The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz
The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz |
| Anschutz puts sports and entertainment empire up for sale Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:30 AM PDT  AEG's 20,000-seat arena, home to the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers , The Grammy Awards and numerous concerts in downtown Los Angeles. — Reuters file pic Such a deal may be one of the biggest for Anschutz's owner and fabled dealmaker, Denver billionaire Phillip Anschutz, and could draw the interest of the world's leading media and entertainment companies.
It is not clear, however, if Anschutz will decide to sell all or part of its holdings. Potential buyers could include John Malone's Liberty Media Corp and News Corp, which is splitting its publishing and entertainment assets later this year, said a separate source, a financial executive who has been briefed on the company's status but is not part of the deal. Neither company has made a formal bid, however. News Corp declined to comment while representatives from Liberty Media were not immediately available for comment. A sale to Malone's Liberty Media would have regulatory hurdles. Liberty owns a 21 per cent stake in Live Nation Entertainment, which is the nation's biggest show promoter while AEG's concert division, AEG Live, is the second-largest. Anschutz Co has retained Blackstone Advisory Partners as its financial adviser to assist in the sale. This is not the first time that Anschutz has explored a sale of some or all of AEG. In 2008, IAC's Ticketmaster and Cablevision Systems Corp came close to acquiring 49 per cent of the AEG Live concert division for about US$400 million (RM1.2 billion). But those talks broke down and Ticketmaster went on to merge with Live Nation.  Phillip Anschutz, worth US$7 billion. — Reuters file pic A conservative Christian who occasionally teaches Sunday school classes, he is ranked by Forbes as the 34th richest person in the US with a net worth valued at US$7 billion as of October 2010. One of his earliest deals came in 1968 when one of his Wyoming wells caught fire. Anschutz struck a deal with Universal Pictures to allow them to film his burning oil well for US$100,000 and use it for a film the studio was making about famed fire fighter Red Adair. For more than a decade he has concentrated on building his entertainment holdings and also co-founded Major League Football. "This is an appropriate time to transition AEG to a new qualified owner," said Cannon Harvey, president of Anschutz Co, in a statement. "This process represents a unique opportunity to maximise value for all concerned." AEG has transformed the once largely abandoned downtown Los Angeles into a bustling entertainment destination, hosting the Staples Centre, a 20,000-seat arena, and the vibrant L.A. Live promenade, which are almost entirely owned by AEG. AEG is also planning a US$1.2 billion football stadium that would house a NFL team that would move from another city. The company's AEG Live unit was the promoter behind the "This Is It" comeback tour that Michael Jackson was about to embark on before he died. It is still embroiled in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Katherine Jackson, the singer's mother, in which she accuses the company of being responsible for medical decisions made by Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, that caused his death. AEG Live last week dropped a separate lawsuit it filed seeking a US$17.5 million insurance claim payment from Lloyds of London to reimburse upfront costs they incurred to stage the "This Is It" tour. — Reuters |
| Upsets, drama in store for TV’s big Emmy night Posted: 19 Sep 2012 07:42 AM PDT LOS ANGELES, Sept 19 — A night of upsets could be on the menu at the Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, with the countesses and kitchen maids of Britain's "Downton Abbey" bidding to end the reign of television's "Mad Men", while post-9/11 psychological thriller "Homeland" lurks close by. With a tight race for the best drama series top prize and a great year for comedy actresses, the television industry's biggest night could pack as much drama this year as the plot twists and turns dreamed up by TV writers on screen. "What makes this year's Emmys filled with such anticipation is that there are no easy predictions and that makes the show exciting," said Todd Gold, executive editor of Xfinity TV. "There was a period in the 1990s when the Emmys seemed so predictable," Gold told Reuters. "This is a year that really reflects the strength and depth of TV across the board."
"Mad Men", the 1960s-era advertising show on AMC beloved by critics, is hoping to score a fifth consecutive best drama series win from 17 Emmy nominations. But "Downton Abbey", the upstairs-downstairs period drama set in an aristocratic English house, is nipping at its heels with 16 nods in one of PBS' best years at the Emmys. Don Draper sweating? British imports often do well at US award shows. "Hollywood, like the rest of America, has a secret inferiority complex about all things British," said Tom O'Neil of awards website Goldderby.com. " 'Downton Abbey' did much better in the nominations than anyone thought. It could really do this." "Mad Men" emerged empty-handed from last weekend's Creative Arts portion of the Emmys — which honours costumes, hair styling and other mainly technical categories — in what O'Neil said "may be an early omen of what's to come". Although success at the Creative Arts — where HBO's medieval fantasy "Game of Thrones" was the big winner — does not necessarily indicate glory at the Primetime Awards, "the usually unflappable ('Mad Men' lead character) Don Draper might be sweating under his crisp white collar right now", O'Neil added. Dark drug drama "Breaking Bad", in its fifth and final season on AMC, 1930s-era gangster show "Boardwalk Empire" on HBO, "Game of Thrones", and Showtime newcomer "Homeland" round out the best drama series choices for the 15,000 voters of the Television Academy. Claire Danes, who plays a bipolar CIA agent in "Homeland" tracking down a returning US Iraq war hero who has been turned by Muslim extremists, is seen as a sure bet for taking home the best drama actress Emmy. "Homeland", with nine nominations and gushing reviews for its mix of cliffhangers, moral complexity and post-9/11 suspicion, and "Downton Abbey" had "the most buzz for any shows that I can recall", Gold said. Funny girls The contest for best comedy actress on TV is also too close to call, according to TV pundits. "It was a fantastic year for comediennes" said O'Neil. "Julia Louis-Dreyfus is in the race with a hot new HBO series ('Veep') that happens to be about the vice-presidential race in the middle of a presidential election. How perfect is that? "And Lena Dunham ('Girls' HBO) is this year's Tina Fey. She does it all — writing, directing, acting, producing." O'Neil said Fey, creator and star of "30 Rock", also had her best chance in recent years to win. But "New Girl" star Zooey Deschanel on Fox, could clinch an Emmy on her first try. In the best comedy series, ABC's reigning champion, "Modern Family", appears to have little serious competition, and its stars are also expected to take home some of the supporting acting Emmys. But there may be a chink in Jon Stewart's stronghold in the variety series slot with his satirical "The Daily Show". "I think Jimmy Kimmel is going to put a stop to the nine-year juggernaut of 'The Daily Show' this year," said O'Neil. "I think Jon Stewart has met his match. Jimmy is also hosting the Emmys, and this could be his night of nights." In other key races, Bryan Cranston is favoured to win a fourth Emmy as best actor in a dramatic series for his role as a chemistry teacher-turned-drug kingpin in "Breaking Bad", while History channel's "Hatfields & McCoys", with 16 nominations, is a strong contender for best miniseries. The show about a legendary feud between two families in 19th century Kentucky and West Virginia was a surprise hit with audiences in May "and reminded critics that American TV viewers are still enraptured by a good Western", said Gold. — Reuters |
Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) owns some 100 entertainment venues around the world, the L.A. Galaxy football team and a stake in the L.A. Lakers basketball team in addition to the L.A. Kings. A sale could fetch several billions of dollars, said one person who has done business with the company.
The Primetime Emmy Awards will be broadcast live from Los Angeles on Sunday on ABC television, and hosted by comedian Jimmy Kimmel.| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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