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<ul class="summary-list"><li>The "Mrs. Doubtfire" child stars reunited for the first time in over 30 years for a podcast.</li><li>They shared behind-the-scenes stories about their late costar, Robin Williams.</li></ul>One of the child stars of "<a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mrs-doubtfire-robin-williams-30th-anniversary-director-chris-columbus-interview-2023-11">Mrs. Doubtfire</a>" revealed that <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/every-robin-williams-movie-ranked-by-rotten-tomatoes-2022-7">Robin Williams</a> went to bat for her after she was expelled for taking time off to star in the blockbuster comedy film."Mrs. Doubtfire" starred Williams as a divorced dad who hatches an elaborate plan to imitate a female housekeeper so he can work for his estranged wife and see his children. The much-loved movie took home <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0107614/?ref_=bo_se_r_1">$441 million</a> at the box office worldwide, making it the <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/world/1993/">second highest-grossing film of 1993</a>.Lisa Jakub, who starred as the eldest daughter of Williams and Sally Field's characters in the movie, recalled how the late screen legend stepped to get her high school to "rethink" their decision while appearing on the "<a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2cLA9dx70M">Brotherly Love</a>" podcast alongside Mara Wilson and Matthew Lawrence, who played her on-screen siblings."I got thrown out of high school on 'Doubtfire,'" Jakub told her costars. "I'm Canadian. I was attending high school in Canada, then I left for four months to go film the movie."Even though she had "three hours of schoolwork on set every day" to make up for the 9th-grade lessons the teenager was missing, Jakub's high school was unhappy with her on-set education. "We were a couple of months into filming, and my school in Canada sent a note saying: 'This isn't working for us anymore, don't come back.'""It was just so heartbreaking because I had this life that was very unusual, and that was the one normal thing," she said.According to Jakub, when Williams saw she was "devastated" by the decision, he came to her defense over her education and did his best to reverse the decision."The amazing thing was Robin saw that I was upset — he asked me what was going on," the actor explained. "He wrote a letter to my principal saying that he wanted them to rethink this decision and that I was just trying to pursue my education and career at the same time, and could they please support me in this."<div type="image" title="Robin Williams, Sally Field, Lisa Jakub, Matthew Lawrence, and Mara Wilson in &quot;Mrs. Doubtfire.&quot;" height="720" width="1280" msid="109843895" hostid="261" sizebytes="117678"></div>Unfortunately, the principal of Jakub's school stayed firm in their decision."The principal got the letter, framed it, put it up in the office, and didn't ask me to come back," Jakub continued. "Amazing."It wasn't the only time Williams put pen to paper to advocate for his younger costars. Lawrence shared that the actor also wrote a letter of recommendation to help him get into the University of Southern California several years after their work on "Mrs. Doubtfire."But Jakub's expulsion had a knock-on effect on her adult life. The now 45-year-old <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004356/">left acting behind in 2000</a> and said it took her years to catch up."When I left LA at 22, I did not have a high school education. I hadn't graduated," said Jakub.Speaking to Business Insider last year on the 30th anniversary of the movie, "Mrs Doubtfire" director Chris Columbus said that he and Williams began <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/robin-williams-discussed-mrs-doubtfire-sequel-before-death-director-says-2023-11">discussing the possibility of a sequel </a>in 2014. Williams' death that same year shut down any further conversation about a follow-up. "There will never be a sequel to 'Mrs. Doubtfire,'" said Columbus.

Robin Williams wrote a letter to a school principal urging they 'rethink' the expulsion of a 'Mrs. Doubtfire' child star

March is still far away but the mercury is already rising with the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbzgyYEGOkA">official trailer</a> of <keyword id="1020628" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ragini-MMS-2">Ragini MMS 2</keyword> doing the rounds on the Internet and even on adult sites. This upcoming horror-thriller (to be released on March 21), the sequel to the 2011 <keyword id="30679" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="horror-flick">horror flick</keyword> <keyword id="500381" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ragini-MMS">Ragini MMS</keyword>, has <keyword id="836886" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sunny-Leone">Sunny Leone</keyword> in the lead and that, of course, is making all the difference. Directed by <keyword id="820957" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bhushan-Patel">Bhushan Patel</keyword> and co-produced by <keyword id="6354597" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ekta-Kapoor">Ekta Kapoor</keyword> and <keyword id="154993" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Shobha-Kapoor">Shobha Kapoor</keyword>, this movie begins from where the earlier one left off. In the first flick, a couple goes to a secluded place to spend a fun weekend and the boy intends to make an MMS of the whole thing. But due to ghostly interventions, he gets killed and the girl manages to escape, but she is now a nervous wreck. 
 
Ragini MMS 2 kicks off from here but we still don’t know much about the storyline at this stage. As per some reports, a movie-maker has now decided to make a film based on the earlier incident and casts a <keyword id="23" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood-actress">Bollywood actress</keyword> (Sunny Leone) to play the lead role. But when the shooting starts in the haunted house, all hell breaks lose. 
 
The theatrical trailer of Ragini MMS 2 has hit the Internet on Monday (February 3) and last we checked, it was trending on Google with 20,000-plus searches. But we are not too impressed by the promo where Sunny Leone, the Indo-Canadian adult film star-turned-Bollywood <keyword id="6355604" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="actress">actress</keyword>, struts around in the skimpiest of outfits and the background looks suitably eerie. The other attraction of the sex-horror flick is <keyword id="2045553" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Chaar-Bottle-Vodka">Chaar Bottle Vodka</keyword>, the new song from Ragini MMS 2 that features <keyword id="1089543" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Yo-Yo-Honey-Singh">Yo Yo Honey Singh</keyword> and Sunny Leone. But sadly, the song is not there in the promo. 
 
<keyword id="6593120" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Jai-Ho">Jai Ho</keyword> makes the cut 
Now that we have our fill of thrill, here is another piece of exciting news. Salman Khan-starrer <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Jai-Ho-Salman-FightsThrough-Clichs-Fails-To-Create-A-Dhoom/articleshow/29505187.cms">Jai Ho</a> (earlier called Mental), which was released on January 24, has finally entered the <keyword id="925977" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rs-100-crore-club">Rs 100 crore club</keyword>, collecting Rs 102.58 crore nett at home after 10 days. That’s a crawl, to say the least, compared to Aamir’s action-thriller <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Dhoom-3-Breaks-All-Bollywood-Movie-RecordsGives-You-Some-Dumb-Entertainment/articleshow/27853596.cms">Dhoom 3</a> that amassed Rs 170 crore-plus just after the first weekend, with nearly Rs 63 crore coming from the overseas markets. 
 
“#JaiHo actuals Week 1 – 88.78 cr, Wknd 2 – 13.80 cr. Grand total: 102.58 cr nett. India biz only. Figures confirmed by Eros,” tweeted trade analyst Taran Adarsh. 
 Globally, however, the flick has done well, especially in the UAE-GCC region, Pakistan and USA-Canada. Bollywoodhungama estimated the first weekend overseas gross at $3.55 million while <keyword id="255727" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Box-Office-India">Box Office India</keyword> estimated it at $3.45 million. Interestingly, Jai Ho is the fourth biggest overseas opener for a <keyword id="6354583" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Salman-Khan">Salman Khan</keyword> starrer-film. 
 
Image: Indiatimes

Sunny Leone Sizzles
In Ragini MMS 2; Jai Ho Finally Enters 100 Crore Club

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Pedro Pascal currently stars in popular shows like "The Last of Us" and "The Mandalorian." </li><li>Pascal currently has several new projects, including a series of mysterious ads for "Merge Mansion."</li></ul>Pedro Pascal is having a moment.The Chilean-born actor, who rose to prominence playing Oberyn Martell in "Game of Thrones," has invaded millions of televisions in recent months with a potent one-two punch, returning as the titular character in "The Mandalorian" and starring in HBO's critically acclaimed TV adaptation "The Last of Us."It's Pascal's riveting turn as Joel, a hardened survivor who treks across a pandemic-ravaged America with Ellie (Bella Ramsey), that has some critics speculating the actor <a href="https://variety.com/2023/awards/awards/pedro-pascal-emmy-nomination-chances-last-of-us-mandalorian-1235571485/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">could earn his first Emmy</a> nod for outstanding lead actor in a drama series, becoming the second-ever Latino to be recognized in the category. The actor, for his part, has been pretty open about the joys and rigors he experienced during the production of "The Last of Us," which included one month of prep and 11 months of shooting across the western Canadian province of Alberta. "It was incredibly challenging, but it was more fun than anything else because of how delicious the scripts are, the characters, the creators, the team, putting it all together, the locations, the cultural environment of being in Canada and having a Canadian crew and all of these elements that fell into line with one another," Pascal told Insider while promoting his collaboration with Metacore for the game "Merge Mansion.""It didn't mean that it wasn't hard work, and that it wasn't a very specific kind of physical labor for everyone," he continued, adding that the crew was a mix of fans of the game and non-fans that became part of a family during production."That's kind of what happened. A very large family going through a very contained experience, and it was really wonderful for everybody," he said.<div type="image" title="Pedro Pascal at The Paramour Estate" height="3537" width="4716" msid="99296144" hostid="261"></div>As the actor recalled during HBO's "Making of The Last of Us" documentary, released in March, one physically taxing situation involved filming in the frigid cold of Canada for episode eight."There was a day of shooting, and we were out in the elements," Pascal said in the documentary. "There was snow everywhere, and we were on the side of a mountain, and it was really cold, and there was a trek through the snow, and there were three or four house-size wind machines. I loved it. I love it. I want to go back."It's unclear when "The Last of Us" season two will eventually air, but Pascal and Ramsey will reprise their roles, with showrunner Craig Mazin <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/03/the-last-of-us-creators-season-one-finale-bella-ramsey-ashley-johnson-1235285607/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">teasing that the second season</a>, which will move shooting locations to Vancouver, "won't be exactly like the game." Pascal, in the meantime, is enjoying the fruit of his labors. While "The Mandalorian" elevated Pascal's status in the cultural zeitgeist, it's "The Last of Us" that catapulted the actor to a stratospheric level of stardom and virality. He hosted his first episode of "Saturday Night Live" in early February, earning rave reviews. Even his heavily caffeinated Starbucks order <a href="https://www.insider.com/pedro-pascal-starbucks-order-six-shots-espresso-2023-3">has been widely dissected</a>. But while Pascal has embraced his fame, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdVpCkMEsLE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admitting as much in February</a> on "The Graham Norton Show," the actor remains passionate about his work. Upcoming projects include an HBO limited series entitled "My Dentist's Murder Trial," which is based on a <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/07/03/my-dentists-murder-trial">2017 New Yorker article</a> costars David Harbour.<div type="image" title="Pedro Pascal" height="3801" width="5068" msid="99296149" hostid="261"></div>There's also <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13055264/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"Strange Way of Life,"</a> a 30-minute queer western, directed by Pedro Almodóvar and costarring Ethan Hawke. Debuting at the Cannes Film Festival in May, Pascal plays Silva, who visits his longtime friend Sheriff Jake (Hawke) after 25 years apart. Jake tells Silva there's more to their reunion than simply revisiting their friendship."This is a queer western in the sense that there are two men, and they love each other, and they behave in that situation in an opposite way," Almodóvar revealed <a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-dua-lipa-at-your-service-92385531/episode/pedro-almodovar-105421958/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">during an episode</a> of the podcast "Dua Lipa: At Your Service" in early December. Pascal told Insider he joined the project because of Almodóvar. The prodigiously gifted director, who has won two Oscars, two Golden Globes, and five BAFTA awards during a career spanning nearly 50 years, remains one of Pascal's favorite working writer-directors. "He absolutely opened up an entire world of storytelling, color, culture, rebellion, and sexuality that was just absolutely intoxicating, dangerous, hilarious, heartbreaking, and encompassing the whole spectrum, but with such a signature style," Pascal said, referring to working with Almodóvar. "It could have been anything that he asked me to do, and I would have done it without question," he continued, adding that it especially wasn't hard to convince him considering who his costar would be."To get to work with Ethan, whose movies I've seen since I was a little kid, who I've seen on stage off-Broadway, on Broadway, whose books I've read, whose plays I've seen him direct, and big movie, small movies, horror movies. It was really an incredible opportunity to go, learn, and to enjoy the experience of being on the level of people like that," he said. "Taking it all in was incredible."Another project on Pascal's plate is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@MergeMansion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a series of mysterious ads</a> for Metacore's mobile game "Merge Mansion." Filmed in Lisbon, the ads feature the actor as Tim Rockford, a tenacious detective investigating what Grandma Ursula is up to. (Spoiler: He hasn't figured out grandma's shenanigans — yet.) "I particularly like a mystery," Pascal told us. "I like the tone and atmosphere of this kind of experience that 'Merge Mansion' provides." For Pascal, who honed his acting skills in stage productions, TV projects, and films, shooting a trio of minute-long commercials was an entirely unique experience."What I love is that different opportunities continue to emerge, and content continues to emerge in so many different ways," he explained. "And I'm being introduced to the world of gaming in a way that the stories are as compelling to those that kind of had me and held my imagination as a kid and as a teenager and as a young adult and now.""My past is exemplary of not wanting to limit what the opportunities are or what the experiences are," he continued.Pascal's versatility as an actor and his eagerness to try disparate roles in film, TV, and onstage were arguably essential ingredients to his success — and it's why Pascal will be a compelling actor to watch for years to come long after people have stopped obsessing over superficialities like his six-espresso shot Starbucks order.

Pedro Pascal talks the 'incredibly challenging' filming of 'The Last of Us' and getting to work with Ethan Hawke after growing up on his movies

Watching Carol Kane onscreen, it's impossible not to notice her eyes.Her expressive gaze — which has conveyed everything from Gitl's resilience in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ-fiNGsLdo">"Hester Street"</a> to the flat-out terror of Jill Johnson in the thriller <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5DGXazFQHA">"When A Stranger Calls"</a> to the frantic eccentricity of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l4FIC7lm8o">Lillian Kaushtupper in "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"</a> — has helped cement her as one of the most recognizable character actors of her generation.It's the same in person. Kane's eyes widen when she talks about what it was like to work with her dear friend Jack Nicholson in two of her earliest film roles, reuniting with her "Taxi" costars via regularly scheduled Zoom calls, and the possibility of reprising her memorable <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-quotes-from-the-princess-bride-list-2017-9">"Princess Bride"</a> role in Muppet form. She catches your attention, draws you in, and doesn't let go.Her mesmerizing appeal is the secret sauce in her latest film, Nathan Silver's indie comedy-drama "Between the Temples." Kane stars opposite <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jason-schwartzman-movies-tv-roles-rushmore-between-the-temples-megalopolis-2024-8">Jason Schwartzman</a> as Carla, a widowed former teacher and adult bat mitzvah student who convinces her former student Ben (Schwartzman), a widowed cantor experiencing a crisis of faith, to teach her the rites of passage for the ceremony typically performed by Jewish adolescents. Along the way they form a sweet, unexpected, but somehow completely believable bond.<div type="image" title="Jason Schwartzman as Ben Gottlieb and Carol Kane as Carla Kessler in 'Between the Temples'" height="1080" width="1920" msid="113168684" hostid="261" sizebytes="204170"></div>For Kane, signing on to work with Schwartzman was a no-brainer. "That's why I did the movie to begin with, was somebody told me I had an offer to do a movie opposite Jason Schwartzman. I said, 'Let me at it,'" she tells Business Insider. She was even willing to brave the challenges of improv work once she saw Silver's earlier project, "Cutting My Mother.""Even though there was no script, really, I decided I got to take a chance," Kane says.The chance paid off. The film is filled with both hilarious and genuinely heartfelt improvised moments from both leads. Ultimately, "Between the Temples" is a perfect showcase for both the comedic and dramatic talents of Kane, who landed an Oscar nomination for her breakthrough role in the 1975 drama "Hester Street" and dipped her toe into comedy only when Gene Wilder convinced her to give it a try in "The World's Greatest Lover."For the latest interview in Business Insider's <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/role-play-series">"Role Play" series</a>, Kane reflects on her storied career, from her nervousness playing off of Billy Crystal in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/princess-bride-cast-reuniting-democratic-fundraiser-ted-cruz-furious-2020-9">"The Princess Bride"</a> to the role she'd crawl on her hands and knees to reprise.<h2>On her ballet skills becoming a punchline in 'Scrooged' and keeping up with her 'Taxi' costars via Zoom</h2><div type="image" title="Carol Kane wears a fair costume next to a poster that reads, &quot;The Ballbreaker Suite.&quot;" height="438" width="780" msid="113168691" hostid="261" sizebytes="15318"></div>You did a little bit of improv before "Between the Temples," like in "Scrooged," right?Yes, some. One thing that was sort of improvised — with the extraordinary support of Dick Donner, the director — was <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKVVQiJ7gKo">the ballet that I had to do at the very beginning</a> of when the fairy lands. I worked really hard with a wonderful teacher on it, and I got on pointe and I thought I was doing a really good job.And then our genius art director, Michael Riva, who's gone now, he came to see a rehearsal before Dick had seen it. I was doing my best and he just started cracking up. It was the stupidest thing he ever saw.It was supposed to be done with a [ballet] double. Then because of Michael and Dick being open to the accidents of the moment, which is sort of a thing about improvisation, Michael said to Dick Donner, "I think you should just let her do it and it'll be so funny." Which was not my goal! As I said, my goal was to do a lovely job of getting on pointe and doing this little ballet.Of course "Taxi" wasn't improvised, but I know that Andy Kaufman sort of had a —That language was improvised around what Andy taught me, which came from the character that he had called Foreign Man. But the writers wrote everything out in English, so we knew what we were saying and we knew what the emotions behind them needed to be, et cetera.And then we just, thanks to Andy, opened our mouths and started blabbing that language.<div type="image" title="Taxi cast, left to right: Andy Kaufman as Latka Graves, Carol Kane as Simka Dahblitz, Danny DeVito as Louie De Palma, Judd Hirsch as Alex Reiger, Christopher Lloyd as Reverened Jim Ignatowski, Marilu Henner as Elaine O'Connor-Nardo, Tony Danza as Tony Banta" height="2463" width="3000" msid="113168693" hostid="261" sizebytes="379352"></div>I know that several of your "Taxi" costars have died, but are you still in touch with any of the others?All of them. All thanks to Marilu Henner, who's got that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.brainandlife.org/articles/actress-marilu-henner-has-a-highly-superior-autobiographical-memory-a">special genius memory thing</a>, you know about that?So when we went into COVID, she arranged these Zooms for us and we're still doing it. And it's everybody. It's Danny [DeVito], it's Jim Brooks, it's Tony [Danza], it's Chris [Lloyd], it's me, it's Marilu, it's Judd [Hirsch].And we love it, we just love it.<h2>On Jack Nicholson's quiet generosity</h2><div type="image" title="Carol Kane And Jack Nicholson In 'The Last Detail'" height="3571" width="4761" msid="113168689" hostid="261" sizebytes="627848"></div>Your first onscreen credited role was when you were 17 and did "Carnal Knowledge." What was it like being on a film set for the first time with the likes of Jack Nicholson and Art Garfunkel?That was a miracle.I was so terrified to be in that kind of company and somehow maybe let [director] Mike [Nichols] down, or maybe Jack down or somebody down. And then Mike let me know that that wasn't going to happen because I was perfect for the part. Now, whether that was true or not, I don't know, but Mike told me and I believed everything he said. He was a genius and he was so kind to me.Then you reunited with Jack a few years later, in "The Last Detail."On "The Last Detail," I still was young and pretty inexperienced about the camera and all that stuff, and Jack knew everything about it. The scene I had with Randy Quaid — I was a hooker [credited as "Young Whore"] and he was my john — Jack brings Randy into the room, introduces us, and then leaves the room, and then the scene continues between me and Randy.We shot in a little house in Toronto and come the time when Jack would leave, every single time, my instinct was to close the door because that's what I was supposed to do. However, the camera was behind the door and had to see the rest of the scene.So every single take of that scene, I would close the door — or so I thought — and every time Jack would stand right next to the camera, and when I went to close the door, he would put his hand there and stop it exactly where it needed to be so that the camera could see the rest of the scene. Every time.He never said anything about it, he just stood there. I mean, somebody else could have done that.It sounds like he was very protective of you on the set.I think so. And also just a master and generous.Are you guys still friends?Yeah. I mean, I don't get to LA very much anymore, so I don't see him much. But I call him on the phone every so often and he's a very dear person in my heart.It's a shame you guys didn't get to work together a third time and that he's retired now.I guess it's his privilege after all that hard, great work he did. I wish I got to do more with Jack.Is there another collaborator you haven't reunited with that you'd like to?Yeah, so many! I wish I got to do more with my friend, Diane Keaton. I did two plays. I did a play with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/celebrities-who-died-this-year-2024-1">Gena Rowlands</a>, and so I wish I'd gotten to do more with her. Did two plays with John Cassavetes, wish I had gotten to do more with him. Wish I'd gotten to do more with Hal [Ashby].I really, really, really wish I'd gotten to do more with Mike [Nichols].<h2>On earning an Oscar nomination for 'Hester Street' at 23 and her biggest career regret</h2>Your career has had an interesting trajectory. I think a lot of your fans, especially the younger ones, may associate you more with comedic work. But "Hester Street" obviously was dramatic.And "The Detail," "Carnal Knowledge," "Dog Day Afternoon." Also a Canadian movie called "Wedding in White" that I starred in when I was 19 with Donald Pleasance, a great British actor. That was a very tragic story, a true story, and very dramatic.What happened was after "Hester Street," I didn't work for a year. Then the phone rang and it was <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/willy-wonka-child-star-says-gene-wilder-looked-after-her-2021-7">Gene Wilder</a>, and he asked me to do this comedic role opposite him [in "The World's Greatest Lover"] which, I thought he was out of his mind. I had no idea!He saw something in Gitl in "Hester Street" that he thought was right for that part and I guess he didn't care if I had done comedy before, which is kind of amazing.Did you not think you could be funny, or were you just nervous to take on that kind of role?I'd been on stage a long time and it just never occurred to me.Did you want to do more dramatic work after "Hester Street"?I think I would've liked to. Although, to tell you the truth, I was on my way to doing more, but I had an extremely difficult time handling the success that I got for "Hester Street," getting nominated and stuff. I just couldn't really take it.I was so young and couldn't take it. I was offered a great, great, great role in a movie, and I just found a million ridiculous reasons why not to do it. I just couldn't take it.Lifelong regret.<h2>On the biggest challenge of 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' and the only condition she'd accept a 'Princess Bride' remake</h2><div type="image" title="Tituss Burgess as Titus Andromedon, Carol Kane as Lillian Kaushtupper in &quot;Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt&quot;" height="2000" width="3000" msid="113168688" hostid="261" sizebytes="266162"></div>A lot of younger folks now might know you best for playing Lillian on <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt-celebrity-cameos-2019-1">"Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."</a>Oh, that's so nice, isn't it? I wish they hadn't pulled the plug on that.Would you ever return to that role if they wanted to do another continuation after the movie?Oh yeah, I'd crawl on my hands and knees to do it.What was it like working with Tina Fey?Just a dream, she's a dream. She's so smart and she's so down to earth, as is her husband, Jeffrey Richmond, who does the music, and her partner, Robert Carlock. She's extremely generous.For me, the only really difficult thing about that was that I was spoiled to do the four-camera comedy [on "Taxi"], with Jimmy Burrows directing, Jim Brooks and Ed Weinberger. And it was, you rehearsed five days a week like a play. And on the night of the fifth day, you did the play in front of cameras, so you had an audience, but you had it filmed. And you had the rehearsal like a play.It was the perfect marriage for me, having started out on the stage and then film, and it was the perfect combo of both. Whereas nowadays, "Kimmy Schmidt" included, they don't have an audience anymore. And maybe just because of my training on "Taxi" and "All is Forgiven" and "Cheers," whatever, I found it very difficult to know if I was doing what was required without hearing any laughs.No idea if the jokes are landing.You have to just have your complete faith in Tina and Robert and Jeffrey and all of them. If it's not funny, they'll make you do it again. But it's really, I guess just ego-wise, very nice to hear a laugh.It is a shame that they don't have that anymore, the live audience.I don't get it. I think it's just such a great form and it's so much easier on everybody because the hours aren't so insane, like 14-hour shooting days.I think the end result of "Kimmy Schmidt" was fabulous, but like I say, for me, it was a difficult transition to be in a comedy and not hear any laughs.I wanted to touch on another of your iconic '80s movie roles, "The Princess Bride." What was it like sparring with Billy Crystal in that scene?Oh, I was so intimidated because he's such a genius at that. Talk about improv! Well, Billy, he'd just take off. I got to do a little, like <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AemKK4BaSI">the thing about the chocolate, that you can't "go in swimming for at least an hour,"</a> because that was my family's tradition. But mainly Billy just took off there and it was just, you just had to hold on for dear life and hope that you could keep up.I know that some of the other stars have talked about this before, how they very much oppose a reboot or a remake of any kind of "The Princess Bride."Oh, "The Princess Bride"? No, that would make no sense.Exactly, that's what everybody involved says — I know Cary Elwes, in particular, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.eonline.com/news/1371298/cary-elwes-addresses-possibility-of-a-princess-bride-reboot">has been like, "No, don't do this."</a>Oh, no, not a good idea. But of course, they do remakes. Well, they remade "When a Stranger Calls."Did you watch that remake?No, I don't want... It was what it was at that time that it was, and it's still, I think, a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-horror-movies-of-all-time-psychological-thrillers-slashers">great horror movie</a>.For "The Princess Bride," some fans have joked that the only acceptable reboot or remake would be a Muppets version, where all of you are Muppets.That's interesting, I never heard that, but that — I would watch that.Would you show up as a Muppet Valerie in "The Muppets Princess Bride"?Only if the rest of the cast came back. If we were all our Muppet versions, that would be tempting.This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity."Between the Temples" is now in theaters.

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<ul class="summary-list"><li>"Disney Channel Games" ended 15 summers ago after a three-season run from 2006 to 2008.</li><li>In the series, Disney Channel stars competed in various challenges to win the annual color war.</li></ul>Editor's note: The following interviews were conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14.In 2006, Disney Channel was at the top of its game.The network had a major hit on its hands when <a href="https://www.insider.com/high-school-musical-interesting-details-you-never-got">"High School Musical"</a> premiered in January, and shows like "Hannah Montana" and "The Suite Life of Zack &amp; Cody" were airing new episodes weekly. Its young stars — including Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus, and Vanessa Hudgens — were becoming household names.With a captivated young audience, the network gathered its young Hollywood talent for what it hoped would be a summertime must-watch: "Disney Channel Games."The producer Art Spigel's reality-competition series ran for three seasons, from 2006 to 2008. The games divided the young actors from the<a href="https://www.insider.com/best-disney-channel-original-movies-after-watching-all-2021-9"> Disney Channel universe</a> into color-coded teams and challenged them to complete obstacle courses, hamster-ball relay races, and more.The competitors are now full-fledged adults; some are still in the spotlight, and others are far from it. But the short-lived program remains a time capsule of a <a href="https://www.insider.com/the-best-disney-channel-original-movies-ranked-2019-7">different era of Disney Channel</a> and reality TV.Fifteen years after the games ended, Insider spoke with showrunners, participants, and others about how the games came together and their lasting impact.<h2>'Disney Channel Games' allowed fans to see their favorite stars interacting together</h2><div type="image" title="jason earles in red outfit with arm raised carrying flag in front of obstacle course at the disney channel games in 2007" height="1987" width="2649" msid="103142313" hostid="261"></div>Reality TV was <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/05/09/the-reality-principle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">picking up speed by the new millennium</a>, with shows like MTV's "The Real World" and ABC's "The Bachelor" drawing large audiences. Disney Channel wanted in on the reality TV craze."MTV had switched from showing videos to mainly showing reality programs, and a lot of them were challenge-based. So it was definitely on our mind that we wanted to be competitive with that type of programming," Skot Bright, an executive producer of the 2007 and 2008 seasons of "Disney Channel Games," told Insider.The channel had dabbled in reality TV with "Bug Juice," which followed non-famous teens to summer camps around the US and aired in 1998. But by 2006, Disney Channel had an advantage its competitors didn't: a roster of teen megastars."Disney Channel Games" gave audiences the rare chance to see stars like Miley Cyrus, Ashley Tisdale, Zac Efron, and Corbin Bleu as themselves, all in one place.<h2>Each year the games got bigger — and the stakes got higher</h2>Disney Channel filmed the premiere 2006 games in Santa Clarita, California, with three teams: red, blue, and green. Competitors tested their skills in inflatable obstacle courses; egg tosses; Rock, Paper, Scissors; Simon Says; and more.Bright said that as the series evolved, the games "had to be bigger," in terms of both their scale and their filming location.After the first season, the show moved from Santa Clarita to the massive fields of the<a href="https://www.espnwwos.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> ESPN Wide World of Sports</a> complex in Orlando, Florida, and expanded to feature Disney Channel stars from not just the US but around the world.<div type="image" title="Roger Gonzalez-Garca wearing blue sweatsuit with hand out to high-five fans and flag raised in other hand at disney channel games in 2007" height="1987" width="2649" msid="103142315" hostid="261"></div>The games included more complicated events, like kart racing and soccer with a giant ball. Viewers at home could win points for the stars by playing online games.By 2008, there were four teams: the Inferno, the Lightning, the Cyclones, and the Comets. As important as the competition was, half the fun was watching the Disney Channel stars interact.Director Linda Mendoza said they wanted it to feel organic, capturing moments like real-life best friends Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez checking their lipstick ahead of the games or watching the teens hang out in their color-coded team tents with inflatable furniture between rounds. Bright said the producers spent a lot of time figuring out the teams, considering the stars' personalities and ensuring a good mixture of international participants. "It helped amp up the rivalry and the competitiveness of it," Bright said.Part of building up the games was adding a charity component. The first year, the winning team walked away with a trophy and each member received a medal. The following two years, each of the four teams also donated $25,000 to a partner charity.<h2>Stars got to know each other through the games — they just had to score an invite</h2>To make the games a can't-miss event, the channel needed the buzziest stars to compete.Actors from originals like "High School Musical," "That's So Raven," and "Hannah Montana" got their chance to shine. The "Suite Life of Zack &amp; Cody" actors Brian Stepanek and Phill Lewis shared host duties for the first two years. (Stepanek hosted solo in 2008.)Monique Coleman said she and Jason Earles, her "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series" costar, recently laughed about how competitive they got during the games. "We were ridiculous," she said. "And we were older than everybody and did not care."Ambra Lo Faro, who appeared on Disney Channel Italy's "Quelli dell'Intervallo," said that while she was confident as a musician and singer, she knew she was "the worst sports player ever" — so she wasn't expecting her "Disney Channel Games" invite."Once they asked me to be part of these games, I told them, 'Are you sure?'" she recalled.<div type="image" title="monique coleman in green smiling at the disney channel games 2007" height="1987" width="2649" msid="103142317" hostid="261"></div>After all, appearing on Disney Channel didn't automatically score an actor an invitation to compete.Alyson Stoner said the network didn't ask them to participate until they appeared in <a href="https://www.insider.com/camp-rock-unique-cool-things-about-movie-interview-2021-7">"Camp Rock,"</a> a 2008 Disney Channel original movie. From 2002 to 2006 they appeared on "Mike's Super Short Show," an interstitial series that regularly played on Disney Channel but was owned by Buena Vista.Stoner said they felt that their previous role "didn't make the cut in terms of hierarchy," but said when they finally did get the invite, they felt as if they'd "been affirmed as a special, exclusive, cool kid."<div type="image" title="yellow team at disney channel games 2007" height="1987" width="2649" msid="103142320" hostid="261"></div>The coveted invite wasn't just an opportunity to participate in the games — it was a ticket to a week filled with friends and <a href="https://www.insider.com/trying-disney-world-private-tour-what-its-like-worth-it-2023">VIP access to the Disney parks</a>.Actors competing in the 2007 and 2008 games stayed at <a href="https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/animal-kingdom-lodge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge</a>, a 15-minute drive from Magic Kingdom."It really turned into a camp-like experience where we were coming from all over and then suddenly we're here together and forming friendships," said Jason Dolley, a "Cory in the House" actor. "And the best thing was at the end of the day we got to go out and go to the parks together."The stars received VIP treatment, with personal drivers who'd take them and their families from Space Mountain to the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster to the Tower of Terror."We immediately were spoiled because they really made it so magical," "High School Musical" star Corbin Bleu said. "We had a VIP tour guide for our family that would take us through the park and bring us to the front of the line."Michael Seater, a star of "Life with Derek" who joined the games as a Canadian correspondent, recalled the "Suite Life" stars Dylan and <a href="https://www.insider.com/cool-facts-about-cole-sprouse-2019-6">Cole Sprouse</a> getting Space Mountain technicians to keep the ride open after hours."We're shooting out of the mountain into the fireworks," Seater said. "It was one of the craziest things."<h2>Disney Channel tapped rising pop stars to perform at the games' Olympics-inspired 'closing ceremonies' in 2007 and 2008</h2>There was no concert in the 2006 "Disney Channel Games" finale, but because many Disney Channel actors were also pursuing music careers, it was a no-brainer to have them perform at closing ceremonies in 2007 and 2008.Hope Diamond, Disney Channel's former vice president of public relations, said that if the network was promoting an actor's singing career, it was "firing on all cylinders of entertainment." The strategy included playing the actor's music on Radio Disney, which was owned by Disney Branded Television, and giving them a slot to perform live at the games.<div type="image" title="miley cyrus performing at disney channel games as hannah montana in 2007 on stage with backup dancers behind her" height="2104" width="2813" msid="103142322" hostid="261"></div>The addition of music made the final ceremony bigger. In 2007, the Jonas Brothers took the stage to perform "Kids of the Future," and Cyrus sang "G.N.O. (Girl's Night Out)."The following year, Cyrus returned for a live rendition of "See You Again," Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers sang the "Camp Rock" hit "This Is Me," Jordan Pruitt belted out "My Shoes," and The Cheetah Girls performed "One World."Mendoza said that when the Jonas Brothers played in 2008, "it was like a sea of bouncing heads." She added, "It was the most phenomenal energy I think I've ever seen at a show.""We were excited to have other artists that are on the channel be there to see us live in person, because that was one thing we didn't always get to go do," Sabrina Bryan, a member of The Cheetah Girls, said.<h2>Disney Channel nixed the games in 2008, but they remain a fond childhood memory for many people</h2>In 2009, a Disney representative <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170118054228/http://dev.popstaronline.com/disney-channel-gamescancelled/comment-page-1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told the website PopStar</a> that Disney Channel would shift its focus away from the games. "Disney Channel Games" never returned to the air.Though the games weren't on for long, they've stuck with people. For competitors, it was a chance to spend time with their friends."As you're inducted into the Disney Channel family, you end up doing Disney Channel interstitials, and you have different commercials," Bleu said. "At press events, you start to see all of the same people over and over again. And so those other TV shows become your family."For fans, it let them feel closer to the young stars they loved.<div type="image" title="fans cheering at the disney channel games in 2007" height="2029" width="2706" msid="103142325" hostid="261"></div>"People still actually ask about it," Andrea Guasch, who joined the games from Disney Channel Spain, said. "It was so long ago. I just did an interview this morning, and they were like, 'Oh my God, and how was the "Disney Games"?' I was like, 'Really? After all these years?'"The people interviewed for this article said they didn't know why the games ended after 2008, and a representative for Disney Channel did not respond to Insider's request for comment.Still, the games arrived at what many millennials consider the network's golden age. Maybe someday it'll join a slew of other nostalgia-fueled shows and be rebooted, but for now, "Disney Channel Games" remains firmly in the past.

'Disney Channel Games' quietly ended 15 years ago, but it was the peak of Disney Channel's golden age

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Russian pranksters trolled Canadian <keyword id="71" type="POSITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Prime-Minister">Prime Minister</keyword> <keyword id="1740494" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Justin-Trudeau">Justin Trudeau</keyword> by pretending to be <keyword id="7425525" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Greta-Thunberg">Greta Thunberg</keyword>. </li><li>While posing as Thunberg in the 10-minute call, the pranksters talked of political crisis, Prince Harry and Megan Markle, and asked to meet characters from South Park.</li><li>The comedians, Vovan and Lexus, pulled off similar pranks on Elton John, and the presidents of France and Turkey. </li></ul>Russian comedians landed a call with <keyword id="6356687" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="canada">Canada</keyword>'s prime minister Justin Trudeau, in which they pretended to be the teenage <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/greta-thunberg-bio-climate-change-activist-2019-9">climate activist Greta Thunberg. </a>During the call, which was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ8ZzLa8eAQ">released by the pranksters Vovan and Lexus this week, </a>the pranksters posing as Thunberg expressed concerns about a coming "world war.""It already leads to disaster," the comedians said. "It's very scary."The prime minister responded: "Yes indeed." <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/25/leave-nato-justin-trudeau-pranked-by-russian-duo-posing-as-greta-thunberg">The Guardian reported</a> that the 10-minute call was made in January, soon after the Iranian government shot down a Ukrainian jet.The woman who was speaking in the call, pretending to be Thunberg, talked mostly about tensions and world conflict. She spoke with a Russian accent. Thunberg is Swedish. "You are adults, but you act like children ... I ask you very much before it's not too late, don't play war," she said. "We can create a world where there is a place for everyone. For white and black. Christians and Muslims. Trump and Putin. for you and me. For Boris Johnson. For Corbyn. For Terrance and Phillip, who are also known in your country."The last two names, Terrance and Phillip, refer to the Canadian characters from the show South Park.Trudeau agreed and told the woman who was masquerading as Thunberg that her presence in Montreal contributed to a successful election cycle where people across parties took stances that emphasized protecting the world for future generations. The comedians cut in to tell the prime minister that instead of participating in NATO, Canada should "drop your weapons, pick flowers, smile at nature."Trudeau said that he, too, dreams of a world without war or soldiers, but that it's not possible yet. Toward the end of the call, the pranksters took a turn to the more absurd, accusing Meghan Markle of manipulating her "good friend" Prince Harry and asking Trudeau to introduce them to fictional characters."By the way, Mr. Prime Minister, can you introduce me to Terrence and Phillip? I know that they are big stars in Canada," she said. Trudeau said that he'd be happy to try and figure out their location, but that he didn't have "their direct coordinates.""Wait, Terrence and Phillip," Trudeau then says, apparently realizing what was happening. "Were they not in South Park?" "I don't personally know them. I believe they are South Park parodies of Canadians," Trudeau said. He then ended the call. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEodF5afVqQ">Vovan and Lexus ,</a> whose real names are Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov, are popular Russian comedians who have pulled similar pranks on Elton John, President of France Emmanuel Macron, and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more: </li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/borat-2-macy-chanel-interview-2020-10">The Instagram influencer in 'Borat 2' admits she was uncomfortable while filming movie</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/borat-2-babysitter-movie-gofundme-campaign-jeanise-jones-amazon-stream-2020-10">The 'Borat 2' babysitter says she only made $US3,600 for being tricked in the film. Now, she's unemployed and feels 'betrayed.'</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/who-is-maria-bakalova-star-of-borat-2-duped-rudy-giuliani-10">Everything we know about Maria Bakalova, the 'Borat 2' star who duped Rudy Giuliani</a></li></ul>

Russian pranksters released a recording of Justin Trudeau being trolled by a fake Greta Thunberg who tells him to leave NATO and requested to meet fictional South Park characters

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Dominic-Madori Davis is a reporter at Insider, and Keishel Williams is an editing fellow.</li><li>Together, they attended an invitation-only virtual "<keyword id="1112328" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Influencers">Influencers</keyword> Dinner" salon hosted by behavioral scientist Jon Levy.</li><li>Below is their conversation about what the unique event was like.</li></ul>It was a Tuesday night in May when we attended an "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influencers_Dinner">Influencers Dinner</a>" salon - a virtual party hosted by author and behavioral scientist Jon Levy. There were games, breakout room trivia, and a musical performance by singer-actress Jihae, who's set to star in the upcoming season of "Succession." The event was co-hosted by actress Nia Vardalos - best known for starring in and writing the hit movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" - and also counted CEOs, an Oakland Raiders linebacker, a serial entrepreneur, and a film producer in attendance. About 124 people attended the evening, which was actually somewhat of a reunion for past guests of Jon's parties.Before the pandemic, these virtual parties were dinner soirées. Insider <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/master-networker-jon-levy-party-2015-1">covered</a> one six years ago when it was held at Levy's New York apartment. (During that one, Bill Nye "The Science Guy" gave a presentation in Levy's living room.) The caveat is that the dinners are supposed to be secretive - guests, unaware of who else will be attending, are only given a date and a time. After arrival, no one is supposed to talk about work or boast about achievements. It's a time to connect and understand one another as equals. It's a safe space, in a sense, for these high-profile guests to simply exist. And then there was us. Guests were told reporters would be there, but our identities were never revealed. In our anonymity, we watched the event unfold.<h2>Our 'therapeutic' experience at the salon </h2>Levy discussed his new book "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Youre-Invited-Science-Cultivating-Influence/dp/0063030977">You're Invited: The Art and Science of Cultivating Influence</a>" and then sent guests into breakout rooms where we had to work together with other strangers to quickly answer trivia questions such as: what came first - Tumblr or Myspace? (Myspace, obviously.) Later on, Jihae - who afterward told us she found the night "refreshing" - sang her new single "<a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BgrY8AbFTlk">Utopia</a>" as well as a rendition of Sam Cookes' "A Change is Gonna Come."Edited for clarity, here's our post-salon conversation about what else we saw happen during the evening. Keishel Williams: What was your first impression when you logged in?Dominic-Madori Davis: Oh my god, I thought it was going to be him promoting his book for two hours, but it definitely turned into therapy in a sense. KW: I'd had a chance to read a bit of excerpt from his book, so I knew that there are specific ways he likes to get things done in order for people to feel like they're connecting with each other. DD: That first game where we had to quickly check our phones, then put them down, and try to remember what was on the right of our screen was interesting - it got pretty deep fast.<div type="image" title="Dom Davis and Keishel Williams virtual event photo" height="1130" width="2880" msid="83114688" hostid="261"></div> KW: One thing that I think we both wanted to know: What about these gatherings makes busy, important people want to attend? DD: The artist that performed that night said one reason she really likes going there is because it feels like a "wisdom circle."KW: That's an interesting way she put it.DD: I agree, it seemed everybody was really into the whole introspective thinking about how they live their lives and how they can better themselves.KW: I felt a bit like that too. I also spoke to someone, South African-Canadian actress Kandyse McClure. She's attended several in-person salons in New York and LA, in addition to a few of the virtual ones, and said one of the reasons she enjoys attending is because Jon himself is very authentic. And that even though she's an accomplished actress, and is usually in a room with other accomplished people, she doesn't feel like they're going there to network. They just go in there to connect on a human level. For you, did you feel a sense of kinship with any of the people, when you had to do the breakout sessions?DD: Oh my gosh, during the breakout session, I was muted right when everyone was introducing themselves, and then the breakout session ended because my group jumped right into the activity. So I didn't really know who I was with the entire time until like the final two seconds when everyone went around, introducing themselves. I was muted, so they didn't know I was a reporter at all. KW: I'm not sure how many people were in your group but it was just five of us in my group, so it started off a little awkward where nobody really wanted to start talking first. But as soon as the ball got rolling we were all speaking and really trying to figure out the answers [to the games]. We were done at an early enough time that we had time to chat after and find out who was who and what they enjoyed about being there. After that, we all decided that we wanted to speak further and I thought that was a really great way to connect.DD: It was really interesting to play all the games and everything. It gave me 'safe space for notable people' vibes.KW: I believe there was a photographer in my group. Indrani [ Pal-Chaudhuri]. There was also a journalist, Joel Stein - he was in my group as well, and a few other people.DD: Yeah, there was also a journalist in my group. I forget if he worked for either the Wall Street Journal or the Washington Post, but he was a journalist and I had heard of him and I think I looked him up on Twitter afterward. We were like six people in my group, and they just jumped right into the activity. Everyone, I mean, I don't know, were we allowed to Google? I'm not gonna say we were Googling.[Laughter.]There were things that, at 23 years old,I'm not sure if I would have known about them. I think the one question I got was 'what was older Tumblr or my space,' and I was like, obviously MySpace. That thing is ancient. But one of the other questions I was like, oh I don't know, I'm gonna need to be like an adult to answer this stuff. What did you think?KW: For me, it was very interesting to see the mix of people. I tried to make sure to keep a count, and there were about 124 people there. There was an Emmy Award winner, Barry Kibrick. And then there were entertainers, there were other stars, there were producers, photographers, musicians, CEOs, medical professionals. DD: Wow. KW: What do you think made this particular virtual version work for them? Because when [Levy's] events first started, they were dinners and he brought together these 12 people, strangers, to cook together and get to know each other that way. But now he had to move it virtually. What do you think made this still remain such an intimate experience for them?DD: I don't know, I think they're really just longing to connect with other people. I'm thinking if the dinners were still on, it's kind of like you just go to a stranger's house, in a sense, and meet other strangers. It must be people just really want to connect with each other and other people and probably find a sense of humanity in one another.KW: Yeah. You said you spoke with the musician [Jihae], what was that conversation like?<div type="image" title="Several Influencers Dinner alumni participate in a salon hosted by Jon Levy at a 2019 event." height="2400" width="3600" msid="83114695" hostid="261"></div>DD: She told me that she was recommended by one of his guests to be the musical performer. She said that it was great to meet new people, and it reminded her of going to diplomatic receptions with her dad as a teenager, watching diplomats, generals, and politicians maneuver intelligent questions to each other. That's also the vibe I got ... and I guess there's not, like, a superficial vibe to [the parties], which I guess is the recurring theme.KW: Exactly. Authentic, that genuine connection. The fact that these people are so accomplished but they don't seem to be coming there to get something from each other, rather than just be in each other's company. DD: Yes. KW: I know Jon did mention specifically that was one of his aims when he decided to do these types of events. Even though it's called a <keyword id="6375238" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="networking">networking</keyword> event, people don't necessarily come there to network because 'networking' brings a somewhat negative connotation that you go into a room, you carry your business cards, and you pretty much just want to know what someone does, in order to know how you fit into their circle. DD: Yeah, I know that the idea of networking can be so uncomfortable because to the root of it, it's basically, like you said: How does this person fit within my circle and how can we possibly lean on each other to do good? There's an element of using each other and it can be uncomfortable. KW: So he really tries to make it more like a vibe where people are coming to create friendships and close connections. And I think just the short time that we've been there, I was able to see some of that taking place. DD: Having an influencer circle where it's not necessarily branded straight as networking, but you go to get genuine relationships that can then more organically and authentically bring you together. I think people feel much more comfortable with that type of branding and with that type of setup than just straight networking.

We attended a virtual salon with Emmy award winners, actresses, and athletes. Spending 2 hours playing games with influential strangers was strangely therapeutic.

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image">AP Photo/Invision/Dan Steinberg</div></div></div>IT IS getting harder to go anywhere without stepping on a piece of Lego-related hype. "The Lego Movie" is number two at the American box office, after three weeks at number one. Model kits related to the film are piled high in the shops. 
They will add to the already gigantic heap of Lego bits: 86 for every person on the planet. The toymaker has enjoyed ten years of spectacular growth, almost quadrupling its revenue. 
In 2012 it overtook Hasbro to become the world's second-largest toymaker. The number one, Mattel, is now seeking to buy the Canadian maker of Mega Bloks toy bricks, to fend off the challenge from Lego.
This is remarkable for many reasons. Lego's home town, Billund in rural Denmark, is so small that the company had to provide it with a hotel--an elegant one, unsurprisingly. The toy business is one of the world's trickiest: perennially faddish (remember Beanie Babies?) and, at the moment, convulsed by technological innovation.
Children are growing up ever faster, and abandoning the physical world for the virtual. To cap it all, the company almost collapsed in 2003-04, having drifted for years, diversifying into too many areas, producing too many products and, in a fit of desperation, flirting with becoming a "lifestyle" company, with Lego-branded clothes and watches.
Lego's decade of success began when it appointed Jorgen Vig Knudstorp as chief executive. This was a risky move: Mr Knudstorp was a mere 35 years old and had cut his teeth as a management consultant with McKinsey rather than running a business. But it proved to be inspired. Mr Knudstorp decreed that the company must go "back to the brick": focusing on its core products, forgetting about brand-stretching, and even selling its theme parks. He also brought in stricter management controls, for example reducing the number of different pieces that the company produced from 12,900 to 7,000.
Under Mr Knudstorp Lego has struck a successful balance between innovation and tradition. The company has to generate new ideas to keep its sales growing: customers need a reason to expand their stock of bricks, and to buy them from Lego rather than cheaper rivals.
But at the same time it must resist the sort of undisciplined innovation that almost ruined it. Lego produces a stream of kits with ready-made designs, such as forts and spaceships, to provide children with templates. But it also insists that the pieces can be added to the child's collection of bricks, and reused to make all sorts of other things.
Lego has got better at managing its relationships. "The Lego Movie" demonstrates how it can focus on the brick while venturing into the virtual world: Warner Bros. made the film while Lego provided the models.
During its years of drift it relied too much on other firms' blockbuster franchises, such as Harry Potter and Star Wars. This time its intellectual property, not someone else's, is the star of the film. It has also got better at tapping its legion of fans--particularly adult fans of Lego, or AFOLs--for new ideas.
Can the company continue its winning streak? Its growth is slowing: its net profits grew by 9% in 2013 compared with 35% in 2012, and its revenues rose by 10% compared with 23% in 2012. Mr Knudstorp suggests that harder times are ahead: "When the company is getting bigger and the market isn't growing, it's a pure mathematical consequence that growth rates will have to reach a more sustainable level." Lego is now at an inflection point, building its organisational capacity and embracing globalisation, to help it find new sources of growth.
Last year the company invested DKr2.6 billion ($478m) in production facilities and added more than 1,300 full-time workers, a 13% increase. It is expanding two existing factories--in Kladno in the Czech Republic and Monterrey in Mexico--and building two new ones--in Nyiregyhaza in Hungary and, most important of all, in Jiaxing in China.
Its management is being globalised too, with regional offices being opened in Singapore and Shanghai (as well as in London). The aim is twofold: to replicate in the rapidly growing east Lego's success in the west; and to transform a local company that happened to go global into a global company that happens to have its head office in Billund.
<h3>Late to the party</h3>
Globalisation, as we point out at length in our business section this week, is fraught with difficulties. Lego is relatively late in making its China play--jumping in when some other western firms are jumping out with nothing but regrets to show for it. Lego also owes its identity to its roots in small-town Denmark: Ole Kirk Kristiansen, its founder, made up the name from the first two letters of two
Danish words, leg godt, or play well, and committed his company to "nurture the child in each of us". An earlier attempt to move some of the responsibilities for designing products to an office in Milan proved to be a disaster. But the logic of globalisation is nevertheless compelling. The Chinese middle class is exploding, the toy business in the west is stagnant, and Lego needs a global workforce if it is to serve a global market.
Lego also has one important force on its side in its battle to globalise: parents in emerging markets, just like those in the rich world, are convinced that the company's products are good for their children. Grown-ups everywhere welcome it as a respite from the endless diet of videos and digital games that their offspring would otherwise consume.
Chinese adults, including those very grown-up ones in government ministries, hope it will provide the secret ingredient that their education system sorely lacks: creativity. "The Lego Movie" may be providing the company with a welcome boost during the toy industry's post-Christmas doldrums. But Lego's long-term success rests on the way adults feel reassured at buying a toy whose roots lie in an age before video games, mobile apps and toy-themed films.
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How Lego Become The World's Hottest Toy Company

Are you an <keyword id="6357247" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Internet">Internet</keyword> addict? And a die-hard <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> fan? Always <keyword id="28620" type="SPORT" weightage="100" keywordseo="surfing">surfing</keyword> the <keyword id="55618" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="World-Wide-Web">World Wide Web</keyword> for some hot and exciting stuff about your favourite diva? Just go slow a bit there or you could become the next victim of <keyword id="6375096" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="cybercrime">cybercrime</keyword>. The risk is all the great if you are looking for a celebrity name coupled with search terms like ‘<keyword id="1296681" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="wall-paper">wall paper</keyword>’, ‘videos’ or ‘nude pictures’. The results that pop up happen to be sites full of <keyword id="54201" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Malware">malware</keyword> that can steal your passwords and personal information. 
 The findings have been revealed by the global cyber security firm <keyword id="127849" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="McAfee">McAfee</keyword> who says cybercriminals often use popular celeb names as easy baits to lure unsuspecting fans. The company has researched the most famous names of the global pop culture and disclosed the riskiest celebrity sportsmen, actors and politicians across the Web in its 2013 rendition of ‘Most Dangerous Celebrity’ research. 
 Don’t get us wrong – there’s nothing risky about these people. But their popularity makes them the <keyword id="11094" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Hackers">hackers</keyword>’ choice and their followers often land up on ‘dangerous’ websites that tag those names. The McAfee study highlights the trend of this year and searching for a celebrity name, coupled with the search terms above, has resulted in the highest instances of malware-laden sites. The study uses McAfee® SiteAdvisor® site ratings, which indicate the sites which are risky to search when attached to celebrity names on the Web and calculate an overall risk percentage. 
 So who are the <keyword id="38964" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood-celebs">Bollywood celebs</keyword> to figure in that list? You may feel shocked and surprised, but the person topping the list is none other than our cute and bubbly Piggy Chops (<keyword id="1655" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Priyanka-Chopra">Priyanka Chopra</keyword>, to the world). The actor-turned-‘Exotic’ singer has been named McAfee’s Most Dangerous Celebrity in Indian cyberspace this year. The firm has used co.in sites for search purpose and come up with 79 ‘infected’ sites to her ‘credit’. But there’s more meat to the story – Priyanka has knocked down Indo-Canadian porn star Sunny Leone who led the pack last year. In fact, Sunny occupies a dismal 9th slot this year. 
 Among the male stars, the magnetic Shah Rukh Khan with his dimpled smile is the obvious choice for net searchers, although he is lagging behind Piggy Chops with 75 ‘<keyword id="793302" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="malicious-sites">malicious sites</keyword>’ to his credit. Next comes <keyword id="6354583" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Salman-Khan">Salman Khan</keyword>, but the quintessential macho man of <keyword id="4636" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Indian-Cinema">Indian cinema</keyword> could not flex his muscles much in this cyber contest and has finished a poor third with 68 malware-laden sites. 
 In contrast, Bollywood’s only ‘size zero’ diva <keyword id="2165" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kareena-Kapoor">Kareena Kapoor</keyword> has done better and finished a close 4th with a score of 63. It shows that ‘Bebo’ hasn’t lost her sizzle in spite of her marriage with the ageing hero <keyword id="333" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Saif-Ali-Khan">Saif Ali Khan</keyword> who finished 6th with a score of 55. But one must not forget <keyword id="2823" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Akshay-Kumar">Akshay Kumar</keyword>, the classic khiladi and the macho playboy-turned-romantic in many of his films, who has bagged the 5th spot with 62 search results. 
 Still, we can’t help feeling a bit shocked when ‘Big B’ <keyword id="6357912" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="amitabh-bachchan">Amitabh Bachchan</keyword> finished behind Saif with a score of 53. His charisma and refined sense of humour have undoubtedly won him millions of fans over the decades. But going by the ‘search’ terms this year, it’s not surprising that he has come down a little in terms of ranking. 
 Eighth man <keyword id="5015" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Farhan-Akhtar">Farhan Akhtar</keyword> (50 infected sites to his credit) has certainly done well, especially when Hrithik ‘heartthrob’ Roshan has finished at the bottom of the ‘top 10’ list, even below the sexy Leone. The multi-talented Farhan’s rise to fame is not surprising (this Mumbaikar is a film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, playback singer, lyricist and television host), especially after his commendable acting in Oscar nomination hopeful Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. It is also understandable that Sunny sans her skin show can’t go up very far (her score is 49). But we seriously wonder why Hrithik, with his chiselled muscles, lover boy looks and floor-blazing dancing skills, has finished 10th with a score of 48. Will this ranking affect the box office of the much-awaited Krrish 3? 
 
Commenting on the study, Venkatasubrahmanyam Krishnapur, vice-president of engineering – Consumer and Mobile, Business Group, McAfee India Centre, said, “In India, where celebrities are given the status of demigods, cybercriminals often use their names to lure people to sites that actually host malicious software designed to compromise personal details and disrupt devices. 
 “By including the names of popular celebrities in a website’s search tags, <keyword id="96298" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="cyber-criminals">cyber criminals</keyword> are able to direct more visitors to malicious sites where they may unwittingly sign up for <keyword id="35616" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="spam">spam</keyword> or harmful <keyword id="48511" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Spyware">spyware</keyword>, ending up with a malware ridden devices,” he added. 
 
Alarmed? Just be careful when you look up your favourite celeb next time and don’t visit sites randomly, especially if you are getting loads of security warning. 
 
Before we sign off, here’s a final look at the top 10 Indian celebs – remember, searching for them online could result into malware attacks: 
 
<ul>
	<li>
		Priyanka Chopra</li>
	 
	<li>
		Shah Rukh Khan</li>
	 
	<li>
		Salman Khan</li>
	 
	<li>
		Kareena Kapoor</li>
	 
	<li>
		Akshay Kumar</li>
	 
	<li>
		Saif Ali Khan</li>
	 
	<li>
		Amitabh Bachchan</li>
	 
	<li>
		Farhan Akhtar</li>
	 
	<li>
		Sunny Leone</li>
	 
	<li>
		<keyword id="6354563" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Hrithik-Roshan">Hrithik Roshan</keyword> 
		 
		Image courtesy: Economic Times</li>
</ul>

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