SOLIDARITY Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

A man was arrested 'to prevent a breach of the peace' at a demonstration for Palestine in Bury.

Lockerbie’s Syracuse Trust scholars Tristan Woolley and Joshua Halliday have been representing the town at early key events in the USA to mark the 35th anniversary of the downing of Flight 103.

Carmiel Banasky This past season has been called “Hot Labor Summer” — a nod to the unprecedented amount of worker uprisings, and the fact that it’s the hottest summer in the history of humanity. Labor and climate justice have historically been framed in opposition, but the exploitation of our environment and the exploitation of workers are inextricably linked by the extractive practices of the same companies. Hollywood is not only facing down studios — we’re facing down a system that prioritizes profit over people.

Thousands of SAG-AFTRA are reaffirming their solidarity with the ongoing actors strike by signing an open letter organized by strike captains.

A group of high-profile actors have signed a public letter declaring that they would rather stay on strike rather than accept a bad deal.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer More than 3,600 SAG-AFTRA members have signed an open letter stating that they would rather stay on strike than “cave” to a bad deal. The group, calling itself Members in Solidarity, includes Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jon Hamm, Maya Hawke, Marisa Tomei, John Leguizamo and Bryan Cranston, among many other notable names.

Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice has been supported by close friend and former dance partner Rose-Ayling Ellis after it was announced his partner for the 2023 series Amanda Abbington quit the show.

#SagAftraMembers:As we mark the 100th day of our strike, we are pleased to confirm the company executives have asked us to return to the table. Official Negotiations will resume on Tuesday, October 24th. (1/5) pic.twitter.com/m5llCsTqxq— SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra) October 21, 2023The strike began on July 14, when SAG-AFTRA – the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists – failed to come to an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) over increased pay, a share of streaming revenues and protection against actors’ images and voices being replicated by AI.Talks between the two parties broke down on October 11, in a move that senior figures in SAG-AFTRA described as a “surprise move”.“It is clear that the strength and solidarity shown by our members has sent an unmistakable message to the CEOs,” continued SAG-AFTRA’s statement.

SAG-AFTRA kicked off its National Convention 2023 under the banner “Future Forward Union Power.”

The actor’s strike has reached Day 100, as talks between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP remain halted.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Dublin in a show of solidarity with Palestinians and against the actions of Israel in the Gaza Strip.

Thousands of protesters flooded the square outside the BBC's MediaCityUK headquarters to protest against the corporation's coverage of events in Gaza. Demonstrators chanted and held aloft Palestinian flags on Saturday (October 21).

A protester scaled a Salford Quays bridge during a huge demonstration attended by thousands. Scores of people descended on MediaCityUK to protest the BBC's coverage of events in Gaza.

Lise Pedersen With typical modesty and humor, Wim Wenders opened his masterclass at the Lumière Film Festival in Lyon by answering the question: ‘Do you feel like a survivor in the history of cinema?’ with a ‘Yes, in a funny kind of way, I do sometimes feel like a dinosaur.” Expanding on his answer, the 78-year old director, who is being awarded the festival’s Lumière Award lifetime achievement prize later today, said he had been lucky enough to experience great changes in cinema throughout his lifetime and that he felt more like he had experienced rather than survived cinema –“vécu plutôt que survécu,” as he said in his fluent French. Looking back on his 1984 cult movie “Paris, Texas,” for which he won the Palme d’Or in Cannes, the German director explained it had been the culmination of one of his greatest lessons in life.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer In her two years as SAG-AFTRA president, Fran Drescher has worked assiduously to bridge the factional divides that have long beset the union. “Member unity will be my greatest legacy,” she promised in her campaign statement this summer, and she sought reelection.

London-based jazz group The Comet is Coming has canceled their final show, scheduled for tonight (October 20) at the Bratislava Jazz Days festival in Slovakia, in a show of support to Palestine. Israel has massively escalated its military campaign in the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas’ October 7 attack.

Two Married at First Sight stars have become friends after the show, to support each other through their 'difficult' marriages. Shona and Bianca have formed an unlikely bond on the outside, despite Shona being removed from the show soon after Bianca arrived.

Ellise Shafer Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival has now been postponed indefinitely due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. The festival was previously rescheduled to Oct. 27- Nov.

U.S. President Joe Biden told a press conference in Tel Aviv on Wednesday that Israel did not appear to be responsible for a deadly blast at the al-Ahli hospital in Gaza on Tuesday evening, which has enflamed tensions across the Middle East.

Richard Madeley has faced calls to be axed from Good Morning Britain over his 'insensitive' question to a guest.

A Manchester councillor has quit the Labour Party over Sir Keir Starmer's stance on Israel. Ardwick councillor Amna Abdullatif has resigned from the party citing comments made by the Labour leader about the conflict in the Middle East as the reason.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer A group of 22 Hollywood writers has penned an open letter calling out the Writers Guild of America for not issuing a statement condemning the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. SAG-AFTRA and the Directors Guild of America each issued statements last week condemning the attack.

The BBC's headquarters in London has been covered in red paint by vandals this morning.

The Hollywood labor unions are standing in collective solidarity with SAG-AFTRA after the guild’s latest negotiations with the studios went south this week.

Negotiations have once again collapsed between the actors’ union (SAG-AFTRA) and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (aka AMPTP). The actors’ union is on strike as they try and negotiate fair wages in the age of streaming, artificial intelligence, and more.

PBS is one of the few channels that has been considered “strike proof,” meaning, it was not heavily impacted by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that affected the writers and actors.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Public television has held separate collective bargaining agreements with the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA for years. So, while studios and networks this fall faced the ramifications of dual Hollywood strikes, it’s been mostly business as usual at PBS.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The Writers Guild of America has voted overwhelmingly to ratify its new contract, formally ending one of the longest labor disputes in Hollywood history. The membership voted 99% in favor of ratification, with 8,435 voting yes and 90 members opposed. In a statement, WGA West president Meredith Stiehm thanked leadership, strike captains, and WGA staff for working to deliver the contract.

Valerie Wu Intern Shari Redstone and Gelila Assefa Puck have joined forces to host an event designed to bring together members of Black and Jewish communities for dialogue and solidarity at a time of extreme polarization across the U.S. The Oct. 17 event, “Rebuilding Bridges Between the Black and Jewish Communities Through Art and Conversation,” will be held at Spago Beverly Hills and emceed by Spectrum One news anchor Giselle Fernández.

There was a big Grey’s Anatomy reunion on the picket lines this past week!

Easy Life.Earlier this week, the group revealed that they were being sued by the conglomerate owning easyJet and claimed the company was “forcing” them to change their name or they risked facing a costly legal battle.In response, an EasyGroup spokesperson told NME: “Stelios and easyGroup founded and (now) own the right to the easy brand name.“Other companies (including easyLife) pay annual royalties for its use as part of their business strategy. We cannot allow unauthorised third parties to simply use it free, gratis and for nothing.

Marta Balaga Ahead of its 39th edition, Poland’s Warsaw Film Festival is betting on timely topics. “The role of filmmakers, and artists in general, is to react,” says festival director Stefan Laudyn. “For years, we have been showing films that criticize the situation in various countries, not just in Poland.

SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on just wrapped their second day of renewed talks over a new three-year contract with a plan to meet again on Friday and even further down the line.

This is Day 83 of the SAG-AFTRA strike. 

Jimmy Kimmel returned to the air for a new episode of his late-night show Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday (October 2) after a months-long break due to the writers strike.

TV’s bevy of late-night talk show hosts took aim at the strikes in their first monologues in 5 months.