When you have a winning team, why change it?

That seems to be the approach Casey Bloys is taking as he begins his new role as Co-Chair and Chief Content Officer of Skydance’s direct-to-consumer division.

Bloys officially announced his senior leadership team on Friday, October 23, and if you’ve been following HBO for the last several years, you’re going to recognize just about every name on the list.

According to Deadline, Bloys is bringing his entire senior leadership team from HBO and HBO Max into the newly combined Skydance streaming operation.

The announcement comes just weeks after the October 6 closing of the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, which brought HBO Max and Paramount+ under the same corporate umbrella.

And it looks like HBO’s leadership is going to have a major influence on what comes next.

Among the biggest moves is the promotion of Francesca Orsi to President of HBO Drama Series and Films. Orsi previously served as EVP of HBO Programming and Head of HBO Drama Series and Films. Her expanded role will include working directly with Bloys to determine which projects are the right fit for HBO.

Sarah Aubrey is also getting significantly more responsibility.

Aubrey has been named Head of Paramount+, Max Originals and International Programming. She will oversee Paramount+’s programming while continuing her responsibilities with Max Originals and international programming.

That change comes as Jane Wiseman, Paramount+’s EVP and Head of Originals, prepares to leave the company.

Meanwhile, Glenn Whitehead will serve as President and COO of HBO and Paramount+, overseeing business affairs, production and operations across both streaming services.

Other executives remaining in leadership positions include Amy Gravitt, who oversees comedy programming; Nina Rosenstein, who handles late-night programming and specials; and Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller, who oversee documentaries.

Jeff Cusson will also take on an expanded role as EVP and Head of Communications for Skydance DTC.

So, what does this mean for Paramount+ and HBO Max?

For starters, it appears that Skydance CEO David Ellison is putting a lot of faith in the leadership team that helped make HBO one of television’s most respected brands.

And quite frankly, I don’t think that’s a bad decision.

HBO has spent decades building a reputation for producing some of the best television available. With shows like The White Lotus and the upcoming Harry Potter series, the network continues to position itself as a destination for premium programming.

Paramount+, meanwhile, has built its own audience with successful franchises like Landman and the expanding Yellowstone universe.

The challenge now is figuring out how to bring these two very different streaming brands together without losing what makes each one successful.

In his internal memo, Bloys emphasized that HBO Max and Paramount+ will continue operating separately until the company is ready to combine them.

The services are expected to spend an estimated one to two years operating as separate but bundled platforms before transitioning into a single streaming service.

That gives Bloys and his team some time to figure out exactly what the future looks like.

Personally, I think the biggest question is whether Paramount+ will maintain its own identity or eventually become another programming category within a much larger HBO Max experience.

Either way, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: HBO’s leadership team is firmly in the driver’s seat.

And now we’ll get to see whether they can bring that same success to Paramount+.

It looks like WOW – Women of Wrestling, is about to find itself looking for a new television home.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Skydance has canceled the syndicated distribution of WOW, the all-women’s professional wrestling promotion owned by Jeanie Buss and David McLane. However, despite the change, the promotion itself has not been canceled.

In fact, Meltzer reports that a fifth season is still expected to be filmed. The big question now is where fans will be able to watch it.

WOW has been airing in syndication through Paramount Global Content Distribution since 2022. The series has given women’s professional wrestling a dedicated television platform at a time when women’s wrestling has continued to grow in popularity.

The news comes as Skydance continues making changes to its entertainment portfolio.

SEScoops reported earlier this week that Skydance had informed WOW that the two companies would not be moving forward together. At the time, it wasn’t clear whether that decision included the show’s syndication agreement.

The Wrestling Observer’s latest report appears to provide some clarity on that front.

And the changes don’t stop there.

Skydance has also reportedly shut down Wrestling Central, the free, 24-hour wrestling channel launched on The Roku Channel in 2025. The channel featured programming from WOW and Billy Corgan’s National Wrestling Alliance.

That is a pretty quick turnaround for a channel that Paramount was promoting as a new destination for wrestling fans just last year.

So, what’s next for WOW?

That’s where things get interesting.

Back in August, it was announced that WOW’s fifth season would feature live programming from L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles. Buss was also expected to take on a larger on-camera role as the promotion attempted to expand its reach.

Those plans made it seem like WOW was preparing for its biggest season yet.

Now, the promotion has a new challenge: finding somewhere to air it.

Personally, I think WOW has an opportunity here. The promotion has an established brand, recognizable ownership, and several seasons of television already produced. That should give the company something to work with when approaching potential distribution partners.

Of course, having a television show and having a television network willing to pay for that show are two very different things.

It will also be interesting to see whether Skydance’s decision has anything to do with its broader wrestling television strategy. With AEW programming already part of the company’s expanded television portfolio, there are certainly questions worth asking.

For now, there is no confirmed connection between those decisions.

The good news for WOW fans is that the promotion isn’t dead.

The bad news?

Nobody seems to know where they’re going to be watching season five.

Alter Bridge is back on the road this fall for the second U.S. leg of their What Lies Within Tour, supporting the band’s self-titled eighth studio album that dropped in January. The 18-city run kicks off November 5 in Philadelphia and wraps December 5 in Reno, with Big Wreck and Tim Montana supporting on most dates.

The fall dates include stops at Franklin Music Hall in Philadelphia (Nov. 5), The Fillmore in Silver Spring (Nov. 7), Buffalo Riverworks (Nov. 8), The Agora in Cleveland (Nov. 10), The Rave in Milwaukee (Nov. 12), The Pageant in St. Louis (Nov. 17), The Aztec Theatre in San Antonio (Nov. 19), House of Blues in Anaheim (Nov. 22), The Moore Theatre in Seattle (Nov. 25), and Mission Ballroom in Denver (Nov. 30), among others. Tickets and VIP packages (including meet-and-greets and guitar clinics with Mark Tremonti) are available through the band’s site.

This comes after a busy year for the band, which already played European and U.K. dates plus festival appearances earlier in 2026. The new album, recorded in part at Eddie Van Halen’s 5150 studio, continues the hard-rock sound Alter Bridge has refined across more than two decades — heavy riffs from Tremonti, soaring vocals from Myles Kennedy, and the tight rhythm section of Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips.

Here’s the part that matters for fans: this fall run could be one of the last easy chances to catch Alter Bridge live for a while. 2027 is already locked in as a major year for Myles Kennedy with Slash and the Conspirators. Their fifth album, *Flying Blind*, arrives February 26, followed by a full world tour that starts in Latin America in April and hits North America, the U.K., and Europe through the summer.

On top of that, Creed’s reunion activity continues. The band has kept the Summer of ’99 cruise going into 2027, and both Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti have publicly discussed the possibility of new Creed music at some point. Tremonti has noted that the band would eventually need fresh material to support future touring. With Myles tied up with the Conspirators project and the Creed members managing their own schedules, full Alter Bridge runs look less likely in the immediate future.

Alter Bridge has always balanced these side projects well, but the calendar is getting crowded. If you’ve been waiting for another chance to see the band deliver those career-spanning sets in person, the What Lies Within Tour this November and December is the window. After that, the focus shifts elsewhere for at least the next year.

WWE and Dragon Lee have come to terms on a new contract, according to PWInsider. The site reports that Lee, 31, has signed, with the belief among sources that the deal is for five years. The length has not been fully confirmed, but the signing itself is.

Lee’s previous deal was set to expire this month.

The news comes after weeks of speculation around his future, as both he and his brother Dralistico (in AEW) were nearing the end of their respective contracts. The brothers had also recently trademarked the name “Hermanos Lee.”Before joining WWE, Lee built a strong reputation as one of the top luchadores in the world. He was a multi-time champion in CMLL and won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship in Japan. In 2019 he signed with Ring of Honor, where he held the Television and Tag Team titles.

After ROH shut down under Sinclair, he made a few appearances in AEW before being written out following a storyline turn by his brother Rush.Lee debuted in WWE NXT in December 2023 and quickly captured the North American Championship. On the main roster he held the WWE Tag Team Championship with AJ Styles and the short-lived Speed Championship. He’s currently featured regularly on the main roster and in AAA, where he’s put together strong recent performances, including matches against Chad Gable and Rey Mysterio.

The new deal locks him in at a time when he’s been getting consistent TV time and high-profile matches. For a wrestler who has moved between Mexico, Japan, ROH, and now WWE, the extension gives him a longer runway on the main roster.

OpenAI is now training its people to treat unexpected attention with suspicion. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the company has been warning engineers that so-called “honey pot” approaches — where someone uses romance or flirtation to get close and extract secrets — are a real risk in the high-stakes AI race.

The warnings picked up fresh urgency after the FBI arrested a Saudi national and former OpenAI engineer, Abdulrahman Alfozan, for allegedly planting a hidden recording device (concealed in toilet paper) behind a television in an executive conference room.

The Journal described internal training that includes a scenario in which a stranger approached an OpenAI employee at a San Francisco playground while the employee was with their child. The stranger also had a child, made small talk, and gradually steered the conversation toward the employee’s work. The stranger was a spy.

In the same sessions, OpenAI reportedly illustrated the honey pot risk with a story about a U.S. diplomat in Russia. Spies sent a blonde woman to his hotel room with champagne. When he turned her away, they tried a redheaded woman and then a young man.

Beyond the romantic angles, the company is pushing basic operational hygiene: don’t wear OpenAI-branded clothing in public, use privacy screens on devices, and wipe whiteboards after meetings. Bribes, café eavesdropping, and other social engineering tactics are also on the list. Employees at Anthropic and Google have reportedly received similar briefings.

This is the reality of frontier AI right now. The technology is valuable enough that labs are starting to operate more like defense contractors — complete with insider-threat playbooks and training that treats ordinary social interactions as potential collection opportunities. The Alfozan arrest shows the threat isn’t purely hypothetical.

For anyone working at one of these companies, the practical takeaway is simple: be alert to people who seem unusually interested in your job, especially if the interest feels sudden or oddly persistent. The AI race has a counterintelligence side now, and OpenAI is making sure its people know it.

American Idol Season 7 winner David Cook is back with a new EP called The Villain, and it’s a great new drop of music. In a way, his last EP The Hero and this one reintroduce David Cook to fans with a fresh sound that mixes some retro ’80s vibes with the modern pop-rock Cook is known for.

Cook hasn’t released a full album since 2015’s Digital Vein, leaning more on singles and EPs instead. I’ve come to like this approach for him. While I still wish he’d drop a full-length album, he always leaves me wanting more of his music no matter what he puts out.

The Villain is no different. A three-song EP felt like the right move for him. I feel like focusing on just a handful of songs at a time (instead of 10+ for a full album) lets him put more creativity and fun into each track. Someone correct me if I’m wrong on that.

But let’s talk about the EP itself.

It kicks off with “The Future Attacks,” which opens with a high-energy drum beat and Cook’s vocals. Right from the start it makes me want to get up and dance a little. He brings some clever lyric play to the track, and it works as a strong opener that sets a solid energy.

Next up is “Something Nothing,” which starts with a nice guitar lick. While this one dips the energy a bit for me compared to the opener, it’s still a strong track. It actually reminds me of something that could’ve been on his first self-released album, Analog Heart, back in 2006.

Then comes “Bleed Me Dry,” the true standout of the EP and the lead single. It opens with what I’m assuming is some synth that feels like the theme to an ’80s cop show. Cook puts a nice twist on it. This track really showcases what he can do with his voice. He reminded me exactly why he won American Idol — solid tone from start to finish and some strong high notes.

Overall, The Villain is a great return for David Cook. I truly hope he keeps releasing music more regularly and gives his fans (who are clearly begging for more) what they want.

7.9/10

Ariana Grande is stepping back from the spotlight once her Eternal Sunshine Tour wraps up.

Over the last year and a half, the pop star and actress has faced a steady stream of online commentary and criticism focused on her health, weight, and overall appearance. The latest wave came after the music video for her song “Petal” dropped, with many fans expressing concern about her weight in the video.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Grande’s team confirmed she is taking a step back. “a will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour,” her rep shared in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on Sunday.

Grande has about a month left on the current tour, which closes out with a 10-show residency in London.

“She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily, and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny,” the rep added. “This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much.”

Grande has been going nonstop since around 2022, when she served as a coach on The Voice and landed her role in Wicked. Since then she’s filmed two movies, completed multiple press tours, and released a studio album.

She’s also stepping away from Sunday in the Park with George.

“Following this evening’s announcement from Ariana Grande’s team, we can confirm that she has decided to step back from Sunday in the Park with George,” Empire Street Productions shared in a statement. “We know this cannot have been an easy decision, and she makes it with our complete understanding and support. The production will open at the Barbican in summer 2027 as planned, and casting will be announced in due course.”

David Ellison just got some bad news: his $111 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery has been put on hold.

U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) after a coalition of 12 states sued to block the deal. The 14-day pause kills Paramount Skydance’s plan to close in July.

“The Court ultimately finds the public interest favors their requested TRO to stay the merger in the interim,” Martínez-Olguín wrote in the order.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta called it a “critical first win,” saying the megamerger would lead to fewer opportunities, worse products, and less competition in a market that touches millions of Americans’ lives. He said they’re fighting for a free and fair film and TV industry that actually serves creators and audiences.

Paramount fired back fast. The company said it’s “confident the evidence will demonstrate that the State AGs’ antitrust arguments are without merit” and that the states’ claimed markets and anticompetitive effects don’t line up with modern realities.

“This merger is lawful, pro-competitive, and will benefit consumers, creators, workers, and the entertainment industry,” Paramount added. “We will continue to vigorously defend the transaction and look forward to the hearings on the substance of the State AGs’ action.”

Over the last few weeks Paramount has been promising that the combined company would bring more job stability and opportunities across the board. The states, on the other hand, argue the deal would give the new entity roughly 27% of the wide-release theatrical distribution market — a concentration the judge said lets them “presume the proposed merger is likely to violate antitrust laws.”

The judge also noted that once operations start combining, sharing sensitive info, and moving people around, unwinding the whole thing would be extremely difficult if the merger gets approved and later struck down. Paramount even admitted a short delay wouldn’t really hurt them.

A hearing on whether to issue a longer preliminary injunction is set for August 3. That date matters a lot — after September 30, Warner Bros. shareholders start racking up big breakup-style fees (around $650 million per quarter).

This one’s far from over. The merger’s still alive but now it’s stuck in legal limbo while both sides gear up for the next round. I’ll keep watching it — these Hollywood power plays rarely stay quiet for long.

Ruthie Craft is an extremely talented singer/songwriter who grew up in Washington State and moved to Austin, Texas during the pandemic.

Craft auditions for American Idol in 2018 and competed on the 2019 season on ABC. She stunned the audience and her elimination was not taken kindly by the fans of the show.

Since her American Idol days, she has proven that you don’t need a major label behind you to make it work.

Outside of having an amazing and soulful voice and graceful guitar and ukelele playing, Craft also starred in Total Wine and More’s commercials.

For those reasons, Ruthie Craft is this week’s Artist of the Week.

Check out Ruthie Craft on Instagram and her music video for Make Believe below!

Major Networks Are Skipping Trump’s Primetime Speech Tonight

Later this evening, President Donald Trump is addressing the nation in a primetime speech, but ABC and NBC won’t be carrying it on their terrestrial stations. CNN is also passing entirely.

While ABC and NBC will stream the speech, CNN is sitting it out completely.

An ABC News spokesperson said, “ABC News will run President Trump’s speech on ABC News Live and ABC News Radio with comprehensive, anchored coverage. We will also cover the speech in our regular network newscasts and, as always, our Special Report team is fully prepared to break into network programming to deliver live updates and reporting should significant developments occur.”

A CNN rep said the network “will cover the President’s speech as a news event, and monitor it for news developments, providing analysis and commentary from CNN experts who cover elections, intelligence and the FBI.” They added that a live feed will be available on the website.

Details of the speech are still unknown, but it’s been speculated that Trump will hit on election integrity and possibly even touch on the upcoming midterms.

ABC and NBC have been a recent focus of the President when it comes to their broadcast licenses.

_{SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter}

Nickelback is on a tear with new music.

First. Bones for the Crows came out a few months back. And now, Rattle The Cage is out and it will melt your face.

States Just Dropped a Bomb on the Massive Paramount-Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery Merger

This video breaks down a pretty wild antitrust fight going on right now in the media world. A group of 12 state attorneys general, led by California, just filed a lawsuit to block the proposed $110 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery.

The lawsuit, which dropped in July 2026, claims the whole deal is unlawful and would screw over consumers. The states say combining these giants would kill competition in the film industry, leading to higher ticket prices and lower-quality movies and TV shows for everyone.

What makes this interesting is the push and pull between federal and state levels. The U.S. Department of Justice had already given the deal a green light, but now these states are stepping in and creating a serious roadblock that could delay or even kill the merger timeline.

California officials are pointing out that the combined company would control about 27% of the wide-release movie distribution market. They argue that kind of concentration is straight-up anti-competitive.

It doesn’t stop at the U.S. border either. The deal is also getting extra regulatory eyes in the UK and Europe. There’s even some chatter about Paramount possibly moving out of California if things go south, but right now everyone’s focused on whether the merger itself is even legal.

As of mid-July 2026, the deal is under heavy legal pressure even though the feds signed off earlier. Paramount says they won’t close anything before July 22 while this plays out in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

This one’s still heating up. Big media mergers always come with drama, but this state-level challenge adds a whole new layer. I’ll keep an eye on it and update when things move.

What do you think? Is it good for consumers or just another media consolidation power grab?

Drop your take below.

Lindsey Graham has died at the age of 71. He died of a “sudden illness” after visiting Ukraine.

Lindsey Graham, the longtime Republican senator from South Carolina, passed away at the age of 71.

He had been in the Senate since 2003, after four terms in the House starting back in 1994. Graham was known for his strong support of the military and his hawkish takes on foreign policy. He was also tight with the late John McCain for years.

Back in the 90s, he got elected to Congress and stayed there for decades. Graham grew up in Central, South Carolina, served in the Air Force as a judge advocate, and then went into politics full time.

Even in his later years, he remained active on defense and national security stuff, often weighing in on big issues. He passed away earlier this week.

He is survived by his sister Darline and other family members. Services will be held in South Carolina.

This is a developing story.

Billionaire Mark Cuban is suing the new ownership group behind the Dallas Mavericks, the team he used to own the majority of. He’s accusing them of cutting him out of business decisions involving the team.

According to the Dallas Morning News, Cuban is calling out “adversarial business practices” as the new owners try to move the team about 10 miles away to a new arena on the old Dallas mall site. He’s specifically going after Patrick Dumont, who now serves as the governor of the Mavericks.

Back in 2023, Cuban sold the majority stake to the families of Miriam Adelson and her son-in-law, Dumont. Part of the agreement was that Cuban would stay in charge of basketball operations. Instead, Dumont handed full control over to Nico Harrison, the former general manager.

Cuban also says he wasn’t told or consulted about the trade that sent star Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers. He only found out after it was already done and too late to do anything about it.

Even though Cuban sold the majority, he still owns 27% of the team. Dumont has the option to buy another 20% of Cuban’s remaining shares.

The Mavericks just signed a deal to buy the 104 acres where the old Mall of Dallas used to sit. They’re planning a new arena there that’s supposed to open in 2031. Right now the team plays at the American Airlines Center, but that lease runs out the same year.

Cuban says he was contractually supposed to be involved in the arena move, but he got completely shut out.

This is still developing.

_{Source: New York Post}

Meta has rolled out its first AI image generator, and it’s automatically pulling in public Instagram accounts. That means anyone can use your photos to make AI images unless you turn the feature off.

The tool is called Muse Image and it comes from Meta’s Superintelligence Labs. It’s built to compete with image generators from OpenAI and Google. They’ve folded it straight into Instagram, and every public account is opted in by default. So if someone tags your username in a prompt, Muse Image can pull from your posts, Reels, and videos to generate new images based on your likeness.

Instagram won’t notify you when someone creates something with your content. Your photos and videos could get remixed into whatever without you ever knowing about it.

If you want to stop it, you’ve got two easy options. Switch your account to private — private accounts aren’t included at all. Or keep it public but turn the feature off in the settings.

Make sure your Instagram app is updated first. Then go to your profile, tap the three lines in the top right for the menu, scroll down to “How others can interact with you,” and tap “Sharing and reuse.” Toggle off the option that says something like “Allow people to reuse your content on Instagram and with AI features at Meta.” That’s it.

Turning it off or going private only blocks new images from being made. Anything already generated with your stuff stays out there.

Muse Image is rolling out in the US first. Meta is pitching it as a handy tool for stuff like designing event invites, mocking up creative ideas, or making personalized graphics. They’ve given examples like putting your pet in a famous painting or mixing a selfie with a vacation photo to create a custom postcard.

The company didn’t explain why they defaulted to opting everyone in automatically.

This is happening while AI image tools are facing serious pushback over deepfakes. Elon Musk’s Grok just got hit with a class-action lawsuit and an EU privacy investigation after its image feature let people create “nudify” versions of real women and kids on X. Apple reportedly even threatened to pull Grok from the App Store over it.

_{Source: New York Post.}

Disney is making some big moves over at Fubo, the streaming platform the company owns 70% of. The Mouse House has installed Alisa Bowen, a longtime Disney executive, as CEO of Fubo.

Fubo was co-founded by David Gandler, who had been serving as CEO. Bowen is a 10-year veteran at Disney and most recently served as President of Disney+.

Disney’s increased control over Fubo came out of a 2025 settlement. That happened after Disney tried to team up with Discovery and Fox to launch Venu, a sports streamer that never got off the ground. Reports indicated Gandler and Disney didn’t mesh, and the quick CEO changeover makes it pretty clear they weren’t a match made in heaven.

Disney now has Hulu, Disney+, and Fubo under its streaming umbrella. Deadline reports that Hulu + Live TV and Fubo together have 6.2 million subscribers. It’s a solid number, but still far from the top in live TV streaming. YouTube holds the lead with 10 million subs.

Industry insiders will be watching closely to see what Bowen does with Fubo next.

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MultiMediaMouth.com is back!

It’s been a while since this website has had some life to it. Long story short, it’s been around for more than a decade. In fact, it’s been about 17 years that MultiMediaMouth has been a thing.

Last year our server crashed and caused a data loss that honestly broke my heart. Fifteen years of work, just gone.

I just didn’t have the heart to start over.

Monetization was impossible, but the viewership stayed strong. People kept visiting the curated site in the hundreds, if not thousands, every month.

So a few months back I decided to relaunch this website through Substack. It’s free, no ads, just with the hope that one day I’ll have an audience that follows my work even more than before.

Moving forward, MultiMediaMouth will be a home for podcasts, writing, and random videos. I’m really looking forward to diving back in and creating new stuff to share.

I hope you enjoy the ride.