Mar 5
Holy shit his son is creepy.
The Ellisons are going to strip assets from their acquisitions that were built by talented artists and truly skilled professionals and create new content that caters to these douchebags.
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Holy shit his son is creepy.
The Ellisons are going to strip assets from their acquisitions that were built by talented artists and truly skilled professionals and create new content that caters to these douchebags.
Sen. Ron Wyden accuses CBS takeover by David Ellison of aiding Trump cover-up of Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Big banks also implicated.
Brad Reed at Common Dreams:
Sen. Ron Wyden on Tuesday charged that the takeover of CBS by David Ellison, the son of right-wing billionaire Larry Ellison, helped President Donald Trump’s White House cover up information about the late billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Wyden’s (D-Ore.) claims about CBS came on the same day his office released a report alleging that top Wall Street banks “looked the other way and allowed Epstein to have ready access to the mountains of cash he used to lure, harbor, and transport his victims.” In a social media post, Wyden revealed that he was interviewed several months ago by former “60 Minutes” correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, where he presented evidence his office had gathered about big banks’ role in facilitating Epstein’s illicit activities. The interview never aired, Wyden said, because CBS “subsequently... pulled the segment and fired the reporter.” Wyden added that “the MAGA buyout of media has unquestionably aided the Trump administration’s cover up here.”
David Ellison, whose father was a megadonor to Trump’s 2024 campaign, assumed control of CBS last year after his media company Skydance merged with Paramount, the network’s parent company. Shortly afterward, Ellison hired right-wing commentator Bari Weiss to serve as CBS News’ editor-in-chief, and she has since gone on a firing spree of several longtime “60 Minutes” producers and journalists, including Alfonsi, Scott Pelley, Tanya Simon, and Cecelia Vega.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) revealed that CBS aided and abetted in the Epstein Files cover-up by canning a report that would have aired on CBS’s 60 Minutes highlighting how big banks enabled the late Jeffrey Epstein’s monstrous deeds.
A group of states, including California, filed a lawsuit to block the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery.
Lillian Rizzo at CNBC:
A group of 12 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit Monday challenging Paramount Skydance’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The lawsuit, which came after weeks of speculation on if and when it would be filed, seeks to block the merger for antitrust concerns. CNBC’s David Faber reported earlier in the day that the lawsuit was expected to come on Monday. The merger deal would combine two storied film studios — Paramount and Warner Bros. — as well as streaming platforms Paramount+ and HBO Max. Paramount CEO David Ellison has previously said the streaming services would become one following the transaction. It would also mean the formation of the largest portfolio of TV networks in the U.S., bringing together Paramount’s broadcast network CBS and pay TV channels like MTV and BET with WBD’s CNN, TNT and others. Led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District for the Northern District of California, is also brought forth by attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington.
[...] Paramount could face additional costs if closing the deal were to be delayed. As part of the proposed merger, Paramount has has agreed to pay a so-called ticking fee, which kicks in if the closing goes past Sept. 30. Paramount set the fee at an additional 25 cents paid to WBD shareholders per quarter until closing. The fee would equal about $650 million in cash value per quarter for every quarter the deal is not closed.
12 states, led by California, are leading a lawsuit against the Paramount Skydance behemoth’s takeover of WBD.
See Also:
Reuters, via HuffPost: California, 11 States Suing To Block Paramount's $110 Billion Warner Bros. Deal
Daily Kos: Democratic attorneys general sue to stop MAGA media merger
If Paramount does succeed in buying WBD in the end, consolidation will have reached a new peak. We'll have one fewer major movie studio. And a few players would have much more power over what gets made going forward.
In my latest newsletter, I interview box office pundit Lisa Laman about why a Paramount-Warner Bros. merger would be bad for the movie industry.
As I look at the promotional photos of the Starfleet Academy show that were dropped at SDCC, a feel a touch of sadness...
The current era of Star Trek could come to an end...
If you have been keeping up with business news, the Skydance/Paramount merger was approved by the FCC, albeit some drama and alleged financial compensation for a certain failed NY real estate mogul.
Skydance CEO, David Elliott, is the son of Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, a known Trump supporter... and already the effects are being felt; CBS has fired Stephen Colbert and ended the 30 year run of the Late Show. Paramount also owns the networks Comedy Central, and Nickelodeon. The new CEO has promised to end DEI initiatives at Paramount:
The Star Trek franchise is one of Paramount's well known IP, but currently doesn't align with the prevailing administration's values.
Meant to be social commentary, Roddenberry created a future of equality and diversity. Women, People of color were cast in positions of command and professional authority under Berman's tenure. In the Kurtzman era, we saw inclusion of LGBT+ with same sex couples/parents, non binary and trans characters.
I don't see the new CEO endorsing a progressive vision of the franchise, and I see two possible outcomes going forward:
1) Paramount lets the last of Kurtzman shows end and just let the franchise go dormant or:
2) they find a new show runner who's values align, and retool to be more whoosh-whoosh and pew-pew, and less social commentary and progressive vision.
At 8yo, live TAS was my gateway (1973), and after that, all I had, all we had was three seasons of reruns. Our outlet for our fandom was the art we created; be it illustrative, physical, or written. Conventions were our trading outposts where we sold/traded the results of our passions for a show that lasted only 79 episodes. A decade of fan produced content, from the last episode, until the premiere of TMP.
Perhaps it is up to us, the fans, to take back and ensure the vision the Star Trek; a vision of progress, of diversity , inclusion, and empathy.
A vision of hope that things will be better tomorrow, for all of us.
Just how bad are things at CBS? Insiders & seasoned pros say it's a train wreck, calamity, crisis, sinking ship & disaster as the marquee ev
The CBS Evening News may never recover from Bari Weiss' meddling
Remember how I told you that Ellison has been steering Paramount into dangerous waters ever since he took over? Well, on August 4th, expect a brutal bloodbath at the Q2 Earnings Call. Wall Street is furious over the stalled $111 billion WBD merger, and PSKY stock has cratered to a staggering 16-year low ($7.91!). With the company bleeding $7 million a day in deal delays, the analysts are going to show no mercy.
This isn't just bad news for Ellison; it's bad news for Paramount. No studio should have to bleed cash just to obsessively pursue a pointless merger with WBD—a deal I believe will be dead on arrival. It’s infuriating viewers and creative talent, sacrificing potential blockbusters to the streaming churn, and chasing subscriber targets for a barely alive Paramount Plus through questionable political deal-making—all using the studio's funds. (Latest victim: Avatar Aang, a movie with all the potential to be a smash—the sold-out success of its theatrical week proof of that. A film which, by the way, was SUPPOSED to be for theaters, instead of being stripped of that honor and dumped onto Paramount Plus. Seriously, can you imagine anyone is gonna be happy about that? No? I thought not.)
What am I implying?
Well, history shows us what happens when CEOs get so arrogant and blind that they cause catastrophic damage to their companies. Their careers get derailed. We saw it happen with Bob Chapek at Disney, who got kicked out after abandoning theatrical revenue to chase streaming growth. Ellison might be harder to dislodge because he's backed by a fiercely loyal board, but even that armor is not impenetrable.
No seemingly unstoppable tyrant is immune to a downfall. It can happen, and it might happen here. If it does, it won't be because Ellison suddenly found humility or realized the damage he's doing. It will be driven by a massive shareholder revolt, or by Delaware judges uncovering the truth behind these backroom deals, backed by furious investors tired of watching their cash drain into a legal nightmare.
I am saying that David Ellison's career might be headed for a similar crash. The beginning of the end could very well start on August 4. Frankly, it couldn't happen soon enough to such an incompetent, stubborn, and out-of-touch executive. (I could say the same about that guy in the White House, but that's off-topic.)
Take all this with a grain of salt, but if you're as upset about this as I am, here's something to chew on.
