Loading ...WGA and AMPTP negotiators return to the table.
DGA Cuts a Deal; WGA Strike to Be Resolved Next?
January 18, 2008 - 10:45 am
Variety has reported that the DGA (Directors Guild of America) has struck a three-year deal with the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture of Motion Picture & Television Producers). The agreement will boost the residual rate of TV and film Internet downloads for Directors.
From Variety:
The DGA, which will send the pact to members for ratifications after its Jan. 26 board meeting, highlighted a trio of new-media gains:
Establishing DGA jurisdiction over programs produced for distribution on the Internet
Boosting the residuals formula for paid Internet downloads (electronic sell-through) by double the current rate
Establishing residual rates for ad-supported streaming and use of clips on the Internet
Call me crazy, but isn’t that deal essentially what the WGA wants? Read More »
Golden Globes Winners’ List
January 14, 2008 - 9:30 am
I could rant on about the Golden Globes (or lack thereof), but when it comes down to it, you just want to know who won, right? Right.
On behalf of the winners, I would like to thank God/agents/producers and you at home!
Actors and actresses already get too much exposure and credit for a job well done - bring on a WGA-free Oscars, I say.
2008 Golden Globe Winners:
Best Actress, Drama - Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There
Best Song - “Guaranteed,” Into the Wild
Best Actress, Musical or Comedy- Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose
Best Supporting Actor - Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men
Best Original Screenplay - Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country For Old Men
Best Actress, Drama - Julie Christie, Away From Her
Best Original Score - Dario Marianelli, Atonement
Best Director Motion Picture - Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Actor, Musical or Comedy - Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Foreign Picture - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Actor, Drama - Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Best Picture, Drama - Atonement
Will the Academy Awards Suffer from WGA Strike?
January 9, 2008 - 12:30 pm
We recently chimed in with our thoughts on the truncated Golden Globes, stating that the awards show is barely relevant to even the most hardcore pop-culture follower. The Academy Awards, on the other hand, are a far larger affair.
With the Golden Globes being scaled down to a high-society press conference, is the axe looming over the Oscars?
The 80th Annual Academy Awards are scheduled to be broadcast live on February 24, with the nominees announced on January 22, less than two weeks away.
Under the usual circumstances, a staff of writers would be knee-deep in zingers come January 22 - but no dice this year, with all this WGA strike hullabaloo.
Even Bruce Davis, the Academy’s executive director, doesn’t sound very optimistic about the shows’ outcome: “I’m not going to cite odds, but our hope is we can work something out or that the strike is resolved in time.” Ouch.
Has the WGA finally broke down the corporate heads? Quite possibly: Jon Stewart is scheduled to revisit his role as host at the Oscars, but in lieu of recent events may or may not follow through with his part of the bargain. If that’s the case, the Academy has no host, let alone a shoe-in ready to fill Stewart’s spot.
This situation is sticky. A resolution is in order, methinks…
NBC “Cancels” Golden Globes
January 7, 2008 - 5:30 pm
Straight from the network’s million-dollar mouth:
“There will be a press conference this afternoon announcing that the Globes Awards ceremony will not go on. Here is the plan:
At 9 PM there will be a press conference covered by NBC News announcing the Golden Globe winners. (9pm-10pm)
At 8 PM, we are negotiating with Dick Clark Enterprises for a one-hour retrospective/clip show.
At 7 PM, we will air a Dateline with clips and interviews with nominees. (Currently scheduled to air for two hours on Saturday night.)
At 10 PM, we will broadcast an “Access Hollywood” style, Golden Globes party show…visiting the various parties in Hollywood”
OH NO! What ever shall we do without an awards show with high production values where celebrities’ applaud each other for their brave acting choices? How can we live without red-carpet events that salute the overpaid, overanalyzed and overrated?
But don’t fret yet, pop-culture lovers: the Golden Globes are only being “scaled back.” It all seems a bit suspect, seeing that three-hours worth of clips, irrelevant interviews and “party clips” from Tinseltown’s biggest parties is hardly considered trimming content.
The WGA has won the battle! Oh wait, I just remembered: nobody cares about these award shows, outside of the talent nominated and fanboys obsessed with celebrity.
For the average Joe who prizes interesting television over whiny, egocentric bitchfests, this is a win-win. Use your time wisely this Sunday, January 13 - don’t drop the ball and tune in, not even for a second. Don’t boycott NBC; boycott the upper-class altogether. If that includes the WGA, so be it.
