English Entertainment
Zee Cafe to woo viewers with fact, fiction and fantasy
MUMBAI: The planet’s first-ever vampires, an adolescent queen, a twisted sociopath and much more… Zee Cafe has a lip-smacking roster of shows, new and old, lined up for its audience this year.
As Zee Cafe EVP and business head Anurag Bedi puts it, “We have a good mix of reality and scripted series lined up for our viewers. You will be seeing a lot of new show launches that haven’t been aired in the country before. And we will continue to bring the latest seasons of all-time favourites such as The Mentalist, Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal among others.” 70 per cent of the channel’s viewership is made up by young and evolving viewers (15 to 34 years) based in metros.
Indiantelevision.com brings you a brief overview of the delectable fare on offer:
New kids on the bloc
The Fosters:
With Bradley Bredeweg and Peter Paige (Queer as Folk) as creators cum writers cum executive producers and Jennifer Lopez (American Idol, What to Expect When You’re Expecting, The Back-Up Plan) as executive producer, The Fosters stars Teri Polo (Meet the Parents), Sherri Saum (In Treatment), Jake T. Austin (Wizards of Waverly Place), Hayden Byerly (Parenthood), David Lambert (Aaron Stone), Danny Nucci (Titanic), Cierra Ramirez (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) and newcomer Maia Mitchell (Teen Beach Movie). Telecast as one-hour episodes, the series is about a multi-ethnic family with both biological and foster kids raised by two moms.
Twisted:
True to its name, this is a mystery full of twists and turns and revolves round a charismatic 16-year-old with a troubled past. He becomes the prime suspect when a fellow student is found dead in her house. With executive producers: Gavin Polone (Gilmore Girls, Zombieland, Curb Your Enthusiasm, My Boys, Jane By Design), David Babcock (Brothers & Sisters) and Adam Milch (Greek) – who also wrote the pilot, the drama stars Avan Jogia (Victorious), Maddie Hasson (The Finder), Kylie Bunbury (Prom), Kimberly Quinn (Terriers), Sam Robards (Treme, Gossip Girl), Denise Richards (Two and a Half Men) and newcomer Ashton Moio.
The Originals:
Move over protagonists of The Twilight Saga, this one’s the original vampire family and it’s here to stay. Except that time and power games have broken the centuries’ old bond among the members. Werewolf-vampire Klaus Mikaelson gets a tip-off about a conspiracy brewing against him in supernatural haven – the French quarter of New Orleans. There, he bumps into his diabolical former protégé, Marcel, a charismatic vampire who has absolute control over the city. The series follows Klaus’ struggle to reclaim all that once belonged to his family.
The series stars Joseph Morgan (The Vampire Diaries, Immortals), Charles Michael Davis (Grey’s Anatomy, Switched at Birth), Daniel Gillies (The Vampire Diaries, Saving Hope), Claire Holt (The Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars), Phoebe Tonkin (The Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle) and Daniella Pineda (The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, Homeland), among others. The executive producers are: Julie Plec (The Vampire Diaries, Kyle XY, Wasteland), Leslie Morgenstein (The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl) and Gina Girolamo (The Lying Game).
Reign:
Somewhere between the lines of history books is a story waiting to unravel – that of Mary Stuart, the young woman the world would come to know as Mary, Queen of Scots. The series traces her story from the time she was a beautiful, headstrong adolescent to the brewing love triangle between her, Prince Francis of France, and his rakish half-brother, to her tumultuous rise to power. There’s enough danger and sexual intrigue here to keep viewers hooked.
The series stars Adelaide Kane (Teen Wolf), Toby Regbo (One Day), Torrance Coombs (The Tudors), Megan Follows (Anne of Green Gables), Alan Van Sprang (The Tudors) and Celina Sinden, among others. Coming from CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television, the executive producers of Reign are Stephanie SenGupta (Hawaii Five-0), Laurie McCarthy (The Ghost Whisperer), Frank Siracusa (Beauty and the Beast) and Brad Silberling (Moonlight Mile). Zee Cafe is learnt to be looking at a June premiere for this series.
The 100:
It’s nearly a century since nuclear Armageddon destroyed planet Earth and civilization as we know it. The only survivors then were inhabitants of a few space stations in orbit. Ever since, three generations have been born but resources in space are dying out. Among many last-ditch attempts to survive, the powers that be decide to exile 100 juvenile prisoners to the surface of the Earth just to see if it can still be habited. For the chosen 100, returning to Earth is not without its fair share of perils; one minute, it’s magical while the next minute, it’s lethal. However, they must find a way to overcome their differences and forge a new path on this intense, primitive and alien planet.
The series stars Eliza Taylor, Paige Turco (Person Of Interest, Damages), Thomas McDonell (Suburgatory), Eli Goree (Emily Owens, M.D.) and Marie Avgeropoulos (50/50), among others. Based on an upcoming book by Kass Morgan, The 100 is a joint production of Bonanza Productions Inc., Alloy Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios. The executive producers are Matthew Miller (Human Target, Chuck), Jason Rothenberg, Bharat Nalluri (Torchwood, Emily Owens, M.D.), Leslie Morgenstein (The Vampire Diaries) and Gina Girolamo (The Secret Circle).
Believe:
Levitation, telekinesis, the ability to control nature, the ability to predict the future – Bo’s been a gifted girl ever since she was two years old. A group called the ‘True Believers’ have raised the orphaned girl and protected her from outsiders who might use her powers for personal gain. However, now that she is 10, they turn to the only person they see fit to be her full-time protector – Tate. This wrongfully imprisoned death row inmate is at first reluctant but later relents when he sees Bo’s extraordinary abilities. Thus begins Bo and Tate’s collaboration to keep the dark forces at bay. Executive producer of the series is J.J. Abrams (Revolution, Star Trek: Into Darkness) while Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) is the executive producer cum writer cum director.
Hostages:
Dr Ellen Sanders, a prominent Washington D.C. surgeon, is handpicked to operate on the President of the USA, when she and her family are taken hostage by rogue FBI agent Duncan Carlisle and his gang of goons. Dr Sanders must kill the Prez during surgery else her captors will kill them all. With Jerry Bruckheimer as executive producer, this edge-of-the-seat thriller stars Emmy award winner Toni Collette (United States of Tara) and Golden Globe winner Dylan McDermott (The Practice, American Horror Story: Murder House) among others.
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.
