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THEN & NOW: The cast of 'Mission: Impossible' 19 years later

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Mission Impossible Tom Cruise

The first "Mission: Impossible" movie, based off the TV series of the same name, came out in 1996. It grossed a phenomenal $457.7 million worldwide and paved the way for four more sequels. The fifth installment, entitled "Rogue Nation", will be out in theaters on July 31.

While Tom Cruise is the biggest face in the cast, it isn't all about him. 

"Mission: Impossible" contained a huge cast of Hollywood legends and others from all over Europe. It is fitting for this Bond-style spy thriller. 

To prepare for the upcoming sequel "Rogue Nation", check out where it all began.

Here's the cast of "Mission: Impossible", 19 years later: 

THEN: Tom Cruise plays the man of many faces and disguises, Ethan Hunt, an agent working for the top secret Impossible Missions Force (IMF).



NOW: Cruise is still one of the biggest movie stars in the world. In recent years, he starred in action flicks like "Edge of Tomorrow" and "Jack Reacher". He's reprising Ethan Hunt for a fifth time in "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation".



THEN: Jon Voight starred as Jim Phelps, Hunt's boss over at IMF who was hiding a big secret.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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'I am Cait' premieres to big ratings for E!

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i am cait

Caitlyn Jenner's new E! Entertainment reality series, "I Am Cait," brought in solid ratings for its premiere episode on Sunday.

The episode's live plus same day Nielsen data shows that the audience averaged 2.7 million viewers, according to THR. That is less than Monday's projection of 3 million viewers after the release of Sunday's early ratings.

It is also less than the 2.9 million viewers who tuned into the special Bruce Jenner episodes of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" in May, a 40% increase over "KUWTK's" typical episodes.

Jenner has been a ratings draw across the board. Her first public appearance during the Espy Awards gave it quite the boostAccording to Nielsen data, an average of 7.7-million viewers watched the ESPN awards show on ABC. The ESPY Awards averaged 2.2-million viewers in 2014, though it aired on ESPN.

Jenner's big interview with ABC News' Diane Sawyer was watched by a huge 16.9 viewers. On the special, the former Olympian first publicly spoke about being transgender.

"I Am Cait" will continue to air on Sundays at 8 p.m. on E! for a total of eight episodes.

SEE ALSO: Here's what it cost advertisers for 30 seconds during E!'s 'I Am Cait' premiere

SEE ALSO: These are the Adidas sneakers Kanye West plugged during his cameo on Caitlyn Jenner's reality show

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NOW WATCH: Here's the new 'Batman v Superman' trailer that just got a standing ovation at Comic-Con










John Cena gruesomely broke his nose during 'Monday Night Raw' but that didn't stop him from dominating the match

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john cena ring

During Monday’s match between John Cena and Seth Rollins on WWE’s “Monday Night Raw,” Cena suffered a broken nose following a knee to the face by Rollins.

cena broken noseThe United States Champion and star of “Trainwreck” was down but not out as he continued to wrestle after the injury and ended up defeating Rollins to defend the title.

WWE tweeted this look at the impact of knee to face.

Here's how Cena looked during the match:

WWE.com confirmed the broken nose last night:

“As you can see on television tonight, John suffered from a nasal fraction,” confirmed WWE physician Dr. Steve Daquino. “He’s got quite a bit of displacement, so we sent him over to the local emergency room so he can be evaluated by the ears, nose and throat doctor who’s on call tonight and see what can be done to properly repair it.”

BI’s attempts to reach Cena’s reps for an update on his condition were not successful. We will update this story accordingly.

Watch the match here:

 

SEE ALSO: How WWE star John Cena created his memorable character in "Trainwreck"

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Hugh Jackman teases his final Wolverine movie on Twitter

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The Wolverine Hugh Jackman

There's very little we know about Hugh Jackman's final appearance as the "X-Men" hero Wolverine, other than the fact it will be a third and final "Wolverine" solo film happening relatively soon — the spring of 2017, to be exact. 

With three other "X-Men" movies in the pipeline first — "X-Men: Apocalypse" (where Jackman will next appear as Wolverine), "Deadpool", and "Gambit" (starring Channing Tatum)  — it's not likely that we'll hear much about Jackman's last solo outing for a little while. 

That doesn't mean Jackman isn't talking about it, though. Monday night, the star posted a photo on his Twitter account, asking fans what they would like to see in his final film wearing the iconic claws.  

This comes a few weeks after San Diego Comic-Con, where Jackman did some speculation of his own and teased a possible adaptation of "Old Man Logan"— a post-apocalyptic story where an older Wolverine is the only superhero left in a world dominated by villains.

The final "Wolverine" movie, which remains untitled, is scheduled to arrive in theaters on March 3, 2017.

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Netflix 'plugging away' on securing another season of 'Arrested Development,' says president

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Arrested Development

Netflix is still in the business of bringing fans more of the cult comedy "Arrested Development." It just needs more time.

"We are plugging along [on more 'Arrested Development']. It is our intent to have a new season and negotiations are under way," Netflix President Ted Sarandos told reporters during the Television Critics Association press tour in Beverly Hills, California on Tuesday.

Sarandos called the negotiations "a complicated process" in which they have to close deals with 20th Century Fox Television, which owns the series, and all the talent, who are busy with other projects.

Previously, "Arrested Development" executive producer said the series would return in Spring 2015. That has apparently changed. In a recent interview with CNN, he said that a writers room has already been set up for Season 5.

It had previously aired on Fox from 2003 to 2005 for three seasons. The fourth season of the comedy debuted on Netflix in 2013.

The series' ensemble cast includes Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Portia de Rossi, Jeffrey Tambor, Tony Hale, Will Arnett, David Cross, and Alia Shawkat.

SEE ALSO: 'Arrested Development' producer says Season 5 will premiere next year on Netflix

MORE: An 'Arrested Development' Movie Is In The Works

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NOW WATCH: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? The original 1993 'Jurassic Park' cast today










Questlove: Meeting Jimmy Fallon was 'the moment The Roots started'

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Jimmy Fallon

The 300th episode of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" airs Tuesday, July 28th. The late-night talk show, which recently nabbed three Emmy nominations, has been running for about a year and a half. But the show's house band, The Roots, have been on board with Fallon since before his first hosting gig in 2009.

In a recent interview with Brooklyn Magazine, "Tonight Show" musical director and Roots band member, Questlove, recalled the quirky encounter he first had with Fallon in 2008: 

"He was able to disarm us in seconds. Usually people are conscious of it: Oh, the nerdy white guy and a bunch of black guys. They’re a little quiet or whatever. Like, he was silly and was just proud of it. And was so silly that it made us silly. Like, we rock $500 sneakers. I’m not getting my knees dirty on the grass at UCLA to do a human pyramid! Like, imagine the Wu Tang Clan decided to play in a playground. That’s what it looked like. And I’m looking at my manager and we just stared there shaking our heads. I was just like, we’re stuck with this guy, aren’t we. And he just looked like, I’m afraid so."

Questlove goes on to admit that something about that interaction with Fallon strengthened the band's bond: 

"And that’s when I knew, I instantly knew. And what was even crazier was that every show after that show, it was as if that was the moment The Roots started. Whatever happened before, I don’t even count no more because suddenly we weren’t afraid to be—we weren’t guarded with each other anymore, for some silly reason. Suddenly, we became friends again.”

The Roots and Jimmy FallonThe Roots have had a rotating roster of band members since the band's conception in 1987, but their hip-hop/neo-soul free styling has proved timeless. Since meeting Fallon, The Roots have won two Grammy awards and been nominated for another five.

Even more, "The Tonight Show" boasted a season high earlier this month at 4.139 million nightly viewers – far surpassing its late night competitors.

Of course, Fallon's charisma and social media prowess have helped skyrocket his viewership, but there's also something to be said for the house band's popularity. The Roots star alongside Miley Cyrus in one of "The Tonight Show's" most viewed YouTube videos of all time with over 31 million hits. 

SEE ALSO: Watch Jimmy Fallon and Aziz Ansari read through the world's most awkward first texts

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Here's what happened when a young Judd Apatow ambushed Steve Martin in front of his own home

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Judd Apatow

Judd Apatow is a famous director now, having written and directed some of modern comedy's greatest hits ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin", "Knocked Up"). Sure. But did you know he used to be sort of a creep? 

As a young man in the early 1970s, Apatow was a pre-teen obsessed with comedians. He washed dishes in a comedy club so he could watch sets. He hosted a radio show at his high school in order to interview comedians. He's since compiled many of those interviews for a new book, "Sick in the Head," which hit booksellers on June 16. 

That isn't the creepy part.

What's creepy is a story relayed within his new book about a young Judd Apatow meeting a young Steve Martin ... at Steve Martin's house ... uninvited. Apatow's grandmother lived in California, and, though he grew up in Long Island, N.Y., his family would visit every now and again. Apatow had tracked down Martin's then-address and, on each of these trips, Apatow would ask his grandmother to drive him past Martin's home. Here's how Apatow describes it in the book:

I begged her to drive by not because I thought I would see him – although I badly wished that would happen – but because I just couldn't believe there was a structure that actually contained him. It seemed impossible to believe he existed and was somebody you could talk to.

On one of these trips, Martin was actually outside of his house. A young Judd Apatow excitedly asked his grandmother to stop the car so that he and his brother could get out and hound "The Jerk" star Steve Martin. As you might expect, Apatow asked for an autograph. The story might've ended there, but Martin – understandably reserved about giving anything to a fan who approached him at his home – rebuffed young Apatow. 

Despite Apatow's protestations, Martin wouldn't give in.

Apatow left, defeated, so he could write a "long, crazy letter" to Martin, "the spirit of which was: I have bought everything you've ever made, and you wouldn't live in that house if it weren't for people like me. And then I demanded an apology," Apatow writes in "Sick in the Head." 

Adding to the craziness, Apatow hand-delivered the letter to Martin's mail box. Not weird at all!

Thankfully, this story has a heart-warming ending. Around six months after Apatow's first encounter with Martin, Apatow received a package in the mail from Martin. Beyond a nice, hilarious note, Martin included two copies of his book "Cruel Shoes" (one for Apatow, another for his brother).

Years later, the two comedians are friends – Apatow interviews Martin in his book, where they talk about everything from stand-up to banjo playing. It's on bookshelves now.

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SNL's Colin Jost says this is the biggest thing he needs to improve on as 'Weekend Update' co-anchor

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Since the exit of "Saturday Night Live" brand names like Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers from the Weekend Update anchor chairs, the show’s iconic segment has been in a state on flux.

Colin Jost has become the young face of not only Weekend Update, but the show itself, as he was promoted to head writer following the exit of Seth Meyers in early 2014.

As the show tries to find its footing with its mostly new cast, Weekend Update co-anchors Jost and Michael Che have taken the brunt of the criticism.

“If anything, Che and Jost's struggles show what an incredible pro Meyers was in making it look so easy for so many years, and doing it solo for most of them,” opined The Atlantic in February. “Whatever you thought of his smarm, ‘Update’ was always the safe center of his tenure as the show's head writer, whereas now weekend Twitter feeds are flooded with longtime fans asking what's to be done.”

And things didn’t get better a month later when Jost butchered a joke on the segment, misreading the line about the average length of a man’s flaccid penis being “36 inches” instead of the correct line, “3.6 inches.” (See at 2:33 mark.)

“A guy can dream,” Jost ad-libbed quickly after the flub.

Colin Jost saturday night live flub final“I think the biggest is refining viewpoint, if that makes sense,” Jost told Business Insider while promoting his new feature-length comedy, Staten Island Summer” (available on Netflix on Friday), on what he needs to improve on. “I think I want people to know more and more who we are and feel like this is our take on things. And that comes with time.”

Familiarity is always the biggest hurdle new members of "Saturday Night Live" have to face. Though Weekend Update has been around for over 40 years, there’s still a need to have people in the chairs that the audience can instantly gravitate toward. Jost believes that should be the focus this coming season.

“That’s what I think we’re trying to hone in on this year,” he said. “Just make it more and more in our voice and take swings. Just to experiment with it as much as we can in that format and try new things. Not be worried about what happens — at least at dress rehearsal.”

SEE ALSO: 23 times women made history on "Saturday Night Live"

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NOW WATCH: A behind-the-scenes look at Saturday Night Live — the comedy institution created by a 'strange Canadian’











Here's how Netflix plans to roll out its remaining Marvel series and launch 'The Defenders'

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Marvel fans have a bit more clarity on how Netflix plans to roll out its remaining comic book-inspired series.

Netflix president Ted Sarandos laid it out during Tuesday's Television Critics Association press tour in Beverly Hills on Tuesday.

“I think ideally there will be a rhythm of about every six months you’ll get a new season or a new series from the Defenders group," Sarandos told reporters. "And then they’ll crossover into a combined [Defenders] season once we’ve launched the first season of each of the four characters."

The first in the series, "Daredevil," premiered to good reviews back in April and then it was renewed later that same month. 

kristyn ritter jessica jones marvel netflixNext up will be "AKA Jessica Jones," which stars Kristyn Ritter and David Tennant. Sarandos said the series will make a late-2015 debut.

"Luke Cage" will probably arrive next, since it already has a showrunner (Cheo Hodari Coker) and a star (Mike Colter).

And then finally, "Iron Fist."

The Punisher, who will debut on the second season of "Daredevil," may also get its own series, as well. Or, a movie.

“It is possible for sure. That’s the beauty of the Marvel universe,” said Sarandos on a Punisher spinoff. "Any of them could spin out into films, too.” 

Note: An earlier version of this article mistakenly stated that The Punisher was on the first season of "Daredevil."

SEE ALSO: Netflix 'plugging away' on securing another season of 'Arrested Development,' says president

MORE: 'House of Cards' creator thinks Hillary Clinton is closest to a real life Claire Underwood

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NOW WATCH: Netflix's new 'Daredevil' show looks way better than Ben Affleck's version of the superhero










Jason Segel turned the first script he ever wrote into a popular children's book series

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Jason Segel

Between pumping fresh blood into romantic comedies with "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and bringing the Muppets back to the big screen, Jason Segel has found a lot of success in show business following his breakout role in the beloved but too-soon cancelled "Freaks and Geeks." 

All of this success has earned Segel a lot of creative freedom. One of the many proejcts Segel has worked on recently is a children's book series called "Nightmares!" which landed on the New York Times Best Sellers List.

Jason Segel

Segel summed up his horror story for kids during a conversation with David Fear at 92nd Street Y, where he was promoting his upcoming film "The End of the Tour." 

"It was about a kid who's mother passes away ... he has very complicated feelings about his step-mother and he has nightmares about witches eating his toes. Because I have a recurring nightmare about witches eating my toes. Because when you're a baby adults eat your toes. So his little brother gets kidnapped by the witches into the nightmare world. Charlie ventures into the nightmare world. Each faces their biggest fears along the way and that's how they accomplish their dreams," Segel summed it up.

However, it wasn't always his intention to write a book for kids. In fact, "Nightmares!" is actually based off of the first screenplay Segel ever wrote. Segel had trouble finding acting work for a few years following the cancellation of "Freaks and Geeks." To circumvent the exhausting audition process, Segel decided to try his hand at writing his own material.

Freaks and Geeks

"It was the first script I ever wrote when I was 21 years old." Segel said. "Judd [Apatow] told me I needed to go off and write my own material so I went off and wrote this script called 'Nightmares.'"

This script sat on a shelf for seven years and like a majority of screenplays, it never went anywhere. As Segel told Marc Maron on WTF, the second script he wrote was "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," which was made in 2008 and turned Segel into a breakout movie star.

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Yet, "Nightmares!", which came out in 2014, had a profound impact on Segel. In "The End of the Tour," Segel takes on perhaps his most dramatic role yet as the late author David Foster Wallace. The same advice he gives to kids in "Nightmares!" is what gave him the courage to take on this acting challenge. 

"The central theme of the books is that your nightmares are the gatekeeper to your dreams. But they're not there for no reason. That they're there to challenge you and facing your nightmares is what allows you to achieve your dreams. And I thought to myself ... 'Man, I cannot tell 10 year olds to do what they're afraid of and not do it myself,'" said Segel.

"The End of the Tour" will be out in theaters on July 31.

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Here's what Chelsea Handler is up to over at Netflix

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New details surrounding Chelsea Handler's projects emerged during Tuesday's Netflix panel at the Television Critics Association press tour on Tuesday.

In the mega-deal she made with Netflix, Handler agreed to a talk show, a live concert special, and four documentaries.

Directed by Oscar-nominated Eddie Schmidt ("This Film is Not Yet Rated"), the four feature-length documentaries — "Chelsea Does Marriage," "Chelsea Does Racism," "Chelsea Does Silicon Valley," and "Chelsea Does Drugs" — are wrapping production now. Yet, there is no release date at this time.

“They’re all very different and amazing experiences for me work-wise,” she told reporters of the docs.

Handler said she relished the opportunity to do the docs after talking pop culture for her previous E! show.

“The healthiest thing to do when, you’re constantly immersed in this business, is to take a break," she said. "You get out of that head space and can come back to it with a different perspective. It’s like going on a little diet.”

Chelsea Handler Chelsea LatelyHandler's new talk show is slated to launch in 2016, according to a Netflix press release. Details on that are still pretty scarce, but Handler wanted to make sure one thing was certain.

“I’m not looking to do a nightly talk show. That wasn’t my intent,” she explained.

And in regards to the show's timing and format, Handler's answer showed how early in the development process the project currently stands.

“I can’t give you a direct answer, because I don’t have that information to give you," she said. "When it’s on, it’s because it’s ready to be on.”

Handler's concert special, "Uganda Be Killing Me Live," was released in October and is available on Netflix now.

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After suing his record label over royalties, Lil Wayne is being sued by another artist for the same reason

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lil wayne new orleans

After suing his record label, Cash Money, in January for music royalties, hip-hop mogul Lil Wayne is being sued for the exact same reason.

According to TMZ, rapper David Banner has filed court documentation against Wayne's Young Money records for not receiving compensation from two songs he prodcued for Wayne's album, "Tha Carter III" in 2008. 

Banner claims he signed a contract and was told by the label in 2012 he was owed $138,787.19 in royalties, but has recieved none of it. 

Banner says the same thing happened with a track from 2009, for which he's owed more than $15,000. As TMZ reports, Banner says the label has gone radio silent, and he says he could be owed even more.

Wayne is still going toe-to-toe in the January lawsuit with Cash Money CEO Brian "Birdman" Williams over an unreleased album, 'Tha Carter V."

Business Insider has reached out to Wayne for comment and will update this post if/when we hear back.

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YouTube's talent isn't going to migrate to Facebook

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YouTube

The biggest advantage Facebook has over YouTube is the ability to drive exposure to videos. The social network grew video from 1 billion views per day to 4 billion views per day in the span of about six months from September to the end of March. The passive News Feed lets Facebook serve up just about anything it chooses to its users -- and it wants them to see videos.

But if Facebook wants to attract top content makers from Google's YouTube, it needs to overcome one huge obstacle: YouTube stars have spent years developing a following on YouTube, not Facebook. As a result, posting videos on Facebook is almost always less effective in reaching as many viewers as YouTube.
Facebook knows firsthand just how valuable a network can be. It's the thing that keeps competitors from simply copying all of its features and succeeding. If there aren't a lot of users, the social network gets boring pretty fast.

And while Facebook's network is substantial, YouTube stars naturally build their networks on YouTube through subscriptions. PewDiePie, which has the description "businessy stuff," for example, has more than 38 million subscribers on YouTube. For him to build up a similar number of followers on Facebook would take a lot of time, and a lot of work.

When a YouTube star posts videos to Facebook, it reaches far fewer people, on average. In fact, a recent survey from Tubular Labs found that, of the 68% of top YouTube content producers who posted a video on Facebook in May, exactly 0% of them generated more views on the social network compared to the video site.

Facebook recently rolled out Instant Articles, which has some publishers posting as many as 20 articles to its platform on a daily basis. The offer for Instant Articles is basically the same for print publishers as Facebook video is for YouTube video makers. Let us host your content -- it will load faster, and more people will see it.

Of course, there are some key differences that make Instant Articles a much easier sell for Facebook. First, publishers receive tons of traffic from Facebook already. Simply changing the format for Instant Articles won't affect the publishers' reach. As the survey from Tubular Labs shows, that's not the case for top YouTube creators.

VidCon Josh Peck Kel Kitchell GloZell YouTubeSecond, reading articles on a mobile browser is a major pain. Facebook solves that by integrating Instant Articles into its app, ensuring the user experience is excellent. YouTube's mobile app, however, is excellent, and makes finding videos to watch extremely easy and efficient.

There are several major obstacles in the way of Facebook attracting top YouTube talent. Facebook needs to help the talent it wants to attract establish an audience on its network. That could come via free advertising, or some other form of free promotion.

More importantly, Facebook needs to provide YouTube creators some incentive to publish videos on its platform. The idea that Facebook offers extended reach doesn't hold water when zero videos there receive more views than the same videos on YouTube. For many, it's all about the money, and Facebook is just starting to test the waters of revenue sharing with specific content partners.

Finally, Facebook needs to offer a Content ID system for publishers. Freebooting -- taking online media and rehosting it on your website -- has become a major problem on the social network. If Facebook can enable creators to capitalize on the popularity of other Pages on Facebook through some sort of revenue-sharing agreement, it could find a lot more success attracting top content creators to its platform. But getting them to leave YouTube may be nearly impossible, considering the established audiences for many top creators on the site.

At the recent Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, Warren Buffett admitted this emerging technology is threatening his biggest cash-cow. Buffett's fear can be your gain. Only a few investors are embracing this new market, which experts say will be worth over $2 trillion. Find out how you can cash in on this technology before the crowd catches on, by jumping onto one company that could get you the biggest piece of the action.

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You can now buy Michael Jackson's iconic white glove

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Michael Jackson

The late "King of Pop," Michael Jackson, is widely known for wearing a single white glove that was almost as iconic as his moonwalk.

Now his glove is for sale. A white sequinced glove worn by Jackson will sell at an auction on July 30. Bidding will start at $20,000 at Nate D. Sanders auction house.

That might seem like a lot, but it's nothing compared to the $350,000 price tag another Jackson glove sold for in 2009, just months after his death.

Jackson got this glove from former friend Paul Debard, who created more than a dozen paintings of Jackson's home, Neverland Ranch, and famous figures such as George Washington and the Mona Lisa wearing the glove itself.

The winning bidder will receive a photo of Bedard wearing the glove, art he created for Jackson, and an official declaration stating the glove's authenticity. 

In addition to the glove, one of the jackets Jackson wore in the "Bad" music video, and premiered on the album cover is up for grabs. It's slightly cheaper as bidding starts at $10,000.

 

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Tina Fey and Colin Jost agreed that Donald Trump's presidential run is 'wonderful' for 'SNL'

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Tina Fey and Colin Jost definitely agree that Donald Trump's presidential campaign is a laughing matter.

Fey fielded questions on her Netflix series, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," during the Television Critics Association press tour in Beverly Hills, California on Tuesday.

When asked how she felt about Trump being the front runner in the GOP presidential race, the former "30 Rock" star responded, "It's great for comedy!"

Fey, who used to be the head writer for NBC's "SNL," added, “I’m sure ‘Saturday Night Live’ wished they were on the air right now."

colin jost snl weekend updateShe's certainly on the right track. Writer and "Weekend Update" co-anchor Colin Jost hopes that the Trump spectacle will still be going when "SNL" returns in the fall.

"It's crazy. I'm guessing he's still going to be around when we come back so hopefully it will have reached a nice fever pitch. It's just amazing," Jost told Business Insider while promoting his new film, "Staten Island Summer."

Jost is tickled at the idea that Trump may even advance in the race: "Who would not want to see Trump and Hillary [Clinton] debate?"

"It would be so wonderful, it's like as a comedy writer, and you don't care about America, you're just rooting for him as a comedy writer," he continued. "I don't think he's going anywhere. In the meantime, before it gets to an actual decision, I'm thrilled that he's around because the entertainment value is high." 

Jason Guerrasio contributed to this report.

SEE ALSO: Here's the astronomical figure Donald Trump claims he made from NBC's 'The Apprentice'

MORE: SNL's Colin Jost says this is the biggest thing he needs to improve on as 'Weekend Update' co-anchor

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A behind-the-scenes look at Saturday Night Live — the comedy institution created by a 'strange Canadian’











Almost 20 years later, the first 'Mission: Impossible' movie holds up really well

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When "Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation" releases in theaters July 31, it will have been 19 years since the blockbuster franchise kicked off with the first "Mission: Impossible" film in the summer of 1996.

It could be argued that the "Mission: Impossible" movies are actually two different franchises — the first one comprising of the first film in 1996 and its wildly different 2000 sequel, the second a kinda-reboot that started with J.J. Abrams' directorial debut, "Mission: Impossible 3" in 2007 and continuing through the upcoming "Rogue Nation". The movies just feel that different.

It's kind of like the "Fast and Furious" franchise, but without any sort of real thematic underpinning like "family". Outside of a few superficial elements (like the theme song and the famous lit fuse title sequence) there isn't a whole lot tying it to the long-running television series it's based on. The reason for this is kind of simple, and a big part of the original series' success — it was focused squarely on the capers, each episode only about the latest task faced by the Impossible Missions Force (IMF).

Because of this, it's kind of hard to pin down what makes for necessary elements for an "M:I" film other than 1. Tom Cruise, 2. Outrageous stunts, and maybe 3. Super lifelike masks?

That said, the first "Mission: Impossible" still holds up really, really well, and is worth revisiting. 

Directed by Brian De Palma, "Mission: Impossible" was the first film produced by Tom Cruise's then-new production company Cruise/Wagner Productions, and in many ways, Cruise is the driving force behind the franchise, signing off on almost everything and doing a lot of his own stunts. Going back and watching the first one now is fascinating, if only to see at some points that Cruise is literally the only thing holding it together through sheer charisma.

It stands in stark contrast to the excess of its 2000 sequel and the slick, high-budget stylishness of the later films — and that's what results in all the things that make it so fun to watch.

The film follows a simple concept

The story of "Mission: Impossible" is pretty simple, and kind of similar to the films that follow — Tom Cruise plays Impossible Missions Force agent Ethan Hunt. On a routine mission in Prague, everything goes horribly wrong and Hunt is framed for the death of his entire squad. While on the run, Hunt must assemble his own team of fellow disavowed agents, and clear his name.

While similar plots would later give the franchise the impetus to go as big as possible (like the Burj Khalifa setpiece in "Ghost Protocol"), "Mission: Impossible" keeps things relatively taut and smallish. The big scenes are limited to a party in Prague, the famous infiltration of CIA headquarters in Langley, and a high-speed European train — and it's pretty refreshing to revisit a time where Hollywood blockbusters didn't require billions of dollars in property damage in their big climaxes. 

It's gorgeously shot

As a mid-90s action movie, "Mission: Impossible" has every reason to be full of uninspired visuals without a lick of style. Fortunately, it's also a Brian de Palma film — the acclaimed "Scarface" director designed a lot of the action sequences himself, and cinematographer Stephen H. Burum keeps things simple yet slick, with great wide shots and clear composition. It's a big part of why the mid-90s special effects work so well (more on that in a minute).

A standout sequence in the film is also one of the smallest. Early in the film, after Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) witnesses his entire squad systematically taken out, De Palma goes with a Dutch angle to depict Hunt's desperation as he calls his superiors. You even see Hunt's breath fogging up the glass in the phone booth, a nice touch.

Mission Impossible phone call

The next shot has Hunt staggering towards his rendezvous point with Agent Kittridge, the man he spoke to on the phone. Until this point, the film hasn't made much use of this first sequence being set in Prague, favoring tighter compositions focused on the action. Choosing this moment to feature the city's Old World iconography further plays up Hunt's disorientation — everything has gone wrong and he needs to get out of this city he doesn't belong in.

Mission Impossible Tom Cruise Prague

He meets Kittridge in an aquarium-themed restaurant, first shown in this wonderfully composed shot. You can see Kittridge sitting at his table, waiting for Hunt in the second window from the right.

Mission Impossible restaurant

Also cool: The way Hunt moves across the screen while it tightens on him and narrows to push Kittridge up against the opposite end of the frame. It's a confrontation set up like a Western, the sort of spacey shot that most modern films don't have the patience for.

Which is appropriate, because it ends with a (really cool-looking) bang:

The film is full of nice little touches like this. 

The special effects hold up surprisingly well.

Part of the reason for this is pretty obvious — while CGI was certainly being used in mid-90s blockbusters, it wasn't leaned on as heavily as it is today. Much of the action utilizes practical stunts and visual effects that really hold up. Even at its most cartoonish — the climactic action scene, where a small helicopter is tethered to a high-speed train and pulled into a tunnel — there's a weight and care given to portraying the ridiculousness of the scene, one that you can't get when doing the same thing with just CGI alone. 

mission impossible 1

As good as we've become at creating CG action scenes, a lot of them are still flat-out ridiculous, moving far from the realm of plausibility in constant attempts to top other movies and show audiences something they've never seen before. There's something appealing to just watching actual human bodies being tossed around with a bare minimum of computer animation as filmmakers attempt to portray them doing the impossible. 

It's dumb, but fun.

The plot of "Mission: Impossible" is kind of ridiculous — Ethan Hunt's plan to track down the bad guys of the film involves leaving coded messages for an information broker on early-internet Bible discussion boards — but it's effective connective tissue for all the action. 

Said action scenes are also among the most widely riffed on and parodied in cinema — and it's a testament to how well they're done that you can watch the film fully aware of how often its famous vault scene has been aped for laughs and thrills and still find it compelling. Seriously, that vault scene is top-notch work:

While the first "Mission: Impossible"  may not have had the lasting effect on pop culture that the series it was based on did, it's still a fun little time capsule of a movie. While its character work leaves much to be desired and the hows and whys of its plot have little reason to linger in your mind, it's a well-constructed action movie led by one of the most bankable leads in Hollywood with a top-notch auteur in the director's chair. It's the sort of collaboration that would be met with endless curiosity and excitement if it happened today.

If you want to check it out, you're in luck. The film is currently streaming on Netflix.

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Hulk Hogan is reportedly accusing Gawker of leaking his racist rant online and wants the CEO thrown in jail

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Hulk Hogan

It seems wherever Gawker turns there’s another fight brewing.

And so it is, with a slew of reported new allegations made by pro wrestler Hulk Hogan. TMZ reports that Hogan has filed new court documents alleging that Gawker CEO Nick Denton intentionally leaked a recent story about Hulk Hogan using derogatory language in 2012.

Hogan is so angry, in fact, that he wants people put in jail for their actions.

The newly discovered footage, which was uncovered by the National Enquirer and RadarOnline, reportedly showed Hogan going on a racist tirade and uttering phrases like the "N-word and other disgusting insults."

Hogan believes this story was leaked by Gawker to hurt his ongoing legal battle with the website. The wrestler is suing Gawker for publishing a “highlights reel” of his leaked sex tape. If Gawker is found guilty, it could be forced to pay as much as $100 million.

This latest development asks for a formal investigation into who leaked the video. TMZ writes, "In the docs, [Hogan] asks a judge to launch a full-blown investigation into Denton and former Gawker exec A.J. Daulerio to prove they leaked confidential details from the sex tape video, including the n-word story." 

More, Hogan wants anyone found to be involved with the leaking of the video to be put in jail.

The documents reportedly say that the portion of the tape in question that includes the racial slur — which is part of the larger leaked tape that first got Gawker into hot water  — was deemed "confidential" by the judge. This meant that neither parties were allowed to make it public. It goes further to allege that Gawker intentionally leaked these "confidential" documents to other outlets to hurt Hogan's public persona leading up to the Gawker/Hogan trial.

"Hulk Hogan has only one person to blame for what he said and no one from Gawker had any role in leaking that information," Gawker Media's president and general counsel told Business Insider in an emailed statement.

This follows a tough week internally at Gawker, when Denton decided to axe a controversial post, which caused a slew of writers and editors to part ways with the company.

For now, Denton will have to focus his attention on putting out both fires. The Hogan trial is set to take place in October, but Gawker and Hogan are set to convene at a hearing later this week.

SEE ALSO: This is the 'buyout deal' a bunch of Gawker employees are quitting to take

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50 Cent on bankruptcy filing: 'It’s strategic'

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Larry King 50 CentWhile on a press tour promoting his new movie "Southpaw," 50 Cent continues to discuss his bankruptcy filing, insisting time and again that it was a protective move after the rapper was slapped with a $5 million lawsuit for publishing a sex tape featuring his rival Rick Ross' ex-girlfriend without her consent.

During an appearance Monday on the Season 4 premiere of Ora TV’s "Larry King Now," 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, further explained why he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 13th:

"It’s strategic," said the rapper. "It’s a move that was necessary for me to make at this point so I didn’t allow myself to create that big red and white bullseye on my back, where I become the person that people consistently come to."

50 Cent Conan50 Cent previously explained during an appearance on "Conan": "When you’re successful and it’s public, you become the ideal person for lawsuits."

But despite any negative backlash the rapper has received since filing for bankruptcy, Jackson says it doesn't bother him.

"I’ve seen so many things said about me on social networking at points and when you don’t anticipate it, it lands a little harder on you," he told Larry King. "I can see what’s gonna come from people. It lasts a week before they start going in a different direction."

Last week, 50 Cent testified in Manhattan Supreme Court that his flashy lifestyle is simply an illusion, and that he returns the cars and jewelry he shows off on social media.

"It’s almost laughable for Mr. Jackson to think anyone believes he’s broke and that everything is smoke and mirrors," Leviston’s attorney, Hunter Shkolnik told The Wrap last week. "His business entities show otherwise." 

While Forbes estimated the rapper's fortune to be about $155 million in May, Jackson's lawyer said in court last Tuesday that his client's worth is $4.4 million, which presents a problem after he was hit with a $5 million verdict for allegedly publishing a sex tape starring Rick Ross' ex-girlfriend, Lastonia Leviston.

During his testimony, the rapper also claimed he only made "10 cents a record" from his 38 million album sales, and just $100,000 for the two movies he's currently in, "Spy" and "Southpaw." For his hit Straz series "Power," on which he is also an executive producer, Jackson said he's pocketed only $150,000 from each of its first two seasons.

Watch 50 Cent's interview with Larry King below:

SEE ALSO: Here's how 50 Cent spent his millions before filing for bankruptcy

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NOW WATCH: 50 Cent testifies his lifestyle is an illusion










Actress Jane Birkin no longer wants to be associated with the world's most coveted pocketbook

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jane birkin

Everyone seems to want an Hermés' famous Birkin bag — except for the actress who lent the bag her name.

Jane Birkin has asked the French leather goods purveyor to rename the version of the Birkin bag made out of crocodile skin, in protest of crocodile farming and skinning practices, according to Reuters. 

In a statement obtained by the Associated Press, she "asked Hermes to de-baptize the Birkin Croco until better practices in line with international norms can be put in place."

The request comes after an investigative report at a Texas farm into how crocodile leather is obtained for high-end accessories was released by PETA in June. The video showed the farm's employees referring to the crocodiles as "watch straps," as well as being left to die slowly in a "bloody ice container," according to the AP.

"Jane Birkin has expressed her concerns regarding practices for slaughtering crocodiles. Her comments do not in any way influence the friendship and confidence that we have shared for many years," the company said in a statement to Vogue UK. "Hermès respects and shares her emotions and was also shocked by the images recently broadcast."

crocodile birkin bagHermès has denied that the farm in Texas depicted in PETA's video, called Lone Star Alligator Farms, supplies crocodile skins for the Birkin bag, which can take up to two skins for a single bag. It is a Hermés supplier for other bags and accessories, however, and the company has made assurances that there will be a full investigation, according to the AP.

The bag was created in 1984, after a chance encounter on an airplane between Birkin and former Hermés director Jean-Louis Dumas. The Birkin bag — and in particular the ones made of crocodile — are one of the rarest and most expensive luxury leather goods available. A fuchsia-colored crocodile-skin Birkin broke the record for the most expensive handbag sold at auction in June, selling for $222,912 in Hong Kong. 

The starting retail price is $10,000, and many would-be customers spend months or years on waiting lists hoping for the chance to buy one.

SEE ALSO: Some women would go to hell and back to pay $10,000 or more for a pocketbook

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Jimmy Kimmel gets choked up over the death of Cecil the Lion, slams dentist who killed him

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jimmy kimmel cecil

Jimmy Kimmel became emotional when discussing the death of Cecil the Lion, a famous Zimbabwe animal and tourist attraction, on Tuesday's "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

In a four-minute monologue, Kimmel sharply criticized Walter Palmer, the 55-year-old American dentist responsible for hunting and killing the animal.

Palmer and two hunters illegally killed the lion after luring it out of its home at the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe on July 1.

After Palmer shot Cecil with a bow and arrow, the animal escaped and survived 40 more hours before the hunters tracked him down and shot him dead. The hunters later skinned and beheaded the carcass.

CNN reported that Palmer now regrets killing Cecil. In a statement, Palmer said he "had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt."

Kimmel responded to Palmer's statement with a pointed attack: “Stop saying you took the animal. You take aspirin … you killed the animal.”

The talk-show host questioned the motivation behind Palmer's killing of the lion, asking "How is that fun? Is it that difficult for you to get an erection that you need to kill things that are stronger than you?”

Kimmel went on to mock Palmer by comparing him to alleged rapist Bill Cosby, calling Palmer "the most hated man in America who never advertised Jell-O pudding on television.”

Palmer has also posed in photos with a number of other big game kills, including a bear, a leopard and a rhino. Kimmel showed the pictures during his monologue and joked that Palmer had "killed like half of Noah's Arc."

Kimmel got choked up toward the end of the monologue as he asked his audience to donate to wildcru.org, an organization that supports wildlife conservation. “Maybe we can show the world that not all Americans are like this jackhole,” he said about Palmer.

Kimmel isn't the only famous person to take Palmer to task for his killing of Cecil. Amid the huge social-media uproar, a number of other celebrities spoke out on the topic:

Watch Kimmel's monologue below:

SEE ALSO: The American dentist who paid $55,000 to kill Cecil the lion is now receiving threats online

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NOW WATCH: Beautiful footage of Cecil before he was killed and why he was so important to Zimbabwe










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