The Syfy Channel released a television adaptation of "Childhood's End" this week, and, while the acting was a bit cheesy and the religious themes were a little heavy, I definitely found a lot to enjoy.

Based on the classic 1953 science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke, the three-part mini-series, whose final episode airs Wednesday night, depicts a peaceful takeover of Earth by the "Overlords," a superior alien race that brings about world peace and the end of famine and disease, though their motives are questionable.

(SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't watched the first two episodes or seen the book, this gives away some of the plot.)

A modern twist on a sci-fi classic

While there have been attempts to adapt Clarke's novel for the screen before, most notably by Stanley Kubrick before he went on to direct "2001: A Space Odyssey," this is the first successful one.

As a big fan of the book and of Clarke, I was excited to see how Syfy's adaptation would pan out. 

The miniseries stayed true to many of the book's themes. The show's writer and producer Matthew Graham says a lot of the issues present when the book was written are still relevant now.

"All the things that were weighing heavily on Earth in 1953 don't seem to have changed in 2015," Graham told Business Insider.

We're still facing global issues like bloody conflicts, worries about the future, and austerity, Graham said. And the story also touches on more timeless questions about who are we, what the point of life is, and what happens when we die.

But Graham took a few liberties to make the series more relevant to a modern audience.

More approachable characters

"When Arthur wrote the book, it was a book about ideas, not about characters," Graham said. But that wouldn't work for a TV show.

As in the book, the alien invaders are led by a figure named Karellen, the so-called "Supervisor for Earth," who chooses a human ambassador named Ricky Stormgren to be their spokesperson. But in the TV series, Stormgren (played by actor Mike Vogel) is a Midwestern farmer — a significant departure from the book, in which Stormgren is the UN Secretary-General.

Graham felt that a bureaucrat from the UN wouldn't resonate with today's audiences, and a farmer would be more accessible. He liked the idea of Ricky as a kind of prophet communing with a higher power — a fact hammered home by Ricky's nickname in the series, the "blue-collar prophet."

I found Vogel's performance a little wooden, but still found his character sympathetic.

But Stormgren wasn't the only character Graham tweaked.

In the book, the character Jan Rodricks is an astrophysicist who wants to learn more about the Overlords and where they came from, but we don't learn anything about his backstory. In the Syfy series, the character Milo (played by British actor Osy Ikhile) is based on Rodricks, but we get to meet Milo as a child, which lets us become more invested in him.

As for the story's religious themes, they were hard to miss.

The religious angle 'felt natural'

As in the book, Karellen (played by Charles Dance of HBO's "Game of Thrones") refuses to reveal himself to humanity until several decades have passed.

When he does, he is a personification of the devil — red body, horns, and all. In the Syfy Channel version, the religious metaphor is much more heavy-handed, with scenes of cross-wielding characters shrouded in blinding light that call to mind classic exorcist films.

But to Graham, the religious angle felt natural. "In the absence of an obvious visible god, giant aliens from outer space saying they're going to save you felt like a religious experience," he said.

In fact, the series finale features an experience very much like the Rapture.

As for the series' ending, I won't give away details, except to say it stays true to the novel. You can watch it tonight on the Syfy Channel at 8-10 ET/PT.

Watch the trailer for Syfy's Childhood's End here:

NEXT UP: We spoke with some of the astronomers who discovered the 'alien' megastructure to find out if it's fact or fiction

SEE ALSO: 17 science fiction books that every real sci-fi fan should read

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NOW WATCH: Here's why aliens might actually exist

As Michael Moore travels the country arranging invite-only screenings of his upcoming documentary "Where to Invade Next," a satirical look at what the US can learn from policies in other countries, the outspoken director is also finding time to take jabs at the Republican Party.

The Oscar winner — and staunch Democrat — has been mostly quiet throughout the months of constant presidential debates and polling, outside of the occasional tweet. But while in DC to screen his movie, he and others from the audience walked to the front of the Republican National Committee's headquarters to sing Donald Trump-themed Christmas carols.

Now he's done his most striking bit yet.

On Wednesday, Moore stood in front of Trump Tower in Manhattan with a sign that read "We Are All Muslim" until the cops asked him to leave:

Then he posted an open letter to Trump on his website.

In part, it read:

Dear Donald Trump:

You may remember (you do, after all, have a "perfect memory!"), that we met back in November of 1998 in the green room of a talk show where we were both scheduled to appear one afternoon. But just before going on, I was pulled aside by a producer from the show who said that you were "nervous" about being on the set with me. She said you didn't want to be "ripped apart" and you wanted to be reassured I wouldn't "go after you."

"Does he think I'm going to tackle him and put him in a choke hold?" I asked, bewildered.

"No," the producer replied, "he just seems all jittery about you."

"Huh. I've never met the guy. There's no reason for him to be scared," I said. "I really don't know much about him other than he seems to like his name on stuff. I'll talk to him if you want me to."

And so, as you may remember, I did. I went up and introduced myself to you. "The producer says you're worried I might say or do something to you during the show. Hey, no offense, but I barely know who you are. I'm from Michigan. Please don't worry — we're gonna get along just fine!"

You seemed relieved, then leaned in and said to me, "I just didn't want any trouble out there and I just wanted to make sure that, you know, you and I got along. That you weren't going to pick on me for something ridiculous."

"Pick on" you? I thought, where are we, in 3rd grade? I was struck by how you, a self-described tough guy from Queens, seemed like such a fraidey-cat.

Moore went on to assert that like "other angry white guys," Trump is frightened by a bogeyman, and for the presidential hopeful that comes in the form of "all Muslims."

"I was raised to believe that we are all each other's brother and sister, regardless of race, creed, or color," Moore wrote. "That means if you want to ban Muslims, you are first going to have to ban me. And everyone else. We are all Muslim."

Moore ended his letter by asking his readers to sign a statement he's provided, which states in part that "if you want to ban Muslims, you are first going to have to ban me." He also asks people to post a photo holding a sign with the hashtag #WeAreAllMuslim on social media.

Moore says he will post the photos on his site and send them to Trump.

Business Insider has reached out to Trump for comment. [UPDATE] Trump senior advisor Daniel Scavino Jr. tweeted this:

"Where to Invade Next" has an Oscar-qualifying theatrical run in New York and LA next week, and then opens wider in theaters in February.

SEE ALSO: 'The Daily Show' calls Donald Trump 'white ISIS'

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NOW WATCH: Putin had another epic news conference — here are all the incredible and outrageous things he said

In what appears to be an attempt to combat some of the recent negativity surrounding beauty pageants, Miss Universe is encouraging this year's contestants to show that their beauty is more than skin deep.

Several Miss Universe contestants have taken selfies without a stitch of makeup on, posting them on Twitter using the hashtag #ConfidentlyBeautiful.

While the #NoMakeupSelfie became popular in 2014 to raise funds for cancer research, the idea spread like wildfire, empowering high-profile celebrities and everyday women to confidently share their faces sans makeup.

Now, even beauty-pageant contestants are getting in on the fun. Women from 80 countries will compete for the title of Miss Universe December 20.

SEE ALSO: Donald Trump just sold off the entire Miss Universe organization after buying it 3 days ago

Miss Universe Australia, Monika Radulovic, with her regular pageant makeup on.

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Here's Radulovic without makeup.

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Here is my no-makeup selfie to demonstrate that @missuniverse doesn't need makeup to be #ConfidentlyBeautiful !!! pic.twitter.com/9L5aDq1aF4

Here's the official headshot of Miss Universe Bahamas, Toria Nichole.

Tweet Embed:
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Miss Universe Bahamas @Toria_Nichole 2015 Official Headshot pic.twitter.com/pgeMeNFXDk

Early on in “The HatefulEight,” John Ruth (Kurt Russell) keeps repeating the line “slow like molasses.” Later on, another character informs his gang that their mission is going to take patience.

This describes “The HatefulEight” well, too: It deserves your patience. 

“The HatefulEight,” the latest film by Quentin Tarantino, shows the very odd path that one of the greatest living filmmakers has decided to take. While many directors start out conventional and then experiment once they have clout, Tarantino has abandoned much of the nonlinear storytelling on which he made his name (with "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction") for something more traditional.

But when Tarantino does traditional, he does it on his own terms.

“The HatefulEight” takes place in the Wild West not long after the Civil War. Union veteran Major Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) is picked up by a stagecoach carrying Kurt Russell's bounty hunter Ruth, who is transporting the wildly unpredictable Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to stand trial. During a harsh Wyoming blizzard, the three of them get stranded in a nearby cabin.

There's no doubt that “The HatefulEight” is epic — from the gorgeous 70 mm photography to the stunning mountain vistas, it demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible. But it really only has one or two locations. It's one of the most intimate epics I've ever seen, which allows Tarantino to focus on the characters even more than the visuals. Seriously, this could have been a play and it would have been just as good. 

“The HatefulEight” boasts a perfect ensemble. From Bruce Dern to Tim Roth, the actors make Tarantino’s layered dialogue truly sing. Meanwhile, Leigh, who spends a majority of the movie covered in blood like some outlaw version of Carrie, sometimes feels like the villain and other times like the hero. You kind of want to root for everybody in the cast at certain times, even though they are all terrible people in their own unique ways.

The actors mitigate some flaws in the script. Yes, Tarantino likes to keep us waiting, but the first act feels more like stalling than buildup. Tarantino is exploring new territory, and sure, the Wyoming landscape looks stunning, but it isn’t until the characters are together that the film kicks off. 

Once it does, there's plenty of brilliance to go around.

Tarantino is a skilled manipulator who can fill the viewer with many contradictory emotions. There are a few spurts of violence here that caused me to burst into uncontrollable laughter, while others in the audience weren't sure how to feel. Tarantino doesn’t go for the big emotional gut punch; he goes for confusion and ambiguity instead. Thanks to a creepy piano in the background, as well as Ennio Morricone’s fantastic score, certain scenes are brimming with tension even without the bloodshed.

In a way, Tarantino has been making Westerns his whole life, so it's fitting that he's doubled down on the genre. “The HatefulEight” isn’t a comeback for Westerns (which didn’t exactly die), but it's the most thoughtful entry in ages. Tarantino contrasts the harshness of nature with the brutality of mankind. “The HatefulEight” is really about America trying to put together its pieces after the Civil War, and there are few better places to show that than in the wide-open frontier. In watching a group of people try to build civilization out of savagery, “The HatefulEight” is the most optimistic film the director has ever made. 

This could also be Tarantino’s safest film yet, despite the many insanely violent outbursts. The small scale makes it feel like he's returning to his roots. Some might accuse him of stealing from both himself and others, but Tarantino likes to use the familiar in order to lure you into something bold and different.

And sure, maybe the first half is a bit weaker than the second. But even after the first half ended, I knew that one viewing of “The HatefulEight” would not be enough.

"The Hateful Eight" will be out in theaters on December 25, 2015.

SEE ALSO: Quentin Tarantino reveals his two favorite scenes he's ever written

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NOW WATCH: The biggest box office flops of 2015

Bear Grylls is "hugely proud" of his Alaska adventure with US President Barack Obama for Grylls' show "Running Wild" on NBC, but he said that there were some presidential road bumps in making it happen.

"There are obviously quite a few hurdles along the way of trying to keep everyone happy," Grylls said on a press call on Monday, "including, you know, the whole Secret Service, presidential team and all of that. We did it and it's an episode I'm hugely proud of and definitely this is the high point of our 'Running Wild' journeys."

Obama approached the show because he's a fan, and his team felt that Grylls has "strong international reach," the British host told reporters. The show was part of Obama's campaign to take a close look at climate change in Alaska. But before they could do anything, there was much to resolve.

"I thought initially they would have five or six Secret Service guys with us. That ended up like 50," Grylls said. "You know, it's a whole team with the press corps, and even a guy who's there to make sure any food or drink [Obama's] drinking is approved."

In fact, the taster provided a couple of challenges. First, he had already prepared food for the president. And anyone who has watched Grylls' survival shows knows that that's not how things work. And second, the taster said that the president never eats or drinks on camera.

"You know, I thought, 'Oh, gosh, it'll be a nightmare,' but we just go with it," Grylls said.

"I think he wanted to [taste everything first], but he didn't," Grylls added.

In the end, everyone followed Obama's lead. Obama and Grylls devoured salmon that was half-eaten by a bear and tea made from berries found earlier in the adventure, and the president shared water bottles with Grylls.

But Grylls did have one survival technique that fans overwhelmingly wanted him to share with Obama: drinking urine for hydration.

"So it's a big petition on the White House saying, 'You got to get the president to drink his own pee.' And I told him, 'I'm not going to ask you to do that,'" Grylls said.

Obama's episode of "Running Wild" airs Thursday, December 17, at 10 p.m. on NBC.

SEE ALSO: Barack Obama had to eat a fish that was already half-eaten by a bear for his 'Bear Grylls' episode

DON'T MISS: NBC pulls 'SNL' promo with Donald Trump calling Ben Carson a 'total loser'

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NOW WATCH: A Hispanic advocacy group offered $5,000 to anyone that called Trump a racist during 'SNL' — and Larry David did it

Bar Refaeli, one of the most well-known supermodels in the world, was arrested Wednesday on charges of tax evasion in Israel, Agence France-Presse has reported.

Refaeli was arrested in a home raid. She's suspected of lying about where she lived to avoid reporting millions of dollars in income.

She's also charged with accepting free accommodations in the form of luxury apartments and cars not registered in her name, according to Israel's Tax Authority.

Refaeli's mother, Zipora, was also arrested on suspicion of tax evasion.

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NOW WATCH: The model who quit Instagram says she felt pressure to flaunt her sexuality at age 14

This might look like an egregiously misplaced school of fish, but it's actually an example of what ornithologists (bird experts) call a murmuration:

It's a flock of hundreds to thousands of tiny song birds called starlings. But exactly how the birds within these swarms decide to move and when is a complete mystery.

Within a murmuration, starlings are constantly on the move, so the shape is always changing. 

But some photographers managed to capture some incredible, split-second moments of these flowing flocks that look strikingly similar to common shapes, like a gigantic smoking pipe, a goose, and a stingray. Check them out below:

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Starlings are indigenous to Europe, Asia, and Africa, but have since been introduced to North America and northern Australia. So if you live where these birds are prevalent, then you might catch this crazy phenomenon, like the stingray-shaped murmuration shown below:

Source: Murmuration of Starlings

There are nearly 120 species of starlings, and they don't seem to mind mixing it up. In fact, starlings are famous for their gregarious nature. You can find multiple different species within the same murmuration.

During nonbreeding seasons, starlings will roost together in groups of hundreds to thousands. It's usually during this same time that you'll see giant murmurations like this goose-shaped one:

One of the big surprises of the awards season has been the momentum of "Mad Max: Fury Road."

A hit summer movie with over $375 million earned worldwide and a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it seemed like another one of those beloved blockbusters that would be shut out come awards time.

But since its surprise best-movie win from the National Board of Review earlier this month, the latest entry in the "Max Max" series of action films has raked in honors from other critic guilds as well as two Golden Globes nominations (Best Picture and Best Director).

So is Oscar next?

“At this point I'd be shocked if ‘Mad Max’ didn't get a Best Picture nomination,” Yahoo Movies’ senior editor Kevin Polowy told Business Insider. “Recognition from the Golden Globes, National Board of Review, and AFI has really validated it as a serious Oscar contender.”

This is the kind of situation Hollywood wanted following the snubbing of 2008's "The Dark Knight," which many thought should have received a Best Picture Oscar nomination. That backlash led to the Academy expanding the Best Picture category's number of potential nominees to a maximum of 10 to give more than cerebral dramas a chance.

But the love for “Fury Road” is not universal among Academy voters — and the history of what gets awarded is stacked against it.

“When I saw it, I thought that it was really stupid,” one Oscar voter told BI. “I’m not going to vote for it.”

And it sounds like he’s not alone. “I had dinner with another voter the other night and that person felt the same way I do. That person isn’t voting for it,” the voter said. “It’s fun and interesting to look at, but it’s definitely not in my top five.” Which is the number of films each voter selects for the Best Picture category's nominating process.

Since the Best Picture expansion to 10 potential nominees in 2009, only four genre-oriented films have made it into the Best Picture category:  "Avatar" (2009), "District 9" (2009), "Inception" (2010), and "Gravity" (2013). And of those, none was a sequel from a longtime franchise, and none won.

We’ll see when Academy Awards nominations are announced on January 14 if "Fury Road" will be added to this short list.

SEE ALSO: The 10 highest-grossing movies of all time — there's one movie that beats "Star Wars"

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NOW WATCH: The infamous pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli has been arrested

There's no more powerful force in pop than the Taylor Swift co-sign.

In recent months, Swift has been introducing her massive fan base to artists on the cusp of going mainstream, and usually helping them over the edge.

These endorsements take different forms. Sometimes it's something as simple as her tweeting out an album cover, sometimes as involved as Swift bringing a new artist on stage with her, in front of 50,000 people.

Either way, the artists who have been lucky enough to catch Swift's eye have gotten a huge boost.

Story by Tony Manfred and editing by Ben Nigh

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SEE ALSO: Taylor Swift on being a boss: 'You actually lose power when you scream at people'

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Ahead of the highly anticipated release of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," we talked to two Millennials who have never seen the original 1977 film that started all of the "Star Wars" mania. We lent them a copy of the movie on DVD and they shared their reactions to the classic space adventure. 

Produced by Graham Flanagan

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The fate of Martin Shkreli's exclusive copy of Wu-Tang Clan's "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin" album is uncertain.

Last week it was revealed that Shkreli purchased the only copy of the hip-hop group's latest album for $2 million. 

On Thursday, Shkreli was arrested by the FBI on charges of securities fraud.

Toward the end of its complaint the US government notes it may "seek forfeiture" of "any property, real or personal, which constitutes or is derived from proceeds traceable to any such offenses."

This language quickly led to speculation on social media that Shkreli's latest purchase could be at risk of being seized by the US government. During a press conference on Thursday, a US attorney declined to comment on the fate of the album.

New York's FBI bureau Tweeted that it did not take the Wu-Tang Clan album.

Shkreli, who is 32 and currently serves as the CEO of KaloBios, gained notoriety in September after it was revealed that as CEO of another company, Turing Pharmaceuticals, he had raised the price of a drug used to treat parasitic infections from $13.50 to $750 per pill. Shkreli is a hip-hop aficionado and recently referenced rapper Eminem's lyrics after facing backlash on social media for this decision.

KaloBios shares were halted for trade on Thursday but fell 50% before the market open following reports of Shkreli's arrest. 

SEE ALSO: Shkreli arrested

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NOW WATCH: The infamous pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli has been arrested

To a World War II history buff, the iconic Millennium Falcon from "Star Wars" resembles one of the best-known bombers of all time.

The greenhouse cockpit configuration, along with the gun turrets, aboard the ship was lifted straight out of the blueprints for the Boeing B-29 Superfortress.

The Superfortress was a workhorse of the US Army Air Forces that was best known for dropping atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

"Star Wars" creator George Lucas is known to have studied 20 to 25 hours of footage from World War II dogfights while doing research for the film.

Ian D'Costa of Tactical Air Network notes that Lucas became particularly enamored with the B-29 and sought to re-create its signature greenhouse-style cockpit with the Millennium Falcon.

According to a 1997 interview with Willard Huyck, a screenwriter who is a friend of Lucas, footage of World War II dogfights was used as a placeholder before the special effects were edited into the original film.

"So one second you're with the Wookiee in the spaceship and the next you're in 'The Bridges at Toko-Ri.' It was like, 'George, what-is-going-on?'" Huyck said.

In his book "Star Wars Storyboards: The Original Trilogy," visual effects artist Paul Huston said, "Joe (artist in charge of pyrotechnics) would show me a shot of a Japanese Zero flying left to right in front of a conning tower of an aircraft carrier and say, 'The aircraft carrier is the Death Star, the Zero is an X-wing. Do a board like that.'"

"One of the reasons I started writing "Star Wars" was because I wanted to see starships having exciting battles in space," Lucas said in Jonathan Rinzler's "The Making of Star Wars."

"I loved Flash Gordon and Buck Rodgers serials when I was a kid, but I thought I could create an experience closer to watching a dogfight in a World War II film — with incredible ships diving and banking in a realistic manner," Lucas continued, as noted by StarWars.com.

Whether the new "Star Wars" films will continue this tradition or look to emulate the tropes of more modern aviation is yet to be seen, but the team's shared enthusiasm for evoking past real-life battle scenes paid off in some of the most memorable, exciting scenes in film history.

SEE ALSO: The B-29 Superfortress debuted 73 years ago — relive its legacy in photos

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NOW WATCH: Everything that happened in the first six ‘Star Wars’ movies in 4 minutes

Singer Kelly Rowland is planning to re-enter the music business in a big way, a year after giving birth to her son, Titan. Rowland spoke to INSIDER while promoting her holiday partnership with Plenti rewards program.

"The first year has been awesome," Rowland said. "I think that for me it's blown my mind. It's challenged me. It has made me grow, tested my patience."

Rowland was one of two original members of the all-female super-group Destiny's Child, along with Beyoncé. Since then, she's gone on to be a Grammy-winner in her solo career. The past two years of her life have been busy — getting married and having a baby and whatnot — but she hasn't released a new album since 2013.

"I looked at all of my social media and it was one message after another, 'Where's the music? What are you going to do? We love Titan too, but where is the music?' So I was like okay, let me get my s--t together," she said.

Rowland has found her way back into the studio. In October, she released a new single, called "Dumb," that is getting great reviews. And though there are no firm dates for when she will release her next project, she said "Dumb" will definitely be part of whatever she drops next. 

Rowland said she is learning how to balance her career with being a mother, and that all of her time away from her son is spent in the studio.

"I don't make myself feel bad about that. I just think that [music] was a part of me before him, of course it's going to be part of me now," Rowland said.

She also told INSIDER that she is working on the video for her new song.

"It's going to be great. I'm super excited," she said.

Story and editing by Andrew Fowler 

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SEE ALSO: Taylor Swift on being a boss: 'You actually lose power when you scream at people.'

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It's not easy training to survive in a galaxy far, far away.

The new, younger cast members of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" spent months doing grueling work to prepare to join the franchise. And for the returning veterans like Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher, the process was very much the same.

For some, preparing meant a pep talk with Ford, and for others, it involved intense training with stunt coordinators and physical trainers.

See how the main cast members prepared below, and catch the film in theaters as it starts to roll out in them tonight:

SEE ALSO: How new 'Star Wars' star Adam Driver went from a former Marine to the Hollywood A-list

To prepare for his audition, John Boyega watched Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill's original audition tapes on YouTube.

"I watched their audition, and there was this casual approach to danger and to being a hero that I drew some inspiration from," he told CNET.

(Source: CNET)

On the other hand, Daisy Ridley avoided the original films for her preparation.

She told ABC News: "I'm really glad that I didn't know it that well, because I didn't feel like I was trying to fit into anything. I was just trying to do a good job."

(Source: ABC News)

Boyega and Ridley underwent rigorous training, which helped prepare them for filming in Abu Dhabi, which serves as the planet Jakku.

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One thing we know for sure: FX's "American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson" won't hold back on the drama. Or at least that's the impression given by the show's newest teaser.

There are a lot of tears and breakdowns in just 30 seconds of footage from the upcoming dramatized series about the Simpson murder case.

For example, O.J. Simpson (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) clutches a gun and leans into the corner of Kim Kardashian's bedroom. Her father and Simpson attorney (and friend) Robert Kardashian (David Schwimmer) then yells, "Do not kill yourself in Kimmy’s bedroom!"

In another scene, prosecutor Marcia Clark (Sarah Paulson) has buckled under all the pressure.

This is serious melodrama.

FX is hoping for another hit from "American Horror Story" co-creator Ryan Murphy with the upcoming true-crime anthology show.

Based on Jeffrey Toobin's book "The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson," the limited series will take a look at the O.J. Simpson trial from the perspective of the lawyers. It will explore the chaotic behind-the-scenes dealings and maneuvering on both sides of the court and how the LAPD's history with Los Angeles' African-American community affected the trial.

John Travolta, Courtney B. Vance, and Selma Blair also star on the series, which premieres on February 2, 2016.

Watch the teaser below:

SEE ALSO: See FX's 'American Crime Story' cast alongside the real players in the OJ Simpson trial

MORE: This chart shows the number of TV shows hit a 'staggering' new high in 2015

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NOW WATCH: LES MOONVES: Here is the biggest misconception about TV right now

Madonna is squashing longtime rumors of abuse during her relationship with actor Sean Penn in order to help in his $10 million lawsuit against "Empire" co-creator Lee Daniels.

"I am aware of the allegations that have surfaced over the years accusing Sean of incidents of physical assault and abuse against me," she said in a statement submitted in the lawsuit, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

She continued, "Specifically, I am aware of the allegations concerning an alleged incident that occurred in June, 1978, whereby (according to tabloid reports), Sean allegedly struck me with 'a baseball bat.' I know the allegations in those and other reports to be completely outrageous, malicious, reckless, and false."

She also said that Penn's arrest for alleged domestic assault and battery against her were based on false charges.

Madonna stated, "While we certainly had more than one heated argument during our marriage, Sean has never struck me, 'tied me up,' or physically assaulted me, and any report to the contrary is completely outrageous, malicious, reckless, and false."

Penn and Madonna were married from 1985 to 1989.

Penn is suing Daniels after the producer defended "Empire" star Terrence Howard against past domestic abuse charges during a THR interview by saying, "[Terrence] ain't done nothing different than Marlon Brando or Sean Penn, and all of a sudden he's some f—in' demon."

SEE ALSO: Sean Penn, Daniel Radcliffe, Elizabeth Banks are the latest victims of mean tweets on 'Jimmy Kimmel'

MORE: THE A-LIST: The 30 coolest, most famous people in Hollywood right now

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NOW WATCH: 50 Cent once sat in this home — which he can no longer afford — and told Oprah he would never go broke

A weather reporter in the UK honored the release of the latest "Star Wars" movie by jamming her latest forecast with "Star Wars" puns. She pulled off a similar weather report for "Back in the Future" in October.

"The Force Awakens" will be out in theaters on December 18th.

Story by Ian Phillips and editing by Carl Mueller

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SEE ALSO: The genius path George Lucas took to making billions off of 'Star Wars'

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Major geopolitical events have often been followed by volatility in the economy and financial markets.

World War II helped to shake the US out of the Great Depression. The Civil War set the economy of the Southern US back for generations.

Now you can add to those annals of financial catastrophes the Rebel Alliance's destruction of the Galactic Empire's Death Star.

Zachary Feinstein, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, published a study of the financial impact of the events in the Star Wars films on the economy of the fictional galaxy.

With tongue almost certainly in cheek, Feinstein wrote the paper exactly as you would any other academic finding.

"In this paper we study the financial repercussions of the destruction of two fully armed and operational moon-sized battle stations (“Death Stars”) in a 4-year period and the dissolution of the galactic government in Star Wars," began the abstract of the study.

"The emphasis of this work is to calibrate and simulate a model of the banking and financial systems within the galaxy. Along these lines, we measure the level of systemic risk that may have been generated by the death of Emperor Palpatine and the destruction of the second Death Star."

With full on footnotes and in-text citations to "Lucas" and "Kershner" (the screenwriters of Star Wars, George and Irvin respectively), Feinstein found that the destruction of the Death Stars and collapse of the Galactic Empire would throw the galactic economy into chaos.

"In this case study we found that the Rebel Alliance would need to prepare a bailout of at least 15%, and likely at least 20%, of [Gross Galactic Product] in order to mitigate the systemic risks and the sudden and catastrophic economic collapse," said the study. "Without such funds at the ready, it likely the Galactic economy would enter an economic depression of astronomical proportions."

The scale of the Galactic economy, as modeled by Feinstein, is massive. Average Gross Galactic Product, similar to our GDP, during the 20 year reign of the Empire is around $4.6 sextillion a year. For reference, a sextillion is a 1 followed by 21 zeros (in the US) and 59 million times the Earth's 2014 GDP.

Feinstein estimates that based on the cost of building the Death Stars, loans from the Galactic Banking system and a fiscally conservative Emperor, the government would default on $515.5 quintillion (1 and 18 zeroes in the US) in bonds.

This would then cause the galactic banking system to collapse, necessitating a bailout as over 1,700 banks would be "too big to fail."

As mentioned by Feinstein, this would again be a problem as the central government structure would most likely collapse after the death of the Emperor and the "scrappy underdogs", as Feinstein says, of the Rebel Alliance would be unlikely to pick up the slack.

Based on all of this analysis, maybe we should have been rooting for Darth Vader after all.

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Kelly Rowland exclusively told INSIDER that she's working on her first music video in two and half years.

"I haven’t said that to anybody, but that's what I’m working on right now, the video," Rowland revealed during a Skype interview.

 The video will be for her new song "Dumb," which she released at the end of October. 

"I can't say a lot, but I care about the feeling so much in this video," the former Destiny's Child member added. "I've been in rehearsals for it because the concept is brilliant. I'm super excited."

Rowland told us that she's not sure if  "Dumb" will be part of a new full album or a shorter EP, but whatever she decides, she said "Dumb" will be a part it.

Rowland has been taking a break from music since the birth of her son, Titan, in November 2014.

Story by Andrew Fowler 

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