English Entertainment
Star World to enthrall crime-fiction lovers with new programming slot ‘Crime @ 10’
Star World, India’s leading English Entertainment channel, is renowned for being ahead of the curve. From binging on weekends to watching shows along with the U.S, the channel has been at the forefront of recognizing trends and meeting entertainment demands of viewers. Taking their offerings a notch higher, the channel is now all set to introduce an-all new programming slot – Crime @ 10, dedicated to crime thrillers with edge-of-the-seat drama, plot twists, action-packed moments and gripping content!
With a slew of some of the most fan-favourite shows, Crime @ 10 will captivate television screens every Monday to Friday at 10 PM only on Star World and Star World HD.
The line-up has kick started with hit TV series ‘The Listener’ that aired on 13th February at 10 PM. Starring Canadian actor Craig Olejnik as the protagonist Toby Logan, the series also stars Lauren Lee Smith from the Oscar nominated film The Shape of Water, Anthony Lemke of Dark Matter and RoboCop fame, Kris Holden-Ried of Ben Hur, Arrow and Underworld fame and Melanie Scrofano from Designated Survivor among others! The series follows the life of Toby Logan who plays a paramedic with telepathic powers. As he consults with law enforcement, he helps victims while listening to their thoughts and seeing the images seen by them to lessen crime and make the society a better place.
Next in line is the multiple People’s Choice Award winning crime thriller ‘Castle’ starring beloved duo – detective Kate Beckett (played by Stana Katic) and award-winning mystery novelist, Richard Castle (played by Nathan Fillion). The series will start on 21st March at 10 PM and follows the lives of Beckett and Castle as one uses his imagination and the other uses her detective skills and cop training, to solve gruesome crimes together! The audience-favourite TV series has also earned top nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards and stars This Is Us fame Jon Huertas and veteran actor Susan Sullivan among others!
Following suit is yet another crime-thriller – Fox’s longest running drama series ‘Bones’! Starring Emily Deschanel of films Glory, Boogeyman, Spider-Man 2 and My Sister’s Keeper among others along with David Boreanaz of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel fame, the series has known to have a steady fan base right from its inception to its end. The series that enjoyed immense popularity and even some awards along the way follows the duo – Forensic Anthropologist, Temperance ‘Bones’ Brennan (Emily) and FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth (David) as they solve Federal legal cases by examining the human remains of possible murder victims. Bones will air starting 23rd April at 10 PM!
Culminating the Crime @10 line-up is the widely popular police procedural crime drama series, ‘Rosewood’ starring protagonist Morris Chestnut who is known for his roles in notable movies and TV shows such as Golden Globe winning series Goliath as well as Boyz n the Hood, The Perfect Guy, Kick-Ass 2, The Game Plan, Ladder 49, Nurse Jackie, Legends and more! Rosewood follows the life of Dr. Beaumont Rosewood Jr. (Chestnut) – a private pathologist working in Miami, Florida who is in high demand with the law enforcement. But Rosewood, whose rare heart condition could kill him at any moment is more interested in giving second opinions to friends and family of the deceased when they aren’t convinced with police findings! The series also stars Lorraine Toussaint of Orange is the New Black and Selma, Domenick Lombardozzi of The Wire, Bridge of Spies, Boardwalk Empire fame, Eddie Cibrian of CSI: Miami among others. Rosewood will start on 23rd April at 10 PM!
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.
