English Entertainment
The Myth this Friday night at 9 p.m. only on Star Movies
MUMBAI: Blending historical elements with fiction, this film stars sultry Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat, who plays the role of an Indian princess. This Friday night, Star Movies brings to you the exclusive premier of the “The Myth” which is based on the Korean legend, ‘Thousand Year Romance’. Jackie Chan who has produced and stars in the action extravaganza plays the role of Jack an intrepid archaeologist who, while in Dasar, India, stumbles on Mallika of course, and an ancient sword from the Qin Dynasty. So, make sure you tune into “The Myth” this Friday, February 9th at 9 p.m. only on Star Movies.
Taking place during two points of time with parallel stories, THE MYTH follows archeologist Jack Chan (Jackie Chan). Jack begins having dreams of himself reincarnated as Meng-Yi, a Qin Dynasty General fighting a desperate war against rebels, who must escort the Emperor’s concubine Ok-Soo back to the Qin capital city. As the two fall in love, Meng Yi struggles with his feelings for Ok-Soo (Hee-seon Kim) and his loyalty to the emperor. Meanwhile, in the present, Jack, along with his scientist friend William (Tony Leung), looks to uncover the secrets of his dreams in a tomb in India, where they find a gravity defying gemstone and an ancient sword – two clues to unlock the mysteries of The Myth.
DID YOU KNOW?
Due to Mallika Sherawat’s racy image in Bollywood, rumors circulated that she landed the role over many other Indian actresses (Aishwarya Rai, Lara Dutta, Priyanka Chopra) because she was willing to do full frontal nudity in this film. When these rumors were spread, Stanley Tong and Jackie Chan held a special press conference in India to say that they picked Mallika over many others because of her great charm and genuine acting talent, and that the film didn’t even have a kissing scene, let alone full frontal nudity.
Aishwarya Rai was the original choice to play the Indian princess but she was on tour at the time and her busy schedule didn’t allow her to take the role.
Jackie Chan was stabbed in the arm while filming a stunt.
Jackie Chan fell off a horse and couldn’t move his legs for the rest have the day. After a few days he was reported doing fine again.
So don’t forget to tune in this Friday night at 9 p.m. for the exclusive premiere of ‘The Myth’ only on Star Movies.
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.
