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Sony Employees' Medical Records Leaked In Hack

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Medical Records

In the latest round of cyber attacks against Sony, more than three dozen employees' medical information has been released.

The information includes "detailed and identifiable health information on employees, their children or spouses," according to Bloomberg.

Bloomberg adds:

One memo by a human resources executive, addressed to the company’s benefits committee, disclosed details on an employee’s child with special needs, including the diagnosis and the type of treatment the child was receiving. The memo discussed the employee’s appeal of thousands of dollars in medical claims denied by the insurance company.

Another document revealed is a spreadsheet from a human resources folder on Sony’s servers that includes the birth dates, gender, health condition and medical costs for 34 Sony employees, their spouses and children who had very high medical bills, the report stated. Premature births, cancer, kidney failure, and alcoholic liver cirrhosis were among the conditions listed, but the doc doesn't reveal employees’ names.

Previously on December 5th, an email was sent threatening the well-being of Sony employees and their families.

The latest medical leak comes after a second "disturbing" warning sign popped up on Sony employees' computers on Thursday.

Hackers calling themselves "Guardians of Peace" have been releasing documents since the initial Nov. 25 attack against Sony, which shut down the studio's entire computer systemThe group is demanding that the studio stop the Seth Rogen-James Franco comedy "The Interview," which has been denounced by North Korea but premiered Thursday in Los Angeles.

SEE ALSO: 2 Sony Execs' Entire Email Boxes Got Leaked By Hackers And Now All Hell Is Breaking Loose

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Sony Exec Amy Pascal: 'I Don’t Want To Be Defined By These Emails After A 30-Year Career'

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Amy Pascal Matt Damon

Sony Pictures co-chairwoman Amy Pascal is speaking out for the first time since the cyberattack on the studio two weeks ago. Well, that is if you don't count a brief apology she gave Thursday for racist remarks involving US President Barack Obama that were leaked from her email inbox.

In a new interview with Deadline, Pascal — whose entire email inbox was made public by hackers— reveals what it's been like to be under attack for the past few weeks and more personally in the past few days.

"Mainly, it's distracting," Pascal tells Deadline. "I have a company to run, I have movies to get out. I have 'Annie' to get out and 'The Interview.' I have next year's schedule of films. I have 6000 people who work here."

Pascal isn't letting the hack slow her down. "I'm not a victim here. I’m going to be fine," she assures. "I didn't want to make this about me. Everyone at this company has been violated and nobody here deserved this."

But there is one leaked email that bothers Pascal the most — the one in which she joked that Obama would like movies such as "12 years A Slave," "The Butler," and "Django Unchained."

"The most hurt email came out … I'm so disappointed in myself, that I ever would have had such a lapse in my thinking," Pascal says.

When Deadline reporter Mike Fleming Jr. asked Pascal whether she apologized to Obama directly, the Sony honcho replied: "I don't know Barack Obama. I worked really hard for him in both of his campaigns. I am inspired by him. I … I'm embarrassed, deeply."

In the wake of the released emails, Pascal has a plea for the public.

I would ask that they reserve some kind of judgment about those stolen e-mails defining someone. This one e-mail was really hard for me. Otherwise, I realize I'm just going to have to move forward. I cannot worry every day, about the next thing that's going to be read by the town about me, something I said in a moment of weakness, stupidity or tactlessness.

Pascal relates the Sony hacking to other security breaches that have happened this year. "This could have happened to anyone," she says. "It happened to Target and it happened to Home Depot. This is what's happening, and we have to figure out how to defend ourselves and how to take care of ourselves in this new world."

In the end, Pascal just hopes the scandal won't tarnish her work in the industry.

"I don’t want to be defined by these emails, after a 30 year career."

As for who's behind the massive hack, Pascal remains mum.

"That's not something I can talk about and that can't be my focus here. For me, this is about moving forward ... No one will tell us what movies to release, ever. Nobody should be able to intimidate a company to not to do its business."

Read Pascal's revealing full interview on Deadline here >


NOW WATCH: This Drone Footage Of Desolate Detroit Looks Like Something From 'The Walking Dead'

 

SEE ALSO: Sony Chair Amy Pascal Apologizes For Racist Obama Comments In Leaked Emails

SEE ALSO: 2 Sony Execs' Entire Email Boxes Got Leaked By Hackers And Now All Hell Is Breaking Loose

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Sony Emails Reveal Mark Cuban's Anger Over 'Shark Tank' Compensation Talks: 'Beyond An Insult'

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mark cuban shark tank

The most recent leak from the Sony hacking unveiled the emails of Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairwoman Amy Pascal and Sony Pictures Television president Steve Mosko

Among the emails to and from Mosko, Business Insider viewed an exchange involving the Sony Pictures president, billionaire investor Mark Cuban, and Cuban Companies general counsel Robert Hart that reveals Cuban's contract negotiations for his appearances on the hit TV show "Shark Tank."

According to the September emails, Hart tells Cuban he would receive $30,000 per episode for season 5, $31,200 for season 6, and $32,488 for season 7.

The hit ABC series, distributed by Sony Pictures Television, began season 6 on Sept. 26.

In addition, Hart tells Cuban the terms of the "Shark Tank" deal would "further prevent" Cuban from "exploiting various aspects from the show."

The email suggests the series wanted rights to Cuban's "catchphrases ... nicknames, gestures, utterances, etc.," something Cuban is advised to "push back on."

Because "Shark Tank" is aired on other networks, the updated contract would also require Cuban to promote the series not only for ABC but on all the networks on which it airs. 

Cuban wasn't happy with the terms, responding to Hart, Mosko, and others with the following:

seriously? 

no chance... this is beyond an insult and it shows no one cares about the investments I have made or the entrepreneurs 

now it's really business..

I will negotiate like any other deal I would do

you may want to start cutting me out of the promos

m

Mosko asked Sony Pictures TV presidents of programming and production Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg whether he should worry about Cuban's response.

Season 5 of the hit ABC series, distributed by Sony Pictures Television, had 29 episodes, meaning Cuban would have received $904,800.

We reached out to Cuban for comment, and he responded with the following via email:

I look at it as a positive that I had direct access to Steve

Now we communicate via Cyber dust

Cyber Dust is Cuban's new free texting app. Described as "WhatsApp meets Snapchat," it allows users to send messages and photos that disappear after 30 seconds.

To put Cuban's "Shark Tank" salary into perspective, we took a look at a few other reality star paychecks.

According to 2014's TV Guide annual industry salary report, Cuban's "Shark Tank" co-star Kevin O'Leary makes a reported $30,000/episode.

"Dancing With the Stars" judge Bruno Tonioli makes $30,000 an hour, and "The Bachelor" host Chris Harrison makes $50,000 an hour. All three are ABC shows.

You can read the email exchange below. 

mark cuban shark tank salary


NOW WATCH: Jeff Bezos Explains Why Failure Is A Great Thing

 

 

More on the Sony hack: Joel McHale Asked For A Discount On A Sony TV After "Community" Was Originally Canceled

SEE ALSO: Sony Execs Freaked Out After "Breaking Bad" Alternate Ending Clip Leaked On TV

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Xbox One Finally Outsells The PS4 After Latest Price Cut

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xbox one launch party

Microsoft's Xbox One beat Sony's Playstation 4 to become the number one selling game console in November in the US and UK, according to GameSpot.

This comes after Microsoft chopped the price of the Xbox One by $50 to $349, a move that has yet to be matched by Sony (the PS4 is $399).

While the Xbox One has lagged behind the PS4 in overall sales significantly, Microsoft has done a good job at drawing sales away from the PS4 by cutting the price twice now.

However, the last time the Xbox One outsold the PS4 was in December 2013.

"We are committed to making Xbox the best place to play, with this year’s best games, the best community of gamers to play with, and terrific value," Microsoft's VP of corporate marketing, Mike Nichols, said in a statement to Gamespot. "We are amazed by the excitement Xbox fans have shown to start off this holiday. November set a new record for sales of Xbox One, and Xbox One was the best-selling console in the US and UK."

Microsoft announced last month that the Xbox One had sold more than 10 million units.

SEE ALSO: Meet Elevate, Apple's Pick For Best iPhone App Of The Year

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This Is What It Was Like To Be At Sony's 'The Interview' Premiere Last Night In LA

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the interview movie premiere

"The Interview"  the Seth Rogen and James Franco comedy about killing Kim Jong Un at the center of the Sony hacking scandal  had it's world premiere last night in Los Angeles.

Leading up to the premiere, a series of scary cyber attacks hit the studio, releasing everything from employees' Social Security Numbers to execs' entire email inboxes.

So it was no surprise when Sony announced that the premiere would be low key, with just a red carpet for photo-ops but no interviews.

seth rogen james franco

LA Times reporter Amy Kaufman was at the highly-anticipated premiere at the Ace Hotel and documented the experience via Twitter:

 

Despite more Sony leaks late Thursday of employees' medical records, Kaufman tells us that at the premiere, "no one seemed scared at all."

"The Interview" centers around  two journalists recruited by the CIA to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The Pyongyang government denounced the film as "undisguised sponsoring of terrorism, as well as an act of war" in a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in June.

Sony co-chairman, Amy Pascal, worked with Rogen to make the film's ending "less gory" and less controversial.

Judging by Franco's Instagram photo from the movie's premiere party, the film's stars aren't too worried.

 on

SEE ALSO: 2 Sony Execs' Entire Email Boxes Got Leaked By Hackers And Now All Hell Is Breaking Loose

MORE: Here's How The CEO Of Sony Tweaked 'The Interview' After North Korea Threatened War

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The Best Entertainment Photos Of 2014

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oscar selfieKim Kardashian attempted to #BreaktheInternet, we got our first glimpse of "Star Wars: Episode VII," and George Clooney got married.

We've rounded up the most memorable entertainment moments of the year in photos.

From the Oscar selfie to the unveiling of the new Bond cast, relive the best of 2014.

Jan. 12: Jennifer Lawrence creeps on Taylor Swift on the Golden Globes red carpet.

See how Taylor Swift reacted here.



Jan. 26: Pharrell Williams' oversized Vivienne Westwood hat went viral after appearing at the Grammys.

Read about Pharrell's hat here.



Feb. 2: Bruno Mars rocks out with the Red Hot Chili Peppers during the Super Bowl halftime show.

Read more about the halftime show here.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider






Ballet's 'It Girl' Misty Copeland's Advice On How To Stay In The Zone

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Misty Copeland, the American Ballet Theatre soloist and author of "Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina," is performing in three major productions, "The Nutcracker," "Romeo & Juliet" and "Swan Lake" this year and in 2015. 

Like any professional athlete or musician, her body needs to be fine-tuned constantly. She uses two simple techniques to stay focused and keep her in the moment. 

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What Happens When You Live Like A Victoria's Secret Angel For A Month

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danielle prescod victoria's Secret fashion show

The Victoria's Secret Angels help sell $6.6 billion a year in lingerie. 

The lingerie giant is notoriously meticulous about who it chooses as Angels: top models like Miranda Kerr and Erin Heatherton were booted in the past for allegedly not selling enough lingerie. 

Danielle Prescod, a fashion editor at Elle, decided to go through the process of becoming a model for a story. 

"I haven’t felt quite so ugly since my middle school days," Prescod writes. "This is not a knock against my personal confidence. Being surrounded by 47 Victoria's Secret models eventually takes its toll."

Here's what she learned. 

1. The models work out for four hours a day.

Prescod enrolled in the "Ballet Bootcamp" and a spin class. Like the models, she worked out four hours a day, seven days a week. She called the process "excruciating." 

She also cut out carbs and alcohol for the month. 

2. Beauty treatments take five hours. 

"It looks almost attainable, like if you had 20 extra minutes, maybe you could do it yourself," Prescod writes. "You cannot. You need three-hour oxygen facials, multiple trips to the spray tanner and waxer, and a signature scent."

In addition to an oxygen facial and fake eyelash extensions, Prescod received airbrushing to contour her body. 

3. The company sends models to "Angel School." 

Victoria's Secret puts its Angels through a course in which they learn about company history and how to converse with the media. They also teach the models how to properly smile for photographs.

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2014

4. Models must be made-up at all times. 

The Angels told Prescod that when they go out in public, they are expected to be camera-ready. This means full hair, make-up, and heels. 

"You wear heels everywhere (the only exception is when working out) and you are always game for a photo," Prescod said. 

Being a Victoria's Secret Angel pays off. Eight of the top 10 highest-paid models in the world have worked for the retailer. 

SEE ALSO: Photos From The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

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Bill Clinton Is A Huge Fan Of 'The Princess Bride'

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Cary Elwes starred as Westley in the 1987 film "The Princess Bride." While at a White House function in 1998, President Clinton pulled Elwes aside to tell him what a big fan he was of the film. 

Produced by Alex Kuzoian. Video courtesy of Associated Press.

Follow BI Video: On YouTube

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Researchers 'Averaged' The Faces Of 400 CEOs — And The Results Say A Lot About Race In Business

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What happens when you combine the faces of 400 CEOs? 

A startling picture of just how similar, and pale, our modern leaders are.

SumoCoupon, the money-saving coupon company, used the face-manipulation software Psychomorph to "average" the faces of 400 executives in 10 different industries, from nonprofits to entertainment to transportation. They also averaged the age and income of CEOs in each industry. 

Some of the results are to be expected (e.g., startup CEOs are about 15 years younger than the rest), while others are more surprising (female leaders in politics seem to have shorter hair than the other women).

See the images below.

average face of a ceo

 

NOW WATCH: Couples Therapist Reveals The Key To Having A Good Sex Life

 

SEE ALSO: Google Has An Embarrassing Diversity Problem

Join the conversation about this story »








TIMELINE: The Crazy Events In The Sony Hacking Scandal

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seth rogen james franco the interview

For the past two weeks, Sony Pictures Entertainment has been the subject of a series of scary cyber attacks that have shut down the company's computer system and revealed employees' personal information such as salaries, addresses, and Social Security Numbers.

Every day, there has been some sort of new leaked information about Sony released by a group calling themselves "Guardians of Peace" (GOP).

The Interview PosterIt isn't clear who the GOP are exactly, but many are linking the group to North Korea, who denounced Sony's upcoming Seth Rogen and James Franco comedy "The Interview" all the way back in June. The movie centers around two journalists recruited by the CIA to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

North Korea has denied any involvement with the hack, but has said they're glad it happened.

Since the initial seizing of Sony's computer system by GOP nearly two weeks ago, it's been hard to keep track of every incident that has occurred since, when, and the reasons why.

Catch up on the crazy series of events below:

June 2014: 

The Pyongyang government denounce "The Interview" as "undisguised sponsoring of terrorism, as well as an act of war" in a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. North Korea promises "decisive and merciless countermeasure" if "the U.S. administration tacitly approves or supports" the Seth Rogen-written and directed comedy.

Sony ignores the comments and moves forward with the film's December 25th release date. 

The Interview seth rogen james francoMonday, November 24:

A month before the movie's release, a hacker group calling themselves "Guardians of Peace" take over the internal computer system at Sony, displaying their own messages and skeleton image, and seizing control of promotional Twitter accounts for Hollywood movies. 

After employees were told not to use their computers after the attack, a Sony Pictures source told the Times"There are people sitting at their desks trying to do their job with a pen and paper."

sony gopSaturday, November 27:

Five unreleased Sony films hit the web on copyright-infringing file-sharing hubs. The movies include "Annie," "Still Alice," "Mr. Turner," "To Write Love On Her Arms," and "Fury" — but no "The Interview."

After just two days on the web, Brad Pitt's new flick "Fury" had been downloaded by over 888,000 unique IP addresses.

brad pitt furyMonday, December 1:

The FBI launches an investigation with the studio's support. 

"The FBI is working with our interagency partners to investigate the recently reported cyber-intrusion at Sony Pictures Entertainment," the FBI said in a statement. "The targeting of public and private sector computer networks remains a significant threat, and the FBI will continue to identify, pursue and defeat individuals and groups who pose a threat in cyberspace."

Tuesday, December 2:  

The salaries of 17 top paid executives of Sony Pictures Entertainment leaks online.

Fusion’s Kevin Roose published the spreadsheet, explaining: "I received a link to a public Pastebin file containing the documents from an anonymous e-mailer ... one interesting tidbit caught my eye: a spreadsheet containing the salaries of more than 6,000 Sony Pictures employees, including the company’s top executives."

The cyber attack also made public Sony employees' names, job titles, home addresses, bonus plans, and salaries.

sony salary spreadsheetWednesday, December 3: 

Sony CEO Michael Lynton and co-chairman Amy Pascal — whose $3 million salaries were revealed in the previous day's attack — send their first company-wide memo calling the situation "a brazen attack on our company, our employees and our business partners, adding that "the release of employee and other information are malicious criminal acts, and we are working closely with law enforcement."

Additionally on this day, James Franco and Seth Rogen's "The Interview" paychecks are revealed. The documents, as reported by Bloomberg, show Rogen was paid $8.4 million and Franco $6.5 million for their roles.

Later, an unreleased "Breaking Bad" pilot script leaks online.

Amy Pascal Michael LyntonThursday, December 4:

Leaked Sony employee notes reveal they're not Adam Sandler fans. One staffer complaint stated:

There is a general "blah-ness" to the films we produce. Although we manage to produce an innovative film once in awhile, Social Network, Moneyball, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, we continue to be saddled with the mundane, formulaic Adam Sandler films. Let's raise the bar a little on the films we produce, and inspire employees that they are working on the next Social Network. 

adam sandler blendedFriday, December 5:

The hackers send an email threatening employees' families if they don't support GOP's goals. The creepy message stated: "Please sign your name to object the false of the company at the email address below if you don't want to suffer damage. If you don't, not only you but your family will be in danger."

Saturday, December 6:

Seth Rogen and James Franco address the controversy on "Saturday Night Live." Show host Franco joked during his monologue: 

"Something pretty crazy happened this week. I have this movie called 'The Interview' coming out at Sony and this week Sony Studios got all their computers hacked... These hackers have leaked real personal information about everybody that works at Sony and I know eventually they're going to start leaking out stuff about me. So before you hear it from someone else, I thought it would be better if you hear it from me. Soon you'll know that my email is CuterThanDaveFranco@AOL.com. My password is LittleJamesyCutiePie — and this is all just a real violation of my personal life."

seth rogen james franco snlSunday, December 7:

North Korea denies its involvement with the Sony hack, but calls it a "righteous deed."

A spokesman of the country's National Defense Commission released a statement explaining North Korea didn't know "for what wrongdoings [Sony] became the target of the attack," he speculated that it "might be a righteous deed of the supporters and sympathizers" of the country who want to help "put an end to US imperialism."  

North Korea also called out the Sony-produced movie "The Interview," which stars Seth Rogen and James Franco plotting to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The country had previously called the movie an "act of war" and in this new statement acknowledges it as "a film abetting a terrorist act while hurting the dignity of the supreme leadership" of North Korea.

interviewMonday, December 8: 

Sony hackers post a new message online demanding the studio pull "The Interview." In a note posted on GitHub, the GOP wrote: 

We have already given our clear demand to the management team of SONY, however, they have refused to accept.
It seems that you think everything will be well, if you find out the attacker, while no reacting to our demand.
We are sending you our warning again.
Do carry out our demand if you want to escape us.
And, Stop immediately showing the movie of terrorism which can break the regional peace and cause the War!
You, SONY & FBI, cannot find us.
Soon after: Sony CEO Michael Lynton sent a company-wide memo to staff assuring the studio is doing everything it can to protect employees after a series of cyber attacks that revealed their personal information, including Social Security Numbers and addresses. Lynton promised staffers the FBI "have dedicated their senior staff to this global investigation" and that "recognized experts are working on this matter and looking out for our security."

Later that night: The hackers reveal celebrity aliases online. The fake names used by Natalie Portman, Tom Hanks, Daniel Craig, and other A-list stars are exposed to the public. Interestingly, Jessica Alba likes to call herself "Cash Money."

jessica alba Tuesday, December 9:

The hackers release the full email boxes of Sony execs Amy Pascal and Steven Mosko.

According to The Wrap, "The Microsoft Outlook mailboxes are massive in size, each coming in at multiple gigabytes and purportedly containing thousands of email exchanges, both business-related and personal, as well as contact information for executives at other companies." Links to the sites where the mailboxes were made available were posted in a message claiming to again be from the Guardians of Peace.

amy pascal steven moskoWednesday, December 10:

After people went through the two execs' email inboxes, a few bombshells were revealed:

  1. Amy Pascal and mega-producer Scott Rudin got into an explosive email exchange that resulted in the studio losing the Steve Jobs movie to Universal.
  2. Scott Rudin bashed Angelina Jolie as a "spoiled brat" with "a rampaging spoiled ego."
  3. He also called producer Megan Ellison "a bipolar 28-year-old lunatic" and implied that she needed to take her "meds" to get the production off the ground.
  4. David Fincher lied to Amy Pascal about dropping out of the "Jobs" project.
  5. After Sony's 'Community' was canceled, star Joel McHale asked for a discount on a Sony TV.
  6. Sony may do a "22 Jump Street" and "Men In Black" crossover movie, a "Captain America" and "Spider-Man" crossover, as well as an animated "Spider-Man" from "The LEGO Movie" creators.

amy pascal scott rudinThursday, December 11:

More fallout from the leaked emails, the biggest story being racist remarks between Pascal and Rudin about President Obama. 
In a leaked email exchangePascal and Rudin joke that Obama's favorite movies are likely "12 Years A Slave," "The Butler," and "Django Unchained." Both Pascal and Rudin have since publicly apologized.

Additionally, we learn:

  1. Sony exec Clint Culpepper called out Kevin Hart for asking for money to promote his movies on social media.
  2. The new "Bond" movie cost over $300 million to make and is way over-budget.
  3. Sony employees' medical records, and those of their families, have now also leaked.

 

That night: "The Interview" has its world premiere in Los Angeles. Nothing crazy happens.the interview movie premiereFriday, December 12:

Mark Cuban's surprisingly low "Shark Tank" salary is revealed in the leaked emails.

Amy Pascal gives her first interview since the Sony hack began two weeks ago, telling Deadline: "I don’t want to be defined by these emails after a 30-year career."

Amy Pascal Matt DamonIn the wake of the Sony hack, every other studio in Hollywood has begun to assess its own digital networks and strengthen security measures.

SEE ALSO: Sony Hackers Expose Celebrity Aliases For Natalie Portman, Tom Hanks, Daniel Craig, And More

Join the conversation about this story »








Sony Has Reportedly Suspended Production On Movies Amid Hack

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Daniel Craig Skyfall

The Sony hack keeps getting worse. 

The Times reports filming on Sony Pictures movies has come to a halt due to money issues. 

From the Times:

Agencies filming for Sony Pictures have cancelled shoots because the problems have left it unable to process payments, a source told The Times.

Sony and MGM's latest Bond movie, "Spectre," started production Mon. Dec. 8.

According to emails that have leaked in the cyberattack, the new movie, set for release next Nov., is reported to be way over budget, costing over $300 million. That figure would make "Spectre" one of the most expensive movies ever made

Reuters reported the hack could cost Sony Pictures $100 million.

It is not known who is behind the massive security breach of Sony, though a group of hackers referring to themselves as the Guardians of Peace (GoP) have taken responsibility.

So far, the hack has resulted in the leak of email accounts and salaries of Sony executives, top celebrity aliases, and details on future movie plans, among much more.

SEE ALSO: Sony emails reveal Mark Cuban's "Shark Tank" salary

AND: A full timeline of the Sony hack

More on the Sony hack: Insider says the security team has 'no f------ clue'

Join the conversation about this story »








JOB OF THE WEEK: Director of Sales and Marketing, Waldorf Astoria

Leaked Emails Show How Scared Hollywood Is Of Google (GOOG, SNE)

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Google fear screamLeaked emails from the hack against Sony show that major movie companies are working together with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) on a project aimed to stop a company known as "Goliath."

It's pretty clear they're referring to Google. 

The Verge first reported on an email from one of the MPAA's top lawyers, Steven Fabrizio, laying out Hollywood's strategy against Goliath.

From Hollywood's perspective, Goliath is enabling piracy online. Hollywood's goal appears to be blocking access to pirated movies.

"We start from the premise that site blocking is a means to an end," said Fabrizio.

But what stands out from the leaked emails is that the major studios, who normally compete against each other, are banding together with the MPAA to defeat an enemy they can't even bring themselves to name.

It's like when Harry Potter characters call Voldemort "he who must not be named."

There are plenty of reasons for movie studios to fear Google. It's a massive company with piles of cash that even Congress has to tread lightly with.

It sounds like the MPAA wants to develop a technical solution to the problem of piracy but doesn't know what that would be yet: "Very little systematic work has been completed to understand the technical issues related to site blocking in the US and/or alternative measures IPSs [sic] might adopt."

Hollywood is also afraid of bad publicity coming from anything the industry tries to do against Google: "In the post-SOPA world, we need to consider the extent to which a strategy presents a risk of a public-relations backlash," Fabrizio said.

Google has tweaked its search-engine algorithm to make finding pirated movies harder, though there's no sign the company would ever work directly with the MPAA on something like this.

That may not be enough for Hollywood, though.

Last April a major studio exec criticized President Obama for not doing more on piracy and said Obama is "scared of Google."


NOW WATCH: Bill Nye: This Scientific Fact That Blows My Mind

 

SEE ALSO: This Story From A Former Google Employee Tells Us Why Sundar Pichai Is Google's Rising Star

Join the conversation about this story »


Watch This Hilarious Vine Star Narrate The Lives Of Ordinary People In Public


It's Amazing That Taylor Swift Just Turned 25

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Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift is celebrating her 25th birthday today, and it's hard to believe how much she's accomplished in her first quarter century.

This year has been a particularly interesting one for Taylor Swift. Her influence has been felt outside the bounds of just the music business, and spread into technology, fashion, and general culture. Everyone always seems to know what's going on with Taylor Swift, that's the kind of attention she seems to garner these days.

Many people spend the 24th year of their lives getting their careers started, taking internships, embarking on entry-level positions and testing the waters. Taylor Swift is well into an already extremely fruitful career. She spent her 24th year dominating American popular culture, after years of an already large impact and list of accomplishments.

When you're as big a star as Taylor Swift, every album release is like seven Superbowls rolled into one massive multi-month campaign. Taylor's latest is called "1989" (the year of her birth) and rolled out in the fall. It sold 1.287 million copies in its first week in the US. Prior to the album release, probably one of her biggest hit singles came out, inspiring a nation of people with low self-esteem to "Shake It Off."

Shake It Off3

Despite the nostalgic title, Taylor's latest album is much more a signal to her future than her past. Swift has ditched country, at least for now. Rather than sitting at that intersection of pop and country as she always has, Swift made an album this year that Christina Aguilera could have made. Things have changed.

With "Blank Space," she became the first female artist to succeed herself as number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart after dominating it previously with "Shake It Off."

She's also on the short list for Time Person Of The Year. And delved into the weeds of tech business when she made the decision to yank all of her songs off Spotifysaying that artists should value their art and make sure that people are paying enough money for it. 

"I didn't see that happening, perception-wise, when I put my music on Spotify. Everybody's complaining about how music sales are shrinking, but nobody's changing the way they're doing things. They keep running towards streaming, which is, for the most part, what has been shrinking the numbers of paid album sales," she told Time Magazine.

Shake It Off1

She also performed at the Victoria Secret Fashion Show and was an advisor for contestants on the TV show "The Voice."

That's quite a year, and we've only just begun the album campaign madness of "1989." Not to mention, the fight with Spotify is hardly over, and will likely reignite in 2015.

It seems like yesterday she was just a teenager crooning advice to her contemporaries, identifying with the struggles of being a kid turning into an adult, "when you're 15, somebody tells you they love you, you're gonna believe them."

She's come a long way — from little country songs idolizing Tim McGraw, to enabling teen girls in tough times to respect themselves, to public musical shade thrown at John Mayer, Swift has done so much for someone so young.

Happy Birthday Taylor, welcome back to December.

SEE ALSO: Taylor Swift Is Taking Over

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Sony Execs Freaked Out After 'Breaking Bad' Alternate Ending Clip Leaked On TV

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When an alternate ending to Emmy-winning series "Breaking Bad" leaked online late last Nov., Sony Television executives were understandably upset.

The complete series Blu-Ray and DVD collector set was about two weeks from release. The alternate ending was among the special features on the discs.

In a series of emails from Sony TV president Steve Mosko that leaked online by hackers, Sony was especially upset with ABC's "Good Morning America." 

In the emails, Mosko was warned a day in advance that "GMA" was going to air a story on the leak of the content on Nov. 18, 2013. Sony assumed GMA wouldn't use any clips from the alternate ending since the illegal clips were supposedly removed from online.

Mosko explicitly says "GMA" "will be on deep s— if they run an unauthorized clip."

The following day, 12 seconds of the unauthorized clip appeared on ABC's morning show and again subsequently on "LIVE with Kelly and Michael."

Mosko referred to the leak of the info on broadcast television as "a nightmare," especially since they knew in advance. In an email to a colleague, he asks why they didn't have the alternate ending on tighter lockdown like a "Breaking Bad" documentary feature on the disc set.

"Why didn't we fingerprint the alternative ending like the documentary?? This is a nightmare," wrote Mosko.

According to subsequent emails following the series release, the "Breaking Bad" barrel collector sets sold 27,000 in their first week on sale. 100,000 copies of the final season of the AMC series were sold on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Read the emails in full below.

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SEE ALSO: David Fincher had a hilarious response to an angry email from a Sony exec

AND: Joel McHale asked Sony execs for a discount on a TV after "Community" was canceled

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Producer Megan Ellison Had The Perfect Response To Being Called A 'Lunatic' In Leaked Email

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Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison's 28-year-old daughter, movie producer Megan Ellison, is just one of the new names being thrown into the Sony hacking scandal.

In megaproducer Scott Rudin's explosive emails to Sony Co-Chairman Amy Pascal, which leaked late Tuesday, Rudin had some harsh words for the young, Oscar-nominated producer who had wanted to finance the Steve Jobs movie when it was at Sony.

Ellison's father, Larry Ellison, was real-life best friends with Steve Jobs.

In the leaked emails to Pascal, Rudin calls Ellison "a bipolar 28-year-old lunatic" and implied that she needed to take her "meds" to get the production off the ground.

Defamer published the full nugget about Ellison, which she tweeted with a witty response to her nearly 76,000 followers:

Well played, Ellison.

 

NOW WATCH: 13 Things You Didn't Know Your iPhone 6 Could Do

 

SEE ALSO: Two Sony Execs' Entire Email Boxes Got Leaked By Hackers And Now All Hell Is Breaking Loose

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'MythBusters' Adam Savage Explains Why Interstellar's TARS Is The Perfect Robot

The Star Of 'The Princess Bride' Has Some Crazy Stories About Working With Legend Andre The Giant

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Cary Elwes acted alongside Andre the Giant in the 1987 film, The Princess Bride. In his new book, "As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride," Elwes recounts stories from the set of the film. He shares one of them here.

Produced by Alex Kuzoian. Video courtesy of Associated Press.

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