WGA
‘Abbott Elementary’ Bosses on Pulling Off That Season 3 Premiere Cameo and Vetting Guest Star Requests: “Sometimes It’s Very Hard to Resist”
[This story contains spoilers from the third season premiere of Abbott Elementary.] Major change has come to Abbott Elementary as the show’s lead character, Janine Teagues, played by series creator and Emmy Award-winning actress Quinta Brunson, finds herself outside of the classroom and inside the oft-alluded-to Philadelphia school district at the start of the ABC […]
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Canadian Actors Union “Relieved” at Tentative SAG-AFTRA Deal to End Strike
The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists is “relieved” over the tentative deal reached by its sister SAG-AFTRA union with the AMPTP, representing major Hollywood studios and streamers. “We’ve been following SAG-AFTRA’s negotiations closely. Their issues are the same as our issues. Their fight is our fight,” Eleanor Noble, ACTRA national president, said […]
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Writers Guild West Promotes Ellen Stutzman to Executive Director as David Young Departs
After 18 years at the top of the Writers Guild of America West, executive director David Young is departing. And the chief negotiator who led the union in its latest round of negotiations amid a historic strike — Ellen Stutzman — will take his place. The WGA West board of directors announced the leadership transition […]
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AFM: Writers Guild Backs Hotel Workers’ Boycott
The WGA has come out in favor of a boycott of hotels in Santa Monica affiliated with the American Film Market. Hospitalities union Unite Here Local 11 is in the midst of a labor dispute with several hotels, including the Le Meridien Delfina, the new headquarters of the AFM, which kicked off Oct. 31 and […]
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2024 Writers Guild Awards Pushed Out of Oscar Season
The Writers Guild of America’s 2024 WGA Awards have been pushed out of the Oscar season, the guild announced on Wednesday, in a surprising move that was ostensibly made to allow guild members greater time to submit work following the guild’s recently resolved months-long strike against the AMPTP. The WGA Awards, even in normal times, […]
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1,000-Plus Writers Guild East Members Sign Open Letter Calling for AI Protections for Journalists
Natasha Lyonne, Adam McKay, Robert Carlock and over 1,000 Writers Guild of America East members have signed a petition calling on digital media companies to “work collaboratively” with their journalists on artificial intelligence guardrails. The group of signatories, which also includes Patricia Cornwell, Mary Harron, Tom Fontana and Soo Hugh, also asks in the statement […]
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Guest Column: Oscar-Winning Documentarian Slams Writers Guild for “Lack of Courage and Moral Clarity” in Refusing to Condemn Hamas
“The Board of Directors has worked exhaustively to consider the great diversity of opinions among our members on this issue… the Board’s viewpoints are varied, and we found consensus out of reach. For these reasons, we have decided not to comment publicly.” After more than two weeks of silence, Writers Guild of America West president […]
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Writers Guild East Explains Why It Hasn’t Made a Statement on Israel and Gaza
The Writers Guild of America East is offering an explanation for why it hasn’t made a statement about Hamas’ attack on Israel, while also emphasizing that it stands against antisemitism and Islamophobia, amid criticism of the WGA’s silence. In a message sent to members on Monday, union officers noted that a recent restructuring of the […]
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Drew Barrymore Doesn’t Address Hollywood Strikes, Controversy Around Her Talk Show Return in Season 4 Premiere
Drew Barrymore’s return to daytime was a largely muted affair, with the host and actress sitting down with award-winning recording artist Shania Twain, but abstaining from any comment around her controversial return following the now-ended writers strike and amid the ongoing actors’ strike. During the 30-minute premiere and first new episode of The Drew Barrymore […]
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Robin Williams’ Daughter Zelda Criticizes Use of AI to Re-create His Voice: “I Find It Personally Disturbing”
Robin Williams’ daughter Zelda is speaking out against the use of artificial intelligence to re-create the sound of her father’s voice. “I am not an impartial voice in SAG’s fight against AI. I’ve witnessed for YEARS how many people want to train these models to create/re-create actors who cannot consent, like Dad,” she wrote on […]
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Top Consulting Firm Says Studios “Should Spurn” AI As Replacement for Creatives
Creative talents’ worries have been in focus this summer in Hollywood amid the dual writers and actors strikes, along with much debate about whether AI could replace artists and upset production. Management consulting firm Bain & Co. is signaling there could be a less contentious future though, which it outlines in a new report entitled […]
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Get in There Quick! Drew Carey’s Offer of Free Meals for Striking Writers Set to End
With the Writers Guild strike coming to an end at 12:01 am PT Wednesday, Drew Carey’s now legendary largesse during the stoppage will also be coming to an end. In between offering his congratulations to the WGA West members on the conclusion of the stoppage, Carey tweeted on Tuesday night that striking writers had only […]
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