English Entertainment
Discovery unveils programming lineup for ‘Shark Week 2021’
Mumbai: Discovery channel on Thursday announced the full programming lineup for its successful IP “Shark Week 2021” ahead of its 10 July premiere on discovery+.
The show which returns for its 33rd year will have more hours of shark programming than ever before and feature celebrity co-stars including Tiffany Haddish, Brad Paisley, JB Smoove, William Shatner, Eli Roth, the cast of “Jackass”, Noah Schnapp, Robert Irwin, Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, Dr Sandra Lee, Josh Gates, Snoop Dogg, Mark Rober, Chris Rose, David Dobrik and Kinga Philipps, the channel said in a statement.
Leading up to Shark Week, Animal Planet, Discovery Channel and discovery+ will celebrate with a shark movie festival across three platforms with titles like “Crickey! It’s Shark Week”, “Expedition Unknown”, “Sharkadelic Summer 2 ft. Snoop Dogg”, “Extinct or Alive: The Lost Shark”, “Shark Week Best in Show”, “Alien Sharks: First Contact”, amongst others.
The show will take viewers to new locations to study and record new shark behaviours including Bull shark hunting patterns and new heights – capturing the highest breach ever recorded as Discovery celebrates these brilliant creatures, it added.
Check out Shark Week ’21 lineup below:
Return To Headstone Hell – Streaming 10 July exclusively on discovery+
Dr Riley Elliott returns to Australia’s Norfolk Island with underwater cinematographer Kina Scollay to see what happens when the island’s tiger sharks go head-to-head with migrating great whites over an unusual food source: cow carcasses.
Crikey! It’s Shark Week – Streaming 11 July exclusively on discovery+
Robert Irwin comes face to face with a Great White Shark for the first time ever with shark conservationists Paul de Gelder and Madison Stewart. Following his father’s footsteps, he will get as close as possible to these incredible creatures to determine which apex predator reigns supreme – Crocs or Great Whites? Produced by Eureka Productions. It will also be airing 23 August at 8pm on Animal Planet.
Expedition Unknown: Shark Trek – Streaming 12 July exclusively on discovery+
Josh Gates links up with his childhood hero, William Shatner, to boldly go where Shark Week has never gone before. The mission: enter shark-infested waters to understand the nature of fear and come face to face with an apex predator. This is Shark Trek. Produced by Ping Pong Productions. It will also be airing 23 August at 7pm on Discovery Channel.
Stranger Sharks- Streaming 13 July exclusively on discovery+
Mark Rober and Noah Schnapp from Stranger Things are teaming up for the ultimate Shark Week adventure…exploring abandoned undersea ruins and man-made artificial reefs searching for the strangest sharks in the ocean. Produced by Spoke Studios.
Great White Comeback – Streaming 14 July exclusively on discovery+
In 2017 one of the strangest ocean mysteries occurred in South Africa when an entire Great White population disappeared overnight. Alison Towner and her team, Enrico Gennari and Andy Casagrande head out on an epic investigation to find the missing Great Whites of Seal Island. Produced by Hazmat Productions.
Shark Academy – Streaming 15 July exclusively on discovery+
Shark Academy follows eight men and women on an intense six-week crash course to secure a coveted crew spot on shark scientist Dr Riley Elliott’s next great shark diving expedition. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime for these shark enthusiasts with non-traditional backgrounds to leap ahead in the competitive world of shark research, embarking on the adventure of a lifetime in hopes of making their dreams a reality. Produced by Double Act.
Sharkadelic Summer 2 ft. Snoop Dogg – Streaming 16 July exclusively on discovery+
Sharkadelic is back to find out if this summer will be the sharkiest on record. Snoop Dogg breaks down the craziest encounters, the wildest and most unpredictable reactions to discover if America is once again ground zero for the shark superstorm. Produced by Anomaly Entertainment. It will also be airing 27 August at 7 pm on Discovery Channel.
The Real Sharknado- Streaming 17 July exclusively on discovery+
We have all seen the movies, sharks jumping into boats, circling in tornados, and risking their lives to attack humans. Could these shark feasts happen? Ian Ziering and Tara Reid pick up their chainsaws once again – this time with the help of Dr. Tristan Guttridge and to see if a real Sharknado could happen. Produced by Ping Pong Productions.
Extinct or Alive: Jaws of Alaska- Airing 24 August at 8pm on Animal Planet
Wildlife biologist Forrest Galante travels the world in search of rare and elusive wildlife, including those lost to science, and cold-water sharks.
Extinct or Alive: The Lost Shark- Airing 25 August at 8pm on Animal Planet
Wildlife biologist, Forrest Galante, is in the Maldives in search of a supposedly extinct shark. Unidentified sharks in the area have led many to believe the Pondicherry is alive.
Extinct or Alive: Land of The Lost Sharks- Airing August 26 at 8 pm on Animal Planet
Biologist Forrest Galante dives into treacherous, shark-infested waters in the southern hemisphere to rediscover three unique sharks lost to science for as long as 100 years.
Alien Sharks: First Contact- Airing August 27 at 8 pm on Animal Planet
Researchers try to make contact with bizarre alien sharks lurking in the deep. Pursuing the frilled shark, sleeper shark and cookie-cutter shark brings unexpected encounters.
Tiffany Haddish Does Shark Week (Special) – Airing 24 August at 7 pm on Discovery Channel
Tiffany Haddish hosts Shark Week! While her fantasy was to uncover the secrets of shark sex sailing on the fanciest yachts surrounded by friendly sea creatures and pampered by a handsome merman, she’s joined by Dr. Toby Daly-Engel, Dr. Craig O’Connell, Alannah Vellacott for a very sharky wake-up call. Produced by Will Packer Will Packer Media and Anomaly Entertainment.
Brad Paisley’s Shark Country- Airing 25 August at 7 pm on Discovery Channel
Country star Brad Paisley and comedian JB Smoove meet in the Bahamas to attract new fans, Sharks! With Dr. Austin Gallagher’s help, they put Brad’s musical talents to the test in shark-infested waters to see how sound can attract or repel sharks. Produced by Critical Content.
Shark Week Best in Show – Airing 26 August at 7 pm on Discovery Channel
Discover everything that has happened in the world of sharks this year including unbelievable viral videos, big news stories and the latest in cutting-edge shark science. Produced by Main Event Media.
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.
