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    Film academy dedicates Nicholl Fellowships event to Yelchin 

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    In this Sept. 12, 2015 file photo, actor Anton Yelchin attends The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) and InStyle's annual Toronto International Film Festival celebration in Toronto. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP, File)
    LOS ANGELES (AP) --

    The organization that presents the Academy Awards is dedicating a performance of promising new screenplays to late actor Anton Yelchin.

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Tuesday that its annual Nicholl Fellowships live-read event will be presented in Yelchin's honor.

    The "Star Trek" actor performed at the first Nicholl live read in 2013. He died in June when his Jeep rolled down his driveway and crushed him. His parents have sued the vehicle's manufacturer.

    Yelchin's "Star Trek" co-star John Cho, as well as actors Cary Elwes, Aja Naomi King and Alia Shawkat are set to perform selected scenes from this year's five winning screenplays on Nov. 3 at the film academy's headquarters in Beverly Hills, California. The winning screenwriters were announced last month.

    The Nicholl Fellowships is the academy's annual, global screenwriting competition. Winners receive $35,000 and academy support toward the completion of a feature-length screenplay during their fellowship year.

    Winning Nicholl scripts have also been produced and released theatrically, including 2006's "Akeelah and the Bee" and "Stockholm, Pennsylvania," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last year.

    Tags:Academy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencesAnton YelchinNicholl Fellowships



    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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