Quantcast
Channel: Business Insider
Viewing all 115236 articles
Browse latest View live

Jeff Goldblum tells us about acting over the phone with Wes Anderson for 'Isle of Dogs' — and why he thinks his best performance is yet to come

0
0

2x1JeffGoldblum_BI Graphics Shayanne Gal Getty

  • Legendary actor Jeff Goldblum talked to Business Insider about voicing a character in the stop-motion animated movie, "Isle of Dogs," which marks his third time working with director Wes Anderson.
  • Goldblum also opened up about why he believes he still hasn't delivered his career-best work yet.


It kind of makes sense that one of the most unique directors working today would want to work with one of the most unique actors.

“Isle of Dogs” (in select theaters Friday) marks the third time Wes Anderson has used Jeff Goldblum to masterful perfection. In “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” (2004), he had Goldblum play Bill Murray’s nemesis with the incredible charm that has become one of Goldblum’s memorable on-screen traits. Ten years later in “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (2014), Anderson gave him a very different role as an attorney who gets in over his head. And now with the stop-motion animated “Isle of Dogs,” Goldblum voices the dog Duke, who along with his canine friends helps a boy trying to track down his lost dog (Duke also loves to gossip whenever possible).

Working with Anderson is just the latest achievement for the legendary actor, who has literally done it all on screen — from playing a fly (“The Fly”), to saving the world (“Independence Day”), to running from dinosaurs (“Jurassic Park”), to even getting in on the Marvel craze (“Thor: Ragnarok”).

Goldblum talked to Business Insider about working once again with Anderson, the movie from his past he doesn’t mind watching if it’s on TV, why he loved his wardrobe in “Buckaroo Banzai,” and why he thinks he’s just on the threshold of doing his all-time best work.

Jason Guerrasio: I’ve heard that you did all your lines for “Isle of Dogs” over the phone, is that true?

Jeff Goldblum: Yes. Well, Wes was on the phone, I was in a recording studio in Los Angeles because schedule-wise I wasn't able to join Bill Murray and Bob Balaban and Ed Norton and Bryan Cranston, who were all together in a New York Studio. So I had to do this long distance, which I loved because I was sort of able to have Wes just to myself. He's a wonderful actor's director.

Guerrasio: If you did do it over the phone it wouldn't have been a first because Ryan Reynolds did a few lines over the phone for "Deadpool" that were needed during post. Same with Will Arnett for "Lego Batman Movie."

Goldblum: Well, these days I guess the technology is such that you can record something over the phone and tweak it into something very presentable.

Guerrasio: So it is safe to say this was the easiest movie you've done?

Goldblum: [Laughs] Well, there was no getting up every day early. It was short. But I'm working with Wes, even if it's a couple of hours over the phone, I thought about it as much as I could and tried to put as much into it as I could.

Guerrasio: What kind of direction did you want from him? Did you want visuals to prep?

Goldblum: Well, I'll take anything I can get. But this is my third movie with him, so you feel safe and anything he wanted to give me was enough. But originally he gave me the script and some photographs, some drawings that were the inspiration. And that was all. We didn't talk about the overall message and themes of the movie because he doesn't need to. We just talked about the character. But now that I've seen it a few times I start to go, wow, I guess I didn't need to know it but I'm so struck by the theme of us dogs being so committed and devoted to this kid.  

Guerrasio: Was what you saw on screen completely different from what you imagined it would be when you were recording the lines?

Goldblum: While I was preparing for it I was thinking, “How can I make this good?” I spent time looking at my dog, and a little bit more, and a little bit more. But having seen it now it was amazing and what these stop-motion animators have done. Not only are they blocking the scene and other things we didn't have to think about doing, but every line is accompanied by the correct depiction of what we're feeling, a subtle naturalistic performance.

Guerrasio: It sounds like a fun gig. A couple of hours and then hand it over to these guys who have to spend years crafting it.

Goldblum: Could you imagine? [Laughs] I do a little voice for a few hours and they work for three years.

Guerrasio: Now let's go to the other side of the spectrum. At this point in your career, are you still interested in doing a role that's very costume heavy, like "The Fly," having to spend hours and hours in a chair before shooting.

the flyGoldblum: I’m nothing if not a hard worker and if it's worth it. These days I'm as picky as ever and I have somehow the freedom to pick and I wouldn't work so hard just for the novelty of having a job, it would have to be with people I'm excited about and a story and a character I'm excited about. But they're around so yeah, I would jump into anything. 

Guerrasio: I’m sure you get many offers to do many things, is it nice to have the freedom to be selective and not have to worry about where the next job is coming?

Goldblum: It is nice. I like it. I feel I'm on the threshold of my best stuff. I feel I'm trying to get better and I'm getting a little better all the time, and I seem to be getting a variety of things. I have “Jurassic World" coming up, and the Jodie Foster movie called “Hotel Artemis,” a very different character for me. And I just did a movie called “The Mountain” with Rick Alverson, he's the director who did “Entertainment” and “The Comedy.”

Guerrasio: Very different projects and roles. You have a career full of them. But what's the movie of yours you'll stop everything and watch a little if it comes on TV?

Goldblum: It's funny, I watch them when they first come out because I'm curious what we did, but I'm critical of my early stuff. Like I said, I'm trying to improve. But let me see, let me see, what comes on that I really like? Well, Wes' movies. Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. IIIII dddooooonnnn'ttt kknnnoooow — I guess "The Fly" if it comes on. I'll watch a moment of that.

Guerrasio: Let me give you mine. I love you in “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.

Goldblum: Thank you.

Guerrasio: Do you get that one a lot?

Goldblum: Well, yes, people come up to me and say that. I like that movie. I actually watched it again because I did an interview about cult movies. I was very happy to see it again. I like that movie.

Guerrasio: I love the scene where your character, Dr. Sidney "New Jersey" Zweibel, is introduced. Wearing that incredible Western get up.

Goldblum: Well, like I say in that scene, "Geez, I thought we were going to go on the road," or something like that.

Guerrasio: He thought he was going to play with Buckaroo's band.

Goldblum: Yeah. He wasn't ready for what was about to happen. They had a very good costume person. And I was in “Silverado,” but I didn't have anything like woolly chaps and a great big hat. 

Guerrasio: It's an amazing look.

Goldblum: Yeah. I liked it.

Guerrasio: Now you were still coming up in the business at the time that movie came out. A sequel was teased in the end credits, did you think you were in a franchise? You probably thought you were going to at least get another paycheck playing this character.

Goldblum: Well, I think [director] W.D. Richter and Earl Mac Rauch, who wrote it, they had a lot up their sleeve. They had more things to show. I think it just didn't do well enough in theaters. But I've never been particularly careerist and I'm no kind of business man, I've always done this as a wild-hearted romantic creative adventure and I was plenty satisfied with what we'd done with that movie. I don't think I even paid attention to how it did. In those days, in fact, I don't even think there were opening weekend box office news like it is now. I don't think franchise was a term used yet. But no, I don't think I counted on anything past that movie. [Laughs

SEE ALSO: How "Isle of Dogs" stacks up against Wes Andersons' 8 other movies

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why 555 is always used for phone numbers on TV and in movies


Steven Spielberg says movies released by streaming services like Netflix don't deserve an Oscar

0
0

steven spielberg

  • Steven Spielberg said in an interview with ITV News that movies released by streaming services like Netflix and Amazon should not qualify for the Academy Awards. 
  • Spielberg called streaming services "a clear and present danger to filmgoers," and said that a film released by such companies should be considered a "TV movie" that could "deserve an Emmy, but not an Oscar."

Steven Spielberg said in a recent interview with ITV News that movies released by streaming services like Netflix and Amazon should not qualify for Oscars.

The "Ready Player One" director called the rise of streaming services "a clear and present danger to filmgoers," while lamenting that smaller films are now largely bought by such companies. 

"Fewer and fewer filmmakers are going to struggle to raise money, or to compete at Sundance and possibly get one of the specialty labels to release their films theatrically," Spielberg said. "And more of them are going to let the SVOD [Streaming Video On-Demand] businesses finance their films, maybe with the promise of a slight, one-week theatrical window to qualify for awards."

"But, in fact, once you commit to a television format, you're a TV movie," Spielberg continued. He added that films released on streaming services could "deserve an Emmy, but not an Oscar."

"I don't believe that films that are just given token qualifications, in a couple of theaters for less than a week, should qualify for the Academy Award nominations," he said.

Spielberg's critical stance on streaming services follows that of a fellow high-profile director in Christopher Nolan, who last year spoke against the theatrical strategy of Netflix.

Nolan called out Netflix's "mindless policy" of releasing films simultaneously on its streaming service and in theaters, though he also praised Amazon's 90-day theatrical window as "a perfectly usable model." Spielberg made no such distinction between Netflix and Amazon in his interview.

Watch Spielberg's interview below:

SEE ALSO: All 65 of Netflix's notable original shows, ranked from worst to best

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why 555 is always used for phone numbers on TV and in movies

How much money you actually take home from a $75,000 salary under Trump's new tax law, depending on where you live

0
0

donald trump

  • President Donald Trump's new tax law resulted in a bump in take-home pay for about 90% of Americans, according to the IRS.
  • For people earning $75,000 a year, federal income and FICA taxes amount to $685 per pay period under the new tax law, down from $778.
  • That means employees who make $75,000 got a $93 boost per bimonthly paycheck.

Starting in February, many Americans saw a bump in their take-home pay thanks to President Donald Trump's new tax law.

The new law changed the 2018 tax brackets and went into effect starting this year.

The IRS released new guidelines in January, known as tax-withholding tables, that tell employers how much to take out of employees' paychecks for income taxes based on criteria such as single or joint filing status, Business Insider's Bob Bryan reported. That amount is paid to the IRS in the employee's name.

At the end of the year, when an employee files their taxes, they either get a refund (if too much was withheld) or pay more (if too little was withheld).

The new withholding changes hit Americans' paychecks around February 1, resulting in roughly 90% of workers getting higher take-home pay, according to the IRS.

In light of the recent change to the tax law, we used SmartAsset's paycheck calculator to find out what $75,000 looks like after taxes in 11 US cities. The chart below shows annual take-home pay in each city for 2018.

paycheck calculator

Some states — like Washington, Florida, and Texas — don't have state income taxes, so someone who earns $75,000 there will bring home a bigger paycheck than someone who lives in California or New York.

These take-home pay estimates account only for state and local income taxes, which vary by place, plus federal income taxes and Social Security and Medicare (known as FICA).

For a $75,000 earner in 2018, federal and FICA taxes amount to $685 per pay period no matter where in the US you live. Before the new tax law, federal income and FICA taxes took $778 from every paycheck.

If you're contributing to a tax-advantaged retirement account, like a 401(k), the paycheck you bring home will be less than these figures.

But in that case, your savings are covered — or at least part of the recommended 20% of your paycheck you should earmark for savings and paying off debt — and the rest of your paycheck can go toward necessities like housing, food, transportation, and discretionary spending.

The same goes for health insurance, if you're enrolled in a healthcare program through your employer, which will deduct monthly insurance payments from your paycheck on a pretax basis.

New York City residents fared the worst in our city comparison. Employees in the city take home just over $52,000 on a $75,000 salary, largely thanks to steep state and city income taxes. That doesn't leave much to cover housing or transportation costs in the most expensive city in the country— but it is slightly more take-home pay than they received before the GOP tax law.

Below, check out the twice-monthly-paycheck breakdown for workers earning $75,000 in 11 US cities.

SEE ALSO: Your paycheck probably just got a little bigger — here's why

DON'T MISS: How Trump's new tax law affects homeowners at every income level from $83,000 to $336,000 a year

Dallas, Texas

Take-home pay before the tax law: $2,347



Miami, Florida

Take-home pay before the tax law: $2,347



Nashville, Tennessee

Take-home pay before the tax law: $2,347



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have sent out invitations to the royal wedding — here's what they look like

0
0

royal wedding invite

  • Invitations have been issued for Prince Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle.
  • Guests will be invited to a service at St George's Chapel and a lunchtime reception hosted by the Queen at St George's Hall.
  • An inner circle of 200 guests will also be invited to an evening reception at Frogmore House hosted by Prince Charles.
  • The invitations were made by London-based printers Barnard Westwood.
  • They were printed with American black and gold ink on English card.


Invitations have officially gone out for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding on May 19 — so if you haven't received anything, you're out of luck.

Kensington Palace tweeted on Thursday: "Invitations to the wedding of Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle have been issued in the name of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales."

The Palace confirmed that guests have been invited to a service at St George's Chapel followed by a lunchtime reception at St George's Hall, hosted by the Queen.

royal wedding invite

Around 200 guests have also been invited to an evening reception at Frogmore House in the evening, hosted by Prince Charles.

They were made by London-based printers Barnard Westwood, who have been making Royal invitations since 1985, according to the Palace. Officials said Managing Director Austen Kopley was "thrilled and honoured" to be making them.

They were made with American black and gold ink on English card, which is an apparent symbol of Harry and Meghan's relationship.

prince harry meghan markle

They feature Prince Charles' three-feathered badge symbol, and are officially issued in his name rather than the couple's. This is the same convention as for the announcement of their engagement, which was also made in Charles' name.

royal wedding invite

The invitations were printed by Lottie Small, who recently completed her apprenticeship at Barnard Westwood, in a process known as die stamping, according to the Palace, "on a machine from the 1930s that she affectionately nicknamed Maude."

royal wedding invite

They're printed in gold and black, "then burnished to bring out the shine, and gilded around the edge."

royal wedding invite

Here's a video of them being made:

SEE ALSO: Prince Harry only just got formal permission from the Queen to marry Meghan Markle — something he needs thanks to a 250-year-old British law

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why 555 is always used for phone numbers on TV and in movies

Chaos ensues as eager customers show up to Toys R Us clearance sales only to find they've been postponed with no warning

0
0

toys r us ny 19

  • Toys R Us' liquidation sales were scheduled to start on Thursday.
  • Customers turned up to shop the sales at its stores, only to find that they had been delayed.
  • Toys R Us has not yet confirmed when the rescheduled sales will start.

If you're on your way to shop the Toys R Us clearance sale, turn around. 

The iconic toy store and its sister company, Babies R Us, were supposed to begin their big going-out-of-business sales on Thursday. Eager shoppers showed up at many of its stores early in the morning, only to find out the sales had been delayed. 

Signs were posted in store windows to alert customers. One read: "Attention customers, liquidation sale has been delayed. We are waiting for the final approval."

Toys R Us is planning to close or sell all 735 of its US stores as part of its liquidation process.

Customers are now posting on social media that they're furious they were given no prior warning. 

Toys R Us

Toys R Us

Toys R Us

Toys R Us told Business Insider that the sales had been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances and that they could begin Friday instead. It has not been confirmed whether they will indeed begin on Friday.

A shop assistant in one Greenville, South Carolina store that was scheduled to begin sales on Thursday told Business Insider that he was not sure whether the sale would start Friday and are still waiting to hear more from management. 

The delays could likely be due to a backlash from vendors who have objected to Toys R Us' plan to liquidate its US business. Many of them are in limbo, not knowing whether Toys R Us will pay them for merchandise that's stuck on ships and trucks.

More than 50 suppliers, including Barbie maker Mattel and Lego, have objected to Toys R Us' plan in some form. Several are demanding that the company return unpaid inventory rather than selling it at discounted prices. 

In January, the company announced plans to close 170 Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores. Those stores, including one we visited in Yonkers, New York, have already started going-out-of-business clearance sales.

SEE ALSO: We visited a Toys R Us store that's about to shut down — and it was a grim glimpse of the chain's future

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The rise and fall of Hooters Air — the airline that lost the 'breastaurant' $40 million

Gucci is selling a rubber ice bucket that costs as much as 1,000 bags of ice

0
0

gucci rubber tote bag

  • Gucci has launched a $949 (£675) rubber tote bag that would double up as a great ice bucket.
  • It has the same value as almost 1,000 bags of ice.
  • It's made of 100% rubber.


Have you ever looked disdainfully at your lacklustre ice bucket, wishing it could add a little pizzazz to the place?

Well, Gucci is here to take your money.

The famous Italian fashion house has launched a $949 (£675) rubber tote bag that could easily double up as a handsome ice bucket on those hot summer months.

The bag, which Farfetch says bridges "nostalgic references from the seventies and eighties with versatile and functional designs," is 100% rubber and made in Italy. 

gucci tote bag

It's perfect for chilling bottles of Champagne, or even carrying around your collection of Supreme bricks.

At the bottom of the bag you can see the words: "Guccification," "Sine Amore Nihil," "Summer MMXVII," and "XXV" — each phrase apparently holds special significance to Gucci, but we're not entirely sure why.

gucci rubber tote bag

SEE ALSO: Gucci models carried replicas of their own heads in a terrifying runway show — and people are freaking out

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why 555 is always used for phone numbers on TV and in movies

The last nun still alive in a legal battle against Katy Perry has a GoFundMe to help her fight — and it's exceeded its $30,000 goal

0
0

katy perry nuns

  • The last nun still alive in a legal battle against singer Katy Perry over the sale of a Los Angeles convent isn't backing down.
  • A GoFundMe to help with legal fees has exceeded its $30,000 goal.
  • Sisters of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of Mary purchased the convent in the 1970s, and attempted to sell the property to a restaurateur in 2015 — which was fought in court by the L.A. Archbishop.
  • Callanan had since been fighting the sale to Perry with fellow Sister Catherine Rose Holzman, who collapsed and died in court earlier this month.

 

The last nun locked in a legal battle against Katy Perry over the sale of a Los Angeles convent isn't backing down — and a GoFundMe page created in October could help in that fight.

According to a report from The Daily Beast, Sister Rita Callanan of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of Mary in Los Angeles is ready to keep fighting the sale of the 8-acre convent, despite the unexpected death of fellow Sister Catherine Rose Holzman, who collapsed and died during a court appearance earlier this month.

The GoFundMe created in October by Holzman to help with legal fees has exceeded its $30,000 goal — it's at $30,285 as of Monday morning from just over 300 donors. 

katy perry

On March 10, a day after Holzman passed, Callanan posted an update to the page:

"On March 9th, 2018 we tragically lost Sister Catherine Rose, my beloved fellow IHM Sister and original organizer of this GoFundMe campaign. She was my cherished partner in this ongoing legal battle to keep our convent. It is now more important than ever to continue this fight and for our cause to prevail."

Callanan and Holzman were among the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart who purchased the convent in 1971 with income they earned as teachers in the parochial schools of Los Angeles, according to the GoFundMe page.

In 2015, the nuns sold the property to restaurateur Dana Hollister, who wanted to convert the property into a hotel. But Los Angeles Archbishop José Horacio Gómez had already sought to sell the property to Perry, and fought against — and won — the sale of the convent to Hollister in court, according to The Daily Beast report, because it had not been approved by the Vatican. 

So why does Perry want to buy the convent so badly? Apparently she told the nuns in a 2015 meeting that she wants to "live on the property with her mother and grandmother, sit in the meditation garden, sip green tea and find herself."

Not if Callanan has anything to say about it.

“I just feel that Katy Perry is used to getting all she wants, and to her money means everything, and to her, whatever Katy wants, Katy gets," Callanan told The Daily Beast.

Callanan will continue the fight over who has the right to sell the convent with help from the GoFundMe donations, escalating a legal battle that has already been brewing for years.

SEE ALSO: Jeff Goldblum tells us about acting over the phone with Wes Anderson for 'Isle of Dogs' — and why he thinks his best performance is yet to come

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why 555 is always used for phone numbers on TV and in movies

The 19 most successful movies that starred Hollywood couples who were dating in real life

0
0

catherine zeta jones ring

Plenty of actors have dated each other while making movies together, and some of those relationships have fared better than others. The same can be said for the movies.

But for every epic bomb like "Gigli," which starred Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez — and earned a distinguished 6% on Rotten Tomatoes — there are some hits that have made major piles of cash.

Box Office Mojo compiled a list of the highest-grossing movies that starred actors who were dating in real life, either at the time of the movie's release or shortly before. (The list is ranked based on the movies' domestic box office, without adjusting for inflation.)

Most of these couples are no longer together, but there are a few exceptions, such as Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas who have been married for 18 years.

There are also couples who have starred in multiple movies together (Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman), and actors who have starred in multiple movies with a different significant other (Cruise again).

Overall, it appears that Cruise enjoys dating his co-stars.

Below are the most successful movies to star people who were dating in real life:

SEE ALSO: Jim Carrey slams Mark Zuckerberg in a new portrait: 'Who are you sharing your life with? #regulatefacebook'

19. "Cruel Intentions" (Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe)

Domestic gross: $38,328,567

Witherspoon and Phillippe met in 1997 and married in 1999, the same year that "Cruel Intentions," which they both starred in, was released. The two have two children together, but divorced in 2007.



18. "Cobra" (Sylvester Stallone and Brigitte Nielsen)

Domestic gross: $49,042,224

Stallone and model, singer, and actress Nielsen married in 1985, a year before their film "Cobra" released. The two never had children together, and divorced less than two years later.



17. "Bugsy" (Annette Bening and Warren Beatty)

Domestic gross: $49,114,016

Bening and Beatty have been married since 1992 and have four children together. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

We tried Starbucks' newest over-the-top Frappuccino — and it's clear why it won't be the next Unicorn Frappuccino (SBUX)

0
0

Starbucks Crystal Ball Drink

  • Starbucks launched the new Crystal Ball Frappuccino on Thursday.
  • The Frappuccino is sickly sweet, but fake peach connoisseurs and Pop Rocks fans may find something to enjoy about the beverage. 
  • However, the Crystal Ball Frappuccino is falling short in the one way that matters: Instagram appeal.

 

Starbucks wants to recapture the magic of the Unicorn Frappuccino — but its latest attempt fails in one key manner. 

On Thursday, Starbucks debuted the Crystal Ball Frappuccino. Like the Unicorn Frappuccino, it will only be available for four days, or as supplies last. Like the Unicorn Frappuccino, it's a sweet, brightly colored treat that's ideal for Instagram. 

And, like the Unicorn Frappuccino, most people except those with the sweetest of teeth will find the drink disgusting. 

To be fair, most of Starbucks' uncaffeinated Frappuccinos are going to miss the mark with those who don't like the idea of pouring hundreds of sugar packets in a creamy slush and then chugging it. Like most of the chain's fruity, cream-based Frappuccinos, the Crystal Ball Frappuccino — which is supposedly peaches-and-cream flavored — tastes mostly of liquid sweetener.

Starbucks Crystal Ball Drink

For the fake-peaches connoisseur, the fruity undertones in both the Frappuccino and its whipped cream provide a pleasant surprise in the turquoise beverage. 

"It's gross, but I like it," Business Insider's visual-features reporter Hollis Johnson said, calling the drink "sweet peachy sugar milk." 

I personally enjoyed the crystallized candy gems, which added a nice touch of texture to the drink. Frankly, they reminded me of Pop Rocks, with a little less punch — and I'm never going to say no to Pop Rocks. 

However, at the end of the day, Starbucks' limited-time Frappuccinos need to deliver on aesthetics, not taste. 

While the Crystal Ball is a turquoise, marble dream in Starbucks' press materials, the Frappuccinos purchased by Business Insider in Manhattan and Brooklyn revealed a more subdued color palate. 

Starbucks Crystal Ball Drink

The Unicorn Frappuccino was vividly colored and packed a punch. Meanwhile, the most the Crystal Ball can promise is some blue-ish tinges. 

A Frappuccino's Instagram appeal is key to its success, especially when Starbucks isn't doing much to promote the drink. While some stores are highlighting the Crystal Ball Frappuccino, others haven't even publicly added it to the menu. 

The Unicorn Frappuccino drove sales by going viral. The Frappuccino generated roughly 180,000 Instagram posts in just one week, according to UBS research. Meanwhile, as of Thursday at noon, the Crystal Ball Frappuccino hashtag had less than 2,000 entries. 

#crystalballfrappuccino #starbucks #frappuccino

A post shared by Tingting (@ttttessie) on Mar 22, 2018 at 9:03am PDT on

Starbucks needs to find a new Frappuccino strategy, as the category's sales have slumped over the past two years. In late January, Starbucks announced plans to end its popular Frappuccino Happy Hour deal after the promotion failed to drive sales in summer 2017.

"What we are trying to do this year is sort of reinvent Happy Hour," Starbucks CFO Scott Maw said of the promotion at a JPMorgan forum earlier in March. Starbucks plans to use digital assets — such as personalized marketing on its mobile app — to target certain subsets of customers.

While the Frappuccino Happy Hour has lost its shine, Maw said that the Unicorn Frappuccino acted as a significant sales driver last April.

"It was a wonderful product and we have got some other things planned that I think will be pretty cool as well," Maw said.

SEE ALSO: Starbucks has a new over-the-top take on the Unicorn Frappuccino designed to take over Instagram

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The rise and fall of Hooters Air — the airline that lost the 'breastaurant' $40 million

Netflix has bought the comedy catalog of Monty Python, including all your favorite classics and potentially new material

0
0

monty python

  • Netflix has secured the international rights to the majority of the British comedy troupe Monty Python's film and TV catalog. 
  • Titles include the group's classic films "Monty Python & the Holy Grail" and "Monty Python's Life of Brian," as well as its BBC sketch show, "Monty Python's Flying Circus."
  • The titles will appear on Netflix in the UK and Canada starting on April 15, with a US release date "following later in the year."
  • The streaming service is also looking to produce new original content from the remaining Python members, according to Deadline.

Netflix has picked up the majority of the British comedy troupe Monty Python's film and TV catalog, the group announced on Thursday.

The streaming service has secured the international rights to the group's classic comedy films like "Monty Python & the Holy Grail" and "Monty Python's Life of Brian," as well as its groundbreaking BBC sketch show, "Monty Python's Flying Circus."

The titles will appear on Netflix in the UK, Canada, and other international markets starting on April 15, with a US release date "following later in the year," according to the Python website.

Deadline reports that Netflix is also looking to produce new original content from the remaining Python members, which include John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam.

Here is the full list of titles that will be available for streaming: 

"Monty Python & the Holy Grail"
"Monty Python’s Life of Brian" 
"Monty Python’s Flying Circus"
"Monty Python’s Fliegender Zirkus" 
"Monty Python’s Personal Best" 
"Monty Python Best Bits (mostly)"
"Monty Python Live (mostly): One Down, Five to Go"
"Monty Python Conquers America"
"The Meaning of Monty Python"
"Monty Python: The Meaning of Live" 
"Eric Idle’s What About Dick?" 

Watch a selection of sketches from "Monty Python's Flying Circus" below:

SEE ALSO: All 65 of Netflix's notable original shows, ranked from worst to best

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why 555 is always used for phone numbers on TV and in movies

The latest relationship trend is 'slow dating' — and it's a recoil from years of swiping through apps

0
0

flirting whispering secret couple date

  • Dating apps are starting to offer fewer, more curated matches.
  • The dating app Once, for example, recently launched in the US, and delivers users just one match per day.
  • Limiting your options could be the smartest move when it comes to dating, since having too many options can make it harder to choose anyone.


You could call it the rise of "slow dating."

Since the debut of dating apps — Tinder launched in 2012 — they've been all about speed, a suitor a second. Once you created an account, your relationship prospects depended almost exclusively on how fast you could move your thumb.

Now, that appears to be changing.

Time Out New York recently reported on the dating app Once (they're the ones who use the term "slow dating"), which sends users just one match every day. You answer some questions about your preferences in a mate and rate the attractiveness of different profile pictures — and the algorithm takes over from there. Then, you have 24 hours to decide whether you're interested.

Once has been available in Europe since 2015; it launched in the United States in February 2018 and now has 200,000 US users, according to Time Out New York.

But Once is hardly the only app on the market that offers a more curated dating experience. Coffee Meets Bagel, for example, which launched in 2012, presents women with one "bagel" — i.e. match — a day. (Men receive up to 21 matches every day and select the people they like, so the app chooses women's bagels from among the men who indicated they liked them.)

The League, which hit the online-dating scene in 2015, is a more selective dating app for ambitious (or ambitious-seeming) young professionals: You have to give access to your LinkedIn profile and get approved. League members get five matches every day.

Then there's dating app Happn, which debuted in 2014 in Paris, and allows you to see people you've crossed paths with (geographically). Users who subscribe to Happn Essential get 10 chances to "Say Hi" to another user every day.

The trickle-down continues: As INSIDER's Talia Lakritz reported, matchmaking is trendy again, especially among people who are frustrated by dating apps.

Lakritz spoke to E. Jean Carroll, cofounder of Tawkify, a network of "dating concierges," and Carroll told her that the service works at least partly because it "limits your choices." Carroll also said you have double the odds of meeting someone through a matchmaker than through online dating — though you have to be in a certain financial position to use one. Tawkify's services range from $99 to $6,000 a year, Lakritz reported.

Having too many choices can wind up sabotaging our relationship prospects

It's unclear exactly what precipitated this shift. But it's possible that daters and app-developers alike have begun to observe the effects of what social scientists call "choice overload" or the "paradox of choice." The more options you have, research suggests, the less likely you are to make any decision at all.

INSIDER's Kristin Salaky reported that having a seemingly infinite pool of potential dates to choose from can change the way we behave in relationships. As soon as a relationship gets rocky, one expert told Salaky, instead of working to repair it, we look to see what else is out there.

Helen Fisher, biological anthropologist and chief scientific officer at Match.com, has noticed something similar. The Verge reported that Fisher said the biggest problem with dating apps is "cognitive overload," adding that "the brain is not well built to choose between hundreds or thousands of alternatives." Fisher advises people to stop when they've hit nine matches and consider those.

And as most everyone who's used a dating app can attest, you can swipe for hours and match with dozens of people, only to not hear back from anyone or have your conversations peter out.

Ashley Fetters, a 26-year-old editor at GQ, told The Atlantic's Julie Beck that "there's an illusion of plentifulness," adding, "It makes it look like the world is full of more single, eager people than it probably is."

Having someone restrict your dating options for you may be the smartest decision you can make. On the surface, it doesn't make sense: Aren't you more likely to find your soulmate in a pool of thousands versus a pool of five? Well, maybe not.

As couples therapist Esther Perel previously told Business Insider, there's no such thing as "the one." There's someone who suits you well enough — and once you decide you're going to be in a relationship with that person, you mold the relationship into something that suits you even better.

The rise of slow dating suggests that maybe finding love is about taking a leap of faith, about trusting that whatever dating service you're using knows what it's doing and has located the best possible person or people for you. Could there be someone or many people better out there? Ultimately, that may not be the most productive question to ask.

SEE ALSO: A psychologist says apps like Tinder and Bumble have become the only dating services worth your time

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Our genetic makeup makes online dating perfect for men but terrible for women

'Uber-for-helicopters' startup Blade just raised $38 million — here's what it's like to fly to the Hamptons

0
0

blade flight

  • Blade is a transportation startup that offers on-demand flights to destinations like the Hamptons.
  • It just raised an additional $38 million in venture funding. 
  • We took a helicopter ride with Blade in 2015 — here's what it was like.


Getting to the Hamptons can be a real drag. Blade, an aviation startup cofounded by former Sony and Warner Music Group exec Rob Wiesenthal and GroupMe cofounder Steve Martocci, aims to make it a little easier on you. 

Blade uses an app to crowdsource flights on helicopters and seaplanes that you can book seats on in an instant. Though Blade started out with flights to the Hamptons, which remains one of its most popular destinations, the startup has expanded to offer flights in many weekend getaway spots, including Nantucket, the Jersey Shore, and around different parts of Los Angeles.

Tickets range from $494 to $695 for a trip from Manhattan to the Hamptons. A one-way ticket on Blade One, the company's private jet service from New York to Miami and Palm Beach, costs about $2,200. You can even snag a seat on a helicopter going to one of the New York area airports, a five-minute ride called Blade Bounce that starts at $195.

The company just raised $38 million in a Series B funding round led by Colony NorthStar and Lerer Hippeau. Airbus Helicopters and LionTree Ventures also contributed to the round. 

According to a press release from the company, the new funding will go towards expanding Blade's routes. Blade and Airbus will partner to launch an intra-city helicopter service in a to-be-determined market overseas. Blade added that Colony will be helping to identify future potential landing sites for eVTOLs, or flying taxis, which both companies see as an important foundation for future transportation initiatives. 

Blade has raised $60 million in venture funding to date, the company said. Past investors include Discovery Communications' David Zaslav, Google's Eric Schmidt, IAC's Barry Diller, and iHeart Media's Bob Pittman.

Blade treated us to a trip to the Hamptons on a late summer evening in 2015. Here's what it was like:

SEE ALSO: This $2 million SUV is bulletproof and cut like a diamond — look inside

Our journey began in Blade's 34th Street lounge, where we found a comfortable setup of couches and stools along a sleek bar. "You can't beat the on-demand aspect," Jarrett, a Blade customer who works in Manhattan real estate, told me. Blade has a network of seven lounges in four states.



Customer experience (or C/X in Blade lingo) representatives Jessica Rooney and Erin Mulcahy were there to help. They're wearing uniforms that were custom designed by Jimmy Choo founder Tamara Mellon just for Blade.



The C/X team has worn several different retro-inspired uniforms. "My inspiration for Blade harkens back to the days when I was a young child and my parents would dress me up to get on a plane," Wiesenthal, Blade's cofounder and CEO, said to Business Insider in 2016.

He added: "It was the golden age of aviation — the '60s to early '70's, the Jack Kennedy, Frank Sinatra era — when getting on a jet plane was a big deal and an adventure. Not everybody did it. And there was always a story attached to it."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

A Stanford professor explains how 'design thinking' can help you lose weight, stop worrying, and change your life

0
0

woman running stretching fitness exercise jogging

  • Bernard Roth is a professor of engineering at Stanford and the author of "The Achievement Habit."
  • In the book, he explains how design thinking can help you create meaningful changes in your life by getting to the heart of the problem and generating possible solutions.
  • A New York Times journalist used the design-thinking process to lose weight.


What's something you've always wanted to accomplish but never have?

Maybe it's launching your own company, or maybe it's finally getting in shape.

Whatever it is, it probably seems like there are insurmountable obstacles standing between you and your goal, from your demanding family to your busy work schedule and your deep-seated fear of failure.

But the truth is, these goals are completely achievable — and in most cases, you are the only one holding yourself back.

That's according to Bernard Roth, a professor of engineering and the academic director of the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (the d.school) at Stanford University. Roth's book, "The Achievement Habit," outlines how a strategy called "design thinking" can help you create meaningful changes in your life.

Design thinking was invented by Roth and other Stanford engineers, and it's typically used to improve on a specific product or experience, like a lightbulb or online dating. Yet in "The Achievement Habit," Roth explains how the very same process can be turned inward, helping individuals become happier and more successful.

The book is based on a class Roth has been teaching for nearly half a century, called "The Designer in Society."

Design thinking is a five-step process:

1. Empathize: Learn what the issues are.

2. Define the problem: Which question are you going to answer?

3. Ideate: Generate possible solutions.

4. Prototype: Abandon perfection and either build your project or develop a plan.

5. Test and get feedback from others.

Roth says the individual steps aren't as important as some of the guiding principles behind design thinking: a bias toward action and limited fear of failure. The point of design thinking, according to Roth, is to challenge your automatic thinking and assumptions.

So how does design thinking work in real life?

Design thinking can help you clarify what the real problem is

Over at The New York Times, Tara Parker-Pope explains how the strategy helped her lose weight, something she'd long struggled with.

For the first step (empathize), Roth suggests learning what the real issues are by asking, "What would it do for me if I solved this problem?"

Parker-Pope realized she would feel better about herself, have more energy, and have more confidence to socialize with friends. So the real problem was not so much weight loss, but focusing on her friendships and boosting her energy.

In the process, she realized that carb-loading around lunchtime and eating sugar were making her tired during the day, so she eliminated both. "In shifting my focus away from weight loss to the real issues weighing on my life," Parker-Pope writes, "I ended up losing 25 pounds."

In the book, Roth also describes how design thinking helped a mom in one of his workshops stop worrying about her daughter getting into a good college.

The mom thought the key question was, "How do I make sure my daughter gets into a good college?", but Roth helped her realize that the real question (step two: define the problem) was, "How do I become less anxious?" That's because, once the daughter was admitted somewhere, she'd probably start worrying about something else.

With this new realization, the mom could start working on the big-picture issue of reducing her anxiety.

Design thinking emphasizes doing over thinking

Design thinking can be equally helpful for working toward professional goals.

Roth gives an example of a student in his "Designer in Society" class named Paddy, who had always wanted to start his own business. Paddy was a journalist who had served in the marines, but when Roth encouraged students to dig deep and be honest with themselves, Paddy realized that none of his accomplishments had made him happy.

"He was just doing a good job walking the paths others had created," Roth writes.

Each student in the class has to complete a term project, which involves doing something they have wanted to do but have never done — and Paddy chose to produce his own radio show.

"In my class [Paddy] learned not to recoil or procrastinate when a new idea arose, but to act," Roth writes. So Paddy prototyped and produced several new products for the radio program "Marketplace." Later on, he published a book about economics.

Design thinking helped Paddy mostly by making doing an imperative, instead of thinking about doing (that's why step four is about prototyping).

The most valuable part of design thinking, Roth says, is that once you realize you can achieve one goal, you gain momentum toward achieving the next one. In other words, it becomes an "achievement habit."

Roth writes: "The experience of taking control of your life will change your reality, making it possible to achieve almost anything you seriously want to do.."

SEE ALSO: A Stanford professor says eliminating this one daily behavior can make you more successful

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How Jay-Z and Diddy used their fame to make millions off of 'cheap grapes'

11 insider facts about shopping at Costco only employees know (COST)

0
0

Costco shopper

Costco deals aren't too hard to find.

• But there are a few less-than-obvious hacks and tips to apply if you ever spring for a membership.

• From watching the price tags to shopping on Mondays, here's a look at some insider tips from employees that you should know if you're going to shop at Costco.



Costco deals are easy to come by.

The retail chain is famous for having just about everything. Certainly, some of its offerings stretch beyond what you'd expect from a big box store. Costco sells cars, vacations, food kits for the apocalypse, cheap food in its food courts, and even caskets.

Given the breadth of Costco's selections, it pays to come in armed with as much information as you can get. That way, you can keep an eye out for the best possible deals and shopping strategies the next time you visit your local Costco.

Costco employees tend to have the most insider knowledge, like how you can shop without a membership, how to avoid annoying them, and how to know when buying in bulk isn't worth it.

Here's a look at some tips that only Costco employees and seasoned shoppers know about:

SEE ALSO: We ate at a Costco food court, and it was one of the best dining experiences we've ever had

DON'T MISS: 12 Costco deals that are well worth the money

Don't ask employees to "check the back" for items

At many large grocery stores and big box chains, asking an employee to "check the back" for an item isn't necessarily an unreasonable request.

But, at Costco, there just isn't a "back."

"We don't have any additional storage from what you see on the shelves," a Costco employee told Reader's Digest. "If it's not there, don't ask us to check the 'back.' The 'back' doesn't exist."



You don't need a membership for everything

Standard Costco memberships go for $60 a year and can help customers rack up huge savings.

But you don't need a Costco membership to buy wine, get an eye exam, hit up the pharmacy, or grab a bite to eat at the food court. 

If you need a flu or shingles shot, you can also show up with a signed immunization consent form and get it taken care of.

Simply tell the Costco employee manning the door what you're there for to enter, Eat This Not That recommends.



Start your hunt in the middle of the store

Business Insider's Kate Taylor reported that many Costco employees place the store's biggest bargains in the "center court" of the store.

You're better off skipping the more expensive displays at the store's entrance, and starting off somewhere in the middle.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Actor Bill Murray writes op-ed comparing Parkland shooting activists to the students who helped end the Vietnam War

0
0

bill murray

  • Actor Bill Murray wrote an op-ed for NBC News Think comparing the student activists of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting to the student protestors who helped end the Vietnam War.
  • Murray also compared the difficulties of ending the Vietnam War to the challenges presented by gun-control reform.

In an op-ed written for NBC News Think on Thursday, actor Bill Murray compared the student activists that arose from the Parkland, Florida, school shooting to the student protestors who played a part in bringing an end to the Vietnam War in the 1970s. 

"I was thinking, looking at the kids in Parkland, Florida who have started these anti-gun protests, that it really was the students that began the end of the Vietnam War," Murray wrote. "It was the students who made all the news, and that noise started, and then the movement wouldn't stop. I think, maybe, this noise that those students in Florida are making — here, today — will do something of the same nature." 

Murray continued the analogy by comparing the difficulties of ending the Vietnam War to the challenges presented by gun-control reform.

"Ending the Vietnam war was not a simple thing, either: You had to make sure that all our people were safe; we had to make sure that they were as safe as you could be," he wrote. "And, you might remember, people thought it was going to be the end of the world if we lost Vietnam. But that war had to stop."

Earlier this month, the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Florida, led a nationwide walkout in protest of gun violence and legislative inaction on gun control.

Several of the Parkland students appeared on the cover of Time magazine this week, following weeks of promoting gun-control reform and making various other media appearances.

Read Murray's entire op-ed over at NBC News.

SEE ALSO: The story behind Netflix's new docuseries about a 'sex cult' that committed the largest bioterror attack in US history

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why 555 is always used for phone numbers on TV and in movies


These are America's 10 most beautiful deserted highways

0
0

alaska state route

  • GPS tracking company Geotab used data from the US Department of Transportation to find the least used road in each state.
  • From that list, landscape photographer James Q. Martin ranked the 10 most scenic routes based on subjective criteria.
  • Martin's picks span both coasts and reach as far up as Alaska.


Most travel guides make recommendations based on the idea that the more often a place is visited, the more reason a tourist has to visit it. But the GPS tracking company Geotab and landscape photographer James Q. Martin have taken the opposite approach with their list of America's 10 most scenic, quiet routes. To make the list, Geotab began by using the most recent available data from the US Department of Transportation's Highway Performance Monitoring System, which tracks the number of cars that drive on highways each day. 

Once Geotab found the road in each state with the least amount of average, daily traffic, it enlisted Martin to rank the 10 most scenic routes based on subjective criteria. Martin's picks span both coasts and reach as far up as Alaska.

Here are Martin's 10 most scenic, quiet routes, and the reasons he picked them.

SEE ALSO: Here are the 15 best airports in the world

10. Pennsylvania — State Route 32

Route Length: 41 miles 

"Known as the River Road, this scenic drive follows the Delaware River as it runs alongside the New Jersey border," Martin told Geotab. "Historic stops along the way include the Washington River Crossing and the arts and crafts town of New Hope."



9. New Hampshire — US Route 2

Route Length: 35 miles 

"The long version of this scenic drive passes through several states," Martin said. "Here it winds alongside the Androscoggin River into the picturesque mountain ranges of New Hampshire. A detour takes you into the White Mountains National Forest and passes by the prominent Mount Washington."



8. Wyoming — US Route 212

Route Length: 35 miles

"The Beartooth Highway is Wyoming's highest route," Martin said. "It leads into Yellowstone National Park, and has incredible views of jagged mountains, pine forests, rocky peaks and alpine lakes. During the winter, the road is closed due to heavy snow, but usually opens back up by Memorial Day weekend."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

A woman in San Francisco says she gets by on $30,000 a year by having no internet, cable, Netflix, or car

0
0

san francisco housing

  • San Francisco's high cost of living has made it difficult for artists to stay there.
  • Stage actress Beth Wilmurt told KQED that she's managed to live in San Francisco for most of her life despite making $30,000 a year, on average.
  • Wilmurt said she cut out internet, cable, Netflix, and a car to afford city living.

Beth Wilmurt, a stage actress who has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for most of her life, makes as much money in a year as some people spend on a single month's rent in the city.

She earns $30,000 a year, on average, between acting and her side hustles — teaching music and babysitting. Wilmurt told local broadcasting station KQED that she's made it work living in San Francisco over her nearly three-decade career, though it's getting harder all the time.

The Bay Area has become unlivable for many artists, artisans, longtime residents, and even tech entrepreneurs. A lack of affordable housing and out-of-control housing prices have caused many people, including Wilmurt, to flood the rental market. In March, San Francisco's median two-bedroom rent of $3,040 was about two and a half times as high as the national average.

San Francisco lost more residents than any other US city in the last quarter of 2017, according to data from real-estate site Redfin.

Wilmurt, who has performed in around 60 stage productions over the last 30 years, told KQED that she's managed to stay in the Bay Area by cutting out what some would consider necessities.

"No car, no internet at home, no Netflix, no cable," she said. "I'm on a family phone plan — I share 2GB of data with four people." Wilmurt has a flip phone instead of a smartphone.

beth wilmurt actress san francisco

She and her partner, Mark Jackson, a theater director, have occupied the same rent-controlled, one-bedroom apartment in the hip Haight neighborhood since 1996. The monthly rent: $500.

"Rent control is the golden handcuff," Wilmurt told KQED. "If I lost that, I'd have to leave for sure."

She added that the home is falling apart and in need of repairs.

Wilmurt holds many jobs. According to KQED, she directs local children's and senior choruses, teaches at an elementary school in the Mission, leads summer-camp workshops, and babysits.

The performer said her lifestyle has always been driven by her artistic goals — "not a strategic plan for my financial future." She hopes to stay in the area, but she's aware of the difficulties.

"For the first time I am feeling insecure about my financial future as I am feeling the effects of aging," Wilmurt said. "The word 'hustle,' which I guess is what I've been doing all these years, is now feeling like hustling, and needs to be a more financially driven hustle than art-driven."

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The best and worst features of the Samsung Galaxy S9

MoviePass says it has bought over 1 million tickets for Marvel's 'Black Panther'

0
0

black panther

  • MoviePass told Business Insider that Marvel's "Black Panther" has been its best-selling movie since it dropped its price in August.
  • The service has sold over 1 million tickets for the movie.
  • It's yet another honor for "Black Panther," which has already broken several box-office records and reached $1 billion globally since coming to theaters last month.

Marvel's "Black Panther" is a box-office phenomenon and has already reached $1 billion worldwide after just a month in theaters. But on top of all of its records, the movie is also the top-selling movie with MoviePass subscribers.

In data provided to Business Insider by MoviePass (and its majority owner Helios and Matheson Analytics), "Black Panther" was listed as the service's highest-selling movie with over 1 million tickets sold (in the period since August, when MoviePass drastically lowered its price). 

Subscribers to MoviePass — which allows users to see one movie a day for $9.95 a month — took full advantage of the service in seeing the superhero film about T'Challa (played by Chadwick Boseman), the king of a secret, scientifically advanced African nation called Wakanda, who is also its super-powered protector (the Black Panther).

The film broke box-office records when it first opened as the biggest February opening of all time, and the best opening yet for a movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a four-day weekend of $242 million.

It didn't take long for the film to reach $1 billion globally and it has remained at the top of the domestic box office for five straight weekends, a first since 2009's "Avatar."

Audiences obviously love this movie, and perhaps MoviePass even pushed moviegoers to see it multiples times.

We'll see if "Black Panther" can remain at the top of MoviePass' list, though. Marvel's next film, "Avengers: Infinity War," comes to theaters April 27 and already broke Fandango's record for fastest-selling advance tickets of a superhero movie — a record previously held by "Black Panther."

SEE ALSO: New MoviePass data reveals the 27 movies that sold the most tickets to its subscribers since August

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why 555 is always used for phone numbers on TV and in movies

The 21 richest Asians in the UK

0
0

goyal

Many of the most powerful countries in the world are owned by Asian businessmen and women — and many of them live in the UK. 

The Asian Rich List 2018, which will be presented on Friday night at the 21st annual Asian Business Awards (ABA) in London, recognises the 101 wealthiest Asians in the UK.

The list, compiled by Asian Media Group (AMG) in association with UBS, has become the definitive guide to ultra-high net worth individuals and Asian business success in the UK.

Scroll down to see the 21 most powerful and successful people from the Asian Rich List.

Note: Some calculations were based on the value of the entire family, which is indicated below.

SEE ALSO: The 5 youngest billionaires in the world in 2018

21. Naresh Goyal — £540 million.

69-year-old Goyal is the founder and chairman of Indian international airline Jet Airways.

His valuation rose from £220 million in 2017 to £540 million this year.



=19. Bhupendra and Ramesh Kansagra — £600 million.

Newcomers to Rich List in 2017, brothers Bhupendra and Ramesh Kansagra are tied for 19th place.

The duo are directors of Solai Holdings Limited, an investment services company. Their valuation increased by £100 million over the past year.



=19. Mayurbhai Madhvani (and family) — £600 million.

73-year-old Mayurbhai Madhvani is a Ugandan businessman and entrepreneur, and the managing director of the Madhvani Group of Companies, one of the largest conglomerates in the African country.

His family have their roots in India, but were expelled from Uganda in the 1970s by the dictator Idi Amin as part of an ethnic cleansing campaign.

They moved to Britain, but kept their business links to Uganda. The Madhvani Group owns countless companies, in fields from running airports to hotels to steel.

His father was patriarch and Madhavani Group founder Muljibhai Madhvani.

Madhvani's valuation grew by £100 million in the past year.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

5 comedians Netflix has paid insane amounts of money — including $40 million to Ricky Gervais

0
0

Ricky gervais

Netflix has established itself as the premier home for stand-up comedy over the past few years, and it has accomplished this by shelling out millions to some of the top names in the industry.

Ricky Gervais' recent Netflix special, "Humanity," is the first of two specials in a deal the actor-comedian reportedly signed for $40 million.

Gervais follows stand-ups like Amy Schumer, Dave Chappelle, and Chris Rock in netting multimillion-dollar deals from the streaming service.

It should be noted that Netflix has also drawn criticism for under-paying some comics. Comedian Mo'Nique came into a pay dispute with the company last year when they reportedly offered her $500,000 for a special.

Also, Louis C.K. was reportedly set to make between $30 million and $35 million from Netflix for a two-special deal, before the company cancelled his second special following sexual-misconduct allegations against the comedian. While he was paid for his first special, released in early 2017, we've excluded him from this list as his deal is not ongoing.

Here are the five comedians Netflix has paid insane amounts of money:

SEE ALSO: All 65 of Netflix's notable original shows, ranked from worst to best

Amy Schumer — $13 million

Netflix initially offered Amy Schumer $11 million in 2017 for her hourlong "The Leather Special," but Schumer was reportedly able to use Netflix's more lucrative deals with Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle as a bargaining chip to receive $13 million for the hour, according to Variety.



Ricky Gervais — $40 million

Ricky Gervais reportedly "secured the highest fee ever paid for a UK stand-up special" for his most recent Netflix special, "Humanity," according to Chortle. Gervais told the outlet that his second special in the deal, which was extended in January, would be worth the same. He then retweeted a Twitter user who wrote that Gervais had made $40 million from Netflix for the two specials.

Gervais has also profited from previously released shows that Netflix acquired of his, including "Derek" and "An Idiot Abroad."



Chris Rock — $40 million

Chris Rock signed a two-special deal with Netflix in 2016 that was worth $40 million in total, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The first of his two specials, "Tamborine," debuted in February.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
Viewing all 115236 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images