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    Academy president introduces politics at Oscar luncheon 

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    Cheryl Boone Isaacs, left, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and Dawn Hudson CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, arrive at the 89th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Monday, Feb. 6, 2017, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

    By Sandy Cohen, Entertainment Writer

    BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) --

    If anyone was wondering if the Academy Awards will get political this year, film academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs all but confirmed it Monday at the annual Oscar nominees' luncheon.

    Boone Isaacs opened the private gathering at the Beverly Hilton Hotel with a galvanizing speech that promised the academy will "stand up in support of artists around the world."

    "We stand up to those who would try and limit our freedom of expression," she said. "And we stand up for this fundamental principle: That all creative artists around the world are connected by that unbreakable bond and more powerful and permanent than nationality and politics. Just as work does not stop at borders, borders cannot be allowed to stop any of us."

    Her remarks were received with raucous applause.

    Traditionally a warm and friendly affair, there's little on the luncheon agenda other than celebrity mingling and posing for photos.

    Denzel Washington chatted with Steven Spielberg, not even realizing "Moonlight" director Barry Jenkins was standing behind him.

    "He was ear-hustling," Washington said.

    Viola Davis shared a moment with Lin-Manuel Miranda, who brought his mother as his date. Davis was also part of a reunion of "The Help" cast, posing for a photo with fellow nominees Emma Stone and Octavia Spencer.

    Show producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd briefly addressed the nominees, urging them to speak from the heart should they become winners on Oscar night.

    They showed a short film, purportedly from the 1938 Academy Awards. The grainy video featured Kate McKinnon as fictional movie star and multiple Oscar-winner Gloria Concave. She offered acceptance-speech advice based on her own past foibles, such as the time she ignored the play-off music and "was pelted with cured meats by some Italians."

    Laura Dern, a governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' actors' branch, read aloud the name of each nominee as they took their place on photo risers in the center of hotel's International Ballroom. The graduation-like procession took about 30 minutes.

    Each nominee received a certificate, an official Oscar sweatshirt and a bottle of special-issue Oscars Champagne as they left.

    The 89th Academy Awards will be presented Feb. 26 at Hollywood & Highland's Dolby Theatre and broadcast live on ABC.

    Tags:Cheryl Boone IsaacsOscars



    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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