Television networks aren't taking their digital competitors' plays for advertising dollars sitting down.

An early trend of the annual network TV upfront presentations to advertisers, currently taking place in New York City, is a series of jabs at the claims that digital companies have more effective reach than TV.

For example, NBCUniversal's advertising sales chairman Linda Yaccarino held a very strange conversation with Amazon's Alexa about why a powerhouse like Amazon came to NBC to promote its Echo, a new voice-controlled device for your home.

"I don't care what those Silicon Valley guys say," she said. "There is no algorithm for heart-pumping, blood-racing, breath-holding premium content. Television: It's not about the ones and the zeroes. It's about the oohs and the ahs."

She supported her argument by stating that the average person spends seven times more time watching TV versus being on Facebook and 15 times more hours watching TV than they do watching YouTube videos. (She did not cite the source of her statistics, but according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average person spends 2.8 hours per day watching TV, about 4 times the amount Facebook says the average user is active on its social network.)

Fox, which also held its upfront on Monday, took jabs at YouTube specifically. In a video featuring "Family Guy" cocreator Seth MacFarlane, his message was cut off by a "skip ad" prompt as on YouTube. The network also referred to online videos in unflattering terms, such as "subprime videos."

Fox also touted its on-demand offerings, pointing out that you can't fast-forward through commercials and that 28% of the network's viewership comes through on-demand. 

It's clearly responding to last week's statements from YouTube, which touted how much it's viewed compared to traditional TV, based on a commissioned Googly study.

“I’m happy to announce that on mobile alone YouTube now reaches more 18- to-49-year-olds than any network — broadcast or cable,” YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said during its presentation to advertisers last week. "In fact, we reach more 18- to-49-year-olds [in the US] during primetime than the top 10 TV shows combined.”

Clearly for the TV networks, those were fighting words. As we await ABC, CBS, and The CW's upfront presentations over the next few days, we expect there to be more jabs at the digital guys.

SEE ALSO: Here are your favorite TV shows that are getting renewed for another season

DON'T MISS: 19 TV shows that were just canceled

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NOW WATCH: Why teens idolize YouTube stars more than Hollywood celebrities

Netflix is experimenting with allowing re-runs of its original shows to play on broadcast TV in the US.

Netflix and Univision have struck a deal that will let the first season of Netflix’s original Spanish-language series, “Narcos,” air on television in the US in preparation for the release of its second season. Another Netflix series, “Club de Cuervos,” will air on UniMas.

This move represents a new business avenue for Netflix. Netflix sees the deal as a marketing test to understand if airing its shows on broadcast TV can drive subscriber growth, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Journal says Univision is paying a “low fee” for the deal, citing “people familiar with the deal.”

“Promoting these original shows on Univision is a great way to further reach Hispanic audiences and help them discover Netflix,” Netflix’s head of content, Ted Sarandos, said in a statement to The Journal.

This isn’t the first time Netflix’s original shows have run on TV, but most of the previous instances involved international licensing deals locked in while Netflix was not currently operating in a particular foreign market. In France, for example, Canal+ had exclusive rights to the first two seasons of Netflix juggernaut “House of Cards.” This deal was negotiated while Netflix was not currently available in the country, and Netflix has since snagged the rights back.

But the idea of leveraging TV re-runs of Netflix originals to lure new subscribers is new. And Netflix isn’t limiting it to the US: the company signed deal similar to its Univision one with French TV company TF1 (for “Marseille,” Netflix’s French-language show starring Gerard Depardieu).

These deals come at a time when Netflix seems to be experimenting with its relationship to linear TV in general. Netflix recently launched “Chelsea,” a new talk show from Chelsea Handler. New episodes of “Chelsea” will appear every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday on Netflix. Handler and Netflix’s take on the talk show sits in the “near-live” space, somewhere between fast-decaying broadcast news and the timelessness of Netflix’s scripted shows. It's a departure in format from Netflix's previous original shows.

Netflix made a splash in originals with a particular formula: releasing full seasons, all episodes at once, of narrative shows you could binge-watch to your heart’s content. Now Netflix seems to be stepping back and seeing how it can push the boundaries of that model to gain new subscribers, and keep old ones.

SEE ALSO: A French billionaire put up $100 million to create a tuition-free 'college' in Silicon Valley that's endorsed by Jack Dorsey and Evan Spiegel

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NOW WATCH: This intense first trailer for Netflix's 'Narcos' brings Pablo Escobar to life

The sudden death of James Gandolfini in June of 2013 now has a new subplot: A paramedic at the scene allegedly stole the actor's $3,000 Rolex watch.

After Gandolfini’s 13-year-old son notified the front desk at the Boscolo Exedera Hotel in Rome that his father had collapsed in the bathroom of their suite, paramedics responded, and one is being charged with taking the watch from Gandolfini's wrist as he was on the floor, according to The Daily Beast. 

The paramedic, Claudio Bevilacqua, who was the ambulance driver of one of the two ambulances that responded, was called to trial in Rome this week on charges of aggravated robbery.

According to reports, the watch was taken off of “The Sopranos” star when attempts to resuscitate the actor were underway.

Members of Gandolfini’s family noted that the watch was missing and reported it to authorities. The Italian police investigated the allegation through the use of surveillance footage and testimony of two hotel security personnel.

One of the security guards told police he overheard the paramedics discussing the watch. The Daily Beast attributes the quotes from a story in the Italian newspaper Le Repubblica.

According to the security guard, one paramedic said to Bevilacqua, “He no longer has his watch on his wrist.” Bevilacqua responded, “Now let’s try to save his life, then someone can worry about the theft.”

Bevilacqua did not appear in court and his lawyer did not enter a plea. The trial begins in November.

At the time of his death, Gandolfini was in Italy to be a keynote speaker at the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily.

Bevilacqua faces large fines and as much as five years in prison, if convicted.

SEE ALSO: Chloë Grace Moretz: Why "Neighbors 2" is the first movie to really get young women

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NOW WATCH: Watch Christie beg to be Trump’s vice president on 'Saturday Night Live'

It pays to be a movie star — quite literally.

At the ultra-swanky Cannes Film Festival this week, stars like George Clooney and Blake Lively are lining up on the red carpet for their movies and attending parties on the French Riviera.

But they can also stop by the Cannes Celebrity Gift Lounge, where on Sunday and Monday GBK Productions — the company that puts together the lounge — was handing out swag bags to select attendees worth about $69,000, all told.

The free items from sponsors include trips to Caribbean resorts, solar power for your home, and expert advice on how to handle your estate.

See everything the celebrities get in their $70,000 gift bag below:

Antiaging products from LifeCell, $100

LifeCell is also the title sponsor of the lounge.

A four-night stay at Bay Gardens Beach Resort & Spa in St. Lucia, $1,475

A three-night stay at Belmond La Samanna in St. Martin, $8,000

Anthony Weiner watches in horror from his living room as a TV news report shows him flipping off a reporter.

His wife, Huma Abedin, sits in the dining room eating a slice of pizza, trying to ignore it all.

The moment is caught on camera for a documentary about Weiner and his failed New York City mayoral candidacy.

“I can’t believe I gave a reporter the finger,” Weiner mumbles to himself.

The filmmaker, Josh Kriegman, asks him, “Why are you letting me film this?”

It’s one of those moments that make the new movie “Weiner” — which is out this weekend and won the grand jury documentary prize this year at the Sundance Film Festival — a joy to watch.

In an era in which people of power attempt to keep everything about their lives hidden behind a veil of orchestrated social-media posts and safe appearances, Weiner allows so much access into his life for the movie that you wonder if the former congressman regrets any of it.

But while clearly a political miscalculation, the movie is perhaps Weiner’s self-inflicted penance for past transgressions.

Weiner came to notoriety thanks to the passion he brought to the floor of Congress on issues he appeared to care very deeply about, especially in 2010, when his displeasure with Republicans opposing the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act — which would provide funds for sick 9/11 first responders — went viral.

Less than a year later, Weiner's political career crumbled after he tweeted a sexually explicit photo of himself. After several days of denying he sent it, he admitted to posting the photo. In June 2011 he resigned from Congress.

But America loves a comeback story, and Weiner was ready to be its latest when in 2013 he ran for mayor of New York.

Directors Kreigman and Elyse Steinberg were there with cameras in hand to capture what would become “Weiner.” I imagine they sold it to Weiner as a way to show his underdog story. Think of the 2005 documentary “Street Fight,” director Marshall Curry’s look at the successful campaign of Cory Booker to become mayor of Newark, New Jersey.

Instead, "Weiner" is basically the political equivalent of the 2002 documentary “Lost in La Mancha,” in which filmmakers document Terry Gilliam making his passion project “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” with Johnny Depp, and instead the project is ruined by actor injuries, horrible weather, and fighter jets flying overhead.

But while Gilliam had the universe to blame for his failure, Weiner can only blame himself.

As the campaign for mayor looks to be going strong at the beginning of the movie, a few months into the election, news breaks that Weiner sent explicit photos of himself to a 22-year-old a year after he left Congress, under the alias "Carlos Danger."

You may remember the constant late-night TV jokes about the scandal during the summer of 2013, but reliving it behind the scenes of the campaign and seeing Weiner’s personal life with Abedin (who is a close adviser to Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton) provide a unique perspective.

Weiner allows cameras to show the damage control that attempts to extinguish the latest scandal. The biggest question: When did he send the photos? As cameras capture, he told most of the press at the beginning of the campaign that he had stopped sending sexual photos of himself after he left Congress.

In one scene, his publicist is reading him questions from a reporter. One asks if he thinks he is a sex addict.

The moments that made me cringe the most were conversations Weiner had with Huma. In some cases, Weiner asked cameras to be tuned off, but there are other times when the cameras are there, such as when they decide what Huma should say at the press conference addressing the latest photo scandal, and if she should continue going to campaign functions. In those instances, Huma says little, but her face and demeanor speak volumes.

In many of these cases, Weiner looks less like an understanding husband and more like a politician seeking votes and needing his supportive wife by his side to do so.

Then there’s the conclusion of the movie, which I won’t give away, but it’s on my top-five all-time documentary endings.

“Weiner” certainly proves that sometimes real life is stranger than fiction. But it also shows what it’s like to be on the wrong side of celebrity.

Weiner shrugs that he doesn’t know why he’s letting Josh film him react to the news report about him giving the finger. But it may be the same reason why, earlier in the movie, he lets Josh film him watching a video (with glee) of his appearance on a political show in which Weiner and the host engage in a screaming match. It seems like Weiner gets a kick out of the attention, good or bad.

The movie suggests the scary notion that many people who crave fame or power simply love it when people are always talking about them. Weiner takes that principle to a shocking level with his transparency in the movie.

But as with his scandals, he can't really cry foul. After all, he brought it on himself.

SEE ALSO: See the best-dressed celebrities hit the Cannes Film Festival red carpet

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NOW WATCH: 4 important things you probably missed on this week's 'Game of Thrones'

Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman spent 14 seasons as cohosts of Discovery Channel's wildly popular "MythBusters." But it turns out that their on-screen chemistry was caused by a lot of off-screen friction.

The "MythBusters" series finale aired on March 5 on Discovery.

Story by Jacob Shamsian, editing by Stephen Parkhurst

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Moviegoing has long been one of America's favorite pastimes, with blockbuster box-office earnings serving as a reliable predictor of cultural staying power.

Using both IMDb's and Box Office Mojo's lists of the highest-grossing films by year, Business Insider has compiled a chronology of the biggest box-office hits every year since 1975.

We adjusted global box-office receipts for inflation through 2016 using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' inflation calculator. We've also included critic ratings from Metacritic (on a scale of one to 100) and fan ratings from IMDb (on a scale of 1 to 10) for each film.

Several franchises are represented — "Star Wars," "Harry Potter," and "Pirates of the Caribbean" each make multiple appearances — as are Academy Award nominees and winners such as "Titanic" and "Rocky."

We used '75 as the cutoff because we found that worldwide figures before then were spotty and inconsistent.

Read on to find out the highest-grossing movie released the year you were born:

DON'T MISS: The 30 most expensive movies ever made

AND: RANKED: The 10 movies most likely to dominate this summer

2015: "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens"

Adjusted gross: $2.07 billion

Unadjusted gross: $2.07 billion

Critic rating: 81

Fan rating: 8.3

Plot summary: "Three decades after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a new threat arises. The First Order attempts to rule the galaxy and only a ragtag group of heroes can stop them, along with the help of the Resistance." 

2014: "Transformers: Age of Extinction"

Adjusted gross: $1.12 billion

Unadjusted gross: $1.1 billion

Critic rating: 32

Fan rating: 5.7

Plot summary: "Autobots must escape sight from a bounty hunter who has taken control of the human serendipity: Unexpectedly, Optimus Prime and his remaining gang turn to a mechanic, his daughter, and her back street racing boyfriend for help."

2013: "Frozen"

Adjusted gross: $1.31 billion

Unadjusted gross: $1.28 billion

Critic rating: 74

Fan rating: 7.6

Plot summary: "When the newly crowned Queen Elsa accidentally uses her power to turn things into ice to curse her home in infinite winter, her sister, Anna, teams up with a mountain man, his playful reindeer, and a snowman to change the weather condition."

Kesha's planned performance at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday has been halted after her producer Dr. Luke's label rescinded its permission for the show.

The singer has been in a long, public legal drama with Dr. Luke, who she alleges sexually assaulted her, and his Sony-owned label Kemosabe Records, with which she has a contract.

Dick Clark Productions, which oversees the awards show that's airing on ABC, said in a statement, "Kesha accepted an invitation to perform on the show and she received written approval from Dr. Luke's record label, Kemosabe Records. Kemosabe subsequently rescinded its approval following a media report on Wednesday May 11 regarding Kesha’s appearance on the BBMAs. Unfortunately, Kesha and Kemosabe have since been unable to come to an agreement for Kesha to perform on the show."

TMZ previously reported that the televised performance, Kesha's first since her legal struggle, would make "direct references" to the ongoing conflict with Dr. Luke.

But now Kesha has taken to Instagram to say she had no plans to address her legal situation. Instead, she was going to perform the Bob Dylan song "It Ain't Me, Babe."

"I was very excited to perform a tribute to Bob Dylan by singing a cover of 'It Ain't Me, Babe' at the Billboard awards this year," Kesha wrote in the caption. "I'm very sad and sorry to say I won't be allowed to do this. I just wanted to make very clear that this performance was about me honoring one of my favorite songwriters of all time and has never had anything at all to do with Dr. Luke."

Dick Clark Productions says in its statement that it still holds out hope that "the parties can come to an arrangement" so Kesha can perform Sunday, but right now that's looking unlikely.

SEE ALSO: Everything that movie stars get in the $70,000 swag bag at the Cannes Film Festival

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NOW WATCH: 4 important things you probably missed on this week's 'Game of Thrones'

In film directing or any other profession, doing something great means taking chances — and possibly failing.

According to "Ghostbusters" and "Bridesmaids" director Paul Feig, not being a jerk means the difference between people giving you a second chance and not when you fail.

"Nobody goes into something like, 'Let's make something terrible.' You want to make something great. So be cool while you're doing it, because people will hire you again," he told the graduating class from the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts.

"If you screw up and youre an a--hole, they won't hire you again," Feig explained during his commencement speech. "But if you're nice and you screw up, then they're like, 'Let's give him another shot.' It will buy you one free pass."

While Feig's advice may seem like common sense for any working professional, being rude at work is more common than you might think. As Business Insider previously reported, a growing body of research suggests that many working Americans are so stressed and overwhelmed at work they aren't aware when they're being a jerk.

There are a lot of things you shouldn't say, for example, that could turn a work relationship ugly or even get you fired. Pray you, avoid them.

Check out more of Feig's commencement speech via The Wrap:

SEE ALSO: 20 things you should never say to your coworkers

DON'T MISS: 32 things you should never say to your boss

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NOW WATCH: Here’s the one affordable habit ultra-successful people share

Seth Meyers gave Andy Samberg a do-over on a "Saturday Night Live" sketch that never made it to air.

"Hello and welcome to Second Chance Theatre, where we give new life to sketches that were cut from 'Saturday Night Live,'" Meyers opened the "Late Night" segment, which mimicked the style of PBS's "Masterpiece Theater." 

"Some are cut unfairly," Meyers continued, "and some, like tonight's, were cut for cause."

Titled "Wanna Come With?" the sketch features Samberg's character (and the comedian's 2006 hair) out at a bar with coworkers and continually asking them if they want to go to the bathroom with him.

"I'm super-faded. I'm going to hit the head," he says. "Anyone want to come with?"

Samberg's character gets rejected over and over again, increasingly annoying the others. Greta Gerwig and "SNL's" Kenan Thompson also showed up to play coworkers.

In a funny Q&A after the segment, Samberg's cowriter on the sketch, "SNL's" Colin Jost, confirmed that it was based on true events. But in real life, Samberg took it up a notch.

Jost recalled: "The other thing he would do, Andy would ask you to the bathroom. Then while you were in the bathroom, he would sneak out and scare you, thereby not making anyone want to go to the bathroom with you."

So how did Samberg feel about having the second chance at the nixed sketch?

"I would say tonight, much better, uh, hair identical — I feel like I went in a time machine, I'm going to run laps. Yeah, I think it landed a lot better by setting it up by saying it was crappy. Does that make sense? We should be able to do that on 'SNL.'"

Watch the sketch and Q&A below:

SEE ALSO: Andy Samberg found a way to mention Jimmy Fallon in every interview he did for his new movie

DON'T MISS: Donald Trump finally picks his running mate on 'SNL' and it isn't Chris Christie

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NOW WATCH: It’s surreal to watch this 2011 video of Obama and Seth Meyers taunting Trump about a presidential run

Icelandic strongman Hafþór Júlíus "Thor" Björnsson is known for playing the terrifyingly large Gregor Clegane (aka The Mountain) on "Game of Thrones." He also holds a world record for keg-tossing, and recently revealed his insane daily diet.

But Björnsson's 15,000 calorie-per-day diet is not what has fans buzzing these days. Instead, we're all obsessed with his new Pomeranian puppy. Seriously, look at this thing:

His name is Ástríkur, and the pup even has its own Instagram page under the handle @asterix_astrikur. The two may be the world's most mismatched dog/owner pairing when it comes to size. Despite their physical differences, Björnsson has incorporated Ástríkur into his daily workout routine. 

Scattered among his Instagram videos of weightlifting at the gym are cute snippets of Ástríkur and Björnsson out for daily walks and runs. You can barely spot the puppy among the similarly colored grass, but just look at this adorable workout:

Björnsson captioned the video: "The most cardio I've done in years!! #TimeForPizza #Asterix&Obelix." Ástríkur was named after the loveable cartoon character Asterix. Björnsson refers to himself as Obelix, the fictional pal to Asterix.

You can follow both Björnsson and Ástríkur on Instagram at @thorbjornsson and @asterix_astrikur. Watch the full video of the two running below:

SEE ALSO: Instagram just announced a new icon

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NOW WATCH: The Mountain from 'Game of Thrones' follows an insane meat and egg fueled diet

Right now in network TV it's time to kick out the old and pray that the new catches on.

The broadcast networks are unveiling their new series for the 2016-2017 seasons this week in an annual event known as upfronts.

At upfronts, the networks present their fall schedules and upcoming new shows to advertisers in order to entice them to spend their commercial dollars.

This year's fleet of new shows has several name actors attached, including Geena Davis, Kiefer Sutherland, Queen Latifah, Dermot Mulroney, and Jennifer Beals.

There's also a host of remakes, sequels, and spin-offs ranging from Fox's "The Exorcist" and "Lethal Weapon" to CBS's "MacGyver" and NBC's "Emerald City."

Here are the new shows that have just been picked up by the networks:

Note: updated as networks announce decisions and release photos and trailers.

SEE ALSO: Here are your favorite TV shows that are getting renewed for another season

DON'T MISS: 19 TV shows that were just canceled

"24: Legacy" (Fox)

Stars:Corey Hawkins, Miranda Otto, Jimmy Smits, Teddy Sears, Dan Bucatinsky, Anna Diop, Ashley Thomas, Charlie Hofheimer, Coral Pena, and Sheila Vand.

Network synopsis:The series chronicles an adrenaline-fueled race against the clock to stop a devastating terrorist attack on United States soil - in the same real-time format that has propelled this genre-defining series.

Expected premiere: After the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 5, then at its normal time Mondays at 8 p.m., Midseason 2017

Watch the trailer:

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"APB" (Fox)

Stars:Justin Kirk, Natalie Martinez, Ernie Hudson, Taylor Handley, Caitlin Stasey, Tamberla Perry, and Eric Winter.

Network synopsis: After billionaire engineer Gideon Reeves (Emmy Award and Golden Globe nominee Justin Kirk, "Tyrant," "Weeds") witnesses his best friend's murder, he takes over Chicago's troubled 13th District and reboots it as a private police force, challenging the district - including an ambitious, street-smart cop (Natalie Martinez, "Kingdom," "Under the Dome") - to rethink everything about the way they fight crime.

Expected premiere: Mondays at 9 p.m., Midseason

Watch the trailer:

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"Lethal Weapon" (Fox)

Stars:Damon Wayans, Clayne Crawford, Jordana Brewster, Kevin Rahm, and Keesha Sharp.

Network synopsis:Based on the hit movie franchise of the same name, "Lethal Weapon" follows iconic cop duo Riggs and Murtaugh, as they work a crime-ridden beat in modern-day Los Angeles. From the moment the brash and impulsive Martin Riggs (Clayne Crawford, "Rectify") meets prudent, by-the-book Roger Murtaugh (Emmy Award nominee Damon Wayans, Sr., "My Wife and Kids," "In Living Color"), it seems as if this partnership is doomed. But after their first case together, both realize this arrangement might just work out after all - if only Riggs doesn't get them killed first.

Expected premiere: Wednesdays at 8 p.m., Fall 2016

Watch the trailer:

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Netflix has released a new tool called Fast.com that shows you how fast your internet connection really is, whether you're on mobile or broadband. All you have to do is go to Fast.com, and Netflix will run a test.

While some sites already do this, including Speedtest.net — which the Netflix tool links to, in case you'd like to compare results — Netflix's pitch is that its tool is "ad free with a streamlined design that is quick and easy to understand."

Here is the full blog post from Netflix's David Fullagar:

Today we are launching fast.com, a simple-to-use website to help you see how fast your Internet connection is, whether on mobile or broadband, anywhere in the world. And like the Netflix service, it’s ad free with a streamlined design that is quick and easy to understand.

We all want a faster, better Internet, yet Internet speeds vary greatly and can be affected by other users on your network or congestion with your Internet service provider. When you’re experiencing streaming issues, fast.com allows you to check the download speeds you’re getting from your Internet service provider. Using Netflix servers, fast.com works like other globally available tools including speedtest.net, and the results should be similar in most cases.

This consumer speed test is different than our Netflix ISP Speed Index. Fast.com measures your personal Internet connection at any given time. The speed index measures average monthly speeds of actual Netflix streams during prime time hours.

Like the cellular data controls we recently introduced, fast.com is another tool consumers can use for greater insight and control of their Internet service. Fast.com works in any country, and it is free for everyone -- whether a Netflix member or not. Give it a try at fast.com.

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NOW WATCH: Here’s where Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Steve Jobs started as interns

Robin Wright took a page from the script of her show, "House of Cards," when she demanded that Netflix pay her equally to costar Kevin Spacey — or she'd go public.

"I was like, 'I want to be paid the same as Kevin,'" Wright, who plays Claire Underwood on the Netflix series, said during a human rights discussion at the Rockefeller Foundation in New York City on Tuesday, according to The Huffington Post.

"It was the perfect paradigm. There are very few films or TV shows where the male, the patriarch, and the matriarch are equal. And they are in 'House of Cards,'" she continued.

Wright, who made the comments while discussing equal pay for women in general, has starred as the wife and partner-in-crime to Spacey's Frank Underwood since 2013. She became an executive producer on the show's fourth season and has also directed several episodes. On the most recent seasons, Wright's character has transitioned from the wife of a politician to a politician seeking elected office for herself.

“I was looking at the statistics and Claire Underwood's character was more popular than [Frank's] for a period of time, so I capitalized on it. I was like, 'You better pay me or I’m going to go public,'" Wright said. "And they did."

Netflix told Business Insider that it has no comment on Wright's statements.

In 2015, Forbes reported that Wright was paid $5.5 million for the show. Spacey's show salary was reported at $6.5 million in 2014.

The pay gap in Hollywood came to the forefront in 2014, when the Sony hacks revealed that Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams made less than their male costars for "American Hustle." Lawrence waited nearly a year before addressing the wage gap in Lena Dunham's newsletter, Lenny, saying that she was more angry with herself for not pushing harder for a higher salary.

Recently, actress and director Jodie Foster dismissed Hollywood's pay gap controversy, saying “In terms of pay, it’s hard for me to get interested in millionaires worried about who gets paid more.” She suggested pay was a matter of what the marketplace demands and felt that the focus should be on the unequal pay for women in general.

This article has been updated with Netflix's response after the original publication.

SEE ALSO: Jodie Foster on Hollywood pay gap: 'It's hard for me to get interested in millionaires'

DON'T MISS: Neve Campbell says she's never been paid equally to her male costars

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NOW WATCH: 'House of Cards' ran a realistic-looking political ad during the Republican presidential debate

Earlier this month, Hulu confirmed that it was developing a cable-like online TV package to expand its footprint to areas like sports, news, and events.

And this new service could seriously shake up the sports TV landscape, according to analysts at Citi.

In a note on Monday, Citi analysts laid out a contrarian point about the future of sports programming. “[Wall] Street tends to think sports-centric cable networks [with their long, fixed-price contracts] face the greatest risk from cord-cutting,” the analysts wrote. “We think the market may have it backwards. The firms that face the greatest risk may be networks that don’t have any sports rights.”

Why is that?

The analysts argue that web delivery, “will dramatically increase the value of sports content,” as consumers get things like player profiles, game highlights, custom angles, and archival footage.

Enter Hulu

Hulu is owned by the largest purchasers of sports rights (Disney, Fox, and Comcast), and the analysts believe it is in a prime position to take advantage of this. The analysts write that they expect Hulu’s new cable competitor to be a “sports-centric offering.” They also expect it to include all broadcast channels, and channels from Disney, Fox, Time Warner, and “perhaps” Comcast.

Previous reports from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journalhave pegged the price of Hulu's cable competitor at around $40 per month, but Citi estimates it at $30. Citi thinks Hulu will keep price down by limiting expenses including fees from set-top boxes, DVR services, and franchises, while also cutting out the channels of Viacom, Scripps, and Discovery. Citi doesn’t think sports fans will care about content from Viacom, etc., and thus will get shut out.

The analysts argue that a focus on making sports an immersive experience would help Hulu charge a premium for its new service in the long-run. “It will take some time to get there. But, by making this strategic pivot now, NewLu [what the analysts are dubbing the new offering] puts sports on a radically divergent path from the rest of linear video.”

This could be a beneficial jump for sports programming, as demand for a more traditional offering like ESPN might be waning. In January, a survey by research firm BTIG asked people if they would drop ESPN and ESPN2 from their cable package if it meant saving $8 per month (the price BTIG estimates people usually pay for the channels as part of the bundle).

56% said they would drop them.

SEE ALSO: Netflix has launched a new tool to show you how fast your internet really is

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For the biggest, boldest bling, A-listers and billionaires have turned to one man for the last 30 years. And for the most complicated watches in the game? Still the same man.

His name is Jacob Arabo, although you may have heard him referred to as "Jacob the Jeweler" in rap songs by Kanye West or 50 Cent. His clientele is a who's-who of the international elite and Hollywood stars, from Cristiano Ronaldo to Jay Z and Beyoncé. The story of his rise through the luxury jewelry industry is, like his designs, larger than life.

Business Insider spent an afternoon with Arabo to learn just how this entrepreneurial Soviet émigré scaled the heights of the over-the-top jewelry and watchmaking business. It's the story of a bold outsider becoming the ultimate insider — and it's filled with diamonds. 

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The first thing you need to know about Arabo is that he lives the luxury life of his clients. But that's been a long time in the works. Born in Uzbekistan, he emigrated with his family to New York at the age of 14, settling down in Forest Hills, Queens.

With a struggling family to help support, Arabo made the decision to drop out of school at 16 and attend a jeweler's trade school in Brooklyn instead. The first piece he ever created was a brass jewelry box, which won him the class design competition.

The rest, as they say, is history. He finished the course in record time, and was quickly set up at a local Jewish wholesale jewelry factory that made mass-market pieces for department stores.

He lied about his age, pretending to be 18 so he could start earning a salary, which was just $125 a week.

"I was hungry to get a job," Arabo said.

But the repetitive factory experience didn't cut it for Arabo. "I knew that I had something in me, that I could do this," he said. He started crafting his own designs, and worked with a salesman to get them onto the market.

When he works on designing a piece, he typically creates a wax model of it first. Here are some recent examples of earring models, as well as a catalogue of early-stage sketches on photographs.

Soon, he was making more than $1,500 a week — more than 10 times his starting salary — and running a makeshift workspace out of his bedroom at his family home in Queens. He recruited some of his peers from jewelry school to assist in the fledgling business.

Tech really is the new rock and roll.

I first noticed this when people began lining up for new iPhone releases overnight, as we used to do as teenagers for hot concert tickets.

But Wednesday makes it official. Google is holding its annual conference for developers, Google I/O, at Shoreline Amphitheatre. Here's what the stage looks like right now:

Shoreline has an interesting history. It was built in 1985 by the city of Mountain View, California, working with the Bay Area rock promoter Bill Graham, and was designed in part as a tribute to the Grateful Dead.

The Dead were known for their rambling hourslong live shows, which audience members often recorded with the permission of the band, and then traded obsessively. Graham was one of the first promoters to help make the Dead famous in the 1960s.

The venue was designed to resemble the Grateful Dead's "Steal Your Face" logo when seen from above.

Here's the overhead view from Google Map:

Here's the logo:

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"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" was not the start Warner Bros. was hoping for in the launch of the DC Comics franchise, the studio's direct competitor to Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Nearing the end of its theatrical run, the movie has grossed only $869.8 million worldwide. For a superhero movie of its size, in which the two best-known comic book characters of all time go head-to-head, that just doesn't cut it. The movie really needed at least $1 billion to be a success.

Meanwhile, "Captain America: Civil War" has almost reached the billion-dollar mark worldwide in less than two weeks.

Though Warner Bros. has been putting on a strong face in public, it looks as if the studio has decided to shake things up.

The studio just created a separate division for the releases of its DC properties, called DC Films, and has hired two executives to run it, according to news of the shake-up at The Hollywood Reporter.

Executive vice president at WB Jon Berg and Geoff Johns, the DC Comics chief content officer who launched the comic book company's foray into television, will run the new division.

The shift is similar to what Disney has done with Marvel Studios, whose president, Kevin Feige, oversees all aspects of adapting the comic book characters to the screen, from choosing the producers and filmmakers to making key casting decisions.

According to THR, Berg was already involved in "Batman v Superman," "Suicide Squad," the Wonder Woman standalone movie, and "Justice League." He also has a close connection with the current Batman, Ben Affleck, as he has worked on the star's movies including "Argo" and the coming "Live by Night."

Johns has been a key member in the launching of DC Comics' TV series including "Arrow," "The Flash," and "Supergirl."

It was essential for Warner Bros. to show that it has a cohesive unit running the DC properties. It has numerous projects traveling through that pipeline, including the highly anticipated "Suicide Squad" — which is set to open in August and has already undergone expensive reshoots— and the recently announced standalone Harley Quinn movie starring Margot Robbie.

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At 19 years old, actress Chloë Grace Moretz has already learned a lot about what it means to be a role model in Hollywood, and how hard you have to fight for what you want.

She says it all goes back to her first leading role, in 2013’s “Carrie” remake.

“I really realized, oh, there’s a lot of stuff going on here for women that I need to clue in on and understand it,” she told Business Insider while doing press for her new movie “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” (which opens on Friday).

On the set of “Carrie,” Moretz said, she felt she had to speak up for the first time in her career, especially because she was in a movie about a girl having her period for the first time while she was also being controlled by male studio heads.

She said she learned from the experience that it's “okay to fight for something you believe in.”

“Don’t just be argumentative, don’t be loud for no reason, but don’t apologize for fighting,” she said.

It’s something she talked over with her biggest mentor in the business, Oscar winner Julianne Moore, who also played Moretz’s mother in “Carrie.”

“She’s someone I’ve always looked up to and who has really helped me out and given me some of the strongest advice I’ve had in my career,” Moretz said.

The two have discussed how often female celebrities who speak out are hit with backlash for doing so.

This happened recently to Moretz when her tweets speaking out against a nude selfie Kim Kardashian posted turned into a headline-grabbing feud between the two.

“We are all being highly misconstrued by media,” Moretz said when Business Insider asked about her biggest takeaway from her talks with Moore. “It’s like it's not okay to have an opinion anymore and you have to change that, unless you are saying everything on queue with what CNN or TMZ or any of these quote-unquote news outlets are reporting, then you're not allowed to have an opinion.”

Moretz said she’s also had “very, very forward conversations” with Jessica Chastain on this subject.

But it seems the dustup with Kardashian hasn’t made her any less focused. Along with starring in the female-focused “Neighbors 2,” Moretz said she’s continuing to look for progressive projects that are interesting for women.

“It’s more of a fight to find the cool scripts or finding someone who is willing to write the cool scripts or find the female directors that studios will approve,” Moretz said. “Those are still few and far between.”

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NOW WATCH: 5 important things you probably missed on this week's 'Game of Thrones'

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "Game of Thrones" season six.

The latest "Game of Thrones" episode ended with a fiery surprise from Daenerys Targaryen, but before that a pivotal scene took place in Castle Black. Jon Snow was sent a threatening letter from a Bolton rider and sealed with the Bolton's flayed-man sigil. Though the letter was signed by Ramsay and all signs pointed to the new Bolton lord being the true author, many fans believed that the letter was written by another hand.

Well, we know for certain that it was definitely written by Ramsay.

"Game of Thrones" director Dan Sackheim confirmed with Tech Insider that there is zero ambiguity when it comes to the letter. "This I can tell you without any concern [of spoilers]. That letter was written by Ramsay," Sackheim told TI over the phone.

He explained why Ramsay sending the letter was so significant.

"It's the ignition, or trigger, in terms of them going through the process of taking Winterfell back," Sackheim said. "How they're going to take Winterfell back, I can't say. But it's the beginning of that process."

So why did fans believe that the letter was sent by someone else? For starters, the book series' version of this letter arriving to Castle Black has a lot of different circumstances and clues. Since the show and books are now following separate canons, the fan theories related to the book letter could hold up.

For show viewers, there was some hope that the letter came from Sansa. This would make sense from a motivation standpoint. At the beginning of the episode, Sansa was trying to convince Jon to help her take back Winterfell from the Boltons. He was adamant about staying away from the fight — until this letter arrived. People believed that Sansa was "playing the game" by writing a letter she knew would antagonize Jon into attacking.

Others suspected Littlefinger was somehow involved, since he's proved to be a sneaky player in "Game of Thrones."

"It could always still be Littlefinger," Redditor tatertatertatertot wrote. "He's the intellectual Ramsay on the show -- he can do anything with nothing. Fake Bolton riders and seals? Sure. It's Littlefinger. Why not?!"

Others seem inclined to believe Littlefinger's involvement, too.

"I suspect Littlefinger has been coordinating the Northern houses," Redditor Rhyal wrote in another thread. "I think he setup [sic] Sansa to trigger a northern revolt. When that didn't work, he coordinated with the Umbers to deliver Rickon into harms way (motivating many houses into action)."

We know Littlefinger often has secret plans that aren't revealed to the viewers until after they've been executed — i.e., Joffrey's murder — but based on Sackheim's comments, this isn't one of them.

Fans will have to stay tuned to see exactly how Jon and Sansa work their way toward taking back Winterfell. Episode five, "The Door," airs on Sunday, May 22, at 9 p.m. EST on HBO.

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