Hollywood
87th Oscar’s hit by racist row
MUMBAI: Heard of the “white” Oscars anytime? Well this year could be the time when the term could come into existence. As the world gears up to view the mother-of-all award ceremonies, it has been hit with a new row. The prestigious awards for this year have been hit by allegations of being racist in nature as since 1988, no non-white actors were found be making the cut in the four major categories.
For the year 2015, 20 actors nominated in the categories such as Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor are all white. The year 1988 was one such year when no non-white actors made it to the list and the report is seen this year.
The lack of variety prompted netizens to take to the micro blogging site Twitter to express their anguish. This resulted in the creation of the online trend #OscarsSoWhite, which is currently trending on Twitter.
Meanwhile acclaimed directors like Wes Anderson and Alejandro González I?árritu’s are caught in a neck to neck battle as both their films have received a total number on nine nominations. Wes Anderson has directed the offbeat dramedy “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” while I?árritu’s has directed the genre-defying film, “Birdman.”
The movies that have made it to the list for the 87th Oscar Awards are as follows:
1) American Sniper
2) Birdman
3) Boyhood
4) The Grand Budapest Hotel
5) The Imitation Game
6) Selma
7) The Theory of Everything
8) Whiplash
Hollywood
Paramount Skydance secures financing for Warner Bros Discovery deal
Debt syndication and new loans push $111 billion merger closer to close
WASHINGTON: Paramount Skydance has taken a major step towards its planned acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, securing fresh financing and completing the syndication of its bridge loan facility.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company confirmed that the bridge facility has now been distributed among a group of 18 banks, reducing total commitments to $49 billion from an earlier $54 billion. The move spreads risk across lenders and signals growing confidence in one of the year’s largest media deals.
Alongside this, the company has finalised permanent financing arrangements, including $5 billion in senior term loans and a $5 billion revolving credit facility. A previously planned $3.5 billion credit line has been dropped as part of the restructuring.
The loans are secured against key assets, including Paramount Global, Skydance Media and Warner Bros post-merger, underlining the scale and complexity of the transaction.
The financing push follows a competitive bidding process earlier this year, which saw interest from players such as Netflix before Paramount Skydance emerged as the frontrunner. The deal, valued at $111 billion, is expected to close in the third quarter, subject to regulatory approvals.
Adding to the momentum, the company has also secured significant equity backing, including investments from Middle Eastern funds, with support from billionaire Larry Ellison, who has guaranteed the equity portion of the transaction.
Commenting on the development, Paramount Skydance chief strategy officer Andy Gordon said, “Our successful debt syndication and new debt facilities represent another important milestone towards the completion of our acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery.”
Once completed, the combined entity is expected to carry net debt of just under $80 billion, reflecting the sheer scale of the merger.
As Hollywood continues to consolidate in the streaming era, this deal could reshape the competitive landscape, with Paramount Skydance betting big on scale, content and financial muscle to take on global rivals.
