"Making a Murderer" subject Brendan Dassey's attorney, Laura Nirider, says that of the many things wrong with the police interrogation of her client, there's one overarching problem.

The attorney presented her assessment of the police interrogations — which led to Dassey's contested confession that he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, murder photographer Teresa Halbach — at the University of St. Thomas School of Law on Monday.

"I believe that Brendan Dassey's confession to rape and murder of Teresa Halbach is false," Nirider told a sold-out audience, according to Fox 9 News in Minneapolis.

Nirider, an expert on false confessions by juveniles, pointed out several aspects of the Calumet County, Wisconsin, police interviews that would contribute to a false confession. But her most striking point was that the officers' tactics should've never been used on her client.

Nirider, who is fighting for Dassey's post-conviction relief, said that the police used adult interrogation techniques on a youth (Dassey was 16 years old at the time of Halbach's death, and his IQ was at the cutoff for intellectual disability), which can result in misreading the signs. Here's more of what she said in her presentation:

SEE ALSO: Brendan Dassey from 'Making a Murderer' denied being sexually abused by Steven Avery

SEE ALSO: Here's how popular Netflix's 'Making a Murderer' really was according to a research company

Body language and what it means can differ between kids and adults.

"If you're slouched, that means you're lying," Nirider said, pointing to an instructional chart for adult interrogations and a shot of Dassey slouching in his chair while being interrogated. But there are behavioral differences between children and adults. For example, according to experts, kids are more likely to slouch or break from eye contact — both of which are signs for lying in adults.

Also kids are more affected by their surroundings than adults.

She pointed out that Dassey, who had already undergone three interviews in 48 hours, was placed in a "coercive environment": the corner of a small room.

The methods used to get Dassey to speak about evidence contaminated the interview.

The police presented Dassey with false evidence. The interviewer told Dassey that they had proof of Dassey's participation in the murder. "You were there when she died, and we know that," he said.

The police can also add "contamination" to the interview by telling the suspect information that hadn't been disclosed by him. In this case, the interviewer tried to steer Dassey into saying that Halbach was shot in the head. After several failed attempts, the police interrogator finally said, "All right, I'm just going to come out and ask you. Who shot her in the head?"

Dassey answered that Avery did. But Nirider argues that telling him the information made it impossible to figure out if her client really didn't know about it or did and was lying. We can never know now.

The Oculus Rift is about to hit the market next month, and Facebook is throwing even more support behind it with the announcement of a new social virtual reality team.

The social media giant has announced the creation of the team, along with an effort to improve the 360-degree video streaming qualities on its News Feed.

This news is hardly surprising considering that the News Feed has supported these types of videos since March 2015 (Facebook claims it has 20,000 such ads posted already), and the company has repeatedly said it wants to create a more holistic experience for social and VR.

Daniel James and Michael Booth, two former video gaming executives who are experts in 3D multiplayer gaming, will lead this social VR team. They will build social apps for Oculus and develop community experiences for customers.

The creation of this team is the next step in Facebook's plan to link social and VR. The company debuted Social Alpha, which allows up to five people to watch videos and speak in a virtual home theater, in October on Oculus' Cinema app. It also released Toybox, a game for the Oculus Rift that lets multiple people play games such as ping pong.

Facebook is likely trying to give average consumers a reason to consider purchasing the Oculus Rift, given that the total cost of a Rift ($599) plus a gaming PC with appropriate specs ($1,000 to $1,500) could scare them away, particularly early on in the product's life cycle. 

By bolstering and highlighting the social components of Oculus, the company could bring in more casual customers.

We're on the verge of the main stage debut for virtual reality products and when Oculus Rift hits the market, it's going to push the limits of what VR means to the average consumer. But what opportunities will this create?

The tech industry has promoted the prospect of VR for the past few decades. But only now, with headsets backed by big names like Sony and Facebook, is VR finally becoming a concrete product with mass market potential. While VR technology is largely associated with the gaming industry, the platform offers a new set of content opportunities in entertainment, advertising, and more.

But where is it all going?

Margaret Boland of Business Insider Intelligence has compiled a detailed report that examines how various VR headset categories will shape VR content development and looks at the trajectory for mobile gaming revenues to get a sense of how spending on VR content might develop. The report also lays out what types of content users and developers can expect on VR platforms, including gaming, video entertainment, and advertising.

Here are some main takeaways from the report:

• VR headset manufacturers are driving both the development and distribution of VR content by investing significant technical and monetary resources in developers, in an effort to build up an exclusive content library.
• High demand for VR headsets by mobile and console gamers will fuel demand for VR content. The VR content market will take an increasing portion of the mobile gaming software industry.
• Beyond gaming, VR video entertainment will remain short form until demand for VR headsets increases.
• Ads featured on VR headsets will likely have higher view-through rates than standard video ad spots.
• Other industries are also beginning to experiment with VR content. Travel companies, publishers, e-commerce merchants, and social platforms are beginning to see potential in this new category.
• VR content faces major hurdles that could keep developers from investing: The VR experience must be good enough for people to take up the devices. In addition, developers need to know that a sufficient user base exists to be worthy of the resource investment in VR content.

In full, the report:

• Provides a breakdown of each type of VR headset, what platforms they run on, and how content will differ for each.
• Includes estimates for global VR headset shipments by category.
• Includes a mobile gaming forecast to give a sense of the most important market that will drive spending on VR content in the next five years.
• Lays out what other industries are developing VR programs.
• Discusses some of the potential barriers that could dissuade developers from investing in VR content.

To get your copy of this invaluable guide to the VR universe, choose one of these options:

1. Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
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The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the world of VR.

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Researchers at the University of Southern California have released a new study that highlights just how bad the diversity issue is throughout Hollywood.

While much attention has been focused on the movie industry, with the #OscarsSoWhite campaign surrounding the second consecutive Academy Awards with all-white acting nominees, the USC study, titled “Inclusion or Invisibility? Comprehensive Annenberg Report on Diversity in Entertainment,” shows that the the problem extends to TV, too.

The study found that in TV shows — including broadcast, cable, and streaming services — just 22 percent of TV series creators were female, and women of color over 40 were deemed "largely invisible.”

In movies, only a meager 3.4 percent of film directors were female, and only 7 percent of films had a cast whose balance of race and ethnicity reflected the country's diversity.

The study analyzed characters as well as people who worked behind-the-scenes in 109 films released theatrically in 2014 and 305 TV shows released from September 2014 through August 2015.

And overall, just 28.3 percent of characters with dialogue were from non-white racial/ethnic groups. Half the films and TV shows analyzed had no Asian speaking characters, more than one-fifth of them had no black characters with dialogue, and two percent of speaking characters were identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.

“The film industry still functions as a straight, white, boy’s club,” the researchers wrote for their conclusion.

They also came up with solutions for change, which include “target inclusion goals” that are made public (like what the Academy has promised to do with its membership); “alter stereotypical thinking” when casting and writing scripts; and “build inclusive consideration lists” for writers and directors that contain 50% women and 38% people of color.

SEE ALSO: The earliest TV gigs of 11 Oscar-worthy actors

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NOW WATCH: This haircut is making the internet very upset

An upcoming book promises to shed some light on O.J. Simpson's life in prison.

And although he hasn't watched FX's "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story," he's hearing about it from friends and has some words for Cuba Gooding, Jr., the actor playing him on the biographical miniseries.

That's according to New York Post's Page Six interview with former prison guard Jeffrey Felix, who became friendly with the former football star while working at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada, and is turning the experience into a book. Simpson is currently serving the remainder of a 15-year sentence for armed robbery and kidnapping. The prison doesn't have FX or allow DVDs.

“O.J. … says [Gooding’s] not tall enough and his head is too small. O.J. has a huge head,” Felix pointed out.

Apparently, Simpson is referred to as "Bobblehead" by prison mates. The former athlete is also 6'1" while Gooding, Jr. is just 5'10".

Simpson also thinks the show's depiction of events makes him look guilty of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. For example, it shows him failing a lie-detector test.

“That’s a complete flunk,” the former prison guard-turned-writer said. “But O.J. told me [years ago] he passed the lie detector.”

Felix's book, "Guarding the Juice," will be available in March from publisher ThomasMax.

SEE ALSO: 'People v. O.J. Simpson' star Sarah Paulson describes the 'shocking' sexism against prosecutor Marcia Clark

SEE ALSO: 'People v. O.J. Simpson' star Cuba Gooding, Jr. explains why movie stars are flocking to TV

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NOW WATCH: The doctor who inspired the movie 'Concussion' is convinced OJ Simpson has a brain disease

The Justice Department may soon investigate 50 Cent's finances for repeatedly posting Instagram photos flaunting cash. The rapper previously filed for bankruptcy in July, and claimed in court that his lifestyle was an illusion. 

Produced by Lamar Salter and Jacqui Frank.

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Last year was very good for Tom Hardy.

The 38-year-old actor was the star of the "Mad Max" reboot, taking over for Mel Gibson in "Mad Max: Fury Road" — which landed 10 Oscar nominations and was a box-office smash.

He also sang in a film adaptation of a musical, played notorious English twin gangsters, and landed his first Oscar nomination for his incredible supporting performance in "The Revenant."

His first role was in HBO's "Band of Brothers," and he made his film debut in "Black Hawk Down," but Hardy was struggling through alcohol and drug addiction. After heading to rehab in 2003, Hardy got his life and career back on track and hasn't stopped since.

He's been lauded for portraying the infamous criminal Charles Bronson, and he's perhaps best known as the villainous Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises" — though his face is obscured. He learned how to cage-fight for "Warrior" and was a Jewish gangster in the series "Peaky Blinders." Next, Hardy will be producing and starring in the BBC One/FX series "Taboo" and starring in Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk."

Here's a look back at Hardy's career and how he became one of the best actors of his generation:

SEE ALSO: The incredibly successful career of Leonardo DiCaprio, the 6-time Oscar nominee who looks like he'll finally win

Edward Thomas Hardy was born on September 15, 1977, and grew up in East Sheen, London.

He scored a brief contract with Models One after winning a modeling competition on "The Big Breakfast." He was 20.

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Source: Esquire UK

He was expelled from public school when he was younger for stealing. After two attempts, he ended up attending the Drama Centre in London, whose alumni include fellow Oscar nominee Michael Fassbender and Colin Firth.

Sources: Esquire UK, The Guardian

Following up on his acclaimed first documentary on the Indonesian genocide of 1965, filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer has released a companion feature, "The Look of Silence," which is competing for Best Documentary at Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony.

Oppenheimer's first piece, "The Act of Killing," also Oscar-nominated, was screened before some members of Congress and helped Oppenheimer win a coveted MacArthur "genius" award.

In fall 1965, six army generals were killed in an attempted coup of the Indonesian government. As a result, some 500,000 to 1 million people were killed over five months in an anti-communist purge of the alleged perpetrators.

"The Look of Silence" follows its main character, Adi, an optometrist, as he helps and confronts the men who allegedly killed his brother some 50 years ago.

Here, the director talks about two pivotal scenes in the film.

Producer, Editor: Josh Wolff

Cinematography: David Fang

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Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz took to Twitter to respond to his party's frontrunner Donald Trump calling him a "soft, weak, little baby" earlier on Tuesday.

".@realDonaldTrump, showing class & grace, calls me a "soft weak little baby." Hope he doesn't try to eat me!" Cruz tweeted.

He also attached a video of the well-known scene from "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" in which the character Fat Bastard told Mini Me, "Get in my belly!"

Trump has been railing on Cruz in recent days, repeatedly calling him a "liar."

Their latest trading of barbs happened just before Tuesday's Nevada caucuses, where Trump is a heavy favorite.

Here's Cruz's tweet, with the video attached, below:

SEE ALSO: Donald Trump compares Ted Cruz to a 'soft, weak, little baby'

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NOW WATCH: Ted Cruz's new Donald Trump action-figure ad looks like something out of 'Saturday Night Live'

As of last month, Netflix's grand plan for international expansion is in full swing, and the service is now live in over 190 countries. But that doesn't mean that each country's version of Netflix is created equal.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has said, on multiple occasions, that Netflix's ultimate goal is to have the majority of its content be globally available. That's one of the reasons Netflix is investing so heavily in original shows and movies. If Netflix owns the global rights to a show, it doesn't have to negotiate separately in every country.

But research from the website Unogs suggests Netflix still has a way to go in making its service the same in all corners of the earth. Unogs' database shows which countries have the most titles available to stream on Netflix, and which have the least, and there are big differences. At the top, US subscribers have 5,638 titles to choose from, and countries like Jamaica, Brazil, and Mexico all have above 3,000.

But on the bottom, it's a different story. The bottom ten countries all have less than 700 titles, with the French Southern Territories bringing up the rear at 286. 

Many international Netflix lovers have previously circumvented the problem of a barren national Netflix library by using a specific software called a VPN to hide their true location so they can purchase a Netflix subscription in the US. But Netflix has recently begun to crack down on people who use VPNs and proxy services to watch movies or shows that are "locked" in their area.

See the full list at Unogs.

SEE ALSO: Netflix is making it even easier to binge-watch shows on your phone

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NOW WATCH: How to see if someone is mooching off your Netflix account

Hollywood is currently navigating its way through two major issues at the moment: the lack of diversity representation industry-wide, as highlighted by the Oscars, and the gender wage gap.

As the Oscars take place Sunday, with a second consecutive year of all-white acting nominees, diversity is front and center in conversations. And a recent USC study showed the hard data on how lacking in diversity the movies and TV shows we consume really are.

But the gender wage gap is also making headlines.

Cosmopolitan talked to a female agent from a top talent agency about the reasons actresses get paid less than their male counterparts in general.

The agent, who asked to stay anonymous, broke down the common practice of negotiating deals — agreeing on “points” like percentage of box office and how many first-class tickets the talent gets to travel to set — and said that in her experience, women are more willing to go below their "quote," or the amount they previously made.

According to the agent, women need to get their quotes up, and the only way to do that is “they need to hold out for things and hold out for more money,” she said.

The agent admits that if male actors don’t get their quote, they often walk away from a project. But actresses are more willing to take a role below their quote because they believe the filmmakers will just cast someone else.

In the case of Jennifer Lawrence, who was paid less than her male costars in “American Hustle,” the agent believes the issue wasn’t her negotiating skills but how actresses are perceived in the industry.

“The deeper issue is how much she and women are valued as a whole,” the agent said. “It's like, ‘Oh, well, we can always just get another actress.’ [Whereas] with Leonardo DiCaprio you think, There's no one like him. But Jennifer Lawrence, you just get someone else.”

To fix this deeper problem of not valuing women, the agent argues, female roles need to improve. The agent believes there are too few significant parts for women so they essentially have to say yes to cookie-cutter roles in which they play the mother of the star or wife of the star.

“The real issue is women don't have the luxury to hold out,” the agent said. “Because if they hold out, then what are they going to do? Are they going to not work for the rest of the year? If they don't work for the rest of the year, they're not in demand.”

"We need to have female directors as 50 percent of who directs our eight movies this year,” the agent said. “If you're a studio and you say that, that will make a difference. Otherwise nothing will change.”

SEE ALSO: Hillary Clinton responded to Stephen Colbert's joke about her trustworthiness

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NOW WATCH: The Justice Department wants to investigate 50 Cent because he keeps flaunting cash on Instagram

The 88th Academy Awards take place on Sunday, and bets are on about who will win.

Now is the time that experts try to tell you how it'll all go down — but how right are they?

FiveThirtyEight, ESPN's data-driven site, has been monitoring the state of the race and using a point system to try and predict the Oscar winners for six of the major categories. 

The model uses a point system derived from looking at awards from the past 25 years to see how historically predictive they are of Oscar winners, Walt Hickey, the site's lead lifestyle writer, told Business Insider. (Hickey has a background in mathematics and used to cover politics and finance for Business Inisder.)

"You start losing the thread if you go back further than 25 years," he said of the prediction model.

Over the course of awards season, FiveThirtyEight gives points to Oscar nominees if they are nominated for other awards and even more points if they win.

A "batting average" is determined for each of the various awards and then turned into an assigned weight.

"Insider awards," like the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Directors Guild of America Awards, and the BAFTAs, are given more weight over awards like the Golden Globes, because those voters may be closely aligned with or part of the Academy itself, which draws from industry members. (The Globes and some other awards, on the other hand, come from media.)

"This was Nate's [Silver] baby," Hickey said. "Basically, back when Nate had FiveThirtyEight at the beginning, he tried to figure out a way to predict the Oscars. Turns out it's a much harder problem than people give it credit for. We can't use a lot of our original methods, and we have to figure out a new way."

The earlier model is pretty much still in place, though Silver refined it, doubling the points awarded for nominees and winners from the "insider awards." 

FiveThirtyEight published its final predictions Monday: Alicia Vikander for supporting actress, Sylvester Stallone for supporting actor, Brie Larson for best actress, Leonardo DiCaprio for best actor, Alejandro Iñárritu for director, and "The Revenant" for best picture. 

These predictions line up with the expert predictions compiled by Gold Derby ahead of Sunday's award show.

Gold Derby looks at a collection of various Hollywood insiders who give their prognostications based on what they've been hearing. Since Academy members aren't polled the way, say, voters in an election are polled, these are really the best methods available to get at which way the Academy is going.

While DiCaprio and Larson have large point leads, other categories, such as the supporting fields, are a closer race.  

"We are not confident enough to say that this will predict the winners, but... It's a way to see how the terrain looks," Hickey said. "Ultimately, it's a fun way to track something that a lot of folks are talking about, that there's a huge dedicated interest in, and it's so fun because it's so hard."  

SEE ALSO: Here's which actors are expected to clean up at the Oscars on Sunday — and other predictions

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NOW WATCH: A 14-year-old model is raising big questions about the fashion industry

Melania Trump sat down with MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski for a one-on-one interview that aired Wednesday on "Morning Joe."

Trump has mostly stayed away from the campaign trail. But as Donald Trump was on his way to another decisive presidential-primary win this week in Nevada's GOP caucuses, she told Brzezinski that she stood by her billionaire husband "100%."

Brzezinski pressed Trump on a host of topics, including her husband's claim that the Mexican government was sending rapists and murderers across the US border.

"I don't feel that he insulted the Mexicans," Trump said. "He said the 'illegal immigrants.' He didn't talk about everybody. He talked about 'illegal immigrants."

"And after [a] few weeks, like after two weeks, giving him a hard time and bashing him in the media, they turned around," she added. "They said, 'You know what? He's right. He's right what he's talking about.' And he opened conversation that nobody did."

Brzezinski, whose show has been accused of having too cozy a relationship with the Republican frontrunner, pointed out that Trump was herself an immigrant from Slovenia.

"But you are an immigrant. Do you ever think he's gone too far?" Brzezinski asked.

"I follow the law," Trump said. "I follow the law the way it's supposed to be. I never thought to stay here without papers."

Brzezinski also asked Trump about her husband's use of vulgar terms and profanity on the campaign trail.

"Do I agree all the time with him? No, I don't," Trump replied. "And I tell him that. I tell him my opinions. I tell him what I think. Sometimes he listens. Sometimes he don't."

Watch the full interview below:

SEE ALSO: How Donald Trump racked up another dominating victory

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NOW WATCH: ‘Number one with Hispanics!’ — Trump obliterated Republicans in Nevada

Seth Meyers examined Ted Cruz's alleged dirty campaign tricks on Tuesday's "Late Night."

Earlier this week, Cruz asked his spokesperson to resign after spreading false information about Marco Rubio's statements about the Bible. Stemming from that news, Meyers examined other accusations against the Texas senator for dirty campaign tricks in a regular segment titled "A Closer Look."

"This scandal is just the latest in a series of incidents that has given [Cruz's] campaign a reputation of having low ethical standards," Meyers said.

For example, the Cruz campaign told thousands of voters during the Iowa caucuses that opponent Ben Carson was leaving the presidential race in order "to steal some of his voters," as Meyers put it. Cruz later apologized.

"These latest allegations may be hurting Cruz now, but they're not isolated incidents," the host pointed out. "In fact, this is a criticism that even Cruz's fellow Republicans have leveled at him: He'll do or say anything to get elected."

To drive the point home, Meyers pointed out that Cruz recently inserted himself into an Iowa debate on a fireworks ban. Why? His analyst discovered he could pick up 60 votes if he did.

Watch Meyers examine the allegations against Cruz's campaign below:

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

SEE ALSO: Seth Meyers shreds Donald Trump: He's no longer funny, he's dangerous

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NOW WATCH: Donald Trump sent Ted Cruz a cease and desist letter to pull this South Carolina ad

Kanye West is back to getting things off his chest on Twitter.

It started Tuesday night, when West asked, "Has anybody ever heard of Bob Ezrin?"

Ezrin, a 66-year-old music producer who has worked with artists such as Phish and Pink Floyd, wrote a harsh critique of West in industry analyst Bob Lefsetz's popular music newsletter.

"Unlike other creators in his genre like Jay-Z, Tupac, Biggie, or even M.C. Hammer for that matter, it’s unlikely that we’ll be quoting too many of Kanye’s songs 20 years from now," he wrote. "He didn’t open up new avenues of public discourse like NWA, or introduce the world to a new art form like Grandmaster Flash, or even meaningfully and memorably address social issues through his music like Marshall, Macklemore, and Kendrick."

The producer also said, "Kanye's greatest achievements have been in the form of excessive behavior, egomaniacal tantrums, and tasteless grandstanding."

West didn't take kindly to those criticisms and unloaded on Twitter saying, "What the f--- does he know about rap," "Do something relevant," and "I’m tired of old people that have no connection with anything trying to comment on music."

He also said he would send "free Yeezys," West's shoes produced in partnership with Adidas, to Ezrin's children to "make up for the embarrassment" Ezrin caused.

After going after Ezrin some more, Kanye took a jab at Taylor Swift, referring to her as "you know who."

"I made 'Dark Fantasy' and 'Watch the Throne' in one year and wasn’t nominated for either and you know who has two albums of the year," he tweeted.

Swift won her second album of the year Grammy this year, becoming the only woman to do so. In her acceptance speech, she may have alluded to West by saying, "There will be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame."

West's song "Famous," on his newest album "The Life of Pablo," makes an unflattering reference to Swift, saying, "I made that b---- famous."

He then went on to send "positive vibes."

West also debuted a new song at Yo Gotti's album-listening party a 1 Oak in LA.

Listen below:

SEE ALSO: The inside story of Three 6 Mafia's historic Oscars win that shocked everyone 10 years ago

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NOW WATCH: A 14-year-old model is raising big questions about the fashion industry

Hillary Clinton watched the clip of Stephen Colbert mocking her response to question about her trustworthiness, and she had a chance to answer the question differently. 

Produced by Jacqui Frank. Original reporting by Maxwell Tani.

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The New York Times on Wednesday released a revealing look inside what it's like to confront diversity problems in Hollywood.

The newspaper interviewed 27 people within the industry, who opened up about their experiences being unrepresented and the awkward, strange, and even disturbing interactions they've had around ethnicity and gender.

Here are the six most eye-opening stories, including the time actress America Ferrera says she actually painted her face white to try to get a role.

SEE ALSO: Here's which actors are expected to clean up at the Oscars on Sunday — and other predictions

America Ferrera ("Superstore")

"I was 18 and putting myself on tape for a movie I really wanted. I got that phone call: They cast a Latino male in another role in the film; they’re not looking to cast [a Latina]. So I defiantly bleached my hair blond, painted my face white and made the audition tape. I never heard back. I just remember feeling so powerless. What do you do when someone says, 'Your color skin is not what we’re looking for'? Let me tell you: Blond does not suit me. I try not to prove my point on audition tapes anymore."

Wendell Pierce ("The Wire")

"In 1985, I’m sitting in the casting office of a major studio. The head of casting said, 'I couldn’t put you in a Shakespeare movie, because they didn’t have black people then.' He literally said that. I told that casting director: 'You ever heard of Othello? Shakespeare couldn’t just make up black people. He saw them.' I started carrying around a postcard of Rubens’s 'Studies of the Head of a Negro.' The casting director actually was very kind to me. He referred me to my first agent."

Effie Brown ("Project Greenlight," "Dear White People" producer)

"Finding out that a man who had less experience and critical acclaim got paid twice as much, that was a smack in the face. You think that studio loves you, and it’s, 'No honey, they can get you for a deal, and you in turn get other people for a deal.' I sometimes feel like a sellout, because I know I can get so-and-so in the door if they hit a certain price point. I had to learn how to break that chain."

HBO just loves to tease "Gamer of Thrones" fans with character deaths (see everything Jon Snow since last season).

Recently, it released the ghoulish teaser for season six showing many fan-favorite characters in the House of Black and White’s eerie Hall of Faces. Fans know that's where the Faceless Men use the skin of the dead for their costumes. The network is reenforcing the message that anyone could be on the chopping block next.

In a series of posters shared on social media Wednesday, we see the individual faces of beloved characters — living, dead, and possibly still living, such as Jon Snow (Kit Harington), Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal), Daenerys Targaryen, and Jaime Lannister.

HBO is releasing several "Game of Thrones" posters on Wednesday.

Here's what they've revealed so far: 

SEE ALSO: 'Game of Thrones' star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has a definitive answer about whether Jon Snow is dead

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

Group poster 1

Group poster 2

Jon Snow (Kit Harington)

Netflix is building a brand that is the leading model for the future of TV, according to analysts at Pacific Crest Securities.

The key is Netflix's global expansion, which exploded in January when the company added 130 new countries in a single day, bringing the total to over 190.

"Netflix's economics are global," the analysts wrote in a note on Wednesday. "Investors and competitors should think of them that way."

What does that mean?

Netflix's recent strategy has been to move toward global licensing for as many of its shows as possible. You can see this in the emphasis it has placed on "originals," shows or movies Netflix has usually bought outright and has the rights to show anywhere in the world.

Netflix's head of content, Ted Sarandos, has said that Netflix will release a gargantuan 600 hours of original content this year, including more than 30 shows. They are simply a better investment, according to CEO Reed Hastings.

Lower costs

If Netflix can transition to having most of its content be globally available, then this will allow it to drastically lower the amount it pays for content per subscriber.

Why?

"For the vast majority of the company's markets, the only geographic-specific costs are local advertising, the costs of dubbing and subtitling (if Netflix chooses to localize content), and content-delivery cost," the analysts write.

Once you buy a show like "House of Cards," it doesn't cost you much to show it to new subscribers in Morocco or Albania.

Traditional TV networks don't have the same global advantages as Netflix.

These networks "often have different brands, different ownership structures and different monetization strategies for different geographies," the analysts write. This decentralization comes with a host of inefficiencies, but it particularly hurts data collection, something Netflix claims drives many of its content decisions.

Pacific Crest thinks that with Netflix's international expansion, its data advantage over its linear TV competitors will continue to balloon. They imagine a future deluge of international data, which will let Netflix build itself into an increasingly efficient content machine, one that will snag many of the benefits of a market the analysts see as having "winner-take-all" characteristics.

SEE ALSO: It would take 25 days to binge-watch all of the new Netflix original content coming out this year

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For the more neurotic among us, a birthday can be a reminder of how another year has passed and our loftiest aspirations have faded further into the distance.

There are plenty of examples, however, of successful people across many industries who prove that you don't need to have it all figured out by the time you turn 30.

We'll take a look at some of them, from renowned fashion designer Vera Wang, who didn't design her first dress until she was 40, to writer Harry Bernstein, who authored countless rejected books before getting his first hit at age 96.

Get inspired by those who show it's never too late.

Stan Lee created his first hit comic, "The Fantastic Four," just shy of his 39th birthday in 1961. In the next few years, he created the legendary Marvel Universe, whose characters such as Spider-Man and the X-Men became American cultural icons.

Donald Fisher was 40 and had no experience in retail when he and his wife, Doris, opened the first Gap store in San Francisco in 1969. The Gap's clothes quickly became fashionable, and today the company is one of the world's largest clothing chains.

Vera Wang was a figure skater and journalist before entering the fashion industry at age 40. Today she's one of the world's premier women's designers.

While the Academy Awards ceremony that honors the best in film is changing every year, and getting slightly more casual with the style of the times, these vintage photos of awards past are a peek into the glamour of old Hollywood stretching all the way back to the 1920s.

Check out the photos below, curated by Bob Ahern, Director of Archival Imagery at Getty Images.

The first organizational meeting of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1927.

Actor Jimmy Stewart in US Air Force uniform at the Oscars podium in 1942.

Elizabeth Taylor with her husband, British actor Michael Wilding, at the 26th Academy Awards in 1954.