WGA East Won’t Officially Condemn Israel Attacks; “This Will Strike Some Of You As Inadequate,” Leadership Tells Members

Jay Sures is not just UTA‘s Vice Chairman, he is also a Regent of the University of California. It was in the latter capacity that Sures sent a letter to the UC system’s Board of Regents, its chancellors and its president protesting what he termed a “appalling and repugnant” letter from the UC Ethnic Studies Faculty Council to the regents.

The London East Asia Film festival came to a close on Sunday night with the UK premiere of Concrete Utopia, Korea’s entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2024 Oscars. After the event’s Best Film award went to Iron Mask, by Kim Sung Hwan, artistic director Hyejung Jeon presented its Rising Star award to Concrete Utopia’s Pak Bo-young. Actress Park returned after the film for a Q&A with director, Um Tae-hwa, to discuss the film’s themes of survival, which suddenly seemed shockingly relevant after recent events in Ukraine and Israel/Gaza.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Peter Chernin’s North Road Company has hired Amy Israel in the role of president of television. Israel was most recently the head of scripted for Showtime, though it was announced in September she would be stepping down from that role by year’s end. In her new role, Israel will oversee all of North Road’s scripted television development and production.

Amy Israel, the former Showtime exec, has officially been installed as President of Television at Peter Chernin’s The North Road Company.

Popular Israeli-American screenwriter Dan Gordon announced his decision to become a Financial Core (Fi-Core) non-member of the Writers Guild of America West after 56 years on Tuesday, calling out the union for staying silent on Hamas' terror against Israel. "I am resigning my membership in the WGA West and electing financial core status because I no longer wish to be a fellow traveler with those who hide behind the fetid veil of a morally bankrupt wokeism and stand silent in the face of a fanatical ideology no less explicit in its genocidal intent toward the Jewish people than that of Nazi Germany," he said in a letter to WGA West's membership administrator Patrick Cannon and assistant executive director Ellen Stutzman.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Dan Gordon, the screenwriter of “The Hurricane” and “Wyatt Earp,” resigned from the Writers Guild of America on Tuesday over the guild’s silence on the Hamas attacks on Israel. A 56-year member of the union, Gordon is also a veteran of the Israel Defense Forces. He grew up in Israel and the U.S., and holds citizenship in both countries and in Canada.

Longtime Writers Guild member Dan Gordon is resigning over the union’s lack of public support for Israel.

After weeks of outrage from members about its silence over the terror attack against Israel, the Writers Guild is finally speaking out.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The Writers Guild of America West issued an apology to its members on Tuesday for the harm caused by its decision not to release a statement in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The guild has faced withering criticism over the last week for failing to condemn the Hamas attacks, which took the lives of more than 1,400 people.

The Screenwriters Guild of Israel (SGI) has slammed the WGA for its silence over the conflict raging in the nation.

Steve Coogan has defended his decision to sign an open letter calling for a ceasefire in Gaza amid the current Israel-Hamas conflict, while also condemning the “horrific” Hamas attacks.Coogan was among over 2,000 names from the arts world who signed the letter. Tilda Swinton, Massive Attack‘s Robert Del Naja and Miriam Margoyles are also among the signees.The letter condemns various governments for “not only tolerating war crimes but aiding and abetting them” amid the current conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, as well as “every act of violence against civilians and every infringement of international law whoever perpetrates them”.Citing Israeli Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant’s depiction of Palestinians as “human animals”, the letter goes on to argue that Palestinians “have become people to whom almost anything can be done”.However, some have criticised the letter for not openly condemning the actions of Hamas, who reignited tensions between Israel and Palestine when it launched its biggest ever attack on Israel on October 7, killing over 1,000 people.In response, Israel imposed a “total siege” on Gaza, threatening to cut off electricity, fuel and supplies of food and water.

EXCLUSIVE: The Writers Guild of America’s silence on the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel looks to be the only statement they’ll be making, at least according to West Coast president Meredith Stiehm.

EXCLUSIVE: The Writers Guild of America still hasn’t said anything publicly about the savage attack on Israel by terrorists on October 7, but a number of irate showrunners and others will be discussing that silence today.

Ellise Shafer The MTV Europe Music Awards, which were set to be held in Paris on Nov. 5, are no longer going forward this year “out of an abundance of caution.” A statement from a Paramount spokesperson reads, “Given the volatility of world events, we have decided not to move forward with the 2023 MTV EMAs out of an abundance of caution for the thousands of employees, crew members, artists, fans and partners who travel from all corners of the world to bring the show to life.” The statement continues, “The MTV EMAs are an annual celebration of global music.

Hundreds of protesters were arrested on Capitol Hill today as they demonstrated inside the Cannon Office Building, chanting for a ceasefire in the Israel–Hamas war.

Humza Yousaf's wife has described how her relatives trapped in Gaza were left covered in shrapnel after a drone attack.

Over a week after Israel was brutally attacked by Hamas terrorists, a number of showrunners today publicly called out the Writer’s Guild for their silence on the matter.

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.

Humza Yousaf says he “genuinely does not know” if he will see his in-laws who are currently trapped in Gaza again.

Humza Yousaf has said that Rishi Sunak has not spoken to him despite his relatives being trapped in Gaza.