Register

    Italian director Ettore Scola dead at 84

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments682 Views
    Italian screenwriter and film director Ettore Scola attends a TV show in Milan, Italy, in this Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013 file photo. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)
    ROME (AP) --

    Ettore Scola, one of the last greats of Italian film, has died at age 84.

    RAI state radio and the ANSA news agency say Scola died late Tuesday at a Rome hospital after falling ill on Sunday.

    Scola, who started out as a screenwriter, won best director in 1976 at the Cannes Film Festival for "Brutti, Sporchi, Cattivi" ("Ugly, Dirty and Bad").

    But he was perhaps best known for "We All Loved Each Other So Much," his 1977 tableau about post-war Italy, and the Oscar-nominated "A Special Day" featuring Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren as neighbors who meet during Hitler's visit to Italy in 1938.

    Premier Matteo Renzi said Scola had an incomparable way of reading Italian society and said in a tweet that his death "leaves an enormous hole in Italian culture."

    Tags:Etorre Scola



    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

    MySHOOT Profiles


    Add A Comment