For now, it will show off its bulging bundle of intellectual properties, with the official announcement touting “a franchise portfolio spanning Top Gun and Harry Potter to White Lotus and SpongeBob SquarePants.”

Several such lists could be made without any overlap. Tony Soprano is now under the same roof as Michael Corleone. The creations of J.R.R. Tolkien and Taylor Sheridan now share a home. And the DC Universe is in the same space as “Star Trek.”

Both companies also have a storied history — some of it even recent — of non-franchise creations, whose creators are worried about what will be left for them as big swaths of Hollywood fear for their jobs and productions.

Moviegoers and TV viewers may wonder what all the fuss was about in the short run, while in the long run they may not recognize the landscape that's left.

Here’s a look at how the consumption and production of film and television will look in the near future.

What does it mean for TV and streaming?

The streaming services that provide the most direct interface viewers have with the two merged companies — HBO Max for Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount+ for Paramount — will look the same Wednesday as they did Tuesday, but they won't stay that way.

In its announcement of the completed deal, echoing what CEO David Ellison previously told shareholders, Skydance said the two streamers “will unify into a single service over time.” No timeline was given.

The classic broadcast and cable properties the two companies own that feed those services — HBO, TNT, HGTV, and Food Network for Warner Bros. Discovery and CBS, MTV, BET and Nickelodeon for Paramount — should also show no short-term evidence of change, but that won't mean major upheaval isn't coming.

Combined, the two services have well over 200 million subscribers, though it’s not wholly clear how much overlap there is between the two. HBO Max’s share of that is nearly double that of Paramount+. That could have an effect on the branding of the chimera to come, and some of the HBO Max name — which Warner Bros. Discovery previously tried to drop in favor of just Max — could live on.

“I do not believe the consumer is going to observe the difference in the organization, whether it be in raised subscription fees to HBO Max or raised subscription fees to Paramount+ or new programming rolled out in the first quarter,” said J. Christopher Hamilton, a professor at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. “I think it’s going to take some time for them to really, really lock in on what implemented changes will have the least amount of disruption to the consumer base, but also to the town.”

Skydance TV slate includes ‘Pitt,’ ‘Potter,’ ‘Lotus’ and ‘Landman’

The pipelines for each streamer have kept pumping as though no massive change was coming.

The biggest forthcoming piece of TV for Warner Bros. is its Harry Potter reboot, with a Christmas premiere for Season 1 on HBO Max and Season 2 shooting already underway for whatever its streamer is called when it drops.

Season 3 of “The Pitt,” which won best drama Emmys for each of its first two seasons, is well underway and set for an early 2027 release, and “The White Lotus” is set to finally complete its monthslong shooting of Season 4 on the French Riviera with a release sometime next year.

“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” has wrapped shooting its second season and is slated to start rolling out episodes early in 2027, and the fourth and final season of its fellow “Game of Thrones” scion “House of the Dragon” is set to start shooting in the new year.

Paramount+'s slate is dominated by the many cowboy-coded creations of Sheridan, with new seasons forthcoming on “Landman,” “Tulsa King” and several of the spinoffs, prequels and sequels of his “Yellowstone.”

One major change is inevitable: Sheridan's contract runs out in 2028, when he'll be off to NBCUniversal.

What does it mean for the movies?

In the past week, Paramount announced two franchises in development: a G.I. Joe movie with Bradley Cooper, directed by Danny McBride, and a live-action Transformers film, executive produced and creatively shaped by Steven Spielberg.

The Paramount slate has in the past dozen-plus years been heavily weighted toward franchise fare, whether it’s “Mission: Impossible,” “Star Trek,” “Sonic the Hedgehog,” or any of the other big-name brands in its arsenal.

While the studio had a slew of best picture winners in the 1990s, including “Forrest Gump,” “Braveheart” and “Titanic,” it’s been a bit of a drought since.

Acclaimed executives are among the early exits

Warner Bros., meanwhile, had been on a hot streak with a combination of original and franchise films. This year, under the stewardship of Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, they collected 30 Oscar nominations and won 11, including best picture for “One Battle After Another.”

Ellison wrote in a post on X last week that by combining the two storied studios, “we aren’t rewriting history — we’re equipping these iconic studios with a more powerful engine.”

But neither Abdy nor De Luca will be part of the merged operation, which left filmmakers like Tony Gilroy reeling. Gilroy called their exits “a seismic change in Hollywood of a magnitude that I don’t remember,” adding, “They’re just real film people. And these studios are real studios. There’s no reason for them to be merged or pulled apart.”

Paramount Motion Picture co-chairs Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg will lead the overall film operation for Skydance now. James Gunn and Peter Safran are expected to continue running DC Studios.

“I think everyone’s really happy that the uncertainty, at least in some elements, is over and we get to focus on doing the work,” Safran told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “Thankfully James and I get to keep telling the big story that we want to tell with the resources and support that we need.”

Asked how Skydance might change the direction in which DC is headed, Safran said, "As far as we can tell, not at all. David Ellison was like, ‘I just want you to keep doing what you’re doing.’ ”

Skydance will also include Warner Bros.’ newest specialty label, Clockwork, with former NEON executive Christian Parkes remaining its head. The label was established to support independent projects, both produced in-house and acquired, with future releases including “Anora” filmmaker Sean Baker’s latest, “Ti Amo!,” and Park Chan-wook’s Matthew McConaughey and Pedro Pascal movie “The Brigands of Rattlecreek.”

What about movie theaters?

Theatrical exhibition lives or dies by a robust release schedule, and the promise of “a minimum of 30 high-quality theatrical films” a year will likely be an appealing one to exhibitors. Next year, the combined studios could exceed that with some 36 releases including a Superman sequel, a Minecraft movie sequel and “A Quiet Place Part III.”

Over the past two years, North American theater owners have reinvested some $2.7 billion in their cinemas, according to a report from the trade association Cinema United. The domestic box office is currently healthy, up around 19.5% from last year and is expected to cross the $8 billion mark this week.

The merged company has some big releases on the horizon for the remainder of this year too, including “Dune: Part Three.”

Cinema United’s president and CEO Michael O’Leary last month reiterated that their primary objective is to safeguard theaters from the “harms of legacy consolidation,” but the group was encouraged by the consent decree’s language on “increased film production for five years, meaningful theatrical exclusivity and wide distribution, prohibitions on cost increases, and continued access to the catalogs of Paramount and Warner Bros.”

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Associated Press writers Jake Coyle in New York and Alicia Rancilio in Detroit contributed.

A statement shared by his family on his official Instagram account confirmed Jackson died Monday, three days after his 70th birthday. No cause of death was provided.

“Freddie was more than a legendary voice. He was a kind, generous soul who loved his fans, his family, his friends, and his music with everything he had. For decades he gave us the songs that became the soundtrack to our love stories, our celebrations, and our most treasured memories. That gift will live on forever,” the statement read.

“To everyone who ever sang along, danced, or felt something when Freddie took the stage: thank you. You were family to him, and he carried your love with him always,” it continued.

Details regarding arrangements will be announced in the coming days.

Jackson was born and raised in Harlem, where he learned all about soul music and sang gospel at White Rock Baptist Church. He started his career in the New York club scene, eventually making his way out West with the band Mystic Merlin in the late '70s. He soon returned to New York and released his debut album, “Rock Me Tonight,” in 1985. His distinctive voice proved to be his superpower: The album, which was quickly certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, also led to his two career Grammy nominations. Those were for best new artist and best male R&B vocal performance for the single “You Are My Lady.”

“Rock Me Tonight” also created a new R&B superstar: Jackson became a mainstay of those Billboard charts and a fixture of contemporary urban radio play throughout the ’80s and early '90s.

His sophomore album, 1987's “Just Like the First Time,” was also certified platinum.

Jackson shared his kidney disease diagnosis in 2024

In 2024, Jackson revealed he had been diagnosed with kidney disease in a video shared to his social media accounts.

“This journey has had its challenges, but I’ve decided to face it with openness and resilience,” he said in the clip. “It’s important to me that I share this with you, not just as a part of my personal story, but as a way to make a positive difference.”

At the time, Jackson also revealed he had partnered with the National Kidney Foundation to raise awareness of the disease.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 in 7 American adults has chronic kidney disease. As many as 9 in 10 don’t know they have it.

Chronic kidney disease is a condition where the kidneys are damaged and struggle to filter blood. As a result, excess waste and fluids remain and can lead to other health issues, such as heart disease.

A fierce advocate for equality, she co-founded Ms. Magazine and spent much of her life on the road, speaking at college campuses, rallies and marches.

September also saw the death of Tung Chee-hwa, the shipping tycoon who became the first leader of Hong Kong after British colonial rule in the southern Chinese territory ended in 1997.

Other noteworthy people who died in September include Japanese baseball great Isao Harimoto, jazz singer Cassandra Wilson and former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl.

Here is a roll call of some influential figures who have died this year (the cause of death is cited, if available):

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JANUARY

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Diane Crump, 77. In 1969, she became the first woman to ride professionally in a horse race and a year later became the first female jockey in the Kentucky Derby. Jan. 1.

Ahn Sung-ki, 74. He was one of South Korean cinema’s biggest stars whose prolific 60-year career and positive, gentle public image earned him the nickname “The Nation’s Actor.” Jan. 5.

Aldrich Ames, 84. The CIA turncoat who betrayed Western intelligence assets to the Soviet Union and Russia in one of the most damaging intelligence breaches in U.S. history died in prison. Jan. 5.

Béla Tarr, 70. The celebrated Hungarian filmmaker directed such works as “Sátántangó” and “The Turin Horse” and was the recipient of numerous awards for his long and often darkly comic films. Jan. 6.

Glenn Hall, 94. Nicknamed “Mr. Goalie,” he was a Hockey Hall of Famer whose ironman streak of 502 starts as a goalkeeper remains an NHL record. Jan. 7.

Bob Weir, 78. The guitarist and singer was an essential member of the Grateful Dead who helped found the sound of the San Francisco counterculture of the 1960s and kept it alive through decades of endless tours and marathon jams. Jan. 10.

John Forté, 50. The Grammy-nominated musician was known for his work with the Fugees and the Refugee Camp All-Stars, among others. Jan. 12.

Scott Adams, 68. His popular comic strip “Dilbert” captured the frustration of beleaguered, white-collar cubicle workers and satirized the ridiculousness of modern office culture until he was abruptly dropped from syndication in 2023 for racist remarks. Jan. 13.

Claudette Colvin, 86. Her 1955 arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery bus helped spark the modern Civil Rights Movement. At age 15, she was arrested nine months before Rosa Parks gained international fame for also refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus. Jan. 13.

Valentino Garavani, 93. He was the jet-set Italian designer whose high-glamour gowns — often in his trademark shade of “Valentino red” — were fashion show staples for nearly half a century. Jan. 19.

Ota Zaremba, 68. He won a weightlifting gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics before admitting to using performance-enhancing drugs under a secret program run by the totalitarian regime in the former Czechoslovakia. Jan. 23.

William Foege, 89. As a doctor, he was a leader of one of humanity’s greatest public health victories — the global eradication of smallpox. Jan. 24.

Catherine O’Hara, 71. The gifted Canadian-born comic actor and “SCTV” alum starred as Macaulay Culkin’s harried mother in two “Home Alone” movies and won an Emmy as the dramatically ditzy, wealthy matriarch Moira Rose in “Schitt’s Creek.” Jan. 30.

Demond Wilson, 79. He found fame in the 1970s playing Lamont on “Sanford and Son” and went on to become a minister. Jan. 30.

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FEBRUARY

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X.J. Kennedy, 96. He was an award-winning poet, author, translator and educator who schooled millions of students through “The Bedford Reader” and other textbooks and engaged voluntary readers with his children’s stories and intricate, witty verse. Feb. 1.

Chuck Negron, 83. He was a founding member of the soul-rock sensations Three Dog Night who sang lead on such hits as “One” and “Just an Old Fashioned Love Song” and hollered the immortal opening line “Jeremiah was a bullfrog!” on the chart-topping “Joy to the World.” Feb. 2.

Mickey Lolich, 85. He had three complete-game victories for the Detroit Tigers in the 1968 World Series, the last Major League Baseball pitcher to post the incredible feat. Feb. 4.

James Van Der Beek, 48. The heartthrob starred in coming-of-age dramas at the dawn of the new millennium, shooting to fame playing the titular character in “Dawson’s Creek” and in later years mocking his own hunky persona. He had revealed in 2024 that he was being treated for colorectal cancer. Feb. 11.

Robert Duvall, 95. He was an Oscar-winning actor of matchless versatility and dedication whose classic roles included the intrepid consigliere of the first two “Godfather” movies and the over-the-hill country music singer in “Tender Mercies.” Feb. 15.

Frederick Wiseman, 96. He was the celebrated director of “Titicut Follies” and dozens of other documentaries whose in-depth, unadorned movies comprised a unique and revelatory history of American institutions. Feb. 16.

The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, 84. A protégé of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and a two-time presidential candidate, he led the Civil Rights Movement for decades after the revered leader’s assassination. Feb. 17.

Eric Dane, 53. The celebrated actor was best known for his roles on “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Euphoria” and later in life became an advocate for ALS awareness. He died from the disease less than a year after he announced his diagnosis. Feb. 19.

Bill Mazeroski, 89. The Hall of Fame second baseman won eight Gold Glove awards for his steady work in the field and the hearts of countless Pittsburgh Pirates fans for his historic walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series. Feb. 20.

Willie Colón, 75. He was a Grammy-nominated architect of urban salsa music and a social activist. Feb. 21.

Robert Carradine, 71. He was the youngest of his prolific Hollywood family, and his biggest hit was the 1984 comedy “Revenge of the Nerds.” Feb. 23.

Sondra Lee, 97. She was a dancer and actor discovered by the legendary choreographer-director Jerome Robbins and originated the role of Tiger Lily on Broadway in “Peter Pan” and played Minnie Fay in the original production of “Hello, Dolly!” Feb. 23.

Neil Sedaka, 86. The hit-making singer-songwriter’s boyish soprano and bright melodies made him a top act in the early years of rock ‘n’ roll and led to a second run of success in the 1970s. Feb. 27.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86. He assembled theocratic power in Iran over the decades as its top leader and sought to turn it into a regional powerhouse, bringing it into confrontation with Israel and the United States over its nuclear program while crushing democracy protests. He was killed in U.S. and Israeli military strikes. Feb. 28.

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MARCH

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Kermit Gosnell, 85. He was an abortion clinic doctor sentenced to life for killing three babies who had been delivered alive. March 1.

Lou Holtz, 89. He was the College Football Hall of Fame coach who led Notre Dame to the 1988 national championship and won 249 games over 33 seasons at six schools. March 4.

Bernard LaFayette, 85. He was the advance man who did the risky groundwork for the voter registration campaign in Selma, Alabama, that culminated in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. March 5.

“Country” Joe McDonald, 84. He was a hippie rock star of the 1960s whose “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-To-Die Rag” was a four-lettered rebuke to the Vietnam War that became an anthem for protesters and a highlight of the Woodstock music festival. March 8.

Alexander Butterfield, 99. He was the White House aide who inadvertently hastened Richard Nixon’s resignation over the Watergate scandal when he revealed that the president had bugged the Oval Office and Cabinet Room and routinely recorded his conversations. March 9.

Nicholas Haysom, 73. The white South African anti-apartheid activist was tapped by prisoner-turned-president Nelson Mandela to help draft the country’s new constitution that enshrined equal rights for Black people, minorities and white people. March 17.

Michael Bambang Hartono, 86. He was Indonesia’s richest man and helped turn the Djarum cigarette company into one of the country’s largest business empires. March 19.

Chuck Norris, 86. A martial arts grandmaster and action star, his roles in “Walker, Texas Ranger” and other television shows and movies made him an iconic tough guy — sparking internet parodies and adoration from presidents. March 19.

Umberto Bossi, 84. He was the founder of Italy’s populist Northern League and one of the most influential — and polarizing — figures of Italian politics. March 19.

Robert S. Mueller III, 81. He was the FBI director who transformed the nation’s premier law enforcement agency into a terrorism-fighting force after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and who later became special counsel in charge of investigating ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. March 20.

Nicholas Brendon, 54. He was an actor best known for his role as a loveable underdog sidekick on the hit television series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” His family said he died in his sleep of natural causes. March 20.

Lionel Jospin, 88. He was a former French prime minister who gave France its 35-hour work week and then withdrew from politics after leading France’s Socialist Party to an earth-shaking presidential election defeat against far-right firebrand Jean-Marie Le Pen. March 22.

Darrell “Dash” Crofts, 87. The singer-songwriter teamed with childhood friend Jim Seals for such 1970s soft-rock hits as “Summer Breeze,” “Diamond Girl” and “Get Closer.” March 25.

James Tolkan, 94. The actor was known for his roles as a cigar-chomping naval commander in “Top Gun” and a gruff high school administrator in “Back to the Future.” March 26.

Mary Beth Hurt, 79. The Tony Award-nominated actor starred on Broadway in “Benefactors” with Glenn Close and reunited with Close for the movie “The World According to Garp.” March 28.

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APRIL

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Jim Whittaker, 97. In 1963, he became the first American to reach the top of Mount Everest. April 7.

Sid Krofft, 96. He was the Canadian-born entertainment wizard who teamed with his brother and fellow puppeteer Marty Krofft to create such cult favorites as the children’s 1960s TV show “H.R. Pufnstuf.” April 10.

Lionel Rosenblatt, 82. As a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, he carried out an unauthorized evacuation of hundreds of Vietnamese citizens before the 1975 fall of Saigon. April 11.

Asha Bhosle, 92. She was one of India’s most versatile Bollywood singers whose performances shaped the country’s musical memory and modern cinema. April 12.

Bob Hall, 74. A childhood polio survivor, he became known as the father of wheelchair racing after twice winning the Boston Marathon and then going on to build racing chairs for the generations of competitors that followed. April 12.

Don Schlitz, 73. He was the storied country music songwriter known for such hits as “The Gambler,” “On the Other Hand” and “Forever and Ever, Amen.” April 16.

Oscar Schmidt, 68. The Basketball Hall of Famer was known to his Brazilian compatriots as the “Holy Hand.” April 17.

Nathalie Baye, 77. The French actor was a fan’s favorite for her down-to-earth charm and great versatility. April 17.

George R. Ariyoshi, 100. The former Hawaii governor was the nation’s first Asian American governor. April 19.

Dave Mason, 79. The co-founder of the psychedelic British band Traffic, he was the songwriter behind classic rock hits “Feelin’ Alright” and “Hole in My Shoe” and a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer. April 19.

Alan Osmond, 76. He was the eldest member of the chart-topping family act The Osmonds. April 20.

Nedra Talley Ross, 80. She was the last surviving member of the 1960s bee-hived pop band the Ronettes, who sang the enduring hits “Be My Baby,” “Baby I Love You” and “Walking in the Rain” alongside her cousins. April 26.

David Allan Coe, 86. He was the country singer-songwriter who wrote the working-class anthem “Take This Job and Shove It″ and had hits with “You Never Even Called Me By My Name” and “The Ride” among others. April 29.

J. Craig Venter, 79. He mapped the first draft of the human genome and helped scientists understand how genes shape our lives. April 29.

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MAY

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Alex Zanardi, 59. He was the Italian auto racing champion-turned-Paralympic gold medalist whose career was marked by two life-altering accidents. May 2.

Doris Fisher, 94. She co-founded the iconic clothing chain The Gap Inc. in 1969 with her late husband Don. May 2.

John Sterling, 87. The longtime New York Yankees radio broadcaster was known for extravagant, individualized home run calls. May 4.

Ted Turner, 87. He was the brash and outspoken television pioneer who built a media empire and transformed the news business by creating CNN and introducing the 24-hour cable news cycle. May 6.

Joni Lamb, 65. With her late husband, she founded the Daystar Television Network and guided it to become one of the world’s largest Christian TV networks. May 7.

Bobby Cox, 84. He was the folksy manager of the Atlanta Braves whose teams ruled the National League during the 1990s and gave the city its first major title as well as World Series trips that fell short. May 9.

Abraham H. Foxman, 86. He was a forceful advocate for American Jews as national director of the Anti-Defamation League for nearly three decades. May 10.

Jim Colbert, 85. He was renowned for wearing his bucket hat while winning eight times on the PGA Tour and 20 times on the PGA Tour Champions. May 10.

Mark Fuhrman, 74. He was the former Los Angeles police detective who was convicted of lying during testimony at the O.J. Simpson murder trial. May 12.

Jason Collins, 47. The NBA’s first openly gay player, he went on to become a pioneer for inclusion and an ambassador for the league. He died after an eight-month battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer. May 12.

Clarence Carter, 90. He was the blues and soul musician and singer-songwriter with the raspy, emotional vocals whose hits included the sentimental “Patches” and the salacious “Strokin.’” May 13.

Claudine Longet, 84. She was a French singer and actor who was at the center of a highly publicized manslaughter trial after she was charged with the fatal shooting of her boyfriend, Olympic skier Vladimir “Spider” Sabich. May 14.

Scott Hastings, 61. He was the Scotland rugby great who played alongside his older brother Gavin for the national team and the British and Irish Lions. May 17.

Toshifumi Suzuki, 93. The Japanese businessperson was credited with creating the 7-Eleven convenience-chain global retail empire. May 18.

Barney Frank, 86. The longtime Democratic congressman and leading liberal brought new visibility to gay rights and crafted the most significant reforms to the financial system in a generation. May 19.

Kyle Busch, 41. He was a two-time Cup Series champion who won more races than anyone across NASCAR’s three national series. His family said he died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis. May 21.

Rob Base, 59. The rapper was one half of the Harlem hip-hop duo Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock, best known for the 1988 chart-topper “It Takes Two.” He died after a battle with cancer. May 22.

Raymond Berry, 93. The Hall of Fame wide receiver teamed with Baltimore quarterback Johnny Unitas for one of the NFL’s greatest passing combinations and helped lead the Colts to victory over the New York Giants in the storied 1958 championship game. May 25.

Sonny Rollins, 95. He was the tenor saxophonist and restless genius whose bold, distinctive tone and constant experimentation kept him on the cutting edge of jazz for more than 50 years. May 25.

Marcia Lucas, 80. She won an Oscar as editor of the original 1977 “Star Wars” and was part of a group of women whose editing was essential to film’s New Hollywood era. May 27.

Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, 80. He was the internationally recognized president of Yemen who led a fractured government mostly from exile for eight years as the country descended into civil war and famine before stepping down in 2022. May 28.

Claude Lemieux, 60. He was a four-time Stanley Cup champion whose ferocious, hard-hitting style of play angered opponents and sometimes overshadowed his prodigious skills and ability to deliver in the biggest games. Authorities said he took his own life. May 28.

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JUNE

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Rick Adelman, 79. The Basketball Hall of Fame inductee played for seven NBA seasons before becoming one of the game’s all-time winningest coaches. June 1.

Peabo Bryson, 75. The two-time Grammy Award-winning R&B singer was best known as the voice behind the Oscar-winning Disney film duets “Beauty and the Beast” with Celine Dion and “A Whole New World” with Regina Belle from “Aladdin.” June 2.

Alex Younger, 62. The former MI6 spy chief led the U.K.’s foreign espionage agency, also known as the Secret Intelligence Service, from 2014 to 2020, and was one of the first holders of the post — code-named C — to be publicly named. June 2.

Ned Jarrett, 93. He was a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and longtime broadcaster. June 4.

Marjane Satrapi, 56. The acclaimed Iranian-French cartoonist and filmmaker was a prominent advocate for women’s rights and author of “Persepolis,” a coming-of-age tale set against the Islamic Revolution in her native Iran. June 4.

Carlos Alberto Solari, 77. He was the Argentine singer-songwriter known as “the Indio” who led Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota, one of the country’s most popular and influential rock groups. June 5.

Bernadette Chirac, 93. She was the steel-willed former first lady of France who spent 12 years at the Élysée Palace from 1995 to 2007 beside President Jacques Chirac — weathering his notorious infidelities with dry humor while building her own political power base in rural France. June 5.

Bob Packwood, 93. The former U.S. senator was a moderate Oregon Republican whose reputation as a champion of abortion and women’s rights was spoiled at the end of his career by allegations of sexual harassment. June 6.

Yohei Kono, 89. He was a veteran Japanese politician who as top government spokesperson offered a historic apology to Asian women over sexual abuses by Japan’s wartime military. June 8.

David Hockney, 88. He was a treasured British artist whose paintings of shimmering pools and colorful iPad drawings became icons of contemporary art. June 11.

Ronnie Schell, 94. He played the best friend to the title character on the 1960s sitcom “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.” and his gradual ascendancy in show business earned him the title of “America’s Slowest Rising Comedian.” June 12.

Gene Shalit, 100. A movie critic and arts reporter for the “Today” show over four decades, he was known for his puffy hair, oversized handlebar mustache and affection for groan-inducing puns. June 12.

Oliver Tree, 32. The eccentric American musician was known for viral stunts, alt-pop tracks like “Alien Boy” and “Life Goes On,” and his unconventional style. He died in a helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro. June 14.

Abdullah Ibrahim, 91. He was the globally celebrated South African jazz icon who performed at Nelson Mandela’s 1994 presidential inauguration. June 15.

Daveigh Chase, 35. The former child actor was known for her youthful voice in Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” and her villainous performance in the horror film “The Ring.” A medical examiner’s office said her death was caused by AIDS. June 16.

Tom Dreesen, 86. Along with partner Tim Reid, he formed one of America’s first interracial stand-up comedy duos and later spent years as Frank Sinatra’s opening act. June 17.

Francisco Guterres, 71. Widely known by his nom de guerre “Lu Olo,” the former president of East Timor was a leading figure in the country’s independence movement. June 21.

Abdul Ahad Momand, 67. The cosmonaut was Afghanistan’s first citizen in space. June 21.

Alan Greenspan, 100. The jazz-playing U.S. Federal Reserve chair was celebrated for engineering a decade of prosperity but later shared the blame for a devastating financial crisis. June 22.

Clive Davis, 94. The record company lawyer became one of the music industry’s most powerful figures, launching or resurrecting the careers of such superstars as Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana and Alicia Keys. June 22.

Ann Blyth, 98. The versatile Hollywood star received an Oscar nomination at 17 as Joan Crawford’s wayward daughter in “Mildred Pierce,” sang opposite Mario Lanza and Howard Keel in such MGM musicals as “The Great Caruso” and ended her film career before age 30. June 24.

David Clayton-Thomas, 84. He was the lead singer of Blood, Sweat & Tears whose husky, high-strung tenor on “Spinning Wheel,” “And When I Die” and other hits helped make the so-called “brass rock” band among the most popular acts of the late 1960s. June 24.

Martha Lillard, 78. She was the last U.S. polio patient using an iron lung. June 26.

Victor Willis, 74. He co-founded the Village People, co-wrote the disco group’s classic hits “Y.M.C.A.,” ″Macho Man” and “In the Navy,” and delighted crowds while dressed as the band’s helmeted and mustachioed police officer. June 30.

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JULY

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Stephen Francis, 64. He was the influential Jamaican track and field coach whose athletes won Olympic and world titles and helped turn the small Caribbean island into a sprinting powerhouse. July 4.

George E. Johnson Sr., 99. He was a pioneer in Black hair care whose multimillion dollar business was the first Black-owned company to be listed on the American Stock Exchange. July 6.

Bonnie Tyler, 75. She was the gravelly voiced, Grammy-nominated Welsh pop star whose 1983 chart-topping power ballad “Total Eclipse of the Heart” enchanted succeeding generations with its bombastic charms during solar and lunar eclipses. July 8.

Wally Funk, 87. The aviation pioneer was the oldest woman to launch into space. July 8.

Ann Widdecombe, 78. The former politician and reality TV contestant shocked the British political establishment, where she was long known for blunt-spoken socially conservative views opposing abortion and the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights. She was killed in what British authorities called a “targeted attack.” July 8.

Lindsey Graham, 71. The garrulous son of South Carolina pool hall owners rose to become a fixture on the global stage and one of the most prominent advocates of American military might in the U.S. Senate. A preliminary report from a medical examiner’s office said he died from a tear in his aorta stemming from the hardening of his arteries. July 11.

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, 74. As ruler of Qatar, he transformed the tiny Persian Gulf nation into a global player in diplomacy, media and investment, and then shattered tradition by voluntarily turning over power to his son. July 12.

Sam Neill, 78. He was the smoothly elegant and versatile actor whose prolific career moved from art films to blockbusters as he dodged velociraptors in “Jurassic Park” and played Holly Hunter’s cruel husband in “The Piano.” July 13.

Guy Scott, 82. He was the Zambian politician who briefly served as acting president to become Africa’s first white head of state in more than two decades. July 15.

Brenda Fricker, 81. She won an Academy Award for her role as Bridget Fagan Brown in the 1989 film “My Left Foot” and was known for her role as the “pigeon lady” in the 1992 film “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.” July 16.

Garry Sobers, 89. The graceful West Indian cricketer’s world-record test innings of 365 not out as a 21-year-old set him on the path to becoming arguably the sport’s greatest all-rounder. July 17.

R. James Woolsey, 84. The national security expert led the CIA for two turbulent years after his appointment by President Bill Clinton. July 21.

Charles Gaines, 84. The author’s book and documentary “Pumping Iron” helped bring professional bodybuilding into the mainstream and introduce Arnold Schwarzenegger to the world. July 21.

Kaylee Hottle, 18. The deaf actor was best known for her starring role in two “Godzilla” films. She died in a car crash in Maryland. July 21.

Kozo Okamoto, 78. The Japanese militant took part in a deadly attack on Tel Aviv’s airport more than five decades ago. July 23.

Gunther von Hagens, 81. The German anatomist generated both fascination and revulsion around the globe with his “Body Worlds” exhibits of preserved human corpses. July 24.

Bill Oddie, 85. He was a British comic actor who had a second career as a bird expert and wildlife presenter. July 25.

Gilberto Cárdenas, 79. He was a highly respected sociologist who many considered a great advocate for advancing Latino and Chicano identity through academia and art. July 26.

Arlene Smith, 84. She was one of the first “girl group” stars who as a teenager and a founder of the Chantels co-wrote and sang lead on the 1950s doo-wop classic “Maybe.” July 29.

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AUGUST

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Lloyd Robertson, 92. He served as chief anchor of CTV National News for 27 years and became one of Canada’s most trusted journalists on the country’s top-rated nightly television newscast. Aug. 4.

Ben Jones, 84. He played the good ol’ boy mechanic Cooter Davenport in “The Dukes of Hazzard” TV series and parlayed his fame into a political career and two terms in the U.S. House. Aug. 9.

Zhu Rongji, 97. A former Chinese premier, he was the impatient, sharp-tongued reformer who helped ignite China’s explosive economic boom by forcing wrenching change on state industry in the 1990s and leading the country into the World Trade Organization. Aug. 12.

Yayoi Kusama, 97. She was the Japanese artist who splashed her signature polka dots on paintings, sculptures and museum installations around the world. Aug. 14.

Tommy John, 83. He won 288 games during a 26-year big league career and became the first pitcher to successfully return following groundbreaking elbow surgery that later was named after him. Aug. 15.

Hayden Panettiere, 36. She was a onetime child star who soared to fame in the TV shows “Heroes” and “Nashville” while enduring struggles with alcohol addiction and depression. A South Carolina coroner said she died from an accidental overdose of several drugs. Aug. 16.

Frank Beard, 77. He was the drummer for the Texas boogie-rock trio ZZ Top who kept the tempo for the band’s biggest hits like “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’” and “Legs.” Aug. 18.

Bill Rasmussen, 93. He co-founded TV sports giant ESPN after hatching the idea for the world’s first all-sports cable network with his son. Aug. 18.

Nancy Kassebaum Baker, 94. The Kansas governor’s daughter became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate without following a spouse into office. Aug. 21.

Billy Boston, 92. The Welsh rugby league great blazed a trail for Black sportspeople in Britain during the 1950s and ’60s. Aug. 24.

Jaye P. Morgan, 94. She was one of the top female recording artists of the 1950s with five hits in 1955 alone, including “That’s All I Want From You,” and who later became a frequent talk show guest and game show panelist, infamously taking off her shirt on “The Gong Show.” Aug. 24.

Dolly Parton, 80. She was a country music icon whose soaring vibrato vocals, poignant songwriting and sparkling costumes defined her rise from a log cabin in the Tennessee mountains to the height of stardom and acclaim. Aug. 25.

Tim Curry, 80. He was a character actor who created a gallery of delicious, very loony villains for stage and screen, including Dr. Frank-N-Furter in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and the smug concierge in “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.” Aug. 25.

Peter Cullen, 85. He was a prolific voice actor who enlivened scores of TV series, specials and movies, including Optimus Prime in the syndicated 1984 series “Transformers” and Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh cartoon franchise. Aug. 26.

Ratko Mladic, 84. He was the bullish Bosnian Serb general whose forces besieged the Bosnian capital for several years in the 1990s and carried out the worst massacre in Europe since World War II. He died while serving a life sentence for his crimes. Aug. 27.

King Harald V of Norway, 89. He went into exile in the United States as a child during the Nazi occupation of his homeland and refused a string of potential brides from the European nobility so he could marry his longtime sweetheart. Aug. 28.

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SEPTEMBER

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Cassandra Wilson, 70. She was a two-time Grammy Award-winning jazz singer, songwriter and producer. Sept. 1.

Gloria Steinem, 92. She was a celebrated author and activist who became the most visible symbol of the U.S. women’s movement and remained a fierce and eloquent advocate for equality for six decades. Sept. 2.

Robin Morgan, 85. She was a wholesome child star of the 1940s and ’50s who grew up to become an all-American radical as a poet, essayist, editor and second-wave feminist. Sept. 5.

Tung Chee-hwa, 89. As Hong Kong’s first post-colonial leader, he struggled to cope with an Asian financial crisis and growing protests for democracy in the early years under Chinese rule. Sept. 8.

Barry Melrose, 70. He was a hockey player-turned-coach who led the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final before going on to a long career in broadcasting the sport. Sept. 9.

Isao Harimoto, 86. He was a baseball great who survived the Hiroshima atomic bomb and held Japan’s hits record. Sept. 9.

Emma Bonino, 78. She rose to political prominence as a leader of campaigns by the Radical Party that legalized abortion and divorce in the 1970s in heavily Roman Catholic Italy, against the objections of the Vatican. Sept. 11.

Bob Mackie, 87. He was a fashion designer whose visually provocative Hollywood style defined 1970s glamour, including putting Carol Burnett in some of her kookiest getups and Cher in her raciest ones. Sept. 14.

Peter Max, 88. His colorful, psychedelic pop art expressed the optimism of the “flower power” movement of the 1960s and graced everything from postage stamps to a cruise ship. Sept. 14.

Jon Kyl, 84. The former U.S. senator was a longtime Republican lawmaker from Arizona who shaped landmark water policies in the U.S. West and guided the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Sept. 16.

Bob Pettit, 93. He was an imposing scorer and rebounder for the St. Louis Hawks and winner of the NBA’s first Most Valuable Player award in 1956. Sept. 23.

Slinger Francisco, 91. One of calypso music’s most emblematic voices, he was known on stage as the Mighty Sparrow and dubbed the “Calypso King of the World.” Sept. 27.

Dennis Haskins, 75. The actor was best known for playing the affable Principal Richard Belding on the hit NBC sitcom “Saved by the Bell.” Sept. 27.

Gordon Johncock, 90. He was a two-time Indianapolis 500 champion and won 25 career IndyCar races. Sept. 28.

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OCTOBER

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Dennis Hastert, 84. His congressional legacy as the longest-serving Republican House speaker was later fouled by allegations that he had molested high school athletes during his prior career as a teacher and wrestling coach. Oct. 3.

Jim Bakker, 86. He, along with his first wife Tammy Faye, built an evangelical empire around the hugely successful “The PTL Club” TV show, only to lose it all over a sex scandal and financial crimes. Oct. 5.

Freddie Jackson, 70. The Grammy-nominated R&B singer was known for his smooth ’80s hits “Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)” and “You Are My Lady.” Oct. 5.

Fred Claire, 91. He parlayed early jobs as a sports writer and editor into a 30-year career with the Los Angeles Dodgers in public relations and as a World Series-winning general manager. Oct. 5.

Sam McDowell, 84. He was a six-time All Star who led the American League in strikeouts four times before becoming a counselor for athletes suffering from addiction issues and depression. Oct. 5.

Eva Marie Saint, 102. The pale, willowy actor won an Academy Award for her first movie, “On the Waterfront,” and starred opposite Cary Grant in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller “North by Northwest.” Oct. 6.

Dennis Franchione, 75. He was the longtime college football coach who turned around TCU before stops at Alabama and Texas A&M. Oct. 6.

When he and Edmund Hillary reached the summit of the world’s highest mountain on May 29, 1953, one of the first things Hillary did was take out his camera and aim it at his fellow climber, the Sherpa Norgay, as he waved an ice ax tied with flags for Britain, India, Nepal and the United Nations.

Since that moment, camera lenses have seldom been pointed at Norgay, or the many Sherpa who have followed in his history-making footsteps. But the new Apple Studios film “Tenzing,” directed by Jennifer Peedom, puts Norgay back in the center of the frame, telling the life story of the Nepalese-Indian Sherpa mountaineer.

“Tenzing’s story is the ultimate underdog heroic story but had been pushed to the margins,” Peedom says. “Everest occupied such a large part of our imaginations. It’s become this icon of human achievement, yet the story of one of the first men to climb to the summit was largely unknown.”

“Tenzing,” which opens Friday in theaters before streaming Oct. 16 on Apple TV, chronicles Norgay’s path leading up to Everest and the daring ascent that he and Hillary (played by Tom Hiddleston) made in 1953. Both were outsiders — Norgay was born in Tibet before moving to the Khumbu region of Nepal — in a British expedition led by Col. John Hunt (Willem Dafoe).

The film is a rousing mountain adventure and biopic but one made with uncommon authenticity. Tenzing’s son Norbu Tenzing is an executive producer. Cultural consultants Dr. Lhakpa Norbu Sherpa and Dr. Nima Namgyal Sherpa were leaned on. Most of the Sherpas portrayed in the film are played by real mountaineering Tibetan people.

And Norgay, a role shared across time frames, is principally played by Genden Phuntsok, a Chinese actor of Tibetan descent. Phuntsok had appeared in two acclaimed films by the Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden. But “Tenzing” is his first Hollywood film. To prepare for the role, he lived for 10 days with Phurba Tashi Sherpa, the subject of Peedom’s 2015 documentary “Sherpa.”

“From the top of the hill outside his village, you can see the top of Everest,” Phuntsok says. “All the people in the village were really kind to me. For them, Tenzing Norgay is their hero.”

Hiddleston's Hillary takes a supporting role

Hiddleston plays Hillary, the New Zealand climber, with the kind of dashing charisma that many Hollywood productions would have put front and center. Instead, “Tenzing,” about an international expedition, itself became an operation of multiculturalism. At the center is the friendship between Norgay and Hillary, a relationship forged on the southeast ridge of Everest and that continued after their ascent.

For Phuntsok and Hiddleston, making “Tenzing” was likewise a partnership.

“Genden and I saw Everest with our own eyes for the first time at the same time,” Hiddleston says. “Jennifer’s insistence and inspiration was for us to trek as far as we could toward base camp when we started.”

For Peedom, the terrain was familiar. The Australian filmmaker has spent much of her career as a documentarian shedding light on the Sherpa, including “Sherpa,” about the avalanche in the Khumbu Icefall that killed 16 Nepali mountain workers. To her, it was surprising that more documentarians hadn’t focused on Sherpa stories before her.

“Being a young camera operator, I’d notice the extent to which the Sherpa were written out of the story or would end up on the cutting room floor,” Peedom says.

“Tenzing” crucially reorients the ascent of Everest as less a conquering of nature than a spiritual quest. The historic Tibetan name for the mountain is Chomolungma, and, for Norgay, climbing it was a religious experience. For Phuntsok, it was similar.

“In my culture, this is a holy mountain,” Phuntsok says. “The first time you see it, it looks small because it’s very far away. I thought, ‘My god, Tenzing summited that.’”

Hiddleston believes Norgay’s legacy is not just his feat of mountaineering but this regard for nature as something to pay homage to, not conquer.

“We can learn a huge amount from the spiritual attitude toward the mountains as presented in this film, especially by Tenzing,” Hiddleston says. “The respect for the mountains by Tenzing and the Sherpas is the respect afforded to a goddess, to a divine presence of magnificence and power in front of which you feel only humility and awe.”

“I hope the film stands as a testament to the beauty of Nepal and the beauty of the culture there, and reminds us of our delicate balance with nature,” he adds.

‘Tenzing’ opens in the wake of tragedy in Nepal

That balance was tragically felt in August when a deadly flood tore through a Himalayan river valley in Nepal. The destruction, in which at least 1,400 people were killed, was set off by a 2,000-foot-wide (609.6-meter-wide) chunk of ice that broke off a mountain glacier due to the effects of climate change.

Last month, Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah addressed the U.N. General Assembly, noting that Nepal, where electricity is overwhelmingly generated from hydropower, has contributed less than one-tenth of 1% of the heat-trapping gases behind climate change. He called it “not just a local tragedy, but a warning to the world.”

As Peedom has screened “Tenzing” at fall festivals, she has reminded viewers of the tragedy in Nepal, and the possibility of more like it to come.

“Those mountains are starting to crumble,” Peedom says. “There are 15,000 glaciers alone in Nepal, 1,500 of them have glacier lakes in front of them. When those things collapse, there’s going to be more and more of these catastrophes.”

Meanwhile, record numbers of climbers ascend Everest. After China closed the ascent route from Tibet, numbers swelled on the Nepal side. Kami Rita Sherpa, a renowned guide who has summited the mountain more than 30 times, urged authorities to limit the endless stream of climbers on Everest. In May, a record 274 climbers reached the summit in a single day.

Saint, whose acting work lasted well into her 90s, died at her home in Los Angeles on Tuesday, confirmed family representative Jeff Sanderson.

Saint had one of the most spectacular debuts in Hollywood history, as the love interest of Marlon Brando’s tormented Terry Malloy in “On the Waterfront,” and her first trip to the Academy Awards was memorable too. Pregnant with her first child, Saint accepted her Oscar from Frank Sinatra and smilingly murmured a unique winner's speech: “I think I may have the baby right here.” (Her son, Darrell, was born two days later.)

The award for the 1954 classic made her an instant star, but she soon astonished Hollywood with a firm independence that would mark her career. She refused offers of studio contracts and declined chances to follow up on her great success, explaining that she was taking time off to become acquainted with her new son. (A daughter, Laurette, was born in 1958.)

A curated career

In her first decade in Hollywood, Saint appeared in a mere seven films. She declined such top-level productions as “The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit” with Gregory Peck, “Summer and Smoke” with Laurence Harvey and “The Rainmaker” with Burt Lancaster. She credited her husband, TV and stage director Jeffrey Hayden, with persuading her to star in Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest,” the classic 1959 thriller in which Saint plays a spy who seduces Grant, but ends up falling for him.

“I vividly remember him saying, ‘Honey, I think you should find a quiet spot. I’ll take care of the children and I want you to really think about this and reread this script,’” she told Vanity Fair in 2014. “He was so right. And that’s what husbands are for.”

Instead of being put off by her selectivity, studios continued offering her starring roles in such films as “Exodus” (with Newman), “Raintree County” (Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift) and “All Fall Down,” with Warren Beatty.

She turned more to television in the 1970s and enjoyed renewed popularity in the 1980s as the mother of Cybill Shepherd in the hit sitcom “Moonlighting” and as Tom Hanks’ mother in the film comedy “Nothing in Common.” She won an Emmy for the 1990 miniseries “People Like Us,” and had roles in such 21st century movies as “Because of Winn-Dixie,” “Superman Returns” and “Winter’s Tale,” adapted from Mark Helprin's novel of the same name. In 2021, she played Marisa Tomei's aunt in the brief audio play “The Bus Ride,” part of “The Pack Podcast.”

Saint was married to Hayden for 65 years, until his death in 2016.

That was her real name

When Saint emerged in the public consciousness, many believed her theatrical-sounding name must have been invented. She was born with it on July 4, 1924, in Newark, New Jersey. The family moved to Delmar, a small town near Albany, New York, where her father was a Goodrich Rubber Co. manager. Eva's goal was to become a third-grade teacher like her mother, but at Bowling Green State University in Ohio she tried out for a play and won the leading role.

After graduation, she lived with her parents and began hunting for acting jobs in Manhattan. After a fruitless year, she landed a two-line role as a telephone operator on a radio drama and soon was working steadily on soap operas and nighttime dramas, appearing for two years as Claudia on “One Man's Family.” Network television was booming in the early 1950s, and her looks and dramatic sense made her a favorite with casting people and producers.

She credited Lee Strasberg with helping her overcome shyness

A critical turn in Saint's career came when she auditioned before Elia Kazan and was accepted into the Actors Studio, which shaped a generation of method-actor stars. She credited acting coach Lee Strasberg with helping her overcome her shyness.

“Lee Strasberg, when he got to know me a little bit, gave me a scene to do where I had to cry in front of my peers,” she told The Santa Barbara Independent in 2009. “I worried about it, I worked on it, I tried to use what I was learning at the studio. I finally did the scene, and I cried, and my peers were crying with me. It was just an incredible moment for me.”

Saint was rejected for the single female role in the play “Mister Roberts,” but was hired to understudy the actor chosen, Jocelyn Brando, Marlon's sister. In six frustrating months Saint never got to substitute for Brando. She finally made it to Broadway in “A Trip to Bountiful,” which she had played on television.

Kazan invited her to try out for the female lead in “On the Waterfront” by improvising a scene with Brando. She was told to try to stop a young man from entering her apartment. She told the Los Angeles Times in 2001: “All I know is that Marlon got in the door and turned on the music. We started dancing. He flicked my skirt. Kazan saw the sparks fly, and that's how I got the part.”

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Thomas, a former Associated Press Hollywood correspondent who died in 2014, was the primary writer of this obituary.

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This story has been corrected to show that Saint and Hayden were married for 65 years, not 55.

The merger brings two of America’s oldest moviemaking studios together under a new name: Skydance.

HBO Max, titles ranging from “Harry Potter” to “Sinners” and networks such as CNN now also find themselves under the same roof as Paramount+, CBS and the likes of “Top Gun” and “The Godfather.” All are under the helm of billionaire David Ellison and his new co-CEO Ynon Kreiz.

“Today is a historic day, not just for Skydance but for our entire industry,” Ellison said. “We couldn’t be more excited to get to work.”

Ellison’s Skydance bought Paramount for $8 billion last year before setting its sights on Warner. What followed erupted into a tumultuous, roughly yearlong fight over the storied Hollywood giant. Including billions of dollars in debt, the acquisition amounts to nearly $111 billion.

The now-combined Skydance marks one of the biggest tie-ups in media and entertainment history, further concentrating power in an industry already run by just a handful of big players. Politics also loomed over much of the process. The Ellison family has notably held a long relationship with Republican President Donald Trump, who said Tuesday that Skydance is “going to be a great company.”

Netflix gets into a bidding war with Paramount for Warner

The early days of Paramount's quest for Warner turned into a messy bidding war.

Months after disclosing it was open to selling all or part of its business, Warner initially struck a studio and streaming deal with Netflix in December.

But Paramount said it also had made offers that Warner management “never engaged meaningfully” with. It soon launched a hostile counterbid.

The Hollywood giants spent much of early 2026 in a heated back-and-forth over who had a stronger offer, with Warner leadership repeatedly backing Netflix as its preferred suitor. But Netflix bowed out after Paramount eventually upped its offer to buy all of Warner for $31 per share.

Warner and Paramount inked a mutual merger agreement in late February.

Hollywood stars made their thoughts known

Hollywood was closely watching the fight over Warner's future. From awards shows to online petitions, A-list celebrities and other creatives made their voices known.

In April, thousands of movie stars, writers, directors and other professionals announced their “unequivocal opposition” to the Paramount-Warner merger. An open letter — which was signed by long-outspoken critics of the deal like Jane Fonda and Mark Ruffalo, as well as Hollywood heavyweights from Denis Villeneuve to J.J. Abrams — warned of fewer jobs and “less choice for audiences in the United States and around the world.”

Others lined up to back Paramount as Ellison reiterated his commitments to the movies. At CinemaCon, the company debuted a glossy mini movie about the studio directed by Jon M. Chu and narrated by Tom Cruise — who ended the spot atop the iconic Paramount water tower, with the words “the future is paramount and the future looks pretty great from here.” Director James Cameron also doubled down on his support of Ellison.

The prospect of a new Warner owner also loomed over awards season, from #BlockTheMerger pins to more subtle nods in acceptance speeches. When accepting her Emmy last month, “Remarkably Bright Creatures” actor Sally Field — who also signed the open letter in opposition to the Paramount-Warner deal — stressed that “unique storytelling matters” and “we can’t let those voices be silenced, or compromised or merged.”

Many industry critics were also outspoken when Netflix's studio and streaming deal was on the table, with a particular focus on the future of movies staying in theaters.

Trump has attacked CNN

Critics are also watching what happens with CNN under Skydance.

Trump has regularly attacked reporting he deems unfavorable at CNN (most recently attempting to bar the outlet from the White House altogether). And over the course of the Warner buyout, his administration also chimed in about hopes for a new owner.

Days after Paramount launched its hostile bid for Warner, Trump said CNN spread “poison and lies” and that it was “imperative” the network be sold. The White House took aim again at CNN in March, over the network's coverage of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters that “the sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.”

Ellison has said editorial independence will be maintained at CNN. On Tuesday, he told reporters that the company had "not talked to any political leader of any party about news — other than to say that we want to be in the truth business and we want be in the trust business.”

Skydance is retaining Mark Thompson as CNN’s editor-in-chief. And under a settlement finalized last month with states that had sued over the takeover, the company agreed to form a “News Editorial Independence Board.”

Still, critics point to turmoil already seen at CBS under Skydance ownership and aren’t convinced this new body will be able to do much. The company’s corporate board will oversee appointments.

Ellison has maintained a close relationship with Trump overall. He reportedly hosted a dinner in Washington in Trump’s honor in April, on the same day Warner shareholders gave their green light for the merger. In June, just two days after the Justice Department said it wouldn't intervene in the deal, Ellison attended an Ultimate Fighting Championship match on the White House lawn for Trump’s 80th birthday (streamed by Paramount+).

“We have a good relationship with this administration,” Ellison noted Tuesday. But he said he "also had a really good relationship” with Democratic President Joe Biden, among other politicians.

3 Gulf countries helped back the deal

To help fund its Warner buyout, Paramount racked up billions of dollars in financial backing from three Gulf countries: Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The Federal Communications Commission approved the company’s request for sizable indirect ownership from those foreign investors.

Paramount previously disclosed it expected those funds to indirectly own nearly 50% of equity interests — but no voting rights — of Skydance. But the company asked for clearance of up to 100% to account for potential future investments, which the FCC granted, citing in part that access to more capital would strengthen the broadcast industry and was therefore “in the public interest.”

The FCC’s sole Democratic commissioner, Anna Gomez, and other critics have called the move alarming and unprecedented. They argue that amount of money opens the door to behind-the-scenes influence.

Legal fights stalled the deal

Paramount cleared antitrust hurdles for its Warner acquisition from the Justice Department and regulators worldwide over the summer.

But in July, Democratic attorneys general from 12 states — led by California's Rob Bonta — sued to block the merger, alleging the combined company would “extinguish competition” and lead to fewer choices for consumers, particularly movie theatergoers and cable customers.

The Writers Guild of America followed suit.

Settlements emerged in September. The states' terms, approved by a judge, include pledges from the company to increase film production in the U.S. over the next five years, commit millions of dollars to a fund aimed at supporting workers displaced by the merger and establish new editorial monitoring of CNN and CBS.

Critics said the remedies were too weak, but the settlements cleared the way for the deal to close.

After a tumultuous, roughly yearlong process, Skydance-owned Paramount closed its $81 billion buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery on Tuesday. And beyond Hollywood, the mega merger brings two titans of the American TV news landscape — CBS and CNN — under the same roof.

On the eve of the deal's completion, Skydance confirmed that CNN's Mark Thompson will stay on as editor-in-chief of the network — separate from CBS, where Bari Weiss remains at the helm. But how the combined company's news operations will look farther down the road is yet to be seen.

Politics are also top of mind. The billionaire family of Skydance CEO David Ellison has a cozy relationship with President Donald Trump — who has been far from shy about targeting coverage he deems unfavorable from both CNN and CBS. Last month, his administration moved to bar CNN from the White House. And the network's new ownership arrives as coverage ramps up less than a month ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Ellison has pledged to maintain “complete” editorial independence. Under a recent settlement with states that challenged the merger, the company also agreed to establish new monitoring of CBS and CNN by forming a “News Editorial Independence Board” within 180 days.

Still, Skydance's corporate leaders will choose who sits on this board. And critics warn of the consequences of industry consolidation overall.

CNN's editor-in-chief remains

Skydance announced Monday that Thompson — who has been CNN's chair and CEO since 2023 — would continue to lead the network. In a staff memo published by Business Insider and others, Thompson said he had “real confidence” Ellison and other Skydance leaders “will fully support the principle and practice of the kind of independent news that CNN has always stood for.”

Thompson, a former chief executive of the BBC and The New York Times, acknowledged that some details of how CNN will operate have yet to be finalized — but said he planned to lead the network “with the same responsibilities and prerogatives that I have now.”

CBS News and its hallmark “60 Minutes” program have already seen ample editorial turmoil since coming under Skydance ownership last year. For critics of those changes, news of Thompson staying at CNN marks a meaningful safeguard, but some experts cautioned that time will tell.

“Both CNN and CBS News will ultimately sit under the same corporate ownership, and ownership can exert influence in ways that are much more subtle than directly telling an editor what stories to cover," said J. Christopher Hamilton, an associate professor at Syracuse University.

The long-term question “is whether that independence remains intact when it becomes costly or uncomfortable for the parent company,” he added.

Charles Schreger, an adjunct professor at NYU's Leonard N. Stern School of Business, expects Thompson not to be influenced by politics — and said he doesn't think Skydance would keep the executive on if the company didn't "have the intention of letting him operate (CNN) in a neutral way.”

New editorial monitoring

According to court documents, the new editorial independence body will include five “active or retired” journalists with at least 10 years of experience.

Still, those members will all be appointed by and report to the combined company's board of directors. Ellison is staying in Skydance's top chairman spot.

“While it is termed independent, it is going to be filled with members appointed by Paramount,” said Megan Duncan, an associate professor of journalism at Virginia Tech's School of Communication. She predicts that will “lessen the teeth of this board."

Per the settlement, the board's responsibilities include establishing a set of “guiding editorial principles” based on CBS and CNN's standards and practices, resolving “any disputes” between both employees at the two networks and corporate management and “monitoring adherence to ethical journalism.”

“We’re gonna make sure that CNN and CBS News are completely editorially independent,” Ellison reiterated Tuesday, during a media event alongside his new co-CEO Ynon Kreiz.

When asked in particular about conversations with Trump, Ellison later added “we have not talked to any political leader of any party about news — other than to say that we want to be in the truth business and we want to be in trust business.”

‘Disappointed that we could not do more’

Top prosecutors like California Attorney General Rob Bonta — who led the coalition of 12 states that initially sought to block the Paramount-Warner merger — have said this new board will help “ensure independent, objective, fact-based reporting."

Still, others wished the settlement could've gone further. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong wanted a full divestiture of CNN and CBS and said last month he was “deeply disappointed that we could not do more.”

Meanwhile, while joining the rest of the states in the wider settlement, Colorado and Washington notably declined to sign off on the editorial board terms.

Separately, as part of a settlement with Hollywood writers, the Writers Guild of America said Paramount also agreed to prohibit writer layoffs specifically at CBS News Broadcast for the next five years.

Experts like Duncan stress it will be important to keep an eye on any future job cuts — or merging of future resources in the name of profits.

That might look like CNN and “60 Minutes" being able to share findings from one high-profile interview, for example, she explains. A consequence could be fewer approaches to report on important stories.

“The more news that we have that is competing for an audience’s credibility and attention, the better off we are as a democracy,” Duncan said. She also pointed to CNN's robust international coverage today, and warned there might be cuts to that reporting if the company chooses to focus on consolidating its U.S. audience — which could have an outsized impact on “our first draft of history.”

Sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are also set to hold sizable indirect ownership stakes of the now-combined Skydance. These investors don't have voting interests in the company, but critics say the money opens the door to potential behind-the-scenes influence overall.

Trump and CNN

Last month, Trump barred CNN — as well as Politico and MS NOW — from the White House due to what he called unfavorable coverage. All three outlets since filed a joint lawsuit, and are continuing to fight their case in court.

CNN has long attracted ire from the Republican president and members of his administration. Earlier this year, the White House attacked CNN for its coverage of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran — and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters that “the sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.”

CBS has faced its own attacks from Trump, too. Skydance’s 2025 acquisition of Paramount was approved by the Federal Communications Commission just weeks after the company agreed to pay Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit over editing at the network's “60 Minutes” program.

Back in December, just days after Paramount launched its then-hostile bid for Warner, Trump said that CNN spread “poison and lies” and that it was “imperative” the network be sold.

He applauded the merger's closing more broadly on Tuesday — saying Skydance is “going to be a great company.”

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Associated Press writer Laurie Kellman in London contributed.

Today on Texas Eats NOW:

ON THE MENU | WAGYU FACTORY

11745 I-10 Ste 414, San Antonio, TX 78230

Wagyu Factory is an all-you-can-eat hot pot and barbecue concept on San Antonio’s northwest side. The restaurant sets itself apart with premium Wagyu beef sourced from three different countries — Japan, Australia, and the United States — all included in one flat price. Beyond the grills, the experience extends to a fully stocked buffet, self-serve soft-serve ice cream, a customizable sauce bar, and an on-site arcade featuring free-play Street Fighter.

The menu covers an impressive range, with options like American Wagyu steak, Australian Wagyu thin slices, A5 top round, black pepper beef cubes, and Texas Wagyu brisket available at dinner. Guests can also grill squid, shrimp, chicken meatballs, and pork belly — both thick-cut and thinly sliced — alongside marinated pork belly finished with green onion oil. Hot prepared items include chow mein, Italian kimchi pasta, Wagyu beef stir fry, and the guest-favorite Wagyu fried rice, while the sushi station features smoked salmon rolls, white tail, and a spicy salmon roll wrapped in tofu skin.

FOOD NEWS | WILLIAM HANSON

David Elder took a look at William Hanson, a viral British etiquette expert who “educates” the masses on the proper way to eat, drink, and portray yourself in social settings. For example, William would never eat a banana with his hands, instead he would recommend using a fork and knife to cut open the peel and extract the flesh inside. In fact, William went as far as to write a book on proper etiquette titled, “Just Good Manners”. Of course, some would say that William’s advice is pretentious, but others would simply call it, “Just Good Manners” at the end of the day.

DAYCATION DESTINATIONS | RUSSO’S DUBAI CHOCOLATE BACON

Fair Park, 3809 Grand Ave., Dallas, TX 75210

Fat Bacon by Russo’s is a beloved State Fair of Texas concession stand built around one star ingredient: thick-cut bacon. Known for turning the humble strip of pork into a canvas for bold, creative flavor combinations, the stand has earned a loyal following over the years through its award-winning cotton candy bacon — a viral sensation that wraps salty bacon in clouds of spun sugar. This year, David tried Russo’s Dubai Chocolate Bacon and their Bacon Jam Caramel Apple Cider, both of which were incredible.

David then tried this year’s savory winner, the Burger Chop Tater Taco, a shell made of flattened tater tots with a crunchy cheese crust, filled with ground beef, coleslaw, cilantro, onions and a chipotle sauce. He then tried Flamin’ Crunch Pizza, a top five bite topped with hot Cheetos over cheese pizza, with a creaminess and crunch that hold up to the over-the-top presentation. Both of these memorable over-the-top bites definitely didn’t disappoint.

WILL IT SLUSHY? | RED BULL VS. MONSTER

This time on WILL IT SLUSHY, David Elder put to test the two titans of the energy drink game, Red Bull and Monster. Monster slushied well as the consistency was velvety and the taste was more refined than the average canned Monster drink. Red Bull, on the other hand, didn’t fare as well. Red Bull slushied into a chunkier consistency and lost most of it’s sweet taste. The winner was clear: Monster slushied far better than Red Bull.

TRY IT TUESDAY | MICROWAVE EGG BITES

On this week’s “Try It Tuesday,” David Elder put Nordic Ware’s microwave egg bites to the test, and the gadget lived up to its promises. The gadget claimed that it could cook egg bites, with or without toppings, in the microwave in under 5 minutes. Elder decided to fill up his egg bites with ham and cheese, and the end result was marvelous. The egg bites and their fillings were fully cooked by the microwave, and the gadget did exactly what it promised it would.

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U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan did not immediately rule on ABC’s request for a preliminary injunction prohibiting the Federal Communications Commission from conducting its early review, which it said was unconstitutional, a violation of free speech and a retaliation for content President Donald Trump dislikes.

A government attorney argued that, as a procedural matter, the court doesn’t have jurisdiction over ABC’s case because it belongs in a different venue. The government also challenged the network’s First Amendment arguments, and said ABC had failed to show it suffered irreparable harm.

A ruling was not expected until at least mid-October. After extensively questioning both sides, she asked them to submit brief additional arguments by Oct. 9, for the government, and Oct. 14, for ABC.

ABC and its parent company, Disney, sued the FCC and FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr in August, several months after the commission ordered eight ABC-owned stations to submit renewal applications for their broadcast licenses years ahead of schedule.

The case is one of several ongoing legal battles between Trump’s Republican administration and news outlets — including The Associated Press — over their coverage and access to the executive branch since Trump returned to the White House for a second term.

At Tuesday's two-hour hearing, ABC attorney Beth Wilkinson harkened back to the French Revolution to illustrate what she called the chilling effect that the renewal process was having on the network. It was, she said, like having one's “head on the guillotine,” forced to wonder “if anything we say is going to make it come down.”

“Our editorial decisions are being affected right now,” Wilkinson said, noting that the U.S. midterm elections are fast approaching. “We are watching everything that we do.”

She reiterated the First Amendment argument ABC has been making since the beginning — that it was being targeted for its content. “President Donald Trump has made his stance clear over and over again,” Wilkinson said. “What he says is because of that content, because of that speech, ABC should lose its license.

“These are blatant violations of the U.S. Constitution,” she said, calling it a threat not just to ABC but to all broadcast media.

Dimitar Georgiev-Remmel, the Department of Justice attorney, explicitly rejected the guillotine analogy.

Georgiev-Remmel argued that the court lacked jurisdiction, but that even if it decided it had jurisdiction, a preliminary injunction should still be denied. He said ABC had not established a likelihood of success on the merits of the case, and also had not established irreparable harm, because the network’s eight licenses remain valid.

Issuing a preliminary injunction at ABC’s request would mean “allowing them to sidestep” the path that Congress has set up for regulatory action appeals, Georgiev-Remmel said.

Asked by the judge what irreparable harm ABC had suffered, Wilkinson answered: “The irreparable injury is the chill, and the threat of retaliation for First Amendment speech and editorial decisions ABC makes every day.”

In its lawsuit, ABC had asked the judge to temporarily prohibit the FCC from taking any further action related to its license renewal proceedings. ABC also sought to prohibit the commission from trying to coerce or threaten the network to alter its “exercise of editorial discretion.”

“The First Amendment demands an immediate end to the Commission’s retaliatory campaign,” ABC attorneys wrote.

Carr, a Trump ally, ordered the early review of the stations’ licenses in April — just after a joke by ABC’s late-night host Jimmy Kimmel infuriated Trump, who called for the comedian's firing.

ABC also had been fighting Carr’s efforts to make the morning talk show “The View” subject to equal-time rules. Carr defended his agency’s actions against ABC by saying broadcasters have a duty to “operate in the public interest.”

Government attorneys urged the court to dismiss ABC’s lawsuit, accusing the network of trying to prematurely ward off scrutiny by federal regulators.

“To foreclose the Commission from using all the tools at its disposal to investigate whether Plaintiffs are meeting their statutory and regulatory duties would seriously harm both the government and the public,” Justice Department lawyers wrote.

AliKhan was nominated to the bench by President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

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Noveck reported from New York, and Boone from Boise, Idaho.

Tuesday's announcement by the National Book Foundation of five nominees in each of five competitive categories has at least one notable omission: Marlon James' “The Disappearers,” a Booker Prize finalist praised by The New York Times as among the century's best releases. James' novel, centered around the vicious beating of a group of gay men in Jamaica in the 1980s, had been on the National Book Awards fiction longlist of 10 released last month.

Winners, each of whom receive $10,000, will be revealed during a Nov. 18 dinner ceremony in Manhattan. Honorary medals will be presented to Salman Rushdie and Perri Klass.

Danticat's “Dèy” and Luiselli's “Beginning Middle End” are fiction finalists in a category of wide-ranging characters, subjects and locations. Danticat's story of a mass shooting attack and its aftermath takes place in Miami, Haiti and Brooklyn, while Hannah Lillith Assadi's “Paradiso 17” follows the worldwide journey of an exiled Palestinian. Luiselli's family narrative spans generations and continents and Julián Delgado Lopera's “Pretend You’re Dead and I Carry You” is set in Colombia. In Morgan Thomas' “Mad Eden,” a transgender healthcare worker in Florida struggles for stability in an unfriendly world.

Knausgaard, the Norwegian author with a wide international following, is a finalist in the translation category for “The School of Night,” translated by Martin Aitken. Other nominees include Vicente Luis Mora's “Centroeuropa,” translated from the Spanish by Rahul Bery; Intan Paramaditha's “Night of a Thousand Hells,” translated from the Indonesian by Stephen J. Epstein and Tiffany Tsao; Mohamed Mbougar Sarr's “Pure Men,” translated from the French by Lara Vergnaud; and Samar Yazbek's “Your Presence Is a Danger to Your Life: Voices of Survival and Witness in Gaza,” translated from the Arabic by Leri Price.

In nonfiction, Colin Asher is a finalist for “The Midnight Special: The Secret Prison History of American Music,” Abdelrahman ElGendy for “Huna: A Memoir of Revolution, Prison, and Becoming,” Camonghne Felix for “Let the Poets Govern: A Declaration of Freedom,” Sara Nović for “Mother Tongue” and Joseph Osmundson for “Spawning Season: An Experiment in Queer Parenthood.”

David Levithan, a finalist for young people's literature, is among a small circle of book editors who also have accomplished careers as authors, including Jenny Jackson at Alfred A. Knopf and Jill Bialosky at W.W. Norton & Company. Levithan is an editorial director at Scholastic and a prolific writer nominated this year for “The Fight of Our Lives: AIDS in America,” a collaboration with Gabriel Duckels.

The other young people's literature finalists are Elana K. Arnold's “Holloway,” Tae Keller's “When Tomorrow Burns,” Keala Kendall's “That Which Feeds Us: A Hawaiian Gothic” and Julian Randall's “Shook.”

In poetry, the nominees are Victoria Chang's “Tree of Knowledge,” Carolina Ebeid's “Hide,” Brenda Hillman's “Still House in the Desert: An eco-contemplation,” Fady Joudah's “Exhibit G: Poems, Essays, and Photographs of Gaza” and Susan Stewart's “Bramble.”