Posted on 11/06/2006 4:03:24 AM PST by abb
On a recent trip to New York City, Russell Crowe was asked by reporters why he had dropped out of negotiations to star in a new movie being directed by Baz Luhrmann and produced by 20th Century Fox.
The Academy Award winner, never one to mince words, suggested it was, in part, the money. “I do charity work, but I don’t do charity work for major studios,” Mr. Crowe said.
It seems the needy are not the only ones in Hollywood with their hands out. Movie and television studios, facing escalating budgets, rampant piracy and the uncertain future of new media, are demanding concessions from talent. But as actors, directors and writers feel the squeeze, many are not happy about it.
Worse, the tension is not likely to ease soon. As studios are set to begin contract negotiations with talent in January, all sides are girding for battle.
Hollywood is in the midst of a strategic shift. The average cost to make and market a movie has skyrocketed — to $96.2 million last year, from $54.1 million in 1995 — while lucrative DVD sales have flattened. Major film studios are fending off illegal piracy, which industry executives say accounted for $1.3 billion in lost revenue in the United States last year.
The growth of new media threatens to undermine traditional businesses, while studios are flummoxed about how to take advantage of the new opportunities they represent. And movies and TV also face tough new competition from video games and online social networking sites. Even cellphones have become a favorite diversion among the young.
As in so many other show business debates, money and control are at the heart of the matter. And without solutions to these problems in sight, relations between talent and the studios are more strained than ever.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Ping
Two More American Troops Killed in Iraq
Cheney accused of hunting without a license in S. Dakota
GOP retains control of House & Senate; Dems fall short of control
Their front page is another keeper :)
GOP keeps Congress; Kerry enters Witness Protection program
LOL! Good one!
Most of the movies and the talent are NOT worth the cost.
And, on top of that, many of the movies, tv, etc. have a political agenda. This is NOT entertaining.
Additionally, the talent mostly high school drop outs or high school grads feel the need to express their political opinions by using pre-scripted statements to support the liberals' positions. Thus, turning the majority of traditional Americans off to their movies, music, etc. And, if said STAR endorses a product for a corporation, that corporation's sales are adversely affected.
I have seen a lot of Hollywood propaganda films from WWII. They all supported the war. No one doubts that the current efforts are for undermining the America that bought these illiterates their mansions, their duds, and their alimony money. Talent? I have not seen much on display.
I thought they were all members of the Film Actors Guild.
Many actors are surely overpaid, but IMo the most overpaid person on this planet is Katie Couric. Give me a week and I could train most any High School graduate who can read to do her job and I will throw in insults to the Bush Administration for free if its required.
Wholesome, family oriented movies, some well-done westerns where the good guy gets the girl at the end of the film, war pictures that showcase and praise our fine military of today....a few suggestions off the top of my head for Hollywood studios to consider.
Oh, and musicals. Find some dancers to dance and entertain like Astair and Rodgers. No smut, no bad lyrics.
As far as talent, it's been seriously lacking overall in the movie industry for decades.
Today in San Francisco the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an edict allowing only Democrats to vote on both the day before and the day after an election. The justices decided in a unanimous vote that Democrats were being disenfranchised by not receiving enough votes to win their respective races, and must be given extra votes to cover the disparity.
Said one Justice, "the Republicans have suppressed the minority votes long enough, something needed to be done and we did it."
No-talent on display, courtesy of the SAG.
For instance, there are at least 80-90 "Star Wars" novels out there. Many take place in the past, some in the future (of the current S.W. timeline). If they want to put them on film, they will need to bring in "another" Han solo. But, a better choice will be to CGI him. Digitally re-create him and use the CGI. No more egos. No more salaries. No more jumping on Oprah's couch.
Actors have not even caught on yet that they are an endangered species.
Notice how many more "cartoon" movies are out there?? Used to be 1 or 2 a year. Now, nearly every month, there is something new that is pure digital.
I am looking forward to it!
Chicago was full of nasty characters. Zeta Jones could not dance worth a hoot. The lyrics were achingly repetitive: see right through me, see right through me, the gun, the gun, the gun, the gun, the gun, the gun, the gun.
Music Man - fabulous talent from the stars to the minor characters. Great music. A good plot. Lyrics that made sense. Humor. Great insights about the Midwest.
Which explains why actors and actresses might want to seriously consider a college degree first. Look at Meryl Streep--we definitely may not agree with her politics but her training in college (Vassar College undergraduate, Yale University graduate) for Drama made her not only a two-time Oscar winner (and 13-time nominee), but also a winner of many other awards, too. And you wonder why she's still getting acting job offers from both movies and theater even now....
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