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In this episode of Parallax Views, J.G. Michael is joined by freelance film journalist Corey Atad, who has written for such publications as The Baffler and Defector, to break down the growing likelihood of Netflix acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery and what a Netflix–Warner Bros. merger would mean for Hollywood, media competition, and the future of cinema. The discussion examines how Netflix's ambitions could end up reshaping the entertainment industry—often at the expense of workers, audiences, and cultural life. Atad also analyzes David Ellison's attempted hostile takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, a move widely seen as an effort to block a Netflix takeover. Despite positioning himself as an alternative to Netflix, Ellison—who is aligned with MAGA political networks and Silicon Valley power structures—raises serious concerns due to his erratic leadership style and behind-the-scenes dealings, including reported personal outreach to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav while actively attempting to seize control of the company. The episode further explores fears that a Paramount–Skydance merger could transform CNN into a MAGA-aligned media outlet, with Atad arguing that the deeper issue may be the accelerating collapse of cable news itself rather than partisan capture alone. A central theme of the conversation is how Netflix and streaming consolidation threaten movie theaters, which Atad frames as vital communal spaces in a time of increasing social atomization. Michael and Atad discuss how the Netflix business model, rooted in a Silicon Valley “disruptive” mindset, prioritizes scale and dominance over shared cultural experiences—placing theatrical exhibition and mid-budget filmmaking at risk. The episode concludes by arguing that neither Netflix absorbing Warner Bros. nor a Skydance takeover represents a good outcome, and that a functioning democratic state would prevent this level of media consolidation in the first place. Special attention is given to how a Netflix–Warner Bros. deal could harm Canada's media industry, where Atad is based. In other words, this episode discusses regulation, monopoly, culture, the potential death of theaters, and what it all in the bigger picture for America and the world through a conversation about Netflix's acquiring Warner Bros. It's a doozy at around 2 hours but should interest movie and non-movie fans alike!
This week, the nation tunes in to find out who will receive Donald Trump's rose: Paramount's David Ellison or Netflix's Ted Sarandos? Meanwhile, Obamacare subsidies are set to expire, Trump's poll numbers continue to plummet, and Marjorie Taylor Greene remains... on the level? What the hell? Director Cameron Crowe riffs on the gods of rock and the zoos we've bought. Tig Notaro brings the hot lesbian action, and we all look forward to the new year, taking stock of what we'd change, and what we hope will stay the same. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
C dans l'air du 13 décembre 2025 - Dossier Epstein : le compte à rebours est lancé pour TrumpDonald Trump ne parvient pas à se sortir de l'affaire Epstein. Suite à une loi signée par le président américain, un juge fédéral a ordonné mercredi, et pour la troisième fois en quelques jours, la levée du secret sur des documents judiciaires relatifs à l'affaire du criminel sexuel Jeffrey Epstein. Les révélations pourraient avoir lieu d'ici au 19 décembre, date butoir fixée par la loi.Après avoir dévoilé il y a peu les photos de la résidence de Jeffrey Epstein à Little Saint James, l'île privée des Caraïbes où il aurait organisé son trafic sexuel, des élus démocrates ont rendu publiques cette nuit de nouvelles photos. Donald Trump apparaît sur plusieurs d'entre-elles. La pression est maximale sur le locataire de la Maison-Blanche. D'autant que son comportement interroge. Alors qu'il avait estimé durant sa campagne qu'il fallait faire toute la lumière sur ce dossier, il a semblé vouloir tout faire pour étouffer l'affaire une fois revenu au pouvoir.L'affaire Epstein n'est pas la seule à agiter l'actualité américaine. La bataille entre Netflix et la Paramount pour racheter le géant du divertissement Warner Bros Discovery fait elle aussi les gros titres outre-Atlantique.Entre Netflix, le champion mondial du streaming, et la Warner, l'affaire semblait entendue. Mais la Paramount a contre-attaqué, avec une offre à 108 milliards de dollars. L'entreprise est dirigée par David Ellison, le fils du milliardaire Larry Ellison, proche de Donald Trump. L'affaire prend donc un tour politique. D'autant que l'offre comprend le rachat de la branche média de la Warner, propriétaire de la chaine de télévision CNN. Donald Trump accuse depuis longtemps cette chaine de servir ses opposants démocrates et d'être un « ennemi du peuple ». Un changement de propriétaire et de ligne éditoriale ne serait pas pour lui déplaire. S'il se défend de toute ingérence dans ce dossier, il argue que Netflix, pour des raisons juridiques anti-trust, ne pourrait peut-être pas racheter la Warner.Le président américain n'est pas la seule personnalité au cœur du scandale Epstein. Andrew, le frère de l'actuel roi Charles III, était également très proche du criminel sexuel. Virginia Giuffre, principale plaignante de l'affaire Jeffrey Epstein, avait pris la parole pour expliquer qu'Andrew l'avait violé. Andrew a depuis été déchu de son titre de prince et s'est vu retirer toutes les distinctions honorifiques liées à celui-ci.Que savait Donald Trump des crimes de Jeffrey Epstein ?Comment le président américain compte-t-il peser dans le rachat de la Warner ?Combien de personnalités ont-elles été impliquées dans les crimes de Jeffrey Epstein ?Nos experts :- Laurence HAIM - Journaliste, ancienne correspondante aux États-Unis - Auteure de « Ghislaine Maxwell, une femme amoureuse »- Lucas MENGET - Grand reporter- Jean-Bernard CADIER - Journaliste, ancien correspondant aux Etats-Unis - Auteur de « Néron à la Maison Blanche »- Anne TOULOUSE - Journaliste franco-américaine - Auteure de « L'art de trumper »
C dans l'air du 13 décembre 2025 - Dossier Epstein : le compte à rebours est lancé pour TrumpDonald Trump ne parvient pas à se sortir de l'affaire Epstein. Suite à une loi signée par le président américain, un juge fédéral a ordonné mercredi, et pour la troisième fois en quelques jours, la levée du secret sur des documents judiciaires relatifs à l'affaire du criminel sexuel Jeffrey Epstein. Les révélations pourraient avoir lieu d'ici au 19 décembre, date butoir fixée par la loi.Après avoir dévoilé il y a peu les photos de la résidence de Jeffrey Epstein à Little Saint James, l'île privée des Caraïbes où il aurait organisé son trafic sexuel, des élus démocrates ont rendu publiques cette nuit de nouvelles photos. Donald Trump apparaît sur plusieurs d'entre-elles. La pression est maximale sur le locataire de la Maison-Blanche. D'autant que son comportement interroge. Alors qu'il avait estimé durant sa campagne qu'il fallait faire toute la lumière sur ce dossier, il a semblé vouloir tout faire pour étouffer l'affaire une fois revenu au pouvoir.L'affaire Epstein n'est pas la seule à agiter l'actualité américaine. La bataille entre Netflix et la Paramount pour racheter le géant du divertissement Warner Bros Discovery fait elle aussi les gros titres outre-Atlantique.Entre Netflix, le champion mondial du streaming, et la Warner, l'affaire semblait entendue. Mais la Paramount a contre-attaqué, avec une offre à 108 milliards de dollars. L'entreprise est dirigée par David Ellison, le fils du milliardaire Larry Ellison, proche de Donald Trump. L'affaire prend donc un tour politique. D'autant que l'offre comprend le rachat de la branche média de la Warner, propriétaire de la chaine de télévision CNN. Donald Trump accuse depuis longtemps cette chaine de servir ses opposants démocrates et d'être un « ennemi du peuple ». Un changement de propriétaire et de ligne éditoriale ne serait pas pour lui déplaire. S'il se défend de toute ingérence dans ce dossier, il argue que Netflix, pour des raisons juridiques anti-trust, ne pourrait peut-être pas racheter la Warner.Le président américain n'est pas la seule personnalité au cœur du scandale Epstein. Andrew, le frère de l'actuel roi Charles III, était également très proche du criminel sexuel. Virginia Giuffre, principale plaignante de l'affaire Jeffrey Epstein, avait pris la parole pour expliquer qu'Andrew l'avait violé. Andrew a depuis été déchu de son titre de prince et s'est vu retirer toutes les distinctions honorifiques liées à celui-ci.Que savait Donald Trump des crimes de Jeffrey Epstein ?Comment le président américain compte-t-il peser dans le rachat de la Warner ?Combien de personnalités ont-elles été impliquées dans les crimes de Jeffrey Epstein ?Nos experts :- Laurence HAIM - Journaliste, ancienne correspondante aux États-Unis - Auteure de « Ghislaine Maxwell, une femme amoureuse »- Lucas MENGET - Grand reporter- Jean-Bernard CADIER - Journaliste, ancien correspondant aux Etats-Unis - Auteur de « Néron à la Maison Blanche »- Anne TOULOUSE - Journaliste franco-américaine - Auteure de « L'art de trumper »
For more than a century, Warner Bros has been one of Hollywood's biggest players, a legacy studio that helped define the Golden Age of cinema with iconic blockbuster movies. Now, it's at the centre of a contentious, billion-dollar bidding war between Netflix, the world's leading streaming platform, and Paramount Skydance, owned by the powerful Ellison family, which has close ties to President Trump. Whichever way this goes, the outcome isn't looking great. Contributors: Matt Craig - Reporter, Forbes Daheli Hall - Writer and director Lee Hepner - Antitrust lawyer Dominic Patten - Executive editor, Deadline On our radar This week, Australia became the first country in the world to impose a social media ban for children less than the age of 16. The Australian government says it is taking on Big Tech and safeguarding children, but some young people were able to quickly bypass the new rules. Ryan Kohls reports. The Imran Khan rumour mill Despite being in jail for more than two years, Imran Khan continues to occupy airtime in Pakistan. After the army restricted access to Khan, rumours of his death ricocheted across social media. Pressure from his supporters and family forced the military to lift the restrictions and grant Khan's sisters access to speak to him. Meenakshi Ravi reports on the showdown between Imran Khan and powerful Field Marshal Asim Munir, and what it reveals about power, politics and narrative control in Pakistan. Featuring: Amber Rahim Shamsi - Pakistan Editor, Nukta Moeed Pirzada - Political YouTuber Mohammed Hanif - Author and journalist
Hello, media consumers! Bryan and Joel start the show by discussing the future of CNN, including President Trump's possible involvement in its sale, the assurances David Ellison reportedly made to Trump if he bought it, and what an Ellison-owned CNN would look like (01:10). Next, the guys talk about the Laura Rutledge—Justin Herbert post-game situation, and Bryan explains how he would fix the post-game interview (13:25). Then, Bryan and Joel dissect Part 5 of Ryan Lizza's Telos-Novela (29:02), before giving their takes on the media outrage towards the College Football Playoff bracket (39:46). Lastly, the show ends with Bryan and Joel diving into their thoughts on the new Diddy documentary, 'Sean Combs: The Reckoning.' (50:23) Hosts: Bryan Curtis and Joel Anderson Producer: Bruce Baldwin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Seth Schachner tells investors to brace for a long back-and-forth between Netflix (NFLX) and Paramount Skydance (PSKY). He notes how mergers like these typically take upwards of a year or more before all the ink settles on the contract. Seth explains why Paramount Skydance "needs" Warner Bros. Discovery more than Netflix and routes CEO David Ellison will take to make it happen. ======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day.Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – / schwabnetwork Follow us on Facebook – / schwabnetwork Follow us on LinkedIn - / schwab-network About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about
On this episode of THE HOT MIC, John Rocha and Jeff Sneider discuss the Supergirl teaser trailer, Disney's big AI decision, Variety reviewers leaving Sinners off their Top 10 list, Sneider's Hunger Games scoop, Heat 2 DP is Dion Beebe, Scorsese says shoot is happening with Leo and JLaw in February, 28 Years Later 3 is a go, WB rejecting Paramount's $108B bid and Ellison cries to the WB shareholders, Daisy Ridley still thinks a Rey film is happening, Judi Dench defends Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, Ang Lee's Bruce Lee pic is on hold now, Apple TV cancels The Savant, trailers and reviews of the week and more!#marvel #dc #superman #supergirl #disney #paramount #HBO #WB #netflix #TheHotMic #JeffSneider #JohnRocha ____________________________________________________________________________________Chapters:0:00 Intro and Rundown2:40 Variety Omits 'Sinners' From Critics Top 10 Lists Causing Furor16:15 'Supergirl' Trailer Elicits Strongly Mixed Fan Reactions23:40 Rumors that Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney Have a Fallout- True or Not?24:50 David Ellison and Paramount Gets Desperate Over Netflix/WB Merger35:19 Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson Returning in New Hunger Games Movie39:37 NY Post Reports that Tom Cruise/Space X Movie is "Scrapped"43:16 Scarlett Johansson's Exorcist Movie Gets Reported Title and Synopsis45:38 Sneider RUMOR: Antonio Banderas to Join New Season of True Detective50:09 Disney Buys $1B Stake in OpenAI Bringing Characters to Sora'56:04 Daisy Ridley Still Adamant That 'Rey" Film is Happening57:26 Mixed Bag of Entertainment Topics1:05:52 28 Years Later Gets Positive Reactions, Third Installment is Happening Now1:08:54 This Week's Trailers and Reviews of the Week1:20:34 Streamlabs and Superchat QuestionsFollow John Rocha: @therochasays Follow Jeff Sneider: @TheInSneider
Join host Manya Brachear Pashman for a powerful conversation about Red Alert, the Critics Choice Award-nominated Paramount+ docu-series that confronts the October 7 Hamas massacre with unflinching honesty. Producer Lawrence Bender (Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting) shares why this project couldn't wait—launched in real time to push back against denial, disinformation, and a world struggling to absorb the scale of the tragedy. Bender reflects on the courage and trauma of the ordinary Israelis whose stories anchor the series, including survivors like Batsheva Olami, whose resilience changed the production team forever. Hear how filming during an active war shaped the storytelling, the emotional toll on everyone involved, and why capturing these true accounts is essential to ensuring October 7 is neither minimized nor forgotten. Key Resources: AJC.org/Donate: Please consider supporting AJC's work with a year-end gift today. Right now, your gift will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, making double the impact. Every gift matters. Every dollar makes a difference in the fight for a strong and secure Jewish future. Listen – AJC Podcasts: Architects of Peace The Forgotten Exodus People of the Pod Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Transcript of the Interview: [Clip from Red Alert] Manya Brachear Pashman: Academy Award nominated film producer Lawrence Bender has quite a repertoire for both feature films and documentaries: Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Bastards, Good Will Hunting and Inconvenient Truth. In fact, his works have earned 36 Academy Award nominations. His most recent TV miniseries is a more personal project on the second anniversary of the October 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel, Paramount Plus began streaming a four episode series called red alert about the attack on festival goers, innocent passers by and families waking up to terrorists inside their Israeli homes that day, a tragedy that many of us, either on this podcast or listening have watched with overwhelming grief for the last two years. Lawrence is with us now to talk about how he grappled with this attack on Israel and the rise of antisemitism that followed. Lawrence, welcome to People of the Pod. Lawrence Bender: Thank you, Manya, it's good to be here. Manya Brachear Pashman: So that clip that we played at the top of this episode, it's one of the few clips in English. Most of the dialog in this show is in Hebrew with subtitles. But that scene is a woman, Bathsheba and her two daughters. They're walking across a field trying to return home, and her son has been taken. Her husband is gone. This series weaves together her story and three or four other ordinary civilians fighting for their lives on October 7, 2023. You know, as someone personally who's been immersed in this subject matter for two years, to be honest, I had to muster the energy to watch this, and I'm so glad that I did. But why are, I mean, as we're still waiting for the last hostage to be returned, why was it important for this show to air now? Lawrence Bender: Well, thank you so much for doing this with me, and thank you for playing that clip. I have to tell you first, I love that clip. I love that scene because one of the things about the show and the stories that we portrayed is that even with the horrific things that happened on that day, people still were able to fight back. People were still able to be strong. A mother with her daughter and her infant stood in the face of a terrorist and stood him down in real life, this happened. Now, not everybody was so fortunate, and her husband Ohad was not fortunate, and her son was taken hostage, as you mentioned, but it does show her personal power in this horrific situation. And I just thought, you know, this woman is a real hero. I've spent a lot of time with her, Batsheva Olami, she's really an extraordinary human in all ways. So thank you for playing that clip. So in terms of the show, I felt on October 8, it's just amazing how quickly, before Israel did anything, the entire world quickly turned against the very people who were the victims and having spent subsequently, a lot of time with people on the set, because, as you mentioned, this show was about real people, and those real people spent a lot of time on the set with us. And the very people that were traumatized, felt isolated, they felt alone, and they're the very ones that need to be loved, that need to be hugged, they need to be supported. Anyway, I just felt like I needed to do something fast to try to show the world what really happened. AndRed Alert is the result of that. Manya Brachear Pashman: Do you fear that the world has already moved on? Lawrence Bender: Oh, that's a good question. It feels like we've passed a tipping point, actually, in terms of Jew hatred and anti-Israel and antisemitism. Even as we are now trying to have a peace process, right, that somehow we are stumbling forward, and if that's going to happen, people need to understand why we're here and why we're here happened on October 7. And if you watch the show, hopefully you're pulled into the show, and you have a, you know, you have an emotional journey, and then you understand, oh, this really happened. And you understand that's the truth. And only when you really understand the truth of October 7 do I really think that you can really get some sort of peace. Manya Brachear Pashman: So is this different from other historical events? You know, a lot of movies and television shows commemorate historical events, like the Holocaust, for example, but they happen years later. They're made years later. I kind of call it the never forget genre. But is October 7 unique in that it's not a question of whether people will forget or move on. It's a question of whether they believe that this present is actually true. Lawrence Bender: That's right, there's the deniers. There's people that just don't know. There's people that forgot, maybe you know, there are people who I know that I had to explain. Like, you know, it's interesting. As an example, when you see the show and you see all these Hamas terrorists invading the kibbutz, and Ohad says to her, his wife, Bathsheva, he whispers in her ear, I just saw about 20 terrorists, and someone said to me, who's not unintelligent, I didn't realize there are that many. I didn't realize that. And if you're not really paying attention, maybe you don't really know. And look, they're the haters, haters which are never going to change. But I think there's a large group of people that just don't really understand, and they're the ones that I feel we have a shot at showing this to and having a conversation with. Manya Brachear Pashman: In fact, are you actually introducing or experimenting with a new genre of truth or facts in the face of fiction. Lawrence Bender: I guess that's true. I mean, this just happened. And some people ask over this last, you know, when I released, and we were paramount, released the show. You know, I've been asked a question, is it too soon? And my answer is, I feel like it's not soon enough. And I felt like immediately I needed to work on something, and this is the result of that. For me, personally, there are many collaborators of people on this show that incredible Israeli partners, my American partners. I mean, there's a lot of amazing people that came together to work on this, to make this show, but we really felt like time was of the essence, because the world was shifting so quickly, we wanted this to get out there, to show the world what really happened. Manya Brachear Pashman: One of the reasons I'm pressing you on this, this was not a fiction film. This was based in reality. You said you met Bathsheba, the actors prepared for their roles by meeting with the very real people who they were portraying in this show whose stories they were recreating. I'm curious what some of the takeaways were for you, for your colleagues, from your encounters with these victims, with these survivors, and did anything about the production ever change after they got involved? Lawrence Bender: It was truly a life changing experience for myself, but really for everyone involved, of course, myself and my partner, Kevin Brown and Jordana Rubin, and we were basically the only non Israelis that were full time producing the show. And everyone else was a citizen of the country. Everyone else, you know, was affected dramatically, everything but from like our key grips brother ran the kibbutz Raim, where we filmed that area that was a kibbutz overrun by terrorists, right? His brother survived. So it was really like every single person at some point, you know, we call it triggered, but it really happened quite often where you have a scene and people just have to stop for a second and take a moment, whether it's an actor finishing a scene or a crew member, you know, partaking in the making of the scene. But lots of things happen. I'll tell you one story which was, you know, quite interesting. We're working at the Nova festival scene, and one of the actors, Moran, her niece, was on vacation in Greece, and her niece told her, if a red headed police woman shows up on the set, she's the one who saved my life. And indeed, her name was Bat, she showed up, and we said, we need you to meet somebody. And we FaceTimed Moran's niece with Bat, and the young lady she's like in her early 20s, said, You're the one who saved my life. You're the one I was hiding by your feet while you were firing. And we asked, Did you remember the people that you saved? And she said, I really only remember the people I didn't save. You really felt the pain that she is still at that point a year and a half later, this is. In April, May, suffering from what she went through. RPG hit nearby her. She went flying through the air. She had had half reconstructive surgery, on and on and on. It was obviously an extremely traumatic day for her to you know, a moment where there's a woman on the set whose daughter was murdered, and someone on my crew, actually, Mya Fisher, has said, you know, there's someone here I want to introduce you to. It's after lunch. And I spent some time with her, and I asked her, you know, like, how do you go? Fine, I can't, you know, I can't imagine losing my son in this way. It's just unimaginable. And I asked her, do you have a rabbi? What do you do to survive? And it was a very difficult emotional exchange. And sometime later, she had sort of retold that encounter to somebody else on the set who came to me and said, you know that woman you're talking to. She told me what happened, you know this conversation? And she said, You know this Hollywood producer came all the way from California, she doesn't know me, from Adam, and sat down with me for an hour to hear my story, and it clearly meant a lot to her. And again, you realize that the very people who are traumatized directly are not getting the love, are so isolated and people are against them, and it made me feel even more determined to tell these stories for the world to understand. Every day we had these type of difficult, emotional and to be honest, I was extremely honored every time I met someone. I spent every Saturday night at Hostage Square because we were making the show, I got to spend time backstage with all the families who had loved ones in the tunnels. There was a deep dive into this. Now, I have to tell you, on the other hand, the filming while a war is still going on is quite it's like things you don't have to think about normally, right? So, as an example, we were in a town and we're shooting a shootout. We're filming a shootout between the IDF actors and the Hamas actor. They're actors. I keep saying they're actors, right? Because they are actors. But the mayor and the chief of police in the town were extremely worried, because they look real, right? They look like real people. And unfortunately, the cemetery is littered with people who have been murdered and killed by the Hamas. And all the other men who are there, they have guns, they carry, and if something's happening, they're going to run towards the problem. So he's worried, what if someone walks by, or someone's up in a building. He looks down and they see an actor who looks like Hamas, they are going to shoot him. So we literally had speakers every 10 yards, like all up and down the street, and every like 15-20 minutes, saying, don't worry, in Hebrew, of course, this is a movie, everything's okay. We had a drone up in the air, never coming down, on a tether with a police officer. They're a full big screen watching case someone walks down the street. We dressed up the Hamas actors as they're walking from the holding area to the area where they're filming, we put them in these kind of white hazmat-like suits so that they couldn't confuse them, and when they got done filming, we put them right back in these hazmat white suits and brought them back to the holding area. We all had to dress up, and we had to wear these very, very light blue shirts the entire crew, so nobody looked like anything but a crew member. It was something, right? Manya Brachear Pashman: I did not even think about that. I mean, I knew that you had filmed on location in Israel, and I knew you had filmed during the war. In fact, I was going to explain to listeners who don't know Red Alert is what Israelis call the sirens and the phone alerts when there are rockets being fired upon Israel and they have time to seek shelter. I was going to ask you if you had been there during a red alert and had to seek shelter, but I didn't even think about the possibility of people confusing the filming with actual war activity. I imagine you were there during a red alert, and did have to seek shelter, yes? Lawrence Bender: so there's different types of alerts in the south. We did shoot in the guys called the Gaza envelope. We shot within less than a mile away from the Gaza border. So a scene that comes soon after the one that you showed. They're resting under a tree, and we are in the Gaza envelope. And this is a scene where they're running from the Hamas. They're running, they're bare feet, and they're out of breath, and they stop under this tree that's hot, and so forth. And you can hear, just a mile away, the war going on in Gaza. Hear the bombs and everything, and we weren't worried about we're going to be attacked, but it was eerie hearing a war go on, and we're filming a scene where they're running from that war, right? So it was dramatic every week or so still at that point, the Hamas would lob a missile bomb into southern Israel and an alert would go off. You have 15 seconds to. Get into. So we had to bring these portable concrete safe rooms with us so that crew, at any given moment can run quickly into one of these concrete things. We couldn't always do it. So there's always this conversation, and by the way, it costs a lot of money, so everything you're always carrying these things. There's a lot of planning that went on. But I have to tell you, as an American showing up in Israel for the first time after October 7, I wasn't used to these alarms going off, so we were fortunate that while we were filming in the south, no missiles were lobbed at us. However, my first day there, I'm in a meeting on the eighth floor. It was a Friday morning. I got in there on a Thursday evening, 10 o'clock in the morning, the alarm goes up. I mean, just like that, right? And it's loud. And you have these buzzers. Everyone's phone is buzzing, not like the Amber Alerts we have, like, really buzzing loud. And everyone stops and looks at me, and they apologize to me. They apologize and they go, Oh, we're really sorry, but it's an alert. We have to go into a safe room. Oh, don't worry, it's just from the Houthis. It takes eight minutes to get here. Now it's an intercontinental ballistic missile. These are real big missiles. They can really do bad damage. Don't worry, the Iron Dome usually gets them. It's really okay. So we go, you know, we go into and they pick up their danish and their coffee, and of course, I take out my cell phone and I'm videotaping. And then we go in there, and when it's off, we go back to the meeting. The meeting starts as if it never happened. And then they stop, and they go, Oh, how was that for you? And then I just didn't realize, what with the emotion that was going on because we're not used to having missiles shot at us. It's not normal. And I started to bubble up with emotion, and I had to, like, stop myself, I didn't want to cry in front of all these people that I barely knew. So I had to suppress my feelings. Like, don't worry, it's okay. You're having a normal reaction, right? And that happened quite often while I was there. Now, you do get used to it. And the last night I was there, I was having dinner outside, tables outside, you know, in restaurants everywhere. So we're having a typical outside dinner, and they're handing the fish, and the alarm goes off, and we go, let's eat. And we don't go into the restaurant where they're called maamads. You don't go into the safe room. So that's kind of the quote, unquote normal life. Now you imagine here in the United States we get a missile from Mexico or Canada or wherever. No one's going to put up with that. That's just insane. It's insane what people in Israel have to go through. Manya Brachear Pashman: it really is. But it's interesting that you've kind of adopted the nonchalance that your colleagues had at the very beginning of the trip, and wow, certainly no apologies. I want to know if there's a missile headed my way. Thank you. It does sound like October 7 changed you personally. And I'd like to know as a progressive Jew, on what level did it change you as a human being. I mean, how did it change you the most? Lawrence Bender: I've been an active Jewish person for maybe 20, somewhere, 2025, years. I went to Israel My first time. I was ready. As far as I'm concerned. I was too old already to go for the first time. It was like 2003 I went with the Israeli policy forum, and we met with a lot of people there, and we ended up going to Ramallah, met with Abu Mazen, we went to Cairo and met with the president there, Barak, and met with a lot of people in Israel and so forth. And I've been involved one way or another for quite a while. But of course, October 7 was dramatic. Of course, I was safe in my house in Los Angeles, but I still watched in horror. And of course, October 8, it's just hard to understand what happened. It was the latent antisemitism, Jew hatred, that sits there. I still don't quite understand that. It feels like antisemitism never went away, but it was underneath, and it just gave a good excuse to come out, and now the world is where it is. So yeah, for me, I became much more active than I was before. It became much more important to me, my Jewishness, my relationship to Israel. I want to protect Israel as much as I have that power to you know, whatever my ability is, like a lot of people, I know it's become a really important part of my existence, and it's like a new chapter in my life. I'm absolutely looking for more Jewish or Israeli projects. You know, I'm looking to do as much as possible in this area. Manya Brachear Pashman: A number of your colleagues in Hollywood have proposed boycotting Israeli film festivals, institutions, projects, they're going the opposite direction that you are. And I'm curious if you had difficulty finding an American network to air this series, and what do you say when you confront colleagues who do want to boycott and are hostile toward Israel? Lawrence Bender: You know, there's different groups of people. They're the true haters. I don't think that you can ever even have a conversation with them. There are people who just don't understand, and there's people you can and there are people who you know they're trying to be good people. They're trying to understand, like, What don't you understand about women being brutally raped and murdered? It's a little hard for me to understand that, actually. But there are a lot of good people who just are either confused or got too much of the wrong message. But the one thing I would say straight up is, let's take an analogy. You know, there's very few people that I know that you see on TV, on any news show, that is very empathetic with the regime in Iran as an example, right? That means a brutal regime. If you're a liberal or if you're a conservative, there's very few people who support that regime here in this country, right? But they don't boycott their filmmakers, right? They actually give their filmmakers Academy Awards. So why is that with Israel? I feel like there's something very misguided here in Hollywood. Now, we got really lucky when it came to distribution. I just have to say, because we were supposed to go out to sell the show like it was fully financed from equity and from Keshet, who's the local Israeli. This is the biggest network in Israel, by the way. It's the biggest drama in Israel in the last decade. It really performed well there. But now we're going to go sell it here in the United States and the rest of the world, and it's early September, which is our deadline to do that, and Israel bombs Qatar, and then this boycott letter is signed. And I have to tell the investors. You know, it's like, this is not a good time. We cannot go sell. We're just gonna fail, and there's no second chances. And you know, I was getting into dramatic arguments with my investors because they really felt strong. You got to be like that character in your show, the police officer is going to save his wife and you know, nothing's going to stop you. And I said, Yes, I'm with you. I developed that character I know in the Middle East arguments. I was at Skip Brittenham's memorial. Skip is like this beautiful man who was like the Mount Rushmore of lawyers here in LA. He's just a great human and one of those guys that wants to make deals, not just take everything and have the other guy get nothing. He was just like a he's just a real mensch, right? And well, loved anyway. Unfortunately, he passed, but I was at his memorial, and I ran into David Ellison. Now, I know David a little bit, not well, but I know him a little bit, and I also know that, you know, he loves Israel, from what I've read and so forth. And so I went up to him and said, Hey, man, we talked. I said, you got to know what I'm doing. And it probably got three words out of my mouth, and you can see him go, I'd love to see this. This sounds amazing, and sounds like it's exactly the timing we need. And we sent him the material, and he watched every episode himself, and then he gave it to Cindy Holland, who runs paramount, plus his main person. And you know, they said, we do this. We want this. It would be an honor to be your partner in this is actually quite humbling. And it was an incredible moment for us to have David Ellison, Cindy Holland, say, hey. You know, we want this now. Then they said, We need to drop it. We want to drop all the episodes on October 7? Well, by the time they got those episodes, it was like two weeks to go before October 7, or a couple days before, because we couldn't give it to them in the midnight before October 7, obviously. And they had pretty much final picture edit, but we had temporary sound, temporary music, temporary effects, and so we had to work double triple shifts to get it done. But of course, we did. Manya Brachear Pashman: This actually reminds me of a conversation I had with playwright, screenwriter, Oren softy for the Forgotten Exodus, which is a podcast series we did about Jews from the Middle East. He spoke about his father's side of the family, which hails from Aleppo, Syria, and he shared a lot of his frustrations with the modern anti Israel movement and sentiments in Hollywood, the protests which he's been trying to combat in theater and on the stage. And he actually said that investors had pulled out of a film project about Israel when tensions flared. So it's interesting to hear your investors took the opposite approach, but he told me in our conversations, he told me that being Jewish is about stepping up. That's how he sees it. It's about stepping up. And I'm curious if that rings true to you, and do you feel like this series and your plans to do more, is that your way of stepping up? Lawrence Bender: Hmm, that's beautiful, and I'm so glad to hear you recount that story with him. I'd love to talk to him about that I feel like, without really understanding that it's built into me genetically, right? My grandparents, far as you go back, my family is Jewish, right? From Romania, from Hungary, from Minsk Belarus. So it's the way that you're brought up as a Jew. It's just always been a part of our lives, and we're pretty much taught that that's part of being Jewish, right? So, you know, I've always felt like it's important for me. Now I tell you, you know, it's interesting, and I think about as we're talking so in the 90s, when I was getting started, and I was actually doing pretty well this one year, I had Good Will Hunting and Jackie Brown and a price above Rubens, those three movies, and things were going well, but I felt like something was missing in my life. And then we screened Good Will Hunting and Camp David in 1998 and it was an amazing moment. And that was like one of these light bulb moments for me. You know, I met the President and Mrs. Clinton and Madeleine Albright, Secretary of State, and Secretary of Defense, Sandy Berger and the Chief of Staff and Senate Majority Leader, and on and on, right? They're all there. And it was Matt Damon, Ban Affleck, Gus Van Zant, Robin Williams, et cetera, et cetera, right? And I felt like these guys are making a difference, and that's what was missing in my life. And so since 1998 I've been always looking for ways that I'm and that's that's that becomes like a more of a fulfilling way of living right for myself. So yes, I would answer that. That's a long way to get to yes. Manya Brachear Pashman: Wow, Camp David, that's awesome. Lawrence, thank you so much for joining us and for talking about the impetus behind this series. I encourage everyone to take some time, brace yourself emotionally, but do sit down and watch Red Alert. It is really quite worthwhile. Thank you so much. Lawrence Bender: Thank you. Manya Brachear Pashman: If you missed last week's episode, be sure to tune in for my conversation with AJC colleague, Dr Alexandra Herzog, the granddaughter of Chaim Herzog, Israel's Irish born sixth president. She shared how an attempt by Dublin officials to strip her grandfather's name from a community park illustrates how criticism of Israel can veer into an effort to erase Jewish memory. As I mentioned in my conversation with Lawrence, it took some degree of wherewithal to watch Red Alert, as we've spent the last two years on this podcast speaking with the families of hostages, former hostages themselves, and survivors of the October 7 massacre. I've wanted nothing more than to make sure their voices are heard. We end this week's episode with the voice of Orna Neutra, the mother of Omer Neutra. Orna recently spoke at the AJC Long Island meeting, shortly after the return of her son's remains more than two years after his death, followed by a word from AJC Long Island Director Eric Post. Orna Neutra: When Omer was taken, our world collapsed. But something else happened too. People stood up. People showed up. And many of you here showed up. This community, the broader Long Island Jewish community, AJC, our friends, colleagues, neighbors, complete strangers, carried us. You wrote, you marched, you advocated, you pressured you called you consoled and refused to let the world look away. To our personal friends and honorees here tonight, Veronica, Laurie, and Michael, your leadership has not been symbolic. It has been practical, steady and deeply felt by our family. Like you said, Veronica, on the first days when we were barely understanding what was going on, you connected us to Senator Schumer's office, and Michael, you helped us write a letter to the White House on October 8, and that was the first sign from hostage families that the White House received. We know that Secretary Blinken had the letter in his hands on October 8, indicating that Omer was probably a hostage. And AJC as an organization, beyond your many actions and advocacy, I want to specifically acknowledge your DC team. It was mentioned here tonight, throughout our many, many, many visits to Capitol Hill, AJC professionals were instrumental. They arranged meetings, they walked us through endless hallways, opened doors, prepared us and stood beside us, and they're still doing that for us, and we will see them this week. Always professional, with purpose and humanity, and we will never forget that. Over these two years, we learned something essential: that when Jewish families are in danger, the responsibility belongs to all of us, across movements, across generations, across continents. This work is the work that AJC does every day. This is the work that everyone here in this room understands. Eric Post: Since the horrors of October 7, AJC has been empowering leaders around the world to take action against antisemitism and stand with Israel. But we cannot succeed alone. Please consider supporting AJC's work with a year-end gift today. Right now, your gift will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, making double the impact. Every gift matters. Every dollar makes a difference in the fight for a strong and secure Jewish future. Donate at AJC.org/donate – that's www - dot - AJC - dot org slash donate.
Softwarereus Oracle kwam met een veel en veel beter dan verwachte winst. Maar bij dat goede nieuws blijft het, want beleggers schrikken van de rest. Ze hadden op meer omzet gerekend, maar vooral op minder investeringen in AI. De directie stelt aandeelhouders niet bepaald gerust: met een crash van het aandeel tot gevolg. Je bent de vraag 'is er een AI-bubbel' misschien wel zat, maar toch komt 'ie misschien wel voorbij. Want concurrenten gaan ook onderuit op de beurs. Waren Oracle-beleggers eerder dit jaar niet veel en veel te enthousiast? Ook hebben we het over het rentebesluit van de Fed, de Amerikaanse centrale bank. Saai? Zeker niet! In jaren is dat niet zo spannend geweest als nu. Er zijn maar liefst drie dissidenten en een schamele renteverlaging voor 2026. Wij kijken wat dat met aandelen doet.Hebben we het ook over kunstmest, want daar wil Arend Jan Kamp het graag over hebben. Een aflevering dus over poep, maar we hebben het ook over de Warner Bros-soap, een seniele topman én over Trump die de Houthi's nadoet.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Softwarereus Oracle kwam met een veel en veel beter dan verwachte winst. Maar bij dat goede nieuws blijft het, want beleggers schrikken van de rest. Ze hadden op meer omzet gerekend, maar vooral op minder investeringen in AI. De directie stelt aandeelhouders niet bepaald gerust: met een crash van het aandeel tot gevolg. Je bent de vraag 'is er een AI-bubbel' misschien wel zat, maar toch komt 'ie misschien wel voorbij. Want concurrenten gaan ook onderuit op de beurs. Waren Oracle-beleggers eerder dit jaar niet veel en veel te enthousiast? Ook hebben we het over het rentebesluit van de Fed, de Amerikaanse centrale bank. Saai? Zeker niet! In jaren is dat niet zo spannend geweest als nu. Er zijn maar liefst drie dissidenten en een schamele renteverlaging voor 2026. Wij kijken wat dat met aandelen doet.Hebben we het ook over kunstmest, want daar wil Arend Jan Kamp het graag over hebben. Een aflevering dus over poep, maar we hebben het ook over de Warner Bros-soap, een seniele topman én over Trump die de Houthi's nadoet.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode, we recap this week in pop culture news. Join us as unpack Quentin Tarantino's podcast appearance and the fallout from his extra-spicy commentary and dig into Netflix's bold attempt to buy Warner Bros. Plus, we weigh in on the new Mother Mary trailer and ask the only question that really matters: is dark-and-twisty Anne Hathaway actually peak Anne Hathaway?Relevant links: Our full show notes are at knoxandjamie.com/637Do you need a last-minute gift? Give the gift that keeps on giving with a subscription to the Popcast Patreon at knoxandjamie.com/giveagift Quentin Tarantino Keeps it (too) Real? // Controversies & Bret Easton Ellis Podcast | There Will Be Blood | Paul DanoNetflix Buys WB // Paramount's Hostile Offer | WGA's Statement | Anonymous A-Listers' Email to Congress | WB IP listMother Mary Trailer (see also: Rachel Gets Married) | Michaela Coel IMDb | FKA twigs Asides: Kristen Stewart NYT interview | David Ellison (see also: Larry Ellison) | Abigail Disney's private plane problem | The Diplomat | The Young PopeFact check: Larry Ellison owns Lanai?! | Deutsche Bank promoting Oracle stock?!)Red Lights Mentions: Page Six breaking old news | Mckenna Grace (see also: “Freddy Fridays”, Troop Zero, Sunrise on the Reaping) | Cynthia Erivo's memoir controversy | The Book | Boomer Entitlement | The Dog Museum NYC | College Football Playoffs Green Lights:Jamie: movie - Sentimental Value | documentary - Marlee Matlin: Not Alone AnymoreKnox: play - Stranger Things: The First Shadow | book - The Hounding by Xenobe PurvisBonus segment: Join us on Patreon to listen ad-free and get exclusive weekly and monthly content including TMYKs, Pilot Programs and Cinema Sidepieces.Episode sponsors: Quince | Chewy | Aura Frames (code: POPCAST) | Olive & June | Merit Beauty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, the boys head to the supernatural- or is it a psychological drama?- and watch Jeff Nichols' second feature film, 2011's “Take Shelter”. Co-starring Jessica Chastain and Shea Whigham, Michael Shannon starts to experience vivid dreams that lead him to think they may be premonitions- or are they symptoms that his mother experienced when she was diagnosed with manic schizophrenia?? John also has a mini-review of Joachim Trier's "Sentimental Value". We crack open some beers and discuss! linktr.ee/theloveofcinema - Check out our YouTube page! Our phone number is 646-484-9298. It accepts texts or voice messages. 0:00 Intro; 6:34 John's “Sentimental Value” mini-review; 14:41 2011 Year in Review; 35:16 Films of 2011: “Take Shelter”; 57:19 SPOILERS; 1:19:05 What You Been Watching?; 1:25:22 Next Week's Episode Teaser Additional Cast/Crew: Eskil Vogt, Renate Reinsve, Stelan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Elle Fanning. Hosts: Dave Green, Jeff Ostermueller, John Say Edited & Produced by Dave Green. Beer Sponsor: Carlos Barrozo Music Sponsor: Dasein Dasein on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Dasein on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dasein/1637517407 Recommendations: Welcome to Derry, Stranger Things, Sisu 2, Possession, The Beast In Me, Pluribus. Additional Tags: Stephen King's It, The Tenant, Rosemary's Baby, The Pianist, Cul-de-sac, AI, The New York City Marathon, Apartments, Tenants, Rent Prices, Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa, Amazon, Robotics, AMC, IMAX Issues, Tron, The Dallas Cowboys, Short-term memory loss, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Netflix, AMC Times Square, Tom Cruise, George Clooney, MGM, Amazon Prime, Marvel, Sony, Conclave, Here, Venom: The Last Dance, Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, Oscars, Academy Awards, BFI, BAFTA, BAFTAS, British Cinema. England, Vienna, Leopoldstadt, The Golden Globes, Past Lives, Apple Podcasts, West Side Story, Adelaide, Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Melbourne, The British, England, The SEC, Ronald Reagan, Stock Buybacks, Marvel, MCU, DCEU, Film, Movies, Southeast Asia, The Philippines, Vietnam, America, The US, Academy Awards, WGA Strike, SAG-AFTRA, SAG Strike, Peter Weir, Jidaigeki, chambara movies, sword fight, samurai, ronin, Meiji Restoration, plague, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, casket maker, Seven Samurai, Roshomon, Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood, Stellan Skarsgard, the matt and mark movie show.The Southern District's Waratah Championship, Night of a Thousand Stars, The Pan Pacific Grand Prix (The Pan Pacifics), Jeff Bezos, Rupert Murdoch, Larry Ellison, David Ellison, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg.
It's the "final battle for the soul of Hollywood." In this breaking episode, we bring back Stephen Barnett to break down the Netflix vs. Paramount war for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).Stephen breaks this deal down like a Hollywood movie script—literally. We cover the Backstory (Zaslav's failure), the Cast of Characters (from "nepo-baby" David Ellison in his Ferrari to the "anti-hero" David Zaslav), and the Plot Twist where Paramount gets "ghosted" on a Thursday only to launch a hostile counter-attack.We also dive into the "Monopsony" risk that has writers terrified, the "Whirling Dervish" factor of a Trump presidency, and why this deal proves that if you aren't a $500bn tech giant, you're just prey.(00:00) Stephen Barnett Returns(01:59) Battle for the Keys to the Kingdom(04:09) Backstory: Why WBD Ripped 160%(06:12) "Anti-Hero" Zaslav & "Nepo Baby" Ellison(10:30) The Plot: "Begging" Texts & Being Ghosted(16:17) The Role of Bankers(18:47) "Black Box" Fear: Advertisers vs. Netflix(21:30) The Trump Factor in M&A(23:15) Monopoly vs. Monopsony(27:47) Conclusion: Why a Big Tech Win is Scary
Die News überschlagen sich überraschend. Dabei ist das Top-Thema natürlich das Ringen um Warner Bros. Discovery durch Netflix und Paramount Skydance. Sah Netflix als Sieger aus, gab es nun ein feindliches Übernahmeangebot durch David Ellison und seine Unterstützer. Darüber hinaus gibt es Neuigkeiten zu „The Night Agent“, „The Boys“, „Paradise“ und dem „The Handmaid's Tale“-Sequel „The Testaments“. Zudem wurden die Nominierungen für die Golden Globes bekanntgegeben. Gewinnen hier Newcomer oder alte Hasen?Im Review-Teil besprechen wir „The Abandons“, „Spartacus: House of Ashur“, die Diddy-Doku bei Netflix und „9-1-1: Nashville“. Viel Spaß mit unserem wöchentlichen Rundumschlag!Timestamps: 0:00:00 Wer übernimmt jetzt Warner eigentlich? 0:21:15 Golden Globe Nominierungen0:23:15 Neue Trailer zu Paradise und The Boys 0:28:15 Handmaids Tale Sequel bei Disney+0:31:30 Night Agent: S30:32:20 9-1-1: Nashville0:37:10 Abandons 0:43:30 Spartacus: House of Ashur0:47:30 NeustartsHanna Twitter/ X: https://twitter.com/HannaHuge Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mediawhore.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mediawhore Adam: Twitter/ X: https://twitter.com/AwesomeArndt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awesomearndt/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwesomeArndt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aegon doet het namelijk. Afscheid nemen van Nederland én naam. De verzekeraar verkast binnenkort naar de Verenigde Staten en loost de bedrijfsnaam. Aegon transformeert in Transamerica. Deze aflevering zwaaien we ze uit. Gaan we ze missen? En moeten we ze binnenkort ook als AEX-aandeel missen, gaat de notering ook weg?Hoor je ook meer over de beursgang van SpaceX. Tot de sterren en daar voorbij, want volgend jaar gaat het dan echt gebeuren. Met een gigantische klap, want SpaceX zou maar liefst 30 miljard dollar willen ophalen. De grootste beursgang ooit!Verder spelen we het spelletje Wie van de Drie. Want zoveel serieuze sollicitanten zijn er nog voor de baan van Jerome Powell. Terwijl de baas van de Fed bezig is met het rentebeleid, is president Trump achter zijn rug bezig met zijn opvolging. En je hoort meer over de 'Bono van het bedrijfsleven'. Gaan we die ooit nog terugzien?! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
De strijd om de legendarische filmstudio Warner Brothers wordt hard gevoerd. Nadat de deal met streamingdienst Netflix beklonken leek, knokte Paramount Skydance zich maandag terug in de race met een vijandig bod. “Ik vond het niet verrassend. Netflix die het pleidooi wint, dient niet de belangen van Donald Trump.” Warner Bros Discovery staat vooral gekend als filmstudio, maar ze hebben ook de streamingdienst HBO en enkele tv-zenders waaronder CNN in handen. “Netflix is enkel geïnteresseerd in de filmstudio en de streamingdienst”, vertelt mediajournalist Karsten Lemmens. “Maar Paramount Skydance wil nu alles kopen.” Wie heeft er belang bij dat Paramount de veiling wint? Dat zou zomaar eens de Amerikaanse president Donald Trump kunnen zijn. “Trump is zeer goed bevriend geraakt met Larry Ellison, één van de rijkste mensen ter wereld”, zegt Amerikawatcher Steven De Foer. “Zijn zoon, David Ellison, is de CEO van Paramount Skydance.” Trump, aldus Steven, moeit zich graag met zakelijke deals die hem met een aan zekerheid grenzende waarschijnlijkheid ook financieel goed uitkomen, maar nog belangrijker: er zit ook een politieke troef bij voor Trump. Want als CNN in handen valt van de Ellisons, zou het wel eens kunnen dat de onafhankelijke nieuwszender, die kritisch durft zijn voor het beleid, een andere koers zal (moeten) varen. Journalist Steven De Foer en Karsten Lemmens | Presentatie Marjan Justaert | Redactie Marjan Justaert | Eindredactie Sofie Steenhaut | Audioproductie Brecht Plasschaert | Muziek Brecht Plasschaert | Chef podcast Alexander Lippeveld See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Zu einer kurzfristigen Umstellung sieht sich «Thunerts Thema» in dieser Woche gezwungen: Denn im Zentrum der aktuellen Folge stehen die beiden Tech- und Medien-Unternehmer Larry und David Ellison. Vor allem Sohn David bekundete mit seinem neuen Big-Player Paramount/Skydance ein ernsthaftes Interesse an Warner Bros. Discovery, das zum Aufzeichnungszeitpunkt des Podcasts noch aktuell, nun aber durch die Netflix-Übernahme (voraussichtlich) zunichte gemacht wurde. Die mit Standard-Journalistin Hannah Krause diskutierten Aspekte tragen dennoch weiter Relevanz und Brisanz in sich: Schließlich hält David Ellison nicht nur eines der einflussreichsten Produktionshäuser Amerikas, sondern auch die Nachrichtenredaktion von CBS in seinen Händen, welche er kürzlich mit Bari Weiss neu besetzen ließ. Auch ein künftiges Interesse am ausgegliederten Discovery-Konzern inklusive CNN scheint nicht undenkbar. Zudem kämpft der Paramount-Chef mit einem feindlichen Angebot trotzdem weiter um Warner Bros. Zusammen mit seinem Vater, dem Trump-nahen Oracle-Gründer Larry Ellison, besitzt Paramount-Boss David jedenfalls auch so schon bemerkenswert umfangreiche Kontrolle über signifikante Nachrichtenkanäle, die erst vor einigen Wochen in der Einverleibung der amerikanischen TikTok-Algorithmen durch Oracle mündete. Logischer Weise entstehen daraus Überlegungen, welche Interessen die Ellisons damit verfolgen könnten, und: Ob sie eine politische Agenda haben, die sie narrativieren wollen. Eine potenzielle Beeinflussung von Meinungsmacht ist in diesem Kontext nicht nur in Bezug auf Trump-Populismus interessant, sondern auch im Kontext Larrys Israel-Beziehung.
Aegon doet het namelijk. Afscheid nemen van Nederland én naam. De verzekeraar verkast binnenkort naar de Verenigde Staten en loost de bedrijfsnaam. Aegon transformeert in Transamerica. Deze aflevering zwaaien we ze uit. Gaan we ze missen? En moeten we ze binnenkort ook als AEX-aandeel missen, gaat de notering ook weg?Hoor je ook meer over de beursgang van SpaceX. Tot de sterren en daar voorbij, want volgend jaar gaat het dan echt gebeuren. Met een gigantische klap, want SpaceX zou maar liefst 30 miljard dollar willen ophalen. De grootste beursgang ooit!Verder spelen we het spelletje Wie van de Drie. Want zoveel serieuze sollicitanten zijn er nog voor de baan van Jerome Powell. Terwijl de baas van de Fed bezig is met het rentebeleid, is president Trump achter zijn rug bezig met zijn opvolging. En je hoort meer over de 'Bono van het bedrijfsleven'. Gaan we die ooit nog terugzien?! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
President Trump will allow technology giant Nvidia to sell its second-best artificial intelligence chips to China. The move reverses years of policy restrictions and could help push China farther along in the AI race. "Chip War" author Chris Miller shares more.Then, Paramount launched a hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery after Warner Bros. agreed last week to sell its streaming and studio businesses to Netflix. David Ellison, the son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, bought Paramount this summer. The Ellisons have strong ties to Trump. And a firm run by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner would help finance Paramount's bid. NPR's David Folkenflik explains what this could mean for U.S. consumers.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
SEC Announces It Will Not Respond to Most No-Action Requests for Rule 14a-8 Shareholder Proposals.Government shutdown - the staff claimed they COULDN'T respond because after the shutdown, they had too much other work to do: “current resource and timing considerations following the lengthy government shutdown and the large volume of registration statements and other filings requiring prompt staff attention.” It just happens to coincide with Atkins saying there shouldn't be shareholder proposals, that's just a coincidence.John Cheveddan and Jim McRitchie - let's be honest, if it weren't for Cheveddan and McRitchie over 3 decades, we'd have less shareholder rights, and companies would not be such big whiners about “woke” shareholder proposals. Guys, you ruined it for all of us with your attention to democracy.Woke ESG shareholders like As You Sow, Arjuna, Trillium, and nuns - if we're honest, the nuns and SRI crowd might have been the straw, right? I mean they're putting in proposals that MAKE Exxon sue them! How dare they ask for carbon scope 3 emissions data!Antiwoke shareholders like NCPPR and Jesus - excluding Cheveddan/McRitchie, the highest volume of shareholder proposals have actually been the ANTI-woke filers, asking for things like a report on how companies will stop funding trans conversions (or one actual one where they asked about the reputational risk of NOT supporting un-trans-ing). Some of the proposals are so comically stupid, but the companies have to respond using third party lawyers and do the whole thing - maybe National Legal whatever center for whatever is the REAL straw?ISS and Glass Lewis - this was like 90% of what they did, since they certainly didn't suggest voting against any directors unless an activist was involved. So when Ramaswamy and Musk and DeSantis and Texas declared proxy advisors woke activists, it was hard to deny since they didn't do any work to vote out directors - just offer customers whatever voting pablum they wantedBlackRock and investors who never voted anywayOther - Atkins and Manhattan institute - lobbyists, administrationPepsi to cut product offering nearly 20% in deal with $4 billion activist ElliottPepsiCo said it also plans to accelerate the introduction of new offerings with simpler and more functional ingredients, including Doritos Protein and Simply NKD Cheetos and Doritos, which contain no artificial flavors or colors. The company also recently introduced a prebiotic version of its signature cola..WHO DO YOU BLAME?Pepsi CEO Ramon Laguarta - CEO since 2018, 21% influence, 43% connected to the board (so they're basically all known entities), has overseen basically zero shareholder value increase in the last 5 years, overall .513 TSR batting average - what has he been doing? Did he put a sign on the door begging an activist to come hang?Activist Elliott Management - Paul Singer is notorious as a real foodie… wait, no, sorry, he's known as a “vulture capitalist” who helped oust Jack Dorsey from Twitter because he didn't want him to hang in Africa, but was happy to have Elon Musk (who has five jobs) take it over. In 2021, he did take a 3% stake in Ahold Delhaize, a grocery store owner, so he's probably had a protein shake sprinkled on Doritos before?Pepsi's board - first of all, it's 14 people, which is like 7 people too many. Second - 4 finance types? Two pharma/med types? There are more people who know medicine than food - only ONE agribusiness repped on the board (Bunge) with the only other food production from Pepsi or ex-Pepsi execs? There are three directors on the nom committee with 10+ years on the board, and the other two have.. 9 years. Vasella has been there 23 years - time for some turnover.Roberto P. Martínez (International Chief Commercial Officer and CEO of New Revenue Streams) and Tara Glasgow (Executive Vice President and Chief Science Officer) - someone needs to be held responsible for Doritos Protein and Simply NKD CheetosJimmy Kimmel signs ABC extension through 2027Most of Kimmel's recent renewals have been multiyear extensions. There was no immediate word on whose choice it was to extend his current contract by one year.WHO DO YOU BLAME?Bob Iger - he yanked Kimmel to kiss Brendan Carr's ass and the affiliates, then put him back on when subscribers cancelled, then convinced affiliates to re-air, all because Kimmel said conservatives really didn't want Kirk's killer to be conservative? Now Kimmel is EXTENDED? It has to be the dumbest series of events since “Don't Say Gay” bill in Chapek's era, right?Disney's board - these are well known directors in the bag for Iger, and Iger would not even be CEO again if not for them. Susan Arnold, who at the time had more influence on the board than Iger, was chair of the nominating committee, had Mel Lagomasino and Derica Rice on with her, all went with Iger's hand picked choice of Bob Chapek. Arnold left the board, but both Rice and Lagomasino stayed behind to help choose… Bob Iger to return? Then brought on James Gorman, who hand picked HIS successor, to lead succession with Bob Iger again? Is anyone doing a job on this board? ISS - when Nelson Peltz took his Ike Perlmutter borrowed stake in Disney in 2024, ISS sided with Peltz and suggested voting out Mel Lagamasino because she was the longest tenured director and “responsible” for Disney's failed succession. In 2025, after Peltz lost and no one cared, ISS backed Lagamasino. With analysis like that, it's no wonder Disney can bow to the Trump Administration since there's no way ISS will actually suggest changing the board unless an old racist takes a stake.Brendan Carr - is this just a finger in the eye of Carr, the FCC, and the angry conservative affiliates by Iger? Is this Disney's way of being woke now?Other - Baby Doll Dixon, Jimmy Kimmel's agent - should have gotten him a 10 year deal with a player option out. Optically way better, gets bought out if they fire him.Trump says Netflix, WBD deal could be 'problem' as son-in-law Kushner backs Paramount bid“I'll be involved in that decision too,” Trump said days after Netflix agreed to buy WBD's film studiosParamount revealed in a regulatory filing that its hostile bid for WBD bid is being backed by Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who is a former White House advisor - and every Middle Eastern sovereign fund, as well as over $40bn by Larry Ellison (and David Ellison committed to spend more in a text to co-CEO Ted SarandosWHO DO YOU BLAME?Larry Ellison - without daddy's $40bn (and more - what's $40bn when you have $269bn in net worth and own an island in Hawaii), there is no deal - literally no deal, this is pure nepo - THE OLIGARCHYMiddle Eastern sovereign funds - I mean, they're involved in EVERY major deal of a conservative figure (Musk/Twitter, Musk/Grok, Ellison/Paramount, Ellison/TikTok, Trump/Air Force One) and are backing another consolidation. Is this the greatest capitalist manipulation ever? Dictator capitalism?Robby Starbuck - he claimed “victory” in the Skydance acquisition terms for killing DEI at Paramount, used the opportunity to lick the boot of Brendan Carr, who is almost guaranteed to investigate Netflix given their wokeness. Somehow it's all Robby Starbuck's fault, right?WBD chair Sam Di Piazza - a near lifer at PwC as an accountant until he want to Citi as an i-banker for a stint, served on AT&T's board… an ACCOUNTANT is running the show! No one has heard of him, he's not in any of the news, but ostensibly he (and the board) approved the Netflix deal after dealing with Baby Ellison. The board is the only group that gets all the bids, compares them, and ultimately decides what to agree on and send to shareholders. If they chose Baby Ellison to avoid him throwing a temper tantrum to daddy, there's no hostile takeover and conservatives can rejoice in owning all of media, right? Snap appoints Arlo CEO Matthew McRae to board of directorsPrior to his current role as CEO of Arlo Technologies, which he has held since August 2018, McRae served as Senior Vice President of Strategy at NETGEAR and as Chief Technology Officer at VIZIO for over seven yearsWHO DO YOU BLAME?Evan Spiegel - he owns 53.1% of voting power - there is no one else to blameRobert Murphy - he owns 46.4% of voting power - what if he doesn't like Matt McRae? Do they resort to a thumb war? Who are we kidding, it's still Evan Spiegel's faultInvestors, who, for whatever reason, have OK'ed the idea of dual class shares such that Spiegel and Murphy own 99.5% of the voting power and less than 8% of the economic interest - while Fidelity owns 14.6% of the shares that control 0% of the overall vote. It was banned from index inclusion because the shares had NO voting rights - but somehow Meta is ALLOWED on every index because you have voting rights even if you can NEVER EVER WIN as Zuck owns control. What's the fucking difference??Worst CEOs of the Year Evan Spiegel of Snap
El viernes pasado Netflix anunció un acuerdo para adquirir las divisiones de estudios de cine y televisión y el servicio de streaming HBO Max de Warner Bros por 72.000 millones de dólares, un importe que asciende a los 82.700 millones si incluimos la deuda. La transacción, en efectivo y acciones, valora cada acción de Warner Bros en 27,75 dólares, es decir, por encima de lo que se están pagando en el mercado. Esta operación, aprobada ya por los consejos de ambas compañías, se concretará tras la separación de los activos de redes de cable de Warner (CNN, TNT y Discovery Channel) que conformarán una nueva sociedad llamada Discovery Global. El acuerdo se materializará en unos meses cuando haya pasado el filtro regulatorio. El anuncio es un capítulo más una intensa batalla de ofertas iniciada en septiembre de este año, cuando Paramount Global, presidida por David Ellison, el hijo del dueño de Oracle, Larry Ellison, se ofreció a comprar la compañía en su totalidad. Respaldado por fondos soberanos de Oriente Medio y con lazos con la administración Trump, Paramount ofrecía 30 dólares por acción. Su objetivo era fortalecer Paramount+ sumándole el amplio catálogo de Warner para competir con gigantes como Disney y Netflix. Ellison no se ha dado por vencido. Ayer mismo lanzó una OPA hostil para tentar de nuevo a los accionistas. Si el acuerdo sigue su curso Netflix, pionera del streaming, se fortalecerá apuntalando su liderazgo. Se queda con Warner Bros. Studios, DC Comics, y franquicias legendarias como Harry Potter, Batman, Superman, Juego de Tronos, Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Los Soprano, y clásicos como Casablanca y El Mago de Oz. HBO, fundada en 1972 como un canal premium de cable especializado en series y películas, aporta un archivo inmenso de más de 50 años de producción televisiva. Con presencia en todo el mundo, la fusión crearía una inmensa plataforma de video a la demanda ya que suma los 300 millones de suscriptores de Netflix a los 128 millones de HBO Max y Discovery+. Esto potenciará la retención de usuarios, permitirá reajustes de precios y afectará de lleno a la producción cinematográfica. El acuerdo plantea una serie de interrogantes regulatorios que podrían frustrar la operación. A eso mismo se agarra Paramount, que ha presionado intensamente en Washington acercándose al equipo de Trump. Para Netflix no está todo perdido. El regulador es independiente y ya en el pasado falló a favor de fusiones similares. El hecho es que en un mercado hipercompetitivo en el que Netflix se mantiene a la cabeza pero pierde terreno ante YouTube y Twitch (gratuitos y financiados con publicidad), esta fusión redefine el sector. En principio HBO Max se mantendrá, pero no sabemos durante cuanto tiempo y si seguirá explotando en exclusiva su catálogo. Para los consumidores se reduce el abanico de elección de plataforma y quizá suban los precios. En Hollywood, entretanto, asumen que la industria del entretenimiento es cosa ya de las grandes tecnológicas que poco a poco han terminado haciéndose dueñas de todo. En La ContraRéplica: 0:00 Introducción 3:40 Batalla por la Warner 37:06 “Contra el pesimismo”… https://amzn.to/4m1RX2R 39:05 Cambio de Gobierno en Venezuela 44:39 Campaña sincronizada contra la UE 50:31 Acoso en las redes sociales · Canal de Telegram: https://t.me/lacontracronica · “Contra el pesimismo”… https://amzn.to/4m1RX2R · “Hispanos. Breve historia de los pueblos de habla hispana”… https://amzn.to/428js1G · “La ContraHistoria del comunismo”… https://amzn.to/39QP2KE · “La ContraHistoria de España. Auge, caída y vuelta a empezar de un país en 28 episodios”… https://amzn.to/3kXcZ6i · “Contra la Revolución Francesa”… https://amzn.to/4aF0LpZ · “Lutero, Calvino y Trento, la Reforma que no fue”… https://amzn.to/3shKOlK Apoya La Contra en: · Patreon... https://www.patreon.com/diazvillanueva · iVoox... https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-contracronica_sq_f1267769_1.html · Paypal... https://www.paypal.me/diazvillanueva Sígueme en: · Web... https://diazvillanueva.com · Twitter... https://twitter.com/diazvillanueva · Facebook... https://www.facebook.com/fernandodiazvillanueva1/ · Instagram... https://www.instagram.com/diazvillanueva · Linkedin… https://www.linkedin.com/in/fernando-d%C3%ADaz-villanueva-7303865/ · Flickr... https://www.flickr.com/photos/147276463@N05/?/ · Pinterest... https://www.pinterest.com/fernandodiazvillanueva Encuentra mis libros en: · Amazon... https://www.amazon.es/Fernando-Diaz-Villanueva/e/B00J2ASBXM #FernandoDiazVillanueva #warner #netflix Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals
Matt is joined by Peter Supino from Wolfe Research to discuss Paramount launching a hostile takeover of Warner Bros., days after they agreed to a deal with Netflix. Peter maps out the differences in each bid and makes the case for and against each bidder. They also talk about the latest comments by David Ellison, Ted Sarandos, and Donald Trump, where the financials are coming from for Paramount-Skydance, and ultimately who has the upper hand (02:27). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the 2026 Golden Globes (27:30).For a 20 percent discount on Matt's Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I'm Hearing ...,' click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Peter Supino Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Federal Reserve is deeply divided over its December rate decision as hawkish commentary around the FOMC's two-day meeting causes jitters among investors. President Trump is set to authorise exports of Nvidia's H200 chip to ‘approved' customers in China with 25 per cent of sales to be paid to the U.S. government as part of the agreement. Paramount has launched a last-minute $100bn offer for Warner Brothers Discovery in an attempt to thwart Netflix's acquisition. Paramount CEO David Ellison says a deal with Neflix could potentially destroy Hollywood. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Welcome to The Real Oshow 0:00 Intro1:05 Indiana Hoosier The Best Story in Sports2:40 Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua $100M Purse4:55 Netflix vs Paramount for Warner Bros13:50 Walt Disney Almost Opened a Park in St Louis18:00 Closing Thoughts In this episode, Joshua and Zachary dive deep into the high-stakes showdown between Netflix and Paramount over the future of Warner Bros. We break down the offers, the deals, and why David Ellison might just be the most powerful man in the media world right now. Plus, we kick off with quick takes on Indiana Hoosiers football's insane rise to the top and Jake Paul's $100 million fight purse. And don't miss our final “Did You Know” segment on how Walt Disney almost built a Disneyland in St. Louis—until a beer dispute changed history.Enjoy The Show, Check out our YouTube page - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoqz3s_B_VYHuQtuVIDxpiQTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@therealoshow?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pcTweet @zacharyowings2 with your thoughts about the podcast or suggestions for future shows.Music by Leno Tk - Greatness (Streaming on all platforms)
What do you get when you combine three huge companies, billionaires and the US President? The fascinating story of the attempts to acquire Warner Brothers Discovery. Netflix has made a huge bid for the entertainment company - announcing that it had agreed to buy the studios and streaming operations, but not its tv assets. But now, Paramount Skydance, run by David Ellison - son of Oracle's Larry Ellison, one of the world's richest people and an ally of President Trump - has launched a hostile bid for WBD, offering more money to take the entire company. Tech expert Tim Batt joins Jesse to discuss.
Netflix a annoncé une offre de 72 milliards de dollars pour racheter Warner Bros Discovery, une opération qui ferait du géant du streaming le leader mondial incontesté du secteur, avec HBO Max dans son escarcelle. Mais l'affaire est loin d'être bouclée : Donald Trump a exprimé des réserves sur cette fusion, tandis que Paramount Skydance, soutenu par David Ellison, avance une contre-offre de 108 milliards de dollars. Entre enjeux de concurrence, arbitrages politiques et bataille de géants, l'avenir de Warner reste suspendu à des décisions qui pourraient redessiner l'équilibre du streaming mondial. L'analyse de Laurent Grassin, directeur de la rédaction de Boursorama. Ecorama du 9 décembre 2025, présenté par David Jacquot sur Boursorama.com Hébergé par Audion. Visitez https://www.audion.fm/fr/privacy-policy pour plus d'informations.
In this edition of Deep Sea Trending, Jack and Miles discuss their respective weekends, the Golden Globe noms & snubs, Netflix planning to buy WB (feat Paramount's David EllIson), Trump "winning" the inaugural FIFA Peace Award and much more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Yields around the world are on the rise as global central banks weigh whether to cut rates before year-end. What this means for the markets, and whether there are more cuts to come. Plus a hostile bid from Paramount Skydance. But will Warner Bros. shareholders side with David Ellison's company or Netflix. The future of the streaming landscape and the stocks. Fast Money Disclaimer Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
David Faber, Sara Eisen, and Michael Santoli began the hour with breaking news on Netflix's deal for Warner Bros. Discovery - as Paramount Skydance makes a new hostile tender offer. Hear what CEO David Ellison had to say about what's at stake, and why they should be the buyer... Along with what the CEO of IMAX thinks of both offers. Plus: more on IBM's $11B bet on big data - CEO Arvind Krishna joined the team to talk about the company's new deal for Confluent. Also in focus: A big decision on interest rates ahead. Sara broke down where the Fed stands on both sides of its mandate (employment & inflation) before Crossmark's Bob Doll gave his predictions. Squawk on the Street Disclaimer Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Shannon checks in live from an empty SoFi Stadium ahead of Chargers–Eagles MNF, where Justin Herbert is set to play through a mangled hand and Omarion Hampton is officially back on the roster. Gary & Shannon marvel at the record-smashing PastaThon total already topping $1.2 million, before diving into Hollywood’s biggest bombshell: Netflix and Paramount locked in a takeover war that could rewrite the entertainment industry as we know it.Then, because it’s 2025, the internet has somehow erupted over Gov. Newsom’s leg-crossing posture and what it allegedly reveals (yes, that). They tie it back to the ongoing Warner Bros bidding chaos, complete with audio from SkyDance’s David Ellison and President Trump tossing a political wrench into the deal.Gary and Shannon close the hour with wedding-anniversary antics, missing fingers, Ronnie Lott, and why the series Landman is quietly uniting America.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Kimchi One from Brightcore – Health Starts in the GutGet 25% Off – Use Code: LARRY at https://www.mybrightcore.com/larryOr call (888) 462-4779 for up to 50% OFF your order and Free Shipping! Watch LARRY with Larry O'Connor LIVE — Monday-Friday at 12PM Eastern on YouTube, Facebook, & Rumble! Listen to LARRY with Larry O'Connor wherever you get your podcasts! SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/7i8F7K4fqIDmqZSIHJNhMh?si=814ce2f8478944c0&nd=1&dlsi=e799ca22e81b456f APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/larry/id1730596733 On this full episode of LARRY, we discuss the BREAKING NEWS that key allies of President Trump—Larry & David Ellison—are making a STRONG counter offer to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery after the sale went to Netflix, how the deal would include CNN, Ilhan Omar getting HUMILIATED by Secretary Scott Bessent, George Stephanopolous getting BODIED by Senator Eric Schmitt, and MUCH, much more! SHOP OUR MERCH: https://store.townhallmedia.com/ BUY A LARRY MUG: https://store.townhallmedia.com/products/larry-mug Become a Townhall VIP Member today and use promo code LARRY for 50% off: https://townhall.com/subscribe?tpcc=poddescription https://townhall.com/ https://rumble.com/c/c-5769468 https://www.facebook.com/townhallcom/ https://www.instagram.com/townhallmedia/ https://twitter.com/townhallcomBecome a Townhall VIP member with promo code "LARRY": https://townhall.com/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jon Kelly and Peter chew over Netflix's shock victory in the WBD bidding war—outmaneuvering Paramount and Comcast to nab WBD's Studio and Streaming assets. They parse every angle of this $83 billion deal: whether the Trump administration will actually scrutinize the merger, whether David Ellison is ready to give up and walk away, what this all means for the CNNs of the world, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
C'est une annonce qui a fait trembler Hollywood : Netflix a proposé un chèque de 83 milliards de dollars pour s'offrir Warner Bros., ses studios de cinéma, de télévision, de jeux vidéo… et surtout sa plateforme de streaming, HBO Max. Une opération titanesque, présentée comme historique. Mais attention : à ce stade, rien n'est encore acté. Le processus pourrait s'étendre jusqu'à fin 2026, et le chemin s'annonce semé d'embûches réglementaires et politiques.Car cette acquisition devrait être passée au crible par les autorités de la concurrence dans le monde entier. En clair, Netflix devra démontrer que l'absorption de Warner et de son catalogue — de Game of Thrones à l'univers DC, en passant par Harry Potter — ne portera pas atteinte à la concurrence ni aux consommateurs. Officiellement, la plateforme le répète : « rien ne change pour l'instant ». Mais en coulisses, les tensions sont déjà très fortes. Le groupe Paramount-Skydance, candidat malheureux au rachat, conteste ouvertement le processus. Son patron, David Ellison, fils du fondateur d'Oracle, espérait l'emporter grâce à ses relations politiques, notamment avec Donald Trump. Quelques heures avant l'annonce de Netflix, Paramount dénonçait publiquement une vente « opaque et injuste ».Donald Trump, justement, est entré directement dans le jeu. Le 7 décembre 2025, sur Truth Social, il a déclaré vouloir examiner de près cette opération, évoquant un risque de « part de marché excessive ». S'il ne peut pas bloquer seul le dossier, il pèse lourdement sur la FTC, dont il a placé un proche à la tête. Le patron de Netflix, Ted Sarandos, a bien tenté d'apaiser les tensions en rencontrant Donald Trump avant l'annonce. Sans succès visible. Pire encore, selon plusieurs médias américains, Paramount-Skydance pourrait préparer une OPA hostile pour reprendre Warner à coup de surenchère boursière.Et les obstacles ne s'arrêtent pas aux États-Unis. Les régulateurs européens et britanniques, réputés plus stricts, pourraient à leur tour freiner le dossier. Le syndicat des acteurs SAG-AFTRA s'y oppose déjà, inquiet pour l'avenir du cinéma en salles. Même dans le scénario le plus optimiste, la transaction ne serait pas finalisée avant la seconde moitié de 2026. Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.
On this episode, we lead with a judge's bombshell order to unseal the grand jury files tied to Jeffrey Epstein — files that may finally shed light on who knew what, when, and how far the network went. Plus: Ghislaine Maxwell is reportedly making legal moves to push for release, despite the pressure mounting from survivors, prosecutors, and public outrage. We break down what's at stake, what might get exposed, and why this could flip everything we thought we knew about the Epstein case.Then we pivot to the glitzy & shady side of 2025 headlines:We cover a major media-industry shake-up as Paramount's partner Skydance Media — via David Ellison — reportedly held talks with Trump-era officials while Netflix leads bids for the sale of Warner Bros. Discovery. Big power moves, big money, and possibly big consequences for what shows and media you get next.We hit the gossip beat with a wild celeb-scene move: Taylor Swift allegedly cut a huge check to lock in a wedding date at a posh Rhode Island venue — and we unpack what that says about celebrity, status, and the business of “happily ever after.”We also dig into a scandal in the Hamptons: owners of a high-end catering business are facing serious harassment and misconduct lawsuits, It's a grim reminder of how wealth and exclusivity often mask exploitation — and how fragile the line between glamour and gross really is.We connect the dots between power, secrecy, privilege, and accountability — whether we're talking court orders, media empires, celebrity weddings, or elite-party catering. Expect hard truths, uncomfortable questions, and a whole lot of “you've got to hear this.”#EpsteinFiles #MediaShakeup #HamptonsScandalGet more AoA and become a member to get exclusive access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOfx0OFE-uMTmJXGPpP7elQ/joinGet Erin C's book here: https://amzn.to/3ITDoO7Get Merch here - https://bit.ly/AnthonyMerchSubscribe to the Anthony On Air Podcast here:Facebook - https://bit.ly/AntOnAirFBYouTube - https://bit.ly/AntOnAirYTApple Podcast - https://bit.ly/AntOnAirAppleSpotify - https://bit.ly/AntOnAirSpotTwitter - https://bit.ly/AntOnAirTwitterInstagram - https://bit.ly/AntOnAirInstaTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@anthonyonairpodDiscord - https://discord.gg/78V469aV22Get more at https://www.AnthonyOnAir.com
Matt is joined by Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw to break down every angle of Netflix agreeing to buy the Warner Bros. film and streaming business. They dig into why Netflix made this deal, why David Ellison and Paramount lost out, the threat to moviemaking and movie theaters, what will happen to HBO Max, and possible roadblocks that could prevent this deal from going through. For a 20 percent discount on Matt's Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I'm Hearing ...,' click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Netflix has reached a deal to buy Warner Brothers Discovery film and streaming assets, ending a dramatic bidding war between Paramount Skydance, Comcast, and Netflix. Andrew Ross Sorkin, Becky Quick, and Joe Kernen examine the terms, the break-up fees, the regulatory risks, and the math for shareholders with CNBC's David Faber. Together, they consider whether Paramount Skydance owner David Ellison will pay the breakup fee and what players are willing to pay for key intellectual property. Entertainment journalist and Puck founding partner Matt Belloni offers his insight from sources inside Hollywood and warns, many creatives in the industry are not happy about the deal. David Faber - 10:41Matt Belloni - 21:05 In this episode:Matt Belloni, @MattBelloniDavid Faber, @davidfaberBecky Quick, @BeckyQuickJoe Kernen, @JoeSquawkAndrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkinCameron Costa, @CameronCostaNY Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Story of the Week (DR):Netflix to Buy Warner Bros. in $83 Billion Deal to Create a Streaming GiantThe deal to acquire the Hollywood giant's television and film studios as well as HBO Max will bulk up the world's biggest paid streaming service.The acquisition is expected to close after Warner Bros. Discovery carves out its cable unit, which the companies expected be completed by the third quarter of 2026. That means there will be a separate public company controlling channels like CNN, TNT and Discovery.Trump administration views Netflix and Warner Bros. deal with ‘heavy skepticism,' senior official saysThe New York Post on Thursday reported that, “Paramount Skydance chief David Ellison met with Trump officials and key lawmakers in Washington DC on Wednesday to press his case against Warner Bros. Discovery's potential selection of Netflix as its merger partner.”Costco is poking the Trump bear MMBig public companies have mostly treated President Donald Trump with kid gloves during his second term. They've quietly avoided conflict while seeking favor with ornate gifts, large donations to his pet projects and strategic deployments of CEOs to the Oval Office.That's what made Costco's decision last week to sue the Trump administration so shocking.Costco filed a lawsuit that contends Trump overstepped his emergency powers by imposing sweeping tariffs – and claimed the company is due a refund.Biden commerce secretary to join Costco board as company sues over Trump's tariffsCostco board now 50/50Gina Raimondo led the agency responsible for crafting U.S. trade policy during all four years of Democrat Joe Biden's presidency.Rhodes Scholar Raimondo led Biden's Commerce Department; former governor of Rhode Island (2015-2021)AT&T Commits to Drop DEI Programs and GoalsIn the letter, AT&T makes a series of commitments, including stating that:“AT&T does not and will not have any roles focused on DEI”“we removed training related to “diversity, equity and inclusion” as well as any references to it from our internal and external messaging”“It is AT&T's longstanding practice to pay and advance individuals based on merit and qualification”From Brendan Carr's tweet: NEW on DEI: AT&T has now memorialized its commitment to ending DEI-related policies in an FCC filing and “will not have any roles focused on DEI.” This follows the big changes @robbystarbuck already announced earlier this year.AT&T promised the government it won't pursue DEI. FCC commissioner warns it will be a ‘stain to their reputation long into the future'Anna Gomez, the sole Democrat on the FCC: “AT&T's reversal isn't a sudden transformation of values, but a strategic financial play to curry favor with this FCC/Administration. Companies should remember that abandoning fairness and inclusion for short-term gain will be a stain to their reputation long into the future.”AT&T eliminates DEI programs, says hiring and advancement will now be merit-basedZillow Doesn't Care If Climate Change Destroys Your New HomeThe real estate platform recently removed climate risk scores from its listings—a potentially ruinous development for some buyers.Classified board; co-founders/co-Executive Chairs Lloyd D. Frink 36% and Richard N. Barton (Netflix; Qurate Retail) 40%10 votes per share of Class B common stock55% voting power; less than 12% economic interestCombined $83M in pay over last 3 years; primarily optionsGender Influence Gap (-23%): April Underwood 2%; Amy C. Bohutinsky 2% (former Zillow COO and CMO); Claire Cormier Thielke 1%LT directorsCompensation committee chair Jay Hoag (2005-)!Netflix, TripAdvisor, Peloton 65%Audit committee chair Greg Maffei (2005-)Qurate Retail, Charter Communications; Live Nation Entertainment; TripAdvisor; Liberty Broadband; SiriusXMAlso: Erik Blachford (2005-); Gordon Stephenson (2005-)Also: CEO Jeremy Wacksman and earnings underperformer: J. William Gurley (Stitch Fix .094 earnings; Nextdoor .010 earnings)Goodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: Melinda French Gates slams billionaires who aren't giving away enough of their wealthThere are more billionaires than ever — and they have almost $16 trillionMM: Billionaire heads on robot dogs pooping photos go viral at major Miami art fair MMAssholiest of the Week (MM):The “arrogant pricking” of CEOsPalantir CEO Alex Karp defends being an ‘arrogant prick'—and says more CEOs should be, tooIn Karp's worldview, “arrogance” is a necessary survival mechanism for a leader who intends to be right even when it is unpopular.“The only people who pay the price for being wrong in this culture, in complete fashion, are poor people,” Karp said. “The rest of us somehow outsource all the times we're wrong and stupid to the whole society.”Meanwhile, we're now hearing from Sundar Pichai (who's trying Cassandra on for size), never ending diatribes from Sam Altman, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and everyone else with a 6000x CEO pay ratio… “Merit based” ass kissingAT&T eliminates DEI programs, says hiring and advancement will now be merit-basedFCC boss Brendan Carr claims another victory over DEI as AT&T drops programsSo how "merit-based" is the board? Top knowledge: economics (useful for phones... somehow...). Team TSR performance: 0.482 (where 0.500 is the average return for a board). Controversies performance is an excellently horrible 0.204, with CEO John Stankey as one of the worst performers... ON EARTH at 0.028 (meaning, he's in the worst 3% of all people on boards for controversies facing their companies). For most of the board, it matters more to be connected than good.Replacing government safety nets with billionaire whims DRJeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos commit $102.5 million to organizations combatting homelessness across the U.S.: ‘This is just the beginning'Sánchez Bezos recounted meeting families benefiting from local organizations to which the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund offered grants… she met one woman who had been kicked out of her home with her infant daughter, but the organization took her in for the night, gave them a bed with sheets and a locked door. “It brought tears to my eyes seeing this little baby and seeing her flourish,” Sánchez Bezos said. “Selfishly, it fills my heart meeting these families. It really, really does.”Michael and Susan Dell to donate $6.25 billion to fund 'Trump accounts' for 25 million U.S. kidsHeadliniest of the WeekDR: Zuckerberg Basically Giving Up on Metaverse After Renaming Entire Company “Meta”DR: Nvidia CFO admits the $100 billion OpenAI megadeal ‘still' isn't signed—two months after it helped fuel an AI rallyNvidia CFO Colette Kress told investors that the much-hyped OpenAI partnership is still at the letter-of-intent stage: “We still haven't completed a definitive agreement,” Kress said when asked how much of the 10-gigawatt commitment is actually locked in. That's a striking clarification for a deal that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang once called “the biggest AI infrastructure project in history.MM: Children Sob as Waymo Runs Over DogWho Won the Week?DR: CostcoMM: Robot dogsPredictionsDR: Based on this headline (Jamie Dimon Once Called Bitcoin a ‘Fraud.' Now, JPMorgan Is Quietly Making Blockchain History and Betting This ‘Crypto Winter' Will Be Short-Lived), Jamie decides to invest in Volcano-Powered NFT Mining FarmsMM: Costco will start selling a new kind of robot dog (they already sell one) that has Gina Raimando and Jeffrey Raikes face and poops out pictures of Howard Lutnick
One studio to rule them all and in the darkness bind them: Netflix, Paramount Skydance and Comcast have submitted new bids to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, part or parcel. One's got cash (Netflix), another's got Saudi money (PSKY), but the question is: Who needs whom more? And which studio exec would be most palatable to the town as the new head of Warner Bros.' TV and film studios — Ted Sarandos, David Ellison or Donna Langley? Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey suss out the latest (binding) bids for WBD and which combos make the most sense for the studios and for the health of Hollywood. Plus, the battle between idealistic Patreon and heavy-hitter Substack for writers and creators, and Richard Rushfield's take on why anyone but a Hollywood studio should buy WBD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
En la edición de hoy del Radar Empresarial examinamos las crecientes especulaciones sobre una posible adquisición de Warner por parte de Netflix, Comcast o Paramount. Tanto Netflix como Paramount sufrieron descensos superiores al 5% en la sesión bursátil del miércoles, después de que salieran a la luz nuevas informaciones sobre las propuestas que estarían preparando estos gigantes del entretenimiento. En un intento por reforzar su posición, Paramount ha buscado respaldo financiero de fondos soberanos de Arabia Saudí, Catar y Emiratos Árabes Unidos. De acuerdo con lo publicado por Variety, esta participación no requeriría la revisión del Comité de Inversión Extranjera de Estados Unidos, ya que no alcanzaría el nivel mínimo que obligaría a la agencia a intervenir. Este movimiento podría verse favorecido por la red de relaciones políticas y empresariales que vincula a algunos de los involucrados con la Administración Trump. Por un lado, Larry Ellison —padre del actual CEO de Paramount, David Ellison, y fundador de Oracle— mantiene una relación especialmente cercana con el Gobierno estadounidense, reforzada a través de su enorme inversión en el proyecto Stargate. Por otro lado, los países del Golfo implicados en la operación también han estrechado lazos con Estados Unidos al invertir sumas millonarias dentro del país, lo que podría facilitar el avance de la transacción. Todo este entorno favorable parece haber impulsado la confianza de Paramount. Según Bloomberg, la compañía ha elevado la cifra correspondiente a la penalización por ruptura del acuerdo con Warner hasta los 5.000 millones de dólares, lo que supone un incremento de 3.000 millones respecto a la propuesta inicial. El gesto confirma que los estudios consideran que la operación puede concretarse. Para Paramount, cerrar esta compra resulta esencial, ya que su objetivo es adquirir el conglomerado completo, y no únicamente los estudios y la división de streaming. Mientras tanto, Reuters señala que Netflix estaría preparando una oferta completamente en efectivo con el propósito de tomar el control de Warner y, en particular, de HBO, con la intención de reducir la competencia y ajustar a la baja los precios de sus suscripciones. En cuanto a Comcast, su interés se centra en los canales de televisión: el grupo estudia combinar NBCUniversal con Warner Bros. Discovery, planteando para los accionistas una mezcla de efectivo y títulos de la nueva compañía fusionada. La pregunta ahora es quién logrará imponerse finalmente y quedarse con Warner, marcando así un hito en la industria audiovisual.
This week the boys head to 1936 to discuss “Dodsworth”, the film that may very well have catapulted William Wyler to the upper echelon of great directors of the time, and actors flocked to him- he'd be working with Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, and Lawrence Olivier within three years! Starring an incredible Walter Huston and Ruth Chatterton as a three-dimensional villainess of sorts, the scene work, art direction, and adult subject matters give us lots to discuss… while drinking. Crack open a tinny and give us a listen! linktr.ee/theloveofcinema - Check out our YouTube page! Our phone number is 646-484-9298. It accepts texts or voice messages. 0:00 Intro; 9:56 1936 Year in Review; 28:33 Films of 1936: “Dodsworth”; 1:13:35 What You Been Watching?; 1:20:05 Next Week's Episode Teaser Additional Cast/Crew: Sidney Howard, Sinclair Lewis, Alfred Newman, Robert Wyler, Paul Lukas, David Niven, Mary Astor, Gregory Gaye, Maria Ouspenskaya, Odette Myrtil, Spring Byington, Harlan Briggs, Samuel Goldwyn. Hosts: Dave Green, Jeff Ostermueller, John Say Edited & Produced by Dave Green. Beer Sponsor: Carlos Barrozo Music Sponsor: Dasein Dasein on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Dasein on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dasein/1637517407 Recommendations: Welcome to Derry, Stranger Things, Sisu 2, The Abandons, Knives Out, The Abandons, I Like Me: John Candy, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Additional Tags: Stephen King's It, The Tenant, Rosemary's Baby, The Pianist, Cul-de-Sac, AI, The New York City Marathon, Apartments, Tenants, Rent Prices, Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa, Amazon, Robotics, AMC, IMAX Issues, Tron, The Dallas Cowboys, Short-term memory loss, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Netflix, AMC Times Square, Tom Cruise, George Clooney, MGM, Amazon Prime, Marvel, Sony, Conclave, Here, Venom: The Last Dance, Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, Oscars, Academy Awards, BFI, BAFTA, BAFTAS, British Cinema. England, Vienna, Leopoldstadt, The Golden Globes, Past Lives, Apple Podcasts, West Side Story, Adelaide, Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Melbourne, The British, England, The SEC, Ronald Reagan, Stock Buybacks, Marvel, MCU, DCEU, Film, Movies, Southeast Asia, The Phillippines, Vietnam, America, The US, Academy Awards, WGA Strike, SAG-AFTRA, SAG Strike, Peter Weir, Jidaigeki, chambara movies, sword fight, samurai, ronin, Meiji Restoration, plague, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, casket maker, Seven Samurai, Roshomon, Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood, Stellan Skarsgard, the matt and mark movie show.The Southern District's Waratah Championship, Night of a Thousand Stars, The Pan Pacific Grand Prix (The Pan Pacifics), Jeff Bezos, Rupert Murdoch, Larry Ellison, David Ellison, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg.
WondLa's grand finale to the trilogy is out now on Apple TV! We were lucky enough to sit down with two of the show's leads, Jeanine Mason and Alan Tudyk, to discuss the final season. We chat with both of them about their approach to voice acting and more in these interviews. Make sure to listen before starting the final season of Wondla! About the show: This groundbreaking third and final installment features a star-studded voice cast, including Jeanine Mason ("Roswell, New Mexico") as Eva, Emmy Award winner Brad Garrett ("Everybody Loves Raymond") as Otto, Gary Anthony Williams ("Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows") as Rovender, Alan Tudyk ("Resident Alien") as Cadmus Pryde, John Ratzenberger ("Toy Story") as Caruncle, John Harlan Kim ("The Librarians") as Hailey, Ana Villafañe ("Castro's Daughter") as Eva 8, Peter Gallagher ("The O.C") as Antiquus, and many more. New cast members include Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated Shohreh Aghdashloo ("House of Sand and Fog") as Darius and Arius, and Maz Jobrani ("The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour") as Zin. In the epic final season of "WondLa," war erupts between humans and aliens. With Orbona's fate hanging in the balance, Eva must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: recapturing the stolen Heart of the Forest. Along the way, she gathers old friends and unlikely allies for one last stand. But to save Orbona, Eva must do more than find the Heart; she must bridge two divided worlds and prove the ultimate truth: "There is no 'them.' There is only us." The epic trilogy's final season continues with six thrilling half-hour episodes executive produced by Tony DiTerlizzi and Bobs Gannaway alongside Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell, Julie Kane-Ritsch, and Skydance Animation's John Lasseter, David Ellison and Dana Goldberg. The series is also produced by Tony Cosanella.
This week, the boys pick up DeNiro in between “The Mission” and “Goodfellas” when my man just wanted to have some FUN in “Midnight Run”, an action adventure comedy directed by Martin Brest (Beverly Hills Cop). The FBI, the cops, the mafia, bounty hunters, white collar crime, blue collar crime, smoking on airplanes…The movie looks real, the people are real, the car crashes are real, the helicopter is terrifyingly real, and DeNiro's comedy chops with Charles Grodin, Joe Pantoliano, Dennis Farina, Yaphet Kotto, and more. We open the show with some mini-reviews of “Wicked: For Good”, “The Running Man”, “Train Dreams”, and more. Grab a beer and listen along! linktr.ee/theloveofcinema - Check out our YouTube page! Our phone number is 646-484-9298. It accepts texts or voice messages. 0:00 Intro; 8:03 “The Running Man” - Dave's mini-review; 9:57 “Wicked: For Good” Jeff & Dave's mini-review; 17:59 Gripes; 21:03 “Nuremberg”, “Rental Family”, and “Train Dreams” - John's mini-reviews; 28:57 1988 Year in Review; 48:06 Films of 1988: “Midnight Run”; 1:23:59 What You Been Watching?; 1:32:47 Next Week's Episode Teaser Additional Cast/Crew: Donald Thorin, Philip Baker Hall, Danielle DuClos, Wendy Phillips, Dennis Farina, John Ashton, George Gallo, Brendan Frasier, Joel Edgerton, Edgar Wright, Glen Powell, Clint Bentley, Clifton Collins Jr., Felicity Jones, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, John Chu, Hosts: Dave Green, Jeff Ostermueller, John Say Edited & Produced by Dave Green. Beer Sponsor: Carlos Barrozo Music Sponsor: Dasein Dasein on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77H3GPgYigeKNlZKGx11KZ Dasein on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dasein/1637517407 Recommendations: Welcome to Derry, Pennywise, Say Something, Mr. Scorsese, Roofman, Buginia, A House of Dynamite. Additional Tags: Stephen King's It, The Tenant, Rosemary's Baby, The Pianist, Cul-de-Sac, AI, The New York City Marathon, Apartments, Tenants, Rent Prices, Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa, Amazon, Robotics, AMC, IMAX Issues, Tron, The Dallas Cowboys, Short-term memory loss, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Netflix, AMC Times Square, Tom Cruise, George Clooney, MGM, Amazon Prime, Marvel, Sony, Conclave, Here, Venom: The Last Dance, Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, Oscars, Academy Awards, BFI, BAFTA, BAFTAS, British Cinema. England, Vienna, Leopoldstadt, The Golden Globes, Past Lives, Apple Podcasts, West Side Story, Adelaide, Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Melbourne, The British, England, The SEC, Ronald Reagan, Stock Buybacks, Marvel, MCU, DCEU, Film, Movies, Southeast Asia, The Phillippines, Vietnam, America, The US, Academy Awards, WGA Strike, SAG-AFTRA, SAG Strike, Peter Weir, Jidaigeki, chambara movies, sword fight, samurai, ronin, Meiji Restoration, plague, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, casket maker, Seven Samurai, Roshomon, Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood, Stellan Skarsgard, the matt and mark movie show.The Southern District's Waratah Championship, Night of a Thousand Stars, The Pan Pacific Grand Prix (The Pan Pacifics), Jeff Bezos, Rupert Murdoch, Larry Ellison, David Ellison, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg.
In this conversation, Lawrence Bender discusses his new series 'Red Alert', which focuses on the events surrounding October 7th and the impact on Israeli families. He shares his personal experiences and feelings of disappointment regarding the lack of support from Hollywood and the broader community. Bender emphasizes the importance of telling real stories and connecting with the people affected by the tragedy, highlighting the multicultural aspect of Israel. He also recounts the challenges of getting the series produced and distributed, and expresses pride in his heritage and the work done by his team. Be sure to check out the On Brand with Donny Deutsch YouTube page. Takeaways Lawrence Bender is a prolific Hollywood producer with a focus on diverse stories. The October 7th events deeply affected Bender, prompting him to create 'Red Alert'. 'Red Alert' is a four-part series based on real stories from the October 7th massacre. Bender collaborated with Israeli producers to bring authentic narratives to the series. The series aims to showcase the multicultural aspect of Israel, including Arab families. Bender faced challenges in Hollywood regarding the response to the October 7th events. He found support from David Ellison at Paramount for distributing 'Red Alert'. Bender feels a personal connection to the stories being told in 'Red Alert'. The series is intended for a global audience, not just Israelis. Bender expresses pride in his Jewish heritage and the importance of supporting his community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How long before Warner Bros. becomes another studio swallowed up by David Ellison? With final bids for WBD due this week, all eyes remain on Paramount Skydance — despite the Comcast and Netflix red herrings. Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey break down why a Paramount–Warners mash-up now feels less like speculation and more like destiny. Then Richard Rushfield reveals the whispers starting to circulate within the creative community about Ellison's cozy ties to Donald Trump and how it might push back. Plus: As Disney becomes a luxury brand and even monthly streaming bills seem like an extravagance, has the middle-class been priced out of entertainment? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
After taking over CBS, oligarchs like David Ellison have taken the once-trusted news outlet and turned into Trump's propaganda machine. Steve Schmidt reacts to the changes at CBS and the misinformation being shared by major media outlets. Subscribe for more and follow me here:Substack: https://steveschmidt.substack.com/subscribeStore: https://thewarningwithsteveschmidt.com/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thewarningses.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveSchmidtSES/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewarningsesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewarningses/X: https://x.com/SteveSchmidtSESSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week, a truce in the last great battle of the linear era, as Disney and Google's YouTube resolve their carriage dispute. Nielsen Ratings Show Notes YouTube TV, Disney reach deal to restore access to ESPN networks after two-week standoff - The Athletic CFO Says Disney Has No M&A Plans, Pokes Rivals For Splitting Assets — “What You Do When You Don't Have A Great Business” Paramount, Comcast, Netflix Prepare Bids for Warner as Deadline Approaches - WSJ Warner Bros. Is For Sale, Who's Buying? YouTube TV Blackout Is Costing Disney an Estimated $4.3 Million per Day in Lost Revenue David Ellison Goes Public: Paramount Releases First Earnings Report Since Skydance Takeover Wall Street Gives David Ellison's First Paramount Earnings a Thumbs Up, With Some Big Questions ‘Superman' Supercharges Warner Bros. Earnings, But Linear TV Struggles Push Company to Loss WBD amends CEO Zaslav's contract, StubHub withholds Q4 guidance TV Giant Reels From Revenue Slump After Jimmy Kimmel Boycott Nexstar CEO Perry Sook Confident In Tegna Deal's On-Time Close; Stock Slides After Soft Q3 Report NBC Revives NBC Sports Network, Launching First on YouTube TV, Offering Peacock's Sports Line-Up David Ellison's Hollywood Takeover: First Paramount. Is Warner Bros Next? David Ellison's Paramount Skydance makes its bullish pitch to Hollywood What We've Been Doing King of the Hill The Woman in Cabin 10 Fantastic Four: First Steps PC Game Pass The Outer Worlds 2
Jon Stewart has been a leading figure in political comedy since before the turn of the millennium. But compared to his early years on Comedy Central's “The Daily Show”—when Stewart was merciless in his attacks on George W. Bush's Administration—these are much more challenging times for late-night comedians. Jimmy Kimmel nearly lost his job over a remark about MAGA supporters of Charlie Kirk, after the head of the F.C.C. threatened ABC. CBS recently announced the cancellation of Stephen Colbert's program. And Stewart now finds himself very near the hot seat: Comedy Central is controlled by David Ellison, the Trump-friendly C.E.O. of the recently merged Paramount Skydance. Stewart's contract comes up in December. “You're going to sign another one?” David Remnick asked him, in a live interview at The New Yorker Festival. “We're working on staying,” Stewart said. “You don't compromise on what you do. You do it till they tell you to leave. That's all you can do.” Stewart, moreover, doesn't blame solely Donald Trump for recent attacks on the independence of the media, universities, and other institutions. “This is the hardest truth for us to get at, is that [these] institutions . . . have problems. They do. And, if we don't address those problems in a forthright way, then those institutions become vulnerable to this kind of assault. Credibility is not something that was just taken. It was also lost.” In fact, Stewart also directs his ire at “the Democratic Party, [which] thinks it's O.K. for their Senate to be an assisted-living facility.” “In the general-populace mind, government no longer serves the interests of the people it purports to represent. That's a broad-based, deep feeling. And that helps when someone comes along and goes, ‘The system is rigged,' and people go, ‘Yeah, it is rigged.' Now, he's a good diagnostician. I don't particularly care for his remedy.”This episode was recorded live at The New Yorker Festival, on October 26, 2025. New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, New Yorker staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Ralph welcomes infectious disease expert Dr. Michael Osterholm to discuss his new book “The Big One: How We Must Prepare for Future Deadly Pandemics.” Then, Ralph shares some quick takes on current events.Dr. Michael Osterholm is a professor and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. In November 2020, Dr. Osterholm was appointed to President-elect Joe Biden's 13-member Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board. He is the author of Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs, and he has a weekly podcast called The Osterholm Update which offers discussion and analysis on the latest infectious disease developments. His latest book (co-authored with Mark Olshaker) is The Big One: How We Must Prepare for Future Deadly Pandemics.What we're concerned about now is we're primed for an influenza pandemic someday where a new influenza virus will emerge. And when it takes off, it'll rapidly spread through the people. And wherever it came from (whether a bird species or another animal) will not be that important because now it's transmitted among humans.Dr. Michael OsterholmI want to be really clear about one thing: There will be an influenza virus that will cause a pandemic in the future. And the pandemic clock is ticking, we just don't know what time it is.Dr. Michael OsterholmInstead of building from a base of modest preparedness from the prior administration (and I emphasize “modest”), they're going backwards. Also, with quackery positions on a whole variety of issues that is dividing the population, feeding the misinformation on the internet, and general chaos of information transmission.Ralph NaderI will just make one prediction here today: There is going to be a large, huge, overwhelming crisis that is going to occur eventually around an infectious disease issue in this country. And it's going to happen because Mother Nature herself does that to us—just like hurricanes are not optional, these large outbreaks are not optional. What's optional is how well we respond to them and limit their impact. And we are at a point right now where we have very, very limited impact on these things. So I think the public needs to be aware, we're in a very different setting today for public health response to a crisis than we've ever been in my 50 years in the business.Dr. Michael OsterholmNews 10/31/25* Our top stories this week concern U.S. saber rattling in Venezuela. First, a new piece in published Drop Site news, coauthored by Ryan Grim, Jack Poulson and Saagar Enjeti of Breaking Points, takes readers “Inside Marco Rubio's Push for Regime Change in Venezuela.” This piece deconstructs the Trump administration claims tying the Maduro government to fentanyl trafficking, quoting a senior U.S. official who unequivocally states that “U.S. intelligence has assessed that little to none of the fentanyl trafficked to the United States is being produced in Venezuela.” Another key point is that the Maduro government apparently offered to turn over oil resources to the United States in exchange for cessation of hostilities. Instead, in an echo of the Iraq War, Trump has apparently been, “swayed by arguments from Rubio that the best way to secure Venezuela's oil reserves was to facilitate regime change in Venezuela and make a better deal with a new government.” As with Iraq, regime change in Venezuela is likely to end up with a chaotic power vacuum in the country, destabilizing Latin America in turn. One would have hoped the U.S. had learned its lesson. Apparently not.* The administration does however seem to favor covert schemes to oust Maduro as opposed to an outright U.S. invasion. Back in 2020, the Trump administration backed Operation Gideon, which utilized American mercenaries and Venezuelan dissidents to try to capture Maduro. This week, Venezuela claims to have foiled another such attempt. Democracy Now! reports “Venezuelan officials say they've captured a group of mercenaries tied to the [CIA]. In a statement, the government of Venezuela said, ‘This is a colonial operation of military aggression that seeks to turn the Caribbean into a space for lethal violence and US imperial domination.'” This report goes on to state, “Earlier this month, President Trump acknowledged that he authorized the CIA to secretly conduct operations in Venezuela.” Meanwhile AP reports that over the past 16 months, a now-retired federal agent named Edwin Lopez sought to turn Maduro's personal pilot – Venezuelan General Bitner Villegas – and have the aviator deliver Maduro into U.S. custody. In exchange, Lopez promised to make the pilot a “very rich man.” This plot, hatched under President Biden and continuing under Trump, ultimately failed. Yet, as these half-baked covert ops go up in flames, it seems increasingly likely that the administration will resort to brute force. That same Democracy Now! piece reports that on Sunday, a U.S. warship arrived in Trinidad and Tobago. With no diplomatic solution on the horizon, it seems only a matter of time before the shelling begins.* As all of this unfolds, Congressional Republicans are shirking their oversight responsibilities. On October 23rd, Axios reported that Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Jim Risch of Idaho said the committee will not hold hearings regarding the lawless strikes on Venezuelan boats “at this time,” adding that he has been “briefed on it and feel[s] comfortable with where we are.” As if mocking the Legislative Branch, that same day Semafor reported a quote from “a person close to the White House” who said Trump won't coordinate with Congress until “Maduro's corpse is in US custody.”* Turning to the federal government, reclusive billionaire Timothy Mellon, heir to the Mellon fortune, has donated $130 million to the Pentagon to offset military staff salaries during the government shutdown. While $130 million is a drop in the bucket for the American Military-Industrial Complex – this donation will amount to about $50 per troop this pay cycle – it would appear to be blatantly illegal under the Antideficiency Act. The Hill explains that under this statute, “federal agencies are barred from ‘obligating or expending federal funds in advance or in excess of an appropriation, and from accepting voluntary services.'” In part, this statute was adopted to avoid just such a scenario – the president circumventing the Congressional Power of the Purse by soliciting outside donations. Unfortunately, Trump's subservient Congressional allies are unlikely to do anything about this outrageous usurpation of their power.* On the regulatory side, the Trump administration is putting its thumb on the scales in favor of David Ellison's bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. A New York Post report quotes a senior administration official who says “Who owns Warner Bros. Discovery is very important to the administration…The Warner board needs to think very seriously not just on the price competition but which player in the suitor pool has been successful getting a deal done.” The Post adds that “rival bidders are likely to face stiff hurdles from US regulators.” Ellison, son of Trump billionaire ally Larry Ellison, has had his eye on Warner Bros. Discovery – which owns CNN – since his recent acquisition of Paramount and its subsidiary CBS News. Critics have long warned of the dangers of consolidation in the media sphere, particularly news, but this would truly be an unprecedented upset of the media landscape.* Turning to consumer news, a new article in the Lever focuses on the fast food chain Shake Shack. According to this piece, the chain, “recently updated its terms of use agreement to include a binding arbitration agreement and class-action waiver denying customers their legal right to take companies to court.” Now, corporations sneaking binding arbitration agreements into their terms of service is not a new phenomenon, but this method is novel. This article explains that Shake Shack, and other fast food chains, are “extending restrictive contracts to consumers through the rapid expansion of online services such as websites, mobile apps, and automated self-service kiosks.” In other words, these automated services are becoming a ‘triple-threat' for these companies to exploit, simultaneously cutting labor costs, harvesting consumer data, and now forcing customers into these restrictive legal agreements. When will regulators take action to protect consumers from such rampant abuse?* One bright spot, so to speak, for consumer protection is emerging in the United Kingdom. The BBC reports the British Department for Transport will begin a review of the increasingly bright, bordering on blinding, LED headlights that have become commonplace in automobiles. The new guidelines are to be unveiled in the forthcoming Road Safety Strategy document being prepared by the government. Many drivers in the United States have complained about this issue as well – noting how dangerous it is for drivers to be blinded by oncoming headlights while on the road – and certain states like Hawaii and Massachusetts have taken action, though there has yet to be a federal response.* In more positive news from abroad, the Economic Times reports China has enacted an anti-misinformation law dictating that, “if you are an influencer and… want to discuss ‘serious' topics - such as finance, health, medicine, law or education - you must provide proof of relevant professional credentials.” This law will also ban “advertising for medical products and services,” which also covers supplements and health foods. Other reports indicate that the fines for violating this law could be as high as ¥100,000. The proliferation of medical misinformation has become a major issue for governments the world over and in the U.S. has incubated a vast underworld of medical conspiracy theories and dubious health products. It is heartening to see something being done to protect consumers' health and safety.* Speaking of someone doing something, Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh made headlines a month ago for blocking vehicles outside of an ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois, where she is running for office. Now, NBC reports she has been indicted by a special federal grand jury, “alongside five other people, including two other political candidates.” Abughazaleh responded to the indictment, writing “This political prosecution is an attack on all of our First Amendment rights. I'm not backing down, and we're going to win.” Her lawyer, Josh Herman, added, “This is a political prosecution that tries to turn dissent and First Amendment opposition to the Trump administration's cruel policies into a conspiracy…Kat has steadfastly opposed those policies and she will fight these charges with the same principled determination.” The defendants have not been arrested but will surrender to the court next week.* Finally, Palestine Legal has scored a major victory. The group reports that “The First Circuit…[has] ruled that pro-Palestinian slogans, encampments and criticism of Zionism is protected by the First Amendment -- tossing out a Zionist complaint targeting pro-Palestinian organizing at @MIT.” Furthermore, the court found that “Slogans such as From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free, intifada revolution, and calling Israel's actions a genocide -- and more -- do not target Jewish or Israeli students on the basis of their identity… but target Israel over its treatment of Palestinians.” This is a win for the David side of the David and Goliath struggle between pro-Palestine student groups and the universities where they are organizing – which are themselves under immense pressure from the Trump administration to stifle pro-Palestinian speech. Hopefully, this gives organizers the necessary breathing room they need to regroup as the Trump-brokered ceasefire grows ever shakier.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe
Jon Stewart has been a leading figure in political comedy since before the turn of the millennium. But compared to his early years on Comedy Central's “The Daily Show”—when Stewart was merciless in his attacks on George W. Bush's Administration—these are much more challenging times for late-night comedians. Jimmy Kimmel nearly lost his job over a remark about MAGA supporters of Charlie Kirk, after the head of the F.C.C. threatened ABC. CBS recently announced the cancellation of Stephen Colbert's program. And Stewart now finds himself very near the hot seat: Comedy Central is controlled by David Ellison, the Trump-friendly C.E.O. of the recently merged Paramount Skydance. Stewart's contract comes up in December. “You're going to sign another one?” David Remnick asked him, in a live interview at The New Yorker Festival. “We're working on staying,” Stewart said. “You don't compromise on what you do. You do it till they tell you to leave. That's all you can do.” Stewart, moreover, doesn't blame solely Donald Trump for recent attacks on the independence of the media, universities, and other institutions. “This is the hardest truth for us to get at, is that [these] institutions . . . have problems. They do. And, if we don't address those problems in a forthright way, then those institutions become vulnerable to this kind of assault. Credibility is not something that was just taken. It was also lost.” In fact, Stewart also directs his ire at “the Democratic Party, [which] thinks it's O.K. for their Senate to be an assisted-living facility.” “In the general-populace mind, government no longer serves the interests of the people it purports to represent. That's a broad-based, deep feeling. And that helps when someone comes along and goes, ‘The system is rigged,' and people go, ‘Yeah, it is rigged.' Now, he's a good diagnostician. I don't particularly care for his remedy.”This episode was recorded live at The New Yorker Festival, on October 26, 2025. New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, New Yorker staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.