As 2012 draws to a close, we can now get a clearer idea of just how much celebrities made over the past 12 months. 

Forbes compiled a list of the 25 highest paid musicians of 2012, and we've narrowed down the list to feature the top ten highest earners.

But while Justin Bieber and Katy Perry dominated the year's headlines, it was the tried and true musicians who had the best year earnings-wise.

See who made Forbes' list of the top ten highest-paid musicians of 2012, it will surprise you.

10. Toby Keith: $50 Million

Toby Keith released his 16 studio album this year, titled "Hope on the Rocks," with his breakout song of the year being "Red Solo Cup."

In addition to album sales, Keith also gets paid through a Ford endorsement deal and the profits from his restaurants.

9. Dave Matthews Band: $51 Million

DMB released their eighth studio album this year, titled "Away from the World."

According to Forbes, the group has grossed over $1 million per night over the course of 68 shows in the past year.

8. Justin Bieber: $53 Million

18-year-old Justin Bieber earned money from his "Believe" album and tour, in addition to his perfume line, which retails for $49.00.

He won the American Music Award for Artist of the Year, Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist, and Favorite Album.

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When you were little, your mom probably told you not to sit too close to the television, lest you irreparably harm your vision. But you can file this popular warning in the myth file, right next to “your face will get stuck that way”—in reality, sitting close to the TV won’t hurt your eyes. So why do parents the world over still say this to their kids? Because there was actually a very brief period of time where sitting close to the TV could damage your eyes—at least, if you owned a General Electric TV in the late 1960s.

In 1967, General Electric informed the public that many of their color televisions were emitting excessive x-rays due to a “factory error.” Health officials at the time estimated that the amount of radiation coming from these defective TVs was about 10 to 100,000 times higher than the rate considered acceptable. They recommended keeping children a safe distance away—but as long as you were a few feet away and didn’t watch TV for more than an hour at a time or so at close range, you were probably fine. General Electric recalled all of the defective TVs and fixed the problem by putting a leaded glass shield around the tubes, making up close and personal television viewing safe once again.

“It’s not an old wives’ tale; it’s an old technology tale,” Dr. Norman Saffra, the chairman of ophthalmology at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, told the New York Times. “Based on the world our grandmothers lived and grew up in, it was an appropriate recommendation.”

At worst, sitting excessively close to the television these days will give you a headache and possible eyestrain. This can sometimes be a problem for kids, who often watch TV while lying on the floor; looking up at the television this way causes more eyestrain than looking straight at the TV or down at it. (The same applies for computer monitors.) Eyestrain can also occur when watching TV or looking at a computer screen where the light level of the screen is very different than the light level of the surrounding environment. Thankfully, eyestrain isn’t permanently damaging, and is very easy to fix—just take a break from watching TV.

SEE ALSO: The 'Girls' Season 2 Trailer Was Just Released And Everything Is Different

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Spotify has released its list of the 100 most popular songs of 2012 throughout the entire world.

The number one most streamed song was Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know." Unless you live under a rock, you've certainly heard the song. 

As of November, Spotify was available in 21 countries around the world. In September, the music-streaming service reported having more than 20 million users. It's safe to say it has a pretty good pulse on what songs are popular.

The most streamed male artist of 2012 was David Guetta and the female top spot goes to Rihanna. Coldplay was the most streamed band of 2012 and the biggest album was David Guetta's "Nothing but the Beat."

The top 10 streaming songs are: 

1. Gotye featuring Kimbra - "Somebody That I Used To Know"
2. Carly Rae Jepsen - "Call Me Maybe"
3. Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe – "We Are Young"
4. Flo Rida - "Whistle"
5. Flo Rida featuring Sia - "Wild Ones"
6. Train - "Drive By"
7. Nicki Minaj - "Starships"
8. Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa - "Payphone"
9. David Guetta featuring Sia - "Titanium"
10. Loreen - "Euphoria"

For the full list, head over to Spotify.

Don't Miss: Why Spotify Is Still Better Than iTunes >

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If you're familiar with Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink", then you're aware of the Warren Harding Effect, which suggests most powerful people are tall, which gives them an advantage in business.

Gladwell found that most male CEOs were a shade under six feet.

That means most male bosses about three inches on other men; the average height of men in the US is 5'9".

Though women executives aren't as well studied, American women are 5'4" on average.

"Most of us, in ways that we are not entirely aware of, automatically associate leadership ability with imposing physical stature," Gladwell says. "We have a sense, in our minds, of what a leader is supposed to look like, and that stereotype is so powerful that when someone fits it, we simply become blind to other considerations."

Now, in the tech world, CEOs come in all shapes and sizes. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, for example, is 5' 9".

But there are a handful of powerful people in tech who meet or surpass Gladwell's perfect CEO height. They're the kind of people that command your presence the moment they walk in the room, aided by the fact that they tower over everyone else.

Arianna Huffington, for example, is 5' 10". That's a good half-foot taller than the average. A few tech CEOs are 6' 3" or taller, which is extremely rare. Only about 2% of the U.S. population is that tall.

After a few personal encounters with surprisingly tall executives, we were curious how Gladwell's tall theory held up in tech. So we took their measure—on Google, Twitter, and Quora.

Marissa Mayer is model height at 5' 8"

Source: Google

Facebook's COO, Sheryl Sandberg, is 5' 8" too

Source: Google

Arianna Huffington is 5' 10"

Source: Huffington Post

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Choosing the 10 best ads of 2012 is a tough task. The line between "the great" and "the absolute best" is thin indeed.

Skip straight to the list >

As usual, there's a broad mix of comedy, drama and eye-popping special effects. Overall, it reaffirms our faith that the ad business holds some of the most talented creative people on the planet. Most of these ads are way more interesting than anything you'll see on TV or at the movies. (See last year's for an appetizer.)

This ranking is entirely subjective: we looked at originality, entertainment value, and success stories. These were the brands and the campaigns that stood out. Congratulations to everyone who made the list. 

Some of the winners will be familiar. But seven of them are more obscure and you'll see them for the first time here, because broadcast TV in the U.S. is no longer the premier showcase for the world's best work. (Following the Top 10 list is a compilation of runners up that nearly made the cut but were ultimately rejected.)

The surprise at No.1? Well, if you haven't seen it -- and most people have not -- you're in for a treat.

Tomorrow, we'll bring you the 10 worst ads of 2012. But in the meantime ...

10. Cartier - L'Odyssée de Cartier, by Marcel, Paris

Beautifully crafted. Exquisitely shot. Epic in scale. Incredible attention to detail. And wonderfully silly. This story of a snow leopard's quest — via golden dragon, giant Dali elephant, and 19th Century flying machine — to meet the bejeweled Parisian babe of its dreams is completely entertaining.

9. Samsung - The Next Big Thing Is Already Here, by 72andSunny

This was the ad that perfectly positioned Samsung as the anti-Apple with the introduction of the Galaxy S III. The big, flat phone made iPhone 5 look small and dated, and this ad infuriated Apple fanboys worldwide.

8. Old Milwaukee - Will Ferrell Super Bowl Spot, by Funny Or Die

Old Mil' never bought a Super Bowl ad, and aired this Ferrell skit only on local TV in the middle of nowhere. Yet it's been seen by millions on YouTube and elsewhere. The climax of an hilarious hidden-in-plain site media strategy by the brewer.

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For those of you who have been keeping up with Bravo's "Start-Ups: Silicon Valley," it might not come as a surprise to you that lifecaster Sarah Austin has a high opinion of herself.

Her latest feat of self-adulation: She compared herself to one of television's most successful personalities. 

"If Oprah was white and she was in tech, she would be me," Austin said.

After the show aired, Austin elaborated on the "similarities" between her and Oprah on the show's blog. 

"If Oprah were to choose to be reincarnated as a white, privileged, half-Jewish girl from Marin County, California, then she'd probably say that I'm her first-pick candidate," Austin writes. "We have sooo much in common. As a child, I always knew I had a little Oprah inside me."

Here's what Sarah says the two have in common:

• They both got their start in radio as teenagers

• Both have interviewed Richard Branson, Ashton Kutcher, and Lady Gaga in their careers

• They were both raised in inner cities, though Austin grew up in the upper-class town of Tiburon across the bay from San Francisco

• They were both named after biblical characters

• They both grew up on stage

• Forbes has featured both of them on lists: Oprah topped Forbes' highest-paid celebrities list while Austin made its "30 under 30" list

• They both love their dogs

See? Just like Oprah.

SEE ALSO: Bravo 'Start-Ups' Star: Some Of The Cast Members 'May Be Insane'

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Following news that NFL quarterback Tim Tebowtrademarked his "tebowing" prayer stance, we wondered how outlandish trademarks could really get.

Not surprisingly, the world of celebrities is full of history's most absurd trademarks.

Yes, in the United States you can own a trademark for almost anything including smells, colors, and sounds, and these celebrities have used that power to their advantage.

From Tim Tebow's "tebowing" to Rachel Zoe's "I die" — these trademarks really do exist.

'That's hot'

Owner: Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton filed the application for her "Simple Life" catchphrase in 2006. The mark, however, only applies to alcohol and clothing, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

'Let's get ready to rumble'

Owner: Michael Buffer

The boxing announcer's decision to trademark his catchphrase in 1992 was massively profitable. By selling the rights to his mark to movies and video games makers, he has made more than $400 million, ABC News reported in 2009. 

Tebowing

Owner: Tim Tebow

The NFL player registered his trademark for bowing down on one knee with your fist to your forehead in October 2012.

The New York Jets backup QB swears he's not trying to make money off the mark, though. He says he just wants “to just control how it’s used, make sure it’s used in the right way," The Washington Times reported.

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In 2012, some of the worst ads aired had a theme: an overwhelming sense of self-importance. Insisting that everyone take you as seriously as you take yourself can be fatal for brands -- as this ranking shows.

Sure, there are a couple of awful local ads, as always. But you'd be surprised at the big brands who dropped stinkers this year, too. Companies that should have known better, like Harvey Nichols, Chanel and Sidney Frank all made our list.

See the best ads of 2012 here, to get an idea of how high the standard ought to be. And then see what the bottom of the barrel looks like.

10. Stanley Steemer: "Rock 'n Roll carpet," by Young & Laramore

Opening your front door to find Twisted Sister's Dee Snyder screaming at you is most consumers' worst nightmare. And Snyder looks less than enthusiastic about it in a closeup at the end of the spot, too. But Stanley Steemer believes it's a selling point. The entire thing stinks of, "who's the most famous person we can get for the least amount of money, regardless of how irrelevant they are to the carpet cleaning business?"

9. Chanel No. 5: “There you are,” by Joe Wright.

On paper, the concept is wonderful: Brad Pitt looks women in the eye and tells them exactly what they want to hear. The execution, however, was all wrong. Pitt seems distracted by the weird script he's been given. The monologue alone isn't enough to sustain the concept. (In fact the ad was later recut to add a female character). And the entire thing collapses under the weight of the conceit it is supposed to sustain. Luxury brands need to be taken seriously so that you forget that all they're doing is selling ephemera. But take yourself too seriously, and no one else will -- which is why this ad became an SNL parody days after it was aired.

8. Sydney Frank/Jagermeister – "Uncommon Men," by Mistress

Jagermeister is the rodeo clown of the drinks world. No one drinks it because they like it, but sometimes it's not really a party until someone yells "Let's all do Jager shots! Whoo!" Jager's challenge, therefore is to solidify it's place as America's premier party drink without acknowledging the fact that no one takes it seriously. Some self-effacement was in order. Instead, the brand made the disastrous decision to use an actual rodeo clown as its brand's hero, and to insist that men can only qualify to drink the stuff if they're as manly as he is. The result: a hot mess of laugh-out-loud pomposity. (And, presumably, the alienation of its female customers).

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Certain movie scenes outlast the test of time.

While most of these iconic scenes required lots of planning and preparations, others sprung up spontaneously during, or even after, production.

You'll be surprised to find that classic scenes from 'Casablanca' and 'Indiana Jones' were spur of the moment filming decisions.

Beginning a beautiful friendship

Perhaps no movie has as many famous one-liners as Casablanca (1942). But they weren’t all the work of screenwriters Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, and Howard Koch (who deservedly won an Oscar for their work).

Based on Murray Burnett and Joan Allison’s unproduced play Everybody Goes to Rick’s, the script was written in a hurry, and was still going through rewrites when filming commenced. As a result, some of the best lines were improvised.

“Here’s looking at you, kid,” Humphrey Bogart’s farewell line to Ingrid Bergman, was a popular quote in the 1930s. Bogart ad-libbed it while filming Casablanca, and it worked so well that it was used twice. In 2007, Premiere magazine named it the best greatest-ever movie line. Bogart’s final line, however, was created just for the film.

Who can forget that last shot, as Rick (Bogart) and Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains) walk away, planning to escape Casablanca after assisting in a noble cause. “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” says Rick. The line was created by producer Hal B. Wallis, and dubbed by Bogart after filming was completed.

Indy vs. the Swordsman

In one of the coolest and most memorable scenes of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), ready for action, is confronted by an evil-looking swordsman.

Rather than engage him in hand-to-hand combat, he gives the swordsman a tired, “you must be joking” expression, pulls out his gun and casually shoots him. This funny and clever moment, filmed in Tunisia, might never have happened if Ford and most of the crew weren’t suffering from food poisoning. 

Initially, Indy was supposed to defeat the swordsman in an extended fight sequence, using his famous whip. However, as he was so ill, the scene just wasn’t working. Instead, director Steven Spielberg allowed him to dispose of his foe in this simpler, but no less effective, method. The tired look on Indy’s face, of course, was utterly real.

“You ain’t heard nothing yet!”

Warner Brothers’ The Jazz Singer, immortalized as the first-ever talking picture, was basically a silent film, with just a few moments of synchronised sound.

The audio was mainly just a few opportunities for the star, Al Jolson, to sing hit songs like My Mammy and Blue Skies (later a hit for Willie Nelson). The small amount of dialogue was ad-libbed by Jolson and Eugenie Besserer (who played his mother – or his “mammy”).

Jolson spoke a grand total of 281 words in the film, and the most memorable line was his final one: “Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain’t heard nothing yet!” It was a prophetic quote, and more than 70 years later, it would earn a place in the American Film Institute’s list of the greatest movie lines. 

Because Jolson’s line was so off-the-cuff, it might have been removed from the final cut if Sam Warner, the driving force behind talking pictures, had not insisted that it stay. Sadly, Warner died of a sinus infection a day before the film’s release, meaning that he would never witness it making history.

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The latest News Corp press release says that the Daily, its standalone daily iPad newspaper, will "cease standalone publication".

The newspaper had a high profile launch in February 2011, but had apparently struggled to pay its way — recent reports suggested the losses were looking like $30 million a year, and rumors that Rupert Murdoch would kill the publication have been around since at least early summer.

Here's what the press release says:

News Corporation also announced that effective immediately, Jesse Angelo, the founding Editor-in-Chief of The Daily and long-time Executive Editor of The New York Post, will assume the role of Publisher of The New York Post. As part of a digital restructuring initiative, the company will cease standalone publication of The Daily iPad app on December 15, 2012, though the brand will live on in other channels. Technology and other assets from The Daily, including some staff, will be folded into The Post. 

Mr. Murdoch said: “From its launch, The Daily was a bold experiment in digital publishing and an amazing vehicle for innovation. Unfortunately, our experience was that we could not find a large enough audience quickly enough to convince us the business model was sustainable in the long-term. Therefore we will take the very best of what we have learned at The Daily and apply it to all our properties. Under the editorial leadership of Editor-in-Chief Col Allan and the business and digital leadership of Jesse, I know The New York Post will continue to grow and become stronger on the web, on mobile, and not least, the paper itself. I want to thank all of the journalists, digital and business professionals for the hard work they put into The Daily.”

Business Insider spoke to one former reporter with the publication who felt it had been killed before it really had a chance to succeed. "It sucks," he told us. "It was a really cool, hip product. I think this is nothing more than bad timing."

The same source told us that staff members being let go will get a three month severage package.

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Everyone knows Jeff Zucker's No.1 job as the new chief of CNN will be to fix the channel's ratings problem. CNN has trailed Fox News Channel in audience for years.

But hold that thought.

As far as the ad biz is concerned, there's nothing really wrong with CNN and Zucker ought to be very careful if he tries to "fix" that. Insiders know that although CNN routinely gets its butt kicked in terms of primetime audience, it's also incredibly profitable. Adweek broke down the 2011 numbers:

It is true that in every hour of prime time, CNN has trailed Fox for the last seven years. But here is the paradox: In the same period, 2003-10, CNN has more than tripled its earnings. In 2010, it netted over $620 million, which is more than it has ever made in its 30-year history.

To be sure, Fox News also does amazingly well, and will book a profit of more than $730 million this year. That is 15 percent more profitable than CNN, and it comes down to its lower production costs. It is far cheaper to produce O’Reilly-type opinion than send news teams around the world.

Part of that profit comes from the non-partisan lock-in effect: cable systems must carry the conservative Fox because so many people watch it. But in order to not be accused of bias, they must also carry CNN. This gives CNN the upper hand when negotiating carriage fees.

The other part of the profit comes from audience "cume." Fox has high ratings because its viewers tune in for hours at a time. CNN's watchers tune in for the headlines and the weather, and then leave. CNN also has many more of these check in/check out viewers outside primetime. So the channel has a greater cumulative number of viewers during a day than Fox does. Advertisers want cume because they want to reach as many people as possible.

So those two big issues—neutrality and cume—are things that Zucker actually needs to leave alone.

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Elle UK put the redoubtable Kylie Minogue on its January fashion/best dresses cover, and she looks stunning in a white sheath with an unusual ruffled collar.

She also looks stunning because she's been edited in Photoshop. So heavy-handed is the art direction, in fact, that she appears to have lost a foot:

Hat tip to Photoshop Disasters.

SEE ALSO: Business Insider's 10 Worst Ads of 2012

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The week following Thanksgiving was not kind to new films. 

Brad Pitt's "Killing Them Softly" bombed after audiences gave it an F CinemaScore Friday – the worst possible rating possible.  

Thankfully, The Weinstein Company's other release "The Silver Linings Playbook" is getting great audience – and Oscar – buzz. 

The only other big release film out this weekend was "The Collection," a sequel to 2009 film "The Collector," which barely made the top ten. 

For the third weekend in a row, the box office top five was a near mirror of itself with "Lincoln," Bond, and the Twilight gang all fighting for the top spot. 

And, Ben Affleck's "Argo" finally bowed out of the top ten just when the film finally earned $100 million at U.S. theaters. 

Here are this weekend's winners and losers at the box office: 

11. It may have just missed the top ten, but The Weinstein Company's small theater success with "Silver Linings Playbook"  is too big to leave off this week's list. The film earned another $3.3 million this weekend despite showing in 371 theaters. In three weeks, the film has earned $10.8 million.  

10. "The Collection," sequel to 2009's "The Collector" barely beat out Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence with $3.4 million. 

9. "Flight" drops one spot from last week with $4.5 million. Denzel Washington's latest action flick has earned $85 million worldwide in five weeks. 

8. "Red Dawn" dipped more than 50 percent in week two grossing $6.6 million at theaters. FilmDistrict's long-awaited remake has earned $31.3 million.

7. Brad Pitt's mob / hitman film "Killing Them Softly," based on 1974 novel "Cogan's Trade," underperformed with $7 million. The film cost an estimated $15 million to make. Weinstein would have been better off releasing "Silver Linings Playbook" into more theaters this weekend. 

6. Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph" continues its theater dominance bringing in $7 million. The film's opening ahead of Thanksgiving has helped it earn $202.3 million worldwide at the box office in five weeks. 

5. Ang Lee's artistic "Life of Pi" is down nearly 50 percent in its second week with $12 million. The film has earned $108.9 million worldwide in two weeks. 

4. DreamWork's "Rise of the Guardians" earns $13.4 million. It opened to one of the company's lowest premieres since 2006 with $23.7 million, $20 million less than "How to Train Your Dragon." 

3. The top three don't surprise again and will most likely stay the same until "The Hobbit" debuts on the 14th. "Lincoln" grossed $13.5 million in week four bringing in $83.7 million to date. 

2. "Skyfall" came close to beating out the vampire clan with $17 million. The 23rd Bond film has now earned more than $869 million for Sony and MGM. 

1. Third week's a charm as "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2" drains the box office with $17.4 million. The film's worldwide gross of $702.4 million is inching close to the last film's $712 million gross. 

SEE ALSO: 5 Classic movie moments that weren't in the script >

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• While launching a Millions of Milkshakes franchise in Bahrain over the weekend, the mere presence of Kim Kardashiancaused 50 Islamic protestors who dislike the reality TV star to be tear-gassed by police. But thousands of other screaming fans showed up to catch a glimpse of the star.
• Johnny Deppjoined Alice Cooper on stage at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles on Thursday, playing several cover songs including The Doors' "Break On Through (To the Other Side)," The Beatles' "Revolution" and Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady."
• Gary Busey officially closed his bankruptcy case this month, but still owes over $450K in state and federal taxes. Busey says of his financial woes, "When you have too much, it's a good feeling to let go. My new hobby is just breaking even."
• "Mad Men" stars Jon Hamm and John Slatterywill be directing more episodes of the hit AMC show next season. Hamm has directed one episode in the past, and Slattery has stepped behind the camera three times already.
• Howard Stern is officially returning for a second season of "America's Got Talent."
• Katy Perry was just named Billboard's "Woman of the Year." “I’d thought my year was over, that it was time to pass the baton. But I guess I get to hold onto it until the end of the year. It’s truly a lovely compliment," Perry said of the honor, adding, “I don’t really like to call myself a role model for my fans. I hope that I am an inspiration for them, especially young women. My mantra, especially for the ['Part Of Me'] film, was: If you believe in yourself, you can be anything.”
• Harvey Weinstein and his fashion designer wife, Georgina Chapman, are expecting their second child. “We are both over the moon,” said Chapman. They are already parents to a two-year-old daughter named India Pearl.
• Mario Lopez and his baby mamma Courtney Mazza tied the knot on Saturday in Punta Minta, Mexico. The wedding, which took place on the property of “Girls Gone Wild” owner Joe Francis, will be part of a two-hour TLC special airing on December 8.
• Taylor Swift has officially moved on from Conor Kennedy and is now dating boy-bander Harry Styles. The new couple visited the zoo together this weekend, with a baby in tow.
• Kanye West ex and Wiz Khalifa fiancé Amber Rose is showing off her big 'ol baby belly, so is Victoria's Secret model, Marissa Miller.

SEE ALSO: Brad Pitt's movie bombs at this weekend's box office >

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According to Unruly Media— which tracks not only what videos people watch but also what they share — the most viral ad of 2012 was a 30-minute-long spot for Kony 2012. People shared the controversial ad 10 million times, which is more than twice as much as people shared VW's "The Force," the most shared ad of 2011.

Other highlights included TNT's real-life stunt in which chaos rained down on an unsuspecting public square in Belgium (see how they did it here) and PBS's auto-tuned Mr. Roger's mashup.

In total, the top 500 ads of the year were shared 113 million times, 21 percent more than 2011, Unruly says. This year's top 10 ads alone were shared 28 million times, which is 10 million shares more than in 2011.

10. PBS Studio's "Mister Rogers Remixed, Garden of your Mind" auto-tuned the beloved childhood hero. It was shared 1,045,039 times.

9. Volkswagen's incredible "Bark Side" Super Bowl teaser, in which costumed dogs barked the Imperial March, was shared 1,127,479 times.

8. When Chevrolet enlisted OK Go to help with its campaign, the video "Needing/Getting" got shared 1,140,769 times.

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This is no laughing matter. At least not for National Lampoon CEO Timothy S. Durham.

Durham, who was convicted of financial fraud and conspiracy in June, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for his part in a $200 million fraud scheme, the U.S. Department of Justice said Friday.

Also read: National Lampoon CEO Convicted of Financial Fraud, Conspiracy

Durham, 50, was also sentenced to serve two years supervised release by U.S. District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson.

The sentence stems from Durham's stint as CEO of Ohio-based Fair Financial Company. According to his trial, Durham, along with Fair chairman James F. Cochran and CFO Rick D. Snow misrepresented the financial condition of Fair between 2005 and 2009, bilking investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Also read: National Lampoon CEO Fails to Dismiss $200M Fraud Case

Durham was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire and securities fraud, one count of securities fraud and six counts of wire fraud.

Cochran was also sentenced to 25 years in prison on Friday, while Snow was sentenced to 10 years. The trio was also ordered to pay $208 million in restitution.

"The lengthy prison sentences handed down today are just punishment for a group of executives who built a business on smoke and mirrors,” said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer. “By deliberately misleading their investors and state regulators, Mr. Durham and his co-conspirators were able to defraud thousands of innocent investors. The Justice Department will continue to devote considerable time and resources to ensure that fraudsters like Mr. Durham, Mr. Cochran, and Mr . Snow are brought to justice for their crimes.”

Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.

SEE ALSO: The 10 Highest-Paid Musicians of 2012 >

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We won't be able to see the first trailer for "Star Trek Into Darkness" until "The Hobbit" comes out later this month. 

For now, Paramount has unveiled the first poster for next year's film featuring a cut out of the Starfleet Insignia: 

As ominous, dark, and gritty as it looks, we can't help but feel we've seen this before. 

The poster feels like a carbon cut and paste of two of Christopher Nolan's most recent blockbuster status film one sheets: 

The chiaroscuro and obvious symbolic nature of the "The Dark Knight Rises" logo is also cut out of a series of buildings. That appears coupled with the direction and stance delivered by Leonardo DiCaprio's character in the "Inception" poster below.

If you head over to the "Star Trek" site, you can see the outline of the starship enterprise crumbling and burning in the rubble similar to what the "The Dark Knight Rises" initial website did before releasing its trailer.

"Star Trek Into Darkness" comes out May 17, 2013.

SEE ALSO: 5 classic movie moments that weren't in the script >

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting a baby, St. James's Palace just announced.

The BBC is reporting Middleton was admitted this afternoon to King Edward VII Hospital in central London with morning sickness.

Since the pregnancy is in the very early stages, she is expected to remain in the hospital for the next few days to be treated for hyperemesis gravidarum, which requires supplementary hydration and nutrients.

"As the pregnancy is in its very early stages, Her Royal Highness is expected to stay in hospital for several days and will require a period of rest thereafter," the royal family said in a statement, adding that they only learned of the pregnancy "recently" as Middleton is not even 12 weeks along.

It was the Duchess's medical condition that prompted today's announcement.

But despite the health scare, "The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry and members of both families are delighted with the news," read the statement. 

Prime Minister David Cameron also took to Twitter to congratulate the royal couple: 

As did Labour leader Ed Miliband:

According to the BBC, the unborn royal baby, who is third in line and in direct succession to the throne, will one day "be head of the armed forces, supreme governor of the Church of England and head of the Commonwealth, and subsequently head of state of 16 countries."

Despite the news, a pregnant Middleton was photographed getting physical while playing field hockey at St. Andrew's School, her alma matter, on November 30.

After getting engaged in October 2010, the Duke and Duchess wed on April 29, 2011, at Westminster Abbey in London.

SEE ALSO: Kate Middleton & Prince William's Road To Royal Baby, In Photos >

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After more than a year of marriage, the baby rumors can finally be put to rest.

Prince William and Kate Middleton are officially expecting their first child.

As the couple prepares to welcome their first child together, celebrate the rest of their firsts – from royal engagements to million dollar fundraisers.

April 30, 2011: The couple pulls the brakes on the Honeymoon.

The newlyweds decided to stay in Britain immediately following their wedding rather than head to their undisclosed honeymoon location.

May 10, 2011: The newlyweds FINALLY go on their honeymoon

After delaying their post-nuptial celebrations for a week, Kate and William spent their honeymoon vacationing in Seychelles. The couple last spent time there in 2007 after a minor break-up. 

May 24, 2011: Their first royal duty back

The couple met with President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at Buckingham Palace before attending a special lunch hosted by Queen Elizabeth. 

The Obamas donated six Apple Macbook computers to one of the couple's favorite charities, PeacePlayers International.

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With the news that Kate Middleton and Prince William, aka Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, are pregnant, the entire world is set to go U.K. royalty crazy again.

But the birth of a potential new king or queen raises an important question—will the royal baby ever actually see the throne?

One potential complication is gender. Should the couple have a baby girl, she may not get far seeing how male heirs are traditionally given preference. However, it looks like this issue may have already been solved. Government ministers confirmed today that a new law will change this, and the law will be backdated to last year in case the child is born before it passes.

Ignoring that problem, there's also the bigger issue of time. The baby is thought to be third in line to the throne (after Prince Charles and Prince William), pushing poor Harry out into fourth. The Queen is currently 86, while Charles is 64 and William 30. That may be a lot of waiting.

Charles was the first monarch-in-waiting to reach 60 without reaching the throne—something of a testament to modern healthcare and royal diets. There has been widespread speculation in the British press that Charles may be pressured to skip the throne and pass the crown to William in a bid to keep things moving.

There has also been a lot of speculation that Charles—very much an old-school, British aristocrat and reportedly a cantankerous figure—would not be a popular king.

This is a very important factor since the existence of the monarchy itself is always a matter of debate in the U.K.. One anti-monarchy group says that the Royals cost the British taxpayer more than £200 million ($320 million) a year, according to AP reports. Even official estimates say that she costs £40 million a year. While support for the monarchy doesn't appear to have dipped too much in recent years, the number of people who believe it will still be around in 100 years has. The BBC reports that 49 percent believed it would in 1997, in 2006 this number was just 26.

Whether the royal family survives may well rest upon the younger generations—Harry and William have proved more popular than their father, and last year's royal wedding is widely believed to have boosted the popularity of the family. We guess the arrival of a cute baby won't hurt either.

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