Showstopper! Strikes Plunge Hollywood Into Chaos With Pricey Movie Delays, Pay Battles and AI Anxiety

Sharon Rosen Leib I recently discovered my pioneer producer great-grandfather Sol M. Wurtzel’s obituary in the April 16, 1958 edition of Variety. In 1917, mogul William Fox sent Sol to oversee production at his Hollywood studio.

Ethan Slater‘s estranged wife is letting her thoughts be known regarding the difficult situation involving the actor and Ariana Grande.

Molly-Mae Hague has given fans another glimpse into her surprise proposal as she shared the magical picture taken 'moments before' she became a fiancee. The influencer and her now-fiance Tommy Fury thrilled fans over the weekend when they announced they were engaged.

When Joe Biden made a fundraising swing through Democratic donor strongholds in San Francisco, Chicago and New York last month, one city was noticeably absent from the list: Los Angeles.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Utopia has acquired North American rights to “The Sweet East,” a contemporary travelogue that marks the feature directing debut of Sean Price Williams. The sale comes after the film debuted at Director’s Fortnight during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Williams has a reputation as one of the most talented cinematographers in the independent film space, having previously worked with the likes of the Safdie Brothers, Alex Ross Perry, Michael Almereyda, Abel Ferrara and Albert Maysles.

Molly-Mae Hague appears to have clapped back after her proposal was branded 'staged' as she shared the first details about Tommy Fury's ploy so that he could pop the question. The couple, who met and fell in love on Love Island, were flooded with messages as they revealed they were engaged on Sunday.

Katcy Stephan Bender’s back, baby! When animated sci-fi comedy series “Futurama” returns for an 11th season on Hulu after a decade-long hiatus, voice actor John DiMaggio will reprise his role as the foulmouthed, human-hating robot. Hulu revealed the reboot plans in February 2022, but DiMaggio’s name was notably absent from the long list of returning cast members. (The series originated on Fox, then saw DVD-format and Comedy Central iterations.) In a situation that foreshadowed the current questions over streaming salaries in Hollywood, DiMaggio was deadlocked in a salary negotiation with the streamer. “When they made the announcement, it wasn’t like I had said no. We had been negotiating for a long time,” DiMaggio tells Variety in a Zoom interview just hoursbefore the actors are to go on strike. “It was a stalemate.”

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The Toronto Film Festival is at a critical moment after three difficult years following the COVID-19 pandemic, but “the festival will take place,” says Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF. TIFF has typically been a star-studded affair and staple of awards season. However, what the red carpets at the gala premieres and tribute ceremonies that have gone to significant A-listers like Kate Winslet will ultimately look like, remains unknown. The longtime festival director doubled down on moving forward with this year’s festival, whether the big stars are in attendance or not. This comes amid ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that have halted the Hollywood industry, putting the remaining months of movies and TV shows into unknown territory.

Jordyn Palos Not many publicists will talk about the strikes – especially not publicly. It is our job to stay in the background and navigate the public-facing and oftentimes private worlds of the talent we represent. It’s a career that I have loved for nearly two decades. Publicists are paid a fee to deliver impactful campaigns that can move the needle for our clients’ careers, but my journey is much deeper than media placement, making sure that photo approvals are completed, or ensuring that a plane arrives on time for an overseas premiere. Representation is a responsibility, and not one that I take lightly.  In 2010, I launched Persona PR out of my apartment with no larger agency experience and have worked to build my business from the ground up. As my company has expanded over the years, I have grown into more than a talent representative, and am now a full-fledged business owner, taking on employees and their livelihoods and wellbeing. I work to be a great partner for the companies we share business with, aspire to be a mentor to publicists coming up-the-ranks and became a wife and a mother to two children, as Persona PR has grown.

Ted Sarandos is speaking out about the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in Hollywood.

It sounds as though Broadway may be joining the strike efforts.

On-location filming in Los Angeles has plummeted during the ongoing Writers Guild strike to levels not seen since the dog days of the Covid pandemic, according to FilmLA, the city and county film permit office.

A health expert has issued a warning over physician associates after a young actress' fatal blood clot was misdiagnosed as long-covid and anxiety.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis held a packed union meeting at their Beverly Hills home. Desi Arnaz poured his heart out in an open letter to the industry while Lew Wasserman worked the numbers quietly behind the scenes. And it was none other than future Oval Office occupant Ronald Reagan who led the Screen Actors Guild through the war in 1960, the last time that Hollywood experienced such a season of labor strife with actors and the Writers Guild of America on strike at the same time. And it was already a tumultuous time for the industry. In 1959, Congress and the Justice Department were deep into their investigation of “payola” corruption involving music labels and radio station owners. Congress also held hearings that year on the notorious TV quiz show scandals (see 1994’s “Quiz Show” for a primer).

Matt Damon opened up about how his wife Luciana Barroso helped him when he "fell into a depression" on the set of a movie. During an interview on "Jake's Takes," the 52-year-old actor was asked about the best professional advice that he had ever received from a significant other.

Mandy Moore and her former This Is Us costars will always be family — and are sticking together no matter what.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer SAG-AFTRA and the major studios remain at odds on a dizzying array of issues, as film and TV actors hit the picket lines Friday for the first time since 1980. According to sources on both sides, the biggest sticking point is the union’s demand for 2% of the revenue generated by streaming shows. The two sides also remain far apart on basic increases in minimum rates, with the studios offering 5%, 4% and 3.5% across the three years of the contract, while the union is demanding 11%, 4% and 4%. But that only scratches the surface. The parties are at odds on dozens of issues, only a handful of which have been publicly reported.

Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis and other top actors joined picket lines alongside screenwriters on the first full day of a walkout that has become Hollywood's biggest labour fight in decades.

he said that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA’s conditions were “just not realistic” and that the prospect of a writers and actors strike was “very disturbing.”Iger’s comments come on a historic day, when SAG-AFTRA is expected to announce they are joining WGA on the picket lines after their Wednesday contract negotiations deadline passed without a deal. It would be the first Hollywood double strike in sixty years.Also notable for context, Iger’s comments arrive the day after his Disney contract was extended for an additional two years.

Striking writers now have a new punching bag: Bob Iger.