Writers' Strike Chills Hollywood, (Golden Globes’ Collapse, Dick Clark Fights NBC, Jay's Garage )

TheStar.com ^ | Jan 13, 2008 04:30 AM | Peter Howell

[fight_truth_decay]

With the Golden Globes’ collapse, writers have struck a $75-million blow in their labour dispute, and the Oscars might well be the next casualty. The scribes aren’t celebrating, though, because no one expects this to end soon

HOLLYWOOD – As symbols go, there probably isn't a more accurate one for the current crisis in show biz.

It's a picture of Oscars host Jon Stewart with his fingers crossed, sheepishly hoping all is well, that adorns the new visitor's brochure of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The brochure was likely printed before the Writers' Guild of America (WGA), now in its third month of a strike by 12,000 members, had vowed to picket and possibly spoil the 80th Academy Awards on Feb. 24.

Which means that the Academy is as good at foreseeing impending trouble as it is handing out shiny gold statues. But not even the Amazing Kreskin could predict what's going to happen here next.

The town built on dreams and illusions is feeling a cold blast of reality brought on by the escalating WGA action and related fandangos, but chills sink in slowly in the land of the palm trees and purse-sized pooches.

There are still street banners all over town trumpeting tonight's presentation of the Golden Globes, even though the Globes have effectively been cancelled and replaced by a glitter-free press conference reciting the names of the winners.

[Pikachu_Dad]

How much writing is there for the ‘Golden Globes’?

[marajade]

Its not the writing that’s stopping the Golden Globes but the actors are going to cross the picket line. How can you have an awards show without nominees?

[Drew68]

Hollywood is directly involved and is the number one culprit in the red hot hatred that people around the world have for the United States.

Hmm... last I checked, American films make millions upon millions of dollars in foreign markets. Our movie stars are household names overseas. Sure, they may say that our entertainment pollutes their cultures but their euros, rubles, rupees and dinars speak otherwise.

[bannie]

A parasite is not successful if it kills its host.

[lainie]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong. The writers are barking up the wrong tree with regard to licensing/royalties in perpetuity for writing. I mean, if you write a script, how many times do you expect to be paid for it once you sell it? On the other hand, however, the producers are apparently squeezing the writers out of the previous deal for producer credits, which was negotiated in 1988 (the last time this strike occurred.) If I'm reading it correctly, that's really what the writers are so mad about. Their unfortunately named union is forced to blend "writer" with "producer," and it gets muddy in the explanations.

Now, since many of the WGA just want to write, and don't care about producing, they ought not to have to deal with this crud... but such are commie-style labor strongarm tactics. Watching Ellen, Carson Daly, Leno and O'Brien squirm and cross the picket lines has been kind of delicious. One of the highlights of absurdity is the continued insistence that Jay is "ad-libbing" his monologue, because, as a WGA member himself, he can't write his own jokes.

[Drew68]

“Hollyood” is essentially a blue collar, middleclass industry.

Indeed it is. I think most people don't realize that. Then again, most people don't sit through the closing credits.

[montag813]

Much as I’d love to celebrate, I cannot. This is the last thing the U.S. economy needs right now. Remember, Entertainment is our #2 Export, right behind airplanes. This is going to hurt a lot more than just California.

[durasell]

As someone in the industry once told me — “At any given time there are fewer than 300 ‘movie stars.’” You can add to that and say, “There are thousands and thousands of craftsmen, technicians, support people, salesmen, administrators, etc. etc.

[fight_truth_decay]

How can you have an awards show without nominees?

By defining it a special ..."News Conference". 3.5 hour one at that.

[Lx]

LOL!

[freedom4me]

The only program I miss is 24.

[Drew68]

As someone in the industry once told me — “At any given time there are fewer than 300 ‘movie stars.’” You can add to that and say, “There are thousands and thousands of craftsmen, technicians, support people, salesmen, administrators, etc. etc.

Yep. A relative of mine worked in the industry as a caterer. People get hungry on movie sets! The stars and producers liked the grub he cooked and would hire him to cater their parties. He made a modest living and got to rub elbows with the Beautiful People. Pretty cool job, actually.

[fight_truth_decay]

Latest Numbers
Imports

All Commodities:
unchanged in Dec 2007

Petroleum & Petroleum Products:
-0.6% in Dec 2007

All Imports Excluding Petroleum:
+0.3% in Dec 2007

Exports

All Commodities:
+0.4% in Dec 2007

Agricultural Commodities:
+2.7% in Dec 2007

Nonagricultural Commodities:
+0.3% in Dec 2007

.. for 10 years of historical data.
http://www.bls.gov/mxp/#data

January 2008 U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes are scheduled to be released on February 15, 2008 at 8:30 am Eastern Time

[durasell]

Honey Wagon — it’s a great job.

[fight_truth_decay]

American films make millions upon millions of dollars in foreign markets

China caps the number of foreign films admitted at about 20 per year; all of those are vetted by censors, and revenues are parsed out sparingly, with a U.S. studio's take at about 13%.

Sony has sidestepped this hurdle in part, but despite Sony's success with films like Kung Fu Hustle, which made about $100 million worldwide, one has to wonder how many more slow-motion flying warriors global audiences will turn out to see. Plus, with a scarcity of both theaters and Chinese who can afford a ticket, there's a long way to go before 1.3 billion pairs of eyeballs actually become an audience.

Of course, you have the pirates, but that's no money to the originators. A poor box office film, or any celebrity passe' still needs to depend on reruns in the foreign marketplace long after his face is only seen here in the US marketplace licking up a burger off his floor. Which (off track) reminds me that Dr. Drew has a new reality show which is called Celebrities in Rehab which aired last week. Jeff Conaway (Grease start) should be a "poster boy actor for what drugs can do" and you could scare your kids with his show. See no hope for this guy but guess miracles can happen. Dan Baldwin is also on the show and seems religion is pushing him to be public as a spokesman if he can make it through the 21 weeks of this rehab venue.

But back to case to the topic, you are correct; the European film festivals are now big markets to actors. I recall the one in Spain where Jessica Lange stated ( MRC reports ) she hated Bush and "its embarrassing to be American" published by a German source, September 26, 2002, Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

A Positive in film entertainment is Bella #1 rated film on Yahoo and Fandango winning the Peoples Choice Awards in Toronto. Independents with award quality films are working hard to push into this lucrative marketplace which Hollywood has always been able to keep closed to outside entrepreneurs. So comes change. Maybe for the better.

[OKIEDOC]

When was the last time you sat in a theater in a foreign country and watched an American made film and the crowd response?

i have and it sometimes ain’t pretty.

Sure our stars are household names and so is Che, Fidel, Hugo and Kim Jong Ill.

I have sat in meetings and listened to high ranking members of foreign governments make disparaging statements about America that could only have come from film makers and their anti-American content.

One chief civil judge of a city of three million asked me if we still had slavery.

He had just seen Mississippi Burning.

Sure American films make big bucks overseas when compared to films made by some back yard Mexican film maker.

Wouldn’t you rather sit through a well made film no matter how anti-American as to sit though one that looked as it was made with a super 8 camera.

In most of the third world countries where I have done volunteer medical work the people just love a National Enquirer type of film or paper.

So therefore I take it from your post that you do not believe that Hollywood leaves a sour taste in most foreign film watchers minds?

[Drew68]

When was the last time you sat in a theater in a foreign country and watched an American made film and the crowd response?

I'm a sailor. I've seen numerous American films in foreign countries. Most recently less than a year ago. In Dubai (yep, an Arab/Muslim country) our films are the practically the only ones shown in the multiplexes. And yes, the audiences love them. If they didn't, they wouldn't be profitable to show.

But don't take my word for it. Look at foreign box office grosses. Sure, some films are bigger hits internationally than others, but the big-budget action flicks tend to rake in cash worldwide. Nobody makes mindless, effect-laden blockbusters better than we do.

[OKIEDOC]

I might be a tad thick headed but how does foreigners liking our movies make them like the American government?

Most of the films I have seen coming out of Hollywood the bad guys are employed by the American government.

I do agree that the foreign audiences pack the movie theaters but then again what type of message are they receiving as to how Americans act and live.

I have sat in theaters and heard audiences whistle and clap approval when the American military took a bullet from the terrorist.

No those audiences were not in San Francisco or Berkeley.

So we might just have a difference of opinion as to how audiences react to certain films.

[Nick5]

Well, I’m a WGA writer, and I’m sure losing money, tons of it, that I’ll never get back. But my father, also a WGA writer, lost money in strikes that won me various economic benefits which I have enjoyed my whole life and which my children now enjoy and which I hope their children, if they become writers (and it seems to be the family business) will enjoy. So where you get the idea that we can hold out because we’re not losing anything I don’t know: you should be on the line with me and hear the pain. As for writers going back to work in big numbers—it doesn’t look like that from where I stand. But you never know...

[BooBoo1000]

Who cares???