Hollywood
Lionsgate roars with 24 Emmy nominations
MUMBAI: Lionsgate’s series Orange Is The New Black, Mad Men, Nurse Jackie and Manhattan, and its limited series Houdini earned a total of 24 Emmy nominations.
These include an eighth consecutive Outstanding Drama Series nomination for four-time Emmy winner Mad Men (AMC); a Drama Series nomination for Orange Is The New Black (Netflix); and four lead acting nominations including Mad Men’s Jon Hamm (his eighth consecutive drama nod) and Elisabeth Moss (her fifth nomination in this category), Nurse Jackie’s Edie Falco (an Emmy winner and six-time nominee for this role), and Adrien Brody, who landed his first Emmy nomination for Houdini.
Mad Men’s 11 nominations also include nods for Christina Hendricks as Supporting Actress (her sixth nomination), two Writing nominations, as well as nods for Production Design, Casting, Editing, Hairstyling and Makeup.
Orange Is The New Black scored a total of four nominations, including nods for Uzo Aduba as Supporting Actress, Pablo Schreiber as Guest Actor, and Casting, along with its Drama Series nomination.
In addition to Edie Falco’s nomination for Nurse Jackie and Adrien Brody’s nomination for Houdini, Lionsgate picked up six additional Houdini nods in the Directing, Cinematography, Picture Editing, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Makeup categories, as well as a Main Title Design nomination for Manhattan.
“We’re extremely proud of our incredible roster of nominated shows and we thank the TV Academy for this tremendous recognition. These nominations underscore our commitment to producing highly entertaining and original programs that resonate deeply with viewers and inspire broader cultural conversation,” said Lionsgate Television Group chairman Kevin Beggs.
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.
