Quantcast
Channel: Business Insider
Viewing all 103316 articles
Browse latest View live

Here's one possible reason why Kanye West is done selling albums and sticking to 'only streaming'

$
0
0

Kanye West wasn't joking when he tweeted that he's done releasing any more CDs and will move forward with online streaming only.

His latest album, "The Life of Pablo," was exclusively available on Jay-Z's streaming service Tidal, which is co-owned by West, when it first launched in February. A single from the album was eventually released on other streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music on Monday, but West hasn't released it as a physical album.

West's decision may partly have to do with the way people consume music these days. As this chart from Statista shows, streaming is the only form of distribution that saw revenue increases over the past 3 years. Both downloads and physical albums saw their revenues shrink every year in the same period. On top of that, 2015 was the first year streaming became the largest source of income for the recording industry.

Perhaps that explains why everyone's trying to jump into the on-demand music streaming sector. SoundCloud just launched its own subscription streaming service, while Pandora also said it wants to get in this space as quickly as possible.

20160329_Streaming_Music_BI

SEE ALSO: This chart shows how far away virtual reality still is from reaching the mass-market

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How to send self-destructing messages — and other iPhone messaging tricks


This is the most realistic video game version of New York City we've ever seen

David Bowie's former Caribbean vacation home is now available to rent for $40,000 a week

$
0
0

mandalay bowie vacation home

The expansive five-bedroom villa that the late David Bowie once used as a retreat has hit the rental market for a whopping $40,000 a week. 

Dubbed "Mandalay", the home is located on the exclusive Caribbean island of Mustique, where Kate Moss, Hugh Grant, and Prince William and Kate Middleton have also been known to vacation.

Bowie built the home in 1989, but sold it to publisher Felix Dennis in 1995. The home was sold again after Dennis died in 2014, and some say that the new owner is British businessman Simon Dolan. 

The home's design incorporates many aspects of Japanese and Balinese style, and it's packed with lush tropical plants and koi ponds. Let's take a look inside. 

SEE ALSO: How the goddaughter of Prince Charles ditched England to run her own business in the Bahamas

DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's lifestyle page on Facebook!

Mandalay sits atop a hill overlooking the Caribbean. Views from the master bedroom stretch all the way to St. Vincent and Bequia.

Source: Architectural Digest



The home's rooms are situated around an interior network of koi ponds and waterfalls.



Though the home has had more than one owner since Bowie, you can still see some of the musician's original design touches.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

We finally know how many times people listened to Kanye's new album on Tidal

$
0
0

kanye west

Tidal, which is the only place you could legally listen to Kanye's new album, has finally given us some hard numbers on its performance.

"The Life of Pablo" had more than 250 million streams in its first 10 days, Tidal told Billboard. Billboard's charts now count 1,500 stream as one album "sale," which means that Kanye streamed the equivalent of 160,000 units.

The album had also had 500,000 illegal downloads on its first day alone, according to TorrentFreak.

Kanye's last album, "Yeezus," debuted at number one and sold 327,000 copies in the US in its first week.

Tidal also announced that it had reached 3 million paid subscribers, compared to Apple Music at 11 million and Spotify at 30 million. 45% of those subscribers (about 1.35 million) were on Tidal's $19.99 per mont "hi-fidelity" tier, which gives lossless audio. The remainder subscribed to Tidal's industry standard $9.99 per month plan.

Tidal did not share how many of those subscribers signed up in the last few months (the service has been operating for a year), when it secured two high-profile exclusive releases from Kanye and Rihanna. Both of these album drops sent Tidal rocketing up the app download charts, all the way up to the top spot after Kanye.

Earlier this month, Kanye claimed to be done releasing CDs. "Only streaming," he tweeted. He didn't specify where digital downloads fell, but so far, "The Life of Pablo" is not available on iTunes.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 5 awesome Google features you didn't know about

It's Wrestlemania week — here's what everyone gets wrong about the WWE being fake

$
0
0

Through its live shows, television broadcasts, and digital network, WWE entertains thousands of fans every week.

Some people still view WWE as entertainment for people on the lower end of the intellectual spectrum. One reason for this is the misperception that those who watch the product think it is "real." Of course, many of the children who enjoy WWE programming may indeed think they are seeing actual conflicts being resolved through in-ring combat. The truth is that most adult fans realize it is all a big production.

In the past few years, WWE cofounder Vince McMahon has loosened his grip on the perception that what you see on TV is "real," as he has recently begun to allow his talent roster to participate in interviews in which performers break character and discuss the business in a real-world context. 

Produced by Graham Flanagan 

Follow BI Video: On Twitter

Join the conversation about this story »

Dustin Hoffman reportedly slapped and taunted Meryl Streep on the 'Kramer vs. Kramer' set

$
0
0

kvk Columbia Pictures final

In the cover story for Vanity Fair's April issue, readers get an inside look at the making of the Oscar-winning 1979 drama “Kramer vs. Kramer,” and it doesn’t hold back on the on-set drama.

Publishing an excerpt from his upcoming biography, “Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep,” author Michael Schulman writes about Streep’s grieving as she went into the film. The then-27-year-old had just lost her 41-year-old boyfriend, actor John Cazale, to lung cancer.

The movie would nab five Oscars, including Streep’s first Oscar win and best actor for costar Dustin Hoffman, but according to Schulman’s book, Hoffman did horrific things to Streep to get the performance he felt she needed to deliver.

Enabled by the film’s director, Robert Benton, according to the Vanity Fair story, Hoffman actually wanted to draw on Streep's loss of Cazale, best known for playing Fredo Corleone in “The Godfather,” months before she auditioned for “Kramer vs. Kramer.” The actor and director saw “an actress who could draw on a still-fresh pain, who was herself in the thick of emotional turmoil. It was Meryl’s weakness, not her strength, that convinced him,” Schulman writes.

The film follows the bitter custody battle over divorced couple Ted (Hoffman) and Joanna’s (Streep) son.

To get the emotion he wanted out of Streep, Hoffman allegedly slapped Streep on the set and would bring up Cazale to her.

According to Schulman:

“On the second day, they continued shooting the opening scene, when Ted follows the hysterical Joanna into the hallway. They shot the bulk of it in the morning and, after lunch, set up for some reaction shots. Dustin and Meryl took their positions on the other side of the apartment door. Then something happened that shocked not just Meryl but everyone on set. Right before their entrance, Dustin slapped her hard across the cheek, leaving a red mark.”

But Hoffman was just getting started:

"Improvising his lines, Dustin delivered a slap of a different sort: outside the elevator, he started taunting Meryl about John Cazale, jabbing her with remarks about his cancer and his death. 'He was goading her and provoking her,' [film executive Richard] Fischoff recalled, 'using stuff that he knew about her personal life and about John to get the response that he thought she should be giving in the performance.'”

Streep stormed off the set in a rage. But Hoffman’s tactics didn’t end.

In another scene, Hoffman had an idea that he didn't reveal to Streep. He asked a cameraman about a wine glass, “If I whack that before I leave, have you got it in the shot?” Eventually during filming, he indeed shattered the wine glass against the wall without warning, leaving shards of glass in Streep's hair.

During the divorce hearing scene in which Joanna has an emotional outburst on the stand, according to the Vanity Fair story, Hoffman knew what would set her off: saying John Cazale's name.

“Out of Benton’s earshot, he started whispering the name in her ear, planting the seeds of anguish, as he had in the elevator scene,” Schulman reports.

To Streep’s credit, she seems to have taken all the insane Method tactics Hoffman threw at her. And finally showed Hoffman, and the whole crew, she could shine on her own. In one of the final scenes shot for the divorce hearing, she came to Benton with a speech she wrote that Joanna would deliver on the stand during the hearing.

Here's the speech Streep wrote.

“Part of the pleasure she must have taken is showing to Dustin she didn’t need to be slapped,” the director says in the story. “She could have delivered anything to anybody at any time.”

A spokeswoman for Streep said regarding the Vanity Fair story: "Ms Streep has no comment on this book. It was unauthorized. She made no contribution to it, nor has she read it."

Dustin Hoffman's representative was not immediately available for comment to Business Insider.

SEE ALSO: Jesse Eisenberg says he doesn't know if his Lex Luthor will be back for another movie

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: It's Wrestlemania week — here's what everyone gets wrong about the WWE being fake

This guy makes $40,000 a month by impersonating Donald Trump

Fans are claiming that a plus size supermodel was Photoshopped on the cover of a men's magazine — and they're furious

$
0
0

Ashley Graham has been taking the modeling industry by storm. She recently made history as the first-ever truly plus size model to appear on the cover of Maxim's American edition, as Fashionista noted.

But while this appears to be a huge step for the notoriously masculine magazine, some fans are not happy with the outcome. They're claiming she's been Photoshopped, The Independent points out.

Many of these furious fans have taken to Instagram to express their anger.

"You are beautiful, and it's really too bad these pictures are clearly altered," one commenter wrote on the photo above.

"Photoshop?" Another wrote.

"Wy [sic] photoshop her!! If u wanted a skinny model u shouls of [sic] pick some one else," another wrote.

Still plenty of people are happy to see a curvier girl represented in a men's magazine.

 "LOVING seeing some different sizes in Maxim!!!" One person commented on the photo above.

Graham also recently became the first plus size model to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. However, that revolutionary moment was met with some dissenters.

Notorious YouTube star Nicole Arbour released an entire rant video about Graham's newly minted status as a Sports Illustrated cover star, and event went so far to accuse Sports Illustrated of Photoshopping the image. Graham, however, denied that her photos were altered to Access Hollywood (via People).

Graham, who has become something of an icon for plus size women across the globe, has addressed that she's okay with Photoshopping.

"I see a lot of the photos that go onto the screen, the raw images, and we talk about not Photoshopping this and, 'Oh, can you take that zit off of my face away?'" she said to Entertainment Tonight (via The Independent). "I believe in a little bit, but when you're reconstructing my body, when you're reshaping my hips and my thighs and you're taking certain cellulite away -- Hello! I talk about it! I got cellulite. It's like, don't do that, because the customer realizes and the girl who follows me realizes it's just overdone. There is a tasteful way to do it.:

She expressed a similar sentiment an interview last summer with Business Insider:

I think there's a fine line of going too far. And I am a girl who has talked about my cellulite. I've talked about, you know, the parts that jiggle, and although I love them, it's also really nice in a major campaign to not necessarily be distracted with some of those things — if you're gonna take out like one or two dimples. But don't change my face, don't reshape my body, don't — you know — don't change the color of my skin just to make me look like what you think the ideal is — but I think mild retouching is totally fine.

SEE ALSO: One of the oldest plus-size brands is fixing the only problem holding it back from a $17.5 billion gold mine

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Plus-size model Ashley Graham: The new 'curvy' Barbie is 'so important'


CNN's Jake Tapper grills Trump staffer: 'Aren't you just ashamed' of campaign tweet?

$
0
0

jake tapper

CNN anchor Jake Tapper repeatedly confronted top a Donald Trump adviser during a tough Tuesday-afternoon interview about the latest firestorms related to the Trump campaign.

Tapper appeared to take particular offense over the Trump campaign spreading rumors that a Trump rival, Sen. Ted Cruz, had affairs.

He directly asked Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a senior adviser to Trump's campaign, if she was "ashamed" over a bizarre video promoted by Trump's social-media director, Dan Scavino. Scavino had tweeted out the video, which implied that Cruz had an affair with a former staffer and CNN contributor, Amanda Carpenter.

"There is not actual evidence that it happened. At some point aren't you just ashamed?" Tapper asked. "This is the Trump campaign sending it out."

Huckabee Sanders said she had not seen Scavino's tweet.

"What I'm ashamed of is the entire process. That it's gotten to where it's gutter politics. I think it's very disingenuous for the Cruz campaign to come out and act like they've done nothing wrong in this entire process," she told Tapper.

Tapper also aggressively pushed Huckabee Sanders to explain the Trump's defense of campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who on Tuesday was charged with misdemeanor battery for allegedly grabbing former Breitbart News reporter Michelle Fields.

Lewandowski previously denied even touching Fields, but the Trump campaign shifted its story Tuesday. Trump himself suggested that Lewandowski was trying to separate Fields from him 

"I'm not talking about the grabbing. I'm talking about the lying about it. It happened, it did happen," Tapper said. "There's just this denial that it happened, and smearing of her."

Huckabee Sanders denied that Lewandowski grabbed Fields.

"I don't think anything happened," Huckabee Sanders said.

Watch part of Tapper's Tuesday interview below:

SEE ALSO: 'Can I press charges?': Trump fires off tweetstorm after top aide charged with simple battery

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Everything you need to know about the Trump-Cruz debacle

Microsoft helped make these stunning interactive portraits of musicians that make time stand still (MSFT)

$
0
0

Today, Microsoft unveiled its "Music x Technology" website, a place where it will showcase "ideas at the intersection of music, art and technology."

The centerpiece of the new site are three gorgeous, interactive portraits of hot musical acts Matthew Dear, Phantogram, and Neon Indian, taken and developed by New York City-based photography startup Satellite Lab. 

The idea is that as you your mouse moves over the picture, so too does the light source in each shot — even though the subject in each photo stays completely still.

Seriously, check these out (and give it a second to load). First up is the trippy electronic rock duo Phantogram:

And then DJ and pop artist Matthew Dear

And finally, Alan Palomo of Texas-based electronica act Neon Indian:

The Matthew Dear shoot was especially fun, says Satellite Lab cofounder and creative director Carlo Van de Roer: For every take, the six-man crew had to pick up the pipes and throw them back in the air.

 In fact, Van de Roer says that the whole process was fun. Satellite Labs created a light array on a rail that travels at "several thousand feet per minute." When you turn it on, he says, "there's this sort of clap of light." All the while, a super-high-speed camera is taking pictures even quicker than the light can move.

Put it all together, and you have the interactive composites that you see before you, where time stands still but the light doesn't.

From a philosophical standpoint, Van de Roer says that the appeal here is that it essentially makes you, the viewer, "complicit with the musicians" in creating an image. He says that these images act as "a conduit between musician and audience." 

If you want to see the Satellite Labs array in action, Microsoft has a behind-the-scenes video here:

 

SEE ALSO: All over the world, people are overcoming huge challenges to make a career in video games

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Kanye West's new album is redefining the music industry

Anderson Cooper confronts Ted Cruz over his old political 'lovefest' with Donald Trump

$
0
0

anderson cooper cnn

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper grilled Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas on Tuesday over his assertion last year that Donald Trump is "terrific."

During a CNN town-hall event, Cooper asked Cruz whether he made a "political calculation" not to go after Trump, citing a tweet in December in which Cruz said that Trump was "terrific."

Cooper pointed out that Trump had already caused a number of notable political firestorms by that point.

"That was after he had already made fun of Carly Fiorina's face. That was after he had gone after Megyn Kelly. At that point in December, did you really believe that Donald Trump was terrific?" Cooper asked.

Cruz did not address whether he believed that Trump was terrific. He instead criticized media outlets for allowing Trump such a large platform. 

"Look, what I knew is that the media was engaged in a lovefest, giving Donald Trump $2 billion in free media," Cruz said, citing a recent New York Times study showing Trump's dominance of so-called free media coverage.

"It sounds like you were engaged in a lovefest, though," Cooper shot back.

Cruz hammered down on his criticism of the cable-news networks that have aggressively covered Trump.

"Let's be clear: How many hours of free media does CNN and Fox and every other station [give him]? You let him call in and for a year, he got $2 billion in free media," Cruz said.

"We've asked you for interviews pretty much every day. And you've declined every offer on my program. So you can come on anytime," Cooper interjected.

But Cruz wouldn't budge. He pivoted to his call for Trump to debate him one-on-one and said that the real-estate mogul was "terrified" to face him again on a debate stage.

Cruz spent much of last year painstakingly refusing to criticize Trump, but that détente melted in the weeks leading up to the February 1 Iowa caucuses. With only three candidates left in the race, Cruz is now backed by much of the anti-Trump Republican establishment.

The two have exchanged fierce blows on almost every campaign-trail topic in recent days.

Over the past week, Cruz has repeatedly criticized Trump over the mogul's decision to retweet a photo critiquing Cruz's wife Heidi Cruz's physical appearance, among other issues.

SEE ALSO: CNN's Jake Tapper grills Trump staffer: 'Aren't you just ashamed' of campaign tweet?

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: ‘The images are worth a thousand words’: Trump shares a meme attacking Ted Cruz’s wife

Anderson Cooper to Donald Trump: 'That's the argument of a 5-year-old'

$
0
0

anderson cooper donald trump

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper mocked Donald Trump on Tuesday for using a childish argument to defend a tweet about the wife of one of his rivals in the GOP primary. 

During a CNN town-hall event for Republican presidential candidates, Cooper asked Trump to explain the feud between himself and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

Cooper specifically challenged Trump's decision to share an image comparing the appearance of his wife to Cruz's. The tweet used an unflattering photo of Heidi Cruz.

"I didn't start it," Donald Trump offered to Cooper.

This was an apparent reference to an anti-Trump super PAC's online advertisement showing a racy photo of Melania Trump, a former model, from a GQ magazine photo shoot. The PAC isn't affiliated with the Cruz campaign.

But Cooper clearly didn't buy Trump's argument.

"Sir, with all due respect, that's the argument of a 5-year-old," Cooper said.

"No, it's not," Trump shot back.

"The argument of a 5-year-old is, 'He started it.' Every parent knows a kid who said 'He started it,'" Cooper said.

"You would say that," Trump said, talking over Cooper. "That's the problem with our country."

Trump's tweet last week about Heidi Cruz sparked one of the fiercest back-and-forths between the two candidates to date. Ted Cruz called Trump a "sniveling coward" and argued that candidates' wives should be off limits. Trump previously threatened to "spill the beans" on Cruz's wife in response to the super-PAC ad.

Watch Cooper confront Trump below:

SEE ALSO: CNN's Jake Tapper grills Trump staffer: 'Aren't you just ashamed' of campaign tweet?

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Everything you need to know about the Trump-Cruz debacle

IBM's Watson analyzed 'Star Wars' and reached some fascinating conclusions

$
0
0

star wars luke leia han solo

One of IBM Watson's many talents is analyzing personality traits by looking at written text.

The supercomputer assesses traits based on the popular Big Five test, which rates subjects for extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience. It can also identify different tones such as fear, joy, confidence, and openness. These skills have been used to do everything from assist customer service agents in analyzing how their phone calls went to providing dating tips.

We tested out Watson last week on the "Harry Potter" universe and were wowed by its conclusions.

This week, we worked with IBM researcher Vinith Misra to analyze the "Star Wars" original trilogy screenplays. (Because let's be honest, the rest don't count.) Keep reading to see the findings.

SEE ALSO: 4 things you can literally learn while you sleep

NOW READ: We asked a sleep scientist if the iPhone's new Night Shift feature will actually help you sleep, and his answer surprised us

Jedi are the least neurotic characters.

"If you look at neuroticism you see something really interesting — the Jedi characters are the least neurotic," Misra told Tech Insider. "Yoda is one of the least neurotic characters. Even Vader isn't that neurotic."

That's right, don't forget Vader was a Jedi first before he became a Sith Lord.



Unsurprisingly, the most neurotic character was C-3PO.

We're not surprised at all that Watson picked up that C-3PO was the most neurotic with his endless worrying throughout all of the films. But what is interesting is that Han actually ranked third in neuroticism, right behind Luke.

Han definitely gives off a cool exterior, but considering he's been in quite a few binds (being a carbonite fridge must be stressful) it does make some sense.



Obi-Wan ranks highest for intellect and modesty and last in immoderation and cheerfulness.

"It's Jedi stereotypes that come up here — the zen-like equanimity," Misra explained. "You're gonna be less friendly and open."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Donald Trump spars with 'Today' hosts in fiery interview over campaign manager's battery charge

$
0
0

today show

Donald Trump was grilled for seven minutes Wednesday morning on the "Today" show about his campaign manager's simple-battery charge.

Hosts Savannah Guthrie and Matt Lauer repeatedly tried to get Trump to admit that his top aide, Corey Lewandowski, wasn't telling the truth when he said he didn't touch a reporter earlier this month.

The Jupiter, Florida, police released video of the incident on Tuesday, when Lewandowski was charged. The video appeared to show him grabbing reporter Michelle Fields as she questioned Trump at a campaign event.

The Trump camp has since shifted its story to argue that Lewandowski had good reason to pull Fields away from the candidate. Trump simply repeated this argument again and again during his "Today" interview.

In her first question to the Republican presidential frontrunner, Guthrie said:

You have a Corey Lewandowski tweet right after this incident happened saying very directly: "I never touched her." Then you have a piece of video which shows rather clearly he did touch her. Will you acknowledge very directly that Corey Lewandowski did not tell the truth initially about this incident?

Trump pivoted again and again to accuse Fields of grabbing him first as Guthrie repeatedly tried to get him to answer the original question. He also claimed that Fields had a shifting statement about the incident.

"Isn't it your story that's changed?" Guthrie asked.

Trump wouldn't budge. Lauer soon repeatedly tried to ask the same question during the heated interview, but Trump continued to place the blame on Fields, who earlier this month tweeted a photo of the bruises she said she received from the March 8 incident.

"He tweeted that he never touched her," Lauer told Trump. "The video tape easily and plainly shows that in fact he did grab her and he did pull her ... He didn't tell the truth."

The Trump campaign and Lewandowski's lawyers have maintained he is innocent of the charge.

Watch the entire interview below:

SEE ALSO: Trump's campaign manager was just charged with misdemeanor battery after allegedly bruising a reporter

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This isn’t the first time this top Trump aide has been accused of misconduct

Aaron Paul's new show about a cult has all kinds of connections to Scientology

$
0
0

aaron paul the path

Hulu's new cult drama, "The Path," isn't a slam dunk at first. But it slowly grows on you.

In much the same way I imagine a real cult lures new members in, "The Path's" cult, or movement as the show's Meyerists would rather be called, starts off with providing the basics of food and shelter, and then it offers family. And that's when you start to realize you're in too deep. This occurs at about the end of episode two.

There were three big reasons why this show got a lot of early attention. First, its executive producer is Jason Katims, who has mastered the art of low-rated shows with, cough, cult followings, such as "Friday Night Lights" and "Parenthood."

Second, it could be Aaron Paul's next big series after starring on "Breaking Bad" — again, a show that was already legendary in its time. And now that it's over, its reputation has reached mythic levels.

And lastly, the show was announced after HBO's airing of Alex Gibney's Scientology documentary, "Going Clear," stoking the public's interest in the secretive L. Ron Hubbard-created religion and its alleged means of keeping its members loyal.

On that third point, "The Path" creator Jessica Goldberg has sworn the show isn't based on Scientology. But its mind-reading machines, intense reparative methods used on members who have broken the rules, and the "Dianetics"-like book that acts as a Bible all say otherwise.

the path reviewWhen the series starts, the Meyerists are at a crossroads. Managing to stay under the radar for years, their latest rescue mission has garnered some local press. Meanwhile, family members of those who were rescued are wondering why their loved ones haven't gotten in touch. The founder is away in Cuba trying to track down the last few lines of a great mythological text, "The Ladder." That's the story Cal ("Hannibal" actor Hugh Dancy) is telling, at least. 

At the same time, Aaron Paul's Eddie is beginning to have doubts about the religion. And in hiding his feelings, his wife Sarah (Michelle Monaghan), a high-ranking member of the religion, believes he's having an affair. And their teen son is having all kinds of awakenings of his own.

Having watched three episodes of the season's 10, "The Path" can feel like it's trying to tell too many stories at once. And as I said before, it's not until the end of the second episode where I felt the story was really beginning to start, and its most cultish aspects became apparent.

That may be okay for some people. But if I didn't have to review this show, I would've stopped watching after the first episode and never gotten hooked. By forging ahead, I did feel things start to cook. Now I'm interested in seeing them boil over.

Hulu debuts the first two episodes of "The Path" on Wednesday.

SEE ALSO: How Hulu's '11.22.63' recreated the most famous and controversial photo of Lee Harvey Oswald

SEE ALSO: Here are your favorite TV shows that are getting renewed for another season

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Hulu CEO explains the biggest problem for cable companies


An NYC theater is debuting the anti-vaccine documentary from a discredited former doctor that Tribeca yanked from its line-up

$
0
0

TribecaFilmFestival_taxi

There was something strange about Tribeca Film Festival's 2016 documentary line-up.

It included a film produced by the man who's been linked to jump-starting mass, unfounded hysteria over vaccinations.

The movie has since been removed from Tribeca's schedule after Festival co-founder Robert De Niro said it did not "further the discussion" on the issue.

But now, another theater is set to show it.

Angelika Film Center, an independent theater in New York's Greenwich Village neighborhood, is premiering the film starting Friday, April 1, according to its website. Variety reports that the movie was acquired by California-based boutique studio Cinema Libre and will be released in other cities as well.

The man who made the film is Andrew Wakefield, and in 1998 he infamously — and wrongfully— presented a paper claiming that a combination vaccine for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), could be linked to the onset of autism.

In the fallout from his error-riddled presentation, his so-called findings were discredited in close to every way possible: The paper was retracted. Wakefield was stripped of his medical license, found guilty of "abusing a position of trust as a medical practitioner," and found guilty of "dishonesty" in his studies.

You wouldn't have known it from looking at Tribeca's website, however. Here's how they described the film, called "Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe":

Digging into the long-debated link between autism and vaccines ... [the film] features revealing and emotional interviews with pharmaceutical insiders, doctors, politicians, parents, and one whistleblower to understand what's behind the skyrocketing increase of autism diagnoses today.

As for its producer, Andrew Wakefield, all Tribeca said about him is this:

Andrew Wakefield, MB.BS., is an academic gastroenterologist who practiced medicine at the Royal Free in the UK publishing over 140 scientific papers. In 1995, he was contacted by parents of autistic children with stomach issues; he learned that these conditions often occurred immediately following an MMR vaccine.
In pursuit of this possible link, Dr. Wakefield led an initial study of twelve children with both stomach and developmental issues.
The report, published in The Lancet, would catapult Wakefield into becoming one of the most controversial figures in the history of medicine.

Not surprisingly, the festival got a lot of heat for its choice to include the movie in its line-up, and on March 27 decided to remove it from its schedule.

Documentarian Penny Lane, who received the Tribeca Film Institute's Documentary Fund (not the same entity as the film festival) in 2012 and recently produced a film about a doctor who "built an empire with his goat-testicle impotence cure," wrote a scathing public letter to Tribeca on Facebook about its choice.

"Dear Tribeca Film Festival, I love you but you made a very serious mistake," Lane wrote.

She adds: "Your online film festival guide helpfully suggests if I’m interested in Vaxxed, I might also be interested in the category of 'documentaries.' Well, as a documentary filmmaker who spent eight years making a film about a quack: yes ... I am interested in your choice to screen Vaxxed and what it means for documentaries."

Who is Andrew Wakefield and how did his infamous vaccine study go so viral?

wakefieldBack in 1998, when Wakefield was still working as a physician, London's Royal Free Hospital held a press conference to publicize a paper he'd written (which has since been retracted) for the esteemed medical journal The Lancet.

The paper was about vaccinations.

In it, Wakefield claimed that one vaccination in particular, a popular inoculation for measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), could be linked to the onset of autism, a serious neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction.

In the weeks and months to come, scientists, doctors, and public-health experts jumped to point out the multipleflagrant weaknesses in his paper.

But the damage was done. And its aftereffects continue to be felt today, from vaccination rates that declined in the wake of Wakefield's publicity to new outbreaks of measles and other illnesses for which perfectly safe inoculations exist.

The new film, whose official synopsis, according to Indiewire, doesn't even allude to any of the above, was set to premier Sunday, April 24, at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Robert De Niro

Here's the statement Tribeca provided to Business Insider from actor and Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Robert DeNiro on its decision to include the film:

"Grace and I have a child with autism and we believe it is critical that all of the issues surrounding the causes of autism be openly discussed and examined. In the 15 years since the Tribeca Film Festival was founded, I have never asked for a film to be screened or gotten involved in the programming. However this is very personal to me and my family and I want there to be a discussion, which is why we will be screening VAXXED. I am not personally endorsing the film, nor am I anti-vaccination; I am only providing the opportunity for a conversation around the issue."

Tribeca later issued a follow-up statement from DeNiro to Business Insider, announcing the removal of VAXXED from the Tribeca lineup:

"My intent in screening this film was to provide an opportunity for conversation around an issue that is deeply personal to me and my family. But after reviewing it over the past few days with the Tribeca Film Festival team and others from the scientific community, we do not believe it contributes to or furthers the discussion I had hoped for. The Festival doesn't seek to avoid or shy away from controversy. However, we have concerns with certain things in this film that we feel prevent us from presenting it in the Festival program. We have decided to remove it from our schedule."

UP NEXT: 11 common myths about the brain that need to be smashed

SEE ALSO: 7 facts about vaccines that show why they're one of the most important inventions in human history

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Watch Jeff Sachs destroy the anti-vaccine movement in under two minutes

Adam Driver has avoided going outside because of his intense fame after 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

$
0
0

Colbert Driver 1 final

Since becoming a "sex symbol among Millennials," as Newsweek put it, for playing Adam on "Girls," Adam Driver has become a big star thanks in large part to his perfect performance as conflicted Dark Side pupil Kylo Ren in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." 

While on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" Tuesday night, the shy actor opened up about how it's been for him since the release of the record-breaking blockbuster.

"I haven’t really gone outside much in the past couple of months," Driver said.

"The kids are great," Driver went on to tell Colbert. "I feel like before parents were like 'Stay away from my kids,' and now they're like, 'Get up there and take a picture, you'll appreciate it later.' But that part of it is good, I love that part. The parents are a scary thing."

Driver can currently be seen on the fifth season of HBO's "Girls" on Sunday nights, and he's also in the great sci-fi movie "Midnight Special," now in theaters. He'll be seen again in the Kylo Ren mask for "Star Wars: Episode VIII" when it opens in December 2017.

Watch the full "Late Show" clip here:

 

SEE ALSO: Dustin Hoffman reportedly slapped and taunted Meryl Streep on the "Kramer vs. Kramer" set

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Watch the cast of 'Hamilton' perform the most inspiring song from the show at the White House

New dad Seth Meyers got a totally inappropriate baby gift from Tracy Morgan

$
0
0

seth meyers tracy morgan baby late night nbc

Seth Meyers returned to work Tuesday on NBC's "Late Night" after his first child, a son, was born on Sunday. And he was joined by his old "Saturday Night Live" cast mate, Tracy Morgan, who had a very inappropriate, and hilarious, gift for the occasion.

Meyers revealed that his son arrived two weeks ahead of schedule, so he didn't realize that his wife Alexi's frequent complaints of a back ache were actually contractions. Thankfully, there's an app for that. He downloaded a contractions app that helped to assess the situation.

For Meyers, things got even more real when his wife's water broke.

"Uh, Wow. It sounds like what water would sound like if it broke. It's like incredibly well-named for what it is," the host said.

With the help of his doorman, who it seemed "had done this before," Meyers and his wife got into an Uber car. Meyers said the driver "kept his cool" through what sounds like a pretty harrowing ride.

"We had to roll the window down, because she was getting carsick. And she was just screaming out an open window," Meyers recalled. "Screaming. And only in New York City could you drive that way and not have people say, 'That woman is being abducted.'"

Without drugs, Alexi delivered their new son, whom they named Ashe after her last name, and his middle name is Olsen after Seth's mother's maiden name. And no, he didn't name his son after Ashley Olsen.

"I've long been a Mary-Kate guy," he joked.

To honor the happy occasion, Tracy Morgan presented Meyers with a gift. 

"It's a bowl of condoms," a surprised Meyers announced of the outrageous gift.

And the card read, "Baby Meyers, Don't get anyone pregnant before the age of 30."

Watch the video below:

 

 

SEE ALSO: Susan Sarandon says she's not sure she'll vote for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump

SEE ALSO: Jimmy Kimmel and Ashton Kutcher, an Uber investor, compare their user scores on the app

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Tracy Morgan's Lawyer Says The Comedian May Never Be The Same

Netflix now has 111 original shows and movies — here's why the company has grown them by an average of 185% per year (NFLX)

$
0
0

netflix love review

Netflix’s overall catalog of movies and shows has shrunk by 32% in the last two years, but there's one area where it is growing rapidly: originals.

Netflix’s roster of original movies and shows has had an average annual growth rate of 185.41% per year since 2012, and has now reached 111 titles, according to CordCutting.com, which tracks Netflix’s catalog.

And this production is only scaling up. In January, Netflix’s head of content, Ted Sarandos, announced that Netflix will release 600 hours of original content this year, including 31 original shows. That’s roughly double its 2015 output.

Here’s a chart of the growth of Netflix’s original series, showing the number of titles:

netflix originals

Netflix executives have repeatedly stressed that they see original content as a better investment for Netflix.

“We have gone into [original content] very conservative relative to licensing, and found it has been much more impactful,” CFO David Wells said last fall. CEO Hastings used one word to describe them: "better."

That’s a good thing for Netflix, as there has been some industry grumbling that Netflix could begin to face challenges licensing from legacy TV giants, who have started to think of Netflix as a threat to their business.

Going Global

Originals also make it easier for Netflix to expand globally, as the company doesn’t have to deal with the complicated mess that international TV show rights can become.

This is important moving forward, as Netflix’s international presence looks increasingly like its primary driver toward success. Netflix missed Wall Street estimates for US subscriber growth last quarter, but outpaced estimates for international growth.

As Netflix continues to charge into originals, what remains to be seen is whether it can keep up its track record of critical acclaim. The Netflix party line is that the wealth of data it gets from users can help it have a better batting average than traditional networks in funding quality shows. But some analysts have questioned this “secret sauce.”

“Netflix is like any other network, with hits and misses, and we do not expect its data advantage to provide it with a better batting average,” analysts at Morgan Stanley wrote last fall.

But what Netflix ultimately cares about is how effective its originals are at luring in new subscribers, and keeping current ones. And from the fact that Netflix has supercharged the amount of originals it’s pumping out, it seems the company thinks they are its best bet.

SEE ALSO: Netflix's US catalog has 32% fewer titles than it did in 2014 — here's why

Join the conversation about this story »

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

This genius 'Wheel of Fortune' contestant solved a puzzle with one letter and won $76,000

$
0
0

wheel of fortune

Every once in a while, "Wheel of Fortune" gets a contestant who seems to know exactly what he or she is doing.

That was the case for Robert Santoli, who recently crushed his competitors and won puzzle after puzzle to a $76,000 prize (including two cruises).

He managed to solve a puzzle early on with only one letter, which is exceedingly rare in the game show. Knowing only the "D" at the end and an ampersand between two words, he correctly guessed "Port & Starboard."

Santoli told TapInto.net that he actually memorized a set of potential clues before playing, knowing the show would have a nautical theme. And of course, some luck was involved.

Fans are saying he may be the greatest contestant in "Wheel of Fortune" history.

Watch Santoli's incredible run of wins on "Wheel of Fortune" below:

Join the conversation about this story »

Viewing all 103316 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images