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A movie about one of the most horrific moments in TV history has become the talk of the Sundance Film Festival

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kate plays christine

Ten years ago, when Robert Greene learned the story of Christine Chubbuck— a 1970s TV reporter in Sarasota, Florida, who was the first person to commit suicide on live television — two things instantly came to him: "How do you make a film about someone who kills themselves?" and "I need to see the footage."

With the most mundane moments of our lives now captured and immediately put online for the world to see, Greene was shocked to find that not only was no footage of the Chubbuck suicide online (supposedly Paddy Chayefsky was inspired to write the Howard Beale character in "Network" based on Chubbuck's suicide), but there was no video of the reporter period.

"She went on television to commit suicide so people would see it, and that has been lost," Greene told Business Insider. "There's such pathetic irony to that."

Christine_Chubbuck wikipediaAs the years passed and Greene began making movies that walked the line between nonfiction and fiction — like 2012's "Fake It So Real," which looks at the independent professional-wrestling circuit, and 2014's "Actress," an intimate study of character actress Brandy Burre ("The Wire") — Greene couldn't escape the Chubbuck story.

With Chubbuck essentially a pre-internet folk story — as years had passed since Greene learned of the suicide and the footage of the suicide still hadn't surfaced — he decided to start the Chubbuck project, but with a unique angle.

"I never wanted to make a straightforward story," Greene said. "The title of the movie actually became the full idea."

"Kate Plays Christine," which premiered Sunday at the Sundance Film Festival amid much conversation about it, is a part documentary, part fictionalized narrative that explores Chubbuck through actress Kate Lyn Sheil ("House of Cards"), who plays Chubbuck in scripted scenes depicting key moments leading up to her death while also chronicling Sheil's journey in Sarasota by talking to people who knew Chubbuck.

Greene captures the similarities between the women — Chubbuck's frustrations about not being taken seriously as a journalist in a male-dominated industry; Sheil's concerns about being pigeonholed into one type of character — while also delving into Sheil's struggles to truthfully represent Chubbuck in the scripted scenes with little to no source material. (Sheil is actually not the only actress to play Chubbuck in a Sundance movie; Rebecca Hall plays her in the film "Christine.")

Kate Lyn Sheil Jamie McCarthy Getty final"Kate is the film," Greene said. "Kate is someone I'm friends with but also someone I find very interesting to watch on-screen because I don't know where things come from, and as a documentary filmmaker, I'm fascinated by that."

Sheil acknowledges, however, that her performance is not without some dramatics for the camera.

"It's simultaneously genuine and completely fabricated," Sheil told Business Insider of her performance in the film. "It's me knowing what Robert was trying to do, being frustrated by that, but playing it up."

For example, in one scene, Sheil tries to do one of the scripted scenes but stops and tells Greene it's not working. When one of her costars gives her encouragement, Sheil lashes out at her. Asked how real that scene was, Sheil acknowledged she would never talk to another actor that way in real life.

But that aspect of performing for the camera was something Greene wanted to explore in the film, since many documentaries are not as authentically "real" as we may think.

"If you have a camera, you have a performance — that's just a fact," Greene said. "Most documentaries are so eager to hide that because authenticity is this gift to the audience: 'I didn't make this up.' But it's a film — it's not reality. One of the things we're trying to do in the film is to take that as a starting point, not an endpoint."

Robert Greene Andrew H. Walker Getty finalAnd then there was the ending of the movie. Did the filmmakers want to reenact a suicide? What of substance would it give the audience?

Greene and Sheil said they didn't come up with the film's ending until the night before they shot it.

"I didn't want to pull the trigger, but flying down to Florida, the plan was to reenact the suicide," Sheil said.

Going back and forth with ideas, the two, along with cinematographer Sean Price Williams, finally landed on an ending they all agreed on (the ending was filmed on the 41st anniversary of Chubbuck's suicide), which was greatly influenced by a discovery they made in the reporting for the movie.

"The ending to me is everything I care about in movies," Greene said. "The way it came about was a very documentary way. We have a scene and we've talked to people, and now it's an absolute collision of fiction and nonfiction."

A melodrama wrapped in an investigative documentary, "Kate Plays Christine" is a unique story that explores depression, female stereotypes, and privacy in a time when all-access is the norm.

It's a movie that will leave you with more questions than answers, and Greene wouldn't have it any other way.

"The point of the movie is this is what it takes to tell this story," he said. "So when the audience is asking, 'Is it real?' — 'Is Kate deciding to do that, or did Robert tell her to do that?' — we're inviting those thoughts because most films don't invite those thoughts, and it's fruitful because I think that is the nature of the Christine Chubbuck story."

SEE ALSO: These A-list celebrities are blowing off the Oscars this year — here's why

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Fox scored a huge ratings win with the 'X-Files' revival

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x files revival premiere ratings

Fox scored a win on Sunday night with its launch of "The X-Files" revival.

Even though the episode started later than expected after the NFC Championship game between the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers, the series attracted 13.5 million viewers and a 5.1 rating in the advertiser-c0veted 18-to-49-year-old audience, according to Variety.

That's a pretty good live viewing number these days. For comparison, Fox's highest-rated series, "Empire," averages 12.3 million viewers and a 4.77 rating. And the show's final-season finale about 13 years ago was viewed by 13.3 million people.

Variety believes "The X-Files" could have gotten more viewers if the game had been a closer match and more dramatic. Instead, the Panthers beat the Cardinals 49 to 15.

Fox placed a lot of marketing dollars behind "The X-Files" revival. It began promoting the show 10 months ago, according to TheWrap, with early screenings, teasers, and trailers. On Friday, it actually "crashed" a UFO at popular L.A. shopping center the Grove.

On Monday, Fox will air the second episode of "The X-Files" revival at 8 p.m. with the hope that it will boost the 9 p.m. premiere of new series "Lucifer," which is based on the DC comic.

SEE ALSO: Don't call 'The X-Files' return a reboot, says show creator — here's why

SEE ALSO: How the revived 'X-Files' made that massive life-size alien spaceship for its pricey premiere

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Here are the 14 Netflix original movies coming out in 2016 and what you need to know about them

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crouching tiger hidden dragon sequel

Fourteen Netflix original films, produced or purchased by the company, have been announced. The first to be released is a sequel to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," which will hit the service on February 26.

Other films set for a 2016 release include the Brad Pitt-starring "War Machine" and Ricky Gervais' "Special Correspondents."

Netflix also just acquired the rights to two films from the Sundance Film Festival: "The Fundamentals of Caring" and "Tallulah."

Only three films have official release dates, but check out the 14 films in the pipeline below:

SEE ALSO: The 28 original Netflix shows and movies we know will be released in 2016

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny" (February 26)

Netflix description: "In this sequel to 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' four Martial World heroes must keep the legendary Green Destiny sword from villainous Hades Dai."

Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Donnie Yen, Harry Shum Jr., Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Jason Scott Lee, and Veronica Ngo.



"Pee-wee’s Big Holiday" (March 18)

Netflix description: "A fateful meeting with a mysterious stranger inspires Pee-wee Herman to take his first-ever holiday in this epic story of friendship and destiny."

Starring: Paul Reubens, Joe Manganiello, Alia Shawkat, Stephanie Beatriz, and Jessica Pohly.



"Special Correspondents" (April 29)

Netflix description: "Ricky Gervais' hilarious comedy follows a struggling radio journalist and his hapless technician faking frontline war reports from an NYC hideout." 

Starring: Ricky Gervais, Eric Bana, Vera Farmiga, Kelly Macdonald, Kevin Pollak, and America Ferrera.



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We talked to Don Cheadle about his new Miles Davis movie, biopics, and why he's not boycotting the Oscars

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Don Cheadle has spent his career showing off his abilities in a diverse set of roles that are dramatic, funny, and complex. And all of those led him to playing Miles Davis in the movie "Miles Ahead," which he also directed, wrote, and produced. 

The irony is that, for an actor who is best known for taking on biographical roles — particularly his Oscar-nominated performance in "Hotel Rwanda" as hotel owner Paul Rusesabagina, who housed over a thousand Tutsi refugees during the Rwandan Genocide — he did not want to do a straightforward Miles Davis biopic.

Instead, "Miles Ahead" is an action-packed, drug-fueled heist movie that follows Davis during a dark period in his life and a reporter trying to write the legendary musician's comeback story (Ewan McGregor) as they race around Manhattan trying to score drugs and reclaim demo music that was stolen from Davis.

There are biographical themes throughout the movie, as Davis' music comes to the fore and we get flashbacks of his life, but the focus is on a broken man who is blocked creatively.

Getting the film made has been a 10-year journey for Cheadle. He talked to Business Insider at the Sundance Film Festival about the struggle to complete it, why all biopics are fictional, and his thoughts on another year of the Oscars lacking diversity.

Don Cheadle Nicholas Hunt Getty
BI: Was there ever a time when you wanted this to be a straight-up biopic?

Cheadle: Never.

BI: Would this have been made sooner if you went a more traditional route?

Cheadle: Only if I got a white actor to be in it some way. And that's the reality. That's when the money got triggered, is when we cast Ewan McGregor. They would have said, "That's great, I love the whole idea and the Miles music, now where's the white guy?" [Laughs] That's what the question continued to be.

But pre-dating any Ewan involvement, when [Davis' nephew] Vince Wilburn Jr. announced at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducting ceremony for Miles Davis in 2006 that they were going to do a Miles Davis movie and I was going to play him, which had not been told to me, people started calling me and asked when the movie starts and I'm like, "What are you talking about?"

BI: So how did your name even get on his radar?

Cheadle: I think some writers that were going to write the script had mentioned me as a good person to play Miles, because at the time I was the biopic guy. Which was another reason why I didn't want to do it. I did not want to do another biopic. Thank you "Hotel Rwanda," it changed my life. "The Rat Pack" was great, and "Rebound" for HBO. Working with these real people, it was amazing. But I want to also do parts that are just regular dudes.

So I wasn't looking forward to the biopic idea. And when I met with them a week later after his announcement, all of their pitches were kind of that. And I said, "Thank you for thinking of me, I would love to play him if you come up with something that's kind of hot." I said, "I think you should do something where Miles is a G. I want Miles to be a gangster, I want it to be gunslinging and car chases and girls." I wanted to write a movie that Miles would want to star in. I said, "If you come up with anything like that I'm down." And I left. I was literally a block away and I thought, who's going to do that? I realized, only I can do it. And that started the journey.

BI: And directing the movie — is that another thing you realized only you could do?

Cheadle: Yeah, I was like, I guess I will have to do this, too. I have to pick up the whole thing and put it on my back. And when it became real, I didn't want to do it. When we were at points where we could get it made, we tried to bring in a director that was more seasoned that a studio or an independent financier would have more confidence in. We were just trying to get to a "Yes." So I tried to give the directing away, two or three years ago. Let me just be in it, I don't need to do both. But it became clear that it was only going to get made if I did it all.

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BI: You've worked with so many great directors. Can absorbing what they do on set help at all when you are then the director of a movie?

Cheadle: I think so. The best thing that I learned from the best directors that I worked with is that the best answer wins. They are ego-less when it comes to doing the most important thing.

BI: What did the Davis estate think when they saw footage of Miles playing, basically, a gangster?

Cheadle: There were several come-to-Jesus moments about many different things in the film. But at the end of the day, we kept hearing Miles' voice in our heads, which said, "Don't be safe." Any time it got sticky and people wanted to pull back, it was like, "Do you think Miles would want to pull back right now?" And they would all talk amongst themselves and would come up with, "Yeah, he was wild. He did do this." If you read his autobiography, he doesn't shy away from any of it. He says it all.

BI: Do you read reviews of your work?

Cheadle: I think if you're going to read reviews, you have to just concede that they are all right. And I think I read two very diametrically opposed reviews about my movie and I had to go, yeah, I agree with both of them.

BI: Is that the same when you're just starring in the movie?

Cheadle: I don't read reviews.

BI: But now being a director you were more curious?

Cheadle: I was brought into the curiosity of it because with Sony Pictures Classics, which bought the movie, they look into what the feedback is and base that off of how they release it, and you end up hearing the feedback and getting that early talk. So the reviews early on that were "bad reviews," they were kind of reviewing another movie.

BI: They wanted that biopic.

Cheadle: That's right. They felt there was some kind of bait-and-switch, though I have never said anything but the exact opposite. If anyone ever said biopic I would say, "It's not a biopic." We're fighting uphill against the weight of history. I was like, why don't we just call it historical fiction?

BI: Which is what a lot of biopics are.

Cheadle: Every. Single. One. Let me tell you. Paul Rusesabagina sat right next to me when we were making "Hotel Rwanda" and we'd finish a scene and I would turn to him and ask, "Was it like that?" And he would shrug. But I get it, it's a movie. You're trying to encapsulate somebody's life in 90 minutes or two hours. You cannot do it, and why do it? If you're going to do a Miles Davis story like that you need six movies.

hotel rwanda lions gate
BI: Do you have the directing bug, do you want to direct again?

Cheadle: I direct on my show "House of Lies," but that's very different. I would be interested in doing a feature again. But I don't think I would do it like this again.

BI: What are your thoughts on the diversity issue that's come up with the Oscar nominations? Which is nothing new.

Cheadle: There you go.

BI: But the last two years it's gotten a lot of media attention.

Cheadle: It's social media. And I guess I have to take some responsibility for it because I wrote a tweet that apparently was earth-shattering

BI: But that was you joking.

Cheadle: Yeah, that was me f------g around with [Oscar host] Chris [Rock]. But as the best jokes are, they are about some real s---. So I was joking about some real s---. Which is why I think it became sort of a lightning rod for everyone that has an opinion about this to latch onto and pick a side. It has so much more to do with what's happening at a studio level. Where the money is being spent, things are getting green-lit, there's where we're talking about access, what works overseas. But all of these things are the underpinning of what happens in two weeks from now when somebody's going to get a statue.

And it's not just black people. That's the other thing about this issue, it's conflated with just black and white and it's not that at all. It's diversity, it's something that looks more like the landscape of the country. And it's not about then we get the statues we deserve, it's not that. It's that everyone should be able to participate in this silly contest, which is how I feel about it. We're not talking about you scored more points than me and I know that you won and I lost, those are clear results. This is about people's opinions and their subjective takes on things, people that sometimes haven't seen all of the movies they're voting on.

BI: Did anyone ever approach you about boycotting the Oscars?

Cheadle: Nobody said anything to me about that. Boycott the Oscars this year? With Chris Rock as the host? In this moment? No chance in hell. I think this could be a career-defining moment for him. And there's no better person to do it. He should skewer everybody.

BI: Are you going to the Oscars?

Cheadle: No. I don't go to any of those things unless I'm nominated.

"Miles Ahead" opens April 1.

 

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A 21-year-old who looks exactly like Taylor Swift shut down the people who body-shamed her

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Keitra Jane is a 21-year-old student at the University of Utah who looks so much like Taylor Swift that she gets stopped on the street for photos.

Recently, her resemblance to the pop star took an alarming turn when internet commentators criticized her weight on a YouTube video. Instead of ignoring the haters, Jane used them to make a statement.

Story by Tony Manfred and editing by Stephen Parkhurst

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Matthew Perry says he can't remember 3 years of shooting 'Friends' because of alcohol and drug abuse

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Getty Images matthew perry on addiction friends reunion

Actor Matthew Perry says he can't remember shooting three years of the hit NBC comedy "Friends."

Perry, who is working on the play "The End of Longing" in London, appeared on BBC Radio 2 on Friday.

When asked by fellow guest, actor James Nesbitt, about his least favorite "Friends" episode, Perry answered, "I think the answer is 'I don't remember three years of it.'"

He went on to explain:

"A little bit of the time, I was pretty out of it, yeah ... Anyway, my answer to your question is somewhere between seasons three and six."

The actor was admitted to rehab twice during his time on "Friends." He said in a 2013 interview with People magazine that he had already been abusing alcohol when he started the job when he was 24 years old, around 1994, and then became addicted to prescription pain medication after a 1997 Jet Ski accident.

He insisted that he was never "high at work" — just "painfully hungover."

Friends thanksgiving episode"Eventually things got so bad I couldn't hide it and everybody knew," he said. "I was a hopelessly narcissistic guy, and I only thought about myself, and then that just shifted, and when that happened, I got some true happiness and comfort in my life."

Although Perry couldn't make the "Friends" reunion on NBC's special, "Must See TV: A Tribute to James Burrows," which airs February 21, the actor told BBC Radio 2 that he and the other stars would do a reunion.

"I think the actors would actually be open to it," the 46-year-old said. "We would be open to doing something, some kind of maybe TV special. I don't know about a movie. It's kind of tough, because we ended on such a high note. We don't want to ruin it. So we'd want to be really careful. Sometimes when you do a reunion, it's terrible and sort of ruins the memory of the good show that you've done before. So we'd have to be careful."

SEE ALSO: The 'Friends' cast got back together for an NBC special reunion

DON'T MISS: Seth Meyers will host 'Late Night' until at least 2021 — but NBC denies grooming him for 'Tonight Show'

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Mark Wahlberg, Puff Daddy, and more celebrities donate 1 million bottles of water to Flint, Michigan

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Mark Wahlberg

Celebrity donations are pouring into Flint, Michigan, to help with the city's water crisis. 

California bottled-water company AQUAhydrate, owned in part by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs and Mark Wahlberg, has pledged to send one million bottles of water to the city's residents. Five thousand cases have been sent and are set to reach the city by mid-week. 

The company has also partnered with Eminem and Wiz Khalifa to send donations.

 

SEE ALSO: President Obama to Flint, Michigan: 'We have your back'

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B.o.B thinks the earth is flat and Neil deGrasse Tyson just shut him down

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b.o.b. rapperRapper and singer Bobby Ray Simmons Jr., better known as B.o.B, took to Twitter Sunday night through Monday insisting that earth is flat and providing "proof" with some photos and supposed facts, but astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson shut him down with some fast facts. 

Tyson responded to some of B.o.B's tweets with corrections. In response to one that said you shouldn't be able to see the New York City skyline from Harriman State Park's Bear Mountain, Tyson tweeted that the city would be blocked if the buildings in Manhattan weren't tall enough to be seen.

Another of B.o.B.'s tweets said you shouldn't be able to see Polaris, the North Star, from the Southern hemisphere. Tyson explained that the North Star does disappear once you head south of the Equator.

Tyson added that thinking the earth is flat is "a problem only when people in charge think that way. No law stops you from regressively basking in it." And his final quip: "Duude — to be clear: Being five centuries regressed in your reasoning doesn’t mean we all can’t still like your music."

 B.o.B responded to Tyson, telling him to fly to the moon and let people see him through a telescope. 

 

SEE ALSO: How the revived 'X-Files' made that massive life-size alien spaceship for its pricey premiere

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Fox's '24' spin-off has a new star in Corey Hawkins, who played Dr. Dre in 'Straight Outta Compton'

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Fox has found its new Kiefer Sutherland.

"Straight Outta Compton" star Corey Hawkins has been cast as the male lead on Fox's "24" spin-off, the network announced via a press release on Monday.

Hawkins will play Eric Carter, a military hero who returns to the US with trouble following him back. That leads him to contacting the CTU, the counterterrorism group that Sutherland's Jack Bauer is a part of, for help in saving his life and trying to stop what could be one of the largest terrorist attacks on American soil.

With TV trying to diversify its casting, the role was originally written for a young, African-American actor.

Aside from starring in the NWA biopic "Straight Outta Compton" as Dr. Dre, Hawkins played Heath on AMC’s "The Walking Dead." According to the release, he will next be seen in "Kong: Skull Island" with Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, and Brie Larson. A graduate of Juilliard, Hawkins also previously starred on Broadway in "Romeo & Juliet."

The Walking Dead corey hawkins amcAnnounced during the Television Critics Association press tour in Los Angeles earlier this month, the potential series will feature new characters and cast members but stick with the real-time feel of each episode representing one hour. The network had been developing the show since last summer.

Howard Gordon, Manny Coto, and Evan Katz of the original show will be executive producers on the new project. The pilot is set to start shooting this winter. Stephen Hopkins, who directed the original show's first season, will return to direct the spin-off pilot.

It's important to remember that many pilots never make it to TV. If the pilot is good and Fox orders it to series, it will probably air in the fall.

The original "24" ran for eight seasons, starting in 2001. Sutherland last reprised his role for Fox's 2014 limited series, "24: Live Another Day."

SEE ALSO: Fox is creating an all-new '24' spin-off with a fresh face as the star

SEE ALSO: Fox scored a huge ratings win with the 'X-Files' revival

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NOW WATCH: Here’s how to get your own 'Straight Outta Compton' Facebook photo

Miley Cyrus will star in Woody Allen's new Amazon show (AMZN)

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Miley Cyrus

Pop singer Miley Cyrus will star in the original television show that famed director Woody Allen is writing and producing for Amazon, Deadline reveals

The ecommerce company signed on Allen last January to write a show about whatever he wanted.

Although Allen confessed to struggling with ideas back in May, causing him to regret his decision to sign on with Amazon, he now plans to begin shooting a 1960s-rooted show starring Cyrus and Elaine May in March. 

Although Amazon has released a handful of original television shows, its two biggest have been "Transparent" and "Mozart in the Jungle," both of which won Golden Globes. Cyrus' high-profile hire can't promise anything about the quality of Allen's show, though it will likely help attract eyeballs.

Amazon uses its TV and movie streaming service to help drive sign-ups and renewals for its Prime shopping subscription program. The company spent an estimated $3 billion last year on its streaming music and video services. 

In other Amazon streaming news: The company just bought distribution rights for the drama "Manchester By The Sea." Sources tell The Wall Street Journal that it paid a $10 million for the film, which stars Casey Affleck. 

SEE ALSO: Amazon Prime is growing like crazy

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FOX NEWS: Why is Donald Trump showing so 'much fear' of Megyn Kelly?

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A Fox News representative said on Monday that the network was "surprised" that Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump was showing such "fear" of host Megyn Kelly.

"Sooner or later Donald Trump, even if he's president, is going to have to learn that he doesn't get to pick the journalists — we're very surprised he's willing to show that much fear about being questioned by Megyn Kelly," the Fox representative told Business Insider in a statement.

The statement was reacting to a new CNN interview in which Trump suggested that he would consider not attending the Fox-hosted primary debate on Thursday because Kelly is set to be one of the three moderators. Trump claimed that she is too biased to treat him fairly.

Trump said:

I'll see. If I think I'm going to be treated unfairly, I'd do something else. But I don't think she can treat me fairly, actually. I think she's very biased. And I don't think she can treat me fairly. But that doesn't mean I don't do the debates. I like doing the debate. I've won every single debate, according to every poll.

Trump has been launching attacks against Kelly since last August, when she was one of three moderators at the first Fox-hosted debate. Kelly infuriated Trump at the time by asking a critical question about disparaging comments he's made about women's looks.

Fox News told the Los Angeles Times in August that the three moderators of that debate — Kelly and Fox anchors Bret Baier and Chris Wallace — would be returning to moderate the network's January debate.

Trump stressed to CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer on Monday that he was not a fan of how Kelly moderated that first debate, which he said he nevertheless won.

He said:

I thought she was very unfair in the last debate. A lot of people said I won that debate. ... But I'm not a fan of Megyn Kelly. I don't like her. She probably doesn't like me. And that's OK. But she better be fair. I'd like to go to the debate. I enjoy the debates. I've done well in the debates. Every single poll has said I've won every single debate. But we're going to see what happens. It's going to be exciting.

Trump has toyed with not attending such events in the past.

He demanded that CNBC's debate be two hours instead of three and he urged CNN to donate millions of dollars in ad revenue — boosted by his presence on the stage — to charity. It was ultimately two hours long, but CNN didn't budge on the charity-contribution issue. Trump attended both.

SEE ALSO: Fox News defends Megyn Kelly after Donald Trump says she shouldn't be 'allowed' to moderate the next debate

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Here's everything we know about the Super Bowl ads so far

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super bowl ads

Super Bowl 50 is fast-approaching and some brands have already released teasers about the ads they will be airing during the big game.

The average cost of a 30-second slot during the Super Bowl has soared to $5 million this year — up 11% on the highest price last year's broadcaster NBC banked for its Super Bowl commercials. This year's broadcaster, CBS, has hinted that the last available ad space could even fetch as much as $6 million.

Here's everything we know so far about which brands are advertising during the Super Bowl and what they've got planned.

We've organized the brands in alphabetical order for ease of navigation. We'll keep updating this post right up until February 7, when you can follow our live coverage.

 

Acura

The automaker's ad will air during the first quarter and will serve to launch the new $156,000 NSX supercar — the most expensive car ever advertised in a Super bowl ad, according to I4U News

There are not any more details out on the creative, yet.

Acura last featured in the Super Bowl in 2012, with a 60-second spot starring Jerry Seinfeld. Here's that ad:

Youtube Embed:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/1LofPu0ycbo
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Height: 315px



Apartments.com

Jeff Goldblum is continuing his role as brand ambassador for Apartments.com, reprising his role from its previous ads as eccentric Silicon Valley exec "Brad Bellflower," The WSJ reported.

The 60-second spot, entitled "MovinOnUp," has been created by ad agency RPA. It will air in the second commercial break of the game.

Here's a previous Apartments.com spot, with Goldblum as Bellflower.



Audi

The German car company is returning to the Super Bowl with an advert titled "The Commander," reports I4U News.

The 60 second long slot will cost the company around $10 million. There is no information on which car will be featured in the ad.

Audi last advertised at the Super Bowl in 2014, where they touted the Audi A3. Here's the full cut:

Youtube Embed:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/G2Y6tpQD9Nc
Width: 850px
Height: 450px

 



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Amazon and Netflix are the top movie buyers out of Sundance so far

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manchester by the seaStreaming services Netflix and Amazon are the top buyers out of Sundance so far.

Amazon has acquired four films and Netflix has purchased three, halfway through the 11-day Sundance Film Festival that's currently running. Most traditional distributors still haven't picked up anything.

Sian Heder, the director of Netflix-acquired "Tallulah," told the New York Times, “You always want your film to be shown on a big screen with perfect sound and the best projection, but that’s not always the reality anymore. The way that people consume media is changing.”

Some of the films purchased by the two companies will actually end up getting theatrical runs, such as the Amazon-purchased "Manchester by the Sea," starring Casey Affleck, Kyle Chandler, and Michelle Williams, from writer/director Kenneth Lonergan.

“For every movie that we do, we want as robust a theatrical run as the film will support,” Roy Price, head of Amazon Studios, told the Times. 

That sentiment may come as a surprise to some, coming after Netflix failed in an Oscar bid for its film "Beasts of No Nation," which flopped in theaters with just $90,777 in box-office gross (it was released for streaming at the same time). Amazon's "Chi-Raq," which opened in theaters before arriving on the streaming platform, fared better with $2.6 million.

SEE ALSO: We talked to Don Cheadle about his new Miles Davis movie, biopics, and why he's not boycotting the Oscars

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Here's everything coming to Netflix in February that you need to watch

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Netflix is reviving some old favorites in February with new Netflix originals.

A sequel to Oscar-winning film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and a "Full House" reboot, "Fuller House," are both coming to the streaming service next month.

Other Netflix originals hitting the web are two comedy specials, from Hannibal Buress and Theo Von.

The first season of "Better Call Saul" and part two of the final season of "Mad Men" are also making their way online. 

Here's everything you should check out in February, with our highlights at the top: 

TVmad men"Mad Men" (Season 7, Part 2) — Available 02/05
Last year was the end of an era for ad man Don Draper, and if you've been waiting to see where he ended up, you'll finally be able to watch the final seven episodes of this beloved drama on Netflix. And if you're just looking to start, all of the seasons are currently on Netflix. 

"Fuller House" — Season 1 (NETFLIX ORIGINAL) — Available 02/26
Netflix is reviving "Full House" and most of the original cast is involved. DJ Tanner calls on her sister Stephanie and friend Kimmy to help her raise her three boys in the house the Tanner family grew up in. 

Movies
DOPE2 final
"Dope" — Available 02/10 
This coming-of-age dramedy follows Malcolm, a geek obsessed with 1990s hip-hop culture, whose dream is to attend Harvard. But life gets a little wild for Malcolm and his friends after they meet a local drug dealer.  

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny" (NETFLIX ORIGINAL) — Available 02/26
Michelle Yeoh reprises her role from 2000's Oscar-winning film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" for this sequel about four Martial World heroes tasked with keeping the Green Destiny sword out of evil hands. 

Available 02/01/16

"Better Call Saul" (Season 1) 
"Masha's Tales" (Season 1) 
"Pokémon: XY" (Season 1) 
"The Lizzie Borden Chronicles" (Season 1) 
"Collateral Damage" 
"Sin City" 
"Armageddon" 
"Scooby-Doo" 
"Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed" 
"Cruel Intentions" 
"Teen Witch" 
"Para Elisa" 
"Charlie's Angeles" 
"Full Metal Jacket" 
"Johnny English" 
"A Picture of You" 
"Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" 
"Stardust" 
"Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" 
"The Little Engine That Could" 
"A Faster Horse" 
"Game Face"
"Jennifer 8" 
"Losing Isaiah" 
"My Side of the Mountain" 
"Tin Man: Search for the Emerald" 
"The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom" 
"Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction" 

Available 02/02/16

"Land Before Time: XIV — Journey of the Brave" 

Available 02/03/16

"I Love You Phillip Morris" 

Available 02/04/16

"Love" 

Available 02/05/16

"Hannibal Buress: Comedy Camisado" (NETFLIX ORIGINAL) 
"Care Bears & Cousins" — Season 2 (NETFLIX ORIGINAL)
"Turbo: F.A.S.T." — Season 3 (NETFLIX ORIGINAL) 
"Mad Men" (Season 7, Part 2) 

Available 02/06/16

"Lila & Eve" 

Available 02/10/16

"Dope" 
"The Girl in the Book" 

Available 02/13/16

"The Face of Love" 

Available 02/15/16

"Open Season" 
"XXY" 

Available 02/16/16

"Atonement" 
"Asthma" 

Available 02/17/16

"The Returned" (Season 2) 

Available 02/19/16

"Cooked" — Season 1 (NETFLIX ORIGINAL)
"Love" — Season 1 (NETFLIX ORIGINAL) 

Available 02/22/16

"3rd World Cops 2" 

Available 02/23/16

"Bare" 

Available 02/24/16

"Marvel Super Hero Adventures: Frost Fight!" 

Available 02/26/16

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny" (NETFLIX ORIGINAL) 
"Theo Von: No Offense" (NETFLIX ORIGINAL)
"Fuller House" — Season 1 (NETFLIX ORIGINAL)

Available 02/27/16

"Finding Vivian Maier" 

Available 02/29/16

"Ashes and Embers" 

SEE ALSO: Here are the 14 Netflix original movies coming out in 2016 — and what you need to know about them

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Stephen Colbert explains why he thinks Donald Trump doesn't really want to be president at all

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stephen colbert late show donald trump shooting cbs

Stephen Colbert has an interesting theory about Donald Trump's desire to run for president. He thinks the politician's outlandish comments are cries for help.

He laid out the theory on Monday's "Late Show" after Trump told an audience in Iowa over the weekend that his voters are so loyal, "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody. And I wouldn't lose any voters, OK?"

Colbert's thinking comes days before the first primary vote, as many in the Republican party contemplate what's in store for them in the election. The National Review published an entire "Against Trump" issue with essays by prominent Republicans. And yet, Trump still holds the No. 1 position in the polls.

"That's right. Trump's voters will not leave," Colbert said. "I think that represents a huge problem for one person: Donald Trump. Because when I hear this man say 'nothing can stop me from winning, not even shooting people,' I don't hear an appeal to voters — I hear a cry for help."

Republican dismay isn't just over Trump's staying power. Texas senator Ted Cruz is Trump's closest rival in the polls, but he's so disliked in his own party, the Associated Press reported that Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina told supporters at a campaign fundraiser that he would vote for Bernie Sanders before Cruz.

stephen colbert late show ted cruz bernie sanders cbs

"Ted, you just got thrown under the bus, and it's a VW biodiesel," Colbert, who introduced Cruz as a "half-melted GI Joe," joked.

So, what does this all mean for Trump? He may actually become president, which Colbert doesn't believe he really wants.

"Let's remember, here's a guy who ran for president probably to promote his reality show, or his mattress brand, or his line of premium ex-wives," the host said. "And now he looks like he might actually win. And no matter what he says or does — criticizing women, attacking Mexicans, banning Muslims, saying John McCain is a loser for being a prisoner of war — none of it affects his popularity. So he may not be saying, 'I can shoot someone and still be elected president.' He may be saying, 'I can shoot someone and still be elected president? [silently mouths] Help me.'

"Because Donald Trump can't really want to be president," he finished.

Watch Colbert make his argument about Trump's run below:

SEE ALSO: Stephen Colbert calls out Donald Trump for apparent Bible goof

SEE ALSO: Tracy Morgan threatens to 'go back in the coma' after he finds out Donald Trump is leading polls

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NOW WATCH: Watch Tina Fey take on Sarah Palin's Trump endorsement speech on SNL


Facebook has its first video star — and he just got signed to a big Hollywood talent agency (FB)

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buzzfeed matt bellassai

Matt Bellassai, a BuzzFeed employee who has made a name for himself as a Facebook video star, just got signed to CAA, a big Hollywood talent agency.

Variety broke the news Tuesday, which Bellassai then confirmed on Twitter

Bellassai is perhaps best known for his BuzzFeed video series, which is published on Facebook and YouTube.

It's called "Whine About It," and it consists of Bellassai getting drunk in BuzzFeed's offices (or in other locations — recently, he filmed one installment in Los Angeles) and talking about everything from the worst kinds of people on airplanes to why Christmas as an adult isn't fun.

Bellassai, who has 1.5 million Facebook fans and whose videos get 3.5 million weekly views mostly on Facebook, will be working with CAA on projects that could include a podcast, TV shows, a live comedy tour, and even a book of essays.

He will be ending his BuzzFeed series to focus on his new solo projects. BuzzFeed will retain control of his Facebook page after the last episode of "Whine About It" airs this week. Bellassai, 25, has worked for BuzzFeed for the past three years as a producer and writer.

At the 2016 People's Choice Awards, Bellassai was voted “favorite social-media star."

“I’m an Internet comedian,” Bellassai told Variety. “I’d describe what I do as getting drunk on the Internet.”

As for his signature drunk videos, Bellassai says on Twitter that they won't be stopping any time soon. "But I will still be making drunk videos for the Internet because that is now my specialty SO DON'T WORRY NEW VIDEOS ARE COMING VERY SOON," he tweeted Tuesday to his 225,000 followers.

Here's one of Bellassai's videos, entitled "Reasons New Year's Resolutions Are The Worst":

Read Variety's full report here.

SEE ALSO: Twitter just named its new CMO

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B.o.B still thinks the earth is flat and released a conspiracy-filled diss track against Neil deGrasse Tyson

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b.o.b. rapper

Rapper and singer B.o.B is still insisting that the earth is flat, and he released a diss track targeted at astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who refuted some of B.o.B's theories just yesterday.

The track, aptly titled "Flatline," largely focuses on the belief that the world is flat. One line against Tyson states: "DeGrasse Tyson need to loosen up his vest. They’ll probably write that man one hell of a check.”

But the song doesn't just focus on the earth. It also features more conspiracies, including Holocaust denial.

B.o.B raps, "Do your research on David Irving/Stalin was way worse than Hitler." Irving is a well-known Holocaust denier.

You can listen to the full track below: 

SEE ALSO: B.o.B thinks the earth is flat and Neil deGrasse Tyson just shut him down

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The 50 richest people on earth

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The wealthiest 50 people in the world control a staggering portion of the world economy: $1.46 trillion — more than the annual GDP of Australia, Spain, or Mexico.

That's according to new data provided to Business Insider by Wealth-X, which conducts research on the super-wealthy. Wealth-X maintains a database of dossiers on more than 110,000 ultra-high-net-worth people, using a proprietary valuation model that takes into account each person's assets, then adjusts estimated net worth to account for currency-exchange rates, local taxes, savings rates, investment performance, and other factors.

Its latest ranking of the world's billionaires found that 29 of the top 50 hail from the US and nearly a quarter made their fortunes in tech. To crack this list, you'd need to have a net worth of at least $14.3 billion. And for the most part these people weren't born with a silver spoon. More than two-thirds are completely self-made, having built some of the most powerful companies, including Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, Google, Nike, and Oracle.

From tech moguls and retail giants to heirs and heiresses, here are the billionaires with the deepest pockets around the globe.

SEE ALSO: The 20 most generous people in the world

DON'T MISS: The wealthiest people in the world under 35

49. TIE: Aliko Dangote

Net worth:$14.3 billion

Age: 58

Country: Nigeria

Industry: Diversified investments

Source of wealth: Self-made; Dangote Group

At 20, Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote borrowed money from his uncle to start a business that dealt in commodities trading, cement, and building materials. He quickly expanded to import cars during the country's economic boom. Four years later, in 1981, he formed Dangote Group, an international conglomerate that now holds diversified interests that include food and beverages, plastics manufacturing, real estate, logistics, telecommunications, steel, oil, and gas. At $14.3 billion, Dangote's fortune is the largest in Africa and equal to 2.5% of Nigeria's GDP.

The majority of Dangote's wealth stems from his stake in Dangote Cement, which is publicly traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. He owns cement plants in Zambia, Senegal, Tanzania, and South Africa, and in 2011 invested $4 billion to build a facility on the Ivory Coast. Dangote bought back a majority stake in Dangote Flour Mills — which had grown unprofitable after he sold a large stake to South African food company Tiger Brands three years ago for $190 million — in December for just $1. He is also chairman of The Dangote Foundation, which focuses on education and health initiatives, including a $12,000-per-day feeding program.



49. TIE: James Simons

Net worth:$14.3 billion

Age: 77

Country: US

Industry: Hedge funds

Source of wealth: Self-made; Renaissance Technologies

Before revolutionizing the hedge fund industry with his mathematics-based approach, "Quant King" James Simons worked as a code breaker for the US Department of Defense during the Vietnam War, but was fired after criticizing the war in the press. He chaired the math department at Stony Brook University for a decade until leaving in 1978 to start a quantitative-trading firm. That firm, now called Renaissance Technologies, has more than $65 billion in assets under management among its many funds.

Simons has always dreamed big. About 10 years ago, he announced that he was starting a fund that he claimed would be able to handle $100 billion, about 10% of all assets managed by hedge funds at the time. That fund, Renaissance Institutional Equities Fund, never quite reached his aspirations — it currently handles about $10.5 billion— but his flagship Medallion fund is among the best-performing ever: It has generated a nearly 80% annualized return before fees since its inception in 1988.

In October, Renaissance shut down a $1 billion fund — one of its smaller ones — "due to a lack of investor interest." The firm's other funds, however, have been up and climbing. Simons retired in 2009, but remains chairman of the company.



47. TIE: Laurene Powell Jobs

Net worth:$14.4 billion

Age: 52

Country: US

Industry: Media

Source of wealth: Inheritance; Disney

The widow of Apple cofounder Steve Jobs, Laurene Powell Jobs inherited his wealth and assets, which included 5.5 million shares of Apple stock and a 7.3% stake in The Walt Disney Co., upon his death. Jobs' stake in Disney — which has nearly tripled in value since her husband's death in 2011 and comprises more than $12 billion of her net worth — makes her the company's largest individual shareholder.

Though she's best recognized through her iconic husband, Jobs has had a career of her own. She worked on Wall Street for Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs before earning her MBA at Stanford in 1991, after which she married her late husband and started organic-foods company Terravera. But she's been primarily preoccupied with philanthropic ventures, with a particular focus on education. In 1997, she founded College Track, an after-school program that helps low-income students prepare for and enroll in college, and in September she committed $50 million to a new project called XQ: The Super School Project, which aims to revamp the high-school curriculum and experience.

Last October, Jobs spoke out against "Steve Jobs," Aaron Sorkin's movie about her late husband that portrays him in a harsh light, calling it "fiction." Jobs had been against the project from the get-go, reportedly calling Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale to ask them to decline roles in the film.



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'SNL' alum Bill Hader discovered that he is descended from European royalty

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Bill Hader recently found out that he is descended from not just royalty, but some major historical players.

The "Saturday Night Live" alum discovered the news while having his lineage and DNA researched by the PBS docuseries "Finding Your Roots."

In Business Insider's exclusive preview from the episode that airs Tuesday night, host Henry Louis Gates, Jr., hands the Tulsa, Oklahoma, native a lengthy diagram of his family tree, one that the host describes as "one of the most extensive European ancestries that we've ever been able to piece together."

"Wow," Hader says upon seeing the document.

Bill Hader Finding Your Roots PBS preview ag

When Gates points out that the actor is descended from Kind Edward I of England, Hader is unable to stifle his giggles.

"Charlemagne, the famed leader of the Holy Roman Empire," Gates points out another name. "Bill Hader, you're looking at your 40th great-grandfather."

"I'm just blown away. I mean, the conqueror of Europe," Hader replies. "I couldn't even get the coffeemaker to work this morning."

That's just the tip of the iceberg. Hader explores both funny and tragic stories of his family's surprise tradition of combat soldiers, and an unsurprising history of slave ownership.

Joining Hader on this "Finding Your Roots" episode are fellow funnymen Jimmy Kimmel and Norman Lear. It airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on PBS.

 Watch BI's exclusive preview with Hader below:

SEE ALSO: How PBS is getting a younger, cooler audience with these viral videos

SEE ALSO: PBS rules Ben Affleck had 'improper influence' on 'Finding Your Roots' because it didn't mention his ancestors owned slaves

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An eye-opening new 'Harry Potter' fan theory will change how you think about the books

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harry potter and the dursleys

If there's one thing we learned over the seven "Harry Potter" novels, it's that author J.K. Rowling was very fond of planting Easter eggs for readers.

Now a new fan theory is making the rounds. And it adds a whole different significance to Harry Potter's story and his relationship to the mean relatives who raised him, the Dursleys.

Reddit user iShootWithaCamera theorized that the Christmas gifts to Harry from the Dursleys represent the Deathly Hallows. In the novels, the Deathly Hallows were three powerful magical objects created by Death.

Powerful even in their own right, if all three Hallows were owned by the same person, they would become the Master of Death, which Lord Voldemort and other wizards took to mean that the owner would become invincible.

In the novels, the Dursleys gave Harry three Christmas presents. Some fans have suggested they gave him a fourth Christmas gift, a pair of socks, but actually that was a birthday present.

Here's how the presents symbolized the Deathly Hallows in this theory:

SEE ALSO: J.K. Rowling just set the record straight on the most controversial character in the 'Harry Potter' series

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First Year: The Dursleys sent Harry a 50-pence piece, a representation of the Resurrection Stone, which could summon the spirits of the dead.



Second Year: The Dursleys sent Harry a toothpick, a representation of the Elder Wand, an unbeatable wand.



Fourth Year: The Durselys sent Harry a single tissue, a representation of the Cloak of Invisibility, which renders its user invisible.

Is it possible that the Dursleys – whether they knew it or not – were part of the larger plan of preparing Harry for his biggest mission?



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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