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Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are trolling each other with corny Jim Carrey references

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Republican presidential rivals Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz are trading barbs using corny references to actor Jim Carrey.

Trump fired first on Thursday, asking his followers of Twitter and Instagram whether Cruz or Hillary Clinton should be cast in a theoretical remake of "Liar, Liar," originally a 1997 movie starring Carrey.

"Who should star in a reboot of Liar Liar- — Hillary Clinton or Ted Cruz? Let me know," Trump tweeted, linking to an Instagram photo depicting Cruz's head on Carrey's body.

Cruz responded an hour later, tweeting an image of Trump on the poster for "Me, Myself, And Irene," which stars Carrey and features a man with split-personality disorder.

Though both have frequently exchanged occasionally humorous insults, throughout the campaign, Cruz has peppered his jabs with late 1990s pop-culture references.

Responding to Trump's assertion that Cruz was a "weak, little baby," last month, Cruz tweeted a video from "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me."

SEE ALSO: 'Hope he doesn't try to eat me!': Ted Cruz responds to Donald Trump's latest insult with 'Austin Powers' joke

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NOW WATCH: IAN BREMMER: This is why the world isn’t concerned at all about a President Trump


Jim Carrey nails the reason why you should always follow your dreams

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In 2014, Jim Carrey delivered a commencement address to Maharishi University of Management in Iowa that people still talk about to this day. He told the room full of new graduates not to let their lives be navigated by fear.

Story by Ian Phillips and editing by Alana Yzola

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'The Rock' and Mark Wahlberg are being sued for $200 million for allegedly stealing their show idea

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In a new lawsuit, "Ballers" executive producers Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Mark Wahlberg are being accused of stealing the idea for their show.

The Los Angeles Times reports that a lawsuit seeks $200 million in damages. Screenwriters Everette Silas and Sherri Littleton claim that the HBO football drama/comedy "borrows heavily" from their own 2007 show "Off Season."

In fact, they pitched that idea to Johnson and Wahlberg, they say.

"The stories, character traits, scenes, and incidents portrayed in the two works, 'Ballers' and 'Off Season,' are, in many respects, virtually identical and strikingly similar. These substantially similar elements, coupled with the Defendants' direct access to the Materials, leaves little doubt that numerous elements of 'Ballers' were copied from 'Off Season,'" a complaint filed in court says, according to the LA Times.

The suit also names HBO, "Ballers" creator Stephen Levinson, and the show's production companies.

While "Off Season" never came to fruition, the suit lists a number of alleged similarities between it and "Ballers."

An HBO representative previously told Deadline that the suit "has no merit."

"Ballers" comes back on the air for a second season this summer.

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NOW WATCH: The 8 best movies on Netflix you've probably never heard of

Model Chrissy Teigen has become the poster girl for pregnancy

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Model Chrissy Teigen has become the poster girl for pregnancy. She and husband John Legend had difficulty conceiving, but now she is expecting a baby girl this spring. Teigen has been showing off her baby bump at red carpet events and on the street — and she looks fabulous.

Story by Jennifer Polland and editing by Chelsea Pineda

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Spotify just cut a $21 million deal with music publishers over unpaid royalties

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Spotify has reached a deal with the National Music Publisher's Association (NMPA) that resolves a dispute over unpaid royalties.

The agreement will allow music publishers to get royalties for songs on Spotify (in the US) where the ownership information was previously "unknown."

The deal includes roughly $16 million in unpaid royalties, plus a $5 million "bonus" split between those who opt-in to the program, according to a person familiar with the matter. The total is about $21 million.

The agreement comes after Spotify has been hit with multipleclass-action lawsuits regarding unpaid royalties. Those suits seek damages totaling in the hundreds of millions of dollars, but this deal could undercut them. The NMPA is the major trade association for American music publishers and songwriters.

“As we have said many times, we have always been committed to paying songwriters and publishers every penny," Spotify Global Head of Communications and Public Policy Jonathan Prince said. "We appreciate the hard work of everyone at the NMPA to secure this agreement and we look forward to further collaboration with them as we build a comprehensive publishing administration system.”

The deal covers usage of songs on Spotify from its start in the US until June 30, 2017.

Publishers who opt-in to the agreement (during a period starting in early April and lasting 90 days) will be paid by Spotify in three ways:

  1. They will get a piece of the $5 million "bonus" fund.
  2. They will be able to use an online claiming portal to get paid royalties for "pending" or "unmatched" songs.
  3. They will get a portion of royalties for songs that remain unclaimed, depending on how much their songs were played on Spotify. 

According to the NMPA, the agreement will also ensure that Spotify will continue to work to make the process of identifying rightsholders work more "accurately" and "efficiently." The NMPA also says the deal will provide "a path to direct licensing between Spotify and publishers, with the goal of strengthening business relationships."

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NOW WATCH: How to use Apple's Spotify killer — now on everyone's iPhone

Netflix's 'Pee-wee's Big Holiday' proves the character is as funny as ever

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Pee Wee Netflix

When Paul Reubens created the Pee-wee Herman character in the early 1980s as a stage act, audiences instantly fell in love with not just the exterior — tight-fitting gray suit, red bow tie, unusual voice — but his childlike admiration for life and all its quirkiness.

Pee-wee then became a household name when Reubens structured the act as a children’s TV show, then teamed with Tim Burton to make the classic “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.”

With Netflix seemingly eager to bring back just about anything we're nostalgic for from the past few decades — “Full House,” “Gilmore Girls” — they jumped on the chance to make a new Pee-wee movie with Reubens and producer Judd Apatow.

And I’m here to tell you that “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday” is as much fun as the first Pee-wee movie. (Let’s just pretend “Big Top Pee-wee” never existed, okay?)

This time, Pee-wee is settled in the quaint ‘50s-ish town that he’s lived in his whole life. But then actor Joe Manganiello shows up (his name in the movie is Joe Manganiello) on his motorcycle and completely wows Pee-wee with his cool style. This motivates Pee-wee to do something he’s never done in his life: leave town and take a holiday.

Pee=wee Netflix

That’s right, in this Pee-wee universe, he never went to the Alamo to find his bike, like he did in “Big Adventure.”

But as with “Big Adventure,” Pee-wee embarks on a hilarious road trip that leads to strange encounters. Just a couple (that won’t spoil anything as they are featured in the trailer) involve three female bank robbers who are dressed like they came straight out of “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” and a team of unique hairstylists.

There's a lot of fun in the silly gadgets featured throughout, from how Pee-wee wakes up every morning to the items of a traveling salesman Pee-wee gets a ride from.

In many ways, Reubens, who cowrote the screenplay with “Love” creator and star Paul Rust, uses the structure of “Big Adventure” to tell the story. There’s a silly opening dream sequence, the road-trip storyline, and the goal of the trip, which is wackier this time around than finding his bike.

And then there’s just Reubens' strange brand of humor that works as well today as it did in the ‘80s. (I defy you not to laugh out loud during the balloon bit.)

Yet the secret weapon of the movie, its modern touch, is Manganiello. He is extremely funny and has a chemistry with Reubens that you’d never think would work until you see it on the screen for yourself.

“Pee-wee’s Big Holiday is available to stream on Netflix starting Friday.

 

SEE ALSO: The 5 best and worst Ben Affleck movies, ranked

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Superman star Henry Cavill was hanging out in Times Square and no one noticed him

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Maybe Superman doesn't even need the glasses disguise.

Henry Cavill, who first portrayed the superhero in 2013's "Man of Steel" and is reprising the role in this month's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," went to Times Square in Manhattan dressed in a Superman shirt — and he says not a single person recognized him.

He first posted the video of his adventure in one of the world's most recognizable tourist areas to his Instagram account with the caption: "Dear doubter, The glasses are good enough. Regards, Superman."

Dear Doubter, The glasses are good enough. Regards, Superman #WhoWillWin #Superman

A video posted by Henry Cavill (@henrycavill) on Mar 16, 2016 at 11:33am PDT on

Cavill stopped by "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Thursday night to talk about unrecognizable he was and why he decided to go to Times Square.

"There's been so much doubt about the validity of Superman's disguise, which is the glasses," Cavill said. "I think it was a perfectly reasonable disguise, and so, I put it to the test."

In fact, he wasn't even wearing glasses.

While in Times Square, two people spoke to him: one to ask for directions to Grand Central Station, and another who told him he couldn't take photos in a particular location.

Superman "hides in plain sight," Cavill said.

"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" hits theaters on March 25.

Watch Cavill on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" below:

SEE ALSO: The 5 best and worst Ben Affleck movies, ranked

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Netflix just saved this all-star animated movie that was mysteriously pulled from theaters

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Netflix has come to the rescue of the abandoned animated feature “The Little Prince.”

Based on the famous French children's book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the film was set to be released by Paramount in the US on March 18, but in a shocking move, the studio pulled it a week before its opening.

The streaming giant has now bought the domestic rights to the movie and will release it later this year, according to the Hollywood Reporter

“The Little Prince” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last May and has earned close to $80 million internationally, via Paramount's international distribution arm. The studio has not explained publicly why it decided not to release the film domestically. 

The decision was a bit puzzling, given the previous animated movie Paramount released was Charlie Kaufman's "Anomalisa," which has only taken in $2.6 million in box office. Given how "The Little Prince" did overseas, and its critical reception at Cannes, it would have likely made considerably more than "Anomalisa" here in the States.

"The Little Prince" combines 3D animation and stop-motion and has an all-star cast lending their voices, including Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Paul Rudd, Marion Cotillard, James Franco, and Benicio del Toro.

SEE ALSO: These 13 hit songs were originally rejected by other artists

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NOW WATCH: ‘The Most Interesting Man in the World’ shares his secrets to happiness and success


'Daredevil' star Charlie Cox explains the importance of season 2's most exciting new character

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Netflix's hit Marvel series "Daredevil" introduces a new character on its second season, which launched Friday. And with the addition, the show's struggle to define the difference between a vigilante and a hero gets very real.

Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) — known as Punisher to Marvel Comics fans— enters the show's Hell's Kitchen with a barrage of bullets. Strikingly accurate and effective, he's considered a major force by everyone in the show. But is that force for good or evil?

"Unlike the first season where there was a clear villain, this season is not that black and white," Charlie Cox, who plays the show's title character, recently told Business Insider of the show's new addition.

"It's not about a villain or an antihero or even a hero," he continued. "I think this season asks the question: What is a hero? What does it take to be a hero? What are people's views on heroes? How do they change and morph and where is the line? What's the line of vigilante justice? Is that something we should applaud, or is it something we should condemn? It's a very blurry line."

Castle stands in stark contrast to season one's villain, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio), who was taken down by Daredevil, aka Matt Murdock, by the end of the season. Castle is an expert sharpshooter who brings an executioner-like quality to his work. He's the physical manifestation of the questions Murdock was left with at the end of season one, in which he battled with his own rules of crime-fighting and vigilantism.

"This season, I think it's sophisticated and interesting and the show hopefully does what it did last year, which was they've taken a superhero show and made it so much more than that," Cox said of Castle.

daredevil punisher netflix 2The Punisher matches Daredevil's skills and then some. He's a master of martial arts, stealth tactics, guerrilla warfare, and a wide variety of weapons. And his take on crime fighting doesn't include the cops and courts. He is judge, jury, and executioner.

"I really feel it's the perfect world to reintroduce this character," Bernthal ("The Walking Dead," "The Wolf of Wall Street") said of Punisher during the recent winter Television Critics Association press tour.

"So much of season one was about Matt sort of dealing with this decision to be a hero. I think here comes this guy who's really not concerned with being a hero," Bernthal continued. "If I got one thing from the comics as far as superpowers, his superpower is his rage. His superpower is that he is not going to quit, and he is going forward no matter what. And that's as human and grounded a quality as I think as this sort of genre could have."

Cox told Business Insider that Bernthal really delivered as Punisher.

"I think he's going to get a lot of attention from this show for his portrayal of Frank Castle, and rightfully so," Cox said. "He's hugely deserving."

Watch a trailer for the second season of "Daredevil" below:

SEE ALSO: Chelsea Handler finally shared details about what to expect from her new Netflix talk show

SEE ALSO: The best thing about the second season of ‘Daredevil’ is The Punisher

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NOW WATCH: The new 'Daredevil' villain was thrust onto the stage at Comic Con for the first time

Comedian Judd Apatow compares Donald Trump to 'the psycho girl' on 'The Bachelor'

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Judd Apatow blasted Donald Trump during the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, on Thursday.

The outspoken writer, director, and producer took the stage after a screening of his Netflix movie, "Pee-wee's Big Holiday." Amid poking fun at Bill Cosby, marriage, family, and his own habit of making stories in which an average guy gets the gorgeous woman ("Knocked Up," "40-Year-Old Virgin," "Love"), he took some time to take down Trump. 

And he did it in an original way.

"Is the Trump thing scaring you?” Apatow asked the crowd of the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, according to Variety.

“He’s kind of like the psycho girl on ‘The Bachelor’ that you don’t want to get kicked out too soon," he continued, "because she might have sex with somebody in the ocean. But it’s time he doesn’t get the rose.”

And lest Apatow's critics accuse him of jumping on the anti-Trump bandwagon, one that includes much of the Republican Party establishment, the comedy king revealed that he wrote some of Barack Obama's Trump jokes for the 2011 White House Correspondents' Association dinner.

“The president humiliated him, and I wrote those jokes,” Apatow disclosed. “I was very proud of it. And I found out later that the night he did those jokes, he also killed [Osama] bin Laden.”

“I kind of felt like I killed bin Laden,” he added. “What if my jokes bombed? He might have said, ‘I’m not feeling it tonight.’”

Judd Apatow, patriot.

SEE ALSO: Hillary Clinton had a very awkward yet hilarious cameo on Comedy Central's 'Broad City'

SEE ALSO: Stephen Colbert says this last-ditch effort to get rid of Trump could be 'the death of the GOP'

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NOW WATCH: 'Donald Trump is literally inciting violence': Watch Sanders and Clinton blast Trump for the violence at his rallies

Lingerie company CEO demands Calvin Klein rips down its 'sexist' Fetty Wap and Klara Kristin billboard

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Heidi Zak, the CEO and cofounder of lingerie brand ThirdLove, has embarked on a campaign demanding Calvin Klein takes down its "offensive" billboard ad starring rapper Fetty Wap and actor Klara Kristin.

The billboard, situated in New York City, shows Kristin posing provocatively, alongside the tagline "I seduce in #mycalvins." Adjacent to her image is a close-up of Fetty Wap's face, with the slogan "I make money in #mycalvins."

Zak has written a letter (read it in full below) to Calvin Klein CEO Steve Shiffman calling on the company to remove the "offensive" and billboard, which she believes is sexist.

"It’s striking that almost a century after women won the right to vote, companies like yours are still propagating these offensive and outdated gender stereotypes: Men go to work and make money, while women are nothing more than sex objects," she writes.

Zak has also created a YouTube video outlining how she is "personally offended" by the ad.

She adds that ThirdLove and "the women of New York" are "no longer accepting this antiquated stereotype and instead are creating our own gender definitions that a women can be anything she wants to be."

The video then sees ThirdLove asking passers-by what they think of the billboard. All of those interviewed dislike the ad and comment on how they find it inappropriate, with one woman saying: "It's totally pedophilic. It's disgusting."

ThirdLove has also started up a Change.org petition, entitled "Take Down Sexist Billboard In NYC." It had 43 signatories at the time of writing.

Calvin Klein was not immediately available for comment.

The billboard is part of a wider campaign, featuring stars such Justin Bieber, Kendall Jenner, FKA Twigs, and Kendrick Lamar apparently sharing what they love do in their Calvins.

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As reported by WWD, Calvin Klein CMO Melisa Goldie explained the campaign was "representative of how culture is evolving as we speak."

She added: "We’re bringing together a diverse mix of provocateurs with a unique collective of visual artists to create content that sparks and drives cultural conversation. Millennials reject labels when it comes to their own identities, and they want products that are personalized and individual, which we’re achieving as Calvin Klein moves toward further establishing itself as a lifestyle-centric global brand."

ThirdLove CEO Heidi Zak's letter to Calvin Klein CEO Steve Shiffman in full:

March 18, 2016

Attn. Mr. Steve Shiffman
CEO, Calvin Klein, Inc.

Mr. Shiffman, I’d like to talk about your new Spring 2016 campaign entitled #MyCalvins.

In New York City’s Soho neighborhood, a mere 2.6 miles from your headquarters, your billboard shows a woman in Calvin Klein underwear with the caption “I seduce in #mycalvins” — directly alongside rapper Fetty Wap, who is known for his anti-feminist lyrics and behavior towards his child’s mother in the media, with the text “I make money in #mycalvins.”

Is the message of Calvin Klein today that women are only good for seduction? Are we stuck in the 1950s? Are these the values of the Calvin Klein brand?

It’s striking that almost a century after women won the right to vote, companies like yours are still propagating these offensive and outdated gender stereotypes: Men go to work and make money, while women are nothing more than sex objects.

It is egregious that Calvin Klein is posting this message for millions of impressionable young women to see and internalize as to what they should aspire to.

See, you and I view the world very differently. I believe women can do anything, and that we should take every possible opportunity to teach and remind them of that. Anything less, in this day and age, is irresponsible marketing.

I’m a CEO, and I work hard. I make money just like Fetty – and I do so while wearing underwear, just like all the other amazing women out there working every day.

We should be illustrating that women do more than simply “seduce”. At ThirdLove we believe fit should come first. In fact, we believe the best bra is one you never think about. No matter the different roles a woman takes on during the day, her lingerie should make her feel confident, sexy and ready to be the best at her job, as a friend, wife or partner, mom, or CEO of a company.

And I’m not the only one shocked by your company. Your fellow New Yorkers had a lot to say: More Than My Underwear.

For the sake of the tens of thousands of women a day, young and old, who walk past this billboard, I’m starting a petition Change.org/MoreThanMyUnderwear. We are asking that your company do the right thing and remove this offensive billboard immediately. Women deserve more respect, and they certainly deserve more than what they’re getting from companies like yours.

Sincerely,

Heidi Zak
CEO/Co-Founder, ThirdLove
#MoreThanMyUnderwear

SEE ALSO: The 30 most creative women in advertising

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Stephen Colbert says farewell to the fallen Marco Rubio, who 'became the Jeb Bush'

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And then there were three.

Marco Rubio dropped out of the race to become the Republican presidential nominee after losing his home state of Florida to Donald Trump during Tuesday's primaries. Now, only Trump, Ted Cruz, and John Kasich remain in the race.

To honor Rubio's "suspended" campaign, Stephen Colbert released his latest "Hungry for Power Games" segment. 

He called the Florida senator "the boy whose birthday party your parents made you attend" and ridiculed his concession speech in which Rubio thanked his supporters and said "there's nothing more you could’ve done."

“Well, you could’ve voted for him, but besides that, no,” Colbert said. "And tribute Marco leaves us after a string of triumphant third-place victories... So for the record, Florida votes yes on Jimmy Buffett, yes on releasing pythons into toilets. On Marco Rubio? No, thanks.”

Colbert later added that Rubio was "supposed to become the Jeb Bush that people liked; instead, he became the Jeb Bush." 

With Trump as the current frontrunner, Colbert looked ahead to the future. 

“With tribute Trump marching toward Capitol City, I’d just like to say, everything’s going to be fine,” Colbert said as his voice cracked. “We gamemakers are still in full control of the games. ... Prepare the escape pod to the forbidden zone!”  

Watch the segment below:

SEE ALSO: 'Daredevil' star Charlie Cox explains the importance of season 2's most exciting new character

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NOW WATCH: 'Marco Rubio is trying to steal my girlfriend': Watch the bizarre moment a prankster interrupted a Rubio rally

Why this director thinks Sean Parker's controversial streaming startup will ruin movies

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Since the announcement that Sean Parker and music executive Prem Akkaraju are working on a company called Screening Room that plans to let consumers stream movies still showing in theaters from home for a $50 rental fee, filmmakers have been taking sides.

Though the company has big-name shareholders like directors Peter Jackson, J.J. Abrams, Ron Howard, Steven Spielberg, and Martin Scorsese, some major directors are opposed to it, namely James Cameron and Christopher Nolan.

Most of the debate has been focused on the financial pros and cons for theaters if such a bold endeavor were to become a reality. But director Jeff Nichols, whose first studio movie, "Midnight Special," opens in theaters on Friday, is opposed to the idea for another reason.

Jeff Nichols Mike Windle Getty"The thing that nobody is talking about that I want them to is how terrible flat-screen TVs make movies look," Nichols told Business Insider.

Every TV has its own specific settings, meaning images look different on different TVs. Nichols says that when you buy an expensive television, the demo settings for it are set in a way that makes sporting events look amazing, but movies look flat.

"It looks like a friggin' Spanish soap opera," Nichols said. "I hate it."

The director's latest film, starring Michael Shannon as a father who tries to protect his son with special powers from authorities, is filled with dazzling cinematography and special effects. He believes the work he put into making it look its best would be ruined if audiences were given an option not to see it in theaters at all.

"I spend thousands of dollars a day making sure my movies look a very specific way," he said. "So before I could ever get on board with a home-viewing system that allowed the complete takeaway of the theatrical component, I would want to make sure that people in their houses would see a correct representation of the movie I make."

The current model for Screening Room would allow consumers the option to buy a $150 antipiracy set-top box to permit them 48-hour rentals of movies that are still showing in theaters. A portion of the $50 fee would go to exhibitors, and customers would receive two tickets to their local multiplex for the movie they rented.

SEE ALSO: 5 reasons Sean Parker's $50 home movie streaming service could be a failure

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NOW WATCH: The 10 most awkward moments from the 2016 Academy Awards

'Making a Murderer' convict Steven Avery's lawyer is confident he'll be exonerated by new evidence in 'months'

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"Making a Murderer" subject Steven Avery's new attorney, Kathleen Zellner, is highly confident she'll get the murder convict out of prison — possibly even without a new trial.

That's according to Curtis Busse, the man behind the Steven Avery Project, which works with the Avery family to deliver information to the public.

"We're not even looking for a new trial. We're actually looking for an exoneration," Busse said in a recent interview with WIBX 950AM. "Zellner's very confident, and Steven is also very confident that it's not gonna take that much time. And we're talking months here."

When asked what new evidence made Avery and his attorney so confident, Busse answered: "Phone records, DNA, there's alibis there that weren't proven the first time that Zellner is taking to the next level and gone the extra mile to prove. They're going to show that the blood [in victim Teresa Halbach's car] and the age of the blood, it's not going to match up between the two."

And if Avery gets exonerated for the 2005 Teresa Halbach murder, he plans to make his town pay for the mistaken conviction, again. He previously filed a $36 million civil suit against Manitowoc County, in Wisconsin, and its police department after he was exonerated for a sexual-assault conviction for which he served 18 years in prison.

He eventually settled the suit for $400,000 amid being investigated in connection to Halbach's murder, and the money went to his legal fees.

"If they thought that [the] $36 million lawsuit was huge, a $100 million lawsuit will be a lot worse on their plate this time," Busse said.

Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey are serving life sentences for the Halbach murder.

Listen to the interview below:

SEE ALSO: 'Making a Murderer' fans say this death certificate supports the theory that police framed Steven Avery

SEE ALSO: Brendan Dassey's lawyer explains why she says his 'Making a Murderer' confession is false

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Steven Avery's defense attorney admits doubts about his innocence

Critics are calling the latest 'Divergent' a huge franchise movie failure

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"The Divergent Series: Allegiant" brings us a step closer to the end of the film adaptations of the popular YA novels by Veronica Roth. And for critics, it can't come soon enough.

The franchise headed by Shailene Woodley set in a dystopian future is crawling to the finish line with nowhere near the popularity, among critics or audiences, of Lionsgate's other YA franchise, "The Hunger Games."

In "Allegiant," Tris (Woodley) goes beyond the giant wall encircling Chicago to see what's out there.

With only an 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing and hitting a franchise low for Thursday box office (weekend projections has it making around $30 million), "Allegiant" is already a certified dud. Few seem interested in going over the wall with Tris.

Here's what critics are saying about it.

SEE ALSO: Burt Reynolds turned down these iconic roles including James Bond — an now says he regrets it

The franchise's storytelling has gone out the window.

"A story that kicked off two years ago at a reasonable gallop has now slowed to barely a limp," notes the New York Times in its review, which sums up the franchise's unoriginal storytelling. 

Time Out London pinpointed the problem by writing, "As internal logic goes out of the window and the plot contrivances pile up (‘I’ve got a machine that can see through walls!’ or ‘I know how to fly a plane without ever having seen one before!’), the film becomes increasingly trying."

Variety believes that "asking audiences to turn off their brains basically reduces 'The Divergent Series' to just another sci-fi action franchise — and not a very good one at that."



Why it can’t hold a candle to "Hunger Games."

Turns out Lionsgate is 1 for 2 in sci-fi YA franchises. While "Hunger Games" had an impressive run, and will likely continue with spin-offs, the "Divergent" series hasn't had the same luck. The critics have a few reasons why: 

"Unlike the Panem of 'The Hunger Games' saga, which takes real historical tyrannies as an inspiration, there's no getting around the fact that 'Divergent' is a clunky apparatus built around a trendy 'Chosen One' type," NPR writes. 

"'Games' created complex characters with psychological depth and emotional heft, and put them at risk while tackling bleak futuristic narrative themes," says the San Jose Mercury News. "'Divergent,' on the other hand, gets snarled up in the threads of an overly complicated vision, stranding its rather one-note characters in the process."



Miles Teller's talent is wasted.

It's been a knock on the franchise from the beginning: Miles Teller's talents are just not being used to their potential.

"These movies really enjoy denying their characters forward momentum," according to the A.V. Club, which points out Teller specifically. "For the third movie in a row, his character Peter tags along with the heroes before turning duplicitous and selfish."

And according to the Chicago Tribune: "The only wild card remains Miles Teller, stuck in supporting-underminer duty but extracting a laugh or two simply by turning his boredom with the material into sly commentary conducted in the margins."

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

If you want to learn more about Marvel's 'Daredevil,' you need this app — it's like Netflix for comic books

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As you probably know from the marketing blitz, season 2 of Marvel's "Daredevil" premieres on Netflix today. But if you're still jonesing for more "Daredevil" once your weekend binge is over, we've got the app for you.

Marvel Digital Unlimited is an app for iPhone, Android, and the web that gives you unfettered access to (almost) the entirety of Marvel's 77-year comics publishing history in electronic form. Take it from a comics addict like me, it's the best deal around.

Digital Unlimited works like Netflix. So long as you're paid up, you can read issues indefinitely, and store up to 12 issues for offline reading. That includes literally thousands of issues featuring characters like the Avengers, Spider-man, Jessica Jones, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and, yes, Daredevil. 

And as an added bonus, thanks to the fact that Disney owns both Marvel and Lucasfilm, Marvel Digital Unlimited has tons and tons of "Star Wars" comics, to boot. 

It starts at $9.99/month or $69 a year, but Marvel is having a special to promote the new season of "Daredevil" — sign up before April 3rd, and you can get Digital Unlimited for $60/year. Just use the coupon code "SEASON2."

Marvel Digital Unlimited can be a little daunting, given the sheer amount of comics available. And while it does offer curated collections to get you started with characters like Daredevil and crossover events like "Secret Wars," here's a very quick list of suggested starting points for the curious Netflix fan:  

  • Daredevil #168 — the first appearance of Elektra.
  • Daredevil #227 - 233 — the "Born Again" story, featuring the Kingpin.
  • The Amazing Spider-Man #129 — the first apperance of the Punisher.
  • Daredevil vol. 3 #1 — Daredevil moves to San Francisco, kicking off the current era. 

There's a catch here, though: Marvel Digital Unlimited only gets brand-new issues on a 6-month lag.marvel digital unlimited

So if you absolutely have to read the very latest issue of "Daredevil" or "Amazing Spider-Man," you're better off going with Amazon's Comixology app, which lets you buy comics for your phone or tablet outright. 

But with comics averaging $4 an issue, these days, believe me when I tell you that Marvel Digital Unlimited is a much more economical option, delay and all. 

On a final note, it's kind of a bummer that with "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" so close to hitting theaters that DC Comics doesn't offer its own version of this app. Hopefully, one day. 

SEE ALSO: Now that Google's artificial brain is conquering Go, this classic computer game from 1998 could be next

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Shakira's teacher told her she had a bad voice and banned her from the school choir

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When Shakira was in grade school, no one liked her voice. Her teacher wouldn't let her join the school choir, and her classmates said she sounded like a goat. Now, she's one of the world's top-selling artists.

Story by Jacob Shamsian and editing by Chelsea Pineda

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Emma Watson beatboxed for gender equality — but only after turning bright red

Gawker says it may appeal the Hulk Hogan sex-tape case

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hulk hogan trial

Lawyers for Hulk Hogan had urged a Florida jury on Friday to hit the website Gawker with tens of millions of dollars in damages for posting a sex tape featuring the former professional wrestler.

After several hours of deliberations, the jury returned a verdict in favor of Hogan, to the tune of $115 million in damages.

In a statement released before jurors were reached a verdict, Gawker suggested the possibility that it will have to appeal:

As the trial concludes, we're disappointed the jury was unable to see key evidence and hear testimony from the most important witness. So it may be necessary for the appeals court to resolve this case.

The "most important witness" in question is Bubba the Love Sponge, a shock jock who was once Hogan's friend. Bubba filmed the tape, which features his wife having sex with Hogan.

Bubba, who previously settled with Hogan for $5,000 for his own part in the tape affair, has made a number of contradictory statements as to whether Hogan was aware that he was being filmed. Bubba avoided testifying in the Gawker trial by exercising his Fifth Amendment right to avoid incriminating himself, the Tampa Bay Times reported. His attorney said that Bubba's statements could potentially expose him to lawsuits for perjury or for making the tape without Hogan's consent.

Gawker attorney Michael Berry lamented Bubba's decision not to testify, saying Bubba was the only person other than Hogan who knew if the tape was a "publicity stunt," according to statements he made in court tweeted by Tampa Bay Times reporter Anna Phillips.

Gawker's statement said that "Bubba should have been required to appear in court and explain what really happened." But, he said, he looked forward to the upcoming release of previously sealed documents pertaining to the case. He said "the jury deserved to know about [these documents] during deliberations."

hulk hogan trial gawker

In court, attorney Kenneth Turkel — no relation to the Business Insider reporter — told a six-member jury that Gawker's editors did not have the "common decency" to call Hogan for comment before uploading the video.

"What's disturbing about Gawker isn't what they do in a vacuum," Turkel said at the close of a two-week civil trial in state court in St. Petersburg. "It's how proud they are of it."

But Michael Sullivan, a lawyer for the gossip and news website, said the First Amendment protects the media's ability to publish legitimate news stories, even when the content is objectionable.

"If they can make a claim like this, the internet as we know it will cease to exist," Sullivan said.

The case essentially hinges on whether jurors believe the sex tape was newsworthy, and requires them to weigh a celebrity's right to privacy in the digital age against the freedom of the press.

Nick DentonHogan, 62, testified during the trial that the video's release in 2012 caused him lasting humiliation. The longtime star of World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. and reality television veteran sued for $100 million in damages.

Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, said he did not know the encounter with his friend's wife was caught on camera about a decade ago inside Bubba's home.

Gawker obtained the tape and created an edited version less than two minutes long that contained only nine seconds of explicit sexual activity. The editor involved said the post was intended as a commentary on celebrity sex tapes.

Sullivan argued that Hogan made his sex life newsworthy by repeatedly discussing it in public, often in graphic detail. He said other sites had already written about the tape, though none posted any video.

But Hogan sought to distinguish his real-life persona from the bombastic wrestling character he said he portrayed with "artistic liberty." His public behavior, he said, should not rob him of the privacy he expected while in the bedroom of a friend's house.

Gawker said it did not make money directly off the post, which ran without advertisements. Experts for Hogan said the company netted substantial gains from the traffic it generated.

Reuters reporting by Letitia Stein and Joseph Ax.

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3 movies that eerily predicted this crazy election

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bulworth 20th century fox

It's been the wackiest election year in decades, and it's only March!

From Donald Trump's reality-TV-like presidential bid and frontrunner status to Bernie Sanders' hopes to ride the "revolution" of the youth vote to the White House, it's been full of surprises.

This got us thinking about a few movies that were entertainingly fictional, at the time, in their Hollywood imagining of the Washington landscape. But now you can't help finding parallels to the election we're witnessing.

Let's look back on three (along with one TV show that never fails to call it).

SEE ALSO: The 5 best and worst Ben Affleck movies, ranked

"Bulworth" (1998)

The socialist platform Sanders is running on brings to mind similarities to California Sen. Jay Billington Bulworth, played by Warren Beatty, in "Bulworth."

Granted, Sanders didn't go on a drug-fueled bender or hire an assassin to kill him, like Bulworth did. But what Beatty wanted to profile in the movie was a politician who was antiestablishment, something that has made many flock to Sanders. And his unapologetic way of calling it like he sees it has connections to the rise of both Sanders and Trump.



"A Face in the Crowd" (1957)

Elia Kazan's classic stars Andy Griffith as Arkansas drifter Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes, who becomes an overnight radio sensation with his humor, charm, and commentary on the day's events that the "good ol' boy" can understand. 

Soon, with a syndicated TV show, he becomes as powerful as the politicians who come to him pleading for his support. That group includes a senator running for president, whom Rhodes attaches himself to with grand hopes of being "Secretary of National Morale," leading his listeners (or "flock" as he calls them) until he's even possibly the most powerful man in the country one day.

It's impossible now not to see the similarities between Rhodes and Trump: Two media-savvy men who are searching for the ultimate political prize.



"Citizen Kane" (1941)

Trump can also be seen in the rise of Charles Foster Kane, the wealthy newspaper publisher who has a failed attempt to run for New York governor. Though much of Kane, played by Orson Welles, is based on the life and career of William Randolph Heart, the wealthy, ego-driven businessman attempting to enter politics fits perfectly with what Trump is currently doing.  



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