Since the 1980s, director James Cameron has pushed the limits of visual effects in his blockbusters, from the Terminator and Avatar franchises to The Abyss and Titanic. The innovations that made these movies possible have also made him a beloved, acclaimed, and very wealthy artist. But his latest technological jump …
Read More »The Hollywood Strikes Are Over. When Will TV Be Back to Normal?
Hooray, showbiz is back! Now what? Wednesday night, SAG-AFTRA reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP, bringing to an end to six months of Hollywood strikes, involving the writers guild and then the actors. The writers have been back at work for a month, and SAG leadership has told its …
Read More »Roy Wood Jr. Is Looking Beyond 'The Daily Show'
W hen I reach Roy Wood Jr. by phone, he’s resting in a hotel room in Napa, California, where he’s in town for a corporate gig. The comedian relishes these quiet moments in between jobs, where he’s able to turn his mind off and “not do shit.” He’s been going …
Read More »'A Slap in the Face': How SAG's Deal With Hollywood's Studios Blew Up
O utside of Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery’s New York headquarters, a crowd of striking actors and supporting union members stretched across the street Thursday. The chant “one day longer, one day stronger,” echoed off the walls of a nearby theater and coffee shops. The night before, actors learned that …
Read More »WGA Ratifies Three-Year Deal With Studios, Officially Ending Hollywood Strike
WGA members voted in favor of a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that ended one of Hollywood’s longest strikes. The union reached an almost unanimous decision of the three-year Minimum Basic Agreement. Members of both the WGA West and WGA East cast their …
Read More »Drew Barrymore's Head Writers Decline to Return to Talk Show
The Drew Barrymore Show will be returning (again) without its original writers. The show extended an offer to the three co-head writers, Chelsea White, Liz Koe, and Cristina Kinon, but they all declined. In the meantime, the show is interviewing with other writers to fill their spot, and will adhere …
Read More »Kimmel Admits He 'Almost Crossed the Picket Line' Over Trump's Weight
It’s been nearly five months since Jimmy Kimmel hosted his late-night show Jimmy Kimmel Live! owing to the writers’ strike. In the meantime, Kimmel co-hosted the all-star podcast Strike Force Five alongside Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, John Oliver, and Seth Meyers to raise funds for their out-of-work writers, and recently …
Read More »Inside the Strike-Breaking WGA Contract: AI, Streaming, and Staffing
After nearly five months of chanting and marching on nationwide picket lines, the Writers Guild of America strike has come to an end, with writers permitted to return to work on Sept. 27. The WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), representing Hollywood studios and streamers, …
Read More »Jon Stewart Crashes 'Strike Force Five' Podcast to Roast John Oliver
“I want to make one thing clear off the bat: Not a fan. Not a fan of the podcast,” offered Jon Stewart. “Tried to get through the first one. Not a fan.” Yes, the seventh episode of Strike Force Five, a Spotify podcast featuring late-night hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, …
Read More »Letterman's Staff Remembers His Generosity During the Writers' Strike
The actors’ and writers’ strikes have left countless people out of work for months as the two unions, SAG-AFTRA and the WGA, fight with the studios for better working conditions for their members. The strikes have also pushed the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards (originally set for Sept. 18) to January, …
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