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Project Paramount - Rebuilding CBS and Paramount Pictures

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I started this project largely because of hate towards the current ownership of Paramount as well as their lack of understanding of what they actually have on tap. And it's a lot.  As I mentioned from the start, I'm not going to rebuild the entire company. I actually rebuilt MTV back in September, and what I'm doing here isn't going to be as extreme as that.  These are just small bullet points for the most vital units of Paramount, or at least the units that need the most help, and if I were in charge, these are the ones I'd focus on.  And I obviously have to begin with the unit that's been most prominent in the news cycle largely because of its news division, the CBS television network. While many consider broadcast television being on borrowed time, I feel CBS is the most important unit at Paramount because it reaches a wider audience than theatrical releases and streaming media.  I also feel that CBS should have more of a place in streaming beyond the sub...

From One Hanna-Barbera Fan to Another

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 I love Bluesky as well as the folks I interact with over there. It's pretty calm and not as chaotic as other social media platforms. Having better tools like muting of words and individuals as well as de-tagging your username and removing your posts from those who want to attack you really enhances the experience. Is it a perfect place?  No. There's no such space known as "the perfect place." That's a lesson I learned from Yogi's Ark Lark when I was a little kid.  I've been a huge Hanna-Barbera fan since I watched the lion's share of their works in syndication and on the USA Cartoon Express back in the early 1980s, and I still am to this day. Those shorts and shows not only entertained me for decades but, much like their corporate cousins Looney Tunes, they are a core part of my creative DNA.  I think that's a reason I've been enjoying MeTV Toons lately.  One of the many, many reasons. Folks, I'm still lucky I could watch it locally via c...

The Domino Effect of the Boston Mooninite Incident

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January 31, 2007, is a day that would live in infamy in Adult Swim's lore. On that day, an ad agency hired by Cartoon Network installed LED light panels featuring Mooninites from the Adult Swim series Aqua Teen Hunger Force throughout several major cities, most notably Boston, Massachusetts, to promote a movie based on the series.  The light panels were placed in random points throughout the city that people felt they were explosives, and this caused a bit of a panic. A lot of chaos and fallout came out of that incident that would ultimately lead to the craziest cycle of events in media history to the point of having a pair of media juggernauts, a nepo baby-lead company that has completely ignored the media company he just bought and a tech company that has altered the film and television industries this century, are fighting each other for control of the biggest media company on the planet, Warner Bros Discovery. It's a wild ride, so let me try to explain each domino as much ...

Project Paramount - Prelude - Understanding The Mountain's Core

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Before I begin, I think it's important that you, the reader, should familiarize yourself with the  core units of Paramount: CBS Entertainment Group (Broadcast Production) Paramount Pictures (Film Production) Paramount Media Networks (Cable Networks and Brands) Paramount Streaming Paramount International Networks I won’t focus too much on streaming and the international side of Paramount. I also won’t be focusing on lesser linear channels like CMT, Comedy Central, VH1, POP, Paramount Network, Smithsonian Network, TV Land, or LOGO because, and I’m going to be honest, most of them are not vital for the future of the company. There are shows on those outlets that are worth saving, but that’s a conversation for another time. I want you all to understand the core brands of Paramount as well because these are where most of the company's attentions should be focused on, and for some reason, not a lot of people acknowledge them, especially when talking about Skydance's sta...

Project Paramount - Prologue: Fixing The Mountain

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PREFACE: Let me start off by saying I am not and will likely never become an employee of Paramount Skydance. I have no inside information nor privy to anything that is happening within Paramount Skydance or any of the Paramount-owned brands themselves.  This is an original fan-made concept that will likely go nowhere beyond this presentation. My brain works differently than most folks, and when an idea pops up, I have to execute it completely. And if you're an individual coming from Paramount Skydance or any of its ancillary divisions, hey, thanks for checking these ideas out. We'll talk. -jh  Have you ever wanted to just utterly destroy something out of spite only to have the opportunity to rebuild it from the ground up?   Don’t do that.  That’s no way to live, my friends, because you should never get that opportunity.  Still, it could be a bit cathartic to get it out of the way.  I am not a fan of Paramount Skydance. I have been utterly livid at the...

The Coldest Week

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  The last week of January is always the coldest week of the year for me. Two women who were a huge part of my life passed away decades apart in the same week.  I think that's partially why I'm not really a fan of my birthday week because it comes so close to that cold week. People passing away suddenly never sits well with me, and that's why that coldness never really goes away.  Twenty-seven years ago, I lost the first person who really understood me, helped guide me into the person I am today, and never made me feel like I was weird.  My grandma was a saint. She was my mother's mother. A teacher, a helper, someone who would give her all to help someone else, even if it was a total stranger. She had this aura, this presence of peace and kindness that was just omnipresent. She was creative and encouraged my creativity, much like my mom does today. She had seen a lot of the world for what it was, endured the prejudices within it, but held on to her faith and empathy ...

Imagine If... CBS Action Zone Lasted A Little Longer

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“There are fixed points throughout time where things must stay exactly the way they are. This is not one of them, this is an opportunity. Whatever happens here will create its own timeline, its own reality, a temporal tipping point. The future revolves around you, here, now, so do good!” - The Doctor DISCLAIMER: The following is an alternate history of CBS's Action Zone, a block that aired in the 1994-95 season and had continuity attached to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles until its final season on the network. This is purely speculative and a work of fiction, although some real-world elements were included and presented for realistic situations and scenarios. Neither this series nor its author are connected to nor reflect the views and opinions of CBS, Paramount Skydance, or any entity or persons mentioned and does not mean to infringe on the copyrights and trademarks of those parties. - JH In 1994, CBS launched a newly-branded action block to shake up its Saturday morning lineup. Th...