Pulitzer Prize-winning author Harper Lee has died at 89, AL.com reports, citing multiple sources in her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama.

A source "with direct knowledge" confirmed the death to The Hollywood Reporter's Ryan Parker.

Lee's book "To Kill A Mockingbird" won its Pulitzer in 1961, only a year after the book's publication. She more recently released its controversial sequel, "Go Set a Watchman."

Selling 1.1 million copies in the first week of sales, "Go Set a Watchman" became publisher HarperCollins' fastest-selling book ever.

Set 20 years after "Mockingbird," "Watchman" tells the story of protagonist Scout Finch's return to Alabama as an adult living in New York. There, Scout learns that her father, Atticus, portrayed in the first book as an honorable lawyer and pinnacle of fatherhood, has become a Klan-loving racist.

"Watchman" could be considered an early draft of "Mockingbird," as Lee submitted it to her editor years before "Mockingbird" was published. Questionable circumstances surrounded its publication last year, and some evidence suggests Lee may never have wanted "Watchman" released at all.

Born in 1926, Lee grew up in Monroeville and moved to New York in 1949, 11 years before publishing "Mockingbird." In New York she worked as an airlines reservations clerk, according to AL.com, while pursuing her writing career.

As The New Yorker's Casey Cep writes, "like the seasons," Lee visited her hometown in Alabama in winter and headed back north for the rest of the year. A stroke in 2007, which eventually sent her to an assisted-living facility, brought her home for good.

Lee was deaf and blind for the last years of her life, during which time she also used a wheelchair.

"Mockingbird" had sold more than 40 million copies and has been translated into more than 40 languages. Two years after its publication, the book was made into a movie starring Gregory Peck, who was named best actor at the 1962 Academy Awards for playing Atticus Finch.

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If you're tired of hearing about whether Jon Snow (Kit Harington) is dead, then imagine what it's like for the cast of "Game of Thrones."

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who plays Jaime Lannister on the hit HBO drama, said on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" that he has decided to be proactive about the question.

"I kind of preempt it now. Whenever I meet someone, I say, 'Jon Snow is dead,'" Coster-Waldau told host Jimmy Kimmel. "Sometimes, of course, I'm in a shop and the poor person there says, 'Yeah, it will be $12.50, please.'"

But Kimmel couldn't leave it at that. He needed to know if his guest was saying on the record that Jon Snow is totally, definitely dead.

"Listen, he was stabbed 50 times in the heart. He's dead," Coster-Waldau tried to reason with Kimmel.

But the host wasn't convinced.

"There are stranger things that have happened on the show. In fact, there is a whole wall with heads that are alive," Kimmel said. "It wouldn't be the biggest leap we've experienced on 'Game of Thrones.'"

The actor, perhaps fearing HBO's wrath, stuck to his story that Jon Snow is dead "at the end of season five" — to which Kimmel decided to push: "Can he still walk?"

"He's stabbed 50 times in the heart. He's not moving. He's out cold. He's gone," Coster-Waldau repeated.

But Kimmel still wouldn't back down, offering, "You many not even know if he's dead."

Watch the exchange below:

SEE ALSO: Melisandre from 'Game of Thrones' ruins a baby shower in hilarious Seth Meyers sketch

DON'T MISS: How the 'Game of Thrones' star who plays The Mountain got so massive

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If you're looking for some new music on Spotify but want something a little fresher than a pre-made playlist, Forgotify has you covered.

Perfect for those who like to claim they were the first to discover a new song, Forgotify is a website that combs through Spotify's library of 30 million tracks to surface songs that literally no one has ever listened to before on the service.

Forgotify's interface is as simple as its premise: hit play to start listening to a song, next to cycle onto the next one, and a share button for if you find something you really like. If you have Spotify installed on your computer, it'll open up the song right in the native app.

There's no rhyme or reason to what tracks are played — when testing it out Forgotify took me from a country tune to a classical Russian song to a Hip Hop track. The novelty is fun; this is digital crate digging at its finest, and the random nature lets you create a "songs nobody has heard on Spotify playlist."

If you don't have a Spotify account, Forgotify will play you a 30-second preview of the track, with a pop-up prompting you to create an account. You don't need a paid account for Forgotify to work, basic accounts will work too.

You can try out Forgotify for yourself right here.

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NOW WATCH: Columbia law professor argues that 'privacy has been privatized'

Morgan Freeman, known as Hollywood's "Voice of God," has lent his vocal talents to Hillary's Campaign in a new ad.

Produced by Emma Fierberg

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Actor Morgan Freeman provided the vocal backing for Hillary Clinton's latest ad, "All The Good," which her presidential campaign released Friday.

"After law school, she could have joined a high priced law firm," Freeman said in the ad, "but instead she worked to reform juvenile justice in South Carolina, exposed racism in Alabama schools, registered Latino voters in Texas, and provided legal aid to families in Arkansas."

Black and white images serve to illustrate the point, showing Clinton performing various acts of service across the course of her career.

This wasn't the first time Freeman has lent his vocal talent to a political spot. The actor also narrated President Barack Obama's "Challenges" ad during his 2012 reelection campaign.

The television commercial is set to begin airing in South Carolina ahead of the state's upcoming Democratic primary, according to The New York Times. The paper also reported that the ad will debut on television alongside a CNN interview in which Freeman details his support for Clinton.

View it below:

SEE ALSO: Hillary Clinton comforts a young child in emotional new ad

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NOW WATCH: POWER RANKINGS: Who has the best chance of becoming the next president

As the GOP field for the presidential nomination whittles down in primary season, Donald Trump may still not have many political endorsements compared to his rival, Marco Rubio, but he's got celebrity firepower behind him.

And those endorsements from familiar faces are a bonus for Trump that helps widen his audience. Once considered a long shot, the businessman and reality-TV star won the New Hampshire primary and is now leading in polls for the South Carolina primary.

In addition to the politicians and pundits — like Sarah Palin and Ann Coulter — who have endorsed Trump, here are 20 celebrities and entertainment figures who are showing their support for him:

SEE ALSO: 'Disgraceful': Donald Trump blasts Pope Francis for taking a shot at his faith

Kid Rock

Kid Rock showed his support for the presidential hopeful in an interview with Rolling Stone, saying that he's "digging Trump." He also added: "Let the m------------ business guy run it like a f------ business. And his campaign has been entertaining as s---."

Loretta Lynn

Country singer Loretta Lynn announced her support for Trump in December, and told a Reuters reporter in January that "he's the only one who's going to turn this country around."

Azealia Banks

The rapper tweeted at the beginning of February to voice her support for Trump because she has "no hope for America." But she does say that "Trump is evil like America is evil and in order for America to keep up with itself it needs him." So her endorsement is not exactly positive.

Time to strike up the theme music. 

Netflix has released the teaser for season two of its comedy "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt." 

They don't give much away here as we just see Kimmy (Ellie Kemper), Titus (Tituss Burgess), and Jacqueline (Jane Krakowski) doing some sexy poses, but if  you're a fan of the show it's a fun reminder that you don't have to wait much longer. 

Season 2 starts April 15. Watch the teaser.

SEE ALSO: How Tom Cruise's bizarre "Tropic Thunder" character was created — and why we may see him again

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NOW WATCH: Martin Shkreli offered Kanye West $10 million to not release his newest album

Shia LaBeouf is at it again. 

Following his #ALLMYMOVIES art project in New York City in November, for which he sat in a movie theater and watched all his movies in reverse chronological order as the public watched him, the actor is currently in an elevator, along with his collaborators Nastja Säde Rönkkö and Luke Turner, at EC English Oxford in Gloucester Green. And LaBeouf is staying put there for the next 24 hours.

Called #Elevate, the project includes audio so you can hear what's going on in the elevator.

While Business Insider was listening just now, discussion touched on the acting roles he has coming up. LaBeouf admitted that he doesn't know what he's going to do next because he's "pretty dangerous" since he "really gives a s--t, and being an artist isn't always a requirement on set."

But he does have a movie coming out this year called "American Honey."

LaBeouf and his fellow elevator inhabitants also talked about how Bill Murray gives cards to fans that say "I just met Bill Murray" instead of signing autographs. To LaBeouf part of that is "awesome," but he also feels "you're really lame" to do that. 

You can watch the livestream of #Elevate here:

SEE ALSO: I waited in line 2 hours to watch all of Shia LaBeouf's movies with Shia LaBeouf

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NOW WATCH: Vanessa Hudgens gave an incredible performance in 'Grease: Live' hours after her dad died

A court has denied Kesha Rose Sebert, better known as Kesha, the freedom to leave her contract with Sony.

The pop singer has been in a legal battle with her producer Dr. Luke (Lukasz Gottlwald) since 2014 after she sued him for sexual assault. Dr. Luke responded by suing her and claiming that she was trying to extort him into letting her leave her contract with the producer and Sony, which prohibits Kesha from recording music with another producer. 

In early February, a New York judge dismissed a lawsuit between Dr. Luke and Kesha's mother, but today, a New York Judge denied Kesha's injunction.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Justice Shirley Kornreich of the Supreme Court of New York County told Kesha and her attorney, "You're asking the court to decimate a contract that was heavily negotiated and typical for the industry." 

Justice Kornreich also spoke about the lack of medical evidence for Kesha's sexual-assault accusations. She said, "I don't understand why I have to take the extraordinary measure of granting an injunction."

Kesha hasn't released music since 2013, and her defense team argued that denying the injuction would ruin her career.  

Kesha broke down in tears following the ruling. 

In December, fans started an online petition urging the court to grant Kesha's injunction so she could leave the contract and make and release music elsewhere. The fans also supported her outside of the courtroom Friday morning. 

SEE ALSO: Shia LaBeouf is livestreaming himself in an elevator for 24 hours as an art project

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One of America's most famous writers, Harper Lee, has died at the age of 89 in her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama.

While Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "To Kill A Mockingbird," sold over 40 million copies in its lifetime, her last book, "Go Set A Watchman," became publisher HarperCollins' fasting success after selling 1.1 million copies in just the first week.

Despite its obvious success, I refuse to read "Watchman." 

For me, the reasons to abstain are both moral and nostalgic. I don't want to see one of American literature's greatest heroes turned into a racist — especially when questionable events suggest Lee may not have wanted the book published. 

Let me explain.

Some might call "Watchman" a sequel to Lee's classic novel, "Mockingbird." The latter follows the tribulations of Atticus Finch, an honorable, albeit court-appointed, lawyer, through the eyes of his young daughter, Jean Louise (more affectionately known as Scout). Atticus uses his talents to defend a black man wrongly accused of raping a white girl in the 1930s deep South.

But I wouldn't give "Watchman" the honor of calling it a sequel to "Mockingbird." It's more like an unfinished manuscript. 

When Lee initially submitted "Watchman" in 1957, her shrewd editor wagged her finger, told Lee to rewrite it from a child's perspective, and sent the author on her way. Thus was "Mockingbird" born.

A Pulitzer Prize and millions of high school students' souls touched later, I'd say Lee's editor made the right call. 

Set 20 years after "Mockingbird," the newly released book tells the story of Scout's return to Alabama as an adult who's been living in New York City. There, Scout confronts the hard truth that her father has become a Klan meeting-attending, anti-Brown v. Board of Education racist — the kind of man who makes comments like, "Do you want Negroes by the carload in our schools and churches and theaters? Do you want them in our world?"

And while I've only read passages here and there, the reviews I've seen offer enough of "Watchman" to keep me from devouring the whole book. 

Needless to say, Atticus' unwavering belief throughout "Mockingbird" that Tom Robinson, the accused rapist, deserves a fair trial didn't go over well in Jim Crow-era Alabama. His children faced torment at school and in the community, and the night before the trial, Atticus even confronted an angry mob. 

This all happens to a man who told his son:

I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.

In light of "Watchman's" release, "Mockingbird" could be taken as a commentary on a child's naivety about her father and the ways of the world. Lee, however, has contended the book showcases a deeper meaning. 

“The book is not an indictment so much as a plea for something, a reminder to people at home," she said in 1963, according to The New York Times.

Also, Gregory Peck is a total babe in the 1962 film adaption as a socially conscious lawyer, complete with three-piece suit and glasses. Racism just wouldn't become him. And he won an Academy Award for that role.

Just as Atticus underwent a transformation in "Watchman," his creator underwent one herself since writing her rejected manuscript. A 2007 stroke left Lee deaf, blind, and often needing a wheelchair. Some sources even mention memory loss.

Not to suggest the elderly are incapable of making informed decisions, but curious circumstances surround the public outing of "Watchman."

First, when the news broke, Lee's lawyer released a statement on her behalf, according to The New York Times: “I hadn’t realized it [the book] had survived, so was surprised and delighted when my dear friend and lawyer Tonja Carter discovered it.”

Carter became the family's lawyer after Lee's now-deceased sister gave up the position when she turned 100. Ever since, personal and professional skirmishes seem more common for Lee than ever.  

HarperCollins also admits, as of February 2015, that it had no direct contact with Lee and simply communicated through her lawyer, The Daily Mail reported. 

Although some friends and fans argue Lee's mind was sound, the state of Alabama did conduct an official inquiry into the book's publication by interviewing Lee and those who know her, according to the Times.

All that could mean Lee never wanted the racist version of Atticus to see the light of day.

His character's decline from the paragon of fatherhood and fairness to an opponent of civil rights makes me sad — as does the mere implication an elderly author may have been coerced to release an unpolished version of her masterpiece at the expense of her reputation and her fans.

In "Watchman," Scout seems to feel the same way about her father that I feel about book: “I’ll never believe a word you say to me again. I despise you and everything you stand for.”

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If you haven't already heard of Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz, and Harper Beckham, then now would be a good time to learn their names.

The genetically blessed offspring of soccer phenomenon David Beckham and his wife, fashion designer Victoria Beckham — previously known as Posh Spice — have been making waves lately, coming into the public eye with nascent talents as models, photographers, and fashion-world fixtures.

The London-based family is close-knit, with splashy social-media presences and bright futures.

Here's what you need to know about the Beckham kids:

SEE ALSO: A day in the life of 'Man Repeller' Leandra Medine, 27-year-old fashion blogger turned superstar entrepreneur

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This is the Beckham family. You already know David and Victoria.

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At 16, Brooklyn Beckham is the eldest child.

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He's a burgeoning fashion photographer, having just shot his first campaign for a Burberry fragrance.

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Ronda Rousey has issued an apology for posting a Photoshopped image of herself.

The UFC fighter shared an image on Instagram after appearing on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" earlier this week. It shows Rousey sitting in Fallon's guest seat looking slightly slimmer.

"I have to make an apology to everyone - I was sent a picture to share on social for Fallon that was altered without me knowing to make my arms look smaller," she wrote in a new Instagram post on Thursday evening, which shows the doctored photo side-by-side with the original.

She continued, "I won't say by who - I know it was done with severely misplaced positive intentions - but this goes against everything I believe and I am extremely proud of every inch of my body. And I can assure you all it will never happen again. I could not be more appalled and hope you all forgive me."

I have to make an apology to everyone - I was sent a picture to share on social for Fallon that was altered without me knowing to make my arms look smaller. I won't say by who - I know it was done with severely misplaced positive intentions - but this goes against everything I believe and I am extremely proud of every inch of my body. And I can assure you all it will never happen again. I could not be more appalled and hope you all forgive me🙏🏼

A photo posted by rondarousey (@rondarousey) on Feb 18, 2016 at 9:19pm PST

The doctored photo contradicts the former UFC women's bantamweight champ's use of the word catchphrase, "Do nothing b---h," for what she refers to as a female who “tries to be pretty and be taken care of by someone else."

According to Sports Illustrated, Rousey filed to copyright the phrase and its abbreviation "DNB" in August.

SEE ALSO: 'SNL' host Ronda Rousey made sure these mean girls would never bully the new girl again

SEE ALSO: Ronda Rousey: 'I was literally sitting there and thinking about killing myself' after loss to Holly Holm

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NOW WATCH: Watch Jimmy Fallon do a spot-on impersonation of Bernie Sanders on ‘The Tonight Show’

A failed New York City Beyoncé boycott isn't deterring a Miami police union president from calling for a "Bey-cott" in Florida.

According to the Miami New Times, Fraternal Order of Police President Javier Ortiz is calling for all law enforcement officers to boycott her April 27 performance at Miami's Marlins Park, though in his published statement, he says the concert will be held April 26. 

Beyoncé's Super Bowl 50 performance has been criticized by some for its homage to the Black Panthers. The singer has also been blasted by certain pundits for her video for her newest single "Formation," which honors the Black Lives Matter movement and some believe has an anti-police message. 

In a release posted February 17, Ortiz wrote, "The fact that Beyonc used this year's Super Bowl to divide Americans by promoting the Black Panthers and her anti-police message shows how she does not support law enforcement."

He wrote that he did not watch the Super Bowl performance "out of respect for our profession," though he "mistakenly" watched her "Formation" video.

"I challenge Beyoncé to review the eighty-six page report written by the United States Department of Justice on the death investigation of Michael Brown," he wrote. He later added, "Hands up, don't shoot was built on a lie."

Ortiz also mentioned his support to police officers killed by the Black Panthers.

"While Beyoncé physically saluted the 50th anniversary of the Black Panthers movement at the Super Bowl, I salute NYPD Officer Richard Rainey, who succumbed to his injuries on February 16, 2016 from being shot by two Black Panthers who he had pulled over in a traffic stop," he wrote. "I also salute the dozens of law enforcement officers that have been assassinated by members of the Black Panthers."

It should be noted that Rainey was wounded by gunshots in 1981 and died in March of last year.

Ortiz ended the statement asking "all law enforcement labor organizations to join our boycott across the country and to boycott all of her concerts."

SEE ALSO: Beyoncé is putting Red Lobster back on the map

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Very few Americans, young or old, haven't been affected by "To Kill a Mockingbird" — a literary classic widely read in schools and later in life.

But as the world mourns Harper Lee's death this week, one fact of the 1960 novel's publication remains little-known.

"To Kill a Mockingbird," when it was first submitted to its publisher, wasn't like the "To Kill a Mockingbird" we know at all.

It had a different title, "Go Set a Watchman," a version of which was published just last year by HarperCollins after an apparent discovery of a manuscript.

As the New York Times has reported, Lee and her agents sent a draft of "Watchman" to publishers in 1957, and J. B. Lippincott and Company bought it for $1,000.

But the editor who worked with Lee, Therese von Hohoff Torrey, didn't want the draft Lee submitted. "Watchman" (both the initial draft and the one published recently) followed the same characters as "Mockingbird," in Maycomb, Alabama, but 20 years later, at which point Scout is an adult and, as it turns out, Atticus Finch has become a bigot.

The editor saw promise but described this draft as "more a series of anecdotes than a fully conceived novel." So she suggested to Lee that she set the book much earlier, in Scout's childhood. The rewriting process took two years. 

Here's how the Times describes it:

The notecard system Ms. Williams used to track individual works bolsters the view that, at the time, Ms. Williams viewed “Watchman” as a first draft. She did not, for example, create two cards for two books, just one that tracks the evolution of “Watchman” into “Mockingbird.” At the top of the card, the original title is crossed out to make room for the new one.

In 1959, when the rewritten novel passed muster, Ms. Lee expressed her relief in a letter to Ms. Williams. “I was plain afraid for you to read it and go through the bitter disappointment of two years wasted effort a’borning a writer,” she wrote.

The next year, “To Kill a Mockingbird” was published and became an instant best seller.

You can see the notecard from Lee's agent, dated 1957, crossing out "Go Set a Watchman" and replacing it with "To Kill a Mockingbird" below:

Reporting also shows that, following the release of "Mockingbird," when anticipation grew for another book from Harper Lee (which never came), she and the publisher did not consider "Watchman" a viable contender — though, of course, now it has reached the public's hands.

Curious circumstances, however, surround "Watchman's" release, with some evidence suggesting Lee may never have wanted the book published at all. 

If it hadn't been for the editor's coaching, "To Kill a Mockingbird" likely wouldn't exist, and we wouldn't know Lee as the literary superstar she is.

SEE ALSO: 20 celebrities who endorse Donald Trump for president in 2016

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NOW WATCH: 'Detective John Munch' has appeared on 10 different TV shows across four networks

In a time of sexts, Tinder, and Snapchat, Netflix's new romantic comedy, "Love," explores whether we need to try so hard to fall in love at all.

From executive producer Judd Apatow (HBO's "Girls," "Knocked Up," "The 40-Year-Old Virgin"), "Love" (available Friday) follows Mickey (Gillian Jacobs) and Gus (Paul Rust, also an executive producer) at the end of their respective messed-up relationships and into a potentially new one with each other.

But Mickey and Gus probably wouldn't meet on social media. She's a punky chick with an addictive personality, who produces a radio show. He's a geeky people-pleaser, on-set teacher to a young TV star (played by Apatow's daughter, Iris), and wannabe TV writer. As they carry out their lives in different orbits in the city of Los Angeles — with its socially-limiting car culture — it feels like forever (or about two-thirds of the premiere episode, which is forever) before they meet.

Once they do meet, there are no real fireworks. A hungover Mickey is at a gas-station convenience store when she realizes that she doesn't have enough money for coffee and cigarettes. A freshly dumped Gus is behind her in line, just wants to get out of there, and offers to pay for her stuff. There's a glimmer of a sense that Gus is attracted to her, because, duh, Mickey is beautiful. But the sparks aren't flying for Mickey (yet). But soon, she becomes a bit annoying even to Gus as she insists on him following her back to her place so she can pay him back.

If at this point, you don't see them coupling up, that's okay. Neither do they. But just like them, you'll miss out if you walk away now.

From this point on, it's anyone's guess if they actually become a couple. And that's part of the fun. Ahead, they'll go on a messed-up car ride; Mickey will meet Gus's ex-girlfriend; he will meet her kooky, scene-stealing new roommate, Bertie (Claudia O’Doherty); Gus will make enemies all over some party with Mickey's friends; and they'll both get really, really high one day.

The acting is fairly good by both the leads. Though Jacobs has girl-next-door looks, there always seems to be a rebel underneath her skin. Rust is a pretty natural fit for Gus — a side effect of being a show EP and writer.

"Love" isn't about quick hookups, or having the ability to swipe someone left out of your world. If they're going to have any type of relationship, Mickey and Gus will earn it every step of the way in the series' almost real-time feel. They'll have to actually get to know each other to the point where they don't want to be without each other.

So if you don't walk away, I'm willing to bet that you'll get hooked and will thank the entertainment gods that all the episodes are available to binge-watch right now.

Watch the "Love" trailer below:

SEE ALSO: Chelsea Handler stands by her comments on her new Netflix doc series regarding the TSA profiling Muslims

SEE ALSO: The 'Making a Murderer' creators detail the intense 10-year path to getting the show on Netflix

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NOW WATCH: All the new Netflix shows you’ll be binge-watching this year

In 1964, just four years after publishing "To Kill A Mockingbird," Harper Lee, who died Friday at the age of 89, granted radio host Roy Newquist a rare and personal interview.

"Well, my objectives are very limited. I want to do the best I can with the talent God gave me," she told Newquist.

"I would like, however, to do one thing, and I've never spoken much about it because it's such a personal thing," she continued. "I would like to leave some record of the kind of life that existed in a very small world. I hope ... to chronicle something that seems to be very quickly going down the drain. This is small-town middle-class southern life..."

Lee went on to describe the South as thousands of tiny towns full of rich social pattern. "I would simply like to put down all I know about this because I believe that there is something universal in this little world, something decent to be said for it, and something to lament in its passing," she said. "In other words all I want to be is the Jane Austen of South Alabama."

With "To Kill A Mockingbird," Lee accomplished her goal.

In it's first week, it sold 1.1 million copies, and in its lifetime sold more than 40 million copies and has been translated into more than 40 languages. Just a year after publishing, "To Kill A Mockingbird," won a Pulitzer prize, and a year later earned Gregory Peck "Best Actor" award at the 1962 Academy Awards for the role as Atticus Finch in the film adaptation.

The world had come to intimately know some of the people and behaviors of small-town southern life, and what's more, they learned valuable lessons about humanity along the way. Here's how Lee became more than "the Jane Austen of South Alabama."

SEE ALSO: Harper Lee, author of 'To Kill A Mockingbird,' dead at 89

Lee grew up in Monroeville, a small town in Alabama.

Born in 1926, Lee believed growing up in the Deep South during the Great Depression had a huge influence on her writing style.

"I think we are a region of natural storytellers, just from tribal instinct," Lee told Newquist. "We did not have the pleasure of the theater, the dance, of motion pictures when they came along. We simply entertained each other by talking."

 Lee said that her childhood was one without much money, toys, or movie-going — she and her friends had to entertain themselves by living in their imaginations most of the time. 

"I think that kind of life naturally produces more writers than, say, an environment like 82nd Street in New York," Lee said. "In small town life and in rural life you know your neighbors. Not only do you know everything about your neighbors, but you know everything about them from the time they came to the country."

She didn't believe in studying to become a writer.

Lee went on to study law in college, but dropped out of Law School at the University of Alabama six months before completing her studies to become a writer in New York. 

"Another way they fool themselves is when they study to be writers," Lee said of aspiring creative writers. "They are training themselves, in colleges, to be writers. Well, my dear young people, writing is something you'll never learn in any university or at any school. It's something that is within you, and if it isn't there, nothing can put it there."

If it weren't for a generous gift, she may never have had the time to write 'To Kill a Mockingbird.'

After moving to New York in 1949, Lee worked as a ticket agent for British Overseas Airways Corporation while pursuing her writing career. 

In 1956, after lamenting that she was having trouble balancing her job and finding time to write to her friends Michael and Joy Brown, they gave Lee an entire year's salary so she could take time to write whatever she wanted as a Christmas present.

She used this time to work on a manuscript that eventually became "To Kill a Mockingbird."

With a perfect SAT score, Shaan Patel thought he'd be able to get into one of his dream schools in the Ivy League.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen, but Patel's fine with it.

Instead, he's been able to build a thriving SAT-prep startup that got him on ABC's "Shark Tank" and let him strike a deal with Mark Cuban.

"My goal is to become Mark Cuban’s most successful 'Shark Tank' investment," Patel told Business Insider.

From growing up at his parents' budget motel to getting a perfect SAT and running his own startup, Patel likes to joke that he's "every Indian stereotype rolled into one." But his story serves as a great reminder that hard work eventually pays off — and an appearance on "Shark Tank" can really make your business fly.

"The 'Shark Tank' effect is very real, and it’s still going on," Patel said.

From a budget motel to getting perfect SAT scores

Patel grew up in a budget motel his family owned in Las Vegas. His high school was in one of the country's worst school districts with a 40% dropout rate, he says.

But that didn't deter Patel from achieving academic excellence. He was his class's valedictorian, homecoming king, and a White House Presidential Scholar, a program reserved for only two students per state.

Despite getting a mere 1,760 on his first SAT practice exam, Patel spent hours studying the test, and was even able to get a perfect 2,400 score.

With that kind of a background, Patel seemed like a perfect shoo-in for some of the top schools. But he was rejected by every Ivy League school he applied to, including Harvard, Princeton, and Brown. Stanford rejected him too.

Eventually, Patel took a full scholarship offer from USC, enrolling in its dual BA/MD program. He always wanted to be a doctor, so it was a perfect program to prep him for medical school — but he soon had a change of heart.

Part-time entrepreneur

In the summer before starting med school, Patel tried to write an SAT prep book, based on his own test-taking skills. But over 100 publishers rejected his idea, so he launched an online SAT-prep site called 2400 Expert instead, using some of his scholarship money as seed capital.

Soon, his company took off, and McGraw-Hill, one of the publishers that initially rejected him, came back and offered him a book deal. Patel wanted to keep growing his business, so he ended up taking a two-year leave of absence from USC to pursue an MBA at Yale.

In fact, his story was so good that he was able to grab the "Shark Tank" producers' attention, and in June 2015, he ended up going on the show. (His episode didn't air until January 2016.)

But the sharks weren't too impressed. Although they liked his growth and margins, they didn't like the fact that he was doubling as a student and entrepreneur.

"You have to be completely committed," Kevin O'Leary, one of the sharks, better known as "Mr. Wonderful," told him. "I don’t believe you. You can’t be a part-time entrepreneur."

One by one, each shark started to drop out. Patel, who was confident he'd get multiple offers before going on the show, started to get nervous.

"That was a really scary moment — reality sort of slapped me in the face," Patel says.

At the end, he was able to get a deal with Mark Cuban, but at a much lower valuation. Patel sought $250,000 for a 10% stake, valuing his company at $2.5 million. He had to settle for $250,000 for 20%, slashing his company's value in half.

Most transformative experience

Still, Patel calls his experience on "Shark Tank" the most transformative thing to have ever happened to him. Aside from the expertise he gets from Cuban, Patel says the national exposure he received is invaluable.

Now Patel manages more than 40 employees, mostly part-time instructors. His business has a growing archive of recorded sessions and offers in-person classes in nearly 20 cities nationwide. 

He says his sales are projected to hit over $3 million this year, a huge jump from the $500,000 it was seeing before going on "Shark Tank." He also expects to sell roughly 10,000 of his SAT-prep books in this year alone, the same amount he sold over the past four years combined.

"I'd say 'Shark Tank' was probably the single greatest moment of my life so far," Patel said.

It's why Patel says everyone with an idea or an actual business should apply for "Shark Tank" and take their chances on going on the show. And to anyone considering going on the open-call audition, Patel offers the following three tips:

Give away something memorable: You only get 60 seconds to impress the open-call directors, so make sure you impress them with something physical or memorable, preferably at the end of the open-call pitch.

Be entertaining on video: Once you pass through the next round, you're asked to submit a five- to 10-minute video. Be witty and entertaining, like Patel did. ("I'm an Indian-American who got a perfect score on the SAT, got straight A's, my parents own both a gas station and motel — yes "Patel Motel" is a thing — and I'm in med school to become a doctor. So I'm pretty much every Indian stereotype rolled into one.")

Fill out the application as if you're talking to a stranger: The application is over 20 pages long, but the producers know nothing about your business. The only way to keep them interested is to ask yourself, "What would a stranger want to know next?" until you've conveyed all your thoughts.

You can watch Patel's appearance on "Shark Tank" below:

SEE ALSO: This guy turned his failure on 'Shark Tank' into a $28 million investment from Richard Branson

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NOW WATCH: How Barbara Corcoran uses 'manterruptions' to beat the other sharks

As worked up as we get about which of our favorite movies we want to see win on Oscar night in a given year, how the host of the awards show performs will either elevate or deflate it.

Hosting the Oscars is not easy, judging by more than 80 years of shows, but the payoff is that if the host (or hosts) has a particularly great night, it can launch them to a special type of star in Hollywood. And if they bomb, it might be a good time to take a long vacation.

Before the analysis of how Chris Rock does this year, we looked back on the five hosts who had the best nights, and the five who had the worst in Oscar history.

SEE ALSO: RANKED: The 10 worst movies to win the the best picture Oscar — and what should have won

BEST: 5. Ellen DeGeneres (2014)

The second time was just right for Ellen DeGeneres. The massive selfie she took with the nominees at the beginning of the telecast was original and of-the-moment (and went viral), and the bit of ordering pizza for the starving nominees was fun (it’s always entertaining to watch famous people eat). It was the casual style, doing a lot of jokes offstage, that brought a fun intimacy to the ceremony that year. 

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BEST: 4. Hugh Jackman (2009)

Following Jon Stewart’s second attempt at hosting the Oscars, which led to record-low ratings, the Academy went outside the box and instead of signing on a comic, it brought out a contemporary actor. It was a spot-on choice. Having hosted the Tonys for three consecutive years, Hugh Jackman was able to handle the duties, and he displayed a song-and-dance side that many fans of his movies didn’t know he was capable of.

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BEST: 3. Whoopi Goldberg (1994)

Following four straight years of Billy Crystal as host, Whoopi Goldberg’s name was called, making her the first African American and solo female host. In the year that “Schindler’s List” took the top prize, the ceremony itself was less jokey, but Goldberg came in with the right understated style for the night. She would go on to host the awards three more times.

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Now that music comes out on the weekend, and not always on every streaming service, it can be hard to know where to find the next great song. So Business Insider is helping you with this rundown of the best of what's new in the music world that you can listen to right now — from Kanye's latest to the return of Weezer.

SEE ALSO: What it was like to watch the debut of Kanye West's strange, soulful new album with a lot of celebrities

FKA Twigs - "Good to Love"

This British singer is the full package: a talented R&B voice who can dance with the best of them, and knows how to pair her sensual tracks with the right visuals. And this is one of her most sensual yet.

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Kanye West - "Fade"

West finally dropped his long-awaited seventh album "The Life of Pablo" last Friday, and "Fade" is one of the project's best chances at a hit record. It features an Auto-Tuned West over an upbeat melody. "Fade" appeals to a wider audience than the rest of the album, so you're safe even if you play it in a room of Kanye skeptics, of which there are plenty.

Listen to Kanye's "Fade" exclusively on Tidal

Weezer - "L.A. Girlz"

After some years in the wilderness, Weezer has embraced the band's roots with crunchy, quick-punch-to-the-gut power ballads. No one else does this kind of song like these guys do.

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Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the most recognized actors of his generation — if not the most — though he's never won an Oscar.

The 41-year-old started acting in commercials when he was 14 and soon made his mark on TV shows.

The actor landed his first Oscar nomination when he was 19 and shot to superstardom, causing "Leo Mania" with his portrayal of Jack Dawson in "Titanic."

Since then, he's earned a total of six nominations, but has still come up short. His snubs have become a running joke among fans. Some have created "Sad Leo" memes, and one fan even created a computer game devoted to the subject.

But with his portrayal of Hugh Glass in "The Revenant," it looks like this might be the year DiCaprio snags the elusive — and well-deserved— Oscar. He's currently heavily favored to win.

With the Oscars taking place February 28, here's a look back at his memorable career:

SEE ALSO: Someone made a hilarious game about Leonardo DiCaprio never getting an Oscar

Leonardo DiCaprio began his career acting in television ads, particularly after landing one for Matchbox cars when he was 14.

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Sources: People, Business Insider

His first role was in the direct-to-video film "Critters 3," and he soon landed TV roles in the short-lived series "Parenthood," based on the movie of the same name, and other series, including "The New Lassie," "Santa Barbara," and "Roseanne."

Sources: New York Times, IMDb

He gained attention for his recurring role as a homeless kid in "Growing Pains" during the sitcom's seventh and final season.