English Entertainment
Discovery looks to spice up life with ‘Feast India’
MUMBAI: Spicy, pungent, sweet and sour! Discovery takes its viewers through a colourful glimpse into Indian culture, food and customs in Feast India every Saturday at 9 pm for the next two months.
The English-born chef Barry Vera savours the delights of simple street food and the variety of regional cuisine as he immerses himself and viewers in the diverse cultural influences that make each region of India so distinct. Along the way, he enjoys a delectable meal at Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi; where several thousand devotees are served daily.
From the small town plantation town of Kumili in Kerala to the chaotic buzz of Mumbai – the home to Dubbawallahs, from the village wedding in Pushkar to the festivities of Diwali, Feast India captures the this diverse and intensely beautiful country.
Discovery India brand dierctor Raja Balasubramanian said, “Feast India highlights the diverse Indian cuisines as Barry Vera takes viewers through a culinary journey across India. Apart from its gastronomy, the series also presents the fascinating and colourful cultures and festivals of India.”
From g delicacies to age-old customs and festivities, viewers will watch the best India has to offer. Kochi, The Backwaters airs on 8 April at 9 pm. On the humid, lush coast, famous Chinese fishing nets operate just as they have for the last 600 years. In Kochi, the delicious street food and abundant fish vie for attention in the local markets. Cruising the palm-fringed backwaters and dining delicious Indian thalli, the episode gives viewers a taste of life in a south Indian island village.
In Old Delhi on 15 April the Mughal architecture looms above the narrow lanes and delicious Muslim food is served in an atmosphere of friendly chaos. Unusual delicacies are offered in the aromatic labyrinth of one of the largest wholesale spice markets in Asia. Viewers also get a glimpse into the kitchens of Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, where enough food is cooked to nourish tens of thousands of pilgrims each day.
Jodphur – Salt Mines airs on 22 April The busy bazaars of Jodphur will hook viewers with Rajasthani tribal women haggling for bangles. In contrast, down the quiet back streets of the old city is a serene picture of blue houses.
On Spice which airs on 29 April 2006 the Malabar Coast is home to the essential ingredients of every Indian meal- black pepper, cardamom, ginger and tea plantation. In the daily cardamom auctions, buyers and sellers converge in a spirited display of commerce.
Mumbai takes centrestage on 6 May 2006. In Mumbai, the famed Dabbawallahs perform the daily ritual of getting thousands of home-cooked meals delivered to the right offices, landing them in the Guinness Book of Records. Viewers will also meet the city’s Dhobbis, who seem to wash the clothes of the entire city in a gigantic open laundry. Viewers end the journey with a feast of snack foods at Juhu’s nightly carnival on the sand.
The episode on 13 May celebrates the frestival of Diwali which ends with a bang as fireworks light up the sky across the length and breadth of India. Huge quantities of sweets are consumed, tools and account books are prayed over, houses are decorated with colourful lanterns to guide passing gods and millions of gifts are exchanged in this explosion of divine fun.
On Indian Offering on 20 May Vera explains how he has been inspired by the people and the food of India and provides an understanding of the spices that make up the myriad flavors he has enjoyed. Barry applies his imaginative touch to a selection of simple, tasty dishes that are deeply Indian at heart.
English Entertainment
Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders approve Paramount deal
Investors wave through a $111 billion megamerger but deliver a stinging, if toothless, rebuke over half-a-billion-dollar goodbye packages
NEW YORK: The shareholders said yes to the deal. They said no to the cheque. At a virtual special meeting on Thursday that lasted barely ten minutes, Warner Bros. Discovery investors voted overwhelmingly to approve Paramount Skydance’s $111 billion acquisition of the company — and then turned around and voted against the lavish exit pay packages lined up for chief executive David Zaslav and his fellow outgoing executives.
Not that it will make much difference. The compensation vote is purely advisory and non-binding. The Warner Bros. Discovery board can, and almost certainly will, pay out as planned.
But the symbolism stings. It is the second consecutive year that WBD shareholders have voted against the executive compensation packages, and this time they had good reason. Zaslav’s exit deal is, by any measure, extraordinary. Under the terms filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, he is set to receive $34.2 million in cash severance, $517.2 million in equity in the combined company, and $44,195 in continued health coverage — a total of at least $550 million. On top of that, Warner Bros. Discovery has agreed to reimburse Zaslav up to $335 million for taxes assessed by the Internal Revenue Service on his accelerated stock vesting, though the company says that figure will decline depending on when the deal closes. As of March 11, Zaslav also held $115.85 million in vested WBD stock awards — and last month sold a further $114 million worth of WBD shares.
Shareholder advisory firm ISS recommended voting against the compensation measure, citing “problematic” tax reimbursements to Zaslav and the full vesting of his stock awards.
Zaslav will be bound by a two-year non-competition covenant and a two-year non-solicitation of customers and employees after the deal closes.
His lieutenants are not walking away empty-handed either. J.B. Perrette, chief executive and president of global streaming and games, is in line for $142 million, comprising $18.2 million in cash severance and $123.9 million in equity. Bruce Campbell, chief revenue and strategy officer, will receive an estimated $121.5 million, including $18.8 million in severance and $102.7 million in equity. Chief financial officer Gunnar Wiedenfels is set for $120 million, made up of $6.6 million in cash severance and $113.1 million in equity. Gerhard Zeiler, president of international, will get $82.6 million, including $11.9 million in severance and $70.7 million in equity.
The deal itself, clinched in February after Netflix declined to raise its bid for Warner Bros., still needs regulatory clearance from the Justice Department and European authorities. Several state attorneys general are also weighing legal action to block it.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, was unsparing. “The Paramount-Warner Bros. merger isn’t a done deal,” she said after the shareholder vote. “State attorneys general across the country are stepping up to stop this antitrust disaster. We need to keep up this fight.”
If it does go through, the combined entity would be a formidable beast, bringing together Paramount Skydance’s stable — CBS, CBS News, Paramount Pictures, Paramount+, BET, MTV and Nickelodeon — with WBD’s portfolio of HBO, Max, Warner Bros. film and TV studios, DC, CNN, TBS, TNT, HGTV and Discovery+. Paramount has said it expects $6 billion in cost savings from the merger, which is Wall Street shorthand for mass layoffs on a significant scale.
The ten-minute meeting was presided over by chairman Samuel Di Piazza Jr., with Zaslav, Campbell, Wiedenfels and chief communications officer Robert Gibbs in virtual attendance. Di Piazza was bullish. “We appreciate the support and confidence our stockholders have placed in us to unlock the full value of our world-class entertainment portfolio,” he said. “With Paramount, we look forward to creating an exceptional combined company that will expand consumer choice and benefit the global creative talent community.”
Zaslav echoed the sentiment. “Over the past four years, our teams have transformed Warner Bros. Discovery and returned the company to industry leadership,” he said. “Today’s stockholder approval is another key milestone toward completing this historic transaction that will deliver exceptional value to our stockholders.”
Paramount Skydance struck a similar note. “Shareholder approval marks another important milestone towards completing our acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery,” it said in a statement, adding that it looked forward to “closing the transaction in the coming months.”
The shareholders have spoken on the merger. On the pay, they were ignored before the vote was even counted.
