Courtney is the best character in the history of "The Bachelor."

She's also going to destroy the show.

A little background: Courtney is a 28-year-old model. She has made it to the Final Three of this season of "The Bachelor," and is probably the favorite to win the heart of Ben, the vineyard-owning bachelor.

Courtney is a polarizing figure because she peer-pressured Ben into skinny-dipping with her in Puerto Rico and may or may not have had sex with him. She's also super mean to all the other girls in the house.

She's the #1 reason to watch the show.

But here's the problem: She approached the show with a genius strategy that she's since executed to perfection. She proved that you can destroy the fantasy of the show with a little bit of cynicism and sex.

And it's going to change everything.

At this point, no one believes the "The Bachelor" is real. We all know the arguments: No girl falls in love in six weeks. No girl likes a guy who has five other girlfriends. And no couple jumps out of a helicopter as a metaphor for "the leap" that they're about to take.

Plus we have a substantial body of evidence — in the form of 20,000 US Weekly cover stories — that tells us the show is basically a vehicle for fame-whoring and tabloid-baiting. In fact, these peripheral stories of lies and sleaze that play out in the tabloids are as just as big a part of "The Bachelor" as what happens on screen.

But despite all that, the show itself is still as wholesome as can be. The false universe of show is totally unaffected by the sleaze surrounding it. Every guy is the doughiest piece of wine-making white bread ever. Every girl is the perky girl next door who has been passed over time and time again (for no good reason!). And the whole show is centered around a notion of cosmic romance that everyone watching knows to be false. "The Bachelor" is a fantasy romance show. It is not a reality show.

It's still about inherently good people who are entitled to love.

Until Courtney.

This season, Courtney has used the show's superficial naivete against it with a comprehensive and objectively brilliant strategy.

Put simply, Courtney played hard to get. But that doesn't quite capture it.

In the real world, "playing hard to get" means being artificially coy as a manipulation tactic. But because of the strange norms of "The Bachelor" universe (where every girl has to be all gooey and madly in love with the guy on Day One), "playing hard to get" actually comes off as being authentic. So here was Courtney's strategy for using the show's norms against it:

Step 1: Say something like, "I just don't know where we stand right now, you know?"

Step 2: Wait for him to say something like, "Oh no, I really like you. I really think we have a connection and I want to get to know you better."

Step 3: Smile and kiss him.

Step 4: WIN THE SHOW.

SHE'S A FREAKING GENIUS.

Oh yeah, her strategy had two other parts:

1. She shattered the confidence of the other girls by being mean and insanely cocky to them, to the point that they ran to Ben and complained — which is ALWAYS the kiss of death (surprise, surprise, Kacie B got the boot just one episode after she whined about Courtney being mean on a group date).
2. She probably had sex with the bachelor in the middle of the season.

The second tactic is the more controversial one, but it makes total sense. If you have sex with the guy voluntarily before you have the mandatory coitus session during "overnight date" week, you put yourself miles ahead of the other girls. Whatever doubts he has about whether you're there for "the right reasons" or whether you actually like him are erased. Plus he'll feel obligated to find a reason to keep you around. It's simple.

So, to sum it up, here's the point: COURTNEY OBLITERATED THE UNIVERSE OF THE SHOW.

Everything about "The Bachelor" is naive, while everything about Courtney is cynical. She showed that cynicism is actually a winning strategy — not only because she got to the Final Three, but because she's become the biggest and best thing about the show.

But the reason that "The Bachelor" has thrived for 15 seasons is precisely the fact that it refuses to give into the ugliness (er, reality?) that defines reality TV. "The Bachelor" has always maintained the fantasy. And that's what has made it different and appealing.

Yet somehow the producers allowed Courtney to treat it like a reality show. And even though Courtney's presence has made this season successful, future Courtney copycats will push the further and further away its winning formula of romance and naivete. The universe of the show will slowly but surely merge the tabloid version of the show, and what we think of as "The Bachelor" will cease to exist.

FOREVER.

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No, really, is she serious?

We don't really know what to say about Paris Hilton's latest talking-as-singing musical endeavor other than we hope we're all being punked.

A few choice "song" lyrics from the low budget video include:

“I’m too lazy to type, so I send a photo I took up a dancer’s skirt...No one is safe in the Twittersphere anymore...“I’ll be damned if I end up in some lame diner after this, with last night’s lingerie in my purse.”

As they say, write what you know.

You have to see it to believe it. Watch below:

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• 12 Things You Didn't Know About Elizabeth Banks

Filmies will rejoice to see two Hyundai ads directed by Wes Anderson premiere during Sunday night's 84th annual Oscars broadcast.

Click here to see Anderson's Oscar spots (and past hits)>>

Anderson, a two time Academy Award nominee, isn't new to the Oscars or the advertising world. He has done previous work for Ikea, American Express, and Stella Antois. Sunday's two Hyundai Azera spots, titled "Talk to My Car" and "Modern Life,"  are true to Anderson's unique style, infused with nostalgia and quirky familial interactions.

Considering that the Academy Awards only features 30 minutes of ads during the entire broadcast—to put that in perspective, the 2010 Oscars featured 9 minutes and 40 seconds of ads per hour while regular prime time has between 14 and 16 minutes of commercials—audiences will certainly take note of Anderson's creative pieces.

The 30-second commercials, averaging $1.7 million a spot, make up two of Hyundai's nine Oscar spots (including its two pre-Oscar ads). Hyundai and JC Penney were last year's top Oscar advertisers, buying a total of 3 minutes and 30 seconds of commercials, which cost $10.9 million. According to Kantar Media, the two advertisers even outspent three of 2012's nine nominees before and after their release.

2012 Hyundai Oscar Ad, "Talk to my Car"

2012 Oscar Hyundai Ad, "Modern Life"

Ikea

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During the movie industry's biggest night, there's bound to be a few mishaps.  

But these moments are well beyond the realm of the occasional ugly dress or boring speech.

These are annoying and some just plain awful bits of Oscar television. 

From pretentious political statements (Marlon Brando) to creepy declarations of love (Angelina Jolie), we countdown 12 of the worst moments that have occurred on Oscar night. 

Be prepared to see some great stars participate in some strange, dumb and awkward public displays. 

Sacheen Littlefeather refuses Marlon Brando's Oscar (1973)

When Marlon Brando won the Best Actor Oscar for "The Godfather," the iconic actor was not at the ceremony to graciously accept his award.

Instead a young woman dressed in Native American garb came up onstage and refused to take the Oscar from presenter Roger Moore (aka James Bond).

The woman who went by the name Sacheen Littlefeather (but was really an actress named Maria Cruz) said Brando would not accepting his trophy due to the unfair and immoral treatment of Native Americans by those in Hollywood. 

Check out the non-acceptance speech, complete with boos from the audience. 

Three random actors channel "Guys and Dolls" (1987)

The Oscars love their musical numbers. But with this particular "showstopper" the pairing of stars and the song were too awkward to be entertaining. 

Producers paired "Karate Kid" star Pat Morita with "Kojak" actor Telly Savalas and "The History of the World Part I" co-star Dom Deluise to sing the "Fugue for Tinhorns" from the American musical "Guys and Dolls." 

Everyone was confused and no one was all that entertained. 

Rob Lowe Sings And Dances With Snow White (1989)

It's a wonder the Oscars still have musical performances after this debacle. 

For some strange reason, the producers of the show thought audiences would enjoy watching Brat Pack-er Rob Lowe sing and dance around the stage awkwardly with Snow White. 

No one did. 

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The Slovakian public has spoken as if with one voice, and said: "Chuck Norris."

The original tough guy is the frontrunner in an online poll to decide the name of a new bridge over the Morava river between Slovakia and Austria, Reuters reported.

As of Thursday, Norris had 1,157 votes – 74 percent of the total – while his closest competitor, Austro-Hungarian empress Maria Theresa, was trailing with just 8 percent.

According to Reuters:

"The actor's work has become a popular source of kitschy fun among Slovaks and a mainstay for local jokes about macho strength and invincibility."

More from GlobalPost: Chuck Norris endorses Newt Gingrich for president

It will be up to regional authorities to decide whether to follow the wishes of Norris's internet supporters, but regional governor Pavol Freso told Reuters he would respect the people's choice.

Not quite so in Hungary, however, where The Daily Show's Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart topped a ballot to decide the name of a new bridge in Budapest: the structure ended up with the less topical name "Megyeri Bridge," RIA Novosti reported.

Will Chuck Norris be so easily defeated? Will he heck. You know what they say: Chuck Norris crosses that bridge before he comes to it.

This post originally appeared at GlobalPost

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• Tyra Banks graduates from Harvard Business School with a a certificate from the Owner/President Management Program. Tweets, "Smiling ear2ear on the Harvard Business School campus w/ my diploma! Tnx 2 my fab photographer mama 4 the pic!"

• Chris Brown steals a fan's iPhone after she took a photo of the singer outside of a Miami club. Brown reportedly told the photog, ""B----, you ain't going to put that on no website." Nice.
  

• Good girl gone bad! Selena Gomez gets a tattoo...of a heart.

• Gerard Butler has reportedly entered rehab for an addiction to pain medication and cocaine.

• Bosom buddies: Eva Longoria, Kate Beckinsale and Victoria Beckham ham it up for the cameras at a Vanity Fair bash in Los Angeles.

• Kate Upton steps out in Los Angeles—could use some, uh, support.

• Zac Efron accidentally drops a condom out of his pocket while walking the red carpet at the "Lorax" premiere. His reaction is beyond priceless. Watch below.

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"To Kill A Mockingbird," "A Few Good Men" and "Erin Brockovich" all share one thing in common—other than being films based on legal matters—they deliver some of the most memorable movie quotes in history.

Sure, nobody enjoys sitting in a courtroom in real life; however, we don't mind watching them on the big screen if they include A-listers Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts and John Travolta. 

Bloomberg Law compiled a list of the top ten lines from legal films including everyone from Jack Nicholson's explosive one liner in "A Few Good Men" to defending the mob. 

See if you agree with them all. 

The Paper Chase (1973): "Mister Hart, here is a dime. Take it, call your mother, and tell her there is serious doubt about you ever becoming a lawyer."

The Firm (1993): "I discovered the law again. You actually made me think about it."

Erin Brockovich (2000): "I hate lawyers; I just work for them."

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Justin Bieber does not want to be confused with a joustin' beaver.

The pint-sized pop star's lawyers have sent a cease-and-desist letter to app developers RC3 after the company created a mobile app cartoon game using Bieber's likeness.

In the game, the user floats down a river trying to get as many "Joustin' Beaver" otter-graphs as possible while protecting him from the phot-hogs. Ha, get it?

Bieber and his team are not amused.

Bieber's lawyers have requested the app developers remove the 99-cent game from iTunes and want accounting of all revenues collected by RC3, according to TMZ.

But RC3 is currently refusing to oblige to Bieber's lawyers' jousting, stating, "The game is a parody and is protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution. Nowhere in the game is Justin Bieber’s name, photo, image, or life story mentioned.”

In documents obtained by TMZ, Bieber's lawyer counters that “Exploitation of our Client’s name, likeness, image and renowned reputation in the industry to promote, advertise and market the App falsely implies that our Client has granted you certain rights to do so which, as you know, is not the case.”

Guess you'll just have to get you Bieber fix on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook because this 'Beaver' is damned.

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As America gets ready to tune-in to the 84th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, Ask.com rolled out its red carpet predictions for the night’s big winners and losers.

Based on questions asked by more than 100 million Ask users, we predict who nominees will bring as their dates, what they'll wear, who will be a no-show and of course, who will take home the golden statues.

“Speculation around this year’s Oscars has reached a fever pitch, from the buzz around red carpet fashion to predictions about who will take those golden trophies home,” said Valerie Combs, Ask.com’s celebrity and trend expert. “We looked to Ask users’ top questions on nominated films and notable actors to cast our ballot for the night’s big winners and a few misses, too.”

George Clooney nabs his second career Oscar as Best Actor.

Hollywood heartthrob George Clooney is always a hot topic in the Ask Q&A community, but users are avidly searching and discussing if his leading role in “The Descendants” will further cement his star status.

Ask sentiment suggests he’ll go home with the hardware.

Viola Davis edges out Meryl Streep to win her first Best Actress Academy Award.

Meryl Streep tops the list of nominated actresses searched for on Ask, but Viola Davis comes a close second, with a major spike in questions about Davis since she earned the nod for her portrayal of Abilene in “The Help.”

Meryl may have taken the Golden Globe home this year, but our users predict Viola will be the one making room on her mantel for a golden Oscar.

"The Descendants" takes home top prize as Best Picture.

Ask.com originally predicted that George Clooney would take home two Academy Awards this year and our bet is that “The Descendants” will earn him both those nods.

With plenty of Ask users wanting to know if they can still catch “The Descendants” in theatres, we predict the movie will earn top honors as Best Picture, giving George matching golden statues for the night. 

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• Here's How You Can Buy Your Very Own Oscar

Legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor and the late pop star Michael Jackson spent lifetimes in the news.

But Michael Raven Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor of Houston, Texas, garnered some local press Monday night after the pair were arrested, separately, in the same town on the same night.

And they share full names with famous people.

That is all.

According to BuzzFeed:

Michael Raven Jackson, 44, is charged with felony theft because he's a third time offender. Court documents state on January 24, Jackson stole toiletries and other items from the CVS at 3811 Old Spanish Trail on the south side of Houston by concealing the items in his pants.

Elizabeth Taylor, 53, of Houston, is charged with possession of a controlled substance. Court documents state that Taylor was found in possession of more than one gram, but less than four grams, of cocaine on Monday.

Now check out this other celebrity impersonator >>

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While you're filling out your Oscar ballots and reading blog predictions for Sunday night's Academy Awards, one site has already put together the list of winners. Sort of.

Flowtown, in partnership with Column Five, compiled this awesome infographic predicting the top Oscar winners for the night using 120,000 messages from social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Picasa, YouTube and more according to Content Strategist, Kelsey Cox at Column Five. 

Categories covered include Best Picture, Best Actor and Actress and Best Supporting Actor and Actress with winners denoted by an Oscar. 

Although, there are a few surprises in the supporting actors categories, the big picture prediction is no shocker. 

Check out the winners below to see if you agree. 

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New York real estate tycoon/author/TV star, Barbara Corcoran, offers her professional opinion every Friday on ABC's "Shark Tank," as an investor alongside Mark Cuban and five other super successful entrepreneurs.

Business Insider got the scoop on what really goes on behind the scenes of the show and how the "sharks" let loose after a 10-hour work day when the cameras stop rolling.

Watch below to hear what Corcoran reveals about her famous co-stars and the struggling entrepreneurs who are constantly pitching her, all from the comfort of the TV star's kitchen table.

Produced by Kamelia Angelova, Robert Libetti and Dan Goodman

Don't miss our private tour of Barbara Corcoran's apartment >

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UPDATE: 
We knew this would happen. 

Dressed as Middle Eastern General Alladeen from upcoming film "The Dictator," Sacha Baron Cohen produced a video to address his character's Oscar ban. 

The "Dictator" shares his outrage while simultaneously applauding the Academy for taking away his free speech. 

Oh, and he also calls the Academy a bunch of Zionists. That will go over well.

See the entire video below.

(via Deadline) 

---
Looks like Sacha Baron Cohen's onscreen characters aren't enjoyable to everyone. 

On Tuesday, the "Borat" actor threatened to come to Sunday's Oscar show dressed in character from his new movie "The Dictator," in which he plays the evil, bizarre-looking General Aladeen. 

And the Academy is far too sophisticated to be the butt of any jokes or shenanigans on their big day. 

They issued a warning to the comedian: if he went in costume and character, his Oscar ticket would not be issued. 

A rep from the academy explained to E! News, "Our tradition has been to not use our carpet as a location for promotional stunts."

But the Academy did make it clear that they have not officially banned Cohen. Everyone is just waiting to hear how the shock-inducing comedian wishes to proceed. 

"We've made our position clear to Mr. Cohen's team," added the rep. "We'd love to have him at the show, but the ball is in his court."

And this isn't the first time the Academy has shown their displeasure toward Oscar nominees' antics before.

When asked if Cohen would present an award at the 2007 awards show (the year he was nominated for Best Screenplay for "Borat"), Cohen said he would only do it if he was allowed to wear his Borat costume onstage. 

They said no, so he said no. 

It's not like the Oscars are the MTV Awards, psht.

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On Thursday, Steve Carell announced he had joined Twitter by writing, "I am in."

Giving his 135,367 (at last count) followers a chance to respond with his famous catchphrase "That's what she said" Carell then remained silent until an hour ago when he just tweeted four statements that would make his "Office" character Michael Scott very proud.

Take a look below.

(That's what she said.)

Now check out Ben Affleck's Facebook page >>

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Fox has put out a new trailer for their upcoming "Ice Age" sequel parodying Oscar front runner, "The Artist." 

And while it's adorable and well done, following the trials and tribulations of the misguided series' squirrel Scrat, the trailer—and Scrat—have us scratching our heads. 

There's no new footage from the upcoming sequel (it's more of an extended version of the previous film's trailer), rather it's promoting the upcoming release of their new trailer on March 5 in a silent black and white. Basically, it's a trailer for a trailer.

This is fine. It's obvious the company is capitalizing off the popularity of "The Artist" to promote their new film. 

However, what doesn't make as much sense is why the series, now on their fourth film, "The Continental Drift," would use "The Artist" to promote their movie towards children in a black and white and silent trailer.

Think about it. The original "Ice Age" came out a decade ago. Children averaging from 7-10 seeing this film would now be in their late teens—if not older—so there's the appeal of referencing a film aimed towards older demographics such as "The Dark Knight;" however, most teenagers are not raving about "The Artist." That film was directed towards an even older generation. 

However, maybe this doesn't matter. After all, "The Muppets" did a bunch of parody trailers based off of films aimed towards adults—"The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" and "Paranormal Activity"—that kids wouldn't understand. 

The difference is that it made sense. 

"The Muppets" had to reach audiences both young and old since they're a staple that's been in pop culture since Jim Henson created Kermit in 1955. 

Not only did the film have to reach out to and gain new audiences; however, it had to appease to older audiences as well. One way to do that was by showing that the characters you grew up with also matured while still magically staying viably the same. and possessing all the same attributes you love about them.

The "Ice Age" characters come and go like seasons. They aren't a brand like "The Muppets." When the first sequel was announced four years after the original that was okay. However, when a third addition was proposed another three years later the series began to feel much like the tired "Shrek" franchise. Enough already. 

So, after a decade has passed since the original "Ice Age" film came out, who does Fox have to market towards other than young children and Oscar nuts? Surely older teenagers don't still care about the zany adventures of a ragtag gang of prehistoric mammals.

Fans of "The Artist" you say? Well, maybe, but doubtful. Unless viewers have young children they have no real business being engaged with a film that has produced two too many sequels. Furthermore, its doubtful character names Manny, Sid, Diego (all lead animals in "Ice Age" would render the same instantaneous recognition as Fozzie, Kermit and Miss Piggy. 

This leaves the Academy, film critics and junkies and...kids.

And, though they may laugh at Scrat, children won't appreciate what they're favorite characters are mocking. They're more likely to get bored and fidgety with a soundless, though artfully crafted piece since their only recognition of silent "Charlie Chaplin" films may lay in parody scenes from cartoons such as this.

See the trailer for the trailer below:

Now check out "The Artist" trailer here >>

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Before heading out of the office for the weekend, don't forget to print a few Oscar ballots to hand out to your friends during Sunday night's Academy Awards show.

So do your research on this year's nominated films and then download the official Oscar ballot HERE.

We can't guarantee you'll win the betting pool, but at least you'll get kudos for bringing something to the party.

Now do your homework and check out all of the trailers for this year's nominated films >>

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Calling All Entrepreneurs!

Apply here to enter.  Applications close March 30.

Startups: If you think you have what it takes to stand out among the best entrepreneurs in NYC and beyond, now is your chance.  From hundreds of applicants, our panel of VC judges will winnow the list down to 10. Each will present on stage, and then withstand the judges' grilling. One lucky winner will come out on top by a vote of the judges and the crowd.  The winner pockets a $25,000 investment and $50,000 in goods and services to jumpstart the business. Even more valuable than the cash investment is the exposure and networking opportunities you'll receive if you're chosen as one of the finalists.

Startup 2012 is for startups that have raised less than $2.5 million in outside financing. See the full eligibility criteria here.

Applications close at midnight on March 30.

More info:

• Official Business Plan Competition Rules
• Enter the competition
• Tickets -- Early Bird Prices
• Follow @startupSAI - #startup2012
• Question? Email events [at] businessinsider.com

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We're just one day away from the 84th annual Academy Awards.

In honor of the big show, we're taking a look back at the most bizarre (Bjork), unique (Cher), self-designed (Demi Moore), gender-bending costumes...er, we mean couture gowns, that have graced the Oscar's red carpet over the years.

With more people interested in who's wearing what on the red carpet than the awards shows themselves, here are some of the most bizarre looks in the Academy telecast history to get you ready for Sunday night...

1978: Vanessa Redgrave won an Oscar for "Julia" the year she wore this graduation robe-inspired look.

1988: Cher won Best Actress for "Moonstruck" and turned every head in the room with this fringe-tastic outfit.

1974, 1986, 1998: Cher--again, and again, and again! Cher came as a presenter to each of these Oscar telecasts with original and unforgettable outfits.

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Do you ever find yourself sitting in front of the TV with a nagging, "Oh my God, I know that voice!" feeling? Chances are high that that voice on a commercial belongs to one of Hollywood's top actors.

While it's easy to recognize Morgan Freeman's dulcet tone or Salma Hayek's distinctive voice, most voice-overs blend into whatever often generic ads they accompany.

According to Time, "Celebrity voice-overs are most effective when people recognize the voice — but can't quite put a name to it." Studies have shown that star studded advertisements are often less effective than their celebrity-free commercial counterparts. In fact, Ace Metrix found that one-fifth of celebrity ads have a negative impact on likability and effectiveness.

If that nagging feeling hasn't gone away, we're here to help. Take our "name that celebrity" pop quiz that will test whether or not you can recognize the actor or actress behind 20 popular commercial voice-overs.

Who's the voice of this Mercedes-Benz ad?

ANSWER: John Hamm

Who's the voice of this American Express Card ad?

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