The Mountain That Roared
Major funding for today's blog is provided by......
https://youtu.be/97wpuQZO8Uw?si=s1y0KCmk3Fz2DfBk
This week......
(augmented TV shows Paramount studios)
Squished into one.....
(switches screen to Goldeneye scene)
Does the road require James Bond's Goldeneye pause watch?
(Switches screen to a car)
and a Rose by any other name can get you redemption. Or is it?
Let's................ Get................... Lit!
Amy Irons: From around the world....across the country....and in your neighborhoods, NOW......in its 8th consecutive year, this is.................................
And now, the (Nearly) world-famous contestant...Pierre Kelly!
Me: Welcome to Game Show Live! Let's get right into it with.......
The Talking Through The Medias opening toss up story.
Skydance Media and Paramount Global today announced the completion of their merger, creating a premier standalone global media and entertainment company, Paramount, a Skydance Corporation ("Paramount"). Paramount Class B shares will begin trading today on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC under the new ticker symbol "PSKY." An Open Letter from David Ellison is also available at www.paramount.com/news.
The close of this transaction positions Paramount to forge a new path forward in the entertainment industry, combining its extensive creative library and global distribution network with Skydance's production expertise and industry-leading technological capabilities. In the near-term, Paramount will leverage strategic investments to capitalize on identified synergies and opportunities to streamline its business, with a focus on forward-thinking approaches to content creation and storytelling, as well as providing value and stability for shareholders. Supported by RedBird Capital's business building and financial acumen, the newly combined entity will rely on best-in-class leadership and tech-enabled innovation to revitalize and position one of entertainment's most storied enterprises for long-term success.
David Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Paramount, a Skydance Corporation, commented: "Today marks an exciting and pivotal moment as we prepare to bring Paramount's legacy as a Hollywood institution into the future of entertainment. My vision is to honor exceptional storytelling while modernizing how we make and deliver content to support the world's top creative talent, enhance experiences for audiences worldwide, and create sustainable value for our shareholders."
Ellison added: "It is truly an honor and a privilege to help lead this iconic brand into its next chapter. My experience at Skydance and across all levels of production has shown me what it takes to bring great stories to life - and just how powerful it is when visionary creators are supported by strong leadership and a clear mission. With a deep understanding of the industry and a strategic approach to growth, we will stay grounded in creative excellence, embrace cutting-edge innovation, and continue delivering the entertainment, news, and sports experiences that connect with audiences worldwide. Together, we have the opportunity not only to shape Paramount's future, but also to play a meaningful role in where our industry is headed - and we can't wait to get started."
Gerry Cardinale, Founder and Managing Partner of RedBird Capital, said: "Our investment in Paramount and long-term partnership with the Ellison family reflects our deep conviction in the value of world-class intellectual property and the potential to unlock substantial growth as these businesses navigate technological disintermediation and evolving consumer preferences. We've been collaborating with David Ellison for the last 15 years and made our first investment in Skydance in 2019. Over this period, we've seen the power of an owner-operator model that integrates technological sophistication with a talent-friendly passion for producing great original content."
Cardinale added: "We have evaluated investing in this type of media and entertainment in Hollywood for the last 25 years, but it was only after our investment in Skydance that we began to develop tangible conviction around a performance-based approach to investing in diversified content production. The track record that David and the team at Skydance have established has prepared them for this opportunity, supported by our operating and investment team at RedBird. This is a transformative opportunity to embrace Paramount's 113-year-old legacy as one of the most iconic Hollywood institutions and help transition it for today's evolving technological landscape."
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You, the Martini and the millions. Shaken and not stirred. Please use #GameShowLive on social media to spread the word and kill the negativity to us, please, would you? At the end of the program, I'll give you the contacts to buzz me but whatever you shall do or whatever you don't do, sit tight. We'll resume with more headlines, the Mistplay Game Break, the Spotify Soundstage and everything that I forgot. This is going to be an insane rest of the program. You're locked in on the only show that asks TJ Lubinsky to play 90's-2000s stuff in his house in Pittsburgh. It's by any means.....Game Show Live!
https://youtu.be/EIIxvbonsrA?si=s49Qpu_YGfYi5XmJ
And now for your Twitch Clip of the day.
(fade to break)
https://youtu.be/8pNeLBfHffg?si=gPiXZY4AwoCGa0LK
Amy: Some members of our viewing audience will receive......
The ever popular Homework hotline t-shirt. Watch.
And to anybody needing help with your homework, you need this man. Pierre Kelly!
Me: True. But I have an average IQ so watch me. Meanwhile, they just got back from a junior college tour of Alabama and they're back home to do this. They are.....Doireann Garrihy and the Irish setters!
(canned applause)
Rock on. These guys will be here the week before Labor Day around the Angel Falls trailer park for the Almost Fall BBQ and will be a late shoo-in at the Bartlett Fall Festival next month.
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New feature for this month. It's called......
We salute the ones form spend more than just reading a comic book. This week, it's..............
Mark, Finn
Prime Video has revealed the trailer for the highly anticipated second season of 007: Road To A Million, alongside a first look at Brian Cox, who returns as 'The Controller'.
With an expanded presence, The Controller will operate from a control room where he challenges pairs, assesses their performance, and delivers his signature wry, deadpan commentary. This time, The Controller works alongside his right-hand woman, Sofia (Frances McNamee).
Speaking about the new season, Brian Cox said: "Returning as The Controller this time around, the series feels more high-octane, more immersive, and definitely more Bond. The challenges are bigger, the drama runs deeper, and I've got the best seat in the house to watch it unfold."
Viewers will get a glimpse into The Controller's global operation and the network he commands, hinting at the reach of the organization he represents. Having defeated all rivals, the final surviving pair returns to London to face The Controller in person for the million-pound prize.
In 007: Road To A Million Season 2, 8 pairs of ordinary people embark on a thrilling 007-inspired global adventure. From climbing Bangkok towers to shark dives in the Bahamas, they'll face epic challenges testing skills and relationships. The slowest pairs face elimination in the tense Killer Question. Only one duo will reach London for a shot at £1 million. Get ready to be shaken and stirred!
Inspired by the iconic Bond franchise, the reality competition 007: Road To A Million returns with a bold and ambitious second season, reinventing the season one format.
Season 2 of 007: Road To A Million is an eight-part Prime Video Original Series, launching exclusively on Prime Video on August 22, 2025 globally.
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The Gotta Catch ’Em All! Game Show Goes Live at 2025 Worlds Asking the real questions, like “What is the sound of Articuno’s cry?” Our trivia show with a twist is hitting the road!
The next episode of the Gotta Catch will be live in Anaheim, California, at the 2025 Pokémon World Championships! Resident Tangela fan Brian David Gilbert—who you might recognize for his work as the fact checker on Dropout’s factoid-focused game show Um, Actually—returns as our host, guiding three contestants in a test of Pokémon knowledge. The show starts at 5:00 p.m. PDT on August 16, from the Programming Stage at Hall C.
Contestants will answer a series of multiple-choice questions with a twist: Each question is paired with a Pokémon that a contestant will catch by being the first to get the correct answer. Contestants are vying to be the first to catch the four victory Pokémon—Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle—before their fellow competitors. Each contestant can collect up to six Pokémon while they play, and each Pokémon has a special effect that contestants can use to shake up the game.
These contestants will be testing their trivia prowess live at Worlds:
- Lauryn Todaro (Auralaur67)
- Babak "Bob" Hagh (BuzzerBob)
- Jonfi Z. Paris (Zactoshi)
…And you?
That’s right—similar to how our contestants from episode one could turn to the Twitch chat for answers, we’ll have audience participation moments throughout the 2025 Worlds live show! There may be other twists and surprises in store at the event, so be on your toes, Trainers.
Did you miss our first broadcast? There’s still time to catch the video on the Pokémon Twitch channel before the 2025 Worlds live show. We hope to see you at the event!
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“Love Island USA” closed out its seventh season as the No. 1 most-watched streaming program during the week of July 7, according to Nielsen.
The Peacock reality dating series brought in 1.9 billion viewing minutes from July 7 to July 13, when the Season 7 finale began streaming on Peacock, growing 13.9% from the previous week’s viewership. The massive outcome marks another weekly viewership high for “Love Island USA” — which the show hit nearly every week of Season 7 — as well as the first time the show has taken the top spot on Nielsen’s overall streaming chart after inching towards it all summer.
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The Hulu app as you know it will soon be no more.
During the company’s quarterly earnings call on Wednesday, Disney announced plans to begin “fully integrating” Hulu into Disney+, with a “unified” Disney+ and Hulu app available to download sometime in 2026.
Despite the merging of apps, consumers will still be able to purchase a stand-alone subscription to either Disney+ or Hulu; both will be available through the same app, albeit with content restrictions depending on your subscription.
“Today we are announcing a major step forward in strengthening our streaming offering by fully integrating Hulu into Disney+,” CEO Bob Iger and CFO Hugh Johnston said in a statement. “This will create an impressive package of entertainment, pairing the highest-caliber brands and franchises, great general entertainment, family programming, news and industry-leading live sports content in a single app.”
Their statement continued: “By creating a truly differentiated streaming offering, we will be providing subscribers tremendous choice, convenience, quality, and enhanced personalization. This will enhance our ability to continue to grow profitability and margins in our entertainment streaming business through expected higher engagement, lower churn, and advertising revenue potential, as well as operational efficiencies that over time may result in savings that we can reinvest back into the business.”
Internationally, Hulu will also replace the Star tile on the Disney+ app beginning this fall. Additional information is expected to roll out in the coming months.
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Sad news but good news for you Fox viewers in the US.
ITV have opted not to renew 99 To Beat, the Saturday night gameshow hosted by Ryan and Adam Thomas, for a second series.
In their first presenting role together, Adam and Ryan presided over all of the nail-biting action, offering playful commentary while guiding the 100 contestants through the experience as they go head-to-head in a range of simple, quirky and often hilarious games.
99 to Beat is the game show that anyone can win, but there’s one rule players must follow if they’re to be in with a chance of walking away with the cash prize – Don’t. Come. Last. As contestants battle it out against each other, each round will see the number of players whittled down until one person takes the top prize.
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Fremantle’s revenue fell 5.4% in the first half of 2025 to €905 million ($1.053 billion), largely due to lower U.S. sales and phasing effects, as parent RTL Group accelerated its shift toward streaming and confirmed its acquisition of Sky Deutschland. The decline was partly linked to the first half of 2024 benefiting from a spin-off of “America’s Got Talent.”
On Friday, Luxembourg-based RTL Group reported group revenue of €2.781 billion ($3.236 billion) for the six months ended June 30, down 3.2% from €2.872 billion ($3.343 billion) a year earlier. Adjusted EBITA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, and Amortization) dropped 7% to €160 million ($186 million), with lower TV advertising revenue partly offset by sharply reduced streaming start-up losses, down 59.5% to €34 million ($39.6 million). Group profit fell to €59 million ($68.7 million) from €173 million ($201.7 million) a year earlier, mainly due to one-time effects and fewer positive fair value adjustments.
Fremantle’s adjusted EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization) margin increased to 7.2% in H1/2025 from 6.6% a year earlier, even as revenue declined. Under its “boost plan,” the global production giant is targeting €3 billion ($3.493 billion) in annual revenue in the mid-term, supported by significant investment in IP development, acquisitions and the deployment of artificial intelligence across its value chain.
In March, Fremantle struck a first-look and development deal with Emma Stone and Dave McCary’s Fruit Tree, following a three-year agreement with newly established Eureka Studios to develop new IP for global sale and production. April saw the launch of Fremantle Sports, a global unit working across entertainment, drama and film, and documentaries to create cross-platform sports formats for worldwide distribution. That month also brought the launch of Imaginae Studios, a stand-alone label dedicated to leveraging AI solutions, technologies and tools for the creative community.
In June, Fremantle unveiled Fremantle Global Originals, a new stand-alone creative hub focused on creating original unscripted formats.
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The fourth season of FOX's ultimate celebrity social experiment, Special Forces: World's Toughest Test, premieres Thursday, September 25 (9:00-10:00PM ET/PT), enlisting a new troop of household names to endure some of the harshest, most grueling challenges from the playbook of the actual Special Forces selection process.
This this time around, the recruits will be training in Morocco and will endure the extreme circumstances of urban warfare. New this season, some recruits will arrive in pairs consisting of spouses and family members, but will compete individually. All recruits must learn the art of getting comfortable with being uncomfortable as they are faced with training challenges across the country's expansive desert terrain, including a supply search in an abandoned village where they must race to extraction, a treacherous rat-run through dark and narrow tunnels, a plane shell dunk drill where pairs of recruits will be submerged underwater and must escape, a death-defying urban ladder crossing between buildings 50 ft above the urban streets, and much more. In this experiment, there are no votes and no eliminations - just survival. These celebrities, who are so used to being in the spotlight, will quickly learn the meaning of "no guts, no glory" - and no glam.
Selection for the Special Forces is a test unlike any other. 18 celebrities from all genres and walks of life, will take on, and try to survive, demanding training exercises led by Directing Staff (DS) agents Rudy Reyes, Mark "Billy" Billingham, Jason "Foxy" Fox and Jovon "Q" Quarles, an elite team of ex-special forces operatives.
In this unique series, the only way for these recruits to leave is to give up on their own accord, through failure or potential injury, or by force from the DS. Special Forces: World's Toughest Test is the ultimate test of physical, mental and emotional resilience - revealing these celebrities' deepest and truest character. Who will survive, who will fail? Special Forces: World's Toughest Test is produced by Minnow Films. Becky Clarke, Liam Humphreys and Dave Sutton serve as executive producers.
Meet the 18 celebrity recruits joining Special Forces:
- TV Personality - Sister Wives Kody Brown
- TV Personality Brittany Cartwright
- NFL Pro Bowler Randall Cobb
- Former NFL Player Eric Decker
- Country Music Artist Jessie James Decker
- Former NFL player Andrew East
- Olympic Gymnastics Gold Medalist Shawn Johnson East
- Internet Personality Mark Estes
- TV Personality Gia Giudice
- TV Personality Teresa Giudice
- Supermodel Chanel Iman
- Internet Personality Brianna LaPaglia
- Heisman Winner and Former NFL Quarterback Johnny Manziel
- Actress & Model Eva Marcille
- Actor Ravi V. Patel
- World Cup and Olympic Soccer Champion Christie Pearce Rampone
- Actor/Singer Jussie Smollett
- NBA Champion Nick Young
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And it's a Mistplay Game Break. Time to name the actress but I need you guys help.
- She was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
- She was a Playboy playmate in 1955 preceding another pinup legend Bettie Page.
- She was related to an actress who plays Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU
- She was married thrice and divorced twice. Kind of a rhyme, isn't it?
- She died as a result of a traffic accident at age 34.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmSGC6_iCYs
Warp Ahead!
That's it for this week, today's consolation prize is goth make up. Your one stop emo shop from being in the noughties.
Don't forget to email me at kellypierre8@gmail.com, coppockonsports@yahoo.com, Pierre Kelly on FB and @Johnny_Arcade on X which is formerly Twitter. Also I'm on Snapchat as MisterGSN and Instagram as MrJackbox2. We will return next Wednesday, and until we return, Play on playas.
Amy: Pierre Kelly's wardrobe was dressed by Geek Fuel at geekfuel.com. This is Amy Irons for Game Show Live!, a presentation of Pacific Quay Entertainment, Local Now Productions and Jackbox Media Services which may or may not be reponsible for the litter we made up.
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