Hollywood
Julia Roberts presented BAFTA to great friend George Clooney
MUMBAI: It was great moment for the Hollywood fraternity to see two of their best actors — Julia Roberts and George Clooney — come together on stage and appreciate each other.
At the 2013 BAFTA LA Awards on Saturday night, Roberts, who co-starred with Clooney in Ocean’s Eleven presented the 52-year-old with the Stanley Kubrick Award for Excellence in Film.
Reportedly, Julia was in a very jolly mood when she came on stage. She joked: “There are two obvious reasons why I was chosen to do this: one, Brad Pitt was out of town. Two, Matt Damon, he’s in town, but he was unavailable.”
However, the actor took a serious turn to praise Clooney, who has been her co-actor, director and producer too. “All of which he is immeasurably gifted at,” she said.
How could Clooney not have reciprocated? He equally appreciated the Pretty Woman actor. “It has been such a pleasure to watch the woman you have become. It’s very hard for me to be just straight nice because she’ll get me later. But just an amazing mother, an amazing wife and a great, great friend. It’s really an honour to have her here.”
And they had a nice evening even after they stepped down from the stage. They sat next to each other and were seen laughing and chatting.
Hollywood
WBD sets April 23 vote on $110bn Paramount Skydance merger
Investor approval key step, but regulators loom over mega media deal
NEW YORK: Warner Bros. Discovery has set April 23 as the date for shareholders to vote on its proposed $110 billion merger with Paramount Skydance, marking a crucial step in one of the biggest media deals in recent years.
The all-cash transaction offers WBD shareholders $31 per share, a hefty 147 per cent premium to its unaffected stock price, signalling strong intent to push the deal across the finish line. The company’s board has unanimously backed the merger and is urging investors to vote in favour.
Even if shareholders give the green light, the deal is far from done. Regulators in the United States and Europe are expected to scrutinise the merger closely, weighing concerns around competition and potential price impacts for consumers.
To keep investors on side, WBD has built in a safety net. If the deal is not completed by September 30, shareholders will receive a quarterly “ticking fee” of $0.25 per share until closure.
The proposed merger would significantly reshape the media landscape, combining the assets of Warner Bros. Discovery with those linked to Paramount Global and Skydance Media. It would also cement the growing influence of David Ellison, who has been steering Skydance’s aggressive expansion strategy.
“The WBD Board has been guided by the singular principle of securing a transaction that maximises the value of our iconic assets and delivers as much certainty as possible to our shareholders,” said Warner Bros. Discovery board chair Samuel A. Di Piazza Jr.. “This historic transaction will expand consumer choice and create new opportunities for creative talent.”
Warner Bros. Discovery chief executive officer David Zaslav added that the company is working closely with its counterpart to close the deal and unlock value for stakeholders.
With investor backing likely but regulatory hurdles ahead, the proposed merger is shaping up to be a defining moment for the global entertainment industry, where scale, content and competition are increasingly intertwined.
