As with pretty much anything that involves gender in mainstream society, news of the Ghostbusters reboot produced an outpouring of male tears from those who cling to a simpler time when everything was about men.

Let's be clear: Bill Murray is not walking through that door. Harold Ramis and Ivan Reitman are dead and gone, respectively. You can't suddenly pretend to have been following the post-Congo career of 69-year-old Ernie Hudson. Dan Aykroyd can't be trusted—he wanted to set the original Ghostbusters in outer space.

Yet the original Ghostbusters films are irrefutable classics. I was a Ghostbuster (Mexicans called them Cazafantasmas) for Halloween on two occasions. Whenever I see my good friend Ardalan, who went to Stanford and makes money in the finance sector, my first thought is always, "Dude, you couldn't handle watching Vigo in theaters."

These are sacrosanct works of art that tug at childhood sympathies. Yes, Hollywood double-dips all the time. Yes, that means eternal reboots and pointless superhero movies where you know the straight white male hero will be just fine because the actor portraying him has signed on for several more films.

But for the studios in the business of planning blockbusters, rehashing a classic story just makes sense. If it's going to happen, at least make it interesting, instead of yet another vehicle for Paul Rudd, Chris Pratt, bespectacled James Franco, and Craig Robinson.

If you have a problem with the all-woman Ghostbusters cast, that suggests you're reverting to biases that are too self-involved. You're not a beautiful or unique snowflake; there is nothing intimate about global marketing. It's time to diagnose the sexism in your worldview, cleanse it, and embrace this project.

All of that said, Wednesday's announcement of a reboot did not sit well with many culturally anxious men on Twitter.

To dramatize these comments, let us simply say:

Pop the champagne, because 2015 is already proving to be one of YouTube’s most promising years yet. In the last month, YouTubers have been called upon to interview President Obama, inspired millions by uploading their personal coming-out videos, and received television talk show deals with major networks.

As someone who watches YouTube for nearly 10 hours a day (don't judge—it’s my actual job), I’m constantly in awe of the evolution of the platform into something that’s beloved and respected by traditional media. But on a platform with millions of creators, how do you figure out who to pay attention to?

Below are eight creators embarking on the biggest years of their YouTube careers. Missing out on their videos would be like eating cake with no frosting—unacceptable.

1) Akilah Hughes (a.k.a. Smoothiefreak)

2) PBS Digital Studios

3) Leigh Lahav (a.k.a. OnlyLeigh)

4) Vice News

5) Yulin Kuang

6) Ron Lit

7) Tim Hautekiet

8) Wong Fu Productions  

Illustration by Max Fleishman 

When Animal Planet brings a bunch of puppies together, it makes for one hell of an adorable game. When Jimmy Fallon does it, the cuteness is infectious. But when Conan O'Brien tries his hand at it, all hell breaks loose.

Conan brought the lovable pooches on-stage to play himself, Andy Richter, and some special guests in an all-canine version of Conan on Wednesday night. Right from the start, things went nuts. 

The puppies are acting like puppies, as they are wont to do, so it’s less of a show reenactment and more of a playfest combined with ridiculous commentary. Things jump to another level of madness once puppy Andy pulls a Puppy Bowl version of a personal foul.

“This is more like real Conan than I ever thought possible,” he said.

Screengrab via Team Coco

Niche erotica is a burgeoning market, ripe for the e-publishing revolution. Any kink, fetish, or fantasy can easily find its way to market, from werehedgehogs to Santa to, yes, man-on-dino love. Author Chuck Tingle has written the definitive series to date, and we dove in to his authoritative work, My Billionaire Triceratops Craves Gay Ass, to see exactly what the future of dinosaur erotica will look like.

The story is told in first-person from the perspective of Jeremy, who receives a surprise one day when his former pet triceratops, Oliver, gives him a call. For the past four years, Oliver has been working at a burlesque review. This doesn't seem like an ideal profession for a triceratops, given that he walks on four legs, but Tingle wants us to know from the outset that Oliver has the anatomy of a dinosaur: 

"Everything okay?" Oliver's voice asks from the other end of the line, knocking me back into reality. "Sorry, it's kinda hard to hold the phone up with my claws."

I recognize that voice immediate [sic] and sit straight up. It's been years, but it'd [sic] know that deep dinosaur tone anywhere.

In most other respects, however, Oliver looks like a man, albeit an exceptionally well-hung man. This is a bit confusing, as he's never described as a shapeshifter, another popular subgenre of ebook erotica. We just know that he has "tiny triceratops arm[s]" and displays "old school Jurassic chivalry," whatever that means. 

At one point, however, Jeremy and Oliver do answer one of the most pressing questions the reader has about man-on-dinosaur love: How these relationships work, and how the rest of the humans at the restaurant see them.  

"You know, half the people in here probably think we're on a date, anyway. Some rich old triceratops with a hot piece of human arm candy."

I glance around the restaurant and suddenly realize he's probably right. As taboo as dinosaur human relationships are, they're still not entirely unheard of, especially here in the big city.

Finally, they leave the restaurant and move on to the hot dino sex. During foreplay, we're once again reminded of Oliver's dino characteristics.

Oliver's scales feel rough but pleasant against my face, a reminder of his beastly dominance as he takes my hands and pushes them back above my head.

Oliver also has abs. Toned, hard, sexy, burlesque-dancer abs: 

I rub my fingers across Oliver's toned abs, even more impressive than the last time I saw them on our family vacation to Greece.*

"You've been working out." I manage to say through the flurry of kisses.

"Dancing." He responds. "It's good for a dinosaur's bod."
...

From this angle I can see his incredible body, toned and muscular due to a rigid dance routine that could only be accomplished by the most disciplined of prehistoric creatures.

*Nowhere else is this trip to Greece discussed in the book. 

There is a solid amount of dino dirty talk as they get down to business.

Finally, I'm just too horny to take it any longer. I pull Oliver out of my mouth and the[n] desperately command. "Fuck me right now. I need you in my asshole with that triceratops dick!"

...

Oliver shakes his head in mock disappointment. "What are we going to do with you? Such a nasty little human twink, you need a real dinosaur to show you how to fuck."

When they finally have sex, the story has the most unsatisfactory description of an orgasm possibly ever put down in words.

He feels incredible inside of me, now a seasoned gay lover who knows exactly where to thrust within a man. I can feel a prostate orgasm slowly creeping its way across my body, puling inside of me with more and more power until it finally explodes across me in a sensual wave. 

In case you're wondering what the anatomically correct term for a dinosaur penis is, Jeremy refers to it as a "triceracock."  

There's also double-penetration, which frankly is just overkill: 

"Double penetration? I've never done that before." I admit.
"Well then who better to teach you then your favorite billionaire pet?" Oliver offers.

Ultimately, My Billionaire Triceratops Craves Gay Ass reads like Tingle took a standard gay erotic story, hit "find-replace," and replaced "man" or "boy" with "dinosaur" and "triceratops." It's a standard older man–younger man scenario, except in this case, the older man, Oliver, has claws. 

Tingle is a neophyte writer, and has only been publishing on Amazon since December 2014. But he still has six more works for sale on the site, most of which focus on dinosaurs and mythical creatures like unicorns and Bigfoot. Such titles include My Ass Is Haunted by the Gay Unicorn Colonel, Pounded by President Bigfoot, and Pounded by the Gay Unicorn Football Squad. 

He's also a Taylor Swift fan, if a recent sweet to the musician is any indication:

Dr. Chuck Tingle is an erotic author and Tae Kwon Do grandmaster (almost black belt) from Billings, Montana. After receiving his PhD at DeVry University in holistic massage, Chuck found himself fascinated by all things sensual, leading to his creation of the "tingler", a story so blissfully erotic that it cannot be experienced without eliciting a sharp tingle down the spine.
Chuck's hobbies include backpacking, checkers and sport.

Photo via Sergey Galyonkin/Flickr (CC BY SA 2.0) | Remix by Jason Reed

Kristen Schaal is taking the fight on manspreading straight to the emotional core of the matter: the testicles.

The debate over ball space has caused quite a stir in New York City and other major cities as of late, prompting the MTA to take an official stance on it. (They oppose manspreading.) While Jon Stewart found it to be reasonable, others on The Daily Show did not—namely Schaal, whom he brought on to back him up because, well, she’s a woman.

Schaal said she understood the manspreaders and their oppression. After all, not too long ago they had control over everything, but now, spreading their legs on the subway is the only thing they truly have left. She can barely stand it—literally.

Ultimately, Schaal took her plea straight to Stewart’s balls, reminding them how testicles used to be free, which isn't something you see everyday.

Iggy Azalea took to Twitter yesterday to respond to the latest comments in the ongoing discussion of her musical style and her notorious “blaccent.”

This time, the criticism came from veteran artists Eve and Jill Scott, who appeared on Sway 45’s Sway in the Morning to promote their new Lifetime film, With This Ring. Sway asked the women to weigh in on the “ongoing conversation in hip-hop about cultural appropriation,” and they offered a balanced criticism of Azalea’s work.

Eve weighed in first. “I get it that people might be upset… but they grew up with our shit. … Hip-hop is everywhere. … Yes it’s from us, and it’s our thing, but … she’s representing a group of girls right now as well. … Let her do her thing. It's not my cup of tea, but she’s representing for somebody.”

Scott then gave a pointed but thoughtful critique of Azalea’s style: “It’s a little challenging for me because I come from the era that she pulled from. To me it [sounds like] a mixture of Da Brat and Eve … but, you know, I’m a mixture of Sarah Vaughan and five other things…[Someone who] comes from that era could be looking at me like, ‘You aight.’” Scott identified Azalea’s tone as the issue. “It’s sounds like a big bite to me … the tone.”

Eve then clarified, “The blaccent.” Scott agreed.

"She's from a different place, and I've said this before, it would be dope to hear her with her swag," Eve said. "What are you, who are you, what is that?"

Scott and Eve agreed that Australians are “fresh” and “dope” and insist that Azalea has rich cultural material of her own to pull from.

Azalea responded to the comments on her Twitter with a similarly thoughtful tone, insisting that she is, in fact, being herself, and encouraging fans to be complex and multidimensional.

Warning: This article contains images that may be NSFW.

Chelsea Handler is once again testing the limits of Instagram’s anti-nudity policy by posting another topless photo.

Handler, along with other celebrities like Miley Cyrus, has spent months protesting the policy, which often censors female nudity or otherwise NSFW photos. Handler and her allies have defied the policy with NSFW photos, like Handler's skiing-trip snapshots and Cyrus’s masturbation advice.

Handler posted her latest topless photo to Instagram while vacationing in Israel. The image features the Star of David symbol and shows Handler sitting on top of a camel. The caption took care to point out that Muslims and Jews can get along even for something as simple as a photo.

In the past, Handler hasn't shied away from calling out Instagram for picking and choosing which photos to pull down as part of its anti-nudity policy, which she called "sexist" last year. Instagram removed Handler’s photo comparing herself Vladimir Putin on horseback, and when Kim Kardashian’s Paper magazine photos took over the Internet, Handler's version of the cover was temporarily removed while reposts of Kardashian’s photos stayed online.

Rain continues to fall from looming cloud TV storm that hopes to satisfy the growing number of cord-cutters.

Viacom’s kids channel Nickelodeon is the latest to join the ranks of programmers opting to add a cloud-delivered standalone service to its list of current delivery channels. Viacom has not set a price for the new Internet offering, which is scheduled for a February launch.

As the number of content providers adding their networks to cloud TV continues to mount, the distribution channels are beginning to overlap, which will be confusing to customers. On one hand, the likes of HBO and Showtime appear to be going direct, while others, such as the Scripps and Turner family of channels, are choosing to go through cloud service aggregators such as Sling TV. Each path has its own merits: Going direct allows subscribers to go à la carte, selecting only the channels they want, but subscribing to a service offers convenience, the ability to search through content, potentially better customer service, and possible cost savings.

Hedging its bets, Viacom has its feet in both areas, offering a standalone product as well as going through Internet-delivered Sony Vue. Nickelodeon is one of the networks that is scheduled to be offered to users of the Sony service when it launches publicly sometime later this year.

If each cloud-TV channel were to be priced at $5.99, purchasing four channels would put you over the $20 per month Sling TV fee. That said, with Sling TV, you may end up paying for networks that fall outside your interest, the major issue with the current cable and satellite plans. For the individual networks, it is far better business proposition to go it alone to keep all of their own subscriber usage data, while working through an aggregator does not offer the same level of user information. At the same time, those services that circumvent the aggregator route have to bear the expense of bandwidth and other infrastructure costs.

The cloud TV picture is bound to get increasingly opaque before it becomes user-friendly. Cable TV providers, led by Comcast, are in idle while the pioneers in the cloud TV world attempt to grab a greater market share. It would be fairly easy for the likes of Comcast, Cablevision, Cox, and Time Warner to respond by offering new tiers of lower-priced à la carte service to compete with Sling, Sony, and others. Ultimately, the cable TV powerhouses are also the major broadband high-speed ISPs, so these folks are in a no-lose game.

H/T Variety | Screengrab via Nickelodeon 

An anchor slaps a poor makeup assistant's hand away. Basic words are mispronounced. Newscasters double over with bad cases of the giggles. 

We just can't look away when the TV news dissolves into a blooper fest.

Thankfully, one YouTube channel is already on the ball in 2015 collecting the best-worst moments for your enjoyment. Prepare yourself for 10 minutes of secondhand embarrassment at moments from daily news all over the world. 

There's even a small sports section in the middle with Tom Brady's balls-laden press conference and the woman who the Internet thought they caught cheating on her boyfriend in a sports clip. 

Screengrab via NewsBeFunny/YouTube

What if an adventure flick lost its hero? That’s the premise of Matthew Starr’s new webseries, Snarky Sidekick, a seven-episode adventure in which a snarky, nerdy sidekick Simon must take over an unfinished quest in the wake of boastful hero Tom Raker’s death.

True to its title, the series is full of snark, wit, and adventure. Other webseries and Internet videos may nod to beloved genres or spoof their heroes, but Starr’s ambitious new production goes the distance, packing in real cliff-hangers (one scene actually takes place on the side of a cliff); in-depth booksmarts (Siobhan Thompson, who plays Heather, has a degree in archaeology and is a riot on Twitter); and a killer score (composed by Matt Rubano, former bassist for Taking Back Sunday).

The adventure begins as Simon, the titular sidekick, discovers his counterpart has died anticlimactically of natural causes. Stunned by the news, Simon can't quite process it: "When [Tom] finds out he's dead, he's going to be pissed off." But, aided by the arrival of former adventure teammate Heather (Thompson), Simon answers the call to adventure.

Starr, a veteran of UCB Comedy and a performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, told the Daily Dot: “[My inspiration] came from a bottomless love of films like Indiana Jones and National Treasure… I wrote the part of Simon for myself because playing a wise-cracking nerd in an action movie has always been my dream role.”

The love shines through in Starr’s performance. Simon is a fascinating blend of whiz kid confidence and schoolboy nerves. And Starr’s castmates are top-notch. Don Fanelli is a riot as Tom Raker, who, though deceased, pops in from time to time to mock Simon and remind him he’s a mere sidekick. Natasha Rothwell (SNL) is hilarious as the deadpan morgue doctor who explains that Tom is not “superdead” he’s “just dead.” And Thompson, as the perpetually reasonable Heather, anchors the nervous sidekick with a patient wit.

The entire series clocks in at a little under 40 minutes and makes for a terrific binge-watch. The playlist is available on Starr’s YouTube channel. So if you’re a snarky adventure fan, just press play.

For almost two weeks a year, filmmakers, actors, and critics gather at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, to check out movies ranging from big-name productions to more subtle features made on a small budget.

But none of those movies might have taken the term “shoestring budget” to the extent of Tangerine, “an exuberantly raw and up-close portrait of one of Los Angeles’ more distinctive sex-trade subcultures.” Apart from its striking subject matter, the movie was filmed using three iPhone 5Ss.

Director Sean Baker, however, did not solely rely on mobile technology to shoot. He also used Filmic Pro, an $8 app which effectively turns a smartphone camera into a professional product that allows for control over zoom, aperture, shutter speed, tint, color temperature, and more. Baker also relied on the use of a steadicam to eliminate the shakiness that comes with filming on a handheld device. In post-production, he saturated the images and added a digital grain. In addition, he also used anamorphic adaptors created by a company called Moondog Labs to shoot in widescreen and elevate the film to a “truly cinematic level.”

“It was really taking this phone and making the most of it,” Baker said.

Tangerine follows the stories of three individuals on Christmas Eve: transgender prostitutes Sin-Dee Rella and Alexandra and a cab driver named Razmik. After getting released from a 28-day prison sentence, Sin-Dee becomes furious upon finding out that her boyfriend has been cheating on her with another woman and sets out with Alexandra to find the couple. Eventually Alexandra breaks off to have her own adventure, and at some point in the film, the three narratives blend together.

The approach to filming with iPhones gave Baker more freedom than he realized. “Everybody shoots videos almost every day on their iPhones,” he told Variety.

When filming in places around Los Angeles, they could use public spaces without anyone realizing they were filming something that wasn’t just a personal video, Baker said. It also mobilized the crew, allowing them to follow the actors closely. The locations used in Tangerine were ones that Baker was familiar with, specifically a shop called Donut Time that allowed the crew to film there as long as they didn’t interfere with regular business.

Even though he used a device synonymous in popular culture, Baker emphasized the skill and understanding of film still needed to turn Tangerine into a movie worth showing on the big screen. “You still need to know how editing works,” he told The Verge. “You still need to know how sound works. You still need to know how the camera works. You can’t just go out and shoot.”

H/T 9 to 5 Mac | Photo via Sundance

The British science-fiction anthology series caught fire stateside after it appeared on Netflix. Despite it not being available on Netflix or U.S. television, diehard fans even found ways to watch the newest holiday special starring Jon Hamm. It's safe to say there's at least baseline interest for an increased access to the show in America.

CNN's Brian Stelter was interviewing Charlie Corwin, the co-CEO of Endemol Shine North America, at a conference, when Corwin included Black Mirror on a list of foreign TV formats "ripe for American remakes and redevelopment." When Stelter followed up about Black Mirror specifically getting a U.S. remake, Corwin replied, "I can't say."  

Black Mirror falls under Endemol Shine's purview since it's produced by Zeppotron. Shine's MO is to export and develop TV projects from all over the world. Variety reported that U.S. cable channels were hesitant about the series already existing episodes for broadcast. Eventually it found a home on DirectTV and Netflix. 

Unless the two seasons of six episodes (plus holiday special) are being remade word-for-word by an American cast and crew, there's a chance an American version of the series won't be the same type of abject failure as other Americanized versions of British shows. When Skins made the jump to MTV, it flopped by trying to recreate the iconic first season instead of expanding within the universe. Gracepoint, an Americanized version of Broadchurch, brought over by Endemol Shine, was not renewed for a second season.

Black Mirror's anthology nature means each episode can stand alone, and an American version could live as a complement to the British one—a new season of the series within the same collective ideology but with different plots. If it can pull that off, it might be one of the first global TV series with versions in different counties working to further the collective whole rather than reinvent the creative wheel.

H/T CNN | Screengrab via UFO314/YouTube

The Matrix came out in 1999, and its groundbreaking special effects are still impressive more than 15 years later. At this point we all know about the Wachowkis' "bullet time" technique, but how about some of the other things that went on behind the scenes?

This new video from Cinefix shows us seven cool facts about The Matrix, including a look at the mind-boggling array of A-list actors who turned down the role of Neo before Keanu Reeves was finally cast. Can you believe we almost saw Tom Cruise in that role? Or a just-finished-with-Titanic Leonardo DiCaprio? Or Ewan McGregor? 

Honestly, the most shocking revelation may be that Keanu Reeves had spine surgery before filming. You never could have guessed just by watching the movie, even in the martial arts scenes.

Photo via Marcin Wichary/Wikimedia (CC BY 2.0)

We have a friend coming over to our house to watch Super Bowl XLIX. She politely asked who was playing in the big game.

Clearly, she is coming for the big vegan spread, but had she played party pooper and stayed home, inquiring minds wonder what she could have watched on TV other than the Pats-’Hawks matchup. Streaming services such as Hulu, Netlfix, and so on, have amplified her existing alternative TV options come Feb. 1, so avoiding NBC’s day-long programming of all things NFL is easier than in past years.

The non-Super Bowl TV options include:

The Puppy Bowl, 3 pm ET, Animal Planet

Launched in 2005, The Puppy Bowl is a dog-lover’s dream as 57 puppies in two teams cavort around a model stadium under the watchful eye of an onsite member of the ASPCA. The players are from a variety of shelters, and are screened for their ability to socialize before the two-hour event (which is whittled from several hours of footage). Peanut butter is placed on the cameras used for filming to ensure the canines get up close and personal. There is an age and size limit for the contestants.

The 2014 winner was Loren, a Brittany. My heart, but not my money, is with Aria, an 11-week old-lab mix. She is from Found A Hound Rescue.

Kitten Bowl II, 11 am ET, Hallmark Channel

More of an agility contest than an actual feline-on-feline content, the Kitten Bowl features 90 cats from North Shore Animal League America and Last Hope Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation who will available for adoption after the games. Hosting this furry event are Beth Stern (Howard’s wife, and somewhat of a celebrity on her own), and one of the voices of the New York Yankees, John Sterling. Sterling will provide the play-by-play as the kitties run obstacle courses where they are lured with yarn and some cat-appropriate toys.

Fish Bowl 2, 6 pm ET, National Geographic Wild

If you are looking for something on the pastoral side—perhaps a show to relieve your insomnia—we have Goldie the goldfish (what else would you call her) in her fish tank. Yep, that’s it. To make matters more fun—or more fun than the inaugural event—a clownfish has been added to the lineup. The anemonefish does not bear the name clown for its juggling ability; this sea creature is brightly colored, resembling a scary circus dweller.

The YouTube Halftime Show, at the half, YouTube

Streamed live from L.A. (like the old Tonight Show), YouTube will present some counterprogramming to NBC’s Pepsi-sponsored Katy Perry sing-a-long (or sync-a-along, as the case may be) clearly aimed at millennials who shun the pop sensation as being too mainstream. Starring in the comedy/musical event are a collection of YouTube stars including Harley Morenstein (Mr Epic Food), Freddie Wong, Rhett & Link, and Toby Turner.

Billed as a spoof-fest, this YouTube experiment sounds like a lame ripoff of SNL. Suddenly, Katy Perry and Lenny Kravitz are sounding better.

And there’s always Netflix

On Feb. 1, the streaming giant will debut such classics as The Brothers Bloom, the 1958 Cary Grant and Sophia Loren comedy, Houseboat, and the first five seasons of M*A*S*H. Slim pickings.

Looking ahead to Super Bowl 50, perhaps we will see some new alt.SB50 programming. With cats, dogs, and fish spoken for, there’s always hamsters, snakes, and pot-bellied pigs.

Photo via Margalit Francus/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

This Sunday’s Super Bowl will decide a lot more than just which football team walks away with the Vince Lombardi trophy. That’s because a little social media trash talk between Chris Evans and Chris Pratt last week got heated and one of the most epic celebrity BFF bets was placed.

The stakes of this battle of the Chrises? If the Star-Lord’s beloved Seahawks win, Evans vowed to visit the Seattle Children’s hospital dressed in his Captain America best and sporting a 12th man flag. But if Evans' Patriots best the birds, Pratt pledged to visit Boston's Christopher's Haven in full Star-Lord gear sporting a Tom Brady jersey.

While it remains to be seen exactly which actor will have to make good on the wager, the bet has already been commemorated with an epic “Superhero Bowl” T-shirt. The design, which comes care of Crystal “Bamboota” Fontan, is being sold exclusively on Teefury.com.

H/T Nerdist | Photo via gageskidmore/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks will face off in the Super Bowl on Sunday for what will hopefully be the most interesting mashup in recent memory. But thanks to Conan O’Brien, two of Sunday's biggest stars have been given a chance they won't get on game day: to play directly against each other.

Marshawn Lynch and Rob Gronkowski won’t be on the field at the same time on Sunday since they both play offensive positions. On Conan, however, they found themselves on a different playing field: Mortal Kombat X, courtesy of Conan’s recurring “Clueless Gamer” segment. With Gronkowski’s experience playing Mortal Kombat as a kid and Lynch’s claim that he’ll button-mash, anything could happen.

Between the graphics and the gore, it’s not your old-school arcade game. There's a fair amount of disgust—and in O'Brien's case, a “sexual thrill"—to go around. Both players actually seemed to be having fun with it. Gronkowski had plenty of phallic jokes, while Lynch asked O'Brien at one point if he was on drugs.

May this newly forged rivalry bleed into the older one on Sunday.

There have been quite a number of controversies leading up to this year’s Super Bowl. First, it was the New England Patriots and #deflategate that took over sports headlines. Then, it was the Seattle Seahawks' turn in the spotlight as Marshawn Lynch got contentious with reporters on media day by repeatedly stating, "I'm just here so I won't get fined."

But never one to miss a good controversy, Katy Perry decided to jump into the fray on Thursday during a press conference for the big game. When a reporter from E! posed a question to Perry about her love life the halftime headliner defaulted to "Beast Mode" not once but twice. As you can imagine, the results were priceless.

Leave it to Katy Perry to define a whole new level of trolling. 

H/T TheBigLead | Screengrab via NFL/YouTube 

One big name was just confirmed: Eddie Murphy. 

Murphy was on SNL from 1981 to 1984, and helped shaped some of the show's most memorable and iconic sketches. He told NewsOne Now's Roland Martin on Wednesday that he'll be part of the three-hour SNL anniversary special on Feb. 15. He said he'd planned on returning in the past, but the timing never worked out. 

Murphy also teased his new reggae song, "Oh Jah Jah." 

Let us never forget some of his best sketches:

Raiding the fridge and taking bathroom breaks are Standard Operating Procedure during the commercial breaks of every televised sporting event. But on Super Bowl Sunday, when the ads are often better than the game, no such diversion is worth missing a sad puppy being saved by a team of one-ton equines or North West’s mommy doing her best to save the world’s mobile data.

What if you could carefully pre-plan your time-outs based on when various Super Bowl XLIX ads were scheduled to air?

Thanks to AdAge and a number of other sources, we can provide a quarter-by-quarter roster of when 17 television ads will hit your TV screen. As for the others, we'll provide some clues.

First Quarter

Avocados From Mexico

What do former NFL stars Doug Flutie and Jerry Rice (or, for that matter, avocados) have to do with recreating the first football draft? You will have to tune in at the end of Q1 to find out.

It begins with a flashback to 1994, when Today co-hosts Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric struggled to figure out what the "@" symbol represented. Fast forward to 2015 and the two TV personalities—now working for HBO and Yahoo respectively—are taking a ride in an electric car. The ad does make one wonder: do we really want to see Katie twerk?

No More

Domestic violence is no joke. The website nomore.org is using the massive platform of the Super Bowl to deliver its powerful message.

Turbotax (Intuit)

Will the hashtag #WheresJanet take off after Super Bowl audiences see this spot running through all of life’s tax-status-altering events? The folks at Intuit sure hope so.

Nationwide

The teaser for this ad, featuring actress/comedian/author Mindy Kaling, focuses on how insurance companies often treat people as if they're invisible. Is Mindy invisible too? Follow the hashtag #invisblemindy to see how things go. At the moment, the preview appears to be YouTube’s leading pre-roll video ad.

Pepsi

In case Katy Perry isn't number one on your pop-star playlist, Pepsi offers up Shakira as a lead-in to its halftime-sponsored festivities. If neither is your fancy, this is a good time to visit the restroom or dive into that onion dip.

Skittles

We're still trying to figure out why Skittles chose not to have a spot where Marshawn Lynch grabs handfuls of the candy and silently munches on them. Instead, the ad's theme is “It Will Be settled.” Does this refer to "DeflateGate" or to whether or not Dez Bryant actually caught that pass? Watch the teaser and get ready to #SettleIt.

WeatherTech

If the Super Bowl is a national holiday, then why not serve up some good old-fashioned red-white-and-blue apple pie? Not in real life, mind, you but on television, in the form of a company whose car mats are made in America.

Discover Card

No details have leaked about this commercial from a credit card company that has not advertised during the Super Bowl since 1986.

Fiat Chrysler

The car company has three ads scheduled—one to run in the first half and two to run in the third quarter. Nothing about any of them has been revealed yet, so expect the unexpected.

Third Quarter

Jublia (Valeant Pharmaceuticals)

What would football Sunday be without a commercial for a toenail fungus remedy? For obvious reasons, neither Jublia nor its agency, Harrison and Star, have provided a sneak peek of the ad. Instead, here's a Seinfeld bit where the Fab Four talk about the pronunciation of the word "fungus."

Sprint

The telecom company is yet another advertiser playing things close to the vest. Will Sprint attempt to outdo its competitor T-Mobile, which commissioned an ad featuring Kim Kardashian? We hear Amber Rose is available.

Fourth Quarter, unspecified second half

Locite

The makers of Super Glue haven't showed off a specific ad yet, but they have been pushing their #winatglue campaign in recent months. This ad, featuring folks dancing while showing off their fanny packs, could wind up airing in the game's last quarter.

Victoria’s Secret

This Victoria's Secret spot, certain to be controversial and perhaps even offensive to some viewers, features the company's famous Angels playing football. Impressively, the one who plays quarterback throws better than Peyton Manning.

Wix.com

To those who think homepages are dead, we say, "Pshaw." Wix.com, a DIY website provider, uses a series of celebrities to show you just how easy it is to plant your flag on the web. You have to admit, a destination called “T.O.’s Humble Pie” is pretty clever.

To avoid the catastrophe of missing a memorable Super Bowl ad while stuffing your face or taking care of business, you'd be wise to brush up on your knowledge of music and train your ears to recognize the opening words of some must-see ads.

When time-outs are called, and the game is about to go to commercials, take a few tentative steps away from your TV and listen carefully.

Dove

If you hear a young child say the word “daddy,” followed by a splash, head back to the easy chair and enjoy this heartwarming ad for Dove that celebrates fatherhood.

Budweiser

The annual heart-tugging brewski commercial is without a doubt must-see TV. Familiarize yourself with The Proclaimers' "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles),” and when you hear the first note, grab a seat and a box of tissues. Two full days before the game, the ad has more than 11 million views on YouTube.

Morphie

Listen for a few notes on a piano followed by an alarm clocking going off. That's how you'll know that the Mophie ad is ready to roll. Laughing at God’s dead cell phone battery during the apocalypse might considered blasphemous, but the hyperbole works. If Twitter buzz (#staypowerful) is what this device company wants, they're getting their wish.

Nissan

This Japanese car manufacturer is getting into the dadvertising game (#withdad). One Nissan ad features YouTube star Action Movie Kid playing with his dad in the backyard.

H/T AdAge | Screengrab via Budweiser/YouTube

The rapper and mogul also known as Shawn Carter just announced plans to acquire Swedish company Aspiro for $56 million. The company runs the hi-fi, highly curated music streaming sites WiMP and Tidal. The latter just launched last year, and the former saw 580,000 paying users in 2014. 

The bid was announced on behalf of Carter's company, Project Panther Bidco Ltd., and has been accepted by Aspiro. A statement on behalf of Carter claimed this partnership will offer "great potential for increased entertainment consumption and an opportunity for artists to further promote their music," and the deal will likely extended to Carter's entertainment empire, Roc Nation. 

Beats Music, Dr. Dre's Apple-acquired music streaming site, didn't exactly take off last year, but it's reportedly expected to relaunch in March. Neil Young's Kickstarter-funded Pono player has been branded as a failure. And "elite" sites like Deezer have struggled to find their base. Can Mr. Carter's new acquisition finally start the Spotify exodus? 

Photo via Adam Glanzman/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)