In this Feb. 28, 2016 file photo, "Best Actress" winner Brie Larson arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced Friday, Jan. 13, 2017, that Oscar-winning actress Larson will help announce this year’s Oscar nominees at a presentation on Tuesday, Jan. 24.(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) --
Oscar winners Brie Larson and Jennifer Hudson will help announce this year's Academy Award nominees.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences on Friday revealed the actresses will be among those who announce nominees in 24 categories on Jan. 24. Also presenting will be Oscar nominees Jason Reitman and Ken Watanabe and Oscar-winning cinematographer Emmanuel "Chivo" Lubezki.
In a departure from previous years, the academy is ditching a live audience for the nomination announcements and will livestream them on its website, Oscars.org . Some of the presentation will also air on "Good Morning America."
Jimmy Kimmel is hosting this year's ceremony, which will air on Feb. 26 on ABC.
Larson won the best actress award last year for "Room," and Hudson won the supporting actress award in 2007 for "Dreamgirls."
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
