English Entertainment
Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Lizzo and many more global music icons vie for the coveted golden gramophone at the 62ndGRAMMY Awards, airing exclusively on Vh1 India
MUMBAI: “Music can change the world because it can change people.” – Bono (U2), 22-time GRAMMY-winner. Honoring music and musicians that broke records, made their mark and revolutionized the industry in 2019, on the biggest awards, the 62nd GRAMMY Awards airs on Monday, January 27, 2020 at 7:30am, exclusively on Vh1 India. Signifying the epitome in music, Recording Academy’s award ceremony will be held at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, hosted by 15-time GRAMMY winner Alicia Keys.
“For the last 15 years, Vh1 India has continued to showcase and endorse music & artists that defy conventions, records and boundaries. Every musician aspires to win a GRAMMY, which is considered as thegreatesthonor and distinction in the world of music; and each year the awardsonly getbigger, grander and more competitive. In one of those rare instances where three artists are nominated in ‘Best New Artist’ as well as ‘Best Album’ category, this is definitely the year for young and diverse pop stars. Yet again this year, women are powering the Grammy nominations.” said, Hashim Dsouza – Head of Programming, English Entertainment, Viacom18.
Hashim further added, “While Ariana Grande, Post Malone and Lizzo have been incredible this year, newcomer Billie Eilish defines the new era of pop music with the right balance of edge and credibility which perfectly fits the criteria for winning the awards of ‘Record of the year’ and ‘Best New Artist’.Complementing the magical ceremony will be performances by a line-up of chart-topping artists includingCamila Cabello, Jonas Brothers, Aerosmith, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande and many more.”
Seemingly impossible to pick favorites and predict winners in the most anticipated categories – ‘Record of the Year’ will seeHey, Ma (Bon Iver), Bad Guy (Billie Eilish), 7 Rings (Ariana Grande), Hard Place (H.E.R.), Talk (Khalid), Old Town Road (Lil Nas X ft Billy Ray Cyrus), Truth Hurts (Lizzo) and Sunflower (Post Malone & Swae Lee) contend for the top prize.
While, ‘Song of the Year’ will witnessa stiff competition as Always Remember Us This Way (Lady Gaga), Bad Guy (Billie Eilish), Bring My Flowers Now (Tanya Tucker), Hard Place (H.E.R.), Lover (Taylor Swift), Norman F***ing Rockwell (Lana Del Rey), Someone You Loved (Lewis Capaldi) and Truth Hurts (Lizzo) go head-to-head.
Interesting facts fromthe 62nd GRAMMY Awards:
Beyoncélooks to win her 24th GRAMMY Award, with nominations in 4 different categories
GRAMMY winner Ariana Grande is nominated for Record Of The Year (7 Rings), Album Of The Year (Thank U, Next), Best Pop Solo Performance (7 Rings), Best Pop/Duo Group Performance (Boyfriend) and Best Pop Vocal Album (Thank U, Next)
Making her GRAMMY performance debut, first-time GRAMMY nominee Billie Eilish is nominated for Record Of The Year (Bad Guy), Album Of The Year (When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?), Song Of The Year (Bad Guy), Best New Artist, Best Pop Solo Performance (Bad Guy), and Best Pop Vocal Album (When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?), becoming the youngest singer in the history to be nominated in 4 categories
Also taking the stage for the first time, Lizzo received her first GRAMMY nominations this year for Record Of The Year (Truth Hurts), Album Of The Year (Cuz I Love You [Deluxe]), Song Of The Year (Truth Hurts), Best New Artist, Best Pop Solo Performance (Truth Hurts), Best R&B Performance (Exactly How I Feel), Best Traditional R&B Performance (Jerome), and Best Urban Contemporary Album (Cuz I Love You [Deluxe])
Two-time GRAMMY winner H.E.R. is nominated for Record Of The Year (Hard Place), Album Of The Year (I Used To Know Her), Song Of The Year (Hard Place), Best R&B Performance (Could've Been) and Best R&B Song (Could've Been).
The album ‘In The End’,released by The Cranberries as a tribute to their late singer Dolores O’Riordan, who passed in 2018, has been nominated for ‘Best Rock Album’
Being recognized for their considerable philanthropic efforts over five decades and undeniable impact on American music history, four-time GRAMMY-winning band Aerosmith will be bestowed with the ‘MusiCares Person of the Year’ award
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.
