Study: $2.1B Price Tag on Hollywood Writers Strike

A new report finds the Hollywood writers strike could end up costing the state’s economy an estimated $2.1 billion.
The study, released Thursday by the Milken Institute, also finds a projected net loss of 37,700 jobs directly and indirectly tied to the entertainment industry.
The report says although the strike ended in February, effects of the walkout [...]

Remembering a Hollywood Legend

From the Associated Press:
Oscar-winning director Sydney Pollack died of cancer yesterday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 73.
Though previously nominated for directing “They Shoot Horses Don’t They” and directing and producing “Tootsie,” Pollack finally won Oscars for directing and producing “Out of Africa” with Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.
Pollack got an Oscar nomination [...]

Strike Ends; Desperate Housewives Continue to Be Naughty!

The AP urgent that came across the wires last night:
BC-APNewsAlert,0045LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Writers Guild of America says its members have voted to end their strike.(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-02-12-08 1852PST
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From the Los Angeles Times this morning:
STRIKE REPORT
Hollywood writers strike ends

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Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times
FAMILY MATTERS: Writer Greg [...]

Three Months is too Long with No Shows!

From the Associated Press:
Hollywood writers consider studio offerUnion leaders representing striking movie and television writers are recommending approval of a deal with producers to end a three-month-long walkout.Members of the Writers Guild of America were briefed on terms yesterday in New York and Los Angeles. Reaction has been generally positive.
Union board members are to meet [...]

Nearing the End?

From the Associated Press:
Draft of proposed deal between writers, studios expected soon–Production of your favorite TV shows may start picking up again soon.The Writers Guild of America, which is currently on strike, expects to see a draft copy of a proposed deal with Hollywood studios by Friday.An inside source says guild chapter leaders plan to [...]

Contract Outlined in Hollywood Writers Strike

 

Bloomberg News

Members of the Writers Guild of America collect picket signs to go march outside of NBC studios in Burbank, California, U.S., on Friday, February 1, 2008. Writers have been picketing for nearly three months while making interim deals with a select few production companies.

If union leaders OK the proposal, the strike could be called [...]

Worst Headline Ever (At Least for Me)

From Newsweek magazine:
The Oscars Must Die
Whether or not the Hollywood writers’ strike nixes this year’s Academy Awards telecast, it may be time to kill the show.
By Marc Peyser
Newsweek Web Exclusive
Updated: 5:26 PM ET Jan 31, 2008
Nothing quite motivates Hollywood like the prospect of a global calamity that only a heavy dose of stardust can avert. Disease. World [...]

Working on Plan B

From the Associated Press:
The Oscars people are working on a Plan B. If the writers strike is still on and the Oscars don’t get a waiver, the show will be filled with film clips, history and someout-of-the ordinary concepts. The president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Sid Ganis, says they’re planning [...]

Writers, studios said to be closer

From the Los Angeles Times:
The two sides have narrowed the gap on issues between them, sources say.
By Richard Verrier and Claudia Eller, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
6:21 PM PST, January 28, 2008
Hollywood’s striking writers and major studios have moved closer to bridging their sharp divide after a week of talks, raising hopes that a new [...]

A Sundance View of the Writers’ Strike

From Time Magazine:

A Sundance View of the Writers’ Strike
By Rebecca Winters Keegan
Filmmakers and dealmakers were just unpacking their parkas in Park City, Utah, on the opening day of the Sundance Film Festival Thursday, when news of a potential breakthrough toward ending the 11-week-old Hollywood writers strike began to zoom from BlackBerry to BlackBerry.
The Directors Guild [...]