Seth MacFarlane Donates $1 Million to Entertainment Community Fund to Support Film and Television Workers During Strikes (EXCLUSIVE)

EXCLUSIVE: Steven Spielberg is no stranger to close encounters of the third kind.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay will be honored by international AIDS organization amfAR with its Award of Inspiration during the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 3. The black-tie gala and dinner, taking place at La Misericordia, will include performances by singers Rita Ora and Leona Lewis.

IATSE has allocated another $2 million to support its members who have been negatively affected by the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild strikes, bringing the total committed to $4 million since June. The additional funding was approved unanimously by IATSE’s general executive board.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Jamie Lee Curtis doesn’t pretend to know when she thinks the SAG-AFTRA strike will end. “I have no idea,” the Oscar winner told me Thursday morning at Project Angel Food’s groundbreaking ceremony for The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation Campus in Los Angeles. However, Curtis says she remains “hopeful” that the actors union and AMPTP can find common ground.” “I’m hopeful that we can all see all sides.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor The new “River Wild” is a reimagining of Curtis Hanson’s classic 1994 thriller starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Bacon and David Strathairn about a rafting trip that takes a deadly turn. In the new version, Adam Brody plays a heavily-tattooed ex-convict who will stop at nothing to make sure he never returns to prison. The movie also stars Brody’s wife Leighton Meester and Taran Killam, and it was directed and co-written by the trio’s longtime friend Ben Ketai.

SAG-AFTRA strike, some of Hollywood's highest-earning actors are giving big to help their fellow performers.SAG-AFTRA Foundation President Courtney B. Vance announced on Wednesday that the nonprofit has raised over $15 million in the past three weeks for its Emergency Financial Assistance Program — led by Dwayne Johnson's historic seven-figure donation last month — in order to «bring aid and hope to thousands of journeymen actors facing tremendous economic hardship» during the strikes and work stoppage.To date, the growing list of Patrons of the Foundation’s Emergency Financial Assistance Program who have made donations of $1 million or more are: George and Amal Clooney Luciana and Matt Damon Leonardo DiCaprio Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness Dwayne Johnson Nicole Kidman Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively Julia Roberts Arnold Schwarzenegger Meryl Streep Oprah Winfrey«The entertainment industry is in crisis and the SAG-AFTRA Foundation is currently processing more than 30 times our usual number of applications for emergency aid,» Vance said in a statement on the SAG-AFTRA website.

SAG-AFTRA strike, some of Hollywood's highest-earning actors are giving big to help their fellow performers.SAG-AFTRA Foundation President Courtney B. Vance announced on Wednesday that the nonprofit has raised over $15 million in the past three weeks for its Emergency Financial Assistance Program — led by Dwayne Johnson's historic seven-figure donation last month — in order to «bring aid and hope to thousands of journeymen actors facing tremendous economic hardship» during the strikes and work stoppage.To date, the growing list of Patrons of the Foundation’s Emergency Financial Assistance Program who have made donations of $1 million or more are: George and Amal Clooney Luciana and Matt Damon Leonardo DiCaprio Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness Dwayne Johnson Nicole Kidman Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively Julia Roberts Arnold Schwarzenegger Meryl Streep Oprah Winfrey«The entertainment industry is in crisis and the SAG-AFTRA Foundation is currently processing more than 30 times our usual number of applications for emergency aid,» Vance said in a statement on the SAG-AFTRA website.

Angelique Jackson SAG-AFTRA Foundation president Courtney B. Vance announced Wednesday that the nonprofit organization has raised more than $15 million for its emergency financial assistance program, thanks in large part to contributions from more than a dozen of Hollywood’s top-earning stars who’ve donated $1 million or more.

Hollywood’s superstars are answering the call from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, donating $1 million or more each to help their fellow performers during the ongoing actors and writers strikes.

Seth MacFarlane is giving back in a major way.

Picket line reunions have become de rigueur during the ongoing strike but one arranged for Family Guy Tuesday was icing on the cake in light of creator Seth MacFarlane’s $1 million donation to the Entertainment Community Fund.

Seth MacFarlane, the creator of “Family Guy” and “American Dad,” has given $1 million to The Entertainment Community Fund, a foundation that helps actors in need.

Sophia Scorziello editor Janet Yang has been re-elected as president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Her second-term re-election was made by the Academy’s board of governors who additionally elected a number of officer positions for 2023-2024. Yang is an Emmy-winning producer with credits on projects including “The Joy Luck Club,” “The People vs.

George Clooney is reportedly the latest Hollywood star that has joined the growing list of A-listers who are said to be "ditching" their friendships with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Dwayne «The Rock» Johnson is showing up for his fellow actors. The star has issued a historic seven-figure donation to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation in an effort to lend a hand to union members who are financially struggling amid the current strike. SAG-AFTRA Foundation president Courtney B.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson made an “historic” donation to contribute financial support to the ongoing Hollywood actors’ strike this month.Earlier this month, negotiations broke down between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and the US actors’ union SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), with talks relating to base pay, residuals and the use of artificial intelligence in the industry.On July 13 – the day that the strike was declared – SAG-AFTRA Foundation president Courtney B. Vance and executive director Cyd Wilson wrote a letter to 2,700 of the union’s highest-paid actors to highlight the financial hardship that industry professionals were going to face as they stopped work (via Variety).After sending the letter, Johnson’s team reached out to offer help.

Dwayne Johnson offered his support for the SAG-AFTRA strike with a massive donation for union members who are currently out of work.

SAG-AFTRA Foundation president Courtney B. Vance on Monday updated members about the organization’s Emergency Assistance Program, its charity funded by donations.

Angelique Jackson On July 13, as SAG-AFTRA leadership declared the union was going on strike, SAG-AFTRA Foundation president Courtney B. Vance and executive director Cyd Wilson drafted a letter to 2,700 of the union’s highest-earning actors outlining the financial need that many would face in the work stoppage. “Having been through this during COVID and having such a great response from our own membership to take care of their own, when the strike was decided, Courtney and I sat down with our team and said, ‘Here we go again,'” Wilson tells Variety. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation (a non-profit organization associated with the union, but not part of it) worked to provide financial relief to many of the union’s 160,000 members via the foundation’s Emergency Financial Assistance Program, which will again be used to help actors during the strike.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone will not be attending the closing night of this year’s Outfest LA, where they were set to receive the James Schamus Ally Award. The couple was expected to be on hand for the July 23 event at The Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood, but their rep tells Variety that will not make an appearance due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. “We understand that Melissa and Ben are unable to join us for our closing night due to the strike,” Outfest executive director Damien S. Navarro said in a statement Thursday afternoon. “We will miss them, as our closing night will be a wonderful celebration of our community.”