Toby Stephens plays Glen Doherty in "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" from Paramount Pictures and 3 Arts Entertainment / Bay Films (photo by Dion Beebe/courtesy of Paramount Pictures).
LOS ANGELES (AP) --
One day before the Oscars, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has voted to rescind the sound mixing nomination for Greg P. Russell for his work on "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi." The decision, announced Saturday, was due to Russell's violation of Academy campaign regulations.
The statement says Russell violated strict rules applied to telephone lobbying.
Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs said in a statement that they take "very seriously the Oscars voting process."
"13 Hours" is still eligible for the award, but only for mixers Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Mac Ruth. At the Oscars on Sunday, the "13 Hours" crew is competing against the sound mixing team from "Arrival," ''Hacksaw Ridge," ''La La Land" and "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."
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
