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RANKED: 15 of Amazon's original shows from best to worst (AMZN)

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man in the high castle amazon dj qualls rupert evans

On Monday, Netflix finally acknowledged Amazon Prime Video as a true global competitor in a letter to shareholders.

The reason: Jeremy Clarkson's new show "The Grand Tour," which will debut in November, and which Amazon paid a reported $250 million for.

But "The Grand Tour" isn't Amazon's first blockbuster original show. The company has snagged Golden Globes for both "Transparent," a comedy-drama about a family trying to make sense of a father's transition from man to woman, and "Mozart in the Jungle," which chronicles the scandalous lives of classical musicians. Amazon has also carved out a niche for itself in dark comedies, recently securing critic favorite "Fleabag."

Amazon has also had some big flops, notably Woody Allen's "Crisis in Six Scenes," which is tied for the worst-reviewed show in Amazon's history.

With Amazon announcing that it will continue to ramp up spending on video, it's a good time to take stock of Amazon's catalog.

To understand how Amazon's 15 shows ranked against each other, we turned to reviews aggregator Metacritic, which pulls in critic (and audience) reviews from all over the world. As we did with our recent look at Netflix's original shows, we excluded shows made for kids. We just looked at how the dramas and comedies compared to each other.

Here are Amazon's original shows, ranked based on their critical reception:

SEE ALSO: RANKED: 23 Netflix original shows from worst to best

No. 15: "Crisis in Six Scenes" — 44/100

Average critic score: 44/100

Audience score: 6.9/10

Amazon description: "This is a comedy that takes place in the 1960’s during turbulent times in the United States and a middle class suburban family is visited by a guest who turns their household completely upside down."



No. 14: "Hand of God" — 44/100

Average critic score: 44/100

Audience score: 7.2/10

Amazon description: "A psychological drama about a morally-corrupt judge who suffers a breakdown and believes God is compelling him onto a path of vigilante justice."



No. 13: "Goliath" — 64/100

Average critic score: 64/100

Audience score: 6.7/10

Amazon description: "Once a powerful lawyer, Billy McBride is now burned out and washed up, spending more time in a bar than a courtroom. When he reluctantly agrees to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against the biggest client of the massive law firm he helped create, Billy and his ragtag team uncover a vast and deadly conspiracy, pitting them all in a life or death trial against the ultimate Goliath."



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Trevor Noah: Donald Trump is 'rigging' the election against himself

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daily show trevor noah donald trump

"Daily Show" host Trevor Noah is having none of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's claim that the election has been "rigged" against him, as Noah made clear on his show Monday night.

Trump has said numerous times that the election is "rigged," and recently stated in a tweet that the alleged conspiracy includes the media as well as "many polling places."

“Oh, Donald Trump, the media is not 'rigged' against you," Noah fired back. "They're just recording what you say and playing it back. If anything, you're rigging your own campaign."

In fact, as far as the media goes, Noah thinks Trump has it all backward.

"Seriously, Donald Trump, the media has given you billions of dollars of free air time, you realize that?" the host said. "Billions of dollars! How are they rigging it against you? Even your empty podium has been on TV more than Gary Johnson and Jill Stein combined."

Watch the video below:

SEE ALSO: 100 movies on Netflix that everyone needs to watch in their lifetime

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14 actors who regret their iconic movie roles

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han solo 2

A number of actors have expressed regret for their roles in movies, even ones considered classic, over the years.

Though their reasons vary, many simply resent being remembered for performances that they'd rather forget.

Daniel Craig recently said he'd rather "slash" his wrists than return as James Bond for another film, and he joins Sean Connery in the list of 007 actors who've reacted with vitriol toward the famous series. Yet Craig later clarified by saying, "If I were to stop doing it, I would miss it terribly."

From Harrison Ford in "Star Wars" to Robert Pattinson in "Twilight," we're taking a look at the actors who have voiced their distaste for characters they took on.

Check out 14 actors who have expressed regret over their movie roles:

SEE ALSO: 100 movies on Netflix that everyone needs to watch in their lifetime

Carrie Fisher — "Star Wars"

Fisher told "The Today Show" in 2008 that if she had known how famous she would become for playing Princess Leia in the "Star Wars" films, she "would have never done it." 

When Time asked why she returned for 2015's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," Fisher bluntly replied that she took it on because "it's difficult to get work after [turning] 30" for women in Hollywood.



Sean Connery — James Bond movies

Connery, who played the 007 agent in seven "Bond" films starting with the first, 1962's "Dr. No," initially felt that he was underpaid for his role in the series. But by his sixth appearance (in "Diamonds are Forever"), he was so sick of the role that he started giving his Bond salaries to charity, according to an interview with The Guardian.

"I have always hated that damned James Bond," Connery said. "I'd like to kill him."



Kate Winslet — "Titanic"

Winslet has said she regrets the style and quality of her performance in James Cameron's blockbuster, Oscar-winning 1997 film.

"Every single scene, I'm like, 'Really, really? You did it like that? Oh my God,'" Winslet once told CNN of "Titanic." "My American accent, I can't listen to it. It's awful."



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Ashton Kutcher explains why he initially passed on investing in Uber and how easy it is to underestimate new ideas

Netflix is booming on the back of subscribers outside of the US (NFLX)

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Netflix wowed Wall Street with higher-than-expected subscriber growth and healthy Q3 financial results on Monday, sending its stock up 20%.

What drove that success? Well, as this chart from Statista shows, it’s all about international users. This past quarter, the company added 3.2 million international subscribers, miles more than the 370,000 it added within the US. After expanding to 130 nations en masse in January, and struggling with slower-than-desired growth thereafter, 45% of the company’s 86.7 million subscribers now come from outside the country.

If you’re Netflix, that’s generally a good thing. Still, it’s worth pointing out how the chart's red bar of US subscribers is increasing at a much slower rate than the international subscribers. Sooner or later, saturation could become a global concern for the company (and its ever-hungry investors), instead of just a domestic one.

It’s also worth mentioning the company’s China problem. Netflix has never been able to tap into its largest potential source of non-US subscribers, and now, CEO Reed Hastings says not to expect a Chinese version of the service anytime soon.

netflix subscribers

SEE ALSO: Netflix and Amazon are spending a truckload on TV programming

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Michael Moore secretly made a movie about Donald Trump, and now he's premiering it

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Michael Moore Kevin Winter Getty

It sounds as though Michael Moore has been working on his own October surprise for the current election cycle.

After teasing for weeks on his Twitter account that he had a surprise, the documentary filmmaker announced Tuesday that he'll premiere a movie about Donald Trump at New York City's IFC Center on Tuesday night.

Titled "Michael Moore in TrumpLand," the film will have a free sneak preview at the theater Tuesday night; general admission screenings begin Wednesday.

"See the film Ohio Republicans tried to shut down," a synopsis on the IFC Center website said. "Oscar-winner Michael Moore dives right into hostile territory with his daring and hilarious one-man show, deep in the heart of TrumpLand in the weeks before the 2016 election."

Deadline reports that the movie is based on a one-man play Moore attempted to stage in Ohio. Moore, however, "claims that the theater's management prevented him from taking the stage as they deemed him too controversial."

Moore has been a loud critic of Trump and his run for president. Shortly before speaking to Business Insider in December, Moore visited Trump Tower with a sign that read "We Are All Muslim" in protest of Trump's calls to bar all Muslims from entering the US.

Moore wrote an open letter to Ivanka Trump pleading that she end her father's campaign. He then argued in The Huffington Post that Trump never actually wanted to be president.

But this is the filmmaker's biggest step yet in trying to disrupt Trump's run for president.

Here's what Moore has tweeted about the project:

SEE ALSO: 41 celebrities who are taking a strong stand against Donald Trump

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NOW WATCH: Here is the best cosplay of the 2016 New York Comic Con

Walmart is now letting you stream a bunch of movies for free — with ads (WMT)

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Jennifer Lawrence

Walmart's Vudu streaming service, which lets you rent and buy movies on-demand, has launched a free section that's entirely supported by advertising.

Walmart has dubbed the section "Vudu Movies on Us," and it presents a no-cost alternative to heavyweights like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.

Though there are streaming services that offer totally free content, it's usually shows or short-form videos, not movies. 

Vudu has stocked the free tier with "thousands" of movie and TV titles, but don't expect new releases. There are some quality titles in the catalog: "True Grit," "School of Rock," "Margin Call," "The Magnificent Seven," "Winter's Bone," "Hooisers," and so on. There are some awful movies in there too.

But here's the thing: It's free. “Nothing is more affordable than free," Jeremy Verba, VP and GM of Vudu, said in a statement. And he has a point.

Netflix has recently taken some heat for a lack of commitment to its older movie catalog. Netflix's selection of the top movies ever made, at least by IMDB ratings, seems to have gone down a substantial amount over the last two years. It's likely that getting great movies from the past few decades simply isn't the priority for a company pivoting hard into exclusive licenses and original content.

And that's fine!

But if you are in the mood for some older movies, don't want to spend a single cent, and haven't developed a distaste for advertising while binge-watching Netflix, then take a gander at Vudu's catalog.

Just how many ads are we talking about here? "The ad load is pre-roll and mid-roll, so a few ads around 30 seconds before the content and a few breaks during," a Walmart spokesperson told Business Insider.

Check out Vudu's free catalog here.

SEE ALSO: RANKED: 15 of Amazon's original shows from best to worst

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Mark Cuban says 'Shark Tank' showed him there are 3 types of entrepreneurs

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After seeing hundreds of entrepreneurs pitch their businesses over six full seasons of "Shark Tank," Mark Cuban said there are only three primary categories they can fall into: honest entrepreneurs, arrogant ones, or scam artists.

At a "Shark Tank" a roundtable discussion hosted by Sony Pictures Television and ABC in late September to celebrate the premiere of the show's eighth season, Cuban explained that each of these types will dictate how he behaves during the pitch.

1. The honest entrepreneur

"There are two elements," Cuban said. "It's not just, 'Is it a good business?,' but 'Is it a good investment for us?'

That means the Sharks will see plenty of entrepreneurs they admire, but in whom they have no interest in investing. Cuban said he will be respectful to these entrepreneurs, regardless of whether he thinks they can make him money.

"And so if they're an honest entrepreneur, I know we all — except for maybe Kevin [O'Leary] — try to be very supportive. Because we know this is going to air and we're trying to send a message to everybody."

O'Leary, who is known for bullying entrepreneurs and calling them "cockroaches," explained that the reason he's so harsh is because he thinks he's doing them a service by telling them to stop wasting their time on a struggling business. If they can prove him wrong, then he's happy to hear them out. "I'm trying to test the mettle of those entrepreneurs, because if they think it's tough in the Shark Tank, wait until they get out in the real world," O'Leary once told Business Insider. "If they can't take a guy like me, then they're not ready."

At the Season 8 roundtable, fellow Shark Lori Greiner defended Cuban's position, saying that she and Cuban are aware of the children and aspiring entrepreneurs watching the show, and don't want them to see the investors picking on someone following their dream.

2. The arrogant entrepreneur

Sometimes an entrepreneur will speak down to the Sharks. They're typically from Silicon Valley, where everyone competes for millions of dollars in capital, or Utah, which is has a rapidly growing startup scene.

"The arrogant ones are sometimes the most interesting," Cuban said. "And so if they're arrogant, then it becomes a battle of wits for us. You see us perk up, because we want to come right back at them. Like hey you're coming one against five. And we each have our own skill set, and it's hard to match up against that many, even if there's two or three of them. And so that's interesting and that's a different dynamic."

For example, Cuban has said the worst pitch he's seen on "Shark Tank" was in Season 5, when the cofounders of Rolodoc asked for $50,000 for 20% equity of their confusing mockup of an app — a mockup that didn't even come with a business plan.

After Cuban dismissed the Rolodoc team by telling them "Worst pitch ever," he told CNBC that "typically I don't like to be mean to entrepreneurs ... but these were two doctors who I think thought they could just snow us and mislead us into thinking that because they're doctors they're smarter than all of us."

3. The 'scam artist'

Cuban said some of the entrepreneurs out there are just out to steal people's money. When they find their way into the Tank, they make for some pretty entertaining segments.

In Season 6, for example, Cuban called out Tycoon Real Estate founder Aaron McDaniel for being "scammy," because he considered McDaniel's real-estate crowdfunding business to be preying on unsophisticated people. Barbara Corcoran, who made her fortune building one of New York's premiere real estate agencies, said McDaniel and his idea were "spooky." The business no longer exists.

In the same way "Shark Tank" can make a company, it can break one, too. 

SEE ALSO: 15 behind-the-scenes secrets you didn't know about 'Shark Tank'

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NOW WATCH: Former Navy SEAL commanders explain why they still wake up at 4:30 a.m. — and why you should, too


President Obama revealed his 10 favorite workout songs — from Jay Z to Bob Marley

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obama running dog

We've known for a while now that President Barack Obama has eclectic taste in music, and that's especially true of the workout songs he's revealed in a new playlist.

Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama each released their own workout playlists as part of the president's stint guest-editing Wired, and both are available on Spotify.

President Obama's workout music runs the gamut from Nina Simone's "Sinnerman" (pretty heavy stuff for the treadmill) and Bob Marley to more modern tunes including Jay Z and a rising indie-rock star, Courtney Barnett. 

See all of Obama's workout songs below:

SEE ALSO: 100 movies on Netflix that everyone needs to watch in their lifetime

The Black Eyed Peas - "Let's Get It Started (Spike Mix)"

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Nina Simon - "Sinnerman"

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Sting - "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free"

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Data: Don't dress as Donald Trump if you're looking for romance on Halloween

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donald trump

Not all Halloween costumes are equally attractive to potential romantic partners, according to dating service PlentyOfFish. In fact, some are likely to scare them off: namely Donald Trump (and The Joker).

In a survey of 500 US singles over age 21, PlentyOfFish asked men and women which pop culture costumes they were most likely to dress as, and then which costumes they would find the most attractive on members of the opposite sex.

The results had some significant differences.

Men

First let's take a look at which costumes men were most likely to dress as:

Screen Shot 2016 10 18 at 5.15.28 PM

Now lets take a look at what costumes women said they would be most likely to be attracted to:

Screen Shot 2016 10 18 at 5.16.05 PM

What are the major differences? First, Batman and The Joker are roughly flipped, meaning men are a lot more likely to dress as The Joker, but women are more likely to be most attracted to Batman. Second, women are not attracted to Donald Trump. He came in last.

But perhaps the biggest surprise comes with Pikachu, who was chosen by just 2.1% of men, but chosen most attractive by 6.4% of women.

Women

Moving onto women, here are what they chose as likely to dress as:

Screen Shot 2016 10 18 at 5.15.41 PM

And the ones men were likely to be most attracted to:

Screen Shot 2016 10 18 at 5.15.55 PM

The big takeaways from this one are that Netflix and Chill is less attractive relative to popularity, and Harley Quinn is more.

It must be said that, one, not everyone is looking for romance on Halloween, and two, this survey didn't take same-sex attraction data into account.

Still, if you're looking for love, you're probably better off not dressing like The Donald.

SEE ALSO: Walmart is now letting you stream a bunch of movies for free — with ads

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 6 witnesses are corroborating a woman’s claim that Trump sexually assaulted her

Katy Perry, Bon Jovi, and Jennifer Lopez join star-studded concert series in support of Hillary Clinton

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With fewer than three weeks left until Election Day, Hillary Clinton's campaign is launching a star-studded concert series aimed at mobilizing voters in swing states — and big-name artists like Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez, and Bon Jovi are on board to help.

The Democratic nominee's campaign announced the “Love Trumps Hate” concert series to “energize our supporters and encourage them to turn out to vote on Election Day or to take advantage of early voting options in their states,” the campaign said in a statement.

“The choice in this election is clear," the Clinton campaign said in a statement. "We can either come together to tackle the big challenges facing the country or let Donald Trump keep tearing us apart with his divisive rhetoric and dangerous ideas. That’s why millions of people are coming together to support Hillary Clinton and send a clear message that ‘love trumps hate.’

Bon Jovi and and Perry are both vocal supporters of Clinton. Perry performed at the Democratic National Convention in July.

Bon Jovi will be performing in Pittsburgh on Oct. 27 and in Tampa on Nov. 5. Jennifer Lopez will perform on Oct. 29 in Miami.

Performances from more artists will be announced soon, the campaign said.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: David Cay Johnston: 'There's no evidence Donald Trump is a billionaire'

Washington is taking a hard look at China's aggressive investment into US entertainment

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Wang Jianlin, chairman of the Wanda Group, speaks during an interview in Beijing, China, August 23, 2016. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

Chinese tycoon Wang Jianlin is wrapping up his latest Hollywood acquisition while Washington recently made a decision to review foreign investment that was inspired by his aggressive moves.

Wang, who owns Dalian Wanda Group, a Chinese real estate and entertainment conglomerate, visited California over the weekend to finalize the deal to buy Dick Clark Productions for about $1 billion, according to Variety. The Dick Clark production company produces shows including the American Music Awards and "So You Think You Can Dance?"

Acquiring DCP is the latest move to fulfill Wang's outspoken desire to use entertainment to "promote Chinese culture abroad" (the Chinese billionaire already owns AMC Theaters and Legendary Entertainment), which also includes setting a giant lure for big-name Hollywood companions — including Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox — to move production to Wanda's studio complex in Qingdao, China, according to the New York Times.

The massive incentive program allows non-Chinese production companies to cooperate with Wanda, and produce films classified by the Chinese government as coproductions that are free of quota limits — just 34 non-Chinese films are able to enter the world's second-largest movie market, which will soon surpass US and reach the top, according to The Hollywood Reporter and The Financial Times.

China Movie Theater

But Wang's ambition has attracted the attention of the federal government, given Wanda's close economic ties to relatives of top-tier Chinese Communist leaders.

In a letter dated September 30, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) accepted a request from 16 members of Congress to review the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and to determine whether the efforts of the committee "have kept pace with the growing scope of foreign acquisitions in important economic sectors in the United States."

The request led by Rep. Robert Pittenger, a North Carolina Republican, particularly pointed out lawmakers' concerns over Wanda's aggressive purchase of Hollywood studios because of "China's efforts to censor topics and exert propaganda controls on American media."

Lawmakers even asked the GAO to consider whether the definition of national security should be broadened to address such concerns.

Rep. John Culberson, Republican of Texas, also wrote to the Justice Department requesting an update of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) that has not been reviewed since two decades ago.

Culberson believes FARA, which was adopted to counter rising propaganda from the Soviets and the Nazis in the US during the 1930s, should be adapted to foreign acquisitions so companies controlled by the Chinese Communist Party will not be able to exert "a significant degree of control over the financing and content of American media."

AMC Theaters Cinema Gift Card

Lawmakers who see Wanda's big splash in Hollywood as a propoganda threat imposed by the Communist Party are "over-worried," Wang said in a CNNMoney interview.

Wang insisted in both the CNNMoney and Times interviews that Hollywood movies may have more Chinese elements today because that means more money in the Chinese market, and their storytelling decisions have nothing to do with Wanda ownership.

Legendary's production chief, Mary Parent, also told the Times that "there has been zero interference with storytelling."

But the issue of censorship is not the concern of Richard Berman, the president of a D.C. lobbying firm Berman & Co, who has been campaigning on Capitol Hill over Chinese investment in Hollywood.

"People changing their movies so they can be shown in China is not my concern," Berman told TheWrap. "The thing that really triggered my interest is the distribution issue. If you control distribution, you control what the retail market sees."

SEE ALSO: 100 movies on Netflix that everyone needs to watch in their lifetime

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NOW WATCH: Here's everything we know about 'Westworld' — HBO's mysterious new sci-fi series

Aziz Ansari hilariously screams in the newest ad from a Democratic megadonor's $25 million gamble on millennials

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Tom Steyer

A former hedge fund manager is betting $25 million that millennials' votes this election could push the climate change agenda he wants, and elect the candidates willing to enact it.

Democratic megadonor Tom Steyer's super PAC, NextGen Climate, has enlisted the help of celebrities like Natalie Portman, Aziz Ansari, and Jessica Williams to encourage young voters to cast their ballots this Nov. 8

The new celebrity series they're unleashing on swing states like Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and Nevada is part of a $3 million ad buy to reach millennials on social media, streaming services, online, and regular TV.

It builds on a program the PAC launched in September where its volunteers personally text back and forth with voters, offering an updated version of the phone-banking campaigns have deployed for decades. The overall effort aims to get climate messages to millennials where they're at.

"We're focused on millennials because they care about the issues and they want leaders who will take action," Steyer said in a press release on Tuesday. "This generation is hyper-aware of the progress the country needs to make to address climate change and they're excited to get involved and be part of the solution."

In the newest ad, Ansari jokes that people "way more famous" than he is have made ads, too, and asks what undecided voters need him for.

"There's a f------ guy running that says he hates brown people! That's not enough?" the Emmy-winning actor shouts at the camera. "He doesn't believe in climate change! Do you realize how dumb you have to be not to believe in climate change at this point?"

Watch the full spot from Ansari below:

SEE ALSO: Where Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump stand on climate change

DON'T MISS: A top group supporting Hillary Clinton is deploying staffers to text back and forth with voters

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The biggest stars who showed up at the Obamas' last-ever state dinner

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obama state dinner toast

State dinners are a White House tradition, in which the president and First Lady invite heads of state, diplomats, and yes, sometimes A-list entertainment talent to eat, drink, and mingle.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama carried out their very last state dinner on Tuesday night.

In addition to welcoming Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, the Obamas took in a number of notable stars, from Jerry Seinfeld to hip-hop heavyweights Chance the Rapper and Frank Ocean.

See all the biggest stars who showed up to the last Obama state dinner below:

SEE ALSO: 100 movies on Netflix that everyone needs to watch in their lifetime

Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton had a conversation with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and chef and author Sandra Lee.



Gwen Stefani was the headline performer for the evening.



Enigmatic R&B singer Frank Ocean brought his mother Katonya Breaux (and wore a clean pair of Vans).

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The CEO of $500 million startup Refinery29 explains why traditional TV giants are partnering with their digital competitors

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Philippe von Borries Justin Stefano Refinery29 CEO founders

In the past few months, many hot digital media companies have set their sights on a particular target: getting their brands onto traditional TV.

Refinery29, the powerhouse millennial women's publisher reportedly valued at $500 million, is no exception. "We've been aggressive about being on every platform first, and the next one is TV," Refinery29 CEO Philippe von Borries said on The Wall Street Journal's Media Mix podcast. "There's no question."

While this might seem like moving backwards, the reasoning is pretty simple for digital media companies like Vice, Vox, Refinery29, and so on.

TV still has huge audiences, big-time ad money, and is "probably one of the most efficient businesses that exist in media today," according to von Borries.

But to get onto TV, you have to have a lot of money to invest in quality programming, and connections in the TV industry. That's why it's vital to have a "strategic partner" (or two) investing millions, who has the incentive to boost your business. Vox and BuzzFeed have each gotten $100+ million from NBC, Vice has $400 million from Disney, Thrillist's new holding company secured $100 million from Discovery just last week, and Refinery29 snagged $45 million from Turner this summer.

Everyone has a dance partner — and it helps.

Last week, Thrillist CEO Ben Lerer told Business Insider that one day after the announcement of his new holding company, which tied together four media brands with a $100 million investment from Discovery, he'd already gotten six notes from TV execs asking about creating something together. He's being taken more seriously as a partner for TV.

Von Borries broke down the relationship between the traditional media company backer and the digital upstart into two categories, from Refinery29's perspective.

  • "Content creation." For Refinery29 and Turner, this means two things. The first is Refinery29 helping to create "digital extensions" of some of Turners core franchises (he mentions the SAG awards). But the second is getting Refinery29's intellectual property into the world of TV, and developing vehicles like documentaries and scripted shows.
  • "Ad sales." Von Borries said there's a mutually beneficial relationship of bringing more advertisers into the fold. Turner has an exceptional portfolio of global brands, he said,  but "not a huge representation in women." That's something Refinery29 can help with.

SEE ALSO: Thrillist CEO Ben Lerer explains why Discovery just invested $100 million and made him a new media mogul

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Jimmy Kimmel fooled people with ridiculous-looking fake Kanye West Yeezy sneakers

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jimmy kimmel live kanye west yeezy prank

Jimmy Kimmel put the power of celebrity and persuasion to the test when he hit the streets of Los Angeles on his show Tuesday night with a pair of fake Kanye West Yeezy sneakers.

Over the weekend, West's new sneakers for Adidas, the Yeezy Boost 750 "Chocolate," were released. Retailing for $350, the new shoes were going for as much as $1,200 on eBay, according to Kimmel.

Capitalizing on that, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" passed off a ridiculously styled pair of sneakers it bought for $12.50. The black high-top sneakers, dubbed the "Yeezy Boost 2000" by the show, were dressed up with fake fur and a compass.

"These are very real opinions of very fake Yeezy shoes," Kimmel told his audience on Tuesday's show.

In the clip, several people are very excited to see the shoes. But what's really fascinating is how the interviewer makes suggestions about the shoes' fake features, which the people accept outright.

For example, one young lady is told that the shoe will tighten around her foot if she presses on the compass called "easy squeezy technology."

"I feel it," she said after pumping the compass.

One man agreed that the shoe allowed him to stop on a dime. And another guy was told the laces are edible and he literally ate them up.

Watch Kimmel's Yeezy prank below:

SEE ALSO: http://www.businessinsider.com/e-i-am-cait-kanye-west-sneakers-shoes-2015-7

DON'T MISS: Audio of Kanye West's epic backstage rant at 'SNL' has reportedly surfaced

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NOW WATCH: Kanye West is a legitimate Justin Bieber fan

Skinnygirl founder Bethenny Frankel reveals her two biggest business mistakes

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bethenny frankel skinnygirl real housewives

Skinnygirl founder and author Bethenny Frankel says she makes career mistakes every day.

In a recent interview with Business Insider, she highlighted two of the biggest gaffes she's ever made — both of which occurred early on in her entrepreneurial career.

Frankel opened a pashmina and a cookie business before hitting it big with Skinnygirl. Both of those original companies failed, Frankel says, because first, she spread herself too thin, and second, she did not stick to a concrete business plan.

In the case of the pashmina business, Frankel explains that she became over-confident due to her initial flush of success. She began adding pajamas and ponchos to her lineup.

Then, the bottom dropped out. More and more people began to sell pashminas and the once rare and expensive scarves dropped dramatically in price.

She says that she lost $50,000 from the venture. According to Frankel, sticking with a business plan would have allowed her to budget and spend more thoughtfully during that time.

"I think that in business people don't realize how expensive things are going to be," Frankel says. "It's like going to a mall. You end up buying a lot of little cheap things and you come home and you don't have much as anything, whereas if you said, 'Okay, I'm going to the mall and I have $50 to spend. I want to buy one good thing.' It would be better than buying a lot of little crappy things. I think you have to just be aware of how you're going to spend and what your plan is."

However, Frankel warns aspiring entrepreneurs to not fall into the trap of allowing a business plan to completely paralyze progress.

"People sit in and want to perfect their business plan," Frankel told Business Insider. "That's just a piece of paper and some numbers. Really being able to get out there and execute is the thing."

SEE ALSO: Millionaire entrepreneur Bethenny Frankel shares the trait she looks for in every job candidate

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The Smithsonian is trying to raise $300,000 on Kickstarter to fix up Dorothy's ruby slippers

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Red Slippers Wizard of Oz

Seventy-seven years after "The Wizard of Oz" movie was released, Dorothy's famed ruby slippers are in dire need of repairs — about $300,000 worth to be exact. 

To garner the funds, the Smithsonian Institution (where the shoes currently reside) is asking the public for donations. On Monday, it launched a Kickstarter fundraising campaign, and as of Wednesday, it's nearly halfway to its $300,000 goal. More than 2,600 backers have already given $145,000.

slippers

Since the 77-year-old shoes were given to the Smithsonian in 1979, they have turned from a sparkly red to a bleak brown. The ruby slippers' sequins are falling off, and some of the threads have broken. The coating on the sequins that give them the red color has worn off, too.

If the Kickstarter makes it to $300,000, the money will go toward repairs, conservation, and a new display case that's designed to protect the shoes from future harm. It will have a calibrated light exposure and controlled humidity and temperature. The Smithsonian also plans to move the slippers to a new exhibition on American pop culture that's set to open in 2018.

The MGM Studios prop department made the shoes, which were worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 film. Most movie props are made quickly and cheaply, since they're only meant to last the length of the shoot. But according to the BBC, the pair of slippers are still one of the most viewed items at Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.

Though the lofty price tag for the repairs might be surprising, the fact that the Institution has already been able to raise so much money is not. The shoes are so iconic, in fact, that the Smithsonian has hardly had to do more than click its heels three times for its wish to be granted. 

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Bill Maher: 'What the f—- does it take' for GOP die-hards to be 'human beings' and not vote for Trump?

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bill maher

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has bullied opponents, insulted the family of a slain US soldier, called some Mexican immigrants "rapists," suggested black people live in war zones, made unflattering remarks about women he finds unattractive, and boasted about sexual assault.

And yet, Trump still seems likely to win at least 40% of the US popular vote.

On his HBO show "Real Time" on Friday, Bill Maher was exasperated by the states that are still burning red for Trump. 

Electoral college map 10 12 16 NE corrected

"When I look at the electoral map, I see states that Trump can not possibly lose,” Maher told his panelists, pointing to a map with different shades of red. "The pink are likely Republican, and the red — [as in] I could shoot someone in the middle of 5th Avenue and they wouldn’t leave me."

He continued: "The people of Idaho, Wyoming, Arkansas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Kentucky — I know they’re Republican, mostly, but they’re human, right? These are human beings. What the f--- does it take in this country to have being a human being supersede being a Republican?"

Here’s the clip (the relevant portion starts at the 2:26 mark):

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Eminem announces new album with manic 8-minute 'Campaign Speech' bashing Trump

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Eminem has teased a new album release by dropping a fiery track in which he discusses GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, police violence, Colin Kaepernick, and Apple Watches.

The song, called "Campaign Speech," features complex, multisyllabic rhyme schemes over a minimal beat. Eminem pulls no punches, discussing how he'd like to put George Zimmerman, who fatally shot Trayvon Martin — sparking the Black Lives Matter movement — in an "orange uniform."

He also calls Trump a "loose cannon," who's "blunt with his hand on the button," most likely a nod to the concern of critics who fear Trump having the ability to launch nuclear weapons should he become president. 

The song was uploaded Wednesday morning and has more than 30,000 views on YouTube. The lyrics are explicit.

And listen here:

Eminem's new album, "Roots," will be released sometime in 2017. Acclaimed rappers like Snoop Dogg, Jay Z, Dr. Dre, and Kendrick Lamar are all rumored to be making guest appearances.

Eminem also turned 44 on Monday, so wish him a happy birthday.

SEE ALSO: There's something bizarre about how Clinton prepared to debate Trump

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