It’s that time of year where network TV executives are preparing to announce which shows they’ll cancel in order to make room for a new crop of series.

They’re crunching the budgets, staring at the ratings, weighing international sales and considering how many pilots they’ll want to order for the fall.

But, it isn’t always just about the numbers. A network’s relationships with producers, stars, and critical reception can also factor into the equation.

With all that in mind, we've assembled the 15 shows that are most likely goners.*

ABC

1.) “Revenge” (1.1 rating/4.49 million viewers)

During its first season, “Revenge” helped to rejuvenate ABC after a string of failed dramas. But its following three seasons have been plagued with declining ratings, creative problems, mini story reboots, and almost nonexistent social buzz. It has now used all of its “we’re back” passes. But, it still holds a sweet place in ABC’s drama rebound, so the network may go ahead and give it a fifth season to wrap up storylines and set it up for syndication.

2.) “Cristela" (1.0 rating /5.23 million viewers)

In a vacuum, “Cristela’s” ratings would be low enough for certain cancellation. But, it also has several things working in its favor. First off, Friday is a typically low day for viewership and ABC has no idea how a new comedy will do on that night. On the other hand, Friday would be a good night to test new shows for the very same reason. But, “Cristela’s” Latino leads fit well into ABC’s diversity push, where its been a leader in broadcast. ABC, though, has several name people backing comedy pilots that offer diversity, including projects with Ken Jeong, Dan Savage, and Whoopi Goldberg.

3.) “Forever” (1.12 rating/4.97 million viewers)

It was a surprise when ABC decided to order a full season of this supernatural procedural. No doubt, it hoped it would find an audience. Plus, it hales from Warner Bros. Television, a partner on high profile Marvel shows “Agents of SHIELD” and “Agent Carter.” It never did find its audience and WBTV should be happy that ABC gave it a fighting chance.

CBS

4. “Battle Creek” (.81 rating/6.49 million viewers)

There was so much excitement surrounding “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan’s new series. But, the buzz didn’t turn into ratings and CBS can’t have this drama pull its ratings average down.

5.) “Stalker” (1.4 rating/6.04 million viewers)

Kevin Williamson’s (“The Vampire Diaries,” “Scream”) gory stalker thriller hasn’t become an obsession with viewers. It’s also never a good sign when a network pulls a show off the schedule to make room for another series. It returned on a new night on Monday and was able to pick up more viewers,. But, it’s probably too late to save itself.

6.) “CSI” (1.3 rating/8.26 million viewers)

Can CBS actually cancel “CSI” after 15 seasons and three spinoffs? It may be the show’s time to go. After all, “CSI: Cyber” is still around to carry on the name (though it isn’t doing a whole lot better in the ratings). 

NBC

7.) “American Odyssey” (0.74 rating/3.86 million viewers)

NBC’s lowest-rated show has only been on for a few weeks, but its actually earning lower ratings than “Allegiance,” which NBC pulled from the schedule after just five episodes. 

8.) “Constantine” (0.92 rating/3.34 million viewers)

Despite a groundswell of activism among fans in support of a second season of the comic-based show, there’s very few reasons NBC would give the show another season. It wouldn’t even air the totality of its first. The network’s inability to announce the show’s official cancelation could be the result of a few things: embarrassment over jumping on the comic book adaptation craze and failing, as well as maintaining its relationship with executive producers Daniel Cerone (“Dexter”) and David S. Goyer (“Batman” trilogy). NBC is known to make silly decisions for relationships.

9.) “About a Boy” (1.03 rating/3.53 million viewers)

NBC’s highest rated sitcom in its first season, “About a Boy” has plummeted in its second season. With a healthy amount of comedy pilots waiting in the wings, it can afford to let “About a Boy” go, even if it means cutting ties with Jason Katims (“Parenthood,” “Friday Night Lights”)for a bit. See above regarding NBC and relationships.

Fox

10.) “Weird Loners” (.63 rating/1.55 million viewers)

Fox’s attempt to re-create the early seasons of “New Girl” was a bust. The comedy is the lowest-rated show on Fox’s roster and can be easily plucked out and replaced with a new show in the fall.

11.) “Backstrom” (1/4.08 million viewers)

There was a lot of excitement around “Office” alum Rainn Wilson’s new detective dramedy. But, it failed to find an audience.

12.) “The Following” (1.17 rating/3.62 total viewers)

After a season that captured viewers’ attention, the Kevin Bacon series struggled creatively and lost its audience and buzz. With the success of “Empire,” dark, violent shows may not be in vogue at Fox right now.

13.) “The Mindy Project” (1.05 rating/2.31 million viewers)

Beloved by TV critics and starring the popular Mindy Kaling, Fox has a couple reasons to keep “The Mindy Project” around. But, its ratings are poor and most of the time business becomes the functional word in show business.

The CW

14.) “Hart of Dixie” (.41 rating/1.18 million viewers)

Everyone from the show’s creator, its stars and its small loyal group of fans have declared the show over, but The CW seems to be the last to be able to utter the word “canceled.” If enough people are telling you you’re dead, then at some point it’s time to lie down.

15.) “The Messengers” (.25 rating/.98 million viewers)

It may be a little early since “The Messengers” have only aired for two weeks, but The CW basically shoved this supernatural show into cancelation territory. It premiered late in the season and on Friday nights. Did the network already give up on it?

Note: Ratings based on most available Neilsen overnight numbers for the average advertiser-coveted Adults, ages 18-49 and total viewers.

SEE ALSO: Here's which 'Full House' cast members are — and are not — returning for Netflix's spinoff show

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NOW WATCH: Amy Schumer gives a brutally honest interview about her sex life

Today marks Prince William and Kate Middleton's fourth anniversary.

After four years together, the couple have adopted a dog, moved into their own home at Kensington Palace, and have welcomed their first child, Prince George.

Now, they're expecting their second child any day.

Though the couple shine at red carpet galas, fundraisers and tours, some of the best moments between the two are candid shots of them laughing and smiling.

Relive some of the couple's most best moments.

April 29 2011: Kate and William kiss on their wedding day.

May 24, 2011: The royals meet the Obamas at Buckingham Palace before attending a special lunch hosted by Queen Elizabeth.

(Source: People)

July 7, 2011: Kate and William show off matching cowboy get up while visiting Canada during their first joint overseas tour.

Don't worry: There are no spoilers ahead.

“Avengers: Age of Ultron” director Joss Whedon was very clear when he told Entertainment Weekly there won’t be an end-credits scene after the film. 

While that may be the case, don’t leave the theater as soon as the movie ends when you head out to see it. 

After an initial credits sequence, there is a very brief mid-credits scene. 

I won’t tell you what it is now, but come back after the film’s release, and we’ll have a full explainer breaking the scene down.

You won’t want to miss it. 

This is the one that really matters, and teases where the future of the Marvel franchise is heading.

Wait. So, there is an end-credits sequence ... sort of?

Yes. 

But, Whedon said there wasn't one?

Yes, technically, that's true. You won't have to sit through the black and white credits that roll for another 10 or so minutes.

So ... I freaked out over nothing?

Kind of. (It's okay. We freaked, too, at first.)

Since 2008, Marvel has been adding these fun tags to the end of its films. Sometimes, they tease something big. In "Iron Man," we saw Samuel L. Jackson step onto the screen as Nick Fury to approach Tony Stark about "The Avenger Initiative." "Thor" was hinted at after "Iron Man 2." You get it.

In more recent years, the end-credit scene became more lighthearted as Marvel started putting out two end-credit sequences starting with 2012's "The Avengers."

The first came midway through the credits (hence mid-credits sequence) and introduced Josh Brolin's future villain Thanos. Some fans may have left theaters afterward thinking that was it! Good show! However, those who stayed around until the end of the film found a fun additional scene continuing the flow of the actual movie where the Avengers gang went out for shawarma.

This didn't become the norm moving forward as "Iron Man 3" still had one end-credit scene. However, the mid-credits sequences started to become more important teasers for viewers than those at the very end of the film.

The only film that really hasn't followed this formula was 2014’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which had two fun end-credits scenes. (Both of the scenes in "Captain America: The Winter Solider" were pretty important to the continuation of the "Captain America" franchise and the larger MCU as a whole.)

The post-credits scene we won't see at the end of "Avengers: Age of Ultron" would have been one of those lighter, more comical tags. Whedon even hinted at this himself when speaking with EW.

Via EW:

Whedon says they tried to come up with something worthy of the end-credits shot but ultimately couldn’t top shawarma. “It didn’t seem to lend itself in the same way, and we wanted to be true to what felt right,” Whedon says. “The first rule of making a sequel is take the best moments and do something else. Don’t do the Indiana Jones gun trick again differently. Just go somewhere else. Don’t try to hit the same highs, because people will sense it.”

So, no need to get worked up. 

“Avengers: Age of Ultron” is in theaters May 1.

SEE ALSO: One of the biggest teases from the "Avengers: Age of Ultron" trailer won't even be in the movie

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NOW WATCH: Disney just dropped another 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' trailer — and it's the best one yet

Hulu is on a roll. The streaming video company just closed a deal with AMC for exclusive rights to replay an upcoming "Walking Dead" spinoff.

That spinoff probably refers to AMC's previously announced "Fear the Walking Dead" series, though it's unclear.

Announced during the company's NewFronts presentation to advertisers on Wednesday, Variety reports the deal will most likely also give Hulu exclusive streaming video on demand (SVOD) rights to other future AMC programming.

In March, AMC ordered two seasons of "Fear the Walking Dead." The six-episode first season will premiere this summer, with the second season projected for 2016.

This would be the second major deal announced by Hulu on Wednesday. Earlier, the company announced it had acquired the SVOD rights from Sony Pictures Television to the entire run of hit comedy "Seinfeld." The deal will reportedly cost Hulu an upwards of $180 milllion.

Watch a trailer for "Fear the Walking Dead" below.

SEE ALSO: Hulu just bought all the 'Seinfeld' reruns

MORE: 15 TV shows that will most likely be canceled in the next few weeks

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NOW WATCH: There's a good reason 'The Walking Dead' creator doesn't use the word zombie

Ahead of this Saturday's big fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, there's a new movie chronicling the latter's origin story.

"Kid Kalufu" tells the story of Manny Pacquiao's early life as a poor kid living in the Philippines that would eventually become one of the greatest boxers of his generation.

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Comedian Amy Schumer gives an honest interview about the sexual double standards between men and women while promoting her upcoming film "Trainwreck."

Schumer stars the Judd Apatow-directed comedy alongside "Saturday Night Live" alum Bill Hader and NBA player LeBron James. "Trainwreck" will be released on July 17, 2015.

Produced by Jason Gaines. Video courtesy of Associated Press, Universal Pictures, and Comedy Central.

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Did you know that world famous sports network ESPN has a fuller name? The acronym originally stood for "The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network."

ESPN, of course, is known for its sports coverage. So when competitive gaming coverage bleeds into Sunday evening sports, sports fans take notice. Some even get pretty vocal about it.

Take ESPN Radio host Colin Cowherd, for instance. He's taking a firm stand against eSports coverage on a network that's named "The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network" – a network that also airs competitive Poker, and eating competitions.

This past Sunday, April 26, ESPN 2 broadcast the finals of a series called "Heroes of the Dorm." In it, two college eSports teams competed for video game glory, and also full tuition rides. Despite those facts, Cowherd isn't having it:

Here's what's going to get me off the air: if I'm ever forced to cover guys playing video games, I will retire and move to a rural fishing village and sell bait. You want me out, demand video game tournaments on ESPN, because that’s what appeared on ESPN 2 yesterday.

Before we dig through the rest of Cowherd's statements, some context is required. Cowherd is a longtime pot-stirrer in the sports world, known as much for his fringe, borderline racist statements as much as he's known for his ability to cover sports. He's on Business Insider's list of The 10 Worst Sportscasters on the Planet, as well as Deadspin's "Worst Men in Sports" list.

Cowherd is a huckster in the purest sense – as we wrote in 2011, "Colin Cowherd is the loudest guy in the room, and he's routinely the most uninformed person there too."

Knowing that, it's not surprising that he has open disdain for the eSports coverage – the hundreds of millions of people who love eSports are a prime target for his attention-grabbing tirade. Not to mention Cowherd's primary audience on ESPN Radio is the perfect breeding ground for his argument to flourish.

In this tirade, Cowherd targeted ESPN2, which broadcast a live "Heroes of the Storm" match on April 26. More specifically, Cowherd targeted his employer and the fans of that night's broadcast.

"Somebody lock the basement door at mom's house and don't let 'em out," Cowherd shouts as video of the tournament plays over his voice. "I tolerated 'Donkey Kong.' Okay? I'll tell you what that was the equivalent of there...[unintelligible]...of me putting a gun in my mouth and having to listen to that."

Bizarrely, Cowherd's broadcast uses sound effects from classic video game "Pac-Man" and the "Revenge of the Nerds" movie franchise to illustrate his apparent frustration. More bizarrely, he closes his rant with a line about "how intense" the commentators of the eSports match are, though they sound indistinguishable from standard sports commentators. Here's the match:

 Except it's not bizarre – it's drumming up controversy for the sake of entertainment. As we put it in 2011:

People like Cowherd and Skip Bayless are paid to come up with simple, two-sided talking points that provoke a specific faction of viewers and/or listeners. These debates don't have to have a relationship with reality, and the people arguing either side don't have to believe what they're saying.

It's entertainment.

And that's exactly it: Cowherd may or may not actually feel this strongly about eSports, competitive gaming, or his employer "forcing" him to ever cover it. It doesn't really matter. What matters is that it got people arguing, talking, and writing about what he said. Just look at Twitter's reactions: 

And then there's Twitter reactions to the broadcast (not Cowherd's response) from other ESPN employees. They skew far more positive, as seen here:  

The full video of Cowherd's response is below, captured by Sports Grid:

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NOW WATCH: We Got An Inside Look At ESPN's New SportsCenter Studio — And It's Awesome

Stan Lee recently proclaimed himself“the world’s most famous cameo artist.” And it’s hard to argue with him.

The former president and chairman of Marvel Comics is currently best-known for showing up in the majority of the movies released by Marvel Studios since 2008’s “Iron Man.” But he started doing cameos long before there were superhero movies.

Going as far back as the 1960s, Lee’s likeness would be inserted occasionally in covers and inside the pages of the Marvel comics he was overseeing. And from what Lee told Business Insider while promoting Gillette’s new line of Avengers-inspired razors, it was never his intention to pop up in all things Marvel.

“The artists back then would draw me in as a joke or just to have fun,” Lee told BI. “And I would put some dialogue balloons there and it looked as if I intended it. I didn’t try to do cameos in those days.”

Here’s Lee and fellow iconic Marvel artist Jack Kirby showing up on the cover of a “Fantastic Four” comic in the 1960s.

And Lee shows up in this edition of the “Nova” comics in the 1990s.
“Anything that seemed fun and anything that the readers seemed to enjoy we kept doing and those things brought in a lot of fan mail,” Lee recalls. “And we weren’t doing movies or television, our whole existence depended on comic books, so if you see that something is interesting to the fans you stay with it.”

Marvel definitely stayed with it, making Lee the face of the company. Over the decades, the now 92-year-old has also appeared in countless cartoons, TV shows, and movies ranging from Fox's '90s cartoon “Spider-Man” to 1995 comedy “Mallrats" where Kevin Smith used him as a voice of reason. Lee said he particularly likes his cameo in “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (in theaters Friday) because “it’s so funny.”

That's primarily why he also has a fondness for his appearance in 2007’s “Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer,” in which he can’t get into the wedding of Reed Richards and Susan Storm because the bouncer doesn’t think he’s really Stan Lee. “I like any of them that seem a little bit funny,” he added.

Get ready to see more of Lee after "Age of Ultron." He tells BI he’s already filmed his cameo for this summer's adaptation of “Ant-Man.”

See if you can find him when the movie opens July 17.

SEE ALSO: Stan Lee's original cameo was cut from "Guardians of the Galaxy" because it was too edgy

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NOW WATCH: This Was Marvel Legend Stan Lee's One Big Mistake

Woody Allen's latest is here and stars Emma Stone, Joaquin Phoenix, and Parker Posey.

Here's what IMDB tells us about the plot: "On a small town college campus, a philosophy professor in existential crisis gives his life new purpose when he enters into a relationship with his student."

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While "Avengers: Age of Ultron" director Joss Whedon has been running Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe, he's also looking forward to next year's "Batman V Superman" from Warner Bros.

"People with power, who are good, do not always agree and it makes perfect sense for me that [Batman and Superman] would fight," Whedon told Yahoo Movies. "And besides … Batman and Superman are gonna fight! I’m so excited! I’m so excited!"

If you're a Batfan, you may know there's another reason Whedon is interested in a Batman movie. 

Before Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" trilogy became a blockbuster taking in over $2.4 billion worldwide, Whedon approached Warner Bros. with a script for a very different Batman origin story.

A 2012 GQ article described the script, with quotes from Whedon: 

There was a lot more in Whedon’s take, about the orphaned Bruce Wayne as a morbid, death-obsessed kid. There was a scene—Whedon used to well up, just thinking about it—where young Bruce tries to protect this girl from being bullied in an alley, an alley like the one his parents were murdered in. 

“And he’s like this tiny 12-year old who’s about to get the s— kicked out him. And then it cuts to Wayne Manor, and Alfred is running like something terrible has happened, and he finds Bruce, and he’s back from the fight, and he’s completely fine. And Bruce is like, “I stopped them. I can stop them.’ That was the moment for me. When he goes ‘Oh, wait a minute; I can actually do something about this.’ The moment he gets that purpose, instead of just sort of being overwhelmed by the grief of his parents’ death.”

The script also featured a new villain instead of one from the Caped Crusader's vast rogue's gallery. 

"In my version, there was actually a new [villain], it wasn’t one of the classics -- which is probably why they didn’t use it," Whedon told MTV in 2008. "It was more of a 'Hannibal Lector' type -- he was somebody already in Arkham Asylum that Bruce went and sort of studied with. It was a whole thing -- I get very emotional about it, I still love the story. Maybe I’ll get to do it as a comic one day."

Whatever the reason, his script was rejected, as was a script he wrote for DC's Wonder Woman.

Whedon finally got his comic book movie when he was hired to rewrite and direct the "Avengers," and the rest is history.

SEE ALSO: Joss Whedon has been writing Marvel scripts since he was 12

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NOW WATCH: Disney just dropped another 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' trailer — and it's the best one yet

Since 2008, Paul Bettany has had one of the most important roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but you may not have realized it. 

He's appeared behind-the-scenes in five Marvel movies as the voice of Tony Stark's A.I. J.A.R.V.I.S.

When "Avengers: Age of Ultron" hits theaters May 1, fans will see him for the first time on screen in a very different role when he steps out as the superhero android Vision.

As a result, he'll be the first — and most likely only — actor to play two different Marvel characters on screen.

During an interview for "Age of Ultron" with Business Insider, Bettany said if it wasn't for director Joss Whedon, we very well may have seen another actor play Vision on the big screen. 

"They [Marvel] have a rule, that you’re not allowed to play more than one character in the Marvel universe," explains Bettany. "So, they broke the rules … they bent the rules slightly for me because Joss really wanted to bring the Vision into the film world, and he really wanted me to do it."

The 43-year-old actor described the transition from A.I. to a physical presence in the films as a bit of a double-edged sword. 

"Before I used to turn up for two hours and get paid a silly amount of money for … I used to feel like a pirate running off with a bag of cash at the end of the day," jokes Bettany. "Now, I actually have to show up and stuff." 

However, the experience of being on set with the other actors has been a refreshing change from what he was used to previously. 

"It’s really lovely to finally be working with these people that I’ve been working with for 10 years already," says Bettany. "It’s a bunch of really creative, talented, funny people who are all playing at the top of their game, and I don’t just mean the cast — who were incredibly welcoming — but I also mean Kevin Feige and Jeremy Latchum and Joss Whedon. They really know how to make these movies."

Bettany's take as the Android is one of the most enjoyable bits of the "Avengers" sequel. 

"Avengers: Age of Ultron" is in theaters May 1.

SEE ALSO: "Avengers: Age of Ultron" is great, but it's not better than the original

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NOW WATCH: Marvel Just Released A New 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron' Trailer And It's Incredible

Nick Berardini was in his senior year at the University of Missouri in 2008 and working the late shift at the local TV station when a call on the police scanner changed his life.

Berardini got word of an in-custody death by the Moberly Police Department and was one of the first reporters on the scene.

Witnesses told him 23-year-old Stanley Harlan had been pulled over by the Moberly police in front of his house. Harlan got out of his car, had a conversation with the officer who pulled him over for speeding or drunken driving (it's still not clear why he was pulled over), and was allowed to call his mother. But when other officers arrived all hell broke loose.

"The second officer on the scene didn't understand [Harlan] was allowed to use his phone," Berardini told Business Insider of what witnesses told him that night. "He tried to take it from [Harlan], and Harlan backed up with his hands in the air and said something like, 'Why are you going to tase me?'"

The officer used a Taser stun gun on Harlan's chest three times for a total of 31 seconds, according to Berardini's reporting. Harlan went into cardiac arrest and died on the scene in front of his mother and stepfather.

"That seemed so aggressive to me and such an obvious misuse of force that I became really sympathetic towards the family," said Berardini, who at the time of Harlan's death was 24 years old and aspiring to be a filmmaker.

Six months after Harlan's death, Berardini got the dash-cam video of the incident and saw the entire altercation. It not only verified what the witnesses told him that evening, but it also motivated him to make a film that would show how an event like this could fracture a small community.

The journey in telling that story led him to the doors of Taser International, the multimillion-dollar company that manufactures Tasers for law enforcement in the US.

Suddenly, the film became much bigger.

Berardini's documentary, "Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle" (named after the young adult novel that also inspired the trademarked acronym "Taser"), premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last week and is the first of its kind. Never before had a film looked in great detail at the stun-gun industry, which is dominated by Taser International, and given an objective view of its effect on society and law enforcement.

The film heavily uses archival footage to explore how Taser International founders Tom and Rick Smith created the Taser, which they then sold to police departments across the country with the promise that it was a safer alternative to firearms. (According to Taser International, "suspect injuries have been shown to be reduced by as much as 60% when alternative means of force are deployed.")

In 2012, Taser International said the risk of death from the electrical effects of devices like Tasers had not been "conclusively demonstrated" by a reputable scientific study. (In the US, 17,800 police departments currently carry Tasers.) But with hundreds of apparent Taser-related deaths in the country since Taster International's Taser was created in 1993, criticism of the weapon has grown stronger, and some departments have even decided to stop using Tasers. In 2009, Taser International updated its training guides by stating that officers should not aim for the chest.

"'Tom Swift' highlights the ineptitude not only of Taser International but also of the governing bodies and police departments that have allowed this organization to essentially have a monopoly over the training and safety of the device," wrote BI's Brett Arnold and Amanda Macias in their review of the film.

Here's a portion of the statement Taser International sent to Business Insider in regard to the risk of death by being stunned by a Taser (see full statement at the bottom of this story):

TASER® technology is the most extensively researched less-lethal weapon with more than 500 related reports and medical studies. These studies consistently have found that the TASER is generally safe and effective as a response to resistance option ... However, it is still a 'weapon' and it is not risk free and TASER provides in depth warnings to law enforcement to that effect; including that the weapon may cause death or serious injury.

But it took years for Berardini to realize the story he was telling was not about the awful death of Harlan but about the weapon that killed him.

In fall 2009, Berardini began having a conversation with Taser International about filming one of its executives for his film.

"I was 24, impressionable, didn't know a lot, and potentially had a platform of a 90-minute film," Berardini said of why he thought the company would agree to talk to him.

He also got to Taser International at an interesting time in the company's history.

"They were starting to lose lawsuits for the first time," Berardini said. "And internally, they felt the weight of that and wanted to speak from their own perspective."

Six months of talks with Taser International finally led the company to allow Berardini to come to its headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, in March 2010 and film an interview with the company's vice president of strategic communications, Steve Tuttle. Berardini was also invited to record footage of the factory where Tasers are assembled.

At the time, Berardini was working alone on the project. So he got a cameraman from the Missouri TV station he worked at to come along to shoot and a friend to be his production assistant.

"I think they expected me to come there and be converted by this Orwellian headquarters they have," Berardini said. "Because that is what works for police officers."

Berardini said he didn't have any "gotcha" questions for Tuttle. "I expected them to not play a big role" in the film, he acknowledged. But he was hoping that at least Tuttle would acknowledge that Tasers could be dangerous if used excessively.

That didn't happen.

In the film, Tuttle seems unsympathetic to any of the Taser-related deaths and stays on message with the company motto, "Protecting life. Protecting truth."

Tuttle's firm stance during the interview that Tasers could never cause deaths "honestly blew me away," Berardini said.

Berardini left the Taser headquarters three hours later having grown more suspicious of Taser International. He began to research the company, talking to reporters who had covered it and speaking to lawyers who had taken it to court.

He also brought on producers Jamie Goncalves and Brock Williams. They found that Berardini was essentially editing two films, one on Taser and one on Harlan.

"He was still really focused on telling this story on Stanley Harlan," Williams said. "But the thing that I immediately was drawn to was this bigger [Taser International] story and this great [Tuttle] interview."

Around Christmas 2011, Berardini finally came to terms that the Harlan story could not be the main focus of the movie.

"I met Brock for lunch and we were exhausted, and I said, 'We have to start over,'" Berardini said.

What put him over the edge was all the material he got from his research, including Taser International training DVDs, manuals, and over 120 hours of deposition footage. It all gave Berardini a clearer picture of what he viewed as negligence by Taser International in how it made its device attractive to police departments. He had to make that the focus.

The Harlan story would now be in the film as one of the chilling examples of the excessive use of Tasers by police.

By the time Berardini had a rough cut of "Tom Swift" last October, he said, Taser International was already trying to stop the film from being released.

Berardini said the company attempted to subpoena the film after the Harlans' lawsuit against Taser International. The filmmakers caught a break, however, because the "discovery period" of the lawsuit had passed, meaning Taser International could not subpoena them. The Harlans' suit against Taser International was dismissed by an appeals court in 2014. The officers on the scene of Harlan's death were not criminally liable because, according to Berardini, there was nothing in the Taser International manual used by the police department that would suggest the use of the Taser could cause a fatality. But the Harlans did get a $2.4 million settlement from the city of Moberly.

All the people involved with the film were convinced Taser International would continue to come after them. But according to Berardini, the company has been quiet since the film was announced to play at the Tribeca Film Festival. And to Berardini's knowledge, no one at the company has seen the film yet.

Tuttle issued this statement to Business Insider, which we have included below in full, regarding the risk of death to those stunned by a Taser:

TASER^® technology is the most extensively researched less-lethal weapon with more than 500 related reports and medical studies. These studies consistently have found that the TASER is generally safe and effective as a response to resistance option. In a 5-year TASER safety study by the US Department of Justice 'an expert panel of medical professionals concludes that the use of conducted energy devices by police officers on healthy adults does not present a high risk of death or serious injury.' A US DOJ funded study by the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center found that in 1201 randomly selected incidents, 99.75 percent of individuals subjected to a TASER device as part of an arrest procedure received no significant injury. The American Medical Association assessed that TASER devices are a 'safe and effective tool' and 'can save lives during interventions' when used appropriately. However, it is still a 'weapon' and it is not risk free and TASER provides in depth warnings to law enforcement to that effect; including that the weapon may cause death or serious injury.

Tuttle told Business Insider he had not seen the film.

But screenings of the film at Tribeca may have affected Taser International's bottom line. After the world premiere of the film, the company's stock began to fall. (Though, recently the stock has surged.)

Berardini and his team are shopping offers for distribution of the film. One of their hopes — especially with the influx of recent stories of officers using excessive force— is that they will get the film shown at police departments that use Tasers.

"The police still get the message from one source, Taser International," he said. "Police need to see this film so when they go out on the street they will think about what the consequences are of using the device."

SEE ALSO: Why police sometimes shoot people instead of stunning them

MORE: The director of Netflix's next movie plucked his lead actor from the streets of Ghana

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NOW WATCH: Disney just released a new 'Star Wars: Episode VII' trailer and it's incredible

It’s time to say goodbye to some titles on Netflix next month. And a few are classics (especially if you’re a fan of the ’80s).

The iconic 1980s comedy “Airplane!” will be grounded. As well as the original “RoboCop” (1987).

And for you James Bond fans, be sure to catch the most recent film in the franchise, "Skyfall," one last time before it’s taken down.

Below are all the titles. We’ve highlighted a few favorites.

Leaving 5/1

"6 Bullets"
"12 Dogs of Christmas: Great Puppy Rescue"
“A Knight’s Tale”
“Airplane!”

“Airplane II: The Sequel”
“All I Want for Christmas”
“Along Came Polly"
"An American Haunting"
"Baby Genius: The Four Seasons"
"Baby Genius: Underwater Adventures"
“BASEketball”
"Bitter Moon"
“Boys Don’t Cry”
"Bratz: Babyz: The Movie"
"Call Me Claus"
"Call Me Crazy: A Five Film"
“Cecil B. Demented”
"Deuces Wild"
“Devine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood”
“Fantastic Voyage"
“Finding Forrester”
“Friday the 13th: Part 7: The New Blood”
“Funny Face”
"Ichi the Killer"
"Into the Blue 2: The Reef"
“Life is Beautiful”
“RoboCop”
“Romancing the Stone”
“Sabrina” (1954)
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze”
“The Accused”
“The Brother’s Bloom”
“The Jewel of the Nile”
"The Secret of NIMN"
"True Justice: Season 1"
“Valkyrie”

Leaving 5/2

“Flight”

Leaving 5/3

"The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement"

Leaving 5/5

"Diana Vreeland" The Eye Has to Travel"
"Frank Skinner Stand-Up: Live from Birmingham's National Indoor Arena"
"Grumpy Old Women Live"
"Russell Kane: Smokescreens & Castles Live"

“Skyfall”

Leaving 5/6

"1428"

Leaving 5/12

"Grimm's Snow White"
“Robot & Frank”

Leaving 5/13

"Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos"

Leaving 5/15

"Buffalo Girls"

Leaving 5/16

"Fun Size"

Leaving 5/17

"Cloud 9"
"Dane Cook: Rough Around the Edges: Live from Madison Square Garden"

Leaving 5/19

“Red Dawn” (2012)

Leaving 5/20

"No Woman, No Cry"

Leaving 5/23

“Silent House”

Leaving 5/28

"The New Guy"

Leaving 5/31

"The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia"

SEE ALSO: Here's everything coming to Netflix in May

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NOW WATCH: This Scientology documentary made HBO hire 160 lawyers — here's the trailer

It's a huge weekend for Marvel as 'The Avengers: Age of Ultron" hits the big screen on Friday, May 1.

With so many superheroes all on the screen together at once, it's a great time to take a step back and look at what movie studios own the rights to what characters. 

Information like this can have major movie ramifications. For example, we recently learned that Sony and Marvel are teaming up for a brand new incarnation of Spider-Man, and that opens up the flood gates for Spidey to appear in other Marvel movies.

This news shows how important studio rights are in the world of comic book characters. But it can certainly be confusing.

The Geek Twins have solved all our heroic problems with this awesome infographic that shows who owns the rights to every Marvel character. Take a look.

Here's a more detailed breakdown of some of the specific characters, not all, owned by each studio via The Geek Twins:

20th Century Fox

Doctor Doom
Human Torch (Johnny Storm)
Invisible Woman
Mr. Fantastic
The Thing
Alicia Masters
Willie Lumpkin
Puppet Master
Silver Surver
Nova (Frankie Raye)
Galactus
Cable
Scarlet Witch
Quicksilver
Deadpool
Agent Zero
Angel
Angel Salvadore
Arclight
Azazel
Banshee
Beast
Bishop
Callisto
Colossus
Cyclops
Darwin
Deadpool
Deathstrike
Emma Frost
Erik Lehnsherr
Gambit
Harada
Havok
Iceman
Jason Stryker
Jean Grey
John Wraith
Jubilee
Juggernaut
Katherine Pryde
Kenuichio Harada
Kid Omega
Lady Deathstrike
Landry Jones Cassidy
Leech
Lord Shingen
Lucas Bishop
Magneto
Mariko Yashida
Moira MacTaggert
Multiple Man
Mystique
Nightcrawler
Norubo Mori
Phoenix
Professor X
Psylocke
Pyro
Quill
Riptide
Rogue
Sabretooth
Sebastian Shaw
Shingen Yashida
Silverfox
Storm
The Blob
Toad
Viper
Wolverine
Yashida
Yukio
Man-Thing

These are some of the Marvel characters Sony Pictures will now share with Marvel Studios:

Spider-Man
Doctor Octopus
Green Goblin
Harry Osborn
The Lizard
Sandman
Venom
Betty Brant
Dennis Carradine (Buglar)
J. Jonah Jameson
Ben Parker
May Parker
John Jameson
Joseph “Robbie” Robertson
Mary Jane Watson
Gwen Stacy
Mendel Stromm
Flash Thompson
Black Cat
Rhino
Elektro

SEE ALSO: Every romantic relationship in the Marvel Universe in one infographic

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NOW WATCH: Marvel Just Released A New 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron' Trailer And It's Incredible

While Tony Stark would just ask his virtual assistant J.A.R.V.I.S. to play a song when he's in the mood for music, soon you'll be able to own your own Iron Man helmet that's actually a wireless Bluetooth speaker.

Marvel is working with online shop Brando to launch a limited edition Iron Man Mark XLIII speaker that's a 1/1 scale replica of the helmet that will be featured in "Avengers: Age of Ultron," and you can pre-order the $449 speaker today.

The speaker will let you stream music wirelessly via Bluetooth, but you can also play music through a USB stick or attach your phone or laptop with the 3.5 mm audio cable. For added effect, the helmet's eyes light up when it's turned on. And since it's a replica developed officially with Marvel, it'll function as a nice movie prop for your bookshelf when it's not in use.

Pre-orders for the speaker are expected to ship out in the latter half of May, so you'll still have some time to enjoy some summer tunes if you decide to pick one up.

You can pre-order for yourself by clicking here.

SEE ALSO: There's a new messaging app based on 'Breaking Bad' character Hector Salamanca's iconic bell

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NOW WATCH: Marvel Just Released A New 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron' Trailer And It's Incredible

Jon Taffer has spent four seasons of "Bar Rescue" turning around failing bars across the US.

The show is filled with plenty of yelling, fighting, and weirdos that make for great television, but the principles Taffer teaches are all based on lessons he's learned over his nearly 40 years in the bar and nightlife business.

Taffer tells Business Insider that even though he was one of the first inductees into the Nightclub Hall of Fame and has worked with more than 800 businesses in his career, he's never had formal management training. Instead, he's learned through trial-and-error, and there have been plenty of errors.

Taffer says that after he lost $600,000 — all of his money — on his first partnership, he learned that when deciding to do business with someone, character is just as important as business acumen.

In Chicago in the late 1980s, Taffer entered into his first business partnership. He declines to give further identifying details but explains the situation:

The guy was sort of a player. He cheated on his own wife and his own family. And when I was about to do business with the guy, a friend of mine said, "Listen, Jon. You don't do business with a guy who cheats on his own family. If he cheats on them, he'll cheat on you in a minute."

I didn't listen. I did the deal. I got ripped off for $600,000 — every dime I had. And I've been very conscious about ever having a partner since.

That was a serious mistake.

Entrepreneurs like Silicon Valley power player Peter Thiel often liken business partnerships to marriages, and stress that not only do the partners need complementary skill sets, they need to like and trust each other.

Taffer has extended this lesson to the way he hires, as well.

"If a person's personality and interpersonal skills seem right, then (and only then) does his past experience become relevant to the discussion," Taffer writes in his book "Raise the Bar."

Taffer says that over his long career, he doesn't regret all of the money and opportunities he's lost because the lessons he gleaned allowed him to perform at a higher level.

"I've made stupid investments. I've made stupid decisions as an employee. I've made foolish decisions as a manager. I've gotten fired. I've lost businesses. I went through all of those things," he says.

"I think the greatest mistakes have been my greatest lessons."

SEE ALSO: 'Bar Rescue' host Jon Taffer describes the 3 worst bar disasters he's ever witnessed

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NOW WATCH: The Host Of 'Bar Rescue' Reveals Exactly How To Fire Someone — And When To Give A 2nd Chance

Today is the day to tell the world how much you love "Sonic the Hedgehog."

Log in to Twitter, throw this link up, and voilà: Not only will your Twitter followers find out about your lifelong love for a blue hedgehog, but they'll also be able to play his seminal adventure from within their Twitter feed.

That's right: you can now embed full, playable, classic games in your Twitter feed, care of the fine folks at The Internet Archive.

If that weren't crazy enough, we're taking things one step further.

Here's an embed of a tweet with a game embedded:

Insanity! The Internet Archive has a vast library of emulated gaming classics, all available right here. Good luck with the rest of the work day. 

SEE ALSO: Valve CEO: 'Pissing off the internet costs you a million bucks in just a couple of days'

AND: ESPN's Colin Cowherd blasts his own network with an angry tirade against competitive video gaming

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NOW WATCH: A gigantic whale shark was paraded through a Chinese fishing village

One of the rare disappointments to come out of the Marvel universe is the 2003 movie, “Daredevil.” And Stan Lee hasn’t forgotten.

“‘Daredevil’ didn’t do as well as everybody hoped,” Lee told Business Insider when asked which Marvel character he hopes will make it to the big screen next. “I think that, unfortunately, they didn’t portray him the right way.”

The film starred Ben Affleck as Matt Murdock, who, after going blind at a young age, becomes a crime fighting superhero with his enhanced remaining senses. While it hit number one at the box office opening weekend with $40 million, by its second weekend, the film dropped almost 60% in sales. 

Overall, it made $179 million worldwide on a $78 million budget. Despite being torn apart by critics, the film sits at 45% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, "Daredevil" led to a spinoff, “Elektra,” which bombed two years later.

Among all the Marvel releases, Affleck's take on the superhero currently ranks 28th (wedged between “Ghost Rider” an “Blade II”) at the box office. 

So Marvel dusted itself off and moved on, eventually becoming a juggernaut in Hollywood.The success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has allowed Daredevil to have new life, on episodic television. Through its deal with Netflix, Marvel created a “Daredevil” series which debuted its first season early April. With a grittier tone than the movie, some incredible action, and a great opening credits sequence, the show has found a fanbase (and people like “Avengers” director Joss Whedon pushing harder for a new movie). 

Lee believes it's only a matter of time until another "Daredevil" movie is in the works, and that when Marvel does pull the trigger, it will do right by Murdock.

“Sooner or later there will be another ‘Daredevil’ movie,” he predicts. “And I think it will do very well.”

SEE ALSO: Why comic fans are obsessed with Daredevil and everyone should give him a second chance

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NOW WATCH: Here's Why Stan Lee Says You Should Never Do Something Just For Money

It seems like everywhere you turn lately, there's a promo for Grace Helbig's E! talk show, which airs at 10:30 p.m. on Thursdays.

But Helbig, touted as a massive YouTube star, might not be the Chelsea Handler-type E! fans expected.

Her millions of loyal YouTube followers don't seem to be following her to the television screen. The show's first episode on had 227,000 viewers tune in and the second episode brought in 262,000. While things might have been looking up, the third episode only garnered a low 182,000 viewers, according to Headline Planet.

These numbers put the show's rating at 0.09, which does not bode well for the future of the series, or the idea that YouTube stars can seamlessly transition from being laptop famous to flat-screen famous.

"The Royals," another E! show that's in its first few weeks of existence, brought in nearly 2 million viewers on its premiere night and is currently ranked as Sunday night's most popular scripted show among 18-to-34-year-old women, according to Zap2it. Of course, it benefits from airing right after "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," the No. 1 ad-supported cable show on Sunday TV right now; but even so, "Royals" is bringing in roughly 10 times more viewers than Helbig.

But the fight isn't over — YouTube is promoting her with a series of billboards, while E! is sprinkling TV promos on its network.

To someone who's paying attention, Helbig is everywhere — but if you're not the kind of person who spends a big chunk of time cruising through YouTube, you've probably never heard of her. 

Helbig got her start on YouTube, where her channel was picked up by "My Damn Channel," a network with a massive following that allows certain vloggers to publish on their platform. The deal lasted a few years, and Helbig amassed fans by posting videos that portrayed her as the Zooey Deschanel of YouTube.

She delivered quirky blips and ramblings about nothing such as, "Why don't they make a ham lipgloss?" It seemed her followers were loyal.

But would they be loyal enough to follow her to the big screen?

Based on the ads posted all over subway stations, Helbig comes off as relatable and wacky, a derivative of the "romcom girl," an actress whose beauty and style is offset by her acknowledgment of charming flaws.

In 2014, she published "Grace's Guide: The Art of Pretending You're a Grown Up." She says that despite her 2.2 million subscribers on YouTube, becoming internet famous was "a slow process."

"It's very rare to have what they call a viral sensation happen and to have overnight success," Helbig said on The Today Show. "It takes dedication and it takes brand building. For me, it wasn't one moment. It was kind of a gradual growth."

When the deal with "My Damn Channel" ended, she created a new channel on her own called "It'sGrace," and her fans met her there. Below, her first video on the new channel:

Her twee and self-deprecating persona permeates everything she does. At other times, she reveals a dark side to her comedy that's more Maria Bamford than Zooey Deschanel.

In a video about getting ready for prom, she gives "five different last-minute prom looks for five different personality types." When the "basic" prom-look model runs into a girl who's wearing the same thing she is, Helbig says:

"When you see someone else that thinks they're special like you're special, it ruins your special. You're special. The magazines and the television shows told you that you're special. You're not special. What happens when you're not special? You're nothing."

Helbig fans shouldn't lose hope yet, as some YouTubers have found success on TV.

Whitney Thore's show, "My Big Fat Fabulous Life," averaged 1.2 million viewers over its first season and was renewed for a second season on TLC, according to Zap2it. Tyler Oakley has also had crossover appeal, appearing on TV shows and nabbing an endorsement deal from Pepsi.

SEE ALSO: The 20 richest YouTube stars

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NOW WATCH: Amy Schumer gives a brutally honest interview about her sex life

On Monday, news broke that Maika Monroe — an on-the-rise actress from recent independent movie hits like "It Follows" and "The Guest" — had been cast to play the president’s daughter in the upcoming sequel to "Independence Day."

The casting was initially a minor item highlighting how Monroe is climbing up the Hollywood ranks, but the problem for many is the news meant that the actress who initially played the role in the original 1996 film was now getting the boot.

Young actress Mae Whitman played the president’s daughter in the first "Independence Day."

The role launched Whitman's successful acting career, which has included starring roles in hit TV series "Parenthood" and most recently the successful teen comedy, "The Duff," which stands for "Designated Ugly Fat Friend."

Fans of Whitman, now 26, quickly came to her defense after the casting news. People on social media have been calling out Fox, the studio behind the "Independence Day" sequel, for allegedly recasting the role with a more "conventionally hot" actress to play opposite Liam Hemsworth, who will reportedly be the love interest of Monroe’s character.

Even actress Anna Kendrick took to Twitter to voice her displeasure with the recasting:

Whitman has been quiet about the decision, though she did reply to Kendrick with this:

HitFix's Drew McWeeny reports that Whitman didn’t even make the shortlist of actors for the role and he thinks the reason is obvious:

“…the oh-so-cute actors whose names were on the list all seem to be more of a conventionally ‘hot’ type than Whitman, making it look clearly like they were chasing a certain something.”

But over at ScreenCrush, Britt Hayes called out her male colleagues who think they’ve rushed to judgement that the decision by Fox was solely based on looks.

“The prevalent thinking I’m seeing from a lot of my male writers on Twitter is that Whitman is not ‘conventionally attractive,’ and therefore Fox went with someone who is. This thinking is offensive on various levels. First of all, comparing the attractiveness of two women, even in an attempt to rationalize a disagreeable situation such as this one, is awful and perpetuates a competitive culture in which women are forced to examine themselves through the lens of what men find attractive. That this was the first speculated narrative is unfortunate — and whether or not it’s true, it’s depressing to see men I respect insisting that a woman wasn’t hired because she’s just not pretty enough….”

Monroe has also been mum about the controversy. Only tweeting this following the casting news.

Fox has not yet given a reason for why Whitman wasn't considered for the sequel.

SEE ALSO: Liam Hemsworth may replace Will Smith in "Independence Day 2"

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NOW WATCH: Disney just released a new 'Star Wars: Episode VII' trailer and it's incredible