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The Rock is creating a wrestling comedy show based on his life with Will Ferrell

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Dwayne Johnson Aaron Davidson Getty

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is going back to his early wrestling days for a new TV series. 

According to Variety, Fox has made a pilot commitment for a comedy inspired by Johnson and former WWE head writer Brian Gewirtz's time in the professional wrestling world. 

The untitled project gives a behind-the-scenes look at pro wrestling as it follows the unlikely friendship formed by a rising wrestling star and a comedy writer.

“This November will mark the 20th anniversary of my professional wrestling debut,” Johnson said in a statement. “I was 24 years old, putting in the hard work, making $40 bucks per match, and had no clue of the long journey that lay ahead of me with characters and backstage stories so colorful you’d think there’s no way that can be true. The entertaining show that goes on in front of the crowd pales in comparison to the insanely entertaining show that goes on backstage. Brian and myself can’t wait to tell our stories.”

The hour-long comedy will be executive produced by Johnson and Gewirtz as well as Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's Gary Sanchez Productions. 

This is just the latest project set to launch for the in-demand Johnson, who is according to Forbes currently the highest-paid actor in the world.

Along with recently wrapping films like "Baywatch," "Fast 8," and currently filming "Jumanji," his HBO series "Ballers" is coming back for a third season next year and he is developing content for his YouTube channel through his Seven Bucks Productions, which is also producing the Fox wrestling series. 

SEE ALSO: RANKED: The 20 best new shows, according to critics

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NOW WATCH: The final trailer for the Harry Potter spinoff ‘Fantastic Beasts’ is here


Microsoft's bet on the cloud appears to be paying off (MSFT)

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Conventional wisdom could make you think Microsoft is in trouble. The Washington giant built its empire on the back of the PC industry, but the past decade has seen that business dwindle, while smartphones and tablets eat at its place. And while Android and the iPhone boomed, Microsoft whiffed.

In recent years, though, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has helped make the company over, moving the company away from the shrinking segments it once relied on, and more toward the potentially lucrative profits of the cloud.

The company released its latest quarterly earnings report on Thursday, and right now, it looks like the shift is paying off. Its stock just hit an all-time high, and as this chart from Statista shows, its cloud businesses are showing the most strength. While Windows Phone dies a slow death, and Windows itself is stagnant, revenue from the company's Azure — which businesses use to host sites and apps — and Office 365 platforms are way up.

microsoft businesses revenue chart

SEE ALSO: Tesla burns way more cash on R&D than traditional car makers

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NOW WATCH: Microsoft just unveiled a $37 Nokia phone

Why a 'horror documentary' about rats by Morgan Spurlock is the scariest thing you'll watch this Halloween

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Morgan Spurlock was nine years old when he knew he wanted to be a filmmaker. But it was an unlikely movie that got him hooked.

"My parents took me to see 'Scanners,' and when Michael Ironside made that guy's head explode, that was the moment I wanted to make movies — changed my life forever," an excited Spurlock recently told Business Insider, sitting in a conference room in New York City.

While perhaps not the first choice for most parents as a family outing to the movie theater, the experience nourished Spurlock's love of horror movies, which has been dormant most of his career as he skyrocketed to fame as a documentary filmmaker with his debut movie, 2004's "Super Size Me."

But now as a more established name (with numerous nonfiction features and TV shows under his belt), Spurlock can call his own shots with his production company, Warrior Poets. So when he was handed the Robert Sullivan book "Rats: Observations on the History & Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants" late last year, he saw a way to return to his love of horror.

"I read it and I said, 'What if we made a horror documentary?'" he said.

That led to him teaming with the Discovery Channel to make the "horrormentary" (as he calls it) "Rats," airing on the network on Saturday at 9 p.m. Eastern. It's a disgustingly entertaining look at rats around the world.

Using Sullivan's book as a starting point, Spurlock expands the deep dive into the rats that inhabit New York City and shows how the rodents are dealt with — and in some cases worshiped — around the world.

Rats 2 Discovery Channel"It's all true and all real," Spurlock said of his movie, "but it is shot like a horror film. We scored it like a horror film. We shoot in angles like a horror film."

The result is one of Spurlock's best films in years. He delivers an experience that is grotesque and at times funny, but it's all the more horrific because you know that everything you're watching is the actual thing.

That doesn't just include the rats digging into the walls and trash bags of New York City (which Spurlock captures in all its creepiness) — we then go to Mumbai, where people are hired to go out at night and kill rats with their bare hands; Cambodia, where rats are caught in the country to be made into delicious meals in town; England, where ferocious terriers hunt down rats with glee; and back to the US in New Orleans, where since Hurricane Katrina the rat population has increased, with some carrying debilitating diseases.

"Post-Katrina, how the rats proliferated in that area after the flooding and the exodus of people — the fact that when the water subsided and the rat population grew — is remarkable," Spurlock said. "Because it just goes to show you they don't really need us, and when we are gone they will still be around."

Morgan Spurlock Rats Alberto E Rodriguez GettySpurlock also travels to India, where 35,000 rats live in a temple and are considered "holy" by people who believe the rats are reincarnations of deceased family members.

Spurlock and his team learned about the rat temple while doing research for the movie, and couldn't believe what they saw.

"There's pictures of small children that have their arms in the bowls of milk drinking the milk next to the rats," Spurlock said. "So the minute I saw that, I was like, we have to go to this place."

"I thought those pictures were fake," said Jeremy Chilnick, a producer on "Rats" and Warrior Poets' COO. "I thought it was totally made up."

The rat temple is just one of many can't-believe-it's-true moments "Rats" gives you. Spurlock knows when he's got a good thing, and he sees a franchise in his future.

"We always knew it would be good, but I think the movie has exceeded Discovery's expectations," Spurlock said. "I think the hope is next year there will be another one just in time for Halloween."

So what's next? Bats? Snakes? Pigeons? Spurlock doesn't know yet.

"As long as we can have that roller-coaster feel, we'll have something fantastic."

"Rats" premieres Saturday on the Discovery Channel.

SEE ALSO: The 23 scariest horror movies on Netflix you need to watch for Halloween

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

Donald Trump has revealing things to say about the movie everyone compares him to

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As the campaign of Donald Trump for US president has evolved from something pundits chuckled about to soberingly serious, many can't help but compare the Trump phenomenon to movies that seem to mirror it.

Trump's brash and bullying tone has been compared to Biff Tannen in the "Back to the Future" franchise (Hillary Clinton's campaign even included the character in an ad on Trump). Then there are his explosive rally speeches that echo how the Andy Griffith character Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes is seen in Elia Kazan's "A Face in the Crowd."

But the one character that Trump gets compared to the most is Charles Foster Kane in Orson Welles' legendary movie "Citizen Kane," frequently hailed as the greatest American movie ever. Loosely based on the life and career of William Randolph Hearst, it follows a wealthy ego-driven businessman (played by Welles) who attempts to enter politics.

Citizen KaneIf you ever wondered what Trump thought of Kane, filmmaker Errol Morris ("The Thin Blue Line," "The Fog of War") back in the early 2000s interviewed him about it for an aborted project titled "The Movie Movie."

In it, Trump, rather calmly and insightfully, discusses what he thinks the themes of the movie are:

"You learn in 'Kane' maybe wealth isn't everything, because he had the wealth but he didn't have the happiness," Trump said. "In real life I believe that wealth does in fact isolate you from other people. It's a protective mechanism — you have your guard up much more so [than] if you didn't have wealth." 

Specifically, Trump discusses a scene in "Kane" when the camera pulls back to reveal a long table with Kane on one end and his wife at the other. Trump sees that as Welles showing Kane growing further apart from her as he gained his wealth.

"Perhaps I can understand that," Trump said.

And when Morris, from behind the camera, asks Trump the one piece of advice he would have given Kane, the businessman responds, "Get yourself a different woman."

But Morris didn't want to just interview Trump about "Citizen Kane" — he wanted the real-estate mogul to play Kane. 

According to Morris' website, in "The Movie Movie" the director was going to film Trump (and other notable people at the time, like Mikhail Gorbachev) in movies they admire. Here's a sample of the aborted script:

INT. VAULT

A vast, labrynthine warehouse filled with floor to ceiling shelving as far as the eye can see. An aging ARCHIVIST (in his early nineties) is standing on a tall library ladder, reaching up to a high shelf, twenty, maybe even thirty feet up.

The shelves are filled with rusting film cans. (Could they be filled with silver-nitrate prints ready to burst into flames?) The archivist shifts one can on top of another, making his way into the middle of a pile.

CLOSE ON

His rheumy eyes searching. He blows dust off a label. And then the Eureka moment. He's found something.

He's found it.

With the can in hand he makes his way slowly through the vault. He puts the reel on an aging Movieola and on the screen a scene from Citizen Kane flickers into view. It is one of the lost scenes from Citizen Kane, one of the scenes that has Donald Trump in it...

INT. SAN SIMEON - DAY

THE DONALD, a man in his early fifties with a spectacular hair-do, is reading a newspaper at breakfast...

(continued)

SEE ALSO: Here's everything coming to Netflix in November that you need to watch

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NOW WATCH: 'Shark Tank' investor Robert Herjavec reveals the biggest mistakes small businesses make

Tiger Woods told Stephen Colbert a great story about how playing Call of Duty 8 hours a day humbled him

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Tiger Woods Stephen Colbert

Tiger Woods made an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Thursday night, during which he revealed that over the course of his recovery from multiple back surgeries this past year, he spent as many as eight hours a day playing the video game "Call of Duty". 

Why, you may ask, did the 40-year-old, 14-time major champion and father of two dedicate so much of his time playing the popular first-person shooter video game? 

The answer is simple: to keep alive the competitive spirit that was — and hopefully still is — such an edge of his on the golf course.

In the end, Woods revealed, the experience was a humbling one. 

Said Woods:

"I like to practice and compete all day, that's one of my things, I like to grind it out. The thing is, I wasn't able to do it on the golf course. So I applied my same intensity and my craft, my focus to "Call of Duty." Don't laugh! I would spend eight hours a day, I would get a 30-minute lunch break, I would be in my reclined grandpa chair, playing, and then I thought I was good, cause I got through the campaigns, no big deal. And then I went online. And when seven-year-olds are beating you from around the world ... humbling."

Woods confirmed to Colbert that he will play his first tournament since August 2015 at the Hero World Challenge in early December. If the competitive spirit isn't there, know we'll know why: eight hours a day playing COD just wasn't enough. 

Watch the full "Late Show" clip below:

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NOW WATCH: Curious things most people don’t know about Tom Brady

The 5 biggest mistakes small business owners make according to 'Shark Tank' stars

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shark tank robert herjavec deal abc

“Shark Tank” has changed the outlook for many small businesses over its eight years on the air. That makes its stars some of the most knowledgeable people on earth when it comes to what makes or breaks small businesses and why they’re so important to the American economy.

“Small businesses are near and dear to my heart, both from the show and my personal experience,” “Shark Tank” star Robert Herjavec recently told Business Insider.

In addition to his "Shark Tank" duties, Herjavec has spent about a year working with Deluxe Corporation on “The Small Business Revolution,” which picks an American town and helps to turn around its local economy though supporting small businesses.

“I think that in America today, that is security: starting a business, being an entrepreneur is security,” he said. “The idea of getting a job at a big company and retiring on a pension — that’s long gone.”

But that doesn't mean being an entrepreneur is easy. Business Insider asked Herjavec and his “Shark Tank” costars what they believe to be the biggest challenges small businesses grapple with on the path to success.

Here are five big mistakes small business owners make according to the "Shark Tank" stars:

SEE ALSO: 'Shark Tank' is losing a lot of viewers — here's how the stars think it can turn around

DON'T MISS: 'Shark Tank' investor Barbara Corcoran weighs in on fellow real estate mogul Donald Trump

Small business owners have a problem with thinking big.

"The biggest challenge for a small business in a small town is the same as a small business in a big town: thinking big, being able to compete with large-scale competitors, and at the same time staying relevant," Herjavec said.

In order to get there, Herjavec suggests entrepreneurs look for strategic partners.

"People start a small business to do dry cleaning or be a bake shop, or to take care of dogs, or whatever their passion was," he continued. "And you’ve got to find that help, because if you can’t have a brand on a small town, you can’t have a brand on a global scale."



Thinking big doesn't mean getting a big head.

"Once a small business is up and running and entrepreneurs have a mini-hit on their hands, the biggest challenge is keeping the entrepreneur’s head on their shoulders," Barbara Corcoran told Business Insider. "There’s something about instant fame and quick success where people get a big head and you have to squeeze it in. That’s the biggest problem with my entrepreneurs."



Small business owners mistake successful crowdfunding campaigns with success.

"Small business owners have seen people create large amounts of revenue from crowdfunding, but they don’t see a lot of the backstories," Daymond John told Business Insider.

"If you were fortunate enough to have a large amount of people crowdfund your product, were you able to deliver to them afterward and deliver on that promise? Because after you sell that first piece, you have a lot of business to do after that," he said. "You can make anybody buy once, but can you do two, three, seven times? They think they just need a million dollars, but that’s just the beginning of their problems."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Anthony Bourdain: 'I don't need a 10-minute explanation of my food'

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anthony bourdain

Anthony Bourdain spent decades in the restaurant industry, first as an executive chef before becoming a celebrity travel guide 16 years ago.

Over that time, he's seen the American food industry change drastically for the better, but an uptick in snobbery is the other side of the double-edged sword, he said.

"I don't need a 10-minute description of my food," he told Business Insider earlier this year, ahead of Season 7 of his Emmy-winning CNN show "Parts Unknown." It returns for its eighth season on October 16.

As for this emphasis on buzzwords like "artisanal" and "farm to table" and the ensuing descriptions about product sourcing, Bourdain said, "Look, it's annoying but not the worst thing in the world. At least people are interested enough to want to know the details."

He said he's glad chefs want to emphasize fresh ingredients and that customers are savvy enough to embrace them, but he doesn't want snobbery to overtake the restaurant scene to the point where no one is having fun.

"You can't be a great food writer and a snob about food and just want fancy, expensive ingredients," he said. "You have to appreciate the qualities of a properly greasy fast-food burger."

This applies for the grocery store as well. He's also sick of what can seem like people's obsession with overpriced organic food.

"A couple years ago, I'm holding my daughter's hand and I walk into the supermarket in my neighborhood — I live in the Upper East Side," he said of grocery shopping in New York City. "We're there to buy oranges and lemons, right? And there's the organic produce and the nonorganic sections. And I automatically head over to the nonorganic and I look around and there are all these Upper East Side housewives looking at me like I'm a f---ing war criminal and they're about to call child-protective services. It was so bad that I slump over to the organic section just so these ladies wouldn't hate me."

SEE ALSO: Anthony Bourdain discusses the new season of 'Parts Unknown,' his favorite restaurants, and how he went from outsider chef to the top of the food world

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NOW WATCH: Truffle oil is not made from truffles and world-famous chefs are refusing to use it

Michael Moore calls anyone voting for Donald Trump a 'legal terrorist'

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Michael Moore

While doing press for his surprise Donald Trump movie that he released on Tuesday after making it in secret, "Michael Moore in TrumpLand," Michael Moore made it very clear what he thinks about those voting for Donald Trump.

While talking to Rolling Stone, the Oscar-winning director said that he made his movie in an attempt to convince undecideds that voting for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton isn't a bad idea. And that Trump supporters will be hurting the country.

"I want them to think about the damage they could do by being a legal terrorist on November 8," Moore said.

When Rolling Stone asked him to explain what a "legal terrorist" means and if it's a catch-all for Trump voters, Moore responded:

"Any. Legally, you have a right to vote on November 8. You can go in there and even though you're not necessarily in favor of Trump and you don't like him that much and you know he's a little crazy, you also know he's going to blow up the system. The system that took your job and house away from you. You get to get back at the system now and blow it up and this is the only day you can do it legally. He's told everybody that's what he's going to do. He's the outsider who is going to ride into town and blow up the old way. So you, as a voter, get to participate in the detonation. He's going to get a lot of votes from people who actually just want to sit back and watch the thing blow up."

"Michael Moore in TrumpLand" is playing in theaters in New York and LA and is available to buy on iTunes.

SEE ALSO: Ethan Hawke and his costar and director talk about the biggest problem plaguing Hollywood

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NOW WATCH: The 7 best horror movies you can stream on Netflix right now


Bill Murray crashed the White House press briefing room out of nowhere to root for the Cubs

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Bill Murray is liable to show up just about anywhere.

The comedy legend, who's made a habit of crashing occasions that then show up online, made a surprise appearance at the White House press briefing room, according to NBC News.

Murray was dressed in full Chicago Cubs gear to support his team in the playoffs, and was on his way to meet President Barack Obama.

He even offered a little baseball prediction, saying he thinks things will go his way for the Cubs because.

"We got too many sticks," he said, referring to the Cubs offense.

The actor was in Washington, DC, to accept the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday, but NBC News reports he got there early to talk with the president.

We have a feeling the Cubs came up in conversation.

Watch below:

 

 

SEE ALSO: The 20 best new TV shows ranked, according to critics

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NOW WATCH: Letterman rips Trump, calls him a 'damaged human' who should be 'shunned'

The 5 best new songs you can stream right now

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David BowieNow that new music comes out every Friday — though not always on every streaming service — it can be hard to know where to find the next great song.

To help you out, Business Insider compiles this rundown of the best new music you can stream right now.

This week, unreleased David Bowie tracks premiered, and The Rolling Stones released a new single from their upcoming blues covers album. 

Check out this week's best new songs:

SEE ALSO: The 5 best songs to stream from the week of October 14

The Rolling Stones — "Hate to See You Go"

Mick Jagger's spirited vocals and harmonica playing lead The Rolling Stones' new interpretation of "Hate to See You Go," a 1955 blues classic by Little Walter. "Blue & Lonesome," the first Stones album in 11 years, will be out December 2.  

RAW Embed



Justice — "Alakazam !"

The eerie and frenetic third single from French electronic duo Justice's upcoming third album "Woman" would fit equally well in a horror movie or a car-chase scene. 

RAW Embed

 



Isaiah Rashad and Goldlink — "Untitled"

Kendrick Lamar labelmate Isaiah Rashad and D.C. rapper Goldlink trade laid-back verses over a minimalist beat on their love-centric track.

RAW Embed

 



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Donald Glover will play a young Lando Calrissian in the upcoming Han Solo 'Star Wars' spinoff movie

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atlanta donald glover

Disney and Lucasfilm just dropped some exciting news!

Donald Glover ("Community") has been cast as a young Lando Calrissian in the upcoming Han Solo "Star Wars" standalone movie.

The film will be directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller ("The Lego Movie"). Alden Ehrenreich was announced as the new young Han Solo back in May.

The role of the beloved "Star Wars" character was played by Billy Dee Williams in the original trilogy.

lando calrissian star wars

Here's how the film is described on StarWars.com, which broke the news:

This new film depicts Lando in his formative years as a scoundrel on the rise in the galaxy’s underworld — years before the events involving Han, Leia, and Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back and his rise to Rebel hero in Return of the Jedi.

Glover has had quite the career getting his start on NBC as a "30 Rock" writer, the comedian, who goes by the name Childish Gambino, was known for his stand-up along with a prominent role on cult-hit "Community." He currently stars on one of the fall's hottest TV shows, "Atlanta."

Miller and Lord have already responded to the news on Twitter quite excitedly.

Yes, we believe it does. 

The yet untitled "Han Solo" movie is scheduled for a 2018 release. 

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NOW WATCH: The extraordinary life of former fugitive and eccentric cybersecurity legend John McAfee

The 23 best horror movies on Netflix for Halloween

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Halloween is getting close, so it's time to search though Netflix for some scary movies.

There are so many to choose from, so to make the rest of your October movie-watching easier, here are the 23 best horror movies you can stream on Netflix right now.

Grab a friend and come on in.

Brett Arnold contributed to an earlier version of this story.

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

23. "The Taking of Deborah Logan"

An impressive "found footage" horror film that looks at a documentary crew filming a woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease and finding a lot more.



22. "Honeymoon"

Newly married and spending their honeymoon in a rustic cabin, Bea and Paul don't have a care in the world. Until they go mad.



21. "The Wicker Man" (2006)

Neil LaBute's remake of the 1973 horror classic is pretty forgettable, except for the performance by Nicolas Cage. Numerous vintage Cage crazy scenes show his character's evolution into madness.



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Watch 'Hamilton' creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda freestyle rap with President Obama's help

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Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of "Hamilton" visited the White House in March 2016 to test a new educational program linked to the musical sensation. The cast performed several numbers from the show and here Miranda freestyle raps with cues from President Obama.

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Ricky Gervais: Donald Trump's presidential campaign is 'a joke that got out of hand'

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gervais trump

Actor and comedian Ricky Gervais has spoken out against Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

Gervais talked to Business Insider about Trump while promoting his musical mockumentary, "David Brent: Life on the Road," and its accompanying album and songbook.

The comedian says the humorous, narcissistic tendencies of his David Brent character from the UK's "The Office" now pale in comparison to the "insatiable" nature of celebrity and self-promotion in our current cultural moment.

"There's no difference now between fame and infamy," Gervais said. "Fame is insatiable. People demand fame forever, and they live like an open wound to stay famous. People now do bad things and they're rewarded for it."

Gervais talked about how Trump's "ruthless ambition" and rhetoric feel like a dangerously exaggerated version of his Brent character's brash demeanor and politically incorrect humor.

"You've got a potential president who says things like, 'I'd like to punch him in the face,'" Gervais said. "And he gets a round of applause. There's a new breed of ruthless ambition."

Gervais doesn't take Trump's political aspirations very seriously.

"And Trump, you can't win without democracy," he said. "If he gets in, good luck to him. That's what the people wanted. But he's got more in common with David Brent than he has with JFK. He's an entertainer ... I doubt he thought about becoming president a year ago, and it's like a joke that got out of hand."

Gervais joked that the Republican nominee's ;candidacy feels like a "bet from a 1980s movie," and he alluded to the plot of Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd's 1983 comedy "Trading Places."

"It's like the movie would start with two old billionaires going, 'I bet I can choose the worst person and make him president within a year,'" he said. "And then someone goes, 'You're on!' and that's how the film starts." 

Gervais' new movie "David Brent: Life on the Road" will premiere on Netflix on February 10. The film's accompanying album is available now, and his "David Brent Songbook" comes out November 8. 

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

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NOW WATCH: The first trailer for the 'Power Rangers' movie is here and it blows the TV show away

This is AT&T's strategy to conquer the future of TV

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tony moncalvesOn Friday, multiple outlets reported that AT&T and Time Warner are nearing a deal to merge the two companies, which could come as early as Sunday.

Such a deal would link AT&T’s “pipes” — wireless, broadband, and satellite — to Time Warner’s media properties that range from HBO to CNN to Warner Brothers.

Why? AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson wants to add more “content” and “original programming” to the company’s umbrella generally, according to Bloomberg.

But even if the deal doesn’t happen, AT&T has already signaled, in a bunch of ways, that it wants a piece of the future of entertainment.

One of the biggest moves AT&T has made toward this ambition so far is the announcement of its upcoming DirecTV Now service, which will launch before the end of 2016. Right now, DirecTV Now will target the 20 million people in the US who don't have pay TV, but the company plans for it to be the primary TV platform by 2020, according to Bloomberg.

Streaming TV, live

DirecTV Now will be a live TV package that's delivered over the internet wherever you are — no cable box or satellite dish necessary. As is the norm for “over-the-top” services like Netflix or Sling TV, it also won’t lock you into an annual contract.

“It’s pay TV as an app,” AT&T’s SVP of strategy and business development, Tony Goncalves, told Business Insider. 

Goncalves said two main revelations by AT&T led to the development of this service: 60% of AT&T’s wireless network traffic is video, and about 60% of the traffic on its “TV everywhere” option, which lets DirecTV subscribers watch shows on-the-go, is live viewing. The second number was particularly surprising, and the conclusion was that there was a market for a streaming live TV service, one that was free from legacy equipment.

This thesis seems to be a common one these days, as companies from Google to Amazon to Hulu are reportedly readying their own live streaming TV services. The market is going to get crowded — fast.

So what does AT&T think will set it apart? One thing that won’t, according to Goncalves, is “exclusivity.”

Exclusives?

The early heavyweights in the subscription streaming video market, like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, have all tried to set themselves apart by giving you shows and movies you can’t get anywhere else. Netflix has been particularly intent on it, with the company's leadership betting Netflix's future on the success of its original shows and movies.

That won’t be the case in the “live” portion of the streaming market, at least for AT&T.

“[Exclusive content] is really critical for [services like Netflix] to stand out,” Goncalves said.

Part of the value they give you is in picking the shows and movies that will get you addicted. While AT&T has made some investment in original content for the platform, through its “Audience Network,” it’s not a focus. “We have not thought about it like that,” Goncalves said.

That means that if AT&T does indeed buy Time Warner, don’t expect its properties to start developing shows exclusively for DirecTV Now. AT&T is clearly interested in buying content makers, just not for the purpose of tying them exclusively to its own streaming TV platform.

The experience

DirecTV Now won’t break the mold of pay TV, it will simply make the delivery more fluid. And that will likely be the case for many of the new entrants into the streaming live TV market, who will put out channel packages that look suspiciously similar to those you'd get on cable.

AT&T sees itself as an “aggregator of aggregators,” and its strength will be in the breadth of content it provides, as well as in a pain-free technical experience, Goncalves explained. As someone who has personally had many tech issues with the current live streaming leader, Sling TV, the latter shouldn’t be overlooked.

One extra area of value AT&T can provide is letting its mobile customers stream TV without it counting toward their data caps, Goncalves said. And AT&T's foothold in wireless will help it guide DirecTV now if viewing patterns go even more mobile.

Scale

For Goncalves, the key to success in this live streaming TV effort will be scale. There could be niche add-on services that passionate audiences will pay a monthly fee for. Goncalves mentions Crunchyroll, an anime-focused streaming service that has built a thriving business.

But for DirecTV Now, AT&T doesn’t want to go niche.

That’s one reason Goncalves isn’t a fan of “skinny bundles,” which promise things like 25 great channels for $25 per month. He doesn’t hold with the idea that you could create a 25-channel package that is good for most households.

“We can’t get to scale with skinny bundles,” he said.

With its purchase of DirecTV, AT&T became the biggest player in pay TV. It wants to be that for streaming live TV as well.

SEE ALSO: Analyst: AMC's TV triumph is getting torn apart by services like Netflix

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NOW WATCH: Motion graphics make these objects melt and morph in front of your eyes


Here’s what a computer is thinking when it plays chess against you

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A co-lead at Google's Big Picture data visualization group has created an online version of chess called the Thinking Machine 6, which lets you play against a computer and visualize all of its possible moves. While the computer may not be the most advanced player, the program provides you with an inside look into how your artificial opponent's mind works. Here's a look at how it works.

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Why Tom Cruise is Hollywood's last movie star

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jack reacher never go back paramount

The hardest act to pull off in Hollywood is sustainability.

Whether you’re considered an A-list talent or one of the “it” young stars, at any second your stock can drop. And with tenacious paparazzi and social media now the norm, that mystique of movie stars is no more. Except for one — the actor who continues to have that movie-star aura and, frankly, is the last of them: Tom Cruise.

With the release of his latest action movie this Friday, “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,” Cruise is poised to rule the weekend box office once again, despite the film's poor reviews (it currently has a 38% rating on Rotten Tomatoes).

But lackluster reviews is nothing to Cruise. He's dealt with a lot more going into a release.

In early 2015, the latest Cruise pile-on came when the documentary “Going Clear” revealed the misdeeds that allegedly occur at the Church of Scientology, of which Cruise is a devout supporter (according to the film, the actor may have known about some of the evil goings-on there). But that summer, we were gushing over his performance in "Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation" (which would go on to make over $680 million worldwide).

But that’s the magic of Cruise: With any negative press he receives, his movies always seem to cause us all to hit the reset button on him. Why is that? Because we can forgive our movie stars. If they can continue to entertain, all is forgiven.

Cruise was close to being thrown off his pedestal when the infamous couch jump on “Oprah” led to a domino effect of controversy for him. But he’s weathered that storm and is a bigger draw than ever, which is extremely rare.

Let’s look at his contemporaries, who are summed up in this photo from 1983's “The Outsiders.

the outsidersThis was the future of Hollywood in the 1980s — Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, and let’s also throw in Charlie Sheen and Mickey Rourke. They all had their time and today are nowhere near Cruise’s stardom. (Swayze died from pancreatic cancer in 2009.)

Cruise has topped them all thanks to being ahead of the curve — first in choosing dramatic projects (“Rain Man,” "Born on the Fourth of July," “A Few Good Men”) and then being America’s heartthrob (“Jerry Maguire”), and most recently turning into one of the few action stars who don't need a comic-book franchise to back them (he's made it clear he's not so into the idea of wearing a cape).

Where Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone failed at staying action stars, Cruise excelled by keeping his action as practical as possible and proudly saying that he does his own stunts. (He also quite clearly still hits the gym.)

tom cruise mission impossible rogue oneBut being a movie star also means knowing when to stay off the radar. Cruise has done this masterfully since the couch jump. And leading up to the release of “Going Clear,” he was mum, though some rumors have come out that Cruise has seen the movie and now wants to leave Scientology. True or not, it only helps his image going into this weekend.

You could argue that actors like Brad Pitt and George Clooney are at the same level of movie stardom as Cruise, but it’s not the same. The two don’t rake in the kind of box-office cash Cruise does (Cruise's films usually make at least $200 million; Pitt's and Clooney's films usually top $100-$150 million worldwide).

While Cruise has become one of the best at selling a movie all over the world, Pitt and Clooney take that under-the-radar stance a little too seriously. They pop out to sell their movies, but not with the globe-trotting gusto of Cruise. In fact, Cruise has pulled back on the throttle in his press for "Jack Reacher," sticking to a couple late-night appearances, but it doesn't matter — it still will likely be No. 1 this weekend at the box office.

Tom CruiseThere are a lot of popular actors in Hollywood, from the new breed like Chris Pratt to the ones who have blown us away for years yet are still somewhat harder to relate to, like Robert Downey Jr. But with Cruise, it’s different.

We've marveled at Cruise's diversity as an actor throughout his career, the many iconic moments he’s given us (from sliding across the hall in his undies to “You Complete Me” to his “M:I” thrill seeker), and the energy he gives every role and press appearance. Perhaps that's why we always find ourselves rooting for him.

SEE ALSO: THEN & NOW: The cast of "Mission: Impossible" 19 years later

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NOW WATCH: This 'Mission Impossible' behind-the-scenes footage of a 53-year-old Tom Cruise hanging off a plane is terrifying

LL Cool J breaks down his favorite 60-minute full-body workout

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At 48 years old, LL Cool J still maintains the physique of an NFL linebacker in his prime. I interviewed the world-famous rapper and actor at his office in Los Angeles in October, 2014. 

I gave him the hypothetical scenario that he had one hour to go to the gym, and asked what exercises he would do in that period.

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