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Seth Meyers: How Trump 'lied his a-- off' about his biggest deal yet as president-elect

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late night with seth meyers donald trump carrier deal

To hear Donald Trump talk about the Carrier deal, it would seem the president-elect scored a major deal to save a a lot of jobs. But Seth Meyers clouded that victory a bit on Thursday's "Late Night."

"Donald Trump was able to win the Rust Belt states in the Midwest in part by fashioning himself as a champion of the working man," Meyers said on "Late Night." "An impressive feat considering that the only tool he has ever used is a spork from KFC. At almost every campaign rally, he promised to keep American jobs in the US, offering one specific example, Carrier."

With his Carrier deal, Trump was making good on the campaign promise he made — even if he didn't remember he had made it.

While the president-elect was watching the news, a Carrier employee being interviewed said he didn't believe the air conditioner manufacturer would actually send its jobs to Mexico because Trump promised the company wouldn’t.

“I never thought I made that promise,” Trump said last week in a speech at Carrier in Indiana.

But Trump had made the promise, and he decided to do something about it.

Trump claimed his deal with Carrier would keep more than 1,100 jobs in the US. But according to reports, hundreds of those jobs were research and development positions, which were never slated to move to Mexico. According to the Washington Post's count, Trump actually saved 730 jobs, or 37% of those that were earmarked to be outsourced. Meanwhile, 1,250 jobs are still going overseas.  

In a speech, the leader of the union that represents the Carrier workers said Trump "lied his a-- off" about the numbers.

Meyers said that 730 jobs was still a great thing, but he found it pretty easy to understand the union leader's accusations.

"Trump does have a tendency to lie his a-- off," Meyers joked. "That's why Chris Christie is always there to catch it."

The host then claimed you could actually "hear his a-- hitting the ground" and then played clips of Trump's "lies."

For the record, Trump responded to the Carrier union leader on Twitter.

"Chuck Jones, who is President of United Steelworkers 1999, has done a terrible job representing workers. No wonder companies flee country," Trump wrote. "If United Steelworkers 1999 was any good, they would have kept those jobs in Indiana. Spend more time working-less time talking. Reduce dues."

 

Watch the "Late Night" segment on Trump's Carrier deal below:

SEE ALSO: Trump is retaining his executive producer title on NBC's new 'Celebrity Apprentice'

DON'T MISS: Michael Moore makes a new Trump prediction: He may quit 'before he even takes office'

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Trump fires back at union leader who alleged he 'lied his a-- off' about Carrier deal


The first 'Super Mario' game for the iPhone requires an internet connection to play

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The newest "Super Mario" game isn't coming to a Nintendo game console, but to Apple's iPhone and iPad. The game, "Super Mario Run," arrives on December 15 and costs $10.

super mario run

And there's more good news — it's really good! The game's available to play at Apple stores; employees are even wearing Super Mario pins to advertise the coming game.

There is one unfortunate downside we just learned: "Super Mario Run" requires an internet connection to play.

That means no "Super Mario" on the subway, or in that part of your office without any service, or anywhere else an internet connection is hard to find.

That news comes from an interview with Nintendo creative director Shigeru Miyamoto conducted by Mashable's Adam Rosenberg. "For us, we view our software as being a very important asset for us," Miyamoto told Mashable. "And also for consumers who are purchasing the game, we want to make sure that we're able to offer it to them in a way that the software is secure, and that they're able to play it in a stable environment." 

Many prominent mobile games require an internet connection, from "Clash of Clans" to "Pokémon GO" to "Game of War." But these games are dependent on internet connection for gameplay — they actively pull data that impacts gameplay.

In the case of "Super Mario Run," it's a "Super Mario" game; Mario runs from left to right, and you tap on the screen to make him jump.

super mario run

It's hard to understand why, from a gameplay perspective, Nintendo would lock "Super Mario Run" into requiring an internet connection for play. It turns out that the reason isn't based on gameplay, but piracy concerns and a development issue.

"We wanted to be able to leverage that network connection with all three of the ["Super Mario Run"] modes to keep all of the modes functioning together and offering the game in a way that keeps the software secure," Miyamoto said. 

"Super Mario Run" has three modes: "World Tour," "Toad Rally," and "Kingdom Builder." The latter two modes require the game to pull data that impacts the game. 

  • In the case of "Toad Rally," you race against the "ghost" of another player's run through a level. Thus, your phone needs to pull that information from a server. 
  • In the case of "Kingdom Builder," you build a "Super Mario Bros. 3"-esque world map using coins you've earned in game. Thus, your phone needs to verify the purchase to make sure people aren't cheating the game's currency system. 

But in the case of "World Tour," you're just playing "Super Mario Bros." levels. No data is being pulled; the internet connection requirement is solely a measure of verifying your purchase. To Nintendo's credit, Miyamoto told Mashable, "This is something that we want to continue to work on as we continue to develop the game," in reference to freeing "World Tour" mode from an online requirement.

Piracy is a major concern for Nintendo, and the Japanese game giant has been fiercely protective of its characters, but this policy usually doesn't affect people who legally purchased its games.

SEE ALSO: I just played Nintendo's first 'Super Mario' game for the iPhone — it's really good!

DON'T MISS: Why Apple employees are all making the same 'Office Space' joke this week

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Nintendo just showed off the Nintendo Switch — an entirely new console

Why some Trump supporters are boycotting the new 'Star Wars' movie with #DumpStarWars

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rogue one a star wars story

"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" has become the target of a political boycott online a week before it is released.

Some social-media users have come out against the new "Star Wars" spin-off movie on both Reddit and Twitter, where people have spoken out against the movie with the hashtag #DumpStarWars.

The boycott seems to have stemmed from a rumor that "Rogue One" was changed in reshoots and edits to make it slanted against President-elect Donald Trump. A writer for the film, Chris Weitz, says that story is "completely fake."

Others chimed in to protest "Rogue One," believing the film to be politically motivated.

Another source of ire for people boycotting the movie is the fact that Weitz has made comments on Twitter that appear to protest the election of Trump, including one tweet shortly after the election featuring the Rebel symbol from "Star Wars" with a safety pin through it, signifying unity. Weitz wrote: "Star Wars against hate. Spread it."

Separately, IndieWire reports that "Rogue One" has also been the target of criticism on a self-professed "alt-right" section of Reddit with ties to white supremacy. Users have pointed to the multicultural casting and leading female roles in the newest "Star Wars" movies (including "Force Awakens"). One such alt-right user called "Rogue One" "anti-white social engineering."

SEE ALSO: The 25 worst movies of 2016, according to critics

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NOW WATCH: Psychiatrists studied 400 movies to find the most realistic psychopath

YouTube's biggest star just trolled everyone — here's what's going on

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To call Felix Kjellberg "internet famous" is to sell him short. The name may not be familiar to you, but perhaps his pseudonym is: "PewDiePie."

Felix Kjellberg (PewDiePie)

He's a handsome Swedish man who plays video games, records video blogs, and makes millions doing so (about $15 million this year, according to Forbes).

That's also selling him short — Kjellberg makes his job look easy, which is almost certainly a testament to how hard he actually works. He publishes at least one, often several, videos each day. That's before you start talking about the show he made for YouTube, or the video game about him, or his talent agency, or his book.

His YouTube channel just passed 50 million subscribers. His videos casually reach tens of millions of people.

PewDiePie

He's far and away the most popular YouTuber, by tens of millions of subscribers, which is why it was such a big deal when he announced last Friday that he was going to shut down his channel upon reaching 50 million (he was just over 49 million at the time).

Gaming sites and major news sites alike covered his announcement. Assuredly someone from YouTube called him in a terrified panic.

Turns out he was just joshin'.

Kjellberg isn't shutting down his PewDiePie account. Relax.

PewDiePie

Instead, he posted an update on Friday thanking fans for pushing his channel over 50 million subscribers.

In that video, he did indeed delete his YouTube channel — his alternate YouTube channel, named "jack septiceye2." That channel is no longer available.

PewDiePie

Kjellberg's latest video runs through a montage of media coverage (like this piece you're reading!) that he laughs at, his troll having been a success.

He even doubles down and says he's going to delete his PewDiePie channel at 100 million subscribers, but we'll forgive you if we're not holding your breath this time.

SEE ALSO: MEET THE YOUTUBE MILLIONAIRES: These are the highest-paid YouTube stars of 2016

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Thousands of fans lined up for hours to see PewDiePie — we asked why they're so obsessed

RANKED: The 20 best albums of the year, according to critics

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2016 was a whirlwind year in music, punctuated by blockbuster releases, a handful of masterful albums, and the loss of some iconic artists.

From the critical dominance of the Knowles sisters — Beyoncé and Solange — to the final LPs from legendary acts like David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, and A Tribe Called Quest, 2016 has produced many innovative, affecting, and memorable works.

We turned to the review aggregator Metacritic to find out which albums critics have gravitated to and praised the most this year. The resulting list includes the expected big names alongside a few lesser-known artists with remarkable works.

Here are the top 20 albums of the year, according to critics' scores on Metacritic:

SEE ALSO: Beyoncé tops the list of 2017 Grammy nominees — see the full list

20. Ian William Craig — "Centres"

Critic score: 86/100

User score: 7.5/10

What critics said: "There's an addictive, hypnagogic quality to this ghostly combination of ambient noise, treated vocals and bursts of static." — Uncut

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19. Maxwell — "blackSUMMERS'night"

Critic score: 86/100

User score: 8.2/10

What critics said: "Maxwell's transcendent falsetto and the soulful jazz, electronic and soul arrangements need no cohesive story line to make them resonate." — Los Angeles Times

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18. Michael Kiwanuka — "Love & Hate"

Critic score: 86/100

User score: 8.4/10

What critics said: "This is an album that sounds like a world of music in itself." — The Telegraph

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How to reset your Netflix history

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Sure, you could have waited for your significant other to get home from work to watch the next episode of "Jessica Jones," but you just couldn't help yourself. Here's how to clear your Netflix history and save yourself from a night alone on the couch.

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The 'Fuller House' boss says he thinks 'vicious' reviews of the show are 'good luck'

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Fuller House seson 2 netflix

Netflix's "Fuller House" was far from a critical favorite when the spin-off premiered last year, but it's nothing the show's creator hasn't dealt with before.

"I kind of look at bad reviews as good luck for us," executive producer Jeff Franklin recently told Business Insider. "When ‘Full House’ came on the air, the reviews were pretty vicious, as well. I think we got an 'F' from People magazine and 30 years later we’re on the cover. The reviews for ‘Fuller House’ I would say were even more vicious than the ones we got for ‘Full House,’ but our fans don’t really care. This is not a show that depends on good reviews for people to watch it."

Franklin has a very good point. Though Netflix doesn't report its viewing statistics, that hasn't stopped independent research companies from trying to break the code for the streaming company's ratings. SymphonyAM, for example, reported that "Fuller House" is the highest-rated show on Netflix.

"What was great is that I know people didn’t watch just one episode just to see what it was and then tune out," Franklin said. "We know that most of the fans that came to the show watched all 13 episodes. And they not only watched them once, they watched them several times. So I think the show has been extremely well-received. If these independent research numbers are to be believed, and there’s no reason for me not to believe them, it’s not only the No. 1 show on Netflix, but it’s the most-watched show on television."

For the record, Netflix has called SymphonyAM's findings inaccurate. Franklin said Netflix hasn't given him any viewership numbers at all, but that's not due to a lack of trying on his part.

"I’ve asked the executives on our show, ‘Look, if these numbers are right, just blink once and we’ll never have this conversation again.’ I try to get it out of them but they are not budging," Franklin told us. "They’ve never acknowledged any of this success. They just say, 'Hey, you guys got picked up again. You’re gonna do more shows and you’re doing great.' That’s about all I get from Netflix."

Despite the drawback of not knowing the viewership data around his show, Franklin is willing to respect Netflix's business model. He believes that being on Netflix has made the show "cooler than it really is."

"They don’t want their creative partners knowing exactly what’s going on, but they’ve been wonderful to us," he said. "I’m thrilled to be at Netflix. If we were on Nick at Nite or ABC, I don’t think we’d have the same kind of caché and the pop-culture appeal that we have because we’re on Netflix."

SEE ALSO: The 'Full House' creator bought the actual Tanner home, and he hopes it's a tax write-off

DON'T MISS: Here are the most popular Netflix original shows ranked, according to a research company

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Netflix is giving part of the ‘Mythbusters’ team their own show — here’s the trailer

Martin Scorsese opens up about his 'near-death' drug addiction and how he recovered

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Martin Scorsese Jonathan Leibson Getty final

With classics like “Mean Streets,” “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” and “Taxi Driver” already behind him, Martin Scorsese was a director on the rise in Hollywood when he made the musical drama “New York, New York,” starring Liza Minnelli and Robert De Niro, in 1977.

The movie became the first critical and box-office disaster of Scorsese's career, and the pressure of making a movie of that size led to stress and drug addiction for the legendary filmmaker.

"After finishing ‘New York, New York,’ I took chances," Scorsese told The Hollywood Reporter in a new interview. "[I was] out of time and out of place and also in turmoil in my own life and embracing the other world, so to speak, with a kind of attraction to the dangerous side of existence. Then on Labor Day weekend, I found myself in a hospital, surprised that I was near death."

At 35, Scorsese was down to 109 pounds, he says, affected by both his addiction and asthma.

“I was kept in a hospital for 10 days and nights, and they took care of me, these doctors, and I became aware of not wanting to die and not wasting [my life],” he said.

The Oscar winner reflects back at this time as he prepares to release a movie he’s been trying to make for close to 30 years, “Silence.” Starring Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, and Liam Neeson, it’s based on Shûsaku Endô's 1966 novel about Jesuit priests who travel to Japan to propagate Christianity.

Scorsese sees his dark time in the '70s as his wake-up call to better his life so he could continue his craft.

He did just that. He went on to make “Raging Bull” in 1980, “The King of Comedy” in 1982, and “The Last Temptation of Christ” in 1988. The latter, a controversial look at the life of Jesus that lead to nationwide protests of the movie by religious groups, came around the time he first discovered the book “Silence.”

“Silence” opens in theaters December 23.

SEE ALSO: The 20 best albums of the year ranked, according to critics

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Marvel just dropped the first full trailer for 'Guardians of the Galaxy 2' — and it looks amazing


'Silicon Valley' star T.J. Miller was arrested for allegedly assaulting a driver in argument over Trump

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T.J. Miller was arrested after allegedly assaulting his car-service driver early on Friday morning, according to reports.

A police spokeswoman told the Los Angeles Times that the "Silicon Valley" actor was arrested on suspicion of battery after the driver called police to the scene outside of Miller's Hollywood Hills home at 1 a.m. on Friday. The police would not confirm which car service the driver belonged to, but TMZ reported that he was an Uber driver.

According to TMZ, the driver picked up Miller after the GQ Men of the Year party. Reportedly, Miller and the driver got into an argument over President-elect Donald Trump. When the driver reached Miller's home, the actor allegedly slapped the driver on his head. The driver then performed a citizen's arrest and called the police.

The LAPD spokeswoman confirmed that the alleged assault didn't occur in front of police. Miller was arrested, charged with misdemeanor battery, and then released without posting bail.

TMZ sources said the driver didn't have any injuries and that Miller seemed to be intoxicated.

A representative for Miller didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Miller's arrest happens to coincide with the release of his new movie, "Office Christmas Party," on Friday.

SEE ALSO: FBI officially clears Brad Pitt of child abuse allegations

DON'T MISS: A suspect in the destruction of Donald Trump's Walk of Fame star has been arrested

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Watch the hilarious trailer for HBO's 'Silicon Valley' one more time before it starts

The 5 best new songs you can stream right now

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j coleNow 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, J. Cole released a new album, and the soundtrack to the Oscar-favorite musical "La La Land" premiered alongside its theatrical release. 

Check out this week's best new songs:

CHECK IT OUT: The best songs to stream from last week

J. Cole — "Neighbors"

Few tracks stand out on "4 Your Eyez Only," the largely uninspired and soporific new album from rapper J. Cole. "Neighbors," however, is an ironic and compelling song wherein Cole raps about how the neighbors near his new mansion think he must be selling drugs to afford it.

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Electric Guest — "Dear to Me"

In the new music video for "Dear to Me" by Electric Guest — the indie-pop group led by Asa Taccone, younger brother of The Lonely Island's Jorma Taccone — band Haim and Andy Samberg make cameo appearances while dancing to the group's fresh and soulful single.  

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Bonobo — "Break Apart" feat. Rhye

British producer Bonobo links up with Rhye singer Mike Milosh on the meditative "Break Apart." The song's music video features stunning drone footage of desert rock formations. 

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‘Super Mario Run’ is projected to get more downloads in its first month than 'Pokémon GO' (AAPL, NTDOY)

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"Super Mario Run" arrives on iOS next Thursday, and with it, Nintendo’s most famous mascot will hit smartphones for the very first time. This, understandably, is expected to be a big one.

To wit: This chart from Statista, which shows recent forecasts from app analytics firm Sensor Tower. According to them, "Super Mario Run" is projected to hit a whopping 50 million downloads in its first month. That’d easily surpass "Pokémon GO" — the last big mobile phenomenon tied to a beloved gaming franchise — which garnered 32 million downloads when it launched in July.

That said, Sensor Tower doesn’t think Mario can match Pokémon from a revenue standpoint. This makes sense: Whereas "Pokémon GO" got its cash from a steady stream of in-app purchases, "Super Mario Run" will do its business from the lone $10 fee it costs to buy the game. Still, it’d be hard to see Nintendo complaining about $71 million in one month.

super mario run forecasts chart

SEE ALSO: Here’s how PlayStation 4 sales stack up to the best-selling game consoles ever

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TRUMP: Reports that I will have a role on The Apprentice are 'fake news'

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President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday that he will have no role on "The Apprentice" as commander-in-chief, one day after a top adviser defended his role on the show.

Trump tweeted, "Reports by @CNN that I will be working on The Apprentice during my Presidency, even part time, are rediculous (sp.) & untrue - FAKE NEWS!" He said his only relationship with the show was that he conceived it and had a big stake.

Variety reported Thursday that MGM, the production studio behind the show, said Trump will remain an executive producer on the show that made him famous for a per-episode salary in the low five figures. This role would not require him to be nearly as actively involved as he would be if he were a presenter, for example. Trump gets a cut of the show's profits.

On Friday, Kellyanne Conway said Trump had a right to do other things in his spare time, but did not confirm whether the president-elect would have a role on the show.

"The fact is that he is conferring with all types of experts to tell him what he is allowed to do and not to do as the president of the United States, and if this is one of the approved activities, then perhaps he'll consider staying on," Conway told CNN.

Arnold Schwarzenegger will host the coming season of "Celebrity Apprentice" returning on January 2.  

Trump's potential business conflicts of interest have been under greater scrutiny since he won the election in November.

SEE ALSO: Kellyanne Conway defends Trump's 'Apprentice' role: 'Presidents have a right to do things in their spare time'

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 'Celebrity Apprentice' runner-up reveals what Donald Trump is really like

The 20 music stars people paid the most to see in 2016

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Adele, Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, and Drake earned top nominations for the 2017 Grammys, so it makes sense that 2016 has already been good to them.

Vivid Seats, a ticket resale marketplace, analyzed its data to determine the most in-demand artists of the year, based on the average ticket price sold on their site.

Adele's fans, especially at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, didn't hesitate to shell out some serious money to see her tour for "25." While pop stars and country artists certainly drew crowds, one musician from "Margaritaville" proved he could still dominate.

See which 20 artists had the most expensive average ticket price in 2016:

SEE ALSO: The 10 most popular music videos of 2016, ranked

DON'T MISS: RANKED: Here are the musicians fans have traveled the farthest to see

20. Blink 182

Average ticket price for their tour: $76

Average ticket price for their top show: $110



19. Jason Aldean

Average ticket price for his tour: $94

Average ticket price for his top show: $148



18. Shawn Mendes

Average ticket price for his tour: $98

Average ticket price for his top show: $244



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Why it took nearly 30 years for Martin Scorsese to make his epic new movie 'Silence'

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Silence Adam Driver Andrew Garfield Paramount final

It was the project Martin Scorsese had been telling people he was going to make next for almost 30 years.

The legendary director was going to make it after “The Departed” in 2006, “Shutter Island” in 2010, and “Hugo” in 2011. But a combination of a script not quite ready yet, financing woes, and legal battles for years stalled “Silence,” an adaptation of the 1966 Shûsaku Endô novel. Now at 74, the Oscar winner is finally bringing the movie to audiences on December 23.

Scorsese first came across the novel around the time of finishing “The Last Temptation of Christ” in 1988. The story is set in the 17th century and follows two Jesuit priests who face violence and persecution when trying to propagate Christianity in Japan. The director bought the rights to the book and assigned longtime collaborator Jay Cocks (“Age of Innocence,” “Gangs of New York”) to adapt it into a screenplay.

Scorsese and Cocks were hired to make the movie by Italy’s Cecchi Gori Pictures for a total of $700,000, according to The Hollywood Reporter. They each received $250,000 for their efforts and $150,000 would be paid to each if the project moved forward to production.

The script wasn’t to Scorsese’s liking so he went and made “Casino” in 1995 and “Kundun” in 1997.

In that time, the president of Cecchi Gori, Gianni Nunnari, hired other writers to take on the script. And that’s when things began to get cloudy.

Silence Kerry Brown Paramount finalFor years the project was in a legal tailspin to figure out who really owned the rights to the movie. It didn’t help that Cecchi Gori Pictures was in financial problems and one the owners, Vittori Cecchi Gori, was sentenced to prison related to the company’s bankruptcy.

Around 2012, Cecchi Gori Pictures was awarded rights to “Silence” by the courts. But Scorsese had already committed to making “The Departed,” Shutter Island,” and “Hugo.” Cecchi Gori sued the director for “intentional and negligent misrepresentation” when it caught wind that Scorsese was preparing to make another movie before “Silence,” “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

According to THR, Cecchi Gori wanted more than $1.5 million in damages. However, Scorsese’s lawyers said he had already paid more than $3.5 million in penalties for the movies he made instead of “Silence” over that time.

"I don't remember [the details],” Scorsese told THR. “All I know is that, whenever anything happened, I'd ask my manager and my agents and my lawyers to please make sure we did not lose the project. And they would go back into this morass of complications and try to work it out."

In January of this year, Scorsese and Cecchi settled out of court and Scorsese finally pushed forward to make the movie.

Financing and casts came and went as well over the years. At one time the budget was projected to be close to $100 million with Daniel Day-Lewis and Gael Garcia Bernal attached. The film got made for $46 million with Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, and Liam Neeson starring.

SEE ALSO: Martin Scorsese opens up about his "near-death" drug addiction and how he recovered

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Sony and Marvel just dropped the first new 'Spider-Man' trailer and it looks amazing

Never-before-seen photos show candid moments with some of the biggest rock stars in history


I was so excited, and so let down, by Google Home (GOOG, GOOGL)

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Remember when Google announced Google Home? Yeah, you probably don't — it was back in May at the company's annual developer event, Google I/O. 

Google Home

I remember it distinctly, both because I was covering the event and because I was so excited by the product. An Amazon Echo-esque speaker/mic combination, powered by Google? That's literally exactly what I wanted.

My only hesitation with buying the Echo — other than the whole "voluntarily buying an internet-connected listening device for my home" — was the lack of deep Google integration.

Google is my internet backbone. I use Google Contacts to move my contacts from phone to phone, I use Google Messenger for text messaging, Google Voice for work, Google Keep for notes. We use Google Calendar here at Business Insider for meetings, and I use it in my personal life as well — the same goes for Google Docs. I chat with colleagues from other publications throughout the day using Google Hangouts (sorry, boss!)

So when Google Home was announced, I was ready for it. 

Google Home receipt

The product re-emerged five months later alongside Google's new Pixel phone, packed with Google Assistant and ready to ship in November. I immediately plunked down $140.45 (with tax — it costs $129), and received a unit a few weeks later.

It had problems right from the start.

I downloaded the Home app to my Nexus 5X and expected a seamless experience. Not only am I using an Android phone, but I'm using an Android phone made by Google. It's not the new Pixel, but it came out in 2015 — not exactly eons ago. 

What I encountered was a frustrating setup process that only worked when the app seemingly felt like working.

Google Home (app setup)

Over and over, the WiFi broke, rendering the device entirely useless. And if it's not connected to your home WiFi network, you can't do anything with Google Home — no Google requests, no music, nothing.

This happened repeatedly across two weeks. I have a standard home WiFi network, with a highly-rated dual-band Asus router and an Arris Surfboard modem (that I own/don't rent from my ISP). I live in a small-ish Brooklyn apartment — the Home sits about 15 feet from my router. At any point, there are a maximum of six wireless devices in my home connected to the internet (and, more commonly, two or three). I even contacted Google's press line for help (the company also sent me a review unit, which I experienced the same problems with) to no avail. 

Google Home

When Google Home does work, it's worryingly limited.

  • It can't set reminders ("Sorry, create reminder is not yet supported.").
  • It can't give directions or transit warnings ("Sorry, I can't give directions for public transit yet.").
  • It seemingly has no idea that I have a personal or work calendar ("Sorry, I'm not sure how to help with that yet.")

This is all stuff that Google Now does on my phone right now. In fact, Google Now is part of why I continue to use Android. 

Every time it tells me something useful before I even realized I needed to know it — my boarding gate for tomorrow's flight, for instance, and then if there's traffic on the way to the airport — I marvel at its usefulness. Google Now is a strong argument for an entire phone OS.

Google Home

Instead, Google Home is powered by a new AI assistant from Google called, "Google Assistant." The sell point with Google Assistant is it can do conversation-like stuff. Ask it, "Ok Google, how far is Mars from Earth?" and it gives you the answer. Then you can ask, "How about Pluto?"

Presumably, if all goes perfectly, Google Assistant will keep the conversation going with an answer, passively understanding all the context in between. But in reality, this is something I rarely use. I need Google Home to do stuff for me — set appointments in my calendar, warn me that my train is going to be late so I should leave earlier, tell me about that concert I might've forgotten about. I need it to do stuff that Google Now already does successfully — at bare minimum.

In this respect, it's a terrible assistant.

Google Home

The other thing it's supposed to do — be a speaker — is just okay. I have a Sonos Play 3 speaker, which is really, really good. It's loud, and has stunning bass depth considering how small it is. It's also significantly more expensive than Google Home ($299 compared to Home's $129). With that price comes a gigantic increase in quality — Home sounds tinny and cheap by comparison. 

In the end, I returned my Google Home soon after buying it.

Google Home (return)

If I can't trust it to consistently work, what's the point? It was already a luxury purchase — a lark on a brand new type of technology — and ended up being one that I couldn't justify spending $140 on. 

Maybe I'd like the Amazon Echo much more, and maybe I'll give it a shot eventually, but in the meantime I'm gonna wait for AI technology to improve dramatically.

SEE ALSO: I bought Google Home instead of Amazon's Echo — here's why

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This artist paints on her body to transform herself into trippy 2D comic superheroes

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Armed with an array of body paint and brushes, Kay Pike can transform into any superhero or villain.

The Canadian cosplayer paints on her own body to make herself look like 2D characters from TV and comics, including Marvel's Spider-Man and Cheetara from ThunderCats.

In January, Pike first walked Business Insider through her trippy work when she was getting started. In the 11 months since, she has amassed over 500,000 followers on Instagram and Facebook, and has done bodypaint work for several prominent companies, including Disney.

 Take a look below.

SEE ALSO: A serene green was named the official color of 2017 because the world is 'very stressful and very tense'

Pike has been a skilled painter since she was young, but she started cosplay body-painting (or "cospainting" as she calls it) in December 2015. She sharpened her craft with the help of fellow cospainter Lianne Moseley, she tells BI.



She now live-streams her process twice per week on Twitch. Below is her rendition of She-Hulk.

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Marvel's She-Hulk. 


Pike uses a water-based face paint and a special makeup to help it stick. She needs 10 to 15 bottles of paint to create just one character.

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 DC Comics' Two-Face.


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Stunning photos of the Brooklyn neighborhood that puts on the best Christmas-light display in America

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The suburban Brooklyn neighborhood of Dyker Heights is a quiet and friendly area year-round – that is, until the holidays start. That's when the neighborhood is flooded with thousands of Christmas-light peepers anxious to see the area's famed displays. Countless homes in the neighborhood take part, putting up dazzling and awe-inspiring feats of festivity, and likely producing similarly awe-inspiring electric bills.

I took a trip to Dyker Heights to see the hyped "Dyker Lights" for myself. Keep scrolling to see some lights that would make Clark Griswold die from envy.

SEE ALSO: This New York City restaurant spends more than $60,000 a year getting ready for Christmas — take a look inside

Dyker Heights is a good half-hour drive from downtown Manhattan, and about an hour away on the subway. Luckily, there are Dyker Lights tour buses that will take you there hassle-free — for a price.



You can see most of the best displays between 11th and 13th Avenues around 81st through 86th Streets.



Some of the homes put up stately, elegant arrangements.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

A psychologist explains why we need to 'catch 'em all' in 'Pokémon GO'

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New Pokémon will soon be released into the wild, and hordes of players could be back in the streets trying to catch them all. The immensely popular mobile game "Pokémon GO" had people running all over the world this summer to track them down, but why are we doing it? We spoke with a psychologist to find out what it is exactly about this game that gets people so obsessed.

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FORMER MAFIA ASSOCIATE: This is what 'The Sopranos' got right

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