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    Ava DuVernay to attend this year’s Ebertfest in Illinois

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments2374 Views
    In this March 4, 2018, file photo, Ava DuVernay arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) --

    Director Ava DuVernay is scheduled to be a guest at the 20th annual Ebertfest next month in Illinois.

    The University of Illinois said Monday that the Oscar-nominated director of "Selma" and "A Wrinkle in Time" will attend the film festival in Champaign honoring the late movie critic, Roger Ebert.

    She'll bring her film "The 13th," which was nominated for an Oscar for best documentary.

    The festival will open with a showing of the "The Fugitive" starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. The 1993 film's director, Andrew Davis, is a University of Illinois alumnus. He's also attending the festival.

    Ebert and his wife, Chaz Ebert, co-founded the event in collaboration with the university. Films are shown in downtown Champaign's Virginia Theatre.

    Festival organizers say more films and guests will be announced in the coming weeks.

    Tags:Ava DuVernayEberfestThe 13th



    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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