English Entertainment
Star World lines up a host of special events
MUMBAI: English general entertainment channel Star World has announced that it will air a slew of special events over the next two months. These range from a music awards show to a pageant.
Kicking things off is an over two week long initiative Miss World 2005 Vote For Me. This is aimed at building hype around Miss World by familiarising viewers with participants. This year, over a hundred beauties from every continent will vie for the honour of serving with a combination of grace and external beauty. Last year, viewers were allowed to have a say in who wins by SMS voting.
It’s no different this year, but viewers will get the chance to vote almost one month before the main pageant itself. The top two vote-winners from each continent will automatically enter the final round in the main pageant itself. This month, get introduced to each continent’s bevy of beauties in separate half-hour programmes starting 21 November 2005.
Miss World will then air live on 10 December 2005 at 6:30 pm with a repeat at 10 pm. The event takes place in Sanya..
There will also be an host of music related specials. The 33rd edition of the American Music Awards airs live on 23 November 2005 at 6:30 am with a repeat at 8 pm. This is one of the big four events in the annual American music calendar.
Last year, Outkast, Alicia Keys, Usher, Sheryl Crow, Reba McEntire, JayZ, Marc Anthony, Linkin Park and Toby Keith were but a few of those who appeared and were honoured. This time around viewers can expect lots of music royalty, live performances, funny speech moments and fashion.
Fans of The Beatles can check out Tribute To John Lennon: John And Yoko: Give Peace A Song on 8 December at 9 pm. 25 years to the day after his death, John Lennon is still considered the godfather of modern pop music. But more than that, he was also a visionary, a lover, an artist and a humanist. On this 25th anniversary of his death, two new specials pay tribute to his life, his legend and his legacy.
The show follows the creative process behind Lennon’s keystone album Imagine, featuring footage John and Yoko Ono shot themselves. it documents the recording of seminal peace anthem Give Peace A Chance during John and Yoko Ono’s infamous 1969 ‘Bed-In For Peace’ in Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel. How the recording was made and who sang on it is a fascinating tale of 60’s culture, politics and music. In this special, the directors track down 27 of the 40 to 50 people that had been in the room that day, and got them to talk about the experience.
Give Peace A Song also features the longest interview given by Yoko Ono in the last 25 years, as well as a wealth of pictures that have never been seen before. Un-aired archival footage, out-takes from John & Yoko’s own movie of the event, home movies taken by visitors, and the photographs of the only photographer given unlimited access to the Bed-In – Gerry Deiter. 8 December 1980 was the day when John Lennon was killed.
On the reality front the channel will air World’s Most Shocking Moments on 13 December 2005 at 9 pm and on 14 December 2005 at 11 am. Before the Twentieth Century, when disasters struck, whether they were man-made or natural, people relied on newspaper reports and word of mouth to hear about the incredible events. Today,cameras roll all over the world 24 hours a day, and we can witness the world’s most fantastic events, be it wonderful or shocking.
Star World then goes on to celebrate Christmas in the company of Kenny Loggins on 25 December 2005 at 9 am. The special will feature over 10 songs, and is peppered with stories of Loggins, his wife, his children and his celebrity friends. There will be solo and group performances of the songs by Loggins himself and his wife, Clint Black and his wife Lisa, as well as Olivia Newton John.
Then on Boxing Day 26 December 2005 at 11 am the channel will air Justin Timberlake Down Home In Memphis. In this one-hour special, the pop heartthrob and long-time boyfriend of Cameron Diaz heads south to his hometown to hold a concert. Along the way, he gives viewers a personal tour of Memphis, highlighting the town’s musical legacy. Don’t expect a documentary-style exploration of the city, but do be prepared for lots of interesting personal tidbits about the city. A highlight of the show is Timberlake’s special rendition of Let’s Stay Together with soul legend, Reverend Al Green.
Towards the end of the year the channel celebrates the career of the king of pop Michael Jackson. The show airs on 30 December 2005 at 10 pm and on 31 December at 4 pm. This takes viewers on a journey through the unparalleled career of perhaps the world’s most gifted entertainer. Combining digitally-restored original music videos with live performances filmed over the years from Jackson’s Off The Wall and Thriller eras,
This is a document of the man’s genius, as well as a reminder of how far he has fallen. One can listen to classics like Billie Jean, Thriller and Black Or White. Experts from the music industry will talk about how those songs have transformed the music industry . Viewers will hear from Beyonce, Missy Elliot, Mary J.Blige, Jennifer Lopez, Quincy Jones and Wyclef Jean talking about Jackson.
On 31 December 2005 at 9 pm the channel will air Warovski Fashion Rocks For The Prince’s Trust . This yearly benefit hosted by Prince Albert II of Monaco for the Prince’s Trust has become something of a society event.Held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo, this groundbreaking fundraiser pairs top designers with top music artists to put up a one-of-a-kind show and all for a good cause.
Hosted by ex-supermodel and actress Jerry Hall, the lineup this year includes hit acts like Kasabian, Blondie, Craig David, Mariah Carey, Bon Jovi, Jamie Cullum, as well as edgier fare such as Roisin Murphy of Moloko, new R&B sensation Amerie, art rockers.
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.
