With "Game of Thrones" going into its final seasons, George R.R. Martin isn't ready to walk away from HBO quite yet. He recently suggested there are definitely some options for a "Thrones" spin-off.

“There is certainly no lack of material,” Martin, whose "A Song of Fire and Ice" novels are the basis for "Game of Thrones," told Entertainment Weekly.

“Every episode of 'The Naked City' — one of the television shows I watched as a kid — ended with a voiceover: ‘There are eight million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them.’ There are eight million stories in Westeros as well... and even more in Essos and the lands beyond. A whole world full of stories, waiting to be told... if indeed HBO is interested.”

As for specifics, Martin suggested that "the most natural follow-up would be an adaptation of my Dunk & Egg stories."

Martin's "Dunk & Egg" series of novellas, of which there are three so far, take place in the same world as "Thrones," but 90 years earlier. They follow a nomadic knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, who would become a member of the Kingsguard, and his squire Egg, who later rises up to be King Aegon V Targaryen of Westeros.

“Each of the novellas could easily be done as a two-hour standalone movie for television. That would probably be the ideal way to do them, rather than as an ongoing weekly series,” Martin said of the novellas, which he considers lighter than "Thrones" and more action-adventure in tone.

At this point, Martin said there are no official discussions of a "Thrones" spin-off.

As "Game of Thrones" showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss are reportedly considering how many episodes the show's final two seasons will consist of, talk of a spin-off has certainly gotten louder.

When asked about the possibility of a prequel or spin-off during the Summer 2015 Television Critics Association press tour, HBO President Michael Lombardo said, “I would be open to anything David and Dan want to do... There’s enormous storytelling to be mined in a prequel.”

SEE ALSO: Here's what 'Game of Thrones' stars look like in real life

SEE ALSO: 8 things we learned about the new 'Game of Thrones' season from its premiere screening

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NOW WATCH: Here's how the dragons on 'Game of Thrones' are brought to fire-breathing life

After the bulletproof success of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," you might think Disney would do everything to keep things just as they are.

But the sequel, "Episode VIII," is already shaping up to be a much different beast.

At least that's what the stars are saying. The next film in the main "Star Wars" timeline, now in production, is being written and directed by Rian Johnson, best known for "Looper."

John Boyega (who plays Finn) already revealed Johnson's "Star Wars" is "much darker." Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) says he's a "different" temperature from "Force Awakens" director J.J. Abrams.

Now Oscar Isaac has opened up a bit more about what's different in the "Force Awakens" follow-up. 

"Rian is definitely going to places and investigating things that haven’t really been done in the 'Star Wars' universe," Isaac told the Los Angeles Times. "For me, it’s so fun getting to explore different things that I wouldn’t have expected in this universe."

"In some ways it feels like we’re making an independent film," he added. Isaac is known for his work in the indie world like "Ex Machina" and "Inside Llewyn Davis."

"Certain things we get to play with — this kind of intimacy that we get to find — it's special. It’s been really fun," Isaac said.

The best hint about what to expect in the "Force Awakens" sequel from Rian Johnson, however, comes from writer Lawrence Kasdan, who worked on "Empire Strikes Back," "Return of the Jedi," and "Force Awakens."

"Rian Johnson is a friend of mine — he's going to make some weird thing," Kasdan told the LA Times. "If you've seen Rian's work, you know it's not going be like anything that's ever been in 'Star Wars.'"

Hopefully Disney is ready for another kind of Force in the universe.

SEE ALSO: Disney has 6 'Star Wars' movies planned through 2020 — here they all are

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NOW WATCH: The trailer for the first 'Star Wars' spin-off movie 'Rogue One' is here

Michael Strahan is leaving "Live with Kelly and Michael" to join "Good Morning America" full-time.

Strahan has been appearing twice a week on the ABC morning show since 2014. He will begin his full-time duties in September, ABC News president James Goldston said on Tuesday, as first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

Business Insider has confirmed the news with "GMA" representatives and obtained an internal memo from Goldston.

"Michael has been a stellar addition to the broadcast," Goldston wrote in the memo. "Over the past two years on 'GMA,' he’s proven to be a tireless and versatile broadcaster with an incredible ability to connect with people, from veterans to American pop culture icons and news makers." 

"GMA" co-host George Stephanopoulos tweeted his support of Strahan, as well.

 Strahan is expected to leave "Live" over the summer.

He joined the syndicated morning show four years ago in 2012. Strahan was chosen among several candidates who filled in for departed longtime co-host Regis Philbin for several months to host alongside Kelly Ripa.

Previously, Strahan played for 15 years in the NFL for the New York Giants. He was later a contributor to the "Fox NFL Sunday Pregame Show" and hosted DIY Network's home improvement program "Backyard Stadiums."

Read the internal memo from Goldston to his team on Strahan's new position below:

Team –

I want to share some exciting news about our "GMA" family. 

The deeply talented Michael Strahan, who currently joins Robin, George, Lara, Amy and Ginger twice a week, will expand his role to appear full-time in the mornings on "GMA" starting in September. 

Michael has been a stellar addition to the broadcast. Over the past two years on "GMA," he’s proven to be a tireless and versatile broadcaster with an incredible ability to connect with people, from veterans to American pop culture icons and newsmakers.   

He will end a four-year run as Kelly Ripa’s co-host on "LIVE!," where he has honed his skills as an interviewer with genuine warmth and a quick wit.  At "GMA" he’ll now have even more opportunities to tell stories that inspire, inform and empower people. 

Almost exactly four years ago "GMA" memorably broke "Today’s" epic 16-year win streak in the mornings.  Since then, the team has battled just as fiercely to deliver great journalism when news breaks, from San Bernardino to Brussels; reported relentlessly from the campaign trail with over 100 interviews with the candidates; and embraced new technology – from "VR" to our "GMA Wake Up Call" – to supercharge how we connect with our viewers every minute of the day.   

I’m delighted to welcome Michael to "GMA" each and every morning.  I can’t wait to see what this incredibly talented team will bring our viewers next.

James

SEE ALSO: Why politicians know they have to appear on 'The View'

SEE ALSO: What happens behind the scenes of CBS daytime talk show 'The Talk' from start to finish

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Netflix reported its greatest net add in subscribers in the latest quarter, and much of that is due to one key factor.

The streaming media giant add more than 6.7 million subscribers to its base, according to the company's first quarter earnings report. And international additions were integral to this success, as Netflix added 4.5 million subscribers in the quarter, compared to just 2.2 million for U.S. subs.

This will be a crucial area of growth as domestic subscriptions flatten. Netflix's U.S. subscriber base grew 13% year-over-year in Q1 2016, a slight decrease from 14% growth in Q4 2015. But international growth remained steady with a 65% YoY increase thanks to a concerted effort to expand overseas through the launch of the streaming service in 130 new nations in January.

Netflix is still not available in China, the world's most populous nation and the largest market in the world based on Internet users, but India, Indonesia, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia now have Netflix access.

The company expects to continue its international subscriber growth through the rollout of local-language programming and regionalized payment systems. Currently, most of the programming is in English and Netflix only takes international payments.

Netflix also expects subscriber growth to slow in the second quarter thanks to a price increase in the U.S., but it continues to invest significantly in original content in order to incentivize users to sign up. The company also wants to purchase more pan-European streaming rights in order to bolster its European library.

Furthermore, Netflix will allocate 5% of its budget to original feature films. The company plans to use its original and exclusive content distinguish itself from Amazon Prime and Hulu, both of which are growing internationally.

The growth of these streaming services has led many to question if traditional pay-TV even has a place in today's world as more people cut the cord in favor of Netflix, Hulu, and the like.

Margaret Boland, research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on subscription video on-demand services that examines how the growth of SVOD is coming at the expense of the pay-TV industry. The report analyzes the state of the pay-TV industry and maps out which demographics are more likely to stop buying traditional TV packages.

The report also discusses the user base, original content offerings, and subscription models of the major subscription streaming services available today, including Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Video. Finally, it looks at how traditional pay-TV companies and premium channels like HBO and Showtime are addressing the shift to digital viewing, as well as the implications of their response for advertisers.

• Those abandoning pay-TV packages fall into three main groups: cord-nevers, cord-cutters, and cord-shavers. Whereas video streaming services have found favor with younger viewers in particular, an increasing portion of older subscribers also are leaving behind their pay-TV packages. Still, younger viewers watch four times as much video content online than older viewers.
• Netflix is the largest SVOD service and will continue to dominate the industry with an impressive original content lineup and aggressive expansion plans.
• Amazon is trying to compete with Netflix by investing significant resources in original content.
• Hulu is the third-largest SVOD service, but the only one to offer ad-supported membership tiers. Hulu has been the slowest to roll out original and exclusive content, but it has inked numerous deals in the past year to boost its content library.
• Pay-TV companies are responding to the rise of SVOD services by offering subscribers "skinny bundles" and their own streaming services.

In full, the report:

• Illustrates the fall of the traditional TV package and the rise of broadband only cable subscriptions.
• Lays out the different types of viewers that are leaving behind pay-TV: cord-cutters, cord-shavers, and cord-nevers.
• Examines the leading SVOD services including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and premium channel offerings from HBO and Showtime.
• Explains the various ways that pay-TV companies are responding to the rise of SVOD services, notably skinny bundles and standalone streaming services.
• Considers what the migration to SVOD services means to marketers.

To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options:

1. Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
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The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of subscription video on-demand services.

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After rumors of an updated PlayStation 4 reached a fever pitch last month, multiple sources have confirmed to GiantBomb that the new console, internally called "Neo", is real and coming.

According to leaked specifications, "Neo" will have faster memory, a faster processor, and a more powerful graphics chip, which will allow the console to output games at a 4K resolution. The current PlayStation 4 can output video and images at 4K, but games are limited to a 1080p resolution.

These updated components will help pre-existing games, if they're patched, and upcoming games run more smoothly. All games released from this October forward must be both "Neo" and standard PlayStation 4 compatible, according to GiantBomb. That's where the differences between "Neo" and the currently available PlayStation 4 end.

Sony has allegedly mandated that developers cannot make exclusive software for the new console, nor can they include exclusive modes within games that are "Neo" only. The console maker has also told developers that both systems will have peripheral parody, meaning any external hardware that was built for the original PS4 will work with "Neo," and any future external hardware will work with both version of the PlayStation 4.

These decisions suggest that Sony is doing everything it can not to upset any current PlayStation 4 owners, while simultaneously giving developers more power to create more expansive games. But this strategy could backfire: Having to support an additional console puts more strain on developers, while the lack of exclusive games and modes could cripple incentive for people to buy or upgrade to "Neo."

But it appears that Sony is aiming to offer VR and 4K enthusiasts the chance to upgrade if they want while ensuring owners of the original PS4 won't miss any new content.

Sony has yet to officially comment on "Neo", but given the timetable they've given developers for delivering "Neo" compatible software, an official announcement likely won't be far off.

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NOW WATCH: Microsoft is in hot water for throwing a party with scantily-clad dancers

Angela Watts' mother saved $10,000 for her and her fiancé Steve's wedding, but instead of using it to get hitched, they put $8,000 of it into their surfing company, Slyde Handboards, ahead of their "Shark Tank" pitch last June.

The couple has since been married, and the Watts told Business Insider that since their pitch aired in the latest episode of the show's seventh season, "We haven't been able to keep up with the orders, because they just keep coming in."

Mark Cuban and guest Shark Ashton Kutcher split a $200,000 investment for a 22% stake in the company, and the deal closed last November.

Angela Watts told The Orange County Register that the deal changed their lives by easing their struggle to scrape by and allowing them to move operations from their bedroom in Dana Point, California, to a proper office in San Clemente, several miles south.

In the Tank, the Watts sought $200,000 for 15% equity for their company, which Steve founded in 2010. He grew up bodysurfing in South Africa, and he enjoyed using random flat objects, like fast-food trays, as hand planes to help him gain more control over a wave as he glided across it. It's a practice that's been around for decades, but Watts wanted to create a hand plane with the same careful design companies put into surfboards.

The average Slyde hand board retails for about $170. Here's one of them in action:

Watts' future wife, Angela, joined Slyde in 2013 in a role similar to co-CEO, and the two committed full-time to Slyde and invested roughly $40,000 of their own money into the company — their life savings. To get the company rolling, the couple lived off credit-card debt (which they're still paying off) and didn't pay themselves a salary.

They applied three times to "Shark Tank," and when they finally were accepted, their total sales from 2011 to the first half of 2015 were $356,000, and they expected to end 2015 with $295,000 in annual revenue.

The numbers were a bit low for the Sharks, but Cuban wasn't worried, because one of his best investments from the show has been Tower Paddle Boards, which is highly profitable and bringing in around $10 million in annual revenue. He considered Slyde Handboards to be a perfect complement to his surfing business.

Kutcher, whose investments include Uber and Airbnb, said that the surfing space was way out of his element, but he could see himself using the product and saw potential for big sales.

Kutcher said he'd be happy to join his buddy Cuban in a deal for 25% equity, which the Watts were able to negotiate down to 22% after both Kevin O'Leary and Robert Herjavec made offers. The Watts made a deal with Kutcher and Cuban after considering the value of their talents and networks.

"We could not have asked for better partners," the Watts told us via email. "Both have been incredible in helping us in not only refining our message and brand but helping us focus on the right things to grow the business. Ashton and his team are social media wizards and Ashton himself has some really awesome ideas for the brand and Mark and his team have brought a level of business knowledge to our team that any Fortune 500 company would kill for."

Since closing their deal last year, the Watts have regularly stayed in touch with Cuban and Kutcher via email, and they have monthly conference calls with Kutcher and his team to discuss strategy.

Cuban has also hooked Slyde up with Amazon Exclusives to give them continued exposure.

The Watts said that Kutcher's comment, "This is cool 'cause you're cool," gave them confidence that he and Cuban would respect their brand.

"The attitude both of them displayed on the show toward keeping to our roots was a huge reason for us choosing them," they said.

SEE ALSO: 'Shark Tank' investor Barbara Corcoran explains why every 20-something should spend a week using only cash

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NOW WATCH: Robert Herjavec on Ashton Kutcher's ‘Shark Tank' debut

A North Carolina couple is suing over renovations made to their home while appearing on HGTV home-renovation show "Love It or List It."

Deena Murphy and Timothy Sullivan filed their lawsuit at the Durham County Superior Court, The Charlotte Observer reports.

They are suing Big Coat TV, the Canadian company that produces "Love It or List It," and Aaron Fitz Construction, the North Carolina company that was hired to do the renovations.

According to the newspaper, the couple is suing over allegations of substandard work, breach of contract, unfair trade practices, and for having a business model that creates a conflict of interest.

The lawsuit contends that the floor was "irreparably damaged," and holes were made in the floor "through which vermin could enter the house." They complain of low-grade industrial carpeting, unpainted surfaces, and windows painted shut.

Murphy and Sullivan were looking to renovate a rental property so that they could move into it along with their teenage foster children in April 2015. They say they gave Big Coat a $140,000 deposit, which was to be used to pay for the contractor and renovation. The suit states that only about $86,000 of their deposit was paid to the contractor before the final reveal.

The couple also contends that the show used plans previously drawn up by another contractor and that they were not redesigned by a licensed North Carolina contractor for the show.

The suit says that producers used the money to create a set for the show, rather than to create a home that the couple and their foster children could reside in.

The couple also alleges that much of the shooting process was fake. For example, they say people on set were assigned roles and reactions to portray, and that they were never shown comparable homes by an actual real-estate agent.

Also, the couple believes that the fact that the show makes money off of advertising is a conflict of interest.

In its defense, Big Coat TV said its lawyers advised against speaking about the case, but that it plans to "vigorously defend against what it considers false claims."

HGTV hasn't responded to Business Insider's request for comment.

SEE ALSO: Producers behind hit reality-TV shows reveal the secret tricks they use to orchestrate crazy drama

SEE ALSO: Here's why reality show 'Intervention' has a higher success rate than most rehab programs

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NOW WATCH: The secret to selling your house for more money

For his directorial debut, comedian Demetri Martin made a movie about death.

"Dean" is about a Brooklyn-based illustrator named Dean who's unable to cope with his mother's death. Instead of moving on, he tries to make time stand still. He refuses to make any decisions, calls off his engagement, and won't talk to his father about selling his childhood home. He's stuck.

Dean then flees to Los Angeles in search of creative stimulation and romance, but nothing seems to click. Just when he gets into what he thinks is a promising relationship — with a woman played by Gillian Jacobs — he ruins it.

This certainly isn't the first movie about a young white dude from Brooklyn dealing with personal issues. But what sets "Dean" apart is that it's a genuinely emotional story, premised partly on Martin's experience with his father's death.

The movie isn't autobiographical, but Martin lifts several narrative threads from his personal experiences, like when he broke off a long-term relationship at age 29. Martin's father, named Dean, died when Martin was 20, and he wrote an early draft of the movie's screenplay then. Now 42, he turned "Dean" into a mature work filled with stories that grapple with lost love and loved ones.

Kevin Kline, who plays Martin's father, also helps set the movie apart. While Kline had his heyday in the late 1980s and 1990s, starring in a string of comedy classics like "A Fish Called Wanda," "Dave," and "In & Out," lately he's been in a series of forgettable films. Martin said that Kline and his love interest, Mary Steenburgen, forwent their usual fees and shot their scenes over just three days of the entire 20-day shoot.

Those scenes are some of the movie's most powerful, and Kline elevates the entire film as Robert, a retired engineer. Like any engineer, he sees every obstacle in life as a problem to be solved, and mourning is no different. Robert reads books on mourning, assiduously follows the advice of his therapist, and takes it in stride when a new romance enters his life. He is funny, though not particularly good with words, and an authoritative figure who struggles to connect with his son. At first, Dean scorns his father's approach to moving on, but eventually they learn how to mourn together.

Contrary to how it may sound, the movie is not a downer. It's funny, and filled with visual puns. Dean draws picture books, like Martin in real life, and puts those illustrations to good use in the movie. There are also some healthy skewerings of the tech industry, like when Dean flies to Los Angeles to meet with vapid self-styled "creatives," and shares best man duties at his best friend's wedding with a venture capital bro straight out of the show "Silicon Valley."

But between Kline's welcome screen presence and a carefully-balanced dramedy script, "Dean" is more moving, funny, and personal than expected. I'm glad Martin got to make it.

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More than 22 million US Netflix subscribers will see a price increase in the coming months, the company revealed in a letter to investors on Monday.

In May 2014, Netflix began to raise the price of its standard streaming plan for new US subscribers, first to $8.99 a month, then to $9.99 a month last October. But if you were an existing subscriber before each of the two price increases, Netflix grandfathered in your plan at the same rate.

That means that many Netflix subscribers are still paying either $7.99 or $8.99 for a plan that normally costs $9.99.

But that grandfathering will cease over the course of the next few months. “We will phase out this grandfathering gradually over the remainder of 2016, with our longest­ tenured members getting the longest benefit,” Netflix wrote. This process with start in May, but happen “slowly,” with all affected members being notified by email.

Netflix said that grandfathered accounts represent “more than half” of its US subscribers. Netflix’s latest US subscriber count, provided on Monday, was 45.71 million, meaning at least 22 million will be affected by these price changes.

How many will cancel? Netflix’s take: “We expect only modestly increased churn from un­grandfathering, partially because these members have been with us for a reasonable period already, and because our content continues to improve.”

Analysts at UBS estimate that roughly 3% to 4% of affected subscribers will cancel, though many more say they will.

Most grandfathered accounts are in the US, but Netflix says it will have roughly the same strategy for international grandfathered accounts.

SEE ALSO: Why Netflix shouldn't be worried about Amazon's standalone video service

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NOW WATCH: Why Sean Parker’s plan to stream movies still in theaters for $50 could work

Recent speculation of a potential "Game of Thrones" spin-off may be dead just as it's getting started.

Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss feel that by the end of their "Game of Thrones" run, there won't be much storytelling potential left for a spin-off.

“At a certain point,” Weiss told Variety in a recent interview, “especially if it’s a serialized story, it falls apart and loses its heat and its momentum because there’s a carrying capacity even a world the size of ours has.”

Even HBO president Michael Lombardo, who previously hinted at a possible "Thrones" spin-off, is accepting the producers' position on the subject and has changed his tune.

“That’s never the way we’ve done our best work,” the executive said of a spin-off. “I can’t imagine, if it were not driven by [David Benioff and D.B. Weiss], that that would happen.”

After the upcoming sixth season, the producers say they're considering 13 final episodes split between two shorter seasons.

But while Benioff and Weiss are shutting the door on a spin-off, George R.R. Martin, whose "A Song of Fire and Ice" novels are the basis for "Game of Thrones," feels the "Thrones" universe is full of spin-off potential.

Martin said, “Every episode of 'The Naked City' — one of the television shows I watched as a kid — ended with a voiceover: ‘There are eight million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them.’ There are eight million stories in Westeros as well, and even more in Essos and the lands beyond. A whole world full of stories, waiting to be told... if indeed HBO is interested.”

As for specifics, Martin suggested that "the most natural follow-up would be an adaptation of my Dunk & Egg stories." The novellas, of which there are currently three, take place in the same world as "Game of Thrones," but 90 years before that show's time. 

SEE ALSO: George R.R. Martin already has an idea for a 'Game of Thrones' TV spin-off

SEE ALSO: Here's what 'Game of Thrones' stars look like in real life

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's how the dragons on 'Game of Thrones' are brought to fire-breathing life

Viacom's cable networks are in danger of getting dropped by Dish Networks.

The owner of such networks as MTV, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central launched a website Tuesday to pressure Dish into agreeing to carry its networks.

"We are extremely disappointed that DISH has not engaged in a serious way to reach an agreement for Viacom’s number one family of cable networks," said a statement from a Viacom spokesman.

In response, a Dish spokesman said that Viacom is unjustifiably trying to get more money for its networks.

"Viacom is asking for hundreds of millions of dollars in increases, despite the changing landscape that includes drastically reduced viewership of Viacom channels and wide availability of their content across multiple platforms," the spokesman said in a statement.

Television providers and content producers have contracts in which the cable companies pay content-makers fees in order to carry their channels.

The deal between Viacom and Dish Networks is set to expire Wednesday, meaning that Viacom's channels will go black for Dish subscribers once the deal is up.

According to Bloomberg, Dish's 13 million subscribers have begun to see a crawling message at the bottom of the picture on Viacom networks informing them of the move.

This sort of wrangling between a cable provider and content company is not unprecedented. In fact, Viacom went through a similar battle in 2013 with Time Warner Cable which was resolved without a blackout.

The pressure may have backfired, however, as shares of Viacom dove in trading Tuesday. The stock finished the day down a little more than 8.0%. Dish on the other hand was up by a bit over 1%.

UPDATE: DISH has provided the following statement to Business Insider regarding the situation:

We regret that Viacom has chosen to involve customers in a business negotiation when time remains to reach an agreement. Viacom unilaterally elected to terminate an indefinite contract extension tomorrow night despite meaningful progress on a new agreement that confronts a rapidly evolving pay-TV environment. Viacom is asking for hundreds of millions of dollars in increases, despite the changing landscape that includes drastically reduced viewership of Viacom channels and wide availability of their content across multiple platforms, frustrating consumers who don't want to pay twice for the same content. DISH will continue to negotiate in good faith to reach an agreement that works for both sides.

Viacom also provided the following statement to Business Insider:

Viacom has made every effort to negotiate a renewal for DISH subscribers, including granting multiple extensions.  We have offered DISH a best-in-class deal at rates and terms as good as larger distributors, with additional services and features for their customers.  In turn, DISH has made demands that are designed to be impossible to meet in order to take our negotiations public and likely force our programming off the air.  This is a clear example of DISH’s disregard for their customers, who will be subjected to another unnecessary disruption in service.  In addition to depriving our fans of our networks and programming, DISH is further undermining their fundamentally disadvantaged business by driving their subscribers to switch to a different provider.

SEE ALSO: Alibaba is making a big bet on Hollywood movies

AND: The country's largest health-insurance company is almost entirely quitting Obamacare

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Feature-length animated films have evolved not only in technology and execution, but in popularity.

Since the 1990s, we've seen an explosion of animated blockbusters that take top slots at the year's box office, from "Toy Story 3" to "Frozen." One big example of that is an all-time great that's celebrating its birthday.

DreamWorks' "Shrek," which turns 15 this week, proved that animated movies didn't have to play by the Disney rules of catering to just kids to be a box-office hit.

Mike Myers voiced the grumpy ogre, Shrek, who has to rescue a princess (Cameron Diaz) to get his swamp back. Costarring Eddie Murphy as his annoying sidekick donkey — named Donkey — the movie became a worldwide hit and led to a cash cow of a franchise, as you're about to see.

With "Shrek" celebrating its 15th anniversary, here we look back on the 10 highest-grossing animated movies in the US of all time.

Note: Box-office figures in the titles are adjusted for inflation, while original box-office numbers are below. Figures provided by Box Office Mojo.

SEE ALSO: 41 movies you have to see this summer

No. 10. "Shrek the Third" (2007) $408 million — adjusted gross

Unadjusted: $322.7 million

Grumpy Shrek is heir to the kingdom, but he's not happy about it. He sets a plan in hopes that his nephew Artie (Justin Timberlake) will be the new king.

No. 9. "Shrek" (2001) $411.4 million

Unadjusted: $267.6 million

In the movie that kicked it all off, Mike Myers provides a Scottish accent and a lot of sarcasm to bring to life one of the most memorable animated characters. The cherry on top is Eddie Murphy, who's perfect in the role of voicing Shrek's sidekick, Donkey.

No. 8. "Toy Story 2" (1999) $416.1 million

Unadjusted: $246 million

After Woody (Tom Hanks) is stolen by a toy collector, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the gang have to come up with a way to save him before he's shipped off to Japan.

Yes, there's going to be a movie reboot of the popular 1990s kids show "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers."

Titled "Power Rangers," it will follow a group of high school teens with unique superpowers that they harness to save the world, as in the original show and films.

Who are they saving it from? Turns out the main villain from the TV show will also be the Power Rangers' foe in the movie, Rita Repulsa. 

Elizabeth Banks ("Pitch Perfect" and "The Hunger Games" movies) will be playing Repulsa, and we have a glimpse of her.

A little spookier than the way the character looked on the TV show.

"Power Rangers" opens in theaters March 24, 2017.

SEE ALSO: Then and Now: How Taylor Swift went from tween country wannabe to global pop superstar

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Some of "Star Wars: Episode VIII" is filming at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England. Prince Harry and Prince William were invited for a very special set visit, and it's safe to say that they had a lot of fun.

Story by Ian Phillips and editing by Kristen Griffin

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Until December 2013, Justine Sacco, a 30-year-old PR woman from New York, liked to post jokes on Twitter.

Sacco only had 170 followers, so she would rarely experience interactions with others on the site. It must have felt like shouting into an empty room. A little unsatisfying, but without any real consequences.

However, something strange happened during her connecting flight from London Heathrow to Cape Town, where she planned to spend the holidays with her family.

One of her tweets went viral.

"Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!” she had posted just before turning her phone off to board the plane.

Enjoying a rare 11 hours of disconnect while in the sky, Sacco was oblivious to the world's reaction to her poorly-judged tweet. Without knowing, she had become the number one worldwide trending topic that night. People called for her to be sacked from her job, while others threatened to physically attack her. Another group, fascinated by the idea of someone having their life ruined online without being aware of it, started a popular hashtag: #hasjustinelandedyet.

The joke was meant to be a liberal mocking of white privilege, Sacco later explained to journalist Jon Ronson. That didn't matter. She quickly "parted ways" with her job and spent years depressed, tainted by the incident whenever anyone Googled her name.

Why Twitter's user growth is shrinking

According to Ronson, author of "So You've Been Publicly Shamed," this anecdote is indicative of a wider problem that can partially explain Twitter's declining user growth.

Business Insider reported in February that third-party data shows the number of tweets per day created by Twitter's users has fallen by more than half since a peak in August 2014 — though Twitter does deny these figures are correct. However, its own numbers show that new user growth is stalling.

Speaking at Advertising Week Europe in London on Monday, Ronson spoke about how he had spent years following and interviewing people, including Sacco, who had had their lives torn apart by social justice mobs on Twitter. Twitter's power to cause the destruction of individuals could lead to Twitter's own downfall, Ronson said.

"I think the fact that Twitter is shrinking shows that when mean people take over social justice, people turn away from social justice," Ronson explained.

And Twitter has not been able to stop the "mean people" from dominating, he said.

"I don't think Twitter have addressed the problem at all," Ronson said. "They've been terrible at addressing the problem."

Twitter has made several efforts to tackle online abuse on the platform such as making the process of reporting bad behavior easier. In February this year, the company announced a "trust and safety council," — "a new and foundational part of our strategy to ensure that people feel safe expressing themselves on Twitter."

Twitter has turned into a place where "the hunt is on for shameful secrets"

According to the author and Guardian journalist, Twitter's atmosphere has turned significantly darker since it first launched:

"Twitter went from a place of curiosity, where people would admit shameful secrets about themselves and other people would say, 'Oh my God, I'm exactly the same,' to a place where the hunt is on for shameful secrets. We had the opportunity to go into other people's homes and be curious and compassionate and now we’ve gone into other peoples homes and we’re kind of instantly judgmental."

Ronson explained that although the online shaming comes from the decent aim of "egalitarianism and social justice," its effects are "appalling" when one person is singled out for wide-scale ridicule. There's something particular to Twitter that makes it worse for online shaming than other platforms like Facebook at Instagram, according to Ronson:

"Twitter does seem to be the worst. Facebook is bad too. I haven’t seen it happening anywhere near as much on Instagram and obviously it’s just harder for things to go viral on Instagram. Also maybe because ... a drone strike operator doesn’t need to think about the village he’s just blown up, but on Instagram you can often see the village you’ve just blown up [to a greater degree than on Twitter.]"

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Piers Morgan, the TV personality who hosted the eponymous CNN night talk show between 2011 and 2014 admits his insistence on continuously covering gun control issues "wasn't good for ratings."

Despite leaving the show earlier than many people than expected, Morgan told the audience at Advertising Week London on Wednesday he didn't get fired.

Morgan said: "I wasn't actually sacked, despite what you may have read. I had a four-year contract and they offered me a two-year deal to do 25 shows a year."

He said he "thought long and hard" but missed the UK and wanted to come back.

Morgan also admitted his tireless campaign for tighter gun control laws in the US rubbed many Americans up the wrong way.

Around half to 60% of the US "love their guns," according to Morgan. He compared it to going to Germany and telling Germans not to speed on the autobahn.

Morgan said he was told: "They definitely don't want to hear this, but they don't want to hear it from that accent. They kicked King George III out with guns, the last thing they want to hear is a British Guy talk about guns."

Print newspapers have '20 years' left, according to Morgan

Morgan spoke about a wide range of issues during his Advertising Week Europe interview, from Brexit (he's against it, although he thinks it'll be "very close,") his fears about over-regulation of the press in the UK, and his infamous interview with an animated Alex Jones about gun control.

The former editor of UK tabloids The Daily Mirror and The News of The World also said he thinks print newspapers only have "20 years" left.

"Less in some cases," said Morgan, who was speaking at Advertising Week Europe in London on Wednesday.

While Morgan said he often picks up the newspapers when he's over in the UK for "old time's sake," young people have ditched them altogether.

He compared the death of news print to the Penny Farthing when the Harley Davidson came along.

"You're still traveling from A to B, but it's just a lot quicker and a lot more efficient," he said.

Morgan is currently a columnist for DailyMail.com and said some of his articles get 2 million pageviews.

"I can't think of a platform in the world where a journalist can write a column that gets 2 million views," he said.

He urged any journalists still clinging on to print to "get over yourselves, it's the future."

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When we last left Sansa Stark, she was trying to escape Ramsay Bolton's grasp with Theon Greyjoy.

On Tuesday's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" the host showed a new clip from the upcoming season six of "Game of Thrones" (premiering Sunday), in which Sansa and Theon are running for their lives from Ramsay's hounds.

They make it to a river, and Sansa says she won't survive in the cold water. But Theon warns her it's the best option, saying, "I've seen what these hounds do to a person."

After showing the clip, Kimmel suggested it would be a good time for the actors who play Theon and Ramsay, Alfie Allen and Iwan Rheon, to make up. Then the two had a nice kiss and hug on the late-night show.

"Now it's starting to become a bit much," Kimmel joked.

Watch the clip from "Game of Thrones" season six debut on "Kimmel" below:

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It's time to head back to the Old West with Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and other recognizable names in the first trailer for the reboot of the classic "The Magnificent Seven."

The original 1960 John Sturges film starred Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen, who enlist a group of hired guns to save villagers from Mexican bandits. 

In fact, that movie is a remake of Akira Kurosawa's legendary film "Seven Samurai."

Director Antoine Fauqua ("Southpaw") leans more toward Sturges' film for this latest remake, with a shoot-'em-up Western that looks like it'll have action to spare.

See the trailer below. The movie opens September 23.

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Stephen Colbert tried to get Paul Ryan to publicly change his mind about accepting the Republican presidential nomination in the case of a contested convention.

"The hot name on a lot of Republican lips right now is Speaker of the House Paul Ryan," the "Late Show" host said. "They believe he would be a better alternative to Trump and [Ted] Cruz, more likely to attract moderate voters, and less likely to haunt your Robitussin-induced nightmares."

With Trump winning New York's primary on Tuesday, it's becoming more likely that he'll snag the Republican nomination. That is, if the party is unable to pull off their Plan B: a contested convention.

A contested convention becomes possible when none of the candidates is able to win a majority 1,237 delegates. In that case, on a second ballot, delegates who were pledged to a candidate start becoming free to switch their votes. That could open the door for someone like Ryan who wasn't even running in the nominating contests.

Previously, Ryan has said that he won't accept the nomination. But when he appeared on Tuesday night's "Late Show," Colbert wouldn't take no for an answer.

“Yes or no, would you accept the nomination?” Colbert asked Ryan, who was making his first late-night show appearance via satellite from Washington, DC.

"No, Stephen, I have said, 'I do not want nor would I accept the Republican nomination."

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Nearly every song is inspired by something before it, but a little too much inspiration can end you up in court.

Accusations of plagiarism and copyright infringement lawsuits are nothing new in music, with some major artists fighting a legal battle while others settle out of court.

Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams were famously slapped with a guilty verdict and ordered to pay more than $7 million in a 2015 infringement case against the Gaye family, who alleged "Blurred Lines" ripped off Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up." Thicke and Williams are appealing the verdict in what has been described as a possibly transformative case for music copyright.

Led Zeppelin, no stranger to litigation, has found itself embroiled in another case, this time alleging that their hit "Stairway to Heaven" mirrors Spirit's "Taurus" from 1968.

But not every song that sounds like another goes to court.

In his book "Sounds Like Teen Spirit," author Tim English examines rock and roll's biggest plagiarism cases and analyzes the similarities between some of rock's greatest hits. 

Here are 18 more examples of songs that sound similar, including some that have faced lawsuits and others that haven't:

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Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars' "Uptown Funk" and The Gap Band's "Oops Upside Your Head"

Though influenced by numerous funk songs from the '70s and '80s, "Uptown Funk" had to add additional writer credits after The Gap Band filed a copyright claim. The band now earns a 17 percent share of the publishing royalties.

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Kendrick Lamar's "I Do This" and Bill Withers' "Don't You Want to Stay"

In April 2016, Lamar was sued for using a "direct and complete" copy of Bill Withers' 1975 song. The case was filed in the same court that determined the outcome of the "Blurred Lines" trial.  Youtube Embed:
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Sam Smith's "Stay With Me" and Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down"

Tom Petty's publishers contacted Smith after hearing similarities between the two songs, particularly during the chorus. They reached an out-of-court agreement to list Petty and Jeff Lynne as cowriters on the song. Petty released a statement, saying, "All my years of songwriting have shown me these things can happen... Sam's people were very understanding of our predicament and we easily came to an agreement."

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