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    “Selma” director disappointed that David Oyelowo didn’t get Oscar nomination

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    Director Ava DuVernay during the press conference for the film Selma at the 2015 Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin, Tuesday,Feb. 10, 2015. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
    BERLIN (AP) --

    "Selma" director Ava DuVernay says she's disappointed that star David Oyelowo's performance as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wasn't recognized with an Oscar nod.

    "I was hurt by the fact that David wasn't nominated because I know what it took to get that performance," DuVernay said at the film's premiere in Berlin, adding, "I don't need anyone to tell me that it's one of the best performances of 2014; no one needs to even say that to me because I already know."

    Besides best picture, "Selma" is also nominated in the original song category for "Glory," By Common and John Legend.

    "It's a song that is going to be in the culture for quite a while," DuVernay said. "Already choirs and students and people are singing this song and it's becoming a protest that I think will last."

    She said she was not expecting a best-director bid from the film academy. "There has been no precedent for a black woman to be nominated for best director, so why was it going to change with me?" she said.

    Yet the director said she feels honored the film is a contender for the top Oscar.

    "We were nominated as best picture, which is nothing to sneeze at," she said. "People act like we dragged out of there with nothing. I mean, best picture."

    Tags:Ava DuVernayDavid OyelowoSelma



    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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