Category Archives: PiercingKen Says

General Announcements and Editorial posts.

Features, PiercingKen Says

BroadwayCon Announces Details and Pre-Sales For 2020 Event

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The Press Release:
BroadwayCon celebrates its fifth year in 2020, returning to the New York Hilton Midtown on Friday, January 24 through Sunday, January 26. Tickets go on sale to the public at 1 PM ET on April 19, 2019. Returning attendees of BroadwayCon 2019 will have special pre-sale access beginning Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at 1 PM ET.

Since 2016, BroadwayCon has been the premiere fan convention for all things Broadway. Highlights from previous years include show spotlights with the casts of Hamilton (2016, 2017), Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2019), Mean Girls (2019), and Dear Evan Hansen (2017), reunions with the original casts of RENT (2016), and In The Heights (2018), performances by Sara Barielles (2016, Waitress), Jenn Colella (2016, Come From Away), Christy Altomere (2017, Anastasia), surprise appearances by Lin-Manuel Miranda (2017) and Kristen Chenoweth (2019), and so much more.
Continue reading BroadwayCon Announces Details and Pre-Sales For 2020 Event →

Features, PiercingKen Says

Acquisition Complete: The Walt Disney Company Now Owns 21st Century Fox

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Let’s open up the business section of our little home on the web. Below please find the full press release from the company website regarding the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by the Walt Disney Company.

walt disney company logo

The Press Release:
The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) and Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. (“21CF”) (NASDAQ: TFCFA, TFCF), in connection with Disney’s acquisition of 21CF (the “Acquisition”), announced today that the per share value of the Merger Consideration (as defined below) has been calculated in accordance with the Merger Agreement (as defined below) to be $51.572626 (the “Per Share Value”. See footnote1). The Acquisition will become effective at 12:02 a.m. Eastern Time tomorrow, March 20, 2019.

At the effective time of the Acquisition, each share of 21CF common stock will be exchanged for $51.572626 in cash (the “Cash Consideration”) or 0.4517 shares of common stock of TWDC Holdco 613 Corp., the holding company that will own both Disney and 21CF following the Acquisition (“New Disney”) (the “Stock Consideration”, and together with the Cash Consideration, the ”Merger Consideration”), subject to election, proration and adjustment procedures set forth in the Amended and Restated Agreement and Plan of Merger(the “Merger Agreement”), dated as of June 20, 2018, by and among 21CF, Disney, New Disney, and certain of Disney’s other subsidiaries. The number of shares of New Disney common stock comprising the Stock Consideration was determined by dividing the Per Share Value by $114.1801, which was the volume weighted average trading price of a share of Disney common stock on the New York Stock Exchange over the fifteen consecutive trading day period ending on (and including) March 15, 2019.

“This is an extraordinary and historic moment for us—one that will create significant long-term value for our company and our shareholders,” said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company. “Combining Disney’s and 21st Century Fox’s wealth of creative content and proven talent creates the preeminent global entertainment company, well positioned to lead in an incredibly dynamic and transformative era.”
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Features, PiercingKen Says

Presenting The 2019 Juno Awards Winners

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It was only a few short months ago when I told the readership about my adding the Juno Awards to my context of related narratives here on “The Chronicles” of Piercing Ken and when last we met I had lined out all of the nominations for these Canadian Music Awards. The winners have recently been revealed and to keep it easier to digest, I have left the nominated in the rundown so you can see who beat who. Let’s take a look.

JUNO Fan Choice Award:
WINNER – Avril Lavigne (BMG*ADA)
Alessia Cara (Universal)
Bulow (Universal)
Elijah Woods, Jamie Fine (Big Machine/Universal)
Killy (Secret Sound Club, Independent)
Loud Luxury (Armada Music B.V. Sony NAV XO Universal)
Shawn Mendes (Universal)
The Weeknd (Universal)
Tory Lanez (Interscope, Universal)

Single of the Year:
WINNER – “In My Blood” Shawn Mendes (Universal)
“Growing Pains” Alessia Cara (Universal)
“Not A Love Song” Bulow (Universal)
“Body” Loud Luxury” (Armada Music B.V. Sony)
“Pray For Me” The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar (Top Dawg Ent Universal)
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Features, PiercingKen Says

BookExpo Announces Editors’ Buzz Line-Ups Spotlighting Upcoming Breakout Titles

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With a little under three months to go before it arrives, its relatively safe to say that the 2019 BookExpo will be upon us before we know it. With that being the case I am happy to share one of the recently received announcements for this publishing industry affair. Read on.

2019 book expo logo

The Press Release:
Today, BookExpo announced the selected titles for the prestigious Editors’ Buzz program, which features the top authors and titles expected to resonate with readers in the coming months. There are three Editors’ Buzz Panels where the books’ editors will present the selected titles:
• The Adult Editors’ Buzz Panel will take place on Wednesday, May 29 at 1:45 PM (Room 1E12)
• The Young Adult Editors’ Buzz Panel will take place on Thursday, May 30 at 10:00 AM (Room 1E12)
• The Middle Grade Editors’ Buzz Panel will take place on Friday, May 31 at 11:00 AM (Room 1E12)

Attendees can meet the featured authors at the following panels:
• The Meet the Adult Authors Buzz Presentation will take place on Thursday, May 30 at 11:00 AM (Room 1E10)
• The Meet the Young Adult Authors Buzz Presentation will take place on Friday, May 31 at 9:30 AM (Downtown Stage)
• The Meet the Middle Grade Authors Buzz Presentation will take place on Friday, May 31 at 1:35 PM (Downtown Stage)

BookExpo’s Editors’ Buzz program has a stellar track record of predicting the coming year’s hottest books. Last year’s selections included breakthrough books such as: Ohio: A Novel by Stephen Markley; There Will Be No Miracles Here by Casey Gerald; Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram; Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan; Sadie by Courtney Summers; and Sanity & Tallulah, Book 1 by Molly Brooks. Over the past three years, 11 books selected by the program hit The New York Times Best Sellers lists.
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Features, PiercingKen Says

Decca Records Celebrates Its 90th Anniversary (1929-2019)

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The Press Release:
This year sees one of the most iconic record labels in the world, Decca Records, turn 90 years old. Since its formation, on February 28, 1929, Decca has burgeoned from a prosperous British company to a fully-fledged international powerhouse – quickly earning the title as ‘The Supreme Record Company’ – a statement that resonates stronger than ever 90 years on. Decca has been the home to countless legendary musicians from Luciano Pavarotti to David Bowie, Dame Vera Lynn to Bing Crosby, Tom Jones to Billie Holiday, The Rolling Stones to Mantovani and is now providing the platform for a new generation of ambitious artists at the forefront of their scenes – names such as Andrea Bocelli, Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Gregory Porter, who continue to represent the label’s cultural legacy.

Throughout 2019, Decca will be celebrating its nine decades of excellence, marking the occasion with:
• The Supreme Record Company: The Story Of Decca Records 1929-2019 Book: A lavishly illustrated, first comprehensive history of the label.
• Pavarotti Feature Film: A milestone full-length documentary directed by Ron Howard telling the true story of Decca’s global superstar.
• V&A Event: London’s prestigious V&A opens its doors to Decca on Sunday, May 5th (as part of the V&A Performance Festival 2019) for a day of family fun and music.
• A Return to Decca’s Lost Recording Studio: Decca’s West Hampstead studios, a hidden historical gem, will open again in July for just a few nights, offering an array of different activities, from one-off performances to unseen artworks and exhibitions.
• Reissues and Rarities: 90 physical and digital releases that embrace the spirit of the label. The first Friday of every month for the whole of 2019 will be ‘Decca Day’ with a new release.
• Performances: A unique series of concerts in London, Berlin and Paris throughout 2019. Decca 90 will also be celebrated at key UK arts and music festivals such as Love Supreme, all four Cheltenham events and Village Green.
• Record Store Day 2019 (13 April): A series of exclusive vinyl releases for this global celebration of independent record shops.
• Rare David Bowie Videos: Six Deram-era clips restored to 1080 HD by the UMC team to be released monthly from 8 March.
• Radio: Two programmes on BBC Radio 2 (available globally on the BBC Sounds app) that chart 20 of the most iconic Decca recordings of all time.
• Podcasts: 45 unique 90-second podcasts – 45 RPM (Recorded Podcast Moments) that outline key aspects of the label’s history, to appear on thr website at the close.
Continue reading Decca Records Celebrates Its 90th Anniversary (1929-2019) →