WGA Says Studios Are Locked In “Mutual Suicide Pact” As Their Negotiating Strategy Has Resulted In “Spectacular Failure”

Union leaders told striking Hollywood writers Tuesday night that they plan to meet with representatives for studios to discuss restarting negotiations after the first official communication between the two sides since the strike began three months ago.

striking Hollywood writers Tuesday night that they plan to meet with representatives for studios to discuss restarting negotiations after the first official communication between the two sides since the strike began three months ago.The Writers Guild of America sent an email to members saying that the head of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents major studios, streaming services and production companies in negotiations, requested a meeting on Friday to discuss the resumption of contract talks.“We’ll be back in communication with you sometime after the meeting with further information,” the email read. “As we’ve said before, be wary of rumors.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer WGA East president Michael Winship will not be seeking re-election amid the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. “This is a decision that was made right from the start two years ago when I was asked to return to the presidency,” Winship said in a statement sent to guild members Tuesday, just as WGAE revealed the candidates up for officer seats in its upcoming council election this September.

Savannah Chrisley isn’t holding back when it comes to telling the world what things are really like.

Abi Moores was brutally dumped from Love Island just days ago and now has now opened up about her time in the iconic villa. The air hostess, 25, had a rather tumultuous time in the villa, entering during Casa Amor and coupling up with Mitch Taylor only for his head to then turn for bombshell Ella Barnes. She then coupled up with Scott van der Sluis, but the pair ultimately decided against continuing their romance choosing instead to just be friends.They were then dumped from the show by their fellow islanders.

Alex Salmond has said Margaret Ferrier was "thrown to the media wolves" by a disloyal SNP, though Humza Yousaf has dismissed his views as being in a "minority".

Khloé Kardashian is celebrating one year with her and ex-boyfriend Tristan Thompson’s “sweet son” Tatum.

Felipe Torres Medina, a writer on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, organized a comedy writers picket outside 30 Rock in New York that saw the cream of the late-night crop turn up to fight for a “fair” deal.

Tori Kelly broke her silence after she was hospitalized for blood clots.

Mike Cavanagh, the president of Comcast who was recently named the de-facto head of NBC Universal, said the company remains “committed to reaching a fair deal [with actors and writers[ as soon as possible, so we can get back to doing what we do best, which making great content together.”

Morrissey has blasted celebrities and music industry figures who have paid tribute to Irish singer Sinead O'Connor after it was announced that she had passed away, aged of 56.

Frankie Bridge has told fans 'goodbyes are hard' as she opened up about a heartbreaking loss she and her family have suffered. The Loose Women star took to Instagram with a string of snaps of herself with her beloved neighbour who she said had 'become family'.

Bethenny Frankel's advice to Rachel Leviss -- should Rachel choose to go back to the kind of environment that ultimately landed her in a mental health treatment facility — is don't agree to go back to  until she's hammered out a new deal with Bravo.Speaking to ET's Kevin Frazier after questioning why reality TV stars haven't gone on strike, Frankel says Leviss is the one still getting dragged for her role in creating Scandoval, an affair with Tom Sandoval, whose nine-year relationship with Ariana Madix was torpedoed when news of the affair surfaced earlier this year. While the rest of the gang have all returned to production for the highly anticipated season 11, Leviss has bee noticeably absent. And Frankel, host of the  podcast, encourages Leviss to keep it that way until both sides can come to an agreement.«She had an affair. She's not the first person in the world that's had an affair and, you know, bullying or beating someone down for a tragic error that, yes, everybody has, like,  grabbed and ripped the meat off the carcass.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos addressed Hollywood’s dual SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes alongside the release of the company’s Q2 earnings results Wednesday. Sarandos said: “Let me start by making something absolutely clear: This strike is not an outcome that we want. We make deals all the time. We are constantly at the table negotiating with writers with directors with actors and producers with everyone across the industry. And we very much hoped to reach an agreement by now. So I also want to say, if I may, on a personal level, I was raised in a union household. My dad was a member of IBEW Local 640, he was a union electrician. And I remember his local because that union was very much a part of our lives when I was growing up. And I also remember on more than one occasion, my dad being out on strike. And I remember that because it takes an enormous toll on your family, financially and emotionally. You should know that nobody here, nobody within the AMPTP, and I’m sure nobody at SAG or nobody at the WGA, took any of this lightly. But we’ve got a lot of work to do there. There are a handful of complicated issues. We’re super committed to getting to an agreement as soon as possible, one that is equitable, and one that enables the industry and everybody in it to move forward into the future.

SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher is keen to continue negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), who are allegedly dragging their heels.

Dylan Sprouse and Barbara Palvin have wed one month after confirming their engagement.

You can read the full SAG-AFTRA memo here, and read AMPTP’s response here.“We moved on some things,” the SAG-AFTRA memo said, “but from day one they wouldn’t meaningfully engage on the most critical issues.”Along with a summary, the memo included a comprehensive breakdown of guild proposals and the counteroffers made by AMPTP. Among the disagreements between the two sides, according to SAG-AFTRA:A requested 11% general wage increase in the first year, and 4% in the second and third years to deal with inflation was countered with 5% in the first year, 4% in the second and 3.2% in the third, the guild says.A proposed a revenue sharing scheme on streaming services to offset residuals losses was flatly rejected by AMPTP.A proposal to make terms for background actors the same everywhere was rejected by AMPTP.A proposal to compensate background actors who also do stand-in work on the same day for both jobs, instead of paying them for one, was rejected.AMPTP agreed to provide hair and makeup specialists trained for diverse hair types and skin tones, but only for principle performers.And of course, the memo mentions the previously discussed proposal by AMPTP that studios be allowed to use AI to scan background actors and retain ownership and the right to use their likenesses in perpetuity, while paying them only once.“SAG-AFTRA continues to mischaracterize the negotiations with AMPTP,” AMPTP said in its own statement.

Dylan Sprouse and Barbara Palvin have wed one month after confirming their engagement.

Ron Perlman is walking back some heated comments he made about an anonymous Hollywood executive who told a news outlet that the studios’ plan is to let the strike extend for so long that writers and actors feel real financial pain.

proposed to use artificial intelligence to scan the faces of extras and use their likeness in perpetuity.On Thursday, the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) officially declared its intention to go on strike, with one of the many areas of concern for the union being the use of AI within the industry.During a press conference, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) had made a so-called “groundbreaking” proposal that, with the use of AI, would allow the likenesses of film and television background performers to be used indefinitely.Sharing his anger at the proposal on Twitter, Cusack said: “Studios wanna have extras work one day, scan them — own their likeness forever — and eliminate them from the business.“Do you think they will stop with extras? That’s what AI is — a giant Copywrite identity theft [and] criminal enterprise.”Studios wanna have extras work one day Scan them – own their likeness forever – and eliminate them from the business – & do you think they will stop with extras – ? That’s what AI is – a giant Copywrite identity theft – criminal Enterprise / we had no idea this would…— John Cusack (@johncusack) July 14, 2023“We had no idea this would happen… they will say in 10 years when the scope and scale of the plunder is revealed,” he added.