Sony Pictures has been having a rough time lately.

Basically everything about the company from movies to private emails have been made public by a group of hackers.

Now we're learning about what director David Fincher thought about the Steve Jobs biopic Sony gave up on.

Sony wanted Fincher, who has directed movies like "Gone Girl,"  and "The Social Network," to do the Jobs biopic as well, but he ended up declining to direct it.

It seems like Fincher asked Sony for too much money.

But The Verge found that Fincher emailed Sony execs about the screenplay based on Walter Isaacson's biography. Here's what he thought:

Is great. It’s a play, but a really quicksilver, cinematic one.
I would think you would want to cast and rehearse very carefully (couple months)
Shoot very quickly (4 or 5 weeks — 8 days per ACT??)
The venues would be easy (we could probably find them all in town)
Editing is where we would spend time.
Can SONY market a ONE MAN SHOW(?)
Can you guys make the LENNY of it all, the MUST SEE?

You can't help but wonder what Fincher's vision would have looked like on the big screen.

It's also interesting that Fincher thinks that rehearsing and editing the film would take longer than shooting it.

The play he's talking about, "Lenny," was written by Julian Barry and later adapted into a biopic of comedian Lenny Bruce, starring Dustin Hoffman.

Bruce, like Jobs, was controversial in his industry.

Since Fincher, and Leonardo DiCaprio — who Sony wanted to play Jobs— passed on the movie, Sony gave up as well. 

Universal Pictures will make it instead.

Michael Fassbender will play Jobs and Danny Boyle will direct, but it's too bad we'll never know what the movie would have been like with Fincher at the helm.

SEE ALSO: Now We Know Why Sony Gave Up On The Steve Jobs Biopic

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If you're an Android user, you're in luck, and you can enjoy some free Hulu streaming over the holidays.

Hulu is allowing Android users access to free streaming of some of its most popular shows as part of its "Share the Joy of the Seasons" promotion. All you need is a mobile device running Android.

While not every show is available, you'll be able to stream episodes from the current seasons of "Modern Family," "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," "South Park," "Sleepy Hollow," and more.

There's also a selection of kids shows including "SpongeBob SquarePants," "Pokemon," and "Caillou."

For access to Hulu's entire library of TV shows, you'll still need to purchase a Hulu Plus subscription, but the promotion is a nice perk for those looking to find something new to watch while the family is visiting over the holidays.

You can download Hulu's Android app for free right here.

SEE ALSO: The Best iPhone Apps Of The Year, According To Apple

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Ikea Russia has found an innovative way to sell its beds with their new "Cinema of Love" movie theater campaign.

The Swedish company has replaced traditional theater seating with 17 twin-size beds as a way to bring people together by providing them with the comfort of being at home.

Produced by Devan Joseph. Video courtesy of Ikea.

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In the latest leaked Sony emails, it is revealed that Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams were paid less than their male co-stars in 2013's "American Hustle," which was co-financed by Sony arm Columbia Pictures.  

Despite both actresses being nominated for Oscars for their roles in the film, director David O’Russell and actors Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, and Jeremy Renner all earned more on the movie's back-end compensation.

In a Sony email unearthed by The Daily Beast from December 2013, Andrew Gumpert, President of Business Affairs for Columbia Pictures, wrote to Sony co-chair Amy Pascal and Doug Belgrad, President of SPE Motion Picture Group, about the back-end compensation — known as "points" — that each actor would receive after the movie's release:

Got a steve warren/gretchen rush call that it’s unfair the male actors get 9% in the pool and jennifer is only at 7pts. You may recall Jennifer was at 5 (amy was and is at 7) and WE anted in 2 extra points for Jennifer to get her up to 7. If anyone needs to top jennifer up it’s megan [producer Megan Ellison]. BUT I think amy and Jennifer are tied so upping JL, ups AA.

Gumpert added, "The current talent deals are:  O’Russell: 9%; Cooper: 9%; Bale: 9%; Renner: 9%; Lawrence: 7%; Adams: 7%."

Pascal’s email response to the news of Lawrence making less than her male colleagues was: "there is truth here." This, despite the fact that "Hustle" was green-lit after "The Hunger Games" became a hit, The Daily Beast points out.

"American Hustle" went on to earn over $251 million worldwide, but "The Hunger Games" is a billion dollar franchise with Lawrence at the center. While it's unknown what Lawrence earned up front for "Hustle," the 24-year-old took took home $10 million for the "Hunger Games" second installment, "Catching Fire." The Hollywood Reporter notes that the figure "is a combination of salary, bonuses and escalators."

The recent leaks have also revealed the bigger issue of a major pay gap between male and female Sony staffers.

According to a spreadsheet listing top exec salaries, Hannah Minghella, who serves as co-president of production at Sony's Columbia Pictures division, makes about $1 million less per year ($1.5 million) than her male counterpart with the same job, Columbia Pictures co-president of production Michael De Luca ($2.4 million).

According to the spreadsheet, which lists the salaries of 6,000 employees, 17 of the employees were making $1 million or more, but only one of those is a woman.

The spreadsheet also showed that the top salaried Sony executives were 88% white and 94% male.

The leaks are the latest in a series by a mysterious group calling themselves "Guardians of Peace" (GOP), who have been demanding Sony not release the upcoming comedy "The Interview," which has also been denounced by North Korea.

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

MORE: LEAKED: Hacked Sony Docs Reveal Top 17 Executives' Multimillion-Dollar Salaries

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The budget of the new Bond movie, "Spectre," has been revealed as emails from the massive Sony hack continue to leak online.

CNNMoney reports the movie, distributed by Sony and Columbia Pictures and MGM, is expected to cost over $300 million, making it one of the most expensive movies ever made.

Via CNNMoney:

MGM president Jonathan Glickman sent emails in early November explaining how the studio is scrambling to cut costs.

He says the current budget "sits in the mid $300Ms," but the studio has to drastically cut back to $250 million. And the shooting period already costs $50 million more than the previous film, "Skyfall."

2012's "Skyfall" cost an estimated $200 million to make. The film made over $1 billion worldwide at the box office. No doubt Sony and MGM are hoping this one will be as big of a hit.

Without inflation, 2007's "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" is the most expensive movie ever made at $300 million. 

What really stands out is a line from Sony Pictures co-chair Amy Pascal in which she says the film had no script but already had a massive, inflated budget.

Here's what she said in a direct email to Glickman:

"It's insane and you know with no script this movie is gonna go overbudget."

CNNMoney reports Glickman suggested measures to cut costs which include filming a Rome villa in London because "it's a nighttime scene," tossing out a "dramatic finale in the rain" to lower the cost of special effects, and filming more in Mexico to receive "an extra $6 million" in what are most likely tax incentives to film there.

In addition, the casting of Andrew Scott, known for BBC miniseries "Sherlock," reportedly saved $1 million in costs. They were planning on casting Oscar-nominated Chiwetel Ejiofor instead.

CNN has a few other tidbits involving plot spoilers about characters in the film that I won't mention here. 

"Spectre" started production Monday, Dec. 8 and will be released Nov. 6, 2015.

Read more at CNN.

SEE ALSO: The full "Spectre" cast

More on the Sony hack:  Joel McHale asked Sony execs for a discount on a TV after "Community" was originally canceled

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The new James Bond movie script has leaked online. 

Film producers confirmed an early version of the "Spectre" script leaked online in a message on the 007 website Saturday.

Here's the message in full:

EON PRODUCTIONS, the producers of the James Bond films, learned this morning that an early version of the screenplay for the new Bond film SPECTRE is amongst the material stolen and illegally made public by hackers who infiltrated the Sony Pictures Entertainment computer system.

Eon Productions is concerned that third parties who have received the stolen screenplay may seek to publish it or its contents. The screenplay for SPECTRE is the confidential information of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Danjaq, LLC, and is protected by the laws of copyright in the United Kingdom and around the world. It may not (in whole or in part) be published, reproduced, disseminated or otherwise utilised by anyone who obtains a copy of it. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Danjaq LLC will take all necessary steps to protect their rights against the persons who stole the screenplay, and against anyone who makes infringing uses of it or attempts to take commercial advantage of confidential property it knows to be stolen.

The Bond script is among the latest leak in a giant cyberattack on Sony by a hacker group known as the Guardians of Peace (GoP). The attack has resulted in the email accounts of numerous Sony executives to leak online. 

Gawker has obtained a copy of the alleged script, detailing plot points from the early version of the film.

In addition, Gawker reports Sony execs went back and forth over revisions to the "Spectre" script, according to leaked emails from the mailbox of Sony Pictures cochairman Amy Pascal.

From the emails, reviewed by Business Insider, concerns about the movie were taking place through mid-October with Pascal calling elements of the film "a bit convenient and maybe a little confusing."

There was a call to link the new movie with the "events from the last three movies," of which Pascal said "we haven't completely nailed it yet."

In addition, she suggested the end of the script needed revisions writing, "the last twenty pages however are really what needs fixing."

Another version of the script was expected before Thanksgiving, according to subsequent emails.

CNNMoney reported other leaked emails expressed concerns with the movie's budget.

The film reportedly costs over $300 million, making it among the most expensive movies ever made.

"Spectre" began filming Dec. 8. and is set for release Nov. 6, 2015.

SEE ALSO: The new Bond movie reportedly costs over $300 million and is way over budget

AND: Sony has reportedly suspended production on movies amid hack

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Famed comedian Bill Cosby has stayed mostly silent as more than a dozen women have come forward to accuse him of sexual assault.

But he spoke to the New York Post over the weekend to implore black journalists to remain neutral and praise his wife for standing by him.

He refused to address the allegations that he drugged and assaulted more than a dozen women over several decades.

Cosby told the Post: "Let me say this. I only expect the black media to uphold the standards of excellence in journalism and when you do that you have to go in with a neutral mind."

He went on to praise his wife, Camille, to whom he has been married for more than 50 years: "Love and the strength of womanhood. Let me say it again, love and the strength of womanhood. And, you could reverse it, the strength of womanhood and love."

Cosby declined to say anymore, noting that he isn't supposed to be talking to the media. The 77-year-old's lawyer has previously said that the comedian will not "dignify" the allegations with any comment.

Cosby has never been criminally charged with sexual assault.

Many of his accusers have said that Cosby lured them in when they were young and vulnerable with promises of career help and mentorship, then gave them pills to make them immobile so he could assault them. The allegations span decades — some dating back to 1969 and one as recent as 2004.

SEE ALSO: The Backstory Behind The Shocking Bill Cosby Rape Allegations

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A new set of Sony files was posted online by hackers over the weekend. Among corporate planning documents and accounting spreadsheets is something pretty amusing — a series of internal memos and spreadsheets reveal prolonged negotiations between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel Comics over the rights for hundreds of superhero characters in the Spider-Man franchise.

Marvel Comics owns the rights to the fictional characters in the Spider-Man comic books but can sell the film rights to various studios.

From the list below, you can see that Sony wanted some characters, while others were flat-out rejected. We pulled out some of the best:

Santa Claus Burglar

This character appeared in a single Spider-Man comic in the mid-1980s. He was a burglar who disguised himself as Santa Claus and persuaded children to tell him where they lived. He was defeated by the actual Santa Claus.

Sony really wanted the rights to Santa Claus Burglar. His name appears on a 2011 internal document titled "Disputed characters list."

Bag-Man, aka The Amazing Bag-Man, aka The Bombastic Bag-Man

Bag-Man was just Spider-Man with a bag over his head. The character has been "frozen," meaning Bag-Man won't be getting his own movie anytime soon.

Xandu the Unspeakable

This character is an elderly man with a moustache who wears a cape and possesses "hypnotic eyes."

Thermo the Thermatronic Man aka The Street Stalker

Thermo is a 1980s Spider-Man character who could shoot lasers from his hands and who persuaded a cult to worship him as a god.

Hypno-Hustler and the Mercy Killers

The Hypno-Hustler was a funk musician who used his magic goggles to place his audience in a trance and hand over their valuables. His equipment includes a magic guitar, platform boots with retractable knives, and magic headphones that protect him from his music's effects.

Spider-Ham a.k.a Peter Porker

Amazingly, this parody character had a 17-issue run of its comic book series. Spider-Ham was a pig version of Spider-Man who possessed the abilities of a spider. Marvel informed Sony in 2011 that the character had been frozen.

The Black Abbot

This character is a 1980s villain who owned a jetcraft and a hooded robe and who could shoot energy beams from his hands that turned people to ash.

Sony didn't want this character at all. An internal document reads, "We don't care about this character."

Agent 003

This Marvel character is a spoof of James Bond who works for British intelligence agency MI5. He's also secretly employed by the villainous Roxxon Oil Company. Sony isn't a fan of the joke character; he's on the company's "don't want" list.

Mother Inferior

One of the most bizarre characters on Sony's list, Mother Inferior is a morbidly obese woman who controls an army of rats and cockroaches from her basement lair underneath a luxury hotel. She's also unable to speak, able only to shout out "Skree" to control her rat army. Sony decided against negotiating with Marvel for the rights to Mother Inferior — one document says "Recommend letting this one go."

Tordenkakerlakk aka The Thunder Cockroach

Tordenkakerlakk is a magic space cockroach whom Spider-Man was unable to defeat, so he feigned injury to get someone else to do it.

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

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We spend the whole week with the same people, so it's only natural that a deeper relationship may develop. But the wisdom (and ethics) of the office romance are hotly debated.

One of the cohosts of "Shark Tank," Barbara Corcoran, tells us to go for it — but remember the breakup could get messy.

Produced by Sam Rega

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Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin is not pleased with how the media is handling the Sony hack that has embarrassed Sony executives and leaked details about unreleased movies.

In an op-ed in The New York Times, Sorkin slams and calls out news outlets for doing exactly what the hackers, who call themselves "Guardians of Peace," hoped would happen.

"The Guardians just had to lob the ball; they knew our media would crash the boards and slam it in," the "Newsroom" creator writes. "First, salaries were published. Not by the hackers, but by American news outlets."

Sorkin goes on to explain that he is "not a disinterested third party" in the scandal because "much of the squabbling between" Sony executives Amy Pascal and Scott Rudin "was about a movie that’s about to begin shooting, 'Steve Jobs,' for which I wrote the screenplay, so my name comes up from time to time."

Sorkin then took the opportunity to clear up a few reports that had been circulating about him based on the leaked emails:

The widely published documents that were stolen include an email to Ms. Pascal in which I advocated going to Tom Cruise for the lead role (I did), a second email from one executive to another speculating that I’m broke (I’m fine), and a third that suggested that I might be romantically involved with a woman whose book I’m using as source material for a new script (I wish).

Sorkin goes on to compare the situation to that of the Pentagon Papers, which were also stolen documents used by the press, but he concludes that "there is nothing in these documents remotely rising to the level of public interest of the information found in the Pentagon Papers."

"Do the emails contain any information about Sony breaking the law? No," Sorkin writes. "Misleading the public? No. Acting in direct harm to customers, the way the tobacco companies or Enron did? No. Is there even one sentence in one private email that was stolen that even hints at wrongdoing of any kind? Anything that can help, inform, or protect anyone?"

Sorkin calls for the media to stop covering the documents and for Hollywood to come together in support of Sony and demand a response from Washington.

On Sunday, Sony called for the media to stop posting data online leaked by hackers.

Read Sorkin's full op-ed in The Times here >>

NOW WATCH: The Dos And Don'ts Of Office Romance

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

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The "Men in Black"/"22 Jump Street" movie isn't the only crossover film Sony has in the works.

Sony Pictures is also working on plans to develop a "Django Unchained" / "Zorro" crossover, according to several email exchanges between director Quentin Tarantino and Sony Pictures cochair Amy Pascal that have leaked online amid the massive Sony hack.

In an email dated Sept. 28, Pascal tells Tarantino she wants to discuss a potential "Django/Zorro" film. She also tells him she wants to work on a movie called "The Dion Brothers" while making reference to the director's next project, "The Hateful Eight," with Harvey Weinstein.

From the email, which is written in all caps:

HELLO AMY P HERE...
HOW ARE YOU? I WANNA TALK ABOUT
DJANGO/ZORRO WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE IT ...
ALSO I STILL WANNA DO THE DION BROTHERS
AND JUST BECAUSE I DIDN'T GET TO BE A
PART OF HATEFUL DOESN'T MEAN IM EVER
GONNA STOP WANTING TO WORK WITH YOU
(AND HARVEY)
BEST ALWAYS...AMY

Tarantino responds saying "D/Z could be really fun!" He also expresses interest in "The Dion Brothers" and another movie in Sony's catalogue "The Baby Blue Marine."

The "Django/Zorro" crossover isn't out of the blue. 

A comic series of the same name written by Tarantino was released in Nov. by Dynamite Entertainment and DC Comics. The series is a sequel to the 2012 Oscar-winning movie starring Jamie Foxx.

Here's the comic synopsis, according to Dynamite Entertainment:

Set several years after the events of Django Unchained, Django/Zorro #1 finds Django again pursuing the evil that men do in his role as a bounty hunter. Since there's a warrant on his head back east, he's mainly been plying his trade in the western states. After safely settling his wife, Broomhilda, near Chicago, he's again taken to the road, sending her funds whenever he completes a job. It's by sheer chance that he encounters the aged and sophisticated Diego de la Vega - the famed Zorro - and soon finds himself fascinated by this unusual character, the first wealthy white man he's ever met who seems totally unconcerned with the color of Django's skin... and who can hold his own in a fight. He hires on as Diego's "bodyguard" for one adventure and is soon drawn into a fight to free the local indigenous people from a brutal servitude, discovering that slavery isn't exclusive to black folks. In the course of this adventure, he learns much from the older man (much like King Schultz) and, on several occasions, even dons the mask and the whip... of The Fox!

In a later email exchange, dated Nov. 3., Pascal tells Tarantino she finally checked out the comic series and describes it as "super cool."

In separate emails listing the plans for Sony's future movie schedule, the crossover, listed simply as "Django/Zorro," is dated for some time in 2017.

SEE ALSO: A timeline of the Sony hacking scandal

AND: The new James Bond movie script leaks online

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Mark Cope and Carlo Moss never expected anyone to even see their videos. 

"It started out as us just wanting to make a stop-motion video for fun," Cope said when we recently met at YouTube's hi-tech studio space in Los Angeles. "Carlo was in an improv group with people who did voices, so we made this video of three girls arguing over who was more popular." 

In a stroke of genius, the pair decided to have Barbies play the parts of the popular girls. Cope bought three Barbies for $3 and then spent several months teaching himself stop-motion animation skills. 

"The first video was just pictures pasted together, and it sucked," Cope said. "But Carlo took it and put it on YouTube, and thank god he did. We got 100,000 views in just a week." 

They decided to make an entire season's worth of stop-motion videos, titling their YouTube channel "The Most Popular Girls in School."

After about a year of making the videos, a Tumblr user found a GIF of the show and reblogged it. That GIF has since been reblogged about 35,000 times, and Cope and Moss noticed that people had started binge-watching their show.

"Once Tumblr got a hold of it, our audience became younger, mostly girls," Cope said. "We didn't really know what our show was until we found an audience. After Tumblr our followers quickly went from around 4,000 to 100,000." 

They describe their channel as "'Mean Girls' with Barbies," or a "dirty soap opera with lots of plot twists." The Barbie characters have hilarious stories, from wannabe pop star Deandra recording her first music video to burgeoning entrepreneur Trisha planning an appearance on "Shark Tank."

When they went to VidCon, an annual convention for YouTube creators, one fan who had traveled from Argentina was hyperventilating at the sight of their Brittnay doll.

"We were able to really make the characters happen," Moss said.

Cope and Moss were approved to use the facilities at the YouTube Space in Los Angeles, a high-tech studio that creators with more than 10,000 subscribers can use for free. 

With production stages, green screens, cameras, electrical and grip equipment, and workshops the Space is a valuable resource for YouTubers looking to improve the quality and reach of their videos. There are also Spaces in New York City, London, and Tokyo.

"The Spaces around the world serve as incubators that accelerate what can happen when you bring creative people together and offer production and educational resources that best meet their needs," Liam Collins, head of the YouTube Space LA, said to Business Insider.

Using the studios' equipment proved to be crucial for Cope and Moss. They were able to produce the fourth season of "The Most Popular Girls in School" three times faster than past seasons, and the studio helped them bring on professional animators, who can work on two different episodes at once.

"It really worked amazingly. It’s the first time on this show that I'm working 9-5 instead of 80 hours a week," Cope said.

Still, putting together an entire show with props, actors, animation, and editing is hard work, and the channel costs more than it makes. Cope and Moss have turned to Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns to raise the funds that make the show possible, and their fans have responded generously. 

"Every season besides the first one has been funded by fans," Cope said. 

Moss added, "We try to keep a 100% transparency about what we do, and our fans feel like they're part of the family."

Watch one of the show's episodes here (Warning: some NSFW language). 

SEE ALSO: Google Puts Hollywood To Shame With This High-Tech Studio That YouTubers Can Use For Free

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Last week, Business Insider uncovered an email exchange between Sony Pictures Television President Steve Mosko, Mark Cuban, and Cuban Companies general counsel Robert Hart. The discussion involved the billionaire investor's contract negotiations for his role on the hit TV show "Shark Tank," which is distributed by Sony Pictures Television.

Cuban wasn't pleased with Sony's offer of $30,000 per episode for season 5, $31,200 for season 6, and $32,488 for season 7, and responded via email:

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

When we asked Cuban for comment on his salary negotiations, he simply responded:

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

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.

After the above leaked Sony email was made public, Cuban eventually responded this weekend with a mass statement sent out to his Cyber Dust followers:

But as proven above, even content sent over Cyber Dust, as with Snapchat, can be recorded and leaked, if not also hacked.

NOW WATCH: Here's The Formula For A Long And Happy Life From A 100-Year-Old Math Teacher

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

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Some 45,000 entrepreneurs from across the US auditioned for the sixth season of ABC's hit show "Shark Tank." Most of those who make it into the tank have been developing their businesses over several years, since the investors look for companies that they can accelerate rather than build from the ground up.

But not only did Trina Barkouras, founder of holiday-novelty company Hoppy Paws, get a chance to pitch the sharks a mere six weeks after launching her company, her hustle was so impressive that she made a deal with Barbara Corcoran.

"Trina, look, you are not allowed to call yourself Trina anymore. I have rechristened you The Beast," Mark Cuban told her during her pitch. "I wish my salespeople were as focused and as driven and as excited about their vision."

Twenty years ago, Barkouras got the idea to make a stamp shaped like giant rabbit footprints, which would lead to her children's Easter baskets and make the Easter Bunny tradition more fun. Her kids are grown now, but she thinks it's time to share the practice with families everywhere. Hoppy Paws has kits for Easter, Christmas (reindeer hooves), Halloween (glow-in-the-dark cat paws), and other celebrations.

She went to an open audition for "Shark Tank" in San Diego with a rough idea of what Hoppy Paws would be. The producers called her back shortly afterward to appear on the show, which meant that she needed to turn that idea into reality quickly.

In 90 days, Barkouras invested $105,000 of her own money into Hoppy Paws, developing the product design, the packaging, an initial batch of kits, and a tradeshow display.

And to top it off, she quit a lucrative career as an interior designer to pursue her new business full-time, a detail that blew the sharks away.

When investor Lori Greiner asked Barkouras what her biggest seller is, she said, "My bestseller? What you're holding in your hand came off the press yesterday." She hadn't finished her package until 5 p.m. the day before.

"You can't imagine how many people we all meet around the country who say, 'I wanna get on 'Shark Tank' one day,'" Robert Herjavec said. "And I say to them, 'Why don't you apply?' And you know what they say? 'Oh, I'm not ready. I'm gonna give myself a couple of years.' ... You didn't even have anything 90 days ago, and — bang! — here you are with a business."

Herjavec said he's in awe of Barkouras, but he wasn't convinced that in the absence of proof of sales, the product could actually take off. He pulled out of a deal. Greiner agreed and did the same.

Kevin O'Leary, referring to Barkouras' reindeer-antler headband and fighting spirit, said he wanted a woman with horns in his portfolio, but that giving the company a $500,000 valuation was impossible to him. He said he would join up with any other sharks who wanted to participate and give $5,000 toward 50% of the company. Herjavec wanted in, but Cuban and Greiner found the deal unfair.

Corcoran then jumped in with her own offer: $100,000 for a 50% stake in the company. She's not looking to be a traditional investor, Corcoran explained, but rather a full-blown partner. "I'd like to be on equal footing, and I'd like to tell you why: It's because I'd like to work just as hard as you," she said.

Corcoran said that moving forward, she would limit the kits to the Christmas, Easter, and Tooth Fairy-themed ones, and also get Barkouras a line of credit.

Barkouras wanted to go 51%/49% so that she'd retain the majority of the company. Corcoran agreed, as long as Barkouras thinks of five other company ideas and goes 50/50 with her on every future product. "You're a little machine of ideas ... and all those ideas are our ideas going forward," Corcoran said. They made a deal.

O'Leary predicted from the outset that Corcoran, who tends to gravitate toward big personalities on the show, would make a deal. She ended up with more than an investment in a startup — she formed a partnership with an entrepreneur who has an incredible amount of determination, focus, and creativity.

Barkouras told the investors that she credits her drive to the fact that she's been on her own for most of her life. She said that after her mom emancipated her at age 16, she took $300 and moved to California, where she eventually began a lucrative career. "I've been successful at everything I do," she said.

You can watch the full episode at Hulu Plus.

SEE ALSO: Here's How The World's Youngest Self-Made Female Billionaire Shows People She's In Charge

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Belvedere, the luxury vodka brand owned by the LVMH Group, is partnering with the next movie in the James Bond franchise, “Spectre.”

Harnessing Bond’s penchant for vodka martinis and his iconic “Shaken, not stirred” line, Belvedere becomes the official vodka of the movie, which is due for cinematic release next November from Sony Pictures Entertainment.

The news will be something of a relief for Bond fans: In previous movies the spy had been seen (implausibly) drinking Heineken and (more plausibly) Smirnoff. Fans tend to forget he drank Red Stripe in the first movie, Dr. No. The arrival of Belvedere will therefore pull Bond upmarket a bit.

Sitting down with Business Insider at a suitably secretive London location this week, Belvedere Vodka president Charles Gibbs told us the partnership marks the brand’s “biggest” marketing push to date, although he declined to divulge financial details. It is hoped the partnership will raise awareness of the brand globally and highlight Belvedere vodka's quality credentials.

To kick off the partnership, Belvedere has created two (very large) 1.75l limited edition bottles, which it will showcase at a launch party at London's Film Museum tonight (December 15.)

The M16 bottle pays homage to 007's HQ, swapping the signature Belvedere blue ink with the color of green ink used by M16 officials to sign documents. Belvedere has also replaced the iconic Belvedere Palace that appears on its bottles with an etching of the M16 building. Only 100 of this bottle will be made, but they won’t be available to buy. Instead Belvedere plans to gift them to “Bond aficionados” and put them up for charity auctions.

Here's the M16 bottle:

The second, more flashy bottle is called the 007 Silver Saber. The metallic bottle lights up, thanks to an in-built LED system. It will be available on sale next year "in selective distribution."

Here's the 007 Silver Saber:

Next year, the campaign will ramp up with TV, cinema, digital ads, additional special packs and events planned. As the film is still in production, Gibbs could not confirm exactly what role Belvedere will play in Spectre. Gibbs also turned coy when asked whether there was the possibility of partnering with one of the other brands paying for product placement in the film (Aston Martin is the only other brand confirmed to appear so far, although that doesn't seem a likely fit.)

The main appeal of the partnering with the Bond franchise was its global appeal, but Gibbs also hopes the partnership will allow the aspirational Belvedere brand to "break through the clutter" of marketing messages by associating with a "moment in popular culture."

The martini story also allows Belevedere to authentically talk up the provenance of its ingredients. The vodka is made from Dankowskie Rye and blended with own water from its own source in Poland, all key messages the brand hopes will hit home with lapsed drinkers as well as those new to the brand. It is hoped that making Belvedere Bond's choice for a vodka martini will also encourage bartenders to push the product to their cocktail lists.

LVMH, which also owns the Moët Hennessy brand, saw a 7% drop year on year in reported revenue in the first 9 months of 2014 to €2.63 billion. At the time of reporting, the company said the trend was reflective of a declining cognac market in China. It did not split out separate figures for Belvedere, but said the brand had "sustained volume growth."

SEE ALSO: Every Time You Sang Along To 'Frozen,' You Capitulated To Disney’s Carefully Orchestrated Marketing Plans

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Since the massive Sony hack which has compromised numerous executive emails to leak online, we've learned about a few rumored movie projects at Sony from a "Men in Black"/"Jump Street" crossover to another collaboration between "Zorro" and "Django Unchained."

Among the leaked inbox of Sony Pictures cochair Amy Pascal are several drafts of future movie plans and release schedules for the studio through 2017 from the past few weeks. 

As of Nov. 12, here's an apparent list of Sony's movies for 2016 and 2017 in addition to those already planned. The notations in brackets are our own.

2016
Uncharted [The popular Naughty Dog video game adaptation.]
Sinister [most likely referring to "Spider-Man" spin-off "Sinister Six"]
Ghostbusters (or 2017)
Angry Birds [set for July 1 release]
Mib/jump street (2017) [crossover movie between "Men in Black" and "Jump Street"]
Greyman [based on Mark Greaney's novel "The Gray Man"]
Winters knight
Fifth wave [adaptation of Rick Yancey book "The 5th Wave"]
Inferno [adaptation of Dan Brown's most recent book in "The Da Vinci Code" series]
Billy Lynn [adaption of Ben Fountain's novel "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk"]
Baby driver [movie Edgar Wright is working on]
Little woman [remake]

2017
Cleopatra [potential Angelina Jolie movie]
SPIDERMAN [not clear whether this is a spin-off or new movie all together]
DJANGO zorro 
Bond
Ghostbusters
Jump street 
Monkeys [unclear what this is]
Girl team up [unclear what this is]

Another email titled "planing the future" lists a few additional movies including a "Barbie" film, "The Craft," "Lisa Joy," a Bloodshot movie, something labeled "girl #2" — which may or may not refer to "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" series — "Sausage Party," an animated comedy from Seth Rogen, "Pride and Prejudice Zombies," and something called "ghost house horror movie."

"Grown Ups 3," a sequel to Adam Sandler's 2013 comedy also appears on the list.

Another email dated Nov. 16 outlines production notes on 29 of Sony's potential future movies. Included on there are mentions of a possible sequel to Angelina Jolie's 2010 hit "Salt," a "Jumanji" reboot, a sequel to "Hotel Transylvania," and another "Smurfs" movie.

There was also a note about receiving the script for the "Sinister Six" Spider-Man movie possibly the week of Dec. 8.

Also mentioned is a sequel to Denzel Washington's fall hit "The Equalizer." According to the email, Sony was promised a script by early Dec. and is expecting director Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington to return to hopefully film next summer so the film can have a fall 2016 release.

Regarding "Jump Street," it sounds like Sony is considering 3D for "23 Jump Street" and rating the film PG-13.

SEE ALSO: A "Django Unchained" / "Zorro" movie is in the works

AND: The new James Bond movie script leaks online

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Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin has claimed that often, male actors who have won Oscars have had more difficult roles than their female counterparts, The Daily Beast reports.

In a March email to New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd that leaked as part of the Sony hack, Sorkin took issue with Dowd's implication that studios are sitting on high-quality scripts with strong female characters and just not making the movies.

He then went on to say that males who have won the Best Actor Oscar have had more difficult roles than females who have won for Best Actress.

Sorkin said that Cate Blanchett's Oscar-winning performance in "Blue Jasmine" was "nothing close to the degree of difficulty" of any of the male performances that were nominated that year.

The email, uncovered by The Daily Beast, continues:

That's why year in and year out, the guy who wins the Oscar for Best Actor has a much higher bar to clear than the woman who wins Best Actress. Cate gave a terrific performance in Blue Jasmine but nothing close to the degree of difficulty for any of the five Best Actor nominees.

Daniel Day-Lewis had to give the performance he gave in Lincoln to win — Jennifer Lawrence won for Silver Linings Playbook, in which she did what a professional actress is supposed to be able to do. Colin Firth/Natalie Portman. Phil Hoffman had to transform himself into Truman Capote while Julia Roberts won for being brassy in Erin Brockovich. Sandra Bullock won for 'The Blind Side' and Al Pacino lost for both Godfather movies. Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep can play with the boys but there just aren't that many tour-de-force roles out there for women.

Sorkin noted the lack of strong scripts with prominent female characters is a big factor. But, as The Daily Beast points out, "it’s a bit strange to say that Blanchett’s turn in 'Blue Jasmine' was any less difficult to pull off then Bruce Dern’s in 'Nebraska.'"

And Sorkin has himself been criticized for how he writes women.

Critics praised Sorkin's "The Social Network," but many criticized his stereotypical portrayal of women. He responded to the criticism by saying that he was "writing about a very angry and deeply misogynistic group of people" and that his film merely reflected the reality of the events surrounding the creation of Facebook.

He faced criticism again after "The Newsroom" started airing, with some saying that the female characters served mostly to prop up their male counterparts in the show.

Sorkin blasted media coverage of the massive Sony hack, which saw mounds of data from Sony Pictures Entertainment dumped online by hackers calling themselves the Guardians of Peace. Sorkin wrote an op-ed in The New York Times that the media was doing exactly what the hackers wanted by publishing information included in the hack.

SEE ALSO: Aaron Sorkin Slams Media Covering Sony Hack In New York Times Op-Ed

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Warning: There are some minor spoilers ahead for "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies."

Two years after the release of the first "Hobbit" movie, this is the one we've been waiting for. 

Dwarves and elves battling orcs, an angry dragon decimating an entire town, and a seemingly ageless Orlando Bloom slinging back arrows and taking names as the sleek archer Legolas.

"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" (BOTFA) is definitely the best of the trilogy. Of course, that may not be saying much overall. The first movie, "An Unexpected Journey," felt like a lot of filler time on screen just to stretch out the franchise into three films. It took nearly the entire second film, "The Desolation of Smuag," for the fearsome dragon to make his grand appearance.

As the (new) title suggests, BOTFA is the one where the majority of the non-stop action takes place. 

If you haven't seen the second film, catch up before heading to theaters or you'll be a bit confused since the movie immediately picks up where the last one left off. They're not wasting any time with this one. 

For those who don't have about three hours to kill, here's the too-long-didn't-watch synopsis:

After stumbling along for much of two movies, the company of 13 (dwarves + hobbit Bilbo Baggins) has finally arrived at the Lonely Mountain to reclaim the treasure of Erebor from a treacherous dragon Smaug. They've chased the dragon from the mountain, setting it loose upon the poor, unexpecting inhabitants of Lake Town.

Thematically, the entire film feels very familiar. Like the third "The Lord of the Rings" movie, "The Return of the King," BOFTA is a lead up to a giant battle. The former is against the dark Lord Sauron. The latter, as the title suggests, is between five armies.

And here's where it gets a little confusing. If you don't follow the books, you'll sit there trying to figure out who these five armies are throughout the film. If you've read the books, you'll instantly know. But the film makes it slightly less clear.

Obviously, the elves are one army and the dwarves another. Then there are the Orcs. The people of Lake Town are another, but do you categorize them with the elves and dwarves since they eventually team up? Then the Orcs have two armies. So does that count as one or two? Later on, the Eagles join in. Are they an army? If so, I'm counting about six. (For the record, the OFFICIAL FIVE armies are the elves, the men, the dwarves, the Goblins, and Wargs in case you're wondering.) 

Army counting aside, the 45-minute battle itself in BOFTA is awesome.

There are fantastic action sequences involving Legolas (Orlando Bloom), his father, the Elvenking Thranduil (Lee Pace), on a gorgeous elk, and, Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly). Once Thorin and his dwarf companions join the fight things really pick up. For fans of the series, director Peter Jackson's immense attention to detail is a plus. Viewers will notice a small reference to Sting, Bilbo's sword that turns blue when Orcs are near. The fight even manages to address one thing that probably bothered many while watching the original LOTR trilogy — how does Legolas never run out of arrows while fighting?

The visuals of Middle Earth continue to astound. It's no wonder why director Peter Jackson has filmed in New Zealand for the better part of a decade.

The main problem is that the stakes never feel large enough. In "The Return of the King," Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Gandalf, Legolas, and more all team up to take down the dark force of Sauron. That's a pretty noble cause worth dying for. There were plenty of times where you're on the verge of tears while watching the Oscar winner. It's a classic you can watch over and over again. BOTFA leaves something to be desired. 

Here, everyone's fighting to gain possession of the Lonely Mountain and its many riches after the dragon Smaug abandons it. The story is more about greed and control than necessarily fighting against the forces of evil. 

Since it's a prequel, you more or less go in with a fair idea of where you'll end up by the end of the movie (i.e. you know who will live vs. who may die).

The other main issue with the "Hobbit" trilogy is that many of the characters aren't that likeable. I've said this before in my review of the last film, but they're pretty much all selfish jerks — even Gandalf at times (magnificently played by Sir Ian McKellen) — which makes it difficult to root for many of them. 

- The (majority of the) dwarves: At the start of the first film, they show little concern for Bilbo's life. They bust into his home and raid his food before hiring him to work as a burglar to retrieve the Arkenstone, a family heirloom, guarded by the dragon Smaug. They don't care if he dies as long as they get their stone. He's simply a means to an end. Even in the second film, they toss him into the dragon's lair alone. 

- Gandalf: The old wizard is in on tricking Bilbo into joining the dwarves on their journey to the Lonely Mountain. Nobody actually thinks he'll make it home alive. 

- Thranduil: The Elvenking makes it clear in the second film he's only interested in what's best for his own welfare. He's not going to stick his neck out for anyone else. (I get this. He's a king. I can get behind that.) But then, in this film, *mini-spoiler* he wants to go to war with the dwarves over a few priceless glistening heirloom gems. Those are worth risking lives over? Sigh. *mini-spoiler* By the end of the film, he's much more likeable. - Bilbo: The main protagonist of the film steals the "one ring to rule them all" and then constantly lies about it to Gandalf, who, it turns out *mini-spoiler* knows he's lying to his face about it *mini-spoiler*.

Bard (Luke Evans) Legolas, Tauriel, and Kili are probably the only redeemable characters with Evans playing the one real hero of the series. In many ways, he's the Aragorn of this trilogy and you wish there was more screen time with the widowed father of three.

All of the performances are great. 

The unseen Benedict Cumberbatch returns to voice both films villains, Smaug and the Necromancer.

Richard Armitage's Thorin grapples with an overemphasized illness called dragon sickness that probably could have been downplayed a bit more. This happens in the book, but here it feels a bit weird, forced, and conveniently resolved to move the plot along.

Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, and Christopher Lee return all-too briefly in one of the film's best scenes *mini-spoiler* to face off with the film's villain and future villain of The Lord of the Rings series, the Necromancer *mini-spoiler*. Blanchett is equal parts enchanting and commanding while exemplifying a horrifyingly haunting side to Elf Queen Galadriel. You wish there was more screen time with them. 

This is one thing that's a bit surprising about the third and final film. It's the shortest of the series at just under two and a half hours and some of the best sequences feel rushed through.

After his menacing presence in the last film, we barely get to see Smaug. As Cumberbatch describes it in the film's production notes, his role is reduced to the likes of "a child having a tantrum" in 15 minutes of BOTFA.

15!? Yes. 15. 

Remember, the first film spent around 45 mins in Bilbo's home introducing us to all of the dwarves for a sing-along dinner. 

It feels like one of those cliffhanger storyline at the end of your favorite show that gets resolved in the next five minutes of the following episode. 

That was highly a bummer because our screening of the film was in the controversial high-frame rate which shows the movie at 48 frames per second (fps). Normally, audiences view films at 24fps. It's definitely an assault on the eyeballs, at least for the first half hour as your eyes adjust to the screen. Unfortunately, this took away from the scenes with Smaug. Everyone from the people of Lake-town to the dragon looked so sped up at points  that some movements started to appear comical. I wouldn't let this deter you, I'd just recommend seeing in another format. 

Overall, are you going to have a good time? Yes. 

This is one of the few big screenings I've attended this year where the audience, filled with critics, gave a round of applause at the film's end. Illustrated caricatures of the actors at the film's end are a nice touch to the end of the series.

"The Battle of the Five Armies," unlike "The Return of the King" just isn't something you're going to sit around and rewatch over and over again. It's "The Return of the King" lite.

The film is in theaters Wed. Dec. 17.

Watch the trailer.

SEE ALSO: Benedict Cumberbatch rolled around on a carpet to bring the dragon in "The Hobbit" movies to life

AND: Here's the scene the MPAA wanted to give "The Hobbit" sequel an R-rating over

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Business Insider is looking for a goals-oriented Audience Development Manager to join BI Studios, our in-house content team.

BI Studios works with marketers to develop robust, engaging sponsor content in a variety of formats (text, videos, slideshows, and infographics) as part of their ad campaigns. The person in this role will grow traffic and video views to that content, as well as help foster and strengthen audience engagement.

Do you love diving into data and performance metrics, understating them inside and out -- and then improving upon them? Do you want to be part of a growing team dedicated to producing and distributing the best branded content on the web? Then this may be the job for you. 

The ideal candidate is a self-starter who thinks strategically and proactively about how to drive traffic and engagement. As Audience Development Manager, you will be responsible for the following:

• Measure, report and analyze key performance indicators across branded content at Business Insider
• Provide regular analytics support and best practices to internal stakeholders -- Studios Content Development and Ad Sales teams
• Oversight and optimization of social programming strategy across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social networks with core emphasis on growing traffic and streams to sponsored content
• Develop deals and maintain relationships with social and digital influencers, publishers, and platforms to drive additional content distribution
• Drive engagement and consumption of sponsored content and campaigns to enhance advertiser's ROI
• Constant evaluation of new social / digital platforms, marketing services, and products and trends

Qualifications:

• 3+ years experience in digital analytics
• Strong passion and deep understanding of all social media platforms 
• Proven track record driving click traffic and streams via paid digital and social marketing campaigns; deep knowledge of ad products across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Outbrain, Taboola, and others
• Familiarity with content aggregators and destinations (such as Reddit and StumbleUpon) and digital analytics tools (Parsley, SimpleReach, Google Analytics, and Facebook Insights)
• Thorough understanding of the relationships of social media and SEO to site traffic
• Strong verbal and communication skills

If this is the right gig for you, please apply online and tell us why you're a good fit for the role. 

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In the latest in a series of scary cyberattacks, the hackers who have targeted Sony — and who call themselves Guardians of Peace (GOP) — are now threatening Thursday's New York City premiere of "The Interview" and theaters in which it will be shown after the movie's Christmas Day release.

A new message from the GOP on file-sharing services containing links to the latest hacked documents reveals that the group plans a "bitter fate those who seek fun in terror should be doomed to" and recommends "you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time."

The hackers then chillingly add: "Remember the 11th of September 2001."

Read the full message below (via BuzzFeed):

Warning

We will clearly show it to you at the very time and places “The Interview” be shown, including the premiere, how bitter fate those who seek fun in terror should be doomed to.
Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made.
The world will be full of fear.
Remember the 11th of September 2001.
We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time.
(If your house is nearby, you’d better leave.)
Whatever comes in the coming days is called by the greed of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
All the world will denounce the SONY.

"The Interview," a James Franco and Seth Rogen comedy about two journalists recruited by the CIA to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was denounced by the Pyongyang government as "undisguised sponsoring of terrorism, as well as an act of war" in a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon all the way back in June.

Since then, the hackers calling themselves Guardians of Peace have attacked Sony Entertainment in a series of hackings ahead of the movie's Dec. 25 release.

While last week's Los Angeles premiere of "The Interview" went off without a hitch, it sounds as if the GOP is now threatening an attack on Thursday's premiere in New York City at Sunshine Cinema on the Lower East Side.

On Monday, Sony decided to scale down its New York premiere.

The GOP also released the promised "Christmas gift" of files. The contents of the files are unknown, but it's titled "Michael Lynton," the name of the CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

NOW WATCH: MythBusters' Adam Savage Explains Why TARS From 'Interstellar' Is The Perfect Robot

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

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

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