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    Cannes Watch: Don’t ask the Coens about TV

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments805 Views
    Jury presidents Ethan Coen, left, and Joel Coen laugh during a press conference for the jury at the 68th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 13, 2015. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
    CANNES, France (AP) --

    Don't ask the Coen brothers about TV. They're not watching.

    Joel and Ethan Coen are presidents of the jury that will decide the Cannes Film Festival top honor, the Palme d'Or. Introducing their jury, which includes Jake Gyllenhaal and Guillermo del Toro, the filmmaking brothers confessed Wednesday they remain outsiders to the much-celebrated rise of TV dramas.

    "It's not that I don't like TV," said Ethan Coen. "It's alien to me. I haven't watched a television show in decades."

    Joel suggested he was no less familiar, despite his wife, Frances McDormand, recently starring in the acclaimed HBO miniseries "Olive Kitteridge." ''You're going to get me in trouble," he said.

    The Coens' 1996 film "Fargo" was turned into the FX series, but with little input from them.

    On the increase of new digital avenues like Netflix for movie watching, Joel wasn't much more enthusiastic.

    "How do we feel about people watching 'Lawrence of Arabia' on their iPhone?" he said, archly rephrasing a more general question about digital media. "There's something special about sitting with a big crowd of people watching a movie on a big 80-foot screen."

    —By Jake Coyle 

    Tags:Cannes Film FestivalCoen brothers



    DirecTV calls off acquisition of rival Dish, possibly ending a yearslong pursuit

    Friday, November 22, 2024
    Dish Network satellite dishes are shown at an apartment complex in Palo Alto, Calif., Feb. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

    DirecTV is calling off its planned acquisition of rival Dish after the offer was rejected by bond holders at that company.

    The deal was reliant on Dish bond holders agreeing to trade in the debt they held for debt in the new company, a swap that would have cost them about $1.6 billion, collectively.

    The retreat by DirecTV this week may end a years-long effort by the company to acquire both Dish and Sling after it announced the bid in September.

    DirecTV was looking to acquire Dish TV and Sling TV from its owner EchoStar in a debt exchange transaction that included a payment of $1, plus the assumption of approximately $9.8 billion in debt. The deal was contingent on several factors, including regulatory approvals and bondholders writing off debt related to Dish.

    "While we believed a combination of DirecTV and Dish would have benefited all stakeholders, we have terminated the transaction because the proposed exchange terms were necessary to protect DirecTV's balance sheet and our operational flexibility," DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said in a statement.

    The prospect of a DirecTV-Dish combo has long been rumored, and reported talks resurfaced over the years. And the two almost merged more than two decades ago — but the Federal Communications Commission blocked the deal valued at the time at $18.5 billion deal, citing antitrust concerns.

    The pay-for-TV market has shifted significantly since. As more and more consumers tune into online streaming platforms, demand for more traditional satellite entertainment continues to shrink.

    DirecTV says that it will continue to invest in next-generation streaming platforms and offer new packaging options while integrating content from live TV alongside direct-to-consumer... Read More

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