) outside of the realm of the expected or comfortable. 

Up until this point, Snyder and Capullo have been exploring Batman not as a grim stalker of the night, but as an aspirational figure, the embodiment of the notion that a person can stand up to fear and darkness and make a difference. This new Batman, then, is the most vital part of that story: the proof that Batman did inspire, that Bruce Wayne's mission was a success. 

Jim Gordon doesn't want to be Batman, but he needs Batman to have meant something. Gotham City will test him, and it's going to be fascinating to watch.

And don't worry — he doesn't always look like a bunny.

SEE ALSO: This new comic series is the 'Star Wars' meets 'Game of Thrones' mashup you didn't know you wanted

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NOW WATCH: Here's the best look yet at the next big game starring Batman

Burning Man — the annual weeklong festival that draws wealthy techies and artists alike to a stretch of desert 120 miles north of Reno, Nevada — is coming up in August, which means attendees are starting to think about how to build their elaborate camps.

The idea behind Burning Man is for tens of thousands of campers to come to the dessert and build a new arts-focused, DIY metropolis that functions without the use of money. They'll erect tents, temporary buildings, stands, and outposts to live in and create their own creative, artistic, and out-there community.

These so-called burners spends months leading up to Burning Man getting their costumes, decorations, and living areas prepped — but some are opting to get ready-made storage container camps from a company called Quick Space instead of constructing their own from scratch.

Gene Temen, president of Quick Space, has been supplying the Burning Man event with office trailers for the event’s hospital and administrative buildings for seven years.

Three years ago, the team at Quick Space realized they could repurpose the trailers as living quarters. The units come with insulation, air conditioning, lights, and flooring, Travis Lekas, the operations manager for Quick Space, told Business Insider. This makes them perfect for campers who would rather not deal with the realities of living in the desert for seven days.

They call them “Burner Bungalows.”

Burners can paint and add onto the trailers however they wish, for an additional fee of $300 for the exterior and $200 for the interior. So instead of building a camp ground from scratch, they can either use the trailer as a shelter or build around it and use the trailer for storage. 

“You can paint it if you want to paint the inside or the outside — whatever you want to do,” Lekas told Business Insider. “It also comes with three five-gallon bottles of water, a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher, and a garbage can along with additional garbage bags.”

This might not sound like the whimsical and artistic camps that Burning Man is known for, but the idea is to give campers the base on which to build their dream camp, Lekas explained.

And although they don't look like the typical Burning Man structure, which can range from a yurt to a tent to an RV, the trailers are practical. The ready-made storage units come with necessities like water, insulation, and air-conditioning, and can be used for storage both during and after the event.

The company will also come and remove the trailer after the week is over, fitting with Burning Man’s “leave no trace” policy after the seven day event is over, which is included in the price. You can store your Burning Man gear in the trailer until the next year and not worry about shipping it or needing to fly back with all of your stuff for $750 per year of storage.

“My camp is seriously looking at getting a shipping container that would be delivered before the burn opens and picked up after close,” one Reddit user said about the bungalows. “We'd use it to store gear year-round that otherwise would waste fuel going back to random points around the country to sit for a year.”

The cost for the trailers is about $3,745 plus a $1,000 security deposit — more if you want to decorate the interior and exterior and store the unit all year. Generators also bear an additional cost of $250.

The trailers might also be a good compromise for burners who were previously planning to rely on the fully-furnished luxurious camping options, or “turnkey camps,” that have been recently banned from the playa.

That means no more built-in personal chefs, sherpas, or other luxurious features associated with concierge camping. But with the trailers, tech millionaires can still have air-conditioning in a pinch and protect their belongings from the sand and dust.

Lekas told us that the company currently has 50 orders for units this year, and if the rise in interest over the past few years is any indication, they could double their orders by 2016.

“Our first year we started off, we just built a camp,” Lekas said. “The next year and the second year, we started off with five bungalows, and then our next one went to 40 bungalows. We’re hoping next year to supply 100 bungalows.”

You can find out more information on Burner Bungalows here.

SEE ALSO: I Went To Burning Man And It Was Even Crazier Than I Expected

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NOW WATCH: Mesmerizing time-lapse of an artist drawing the New York City skyline in just 2 minutes

The harrowing tale of Sandra Bullock and George Clooney floating around in outer space depicted in "Gravity" is coming to your house. And you'll be able to experience it personally. Well...sort of.

"Adr1ft" is a forthcoming first-person video game about surviving outer space. It looks insane. Look for yourself!

It's noteworthy for two reasons:

• Look at it, it's gorgeous!
• It's being developed by Adam Orth, a former Microsoft executive who lost his job after some ill-advised tweeting and decided to turn his very public disaster into a very pretty video game.

With game industry trade show E3 nearly upon us, Orth's studio (Three One Zero) released a stunning new trailer on Wednesday for "Adr1ft" that lets you soak in all the majesty of outer space. Right before it reminds you how terrifying it all is.

Here's the trailer in full:

Yes, it looks a lot like "Gravity." But "Gravity" was great!

And there's never been a video game that's captured the terror and beauty of being helpless in space in a comparable way. Watching is one thing, experiencing is another — you'll be able to experience "Adr1ft" in a terrifyingly immersive way, as the game will also make its way to virtual reality devices when it releases this fall. 

"Adr1ft" will be available in September 2015. 

SEE ALSO: Here is why 'Minecraft' — the game Microsoft paid $2.5 billion for — is so incredible Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-minecraft-2015-6#ixzz3cgaWE9mL

AND: After 7 years of silence this popular video game dropped a new trailer and fans went nuts

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NOW WATCH: An astronaut just blew our minds with the amazing story of his first time in space

The best scene in last year's "X-Men: Days of Future Past" revolved around a lightning fast mutant, Quicksilver, played by Evan Peters.

In the film, Quicksilver helps break Magneto (Michael Fassbender) out of a prison cell 100 floors beneath the Pentagon.

The scene became a fan-favorite for a hilarious slow-motion run where Quicksilver saved Magneto along with Wolverine and Charles Xavier.

Unfortunately, that was one of Peters' only scenes in "Days of Future Past."

For fans wanting to see more of Quicksilver, there's good news! Peters will reprise his role in next year's followup, "X-Men: Apocalypse."

While we're not sure what his role will entail yet, we know he'll potentially have another cool, big action sequence.

Director Bryan Singer has been sharing images from on set of the new film, and his latest tease is the best yet.

They're in the midst of filming a Quicksilver scene, and it looks like a lot of fun. 

 

Just another day at the office. #Quicksilver #Xmen #XmenApocalypse

A photo posted by Bryan Singer (@bryanjaysinger) on Jun 10, 2015 at 12:13pm PDT

"X-Men: Apocalypse" will be in theaters May 27, 2016."

SEE ALSO: Bryan Singer teases a big group from the comics may appear in "X-Men: Apocalypse"

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NOW WATCH: This Was Marvel Legend Stan Lee's One Big Mistake

Law enforcement officials are still attempting to hunt down two murderers who escaped from a New York maximum-security prison over the weekend.

Much has been said about Richard Matt and David Sweat's daring and apparently elaborate breakout.

Investigators say the plan required extensive preparation and access to equipment that inmates would not have access to — such as hacksaws, extension cords, and hot-wired electrical junction boxes, reportedly used to power the tools.

A note left on pipes on the inmates' alleged escape route appears to be a reference to an episode of the animated television series "Family Guy."

In the scene, Peter Griffin the sketch artist draws a picture of an Asian American assaulter as described by a victim who is unable to give any information besides the perpetrator's ethnicity.

The sketch appears to be identical to the one Matt and Sweat allegedly left on their way out of prison.

SEE ALSO: Texas cop in pool party video says he was stressed from responding to suicide calls

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NOW WATCH: 5 science facts 'Jurassic World' totally ignored

British actor Christopher Lee, best known for playing Dracula, has died at age 93, The Telegraph reports.

The actor died Thursday morning at London’s Chelsea and Westminster Hospital after being treated there for respiratory problems and heart failure, the Telegraph said, citing sources close to the family.

Lee's filmography reads like a romp through film history. He first became famous playing Dracula in the Hammer House of Horror movies, from the 1950s onward. At least nine "Dracula" films were made starring Lee.

He was also Lord Summerisle in the 1973 cult classic The Wicker Man. And he played Bond villain Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun.

More recently, his sonorous tones and creepy demeanour were introduced to a new, younger audience when he played Count Dooku / Darth Tyranus in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) and Saruman in 2002's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and its sequel.

He was also a favourite of director Tim Burton, who cast him in Alice in Wonderland and Sleepy Hollow.

Part of Lee's appeal was his height — he was 6 feet 5 inches. Initially, film executives turned him down for roles because he was too tall.

The Guardian has a wonderful description of how Lee single-handedly recreated the entire image of Dracula:

Christopher Lee’s initial appearance in Dracula, in 1958, was a shock. Before that moment, the fabled vampire was more associated with Max Schreck’s demonic Nosferatu from the classic German silent picture — a pale creature closer to Gollum from today’s Tolkien movies. The vampire was something stunted, bestial, insidious.

But when Lee’s Count Dracula first walked down to the stairs to greet his visitors in the first Hammer movie version it was a revelation. He was tall (six foot five), handsome and well-built, with an easy athleticism and a frank, direct manner. His deep, melodious voice completed the effect: commanding. There was nothing unwholesome-looking about this vampire, not at first: he looked more like a British or at any rate Central European version of Gary Cooper. So it was even more powerful and shocking when this patrician figure disclosed his Satanic qualities: and that face became pale and contorted, when the lips peeled back to reveal the fangs, the eyes turned red and the lips dripped with blood — and his whole being oozed with forbidden sexuality. Christopher Lee was Dracula; he had taken over the character as clearly as Sean Connery took over James Bond.

Here is a look at his life in photos.

An early promo headshot:

His best known role (for some, Lee was Dracula):

At Hammer, there was no such thing as too much Dracula: 

From The Man With the Golden Gun:

A later portrait from the mid 1970s:

He appeared as Lord Summerisle in The Wicker Man, the leader of a pagan cult on a lonely Scottish island. It was one of his best films:

He added a bit of class to Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, as Count Dooku:

More recently, he was Saruman in The Hobbit:

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NOW WATCH: 'The Little Prince' trailer looks better than anything Pixar has made in years

"Clash of Clans" is a mobile game that was released for the iPhone in 2012. Since then, it has become the highest grossing game in the app store, grossing over an estimated $1.5 million a day, sparking headlines like, “A Clash Of Clans Addiction Nearly Sank The Royals' Season,” and “UFC Stars Hate How Much They’re Spending On Clash of Clans.”

Yet, the game is so profitable is not because the developer is tricking users out of their money (as in other mobile games). The revenue actually seems to stem from engaging gameplay.

Produced by Corey Protin

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"The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart came to the defense of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) after two critical New York Times stories examined the presidential candidate's past.

The first Times article, published last week, chronicled the 17 traffic violations Rubio and his wife racked up since 1997. Rubio himself reportedly received only four of them, however, and Stewart argued that he should be applauded for his driving.

"Marco Rubio got four tickets! In 17 years! I assume The New York Times obtained this damning information from Marco Rubio's plaque in the 'Hall of Best Miami Drivers Ever,'" Stewart said.

The second Times article, published Tuesday, examined Rubio's financial struggles and missteps, including the purchase of three homes and an $80,000 boat without enough money to balance the liabilities. Stewart called attention to the part of the story that noted one of the houses had "an in-ground pool, a handsome brick driveway, meticulously manicured shrubs, and oversize windows."

"Oversize windows!" Stewart said. "Oh, what's the matter, senator? The normal amount of light isn't good enough for you? 'I'm Sen. Marco Rubio, I like to roll around in giant patches of sunlight like I'm a big 'ole kitty cat. Meow!'

"How is this front-page news?" he added.

Watch the entire "Daily Show" segment below:

SEE ALSO: Jon Stewart goes on epic quest with a red balloon to prove Dick Cheney wrong on Iran

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Legendary British actor Christopher Lee passed away at the age of 93 Thursday morning. Starring in over 250 films, he's best known for playing Dracula on numerous occasions from the 1950s-1970s in cult horror films made by British production company, Hammer.

In the last ten years his large 6'5" frame made him perfect for playing intimidating roles in Hollywood blockbusters like "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" films as the evil Saruman, as well as Count Dooku in the "Star Wars" prequels.

Lee is part of one of the most exciting moments from the first three episodes of the "Star Wars" saga with his fight against Yoda in "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones." Pulling off the fight sequence was a nerve-racking experience not only for George Lucas and his team, but for Lee as well, who was 79 at the time of shooting.

Here's a look back on how it was pulled off.  

10 years later in the saga, "Attack of the Clones" finds Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) under the tutelage of Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and is reunited with Senator Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) following an assassination attempt on her. Skywalker is assigned to protect Senator Amidala while Kenobi investigates the attempted assassination. Skywalker and Amidala soon fall in love, while Kenobi learns of the Republic’s clone army and the Separatists’ battle droids led by renegade Jedi master, Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). This leads to the beginning of the Clone Wars. 

The film concludes with Kenobi and Skywalker facing off against Dooku. Once Dooku fights them both off, Yoda enters the battle for a sequence most “Star Wars” fans never thought was possible.

Showing how far the computer graphic wizards at Industrial Light and Magic have come, we watch Yoda have a dazzling lightsaber battle with Dooku.

This goose-bump inducing scene took years to pull off and many sleepless nights for George Lucas.

“To be very honest with you, I was scared to death of this sequence and how we were going to pull this off,” Lucas said on the commentary of the Blu-ray of “Attack of the Clones.” “This was the biggest risk in the whole movie. Could I make this realistic enough to make it believable, or would it be this ludicrous joke.”

It was far from that. Let’s break it down.

Yoda enters the fray by facing off with Dooku using their powers of the Force.

First Dooku tried to throw the rocky ceiling on Yoda.

Dooku then tried to uses his electric power on him, but Yoda sends it right back at him.

When neither finds an advantage they turn to their lightsabers. Yoda uses the Force to unhinge his lightsaber from his holster to his hand and then prepares for battle.

Yoda and Dooku fight throughout the hanger.

Dooku finally ends the duel and escapes by using to Force to land a large generator on top of Kenobi and Skywalker. 

But Yoda uses his powers of the Force to protect them.

There was a lot of tweaking that went on with this sequence before we all finally saw the finished product.

The original script had Yoda entering the Dooku fight right when he appears in the hanger. But some of the senior members of ILM, including visual effects supervisor John Knoll and animation director Rob Coleman were able to convince Lucas to draw the sequence out a bit and include the exchanging of Force powers before Yoda and Dooku turn to lightsabers.

“[We] talked to George month after month about how we could make this real and believable,” Coleman said on the “Clones” Blu-ray commentary. “We felt if we got into the fight too quickly the audience would not be able to travel that distance from Yoda being an 800-year-old character to be able to go around with such speed and be nimble. So we talked to George about, what we called, ‘The Wizards' Battle’ and we added this into the sequence because I think it really helps us as an audience to travel with Yoda to find the inner strength and energy to fight this evil Jedi master, this Sith lord.”

And another decision made before production began was to have a “digital double” of Christopher Lee. Though Lee boasts he holds the record for most sword fights in front of the camera than any other actor, the legend was 79 at the time of shooting, so a majority of his shots in the sequence were done by a stunt double.

Then when the double's face could be revealed on camera, it was replaced digitally by Lee's face. And in regards to knowing where Yoda would be when they filmed the actors for the scene, a small Yoda doll was used on set as a reference point for the actors.

Lucas even had fun with Lee by placing a pair of fangs on the Yoda doll to tease Lee of his legendary performances as Dracula in the 1960s.

The part that brought the most anxiety was making Yoda digital. 

In the theatrical release of “Episode I,” Yoda was still a puppet (a digital version replaced the puppet in the 2011 Blu-ray release of the film), so this was the first time an audience saw the 800-year-old Jedi Master sans Frank Oz (who not only did Yoda's voice but operated the puppet).

One of the biggest challenges for the animators was keeping that puppet feel.

Coleman and his team poured over footage of Yoda from “The Empire Strikes Back” to give their digital version authentic mouth movements and even have Yoda’s ears bounce slightly as the puppet version did.

But for the fight with Dooku, they had to create the believability of Yoda moving quickly. Lucas and Coleman spent months painstakingly going over the sequence that the animators created. They had to make a lot of decisions where Yoda was concerned: Will Yoda have a robe or won't he while fighting? They also had to make sure Yoda wasn't moving too fast in the battle, but enough to prove he was still a master of his craft. 

Lucas said he knew the sequence would work when he saw Yoda's incredible entrance.

"I was worried right up to the point where the animators showed me the shot where he walks in and looks tough," he said. "Suddenly, Yoda in his acting, I believe this was a tough character you had to look out for… This is what we've been waiting for."

Watch the Yoda/Dooku fight below (beginning at the 2:30 mark).

SEE ALSO: How a simple wooden plank helped create the greatest fight in "Star Wars: Episode I"

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With Rupert Murdoch preparing to step down as CEO of 21st Century Fox, the next major question for the company is what happens to Roger Ailes, the leader of Fox News, the fantastically profitable cable network.

Murdoch is handing the company to his son James and will remain as executive chairman. His other son, Lachlan, will be promoted to executive cochairman. At the same time, Chase Carey, the COO of the company also reportedly plans to leave.

From what we've been told, Carey and Ailes are close allies, and they don't get along with the Murdoch brothers. With Carey and Murdoch out, Ailes is losing two powerful allies at the top of the company.

Fox says Ailes will still report directly to Murdoch, an unusual arrangement that supports what we've been told about Ailes' relationship with the Murdoch brothers. Perhaps this arrangement can work in the long run, but it seems destined to run into problems. The CEO of the company should have direct control over one of the company's most valuable assets.

While Fox News is a controversial news outlet, there's no denying its astounding success.

In a recent profile of Ailes, The Hollywood Reporter detailed the impressive stats on the channel:

• Wall Street analysts value Fox News at $15 billion.
• It contributed 18% of 21st Century profits in 2014.
• It has 70 consecutive quarters of profit growth.
• SNL Kagan says it will bring in $2.18 billion this year in advertising and affiliate revenue.
• It gets $1 per subscriber per month, which blows away CNN ($0.61) and MSNBC ($0.30).

The contract at Fox of 75-year-old Ailes is up in 2016. He told The Hollywood Reporter nobody from Fox had been in touch yet to talk about renewing his deal. Considering the fact Ailes is a cash machine for Fox, this is a tad strange.

With new leadership at Fox, it will be interesting to see what happens with Ailes.

He built Fox News from scratch, and the network's talent says the network would fall apart without him.

Bill O'Reilly, for instance, told The Hollywood Reporter, "I have no idea how the network would shake out if he wasn't here."

Shepard Smith said: "But like no other place I've ever worked, it's all about him. Everything you see and feel about, it is from him. The truth is, he loves this place."

Even rival CBS News president David Rhodes said: "It's his creation. He built it ... I'm not sure anyone else can run it."

Few successful organizations are truly dependent on one person. It seems quite clear, however, that Ailes is the driving force behind the success of Fox.

New CEO James Murdoch will have to either figure out how to get along with Ailes — and offer him a big payday to stick around — or let Ailes walk and risk sinking one of his most profitable, influential, and important products.

This will be a fun media drama to watch play out over the next 12 months.

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If you’re a fan of “Star Wars” you might know the legend of the lost 25-minute short film that accompanied the theatrical release of “Empire Strikes Back” in 1980.

Directed by “Empire” art director Roger Christian, “Black Angel” is a stunning short film set in medieval times that follows a knight who battles a ghost-like warrior for the soul of a young girl.

Shot on a budget of £25,000 in Scotland with a nine person crew, four actors, and two trained horses, “Black Angel” only played during the theatrical run of “Empire” overseas, including 400 theaters in the UK. But word quickly got to the States of the amazing work by Christian.

Lucas, who fully supported the short, told people that the slow-motion lightsaber battle dream sequence between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in "Empire" was inspired by a slo-mo fight sequence in “Black Angel.”

And a year later, when the Hollywood epic “Excalibur” opened, word spread that director John Boorman (“Deliverance”) encouraged everyone on set to watch “Black Angel.”

Unfortunately, it has taken roughly 35 years for the film to finally be shown again.

“Black Angel” was considered lost forever when Christian believed the only negative in existence was destroyed when the UK's Rank Laboratories, where the film was stored, went out of business in 1995.

As the Internet came along fans, of "Black Angel," and those just curious to see it, would not let the spirit of the film die as it gradually built a cult following, with stories written about it and forum discussions dedicated to it spreading over the years.

Then around 2011, Christian got word that original elements of the film were discovered at Universal Studios.

Christian began to get the word out.

The film was shown at a few film festivals last year. Then last month it was uploaded onto YouTube.

Now that the short is available, it’s the perfect time for Christian to go forward with what he originally wanted to do — make the story into a feature length film.

He currently has Rutger Hauer (“Blade Runner”) and John Rhys-Davies (“The Lord of the Rings”) to star in the feature version and has started a Indiegogo campaign to raise $100,000. 

Watch "Black Angel" below.

SEE ALSO: A librarian found the original "Star Wars" script, and it settles one of the fan debates of the film

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Terry Gilliam is known best for being a member of the legendary comedic group Monty Python and directing some of the most impossibly complex movies of all time like “Time Bandits” and “Brazil.”

But there are many projects the 74-year-old filmmaker has tried to pull off with no success. Most famously is a retelling of the famous Spanish novel "Don Quixote" titled “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.”

However, according to Gilliam, the project is back on thanks to Amazon.

In a recent interview with The Playlist, Gilliam revealed that he has signed a deal with Amazon Studios for them to release the film theatrically followed by streaming it. Amazon will also partly funding the film.

Amazon has confirmed the deal.

“I’m intrigued by their way of doing it,” Gilliam said in the interview. “They go into the cinemas first and then a month or two afterwards they go into streaming. And I think that’s good because you get a chance to see it on the big screen, and yet I know that more people have seen my films on DVD than they have in the cinemas and that’s the reality of life now.”

This is not the first time Gilliam has tried to make “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.”

In 1998 he went into production on the film with Johnny Depp as Toby, an advertising executive who has been thrust back to 17th century La Mancha, Spain where he goes on adventures with Don Quixote, who believes he’s Sancho Panza (Quixote’s sidekick in the novel).

Production on the film was doomed as it dealt with flood-like rain storms, fighter jets soaring over head and the actor playing Quixote, Jean Rochefort, injuring himself, which shut down production for good.

The ’98 production of the film, and all its bad luck, was chronicled in the acclaimed documentary, “Lost in La Mancha.” 

According to Gilliam, Depp and Rochefort are not involved in the latest attempt to make the film. Jack O’Connell (“Unbroken”) will now play Toby and John Hurt (“Snowpiercer”) will play the windmill-chasing adventurer Quixote.

See for yourself the struggle Gilliam has had trying to make this movie. The trailer for "Lost in La Mancha" is below. The film is available on Netflix, iTunes, and Amazon Instant. 

SEE ALSO: "Game of Thrones" put a hidden "Monty Python" reference in the show

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