WGA Tells Writers to Be Ready to Picket if No Deal Is Reached

76th Annual Tony Awards will go on without having to cross a picket line.The Writers Guild of America announced on Monday that they will not picket this year's show, which is set for June 11, amid the ongoing writers' strike.«Tony Awards Productions (a joint venture of the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing) has communicated with us that they are altering this year’s show to conform with specific requests from the WGA,» a statement from the guild explained, according to «Therefore the WGA will not be picketing the show.»«As they have stood by us, we stand with our fellow workers on Broadway who are impacted by our strike,» the statement added.The show will proceed, although in an unspecified altered form, as planned.Kate Shindle, president of Actor Equity, took to Twitter to share her thanks with the WGA for their agreement, «Thank you, @WGAWest and @WGAEast. @ActorsEquity members: time to double down on showing up at their pickets.»«Oh, and because it can’t be said enough: this is still #AMPTP’s fault, and the writers should never have been put in this position,» she added. «We can appreciate the grace AND point at the culprits, right?»Oh, and because it can’t be said enough: this is still #AMPTP’s fault, and the writers should never have been put in this position.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The Directors Guild of America is continuing its negotiations with the AMPTP, as companies hope to get a deal that could play a role in ending the two-week-old writers strike. Meanwhile, the Writers Guild of America told members Monday that the guild is winning the “PR war” against the studios, as members share their stories in the media. “It seems the whole world is on our side,” wrote Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, a WGA East vice president, in an email to members titled “Our Momentum Grows.” “Members’ individual stories of our broken system — of getting by on ten weeks of work a year, of residual checks amounting to pennies — are resonating with the public. They understand we are losing out on the middle-class American Dream. We are not the elite. We are just like them. We are them.”

The NBCUniversal Upfront presentation was the center of Day 14 of the writers strike on the east coast.

writers strike heads into its third week. “Labor has to stick together. Workers have to stick together. We’re in a time when people need to be taken care of and have security in their jobs,” IATSE president Matthew Loeb told Variety. Loeb was on hand with IATSE vice president Matthew Miller and dozens of members of IATSE’s Local 800 and Local 695, among other units.

After yesterday’s Imagine Dragons party outside Netflix, it was Paramount’s turn to pop.

As you have no doubt already heard, the WGA is on strike right now. Just over a week into it, this strike has already caused quite a few disruptions, with productions being halted and development coming to a standstill.

Since they began throwing people around the world into fits of laughter with several Netflix comedy specials and global stand-up tours, fans have become curious about Hannah Gadsby’s net worth.

When are things not strange in Hollywood? Should we be surprised that there is always some industry or world crises crashing an awards season? Probably not, but it’s been quite a long time since a work stoppage affected the Primetime Emmy Awards. And, as we’ll discuss later, that means while writers form picket lines, actors and directors are still engaged in that Emmy nomination fight.

Biden’s comments came after a special screening of the upcoming Disney+ series “American Born Chinese,” held to honor Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.“Nights like these are a reminder of stories and the importance of treating storytellers with the dignity, respect and the value they deserve. I sincerely hope the writers strike in Hollywood gets resolved and the writers are given a fair deal they deserve as soon as possible,” Biden said.“This is an iconic, meaningful American industry.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Ellen Stutzman, the Writers Guild of America West’s chief negotiator, was out early Monday morning taking part in the family-themed picket that drew big crowds of striking writers and their children — including a few furry family members — to the sidewalks outside Netflix headquarters at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Van Ness Avenue in Hollywood. Stutzman’s presence at the location that has been one of the most heavily trafficked picketing sites was praised by WGA members who feel that guild leaders are going the extra mile to provide support and communication on the strike that began May 2. Stutzman, who brought her young son Mateo in a stroller, said the next steps in the process of coming to agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are self-evident.

Stranger Things has been halted due to the Hollywood writers’ strike.Matt and Ross Duffer (aka the Duffer Brothers), who are the brains behind the hit Netflix sci-fi drama, announced on Twitter yesterday (May 6) that it’s “not possible” for the show to go ahead currently. They also threw their weight behind the strike.“Duffers here,” the brothers began. “Writing does not stop when filming begins.

Another TV shoot has been disrupted by striking writers, Michelle and Robert King’s supernatural drama for Paramount+ Evil, which has been filming its fourth season at Brooklyn Stages in Brooklyn.

Day four of the writers strike and there’s no sign of slowing down for the writers marching in Hollywood.

“You make billions/pay us some!” striking Writers Guild of America members chanted on the street of New York today near where filming was going on for Showtime’s Billions.

Warner Bros Discovery’s hour-long earnings call with Wall Street analysts Friday morning included nary a mention of the WGA strike, unlike many other such calls in recent days.

This is a dark moment for frazzled members of the writing fraternity.

As striking writers gathered Wednesday afternoon outside Netflix’s Manhattan headquarters, they were greeted by a visitor from what might be considered enemy territory: U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democratic congressman whose 17th district sits in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley. 

The Writers’ Strike has arrived, and Hollywood is breaking out into a flop sweat about what could happen if it’s a prolonged détente. The last work stoppage in 2007-2008 lasted 14 weeks and severely disrupted the filming of countless episodic television series, kiboshed a handful of movies while others were rushed into production with barely coherent scripts (“Quantum of Solace” being the classic example), and saw the Golden Globes canceled (okay, maybe it wasn’t all bad).

On Day 1 of the WGA strike, the guild is telling members to inform their agents, lawyers and managers that they are “immediately instructed to engage in no further negotiations, meetings or discussions with any struck company concerning my performance of writing services on future or pending projects, or for the sale or option of literary material I have written, alone or with a writing partner.”

The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) has sent out guidance to its members over the strike and said it will bar non-members from joining the Guild in future if they break rank.