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The 'Zootopia' directors explain the powerful message of the movie under President Trump

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sloth zootopia

Animated movies go through a lot of changes before they hit theaters, but "Zootopia" became a whole different movie.

After spending two years developing "Zootopia," director Byron Howard, Walt Disney Animation head John Lasseter, and the studio's "story trust" — creators at Disney who give candid input about projects — made a risky decision: They would completely revamp their story by changing the prominence of the two lead characters, and in turn give "Zootopia" a new message.

The movie had a hook Lasseter loved: talking animals dressed in human clothes living in a world where predators and prey interact happily with one another. But it turned out that the protagonist, a fox named Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman), was a bit too dark and snarky.

So a year and a half before the movie was to be in theaters, Wilde was demoted to sidekick and the former supporting role became the lead: a bunny cop named Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin).

The decision, dangerously late in a project's life in the animation world, turned out to be rewarding both financially and critically. "Zootopia" became a surprise hit for Disney, taking in over $1 billion worldwide in its theatrical run, and after appearing on many year-end best lists, the movie recently won the Golden Globe for best animated movie and is hoping for a best animation win (and maybe even a best picture nomination) at the Oscars.

But perhaps the most satisfying part of the "Zootopia" success is the power of its social commentary, especially as Donald Trump is about to be sworn in as president of the United States.

Yes, "Zootopia" has all the Disney hallmarks with adorable characters and lush animation, but what's caused audiences and critics to gush is the way it addresses stereotypes and other social issues from the human world that seem more pressing in light of Trump's presidential run.

Clark Spencer Byron Howard Rich Moore Zootopia Frazer Harrison Getty“We examined these topics because this is real and these movies, especially for young people, they are fairy tales that have the purpose of preparing young people for the world ahead of them,” Rich Moore, a member of Disney's story trust who later came on as a director of "Zootopia," recently told Business Insider. “We’re showing them what some of the pitfalls and dangers of life are, but coming out on the other end with a feeling of hope.”

The idea to confront race and class came early on in the production, long before Trump announced his bid for president. It arrived when the department heads took a trip to Kenya to observe the wildlife they would be creating for the movie, and they witnessed a moment that would stay with them throughout the production.

"The group was observing animals around the watering hole, and it was predators and prey alike drinking water and living in harmony at that moment because there's kind of a social understanding between them that they all need water," Moore said. "And we all thought that was an interesting social handshake in the animal world that is very much like the human world. In a city there can be people who don't see eye to eye and have different points of view but we put them aside and live together. But that doesn't mean those feelings go away. So we thought what if 'Zootopia' became a story about injustice, discrimination, as well as racism? We didn't just want to tell another funny animal movie."

But making the city of Zootopia a diverse melting pot hit a snag when the movie’s main protagonist, at the time Nick Wilde, came off the wrong way.

“The tone was suffering at that time,” Moore said. “The city felt really oppressive. We wanted to have a city with a problem but at its core by the end you would feel that the city was going to be okay. But in this version of the story it felt like Zootopia was a really bad place because we were seeing Nick being oppressed and being put down.”

zootopia 2So when the creators would usually put the final touches on an animated movie for its release, "Zootopia" went through a major overhaul.

Making Hopps the protagonist fit perfectly into the conventions the movie was trying to break: an idealistic bunny (prey) determined to join a police force filled with large tigers, wolves, and elephants (predators). And the female character was no longer relying on her male counterpart.

But the last thing the filmmakers wanted was to feel preachy. As the other “Zootopia” director Byron Howard puts it, “We never wanted the end of the film to be like, ‘Judy Hopps solved racism.’”

But since Trump’s successful but historically contentious presidential campaign, the movie has taken on a greater importance in showing how a community of different people with different views can unify.

“Even with the Trump presidency, no matter what side of the fence you're on, we owe it to future generations to make good decisions to try to work together and understand each other and I think that's what the film is trying to say,” Howard said.

“I am really excited for the art in the years ahead,” Moore added. “Historically they always reflect and comment on the world around them. Our leader doesn't feel like a unifier right now so imagine what kinds of books and what kinds of paintings and what kinds of songs and what kinds of movies we're going to see during these next four years.”

In fact, “Zootopia” has already inspired one artist. While on tour in 2016, Cat Stevens ended his shows quoting the speech Judy gives at the end of the movie.

“This would lead into him playing ‘Peace Train,’” Moore said, referring to one of Stevens' '70s hits. “It's just another example of how far beyond what we imagined this movie would do.”

“It’s very humbling,” Howard said.

“Zootopia” is now streaming on Netflix.

SEE ALSO: The 18 most exciting movies at this year's Sundance Film Festival you need to see

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Kanye West wasn't invited to perform at Trump inauguration because it's 'traditionally American'

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Donald Trump Kanye West

Kanye West may be a friend of President-elect Donald Trump, but Trump's team reportedly didn't have the hip-hop artist in mind for Friday's inauguration.

Tom Barrack, chairman of Trump's Presidential Inauguration Committee, told CNN's Erin Burnett that the inauguration wouldn't be an appropriate venue for West, a hugely influential but polarizing figure in music.

"He's been great, he considers himself a friend of the president-elect, but it's not the venue," Barrack said. "It's going to be typically and traditionally American, and Kanye is a great guy, we just haven't asked him to perform. And we move on with our agenda."

The "traditionally American" reasoning is sure to rankle some, given that West is a uniquely American artist — born in Atlanta, raised in Chicago, and working in a genre that is native to the US.

Kanye West met with Trump after he was elected president, in December, in New York City, leading to a strange photo opportunity in the lobby of Trump Tower.

The Trump inaugural committee has reportedly run into trouble booking A-list talent to perform. Headliners for the inauguration include 3 Doors Down and the country artists Toby Keith and Lee Greenwood.

SEE ALSO: RANKED: The 10 best movies of 2016

Join the conversation about this story »

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Samantha Bee torches Trump's treasury secretary nominee, known as the 'foreclosure king'

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steven mnuchin donald trump treasury secretary full frontal with samantha bee tbs

Samantha Bee took a look at Steve Mnuchin, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of the Treasury, on Wednesday's episode of TBS's "Full Frontal."

Bee questioned the veracity of the president-elect's promise to "drain the swamp" in government, given that Mnuchin is one of five Goldman Sachs alums to be chosen for a Trump cabinet position.

"Trump was lying," the host said. "As the saying goes, keep your friends close and your friends that you called your enemies when you were saying any f---ing thing to get elected closer."

The confirmation hearings for Mnuchin, who Bee said looks like "Last Week Tonight" host John Oliver's evil twin, begin on Thursday, so the host thought she should introduce the man to her viewers. In addition to Goldman Sachs, Mnuchin bankrolled several big movies, including "Avatar" and "Suicide Squad," which Bee said is also her nickname for "working class people who voted for Trump."

Unlike most Americans, Mnuchin made a great deal of money from the "great recession of 2008" after founding OneWest Bank (formerly IndyMac Bank) and Financial Freedom, which provided reverse mortgages and allegedly preyed on retired Americans. In fact, the company is being investigated by the government for potentially illegal home foreclosure practices.

"That's how Mnuchin earned the nickname 'Foreclosure King,' not to be confused with the cheapest bed at the Mattress Warehouse," Bee joked.

Mnuchin's bank is reportedly responsible for more than one-third of all reverse mortgage foreclosures. Reverse mortgages suspend payments for people over the age of 62 until their death. Their families must then take over the mortgages or the homes are foreclosed. They're referred to as "widow foreclosures" as many of the victims are women who typically outlive their husbands.

"What do they do to you in jail when they find out you're a widow forecloser?" Bee said. "Oh, right, nothing, because you don't go to jail. You just sell the company, take a $380 million profit, and get promoted to treasury secretary."

Watch the video below:

 

SEE ALSO: Seth Meyers: The big problem with Trump's plan to replace Obamacare

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A $4.5 billion photo app that is huge in China is trending in the US — here’s what it does (AAPL)

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Donald Trump Meitu

A popular Chinese photo-editing app has suddenly burst into popularity in the West, covering social feeds in airbrushed photos with huge, sparkling eyes.

Although Meitu has been around since 2008, it has become an overnight success, and was trending on Apple's App Store on Thursday.

Meitu is a lot like other photo-editing apps — it has Bitmoji-style stickers, Instagram-style filters, and Layout-style photo collages.

But the app really shines in its "hand-drawn" mode that is like a Snapchat filter on steroids. The hand-drawn mode slims down jawlines, enlarges eyes, and adds a little bit of sparkle to the whole package. 

Basically, it makes you look like a cartoon — and it's these images that are rapidly spreading on social media.

The company behind the app IPOed in Hong Kong in December with a roughly $4.6 billion valuation — which may increase as investors learn that Western audiences like the app too. 

Here's what using the app is like: 

SEE ALSO: Mark Zuckerberg is suing hundreds of Hawaiians to protect his 700-acre Kauai estate

This is what a fully doctored Meitu photo looks like. I added a "hand-drawn" filter, increased the blur, and added stickers.



Here's how to get there. First, boot up the app. First impression: although this app is available in English, it's really targeted towards Asian consumers — specifically, women. But don't worry, all kinds of people can enjoy it.



After taking a photo with your front-facing camera, you can add Instagram-style filters. These won't transform your photo, but will change a few things. Here's the "youthful" filter.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

There's one thing about Netflix that still worries Wall Street: how much cash it's burning (NFLX)

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Reed Hastings Netflix

Netflix crushed its Q4 earnings on Wednesday, sending its stock soaring, but there's one thing Wall Street is still worried about: how much cash the company is burning.

Netflix is set to have a negative free cash flow of $2 billion in 2017, versus $1.7 billion in 2016.

The reason, according to Netflix, is that actually making shows yourself costs a lot of money up front.

Netflix is confident it will make that money back over the long run, but it does provide "some lumpiness in [Netflix's] working capital needs," according to its Q4 letter to shareholders.

For a fuller explanation, however, it's good to go back to Netflix's Q3 letter to shareholders, where the company lays out the case for the continued escalation of its cash burn.

Here's what Netflix said in its Q3 letter:

The increase in our free cash flow deficit reflects the growth of original content, which we are increasingly producing and owning (rather than licensing). Self-produced shows like Stranger Things require more cash upfront as we incur spending during the creation of each show prior to its completion and release. In comparison, we generally pay on delivery for licensed originals like Orange is the New Black and we pay over the term of the agreement for licensed non-originals (eg, Scandal).

Over the long run, we believe self-producing is less expensive (including cost of capital) than licensing a series or film, as we work directly with the creative community and eliminate additional overhead and fees. In addition, we own the underlying intellectual property, providing us with global rights and more business and creative control. Combined with the success of our portfolio of originals and the positive impact on our member and revenue growth, we believe this is a wise investment that creates long term value. Consequently, we plan on investing more, which will continue to weigh on free cash flow.

Instinet Nomura analyst Anthony DiClemente called the cash burn his "lone concern" about Netflix's business, in a note distributed Thursday. However, he also wrote that Netflix's "long-term margin expansion trajectory is better than we’d thought," and remained bullish long-term.

That said, don't expect Netflix's cash burn to go away any time soon, according to Macquarie's Tim Nollen, who wrote that Netflix's 2017 deficit "may not be the worst of it."

"Netflix intends to expand to over 1,000 hours of original content this year and most likely more again next," Nollen wrote in a note distributed Thursday. "But again," he continued, "content investment drives the [subscriber] growth, and for now this is what matters most."

In October, Netflix announced it was raising another $800 million in debt, bringing its total long-term debt to over $3 billion.

SEE ALSO: Netflix crushed its subscriber growth targets, and the stock is soaring

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NOW WATCH: Here’s a look at the final bloody trailer for the new 'Wolverine' movie

Why 'The Good Place' revealed its big twist so early

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Getty Images michael schur kristen bell the good placde tcaWarning: Spoilers below if you aren't caught up on NBC's "The Good Place."

When it came to the big reveal on NBC comedy "The Good Place," creator Michael Schur was determined not to do what the audience expected.

"The mission statement of the show is don’t ever get to the point where people are bored and waiting for you do the thing that you’re going to do," Schur, the man behind beloved sitcoms "Parks and Recreation" and "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," recently told Business Insider.

"The Good Place," which airs its hourlong season finale Thursday at 8 p.m., centers on Eleanor (Kristen Bell),  an inconsiderate and badly behaved woman who suddenly dies and finds herself in the heaven-like Good Place. As forces conspire to reveal that she doesn't belong there, she confides in her assigned soulmate, the kind Chidi (William Jackson Harper), to help keep her secret from the other residents of the Good Place and its creator, Michael (Ted Danson).

The interesting thing about "The Good Place" is that it doesn't ride Eleanor's secret throughout the first season, as most TV shows would do for their big story reveal. That's what Schur hoped to avoid.

"We’re so deep into TV storytelling tradition. It’s like 80 years," Schur said. "'I Love Lucy' did half of the available plots that you have at your disposal 60 years ago. The second you reveal the premise, the audience will say, 'Oh, I get it. In the last episode of the season, we’ll find out that she’s supposed to be in the bad place.'"

So instead of the the expected, the show revealed Eleanor's secret about midway through its first season.

"I felt like the second people saw the pilot, they were going to immediately know at some fundamental DNA level that the last episode of the season was when she was going to be found out," the producer explained. "The only way to fight that is to short-circuit the whole thing."

the good place nbcIn fact, Schur hoped to do it an episode earlier.

"Originally, Eleanor confessed during episode six," he told us. "The idea was that if she ever confessed it’s because she felt bad for making Chidi's life so miserable. So we inserted an episode where there was a lockdown and they had to spend time together."

There was some surprise among fans and media that the show had a short first season, just 13 episodes. But Schur said he planned for the show to be heavily plotted, a tougher thing to do with a traditional 22-episode order. But the fewer episodes make more sense at the pace Schur told us he'll be unfurling the show.

"If the obvious idea in a 13-episode season is to have her found out in episode 13, then we’re going to cut it in half," Schur said. "And then we’ll take what would have been in the old days all of season two and we’ll crunch that into the second half [of the first season]. If we go forward, we’re going to take all of what would be season three and make that the first half of season two and all of season four will be like the rest of that season. If you want people to be surprised and not feel like they’re ahead of you, you don’t have a choice. You just have to do that."

SEE ALSO: 'Will & Grace' is officially coming back for a new season on NBC

DON'T MISS: The 22 most exciting new shows of 2017 you have to see

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 'I don't like tweeting': Trump addresses his Twitter use amid tweetstorm aimed at NBC


Here’s how huge Netflix has gotten in the past decade (NFLX)

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It was a big beat for Netflix on Wednesday, as the streaming giant reported higher-than-expected numbers for its fourth quarter earnings.

As this chart from Statista shows, the results are the cap on what’s been a strong year for Netflix as a whole. The company closes the 2016 fiscal year with 93.8 million subscribers, up nearly 20 million from the year prior, and a long way from the days from when it mostly sold DVDs. The lion’s share of that growth appears to be a result of Netflix’s expansion outside the US, where 47% of its subscribers now reside.

Investors may still be concerned with slowing subscriber growth back in the US, and the fact that it’s still spending a truckload to produce its original shows, but at this point you can see why Netflix isn’t that worried about things like net neutrality changes.

netflix chart

SEE ALSO: It's official: Streaming is now the number one way Americans listen to music

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How Broadway is learning from Netflix and revolutionizing theater for the streaming age

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Corbin Bleu Holiday InnBroadway has caught up to the Netflix age.

In June 2016, the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of “She Loves Me” became the first musical ever to be streamed live thanks to BroadwayHD. Then on January 14, the two entities partnered again to stream a newer Roundabout production, "Holiday Inn."

"Up until now, you never have been able to experience live theater [beyond the stage]," Corbin Bleu, star of "Holiday Inn," told Business Insider in a recent Facebook Live interview. "With Netflix, you can stream right away. Now it’s the same for theater."

Bonnie Comley and Stewart Lane founded BroadwayHD a few years ago in order to create an aggregation of digitally captured plays and musicals.

More than a dozen shows — from “The Phantom of the Opera” to “Into the Woods” — have been filmed live onstage and then edited into films available to a wider viewing audience via movie theaters or DVDs.

The stream of "She Loves Me" was revolutionary, however, in that it allowed an audience, outside of its New York City theater, to watch a live, unedited performance of a musical that was currently on Broadway from their homes. (The show has since closed.)

And it came without the Broadway price tag: $14.99 for a monthly BroadwayHD subscription is essentially nothing compared to the hundreds a patron could shell out on Broadway. It seems like only a matter of time before a show as hot as "Hamilton" is as convenient to consume.

Just as importantly, Tony Award winner Laura Benanti, star of “She Loves Me,” said she was particularly excited that the show was being seen as the artists intended — staging, sets, lighting, and all.

“People were already coming in and taking crappy, hidden videos and then posting them on YouTube and that is not the way that theater is meant to be seen or experienced,” she recently told Business Insider. “It gives people an opportunity to see something that they wouldn’t normally see.”

Benanti doesn’t want it to stop there. She hopes a stream will spark viewers' interest to see community theater or touring companies.

“You’re not going to be covered in the itch if you’re never bit by the bug, and I think that this is a great way to get bit by the theater bug,” she said.

BroadwayHD is centered on doing just that by extending the reach of live theater, Comley said. 

"I’d love to see it be the norm," she told Business Insider. Just as most musicals sell a cast album, Comley hopes streams and digital captures will be another marketing tool for shows to use.

She Loves Me

Benanti’s costar in the musical, Zachary Levi (of "Chuck" fame), has some interesting ideas as to how Broadway can be taken to the next level in digital.

“How far are we from a camera sitting in the middle of the orchestra section and people at home getting to watch the show as if they’re sitting in that incredible seat and they can look around and there’s people sitting next to them? I mean that’s pretty tremendous,” Levi told Business Insider in a Facebook Live interview. “And then you’ll have Smell-O-Vision and you’ll have little spurts of whatever it smells like in an old theater with some old lady next to you with a gin and tonic and Sour Patch Kids — like that’s gonna really put it over the edge.”

But as much as Levi lets his imagination run, he has a warning.

“We have to be very careful about cannibalizing the art — not permeating it so far out that people are like I don’t have to go anymore, I’ll just sit here and watch it at home,” he said. “It’s a balance.”

For now, Bleu — much like his character in "Holiday Inn" — is taking his moment to be happy.

"It’s a different experience sitting in front of the television and watching it," he said. "But I think we’re still getting a chance to share the magic of what happens in this room with a lot more people so I think it’s a beautiful thing."

SEE ALSO: Here are the 17 best live musicals you can watch right now

DON'T MISS: The 22 most exciting new shows of 2017 you have to see

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here are all the comic book movies coming out in 2017

9 artists who reportedly turned down performing at Trump's inauguration

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elton john donald trump

The US presidential inauguration has been a major stage for popular music acts. Performers for recent Republican and Democratic presidential inaugural events have included Barbra Streisand, Ricky Martin, Beyoncé, and Kelly Clarkson.

Donald Trump's inaugural committee, however, has reportedly faced some difficulties booking A-list musicians for the president-elect's big day.

Elton John, Kiss, and Garth Brooks are among those who have refused offers to play the inauguration, according to various sources.

Currently, 3 Doors Down and Toby Keith are set to headline the pre-inauguration concert for Trump at the Lincoln Memorial on January 19.

Here are the artists who have reportedly turned down performing at the Trump inauguration:

SEE ALSO: THE A-LIST: The 20 most powerful stars in Hollywood right now

Elton John

A member of Trump's transition team said Elton John, who's said to be a favorite of Trump's, was set to perform at the inauguration, but John's own team made clear he will have nothing to do with the big day.

(Source)



Céline Dion

TheWrap reported that Las Vegas hotelier Steve Wynn had tried to deliver the Canadian superstar singer for the inauguration, but she refused.

A spokesperson for Wynn said, however, that he was "not asked to book specific performers for the inauguration, nor did he ever a make a commitment to find specific performers."



Garth Brooks

As with Dion, a source told TheWrap that Wynn tried to wrangle Brooks for the inauguration, but the country star declined.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Mark Cuban had a fiery response when asked about his Shark Tank co-star's foray into politics

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Mark Cuban

"Shark Tank" star and billionaire business mogul Mark Cuban held little back when asked Thursday about his co-star Kevin O'Leary's announcement that he will run for Conservative Party leadership in Canada, with the aim of challenging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2019.

"The squealing sounds you are hearing are all the people who said they would leave for Canada hitting the breaks and turning around," Cuban told Business Insider in an email.

That was an apparent reference to a popular meme about moving to Canada that sprang up during the 2016 US presidential election — and especially after President-elect Donald Trump's win.

O'Leary, a multi-millionaire, made his political aspirations known Wednesday.

"It's official, I'm in," he posted on Twitter. "The Conservative Party of Canada needs a candidate who can beat Justin Trudeau and bring back jobs to this country!"

Known as "Mr. Wonderful" on the popular ABC show, some have even questioned whether O'Leary could be "Canada's Donald Trump."

SEE ALSO: 'I hire people like that': Mark Cuban expresses support for Trump's Treasury pick

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here are all the musicians who declined to perform at Trump's inauguration so far

Here's everything we know about the Super Bowl ads so far

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super bowl

Super Bowl 51 is set to air on Fox on February 5 and, as usual, the big game's broadcast will be stuffed to the brim with big-money ads, reportedly costing $5 million for a 30-second slot.

Unlike last year, as Marketing Land pointed out, many brands are keeping unusually quiet so far about their Super Bowl activity. But expect to see more teasers as the Super Bowl draws closer.

We'll be keeping you up to date with all the latest commercials, teasers, and other Super Bowl ads news.

Scroll down to see what we know so far about the Super Bowl ads (we've organized all the news in alphabetical order, by brand.)

84 Lumber

Construction-supply company 84 Lumber has splashed out an estimated $15 million on a 90-second ad — its debut Super Bowl spot, AdAge reported. The ad, created by Brunner, will air in the second quarter, before half-time and aims to recruit new employees. 

However, the first cut of the ad has had to be scrapped after Fox rejected it for being "too political," Campaign first reported. The creative had featured a wall blocking people looking for work in the US.

Here's a recent 84 Lumber ad, celebrating its 60th year:

Youtube Embed:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/S9PhSJ2wp-c
Width: 560px
Height: 315px


Audi

The automaker is returning to the Super Bowl for the ninth time, with an ad created by agency Venables Bell & Partners, according to Adweek.

Last year's spot featured David Bowie's "Starman":

Youtube Embed:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/yB8tgVqmKzw
Width: 560px
Height: 315px


Avocados from Mexico

Avocados from Mexico told Business Insider in December it was coming back to the Super Bowl in 2017. It's the third year in a row the brand has advertised in the big game.

This year's ad will be focused on promoting the fact that avocados are healthy, something the company was not explicitly permitted to do so in the past due to old FDA rules.

Here's last year's spot:

Youtube Embed:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/1ndPEQCoSzk
Width: 560px
Height: 315px


See the rest of the story at Business Insider

'A Dog's Purpose' premiere and press event canceled after outrage over alleged dog abuse

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a dog's purpose

Universal has canceled the weekend premiere and press junket for its movie "A Dog's Purpose," Deadline reports, following outrage over a video that appears to show a dog being abused during shooting.

In the video, released by TMZ, a German Shepard that appears fearful is forced into water for a shot.

PETA called for a boycott of "A Dog's Purpose," and numerous people involved with the movie spoke out following release of the video. Gavin Polone, a producer, said he was "horrified" by the footage, while actor Josh Gad, who voices the main dog character, said he was "shaken and sad."

The film's production company Amblin Entertainment and distributor Universal released the following statement:

"Because Amblin’s review into the edited video released yesterday is still ongoing, distributor Universal Pictures has decided it is in the best interest of A Dog’s Purpose to cancel this weekend’s premiere and press junket. Amblin and Universal do not want anything to overshadow this film that celebrates the relationship between animals and humans.

"Since the emergence of the footage, Amblin has engaged with many associated with the production of the film, including safety personnel, trainers and stunt coordinators as part of their in-depth review.  While we are all disheartened by the appearance of an animal in distress, everyone has assured us that Hercules the German Shepherd was not harmed throughout the filmmaking.

"We continue to support this film, are incredibly proud of it and will release it for audiences nationwide next Friday."

While press around the movie has now been rolled back, "A Dog's Purpose" is still set to come out in theaters January 27.

SEE ALSO: Here are the must-see movies that are going to win Oscars in 2017

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Alec Baldwin brings out his Trump impression to protest the inauguration

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alec baldwin donald trump inauguration protest

Alec Baldwin is getting plenty of mileage out of his Donald Trump impression, and he brought the act to a Thursday night protest of Trump's presidential inauguration.

Baldwin spoke at a protest in New York City that was put on by the Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Michael Moore. Robert De Niro and Mark Ruffalo also appeared at the event.

The "30 Rock" actor, who's recently been playing Trump on "Saturday Night Live," took a humorous turn in his speech.

"I've been standing out here in the freezing cold for a long time. I have to go to the bathroom. I have to pee. But I'm holding it in. I'm holding it in. I'm not going to pee," Baldwin said, imitating Trump, as the crowd laughed. "I'm going to a function at the Russian consulate tonight. I'm going to hold it in until I get there. And then when I get to the Russian consulate, I'm going to have a really, really long pee. Like, the biggest pee I've ever had in my lifetime."

Baldwin also got serious in his remarks, calling for "resistance" in the first 100 days of Trump's presidency. Trump is inaugurated on Friday.

"These people are a disgrace. They are a disgrace to everything you and I believe in," Baldwin said of Trump and the people chosen for his administration. "But there is hope, and the hope is us and us fighting — 100 days of resistance."

Watch Baldwin's speech at the Trump inauguration protest:

SEE ALSO: Here are the must-see movies that are going to win Oscars in 2017

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NOW WATCH: Watch the nightmarish teaser 'House of Cards' dropped during Trump's inauguration


Al Gore has a triumphant new documentary about climate change and Trump that you need to see

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An Inconvenient Sequel Sundance Institute

PARK CITY, Utah — In 2006, the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" gave Al Gore, not long after his vice presidency, a huge platform to show the dangers of climate change, a subject he's fought to educate the public about for decades.

The film won an Oscar and was meant to lead people who had denied climate change to rethink how to combat what scientists have already proven is a major issue facing our world.

Gore has returned with all his PowerPoint gusto to remind everyone that climate change is still here and can't be ignored with "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power," which just had its world premiere here at the Sundance Film Festival on Thursday.

The movie expands on its fact-heavy predecessor to delve deeper into how the world is affected by climate change. It also shows Gore's seminars and behind-the-scenes dealings to advance the cause.

Directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, the movie follows Gore as he travels, witnessing how global warming has hurt the world — from the melting glaciers in Greenland to the rising tide in Miami that causes roads to flood.

But the movie also has a little more drama than "An Inconvenient Truth." Yes, Gore is still doing a PowerPoint presentation, as in the first movie, but we also watch preparations for 2015's Paris Agreement, a global pact to mitigate the effects of climate change, and how Gore's maneuvering with India on solar power helped lead to the landmark agreement.

We also see powerful imagery, like rushing floodwaters that have led to destroyed homes and loss of life, and the prediction in "An Inconvenient Truth" that a storm could flood lower Manhattan coming to fruition when Hurricane Sandy hit New York City in 2012.

One of the most interesting moments in the movie is when Gore travels to Georgetown, Texas, to see for himself how one of the most conservative parts of Texas has taken to alternative means of energy and is quickly becoming one of the most notable regions of the country for the use of renewable energy.

But just when Gore thinks he's making progress, he comes upon another pothole. The latest is Donald Trump winning the election. Trump promised during his campaign that he would not support the Paris Agreement. As news sites reported and the film shows, Gore has gone to Trump Tower to speak to Trump about climate change.

After the screening of the movie at Sundance on Thursday, Gore did not divulge what he said in that meeting with Trump, but he had a message for the new president about climate change: "We're going to win this."

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Seth Meyers jokes Trump's inauguration day will end with his impeachment hearing

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donald trump inauguration impeachment seth meyers

On the eve of Donald Trump's presidential inauguration, Seth Meyers examined the challenges the president-elect has faced and will continue to face as president in a new edition of "A Closer Look."

On Friday, Trump will be sworn into office having the lowest recorded approval ratings for an incoming president.

"Can you feel the excitement?" the "Late Night" host said of Trump's ratings. "It's like getting ready for the Super Bowl if the Super Bowl were the Cleveland Browns versus players who were cut by the Cleveland Browns."

Meyers asserts that's one reason it was reportedly so difficult to book performers for Trump's inauguration events. The host pointed to an article from TheWrap, which reported that ambassadorships had been offered to talent bookers who "could deliver marquee names."

"You get an ambassadorship for booking an inauguration performer? If that were the case, you could bet Chris Christie would be cold-calling everyone in the Los Angeles phonebook. 'Please, Rihanna, if you do this, I could be ambassador to Chili. And I love Chili's!'"

Aside from the continuing investigation into Russia's alleged interference in the election on Trump's behalf, Trump's continuing ties to his businesses and their financial dealings with foreign governments pose a problem. Trump's decision not to divest from his companies or create a blind trust will be in violation of the Constitution when he becomes president, legal experts told ABC News.

"I guess that explains the inaugural schedule," Meyers said. "Noon swearing-in, 3 p.m. inaugural parade, 6 p.m. impeachment hearing."

Watch the video below:

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NOW WATCH: Watch the Obamas officially welcome the Trumps into the White House

The best way to play Nintendo's new game console isn't available for sale yet

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Nintendo's upcoming video game console, the Switch, is versatile. It's a home console; it's a portable console; it can act as a portable display for you and a friend to play multiplayer games.

It slices! It dices! 

nintendo switch

Okay, it doesn't do those last two things. But it does do the other stuff. And doing all that stuff means having a lot of ways to control games.

In the image above, we see a pretty standard setup: a wireless gamepad, which looks relatively traditional, controlling a console connected to a television. If the gamepad looks a little "off," that's because it is. It's basically a square with grips.

Here's a comparison between Nintendo's Switch gamepad and those of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4:

Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch (gamepads)

The difference is pretty stark, despite their similar button/thumbstick layouts. And that's due to the modular nature of Nintendo's Switch console — the grey areas with buttons on the left and right sides of the Switch gamepad are known as "Joy-Con, "and they're removable.

Like so:

Nintendo Switch

You can use one of each as a pair of motion controllers, or you can hold one in each hand and use it as a sort of two-piece gamepad. 

Or, alternatively, you can turn one sideways and use it as a sort of miniature gamepad. Like this:

Nintendo Switch

But let's be clear: none of these setups are ideal.

Even when the two Joy-Con are saddled into the Grip, thus forming the traditional-ish gamepad setup, it's not a great gamepad. It feels like a massive square with grips attached, because it is. Nintendo has a far better solution in its $70 "Pro" controller.

This should look much more familiar to anyone who has played a game console in the last decade:

Nintendo Switch Pro Controller

Indeed, the Pro Controller is — in my personal experience — the best way to play games on the Switch. It's not a perfect gamepad, but it's far more comfortable and usable than any other controller setup on the console. 

Unfortunately, there are two main issues with the Pro Controller. 

  1. It costs a whopping $70 (a $10 jump over how much Microsoft and Sony controllers cost).
  2. It's not actually available for purchase just yet — even though other Switch accessories are.

The latter bit is our primary concern right now. The console is up for pre-order everywhere, and it's set to launch on March 3. But the Pro Controller is nowhere to be found. Bizarrely, Nintendo isn't saying; we asked a rep and haven't heard back.

And you're going to want that Pro Controller. When the console launches in March, the biggest game is a no-brainer for the Pro Controller: "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild." 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Of course, with over a month until the Switch arrives, Nintendo has plenty of time to start the pre-order process and produce gamepads. But Nintendo also has a history of hardware shortages, especially when it comes to peripherals. Even the massively popular NES Classic Edition console was in short supply, and that's just a little plastic box that plays games from 30 years ago.

Here's hoping this gets sorted ahead of the March 3 launch.

SEE ALSO: This is why Nintendo believes its next console won't fail like its last one did

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'House of Cards' drops nightmarish season 5 teaser during Trump inauguration: 'We make the terror'

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house of cards

In a move right out of Frank Underwood's playbook, Netflix released a new teaser for the upcoming fifth season of its presidential drama, "House of Cards," on Friday as the nation prepared for Donald Trump's inauguration.

It also used the teaser to announce the show's much-anticipated return date: May 30.

The teaser shows a US flag waving in the breeze as children recite the Pledge of Allegiance. The show's Twitter account added a comment: "We bring the terror."

Netflix retweeted the teaser, adding, "We couldn't possibly comment."

"House of Cards" stars Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood, a crafty politician who over the show's four seasons has risen to the presidency using any means necessary, alongside his wife, Claire, played by Robin Wright. The drama also stars also stars Michael Kelly, Jayne Atkinson, Neve Campbell, Derek Cecil, Paul Sparks, and Joel Kinnaman. It has won six Emmys.

Watch the new teaser for "House of Cards" season five:

SEE ALSO: Robin Wright demanded the same salary as Kevin Spacey for 'House of Cards' — or she would go public

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Shia LaBeouf debuted a 4-year anti-Trump live stream: 'HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US'

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jaden smith shia labeouf trump he will not divide us

Shia LaBeouf unveiled yet another piece of online performance art, and this one is aimed directly at US President Donald Trump.

On Friday, the day of Trump's inauguration, LaBeouf announced a project called "HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US," which is live-streaming footage from a camera installed outside the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, New York. You can watch the live stream at Hewillnotdivide.us.

At the time of this writing, the live-streamed footage consisted of Jaden Smith, the actor, rapper, and son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, alongside others chanting, "He will not divide us." LaBeouf was not seen in the video.

The stream began at 9 a.m. on Friday — Inauguration Day — according to the announcement on the site. It invites the public to "deliver the words 'HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US' ... repeating the phrase as many times, and for as long as they wish."

The site says the live-streamed project will exist "continuously for four years, or the duration of the presidency." LaBeouf is working on it with his art collaborators Nastja Säde Rönkkö and Luke Turner.

"In this way, the mantra 'HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US' acts as a show of resistance or insistence, opposition or optimism, guided by the spirit of each individual participant and the community," the announcement said.

LaBeouf previously staged "#ALLMYMOVIES," a live stream of the actor watching all the films in which he starred.

SEE ALSO: Here are the must-see movies that are going to win Oscars in 2017

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