Anna Kendrick and two fellow members of The Barden Bellas joined forces once again on the SAG-AFTRA picket line.
01.09.2023 - 23:17 / variety.com
Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Loretta Swit remembers well the night she won her first Emmy Award. On Sept. 7, 1980, the “MASH” star sat in her agent’s living room in Beverly Hills, watching the ceremony on TV when she heard her name called out and saw her picture flash on the screen.
Swit was not in the audience at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium that year because her union, the Screen Actors Guild, was on strike. Swit and her fellow “MASH” troupers Alan Alda, Mike Farrell and Jamie Farr were among the most vocal and visible actors on picket lines and at press conferences when SAG initiated its first work stoppage in 20 years on July 21, 1980. The reality of her Emmy win – after seven consecutive nominations — sunk in for Swit when she suddenly got a phone call from Europe from her friend Jacqueline Bisset.
“She was so excited. She said, ‘Hey, you won!’ ” Swit recalls. Forty-three years later, Swit is proud of having been a visible and vocal part of an important moment in Screen Actors Guild history.
“My not being there [at the Emmys] did not take away from getting the award. It was wonderful. And I was absolutely glad that’s what we did,” Swit says.
“We used a united force against being at the show because we were walking the picket line.” The virtually star-free 32nd annual Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony is singled out as the public-facing peak of the disruption caused by the strike against Hollywood’s major studios that ran from July 21 to Sept. 25. Industry volatility, however, continued through the contract ratification vote on Oct.
Anna Kendrick and two fellow members of The Barden Bellas joined forces once again on the SAG-AFTRA picket line.
SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.A plethora of stars, including Adam Scott, Lena Dunham and the cast of “New Girl,” have taken to eBay to sell off strange things in an attempt to fill the coffers for out-of-work union members picketing studios. On eBay, a new store has been established by the Union Solidarity Coalition, which is auctioning off celebs’ talents and items to fans.According to the group’s website, it’s hoping to “offer direct financial support to crew members who have lost health insurance due to strike-related shutdowns.”The fund-raiser includes a multitude of listings from A-listers across film and TV that viewers can buy in an effort to raise money for crew members who are financially suffering during the protests.One listing shows “Parks and Recreation” and “Severance” star Scott, 50, offering to walk your dog for an hour — for $3,050!However, your doggo must be located in the Los Angeles area.
EXCLUSIVE: Fran Drescher is less concerned with meeting of several showrunners with WGA leadership this week and more concerned with studios and streamers getting back to the bargaining table to make a fair deal.
Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Nicola Maccanico, a former Warner Bros. and Sky Italia senior exec, has been spearheading the radical overhaul of Rome’s Cinecittà Studios since June 2021, when the government-owned facilities secured a multi-million dollar loan provided by the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund to upgrade and expand the iconic facilities. Under Maccanico’s watch, the studios – which now boast 20 state-of-the-art soundstages and one of Europe’s largest LED walls – have become a magnet for Hollywood productions, such as Netflix’s period soap “The Decameron” and Roland Emmerich’s gladiator series “Those About to Die,” which is still currently shooting.
Fans might be worried about their favorite TV shows like The Voice, Dancing With the Stars, The Masked Singer and Bachelor Nation shows like The Bachelorette and new offshoot The Golden Bachelor amid the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Zack Sharf Digital News Director Tim Burton and Micheal Keaton’s “Beetlejuice 2” only had a day and a half left of filming when the SAG-AFTRA strike shut production down indefinitely. The Warner Bros.’-backed production started filming in May in London amid the WGA strike. “I feel grateful we got what we got,” Burton told The Independent in a recent interview.
Michaela Zee Drew Barrymore is returning for the fourth season of her eponymous daytime talk show sooner than expected. Barrymore announced on social media that “The Drew Barrymore Show” will begin its fourth season soon, in accordance with the rules of the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes. The actor first referred to her decision to step down as host of the MTV Film and TV Awards in May, in a show of support and solidarity to the striking WGA members.
Michaela Zee Jessica Chastain is encouraging independent producers to sign interim agreements amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. “If a majority of independent producers, come forward and sign the Interim Agreement deal it will show the AMPTP how wrong they are when they say our contract terms are unrealistic or unreasonable,” Chastain wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday.
Nearly 30,000 people have signed a petition which urges the British government to give film and TV crews furlough cash, after the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild strikes in the US have left them without work.
Had things gone according to plan, Anna Kendrick would be attending the Toronto International Film Festival in support of her directorial debut, “Woman of the Hour”, which is making its world premiere at the film fest.
Oscar winner Jessica Chastain and Emmy nominee Peter Sarsgaard are here in Venice today for the world premiere of Michel Franco’s Memory, which on Thursday was officially confirmed for an interim agreement. At the press conference today, Chastain, sporting a SAG-AFTRA On Strike t-shirt, was asked if she had considered not attending amid the ongoing labor action. She began by saying, “Yes, I was incredibly nervous to be here today, and actually there are some people on my team who advised me against it.” However, she opted to come in support of her union.
Chuck Parker, national executive director of the Art Directors Guild, IATSE Local 800, said that “it has become frighteningly apparent” that below-the-line workers are “bearing the brunt” of the ongoing strikes by actors and writers. He is reminding his members that help is available for those struggling to maintain their union health coverage and to make ends meet.
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer New York City filming permits declined 53% year over year in August, which marked the first full month of the year during which both the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) were on strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Per the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MoME), 364 permits were issued to 157 projects from Aug. 1 to Aug.
Britney Spears’ estranged husband, Sam Asghari, took to the streets of Los Angeles on Thursday to stand in solidarity with his fellow performers as part of the ongoing strikes organized by SAG-AFTRA and WGA.
Selena Gomez is being taken to task for a social media post about her Hulu series “Only Murders in the Building” that she issued in the midst of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.
Gareth Edwards, the director, producer and co-writer of The Creator, is opening up about the timing of the release of his film that draws parallels to the fight between SAG-AFTRA and WGA members against the studios.
EXCLUSIVE: Shadow and Bone star Kit Young is part of the Season 1 cast of FX’s Alien series, sources tell Deadline. Additionally, I hear filming in Thailand has been suspended due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, and the cast was sent home Friday. According to sources, the break was planned as the show’s production schedule was adjusted to account for the SAG-AFTRA work stoppage. Crew members are still working, and sets are still being prepared for when shooting resumes after the end of the strike, sources said.
Amy Adams is showing her support amid SAG-AFTRA strike.
J. Kim Murphy SAG-AFTRA issued a statement on Thursday evening to encourage members to promote and audition for approved interim agreement productions, as a means of “strengthening the union’s bargaining position and demonstrating solidarity.” The guild’s statement provides guidance in regards to the matter of promoting a project with an interim agreement, which has been a matter of contention among some SAG-AFTRA members since the strike began in July.
The Glee cast came out in full force for the SAG-AFTRA Strike on Wednesday (August 23)!