English Entertainment
Star English has much to cheer at Golden Globes
MUMBAI: Star India’s English entertainment bouquet, consisting of Star World, Star World Premiere HD and FX, is known for showcasing the best and latest in English entertainment from across the world. Star India remains the first choice for premium urban audiences seeking quality English entertainment. Cast from some of its leading and critically acclaimed shows like Taraji P Henson (Empire), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Maura Tierney (The Affair), Lady Gaga (American Horror Story – Hotel) and Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) have struck gold at the 2016 Golden Globe awards this year.
The leading lady from Empire, Taraji P Henson, won her first Golden Globe for best actress in a television series drama for her groundbreaking role as Cookie. Taraji’s character is the heart of the series and provides unforgettable catchphrases, heartbreaking line readings, and natural comedy in a tour de force performance that makes you miss her every second she’s not on screen. Empire Season 2 is currently airing on FX and FX HD every Sunday at 10 pm.
The Mad Men superstar Jon Hamm won the Golden Globe for best performance by an actor in a television series drama. Jon Hamm popularized the character of Don Draper in the series which captures the world of advertising in the 1960s like never before. Despite his outward disenchantment and egotism, the character of Don Draper demonstrates a strict code of personal ethics, insisting on honesty and chivalry in his subordinates, but not always in himself. Mad Men returns to television with FX and FX HD from 29 January 2016 and will continue to air from Monday to Friday at 11 pm.
Maura Tierney from The Affair won the award for best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a series, limited series or motion picture made for television. As a jilted wife slowly coming to terms with a life she never had planned for herself, Maura Tierney found a perfect balance of comedy and tragedy in her character Helen’s situation The Affair Season 2 is coming soon on FX and FX HD as part of special programming for Valentine’s Day on 14th Feb
The singer-actress Lady Gaga won Best Actress in a miniseries or motion picture for television for her role in American Horror Story: Hotel. Gaga plays Countess Elizabeth who is the owner of Hotel Cortez, a ritzy hotel set in modern day Los Angeles, California. Elizabeth is an uber glamorous socialite who secretly maintains her stunningly fierce good looks by using her special clawed gloves to murder people and drink their blood. American Horror Story – Hotel airs on FX and FC HD on every Saturday at 11 pm.
The Crazy-ex girlfriend star Rachel Bloom grabbed the Golden Globe for best performance by an actress in a television series—musical or comedy. Bloom plays a successful Manhattan lawyer Rebecca Bunch who follows her high-school ex, Josh Chan, to the humdrum suburbs of California. The occasional musical numbers in the series act as comedic interjections, but they also telegraph the show’s darker themes, reminding us that our protagonist is slowly unravelling. Crazy ex-girlfriend airs on Star World Premiere HD every Thursday at 10 pm.
Star India has a successful track record in bringing the best of international television, a stellar cast and outstanding performances. The network is home to the shows that have helped these stars acquire world acclaim.
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.
