Some father–son duos are elated just to win men’s doubles pickleball tournaments together, but not these guys: About 37 days after David Ellison’s Skydance Media bought Paramount, he’s preparing a mostly cash bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, according to industry insiders. And most of the money is coming from his dad, Larry, the co-founder of Oracle.

Why? Bernstein analyst Laurent Yoon told the Financial Times that David buying a second legacy Hollywood studio on the heels of his first represents a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for him to become a true movie mogul.

There’s just one little issue. WBD is actively engaged in unwinding its Discovery–WarnerMedia merger so that its lucrative streaming and studios can be consolidated into one company (to be called…“Warner Bros.”) and money-losing linear TV assets could get booted to another.

But the Ellisons want it all

And that fact may reshape Hollywood.

In a recent piece, Variety wondered why Paramount would want “the baggage” of the undivided company, but the Financial Times reasoned that David Ellison may buy the cable content to feed to his streamers.

Additionally, by making an attractive offer for both the baby and the bath water, the Ellisons could preempt a bidding war. Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and others are all expected to submit offers for the Warner Bros. studios-and-streamer company if WBD completes its split. It’s unclear if they can spend the kind of money Larry Ellison can if the debt-ridden company stays intact.

Wells Fargo media analyst Steve Cahall wrote that Warner Bros. “will be the only large IP asset for sale at a time when most studios/streamers have big aspirations.”

Zoom out: The Ellisons’ exact motivations for building are unknown. Business Insider Correspondent Peter Kafka wrote that their WBD plan resembled Elon Musk’s “best and final” offer to acquire what was then known as Twitter.

Larry Ellison is the second-richest man in the world, and David, the founder of Skydance, has a long-established interest in Hollywood. They only seem to be asking, “Why not?”—HVL

Charlie Kirk’s memorial is set for Sunday, and other updates. The conservative activist’s public memorial will take place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ, on Sept. 21. On Friday, President Trump confirmed that he would attend. Utah Governor Spencer Cox said the assassination suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, is “not cooperating” with investigators. Cox said on Sunday morning news shows that a motive was still being determined, and that more information may come out when charges are filed and Robinson appears in court tomorrow. Vice President JD Vance announced last night that he will host The Charlie Kirk Show today from the White House at noon ET to “pay tribute to my friend.”

Utah governor calls social media “evil” and a “cancer.” Yesterday on NBC, Gov. Spencer Cox said, “I believe that social media has played a direct role in every single assassination and assassination attempt that we have seen over the last five, six years. Cancer probably isn’t a strong enough word.” He also called the executives behind social media companies “conflict entrepreneurs” and that it took decades “to realize how evil these algorithms are.” The governor also said that alleged shooter Tyler Robinson had a “leftist ideology,” and spent large amounts of time in the “dark corners of the internet.” The state of Utah passed some social media laws to protect minors, most recently in 2024, but they have not taken effect since a federal judge temporarily blocked them.

The Pitt, The Studio, took home top Emmy Awards. “Chaotic workplace shows” have not only become “comfort TV,” as the Wall Street Journal reported, but also award winners. Apple TV+’s The Studio won 13 honors, including Seth Rogen’s first Emmy for best actor in a comedy and best comedy series. HBO Max’s The Pitt won five awards, including the coveted best drama series trophy. Each episode covers an hour during one shift in an ER, which some viewers in the medical profession find hits too close to work. One of The Studio’s showrunners, Peter Huyck, told the WSJ before the awards ceremony, “What we’re all drawing on is our own personal experiences in this town [Hollywood], and the stress we carry every day.” See the complete list of Primetime Emmy Award winners here.—HVL

Electric vehicles have been gaining market share on gas-powered cars, but, ironically, EVs may be running low on fuel. That’s because a massive federal incentive is expiring this month, leaving customers to consider whether a higher price is still worth the charge.

Electric feel. EVs have slowly been working their way onto US roads for years, but they showed an extra spark these past few months. According to the consultancy group Cox Automotive:

• A record 146,000 EVs were sold in the US in August—a 9.9% share of the market.
• Used EV sales were up a whopping 40% in July, year over year.
• Multiple companies shared in the success, with one major outlier: Tesla, which saw its year over year US sales drop 6.7% last month.

The electric sun may be setting. In July, Congress pulled the plug on a $7,500 federal tax credit for new US-made EVs. So, a lot of the recent sales surge can be explained by buyers racing to take advantage of the incentive before it expires on September 30.

Bottom line: Last year, automotive consulting firm AutoPacific estimated that EVs would make up about 25% of all vehicles sold in the US by 2029. Now, it’s projecting they will make up just 12% by then.—BC

The Fed will likely cut interest rates on Wednesday: Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is widely expected to announce a rate cut at the conclusion of the central bank’s two-day meeting. Inflation ticked up last month, complicating the Fed’s math a little bit, but a softening labor market is expected to seal the deal. It’s been nine months since the Fed changed interest rates, despite pressure (and threats) from President Trump to cut them. Now, the administration is trying to convince a federal appeals court that Trump has the power to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook, asking for a decision before the Fed meeting starts on Tuesday.

Fourth round of US–China trade talks: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other US representatives are in Madrid talking trade with Chinese officials. The two sides met for almost six hours yesterday, a senior Treasury official told Bloomberg, noting that TikTok has already come up during negotiations. The video app’s Beijing-based owner, ByteDance, faces a Wednesday deadline to divest TikTok or get shut down in the US. A source familiar with trade discussions told CNBC the deadline will likely get extended…again, like it has three other times since President Trump took office in January.

The WNBA playoffs are underway: The league’s top eight teams launched their bids for postseason glory yesterday. There will be three rounds: a best-of-three first round, a best-of-five semifinals, and a best-of-seven finals. The Minnesota Lynx are favored to win it all after falling short in last year’s championship to the New York Liberty. The Las Vegas Aces are also a serious contender after closing the season on a 16-game winning streak. The Aces are looking to pocket their third WNBA title in four years.

Everything else:

• On Tuesday, it’ll be 100 days until Christmas. You might as well start eating Advent calendar chocolate now.
• President Trump arrives across the pond on Tuesday for an unprecedented second state visit.
• Retail sales data will be out on Tuesday.
• Meta Connect 2025, the company’s yearly VR and AI event, starts on Wednesday.
• General Mills and much-maligned Cracker Barrel serve up their earnings on Wednesday.
• Data on US jobless claims will be released on Thursday, after they rose last week.
• FedEx delivers its earnings report on Thursday.
• Mortgage rates dropped last week. New rates will be released on Thursday.
• Season 4 of The Morning Show hits Apple TV+ on Thursday.
• New iPhones and other Apple products will be available on Friday.

The American rock band The Killers may have the best bridges in the world, but China is about to have the tallest. The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge, in southwestern Guizhou, standing 2,050 feet above ground, will open later this month. That’s taller than six Statues of Liberty.

The People’s Daily, the Chinese Communist Party’s official newspaper, says the bridge is ushering in a new stage of infrastructure, which Beijing has traditionally used to boost economic growth in hard-to-reach areas.—BC