Commentary: As David Ellison names his new empire Skydance, the message is clear: He owns Hollywood

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Set us as preferred What a surprise.David Ellison has decided to name the Frankenstudio media company created by the merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros.

Discovery simply Skydance.And why not? “Massive Debt Funding Media” doesn’t really roll off the tongue (though “Ultra Leveraged” has a nice ring); “Ellison and Dad” is a bit too on the nose; and “Skydance” is, after all, the name he chose for the one company out of those four that he built rather than bought.Skydance is a poetic term with some definite “Star Wars” overtones and perhaps unintentional symbolism.Before the aviation-loving Ellison claimed it, “sky dance” referred to the aerial mating of certain birds, most famously the American woodcock, also known as the timberdoodle or (I’m not making this up) the bogsucker.

(“Timberdoodle Media,” now that’s a splendid name, and “Bogsucker Productions” could work as well.)In his attempts to acquire Warner Bros.Discovery, Ellison has certainly engaged in some high-flying … well, courtship might not be the right term for the dizzying mix of cajoling and threats he has employed to get the deal done, and it certainly does not seem fair to the American woodcock.

I’m no expert, but I don’t think their mating rituals involve using the New York Times to plead their case or, when that doesn’t work, threatening to move en masse to Tennessee.Paramount Skydance Chief Executive David Ellison faces an antitrust lawsuit over his proposed purchase of Warner Bros.

Discovery.He recently threatened to move Paramount out of California if the suit is not settled.For those inexplicably hoping for ParaBros, Skydance seems a bit of a letdown, especially considering all the trouble Ellison went to.

It’s been quite a show, the various razzle-dazzle versus strong arm tactics (not to ment...