Writers
Strike
Commercial Actors Strike
TV
Film
and TV outside Hollywood
Production
outside Hollywood
Film
costs
Other
Writers
Strike
RIGHTS
TO ANNE FRANK: "Who owns the rights to Anne Frank's life?
Some of the controversy has been simmering for years: Has Anne's
Jewishness — which, after all, was the reason she perished — been
muted, even neutralized, to turn her into a universal symbol?
The latest flashpoint is a four-hour ABC mini-series, Anne
Frank, to be shown on May 20 and May 21." The
New York Times 04/10/01 (one-time
registration required for access)
HOLLYWOOD
WRITERS' STRIKE? MAYBE NOT: "[T]he two sides' bargaining
positions aren't really all that far apart. When contract talks
recessed on March 1, the negotiators for the Writers Guild and
the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers were
only about $70 million-$80 million apart on their proposals for
a new three-year contract. That's a difference of only about $25
million a year -- chump change, by Hollywood's standards."
Backstage 03/20/01
TOEING
THE UNION LINE: The battle between the big Hollywood studios
and the Writer's Guild is ongoing, and with a strike looming if a
settlement is not reached soon, analysts are weighing in on the
union's chances. "While studios dig in their heels against
what they say are unprecedented union demands, both sides must
weigh the realities of a slowing economy, changing industry, and
labor relations in Los Angeles." Boston
Globe (AP) 03/16/01
NO
DEAL:
After nearly six weeks of haggling over a new contract for
Hollywood’s writers, negotiations between the Writers Guild of
America and film and TV producers broke down on Thursday, making
the prospect of a summer strike even more likely. "There's
still one major factor keeping them apart: Money."
E!
Online 3/01/01
US
STRIKE A MIXED BLESSING UP NORTH: A strike in Hollywood will
have a pronounced ripple effect in Canada, where some 300 US
movies and TV shows are shot every year. There will be less
big-dollar work from the south, but it may re-focus some energy on
the Canadian culture. As one Toronto film maker noted, "From
a strictly selfish point of view, this would make it a lot easier
to make a movie." Globe and Mail
(Canada) 03/02/01
WHERE
CREDIT IS DUE: One of the major gripes the Writers' Guild has
with Hollywood studios is the "A Film By..." credit that
directors of motion pictures love to tack on to the beginning of a
movie. In the television world, where directors are considered
expendable, that type of all-encompassing credit could only go to
a writer, and the Guild would like the same to become true of the
big screen. Los Angeles Times 02/28/01
BEFORE
THE STORM: "If the doomsayers are right, the next six
months could be the last happy times for Tinseltown for quite a
while. The Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild
contract expire with the movie studios and major film and TV
producers. With the very likely prospect of two crippling strikes
shutting down movie and television production over the summer and
into the fall, Hollywood is on a frenetic pace to green-light and
rush into production as many films as possible." Los
Angeles Times 12/31/00
HOLLYWOOD
WORRIES: Yet another twist in the likely Screen Actors Guild
strike this summer has surfaced. Hollywood's marketing machine is
wondering if such a work stoppage would also shut down their most
effective means of selling their product. "The issue, or
rather, fear at this point, is whether [SAG] . . . would forbid
its members to participate in promotional and publicity activities
during a strike." Inside.com
02/21/01
WRITING
ON THE WALL: Everybody's talking about a possible Hollywood
strike by screen writers this summer. But the president of the
Intl. Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees denounced the WGA's
strike goals as hazy and wrongheaded: "You can't disrupt an
industry entirely like that. You're not even dealing with egos
here. You're dealing with megalomaniacs." Variety
02/16/01
LOOKING
FOR A WAY OUT: The Writer's Guild has extended its negotiating
deadline with Hollywood's movie and television producers, in the
hope that further discussions may avoid a crippling strike.
Observers are hopeful that the move means that the two sides are
closer than previously thought.
Inside.com
02/03/01
BRACING
FOR IMPACT: Many American movies and TV programs are currently
filmed in Canada, because of the favorable exchange rate, and the
film and TV industry is worth a cool $4 billion per year to
Canada's economy. But with massive strikes threatening to
cripple the American entertainment megaplex this summer, Canadian
production companies are preparing for a season without U.S.
assistance. CBC,
01/31/01
LAND
OF OPPORTUNITY:
The British movie industry is hoping to cash in this summer if
Hollywood's actors and writers go on strike. "With the dollar
so strong and Hollywood winding down as the strikes loom,
relocating films to London - with its large and relatively
low-paid pool of both acting and writing talent - has never looked
so good."
The
Guardian (London) 1/30/01
THE
INEVITABLE STRIKE: Hollywood producers say they think a
writers' strike is inevitable this year. "While unanimous in
their opinion that a shutdown would have disastrous consequences
for the industry, the toppers also had only one answer when asked
whether they believed there will be a strike. 'Unfortunately,
yes'." Variety 01/15/01
A
SAGGING UNION: Just out of one strike and on the verge of
possibly calling another that could shut down Hollywood
production, the Screen Actors Guild has another problem on its
hands. A consultant's report, a "two-inch-thick document,
paints a relentlessly unflattering picture of the world's
best-known performers' union" and says it suffers from
"organizational chaos." Variety
01/08/01
BRING
OUT YOUR DEAD: "With the Screen Actors Guild strike
threatening to paralyse Hollywood, this year could be boom time
for dead thesps. Many of the greatest (deceased) actors in history
are as busy as ever, toiling overtime, doing everything from
celebrity endorsements to cameo film roles. Humphrey Bogart, Clark
Gable, Marlene Dietrich, James Cagney: all are proving veritable
cash cows for their respective estates, digitally reanimated for a
whole new audience." Sunday
Times (London) 01/07/01
HOLLYWOOD
NEGOTIATES: Increasingly worried about threats of major
strikes by writers this summer, Hollywood producers are anxious to
negotiate. "With less than four months left on its current
film-TV contract, the Writers Guild made a surprise about-face
Tuesday, saying it was ready to hold early talks with producers
for two weeks beginning Jan. 22." Producers respond:
"We'd meet them in a parking lot if that's what they
want." Variety
01/05/01
WAR
OF THE APOSTROPHE: It looks like the writers' union is going
on strike against the movie industry next year. Why? Among other
reasons, to get more credit for writers in the film credits.
Writers want to abolish the line before the title that says
"So-and-so's film." "The credit that says `A film
by' makes it sound like one person, a director, is responsible for
the film, and it denigrates the writer."
Chicago Tribune 11/19/00
THE
UNION LABEL: The Screen Actors Guild may have recently settled
the strike with Hollywood's commercial producers, but an internal
report says the union is fractured and lacking focus. "SAG
lacks a clear, shared mission and strategy, which is the
foundation of an effective organization," the report says.
"There is no consensus regarding SAG's mission, which is
essential for establishing a shared consensus about SAG's
goals." Backstage 11/16/00
TORONTO'S
BIG MOVIE PLANS: "Despite an 87 per cent growth rate over
the past five years, Toronto ranks second to Vancouver in terms of
film production." That's why a new mega-studio proposed by
Toronto's mayor is controversial. CBC
11/12/00
THERE’S
POWER IN PRECEDENT:
The settlement of Hollywood’s six-month-long commercial
actors’ strike may embolden members of the Writers Guild of
America to hold out for better deals when their contracts expire
next spring and summer. "This year's success is likely to
lead to more strikes next year since the deal essentially
validates the unions' hardline stance." Variety
10/24/00
Commercial
Actors Strike
THE
COST OF A STRIKE:
According to the Screen Actors Guild’s latest earnings report,
SAG members lost more than $100 million in income during last
year’s six-month strike against the advertising industry - and
that doesn’t include the losses suffered by SAG’s sister
union, the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists,
whose commercial earnings losses are estimated at another $15
million. Backstage
3/29/01
HARD
TO SUPPORT THE COMMERCIALS: Why
did last year's major strike by actors in TV commercials go
largely ignored in the general press? "Most television
commercials are regarded as cultural offal to be ignored, muted
and clicked away from at every opportunity. One might
enthusiastically support sanitation workers who rid the streets of
garbage. That same level of support or even sympathy is unlikely
for someone perceived to be making a good living by helping to
create cultural pollution, i.e., commercials." MediaChannel
01/13/01
ACTORS
STRIKE OVER: The Screen Actors Guild and American Federation
of Television and Radio Artists reached a tentative agreement with
the advertising industry to end their nearly half-year-long
strike. Inside.com 10/23/00
THE
COSTS OF NOT WORKING: The 19-week strike by actors against
commercial producers has cost the Los Angeles economy $200
million, says an economist.
Variety 09/12/00
TV
CELEBRATING
TV: Television is the most popular medium of our age. Yet it
is constantly denigrated. "Is it an art? Well, artists
certainly work in it: writers, directors, actors, cameramen, film
and tape editors. Whether an agglomeration of artists turns a
medium into an art form is a nice point. No doubt theses are on
their way." The Observer (London)
04/01/01
HOW
KIDS WATCH TV: It used to be that teenagers all watched more
or less the same TV programs. No more. "This fragmentation of
viewers has become a disturbing fact of life for television
executives, especially at the three traditional broadcast
networks. Once they could ignore teenagers, figuring that they
would watch the networks because they had no choice. The changes
in the past decade have left those executives feeling rather like
children after a visit to the planetarium, realizing that they are
not the center of the universe but only a speck in the
cosmos." The New York Times
03/13/01 (one-time registration
required for access)
TV
TURNS TO THE STAGE: The next few weeks will see an astonishing
number of stage plays make their debut on the small screen. And
while the struggling world of theatre is certainly in need of the
boost TV can provide, there is always the risk that the dumbed-down,
sound-bitten world of the tube can suck the life out of a great
stage piece. San Jose Mercury News
03/18/01
DOES
THIS MEAN OUR COLLECTIVE TASTE HAS IMPROVED? A few years ago
TV tabloids were all over the set competing for viewers and
sensational stories. Only one remains - "Inside Edition"
is readying its 4000th broadcast. It's even outlasted the
"tabloid" label. Washington
Times 02/14/01
TV
TURN-OFF: A new study in Britain says that audiences may be
getting tired of violence on TV. "Sixty per cent of people
questioned for the report complained there was too much violence
on TV. The study showed that increasing numbers of people are
switching off programmes which disgust them." BBC
10/23/00
TURNING
OFF THE TUBE: The amount of time Canadians watch TV declined
in 1999. "Average TV time fell to 21.6 hours a week, an hour
less than in 1998 and well below the peak of 23.5 hours set in
1998. All age and sex groups watched less, and only Newfoundland
and British Columbia showed small increases." Ottawa
Citizen 01/25/01
BLACK
AND WHITE TV: The racial divide between what blacks and whites
watch on American TV seems to be closing. "According to a
fall 2000 study of American television, released this week,
'Monday Night Football' was the No. 1 series among blacks, while
'ER' was tops with whites. That marks the first time in years that
the top choice with blacks also appeared in the top 20 among
whites, and vice versa ('MNF' is No. 14 among whites, while 'ER'
ranks No. 8 with blacks)." Variety
02/12/01
SEX
SEX SEX (AND MORE ALL THE TIME): A new study says sex on
American TV is on the rise. Three-quarters of prime-time TV shows
last year had sexual content; two years earlier, it was only
two-thirds. Most of that increase was in sitcoms. Dallas
News 02/07/01
TOO
MUCH SEX? Sex sells, doesn't it? Evidently not for the
American Fox TV network. Fox is getting big-league ratings with
the likes of 'Temptation Island'. But "the racy content in
the current wave of reality TV is making some advertisers question
the line between good marketing and good taste. As a result, many
big-name companies have chosen to vote themselves off shows
displaying questionable content." Christian
Science Monitor 02/05/01
OOOH
BABY BABY BABY: New study reports that sex on prime time
American television has tripled in the past ten years. Oh yes,
violence and bad language are up too. MSNBC
(AP) 03/30/00
TV'S
GOLDEN AGE? No question a lot of what plays on TV is schlock.
But amid the vast wasteland, there are many quality programs, and
the current lineup of TV dramas suggests we may be in the
"Golden Age" of TV theatre. Los
Angeles Times 01/15/01
THE
LATEST HIT IN RUSSIA: A current affairs show where the female
reporters are topless has become such a surprise hit on Russian
television that politicians are lining up to be interviewed.
"Svetlana Pesotskaya, the blonde actress who reads the news
while playfully taking off her top or having it removed by a pair
of hairy male arms, insists that the program is a serious news
show."
The Age (The Telegraph) 06/05/00
Film
and TV outside Hollywood
THE
FAILING FRENCH: In the 50s, 60s and 70s French cinema was a
vibrant art that caught the world's attention. No more. The
industry is in the doldrums. "Last year, for the first time
in history, the share of French films at the domestic box office
dropped below 30 per cent - and at the same time, it's getting
harder to export French cinema." The
Telegraph (London) 03/24/01
CHINESE
CINEMA LANGUISHES AWAY FROM HOLLYWOOD: "Chinese cinema
has come into the media spotlight in the wake of Taiwanese
director Ang Lee's martial arts box office smash 'Crouching Tiger,
Hidden Dragon.' But while Chinese directors in Hong Kong and
Taiwan have wooed international markets with a vision of China
gone by, mainland cinema is in the doldrums and getting
progressively worse." China Times
(Taiwan) 03/19/01
MAD
FOR MOVIES: The audience for movies in Korea grew by 12
percent last year. But that audience wasn't wild about the home
team. "The audience share of Korean films decreased 3.2
percent to 32.6 percent, with foreign films attracting 67.4
percent of the audience." Korea
Times 02/28/01
HOME
FIELD (DIS)ADVANTAGE:
Heralded as the rebirth of the martial-arts epic, "Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon" has wowed audiences all over the world
- everywhere, that it, except Hong Kong. "It might look
exotic to foreign audiences but it has been done before, and
better, in other Hong Kong films."
China
Times 2/15/01
CAMBODIAN
CINEMA CPR
: With a daring new film about to open, director Fay Sam Ang is
hoping to breathe new life into Cambodia’s almost defunct film
industry. "Considering the recent history of the land of the
Killing Fields, few countries have more stories to tell on film,
but no one's telling them." Time
(Asia) 2/12/01
HOLLYWOOD'S
GIDDY NUMBERS AND DIRE CAUTIONS: Hollywood raked in billions
last year - $7.5 billion in box-office sales, and a whopping $20
billion in video rental and sales. "After this record year,
in possession of these gigantic numbers, studio chiefs should be
slapping backs and passing out cigars; there should be hullabaloos
up and down Wilshire Boulevard. Instead, they are battening down
the hatches, composing secret lists of who to axe, and talking
doomsday." Globe
and Mail (Toronto), 01/26/01
OSCAR'S
NON-AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE: A record 46 foreign films have been
entered in the Best Foreign Picture Oscar category. China
Times (AFP) (Taiwan) 11/22/00
TRANSATLANTIC
ENVY:
British film and media types are quick to criticize Hollywood fare
as "too bland, too formulaic, too predictable, too dumb. If
only, the argument goes, we had such resources: our films - edgy,
relevant, cool and British - would surely sweep the world. But
it's inescapable that America has the most diverse, intriguing and
professional film culture of any country in the world. Their
breadth and range shames our admittedly small film industry, which
is obsessed by gangsters and clubbing." The
Telegraph (London) 10/31/00
DOWN
ON FILM DOWN UNDER:
Why does the Australian film industry seem to be perennially in a
state of crisis, in fear of cutbacks and dwindling audiences? And
what exactly is the critic’s role in helping create a thriving
local film culture? According to one critic, "they have a
duty to make a positive contribution to film culture - otherwise,
they are basically just glorified PR agents for the major movie
corporations. Mainstream cinema is blinkered and amnesiac: it
pretends that what's on screen, in the here and now, is all there
is. Too many critics accept this pathetic reduction of cinema as
their sole field of operations." The
Age (Melbourne) 10/30/00
AND
LITTLE PRAISE FOR THREE DECADES OF BRITISH FILM:
As the London Film Festival opens this week, the first in a
four-part series on the state of British film over the last 30
years. Don’t look here for aggrandizing praise. "British
film has for the most part been second-rate, the culture of
film-makers has been undernourished, the cinema-going public has
been too shy of invention, and, without the brilliant, redeeming
system of television funding and production in this country,
British film would be dead in the water." The
Telegraph (London) 10/30/00
SHOW
ME THE MONEY: In India, where the average income is about $215
a year, the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be A
Millionaire" has become a wild hit. "Streets are half
deserted when 'KBC' comes on, suddenly it's easy to get a seat at
late evening movies, pubs in some cities say business has been
hit, and bookshops are packed with books to guide you through the
quiz programme." The Times of
India 09/26/00
BOLLYWOOD
v. HOLLYWOOD:
As exported Indian movies get increasingly sophisticated (no
longer just those epic musical romances), they are becoming big
draws in Britain and are giving Hollywood a run for its money at
the box office. Three Bollywood productions recently entered the
UK’s top-10 list, and cinema chains showing Indian flicks are
opening up all over Britain. The
Age (Melbourne) 06/19/00
WHY
MOVIES COST SO MUCH: A William Morris agent says big Hollywood
stars are now demanding $30 million to be in big blockbuster
movies - $25 million in salary and $5 million for perks.
"Until recently, for instance, Travolta would only agree to
do blockbusters if a private Lear Jet was put at his disposal,
fuelled and ready for take-off 24 hours a day. Even Kim Basinger -
who is not the draw she once was - demands $100,000 for her
personal hairdresser. Most have entourages which also have to be
paid for. The
Guardian 05/17/00
HOLLYWOOD
EAST? India already has the biggest film industry in the
world. Now it is "riding a growing wave of television,
internet and computer animation technologies along with an
expanding international audience to become a potential alternative
to its State-side big brother, Hollywood." New
Zealand Herald (Reuters) 04/19/00
Production
outside Hollywood
PUMP
EM UP, MOVE EM OUT: Vancouver is the third-largest film-making
city in the world (after Los Angeles and New York), and the
second-largest TV-series factory. About $1.8 billion is spent on
making movies there. But here's a secret no one talks about:
they're almost all bad movies. The reason - the cheap Canadian
dollar lures cheap, mediocre productions. Ottawa
Citizen 03/12/01
RUNAWAY
FILM: A new report says that the number of film and video
productions leaving Hollywood to be shot elsewhere is increasing.
"It cites one study showing domestic production of
made-for-TV movies declined by more than 33% in the last six
years, while production at foreign locations rose 55%."
Variety 01/19/01
WHY
ARE MOVIE PRODUCTIONS LEAVING HOLLYWOOD FOR OTHER COUNTRIES?
"These countries are offering an ever-growing list of
financial incentives to U.S. producers in an effort to build their
own production capacity and increase their share of the worldwide
production industry. There is no "free market" at
work here. Other countries, recognizing the value of film and
television production to their future economic health, are
virtually bribing U.S. producers to make their films and TV series
outside the United States."
Los Angeles Times 10/09/00
HOLLYWOOD
NORTH? The betting now is that Hollywood will be paralyzed by
strikes next year as writers, actors and directors all negotiate
new contracts. Will that stop the insatiable worldwide demand for
entertainment? Not hardly. Much of the production figures to head
north. "In Toronto and Vancouver, the main English-language
production centres, directors, actors, technicians, casting agents
and craft industries are already experiencing an unprecedented
boom in demand - and reaping the dividends of Hollywood's
woes." The Globe and Mail
10/05/00
Film
costs
HOW
TO MAKE AN AD COST $10 MILLION: With the continued blurring of
the always-fuzzy line between entertainment and advertising, many
of Hollywood's biggest stars have begun to pop up in high-end ad
campaigns. In past years, movie stars considered such shilling
beneath them, but ads are apparently now considered
"art", and that makes it all better. New
York Post 03/27/01
THE
$10 MOVIE: As of Friday, movie admission will cost $10 in New
York. How long until the rest of the country catches up? "Ten
dollars has kind of been the magic number for a while that no one
had hit yet. What remains to be seen is if people will go
along." Chicago Sun-Times
02/26/01
HOLLYWOOD'S
GIDDY NUMBERS AND DIRE CAUTIONS: Hollywood raked in billions
last year - $7.5 billion in box-office sales, and a whopping $20
billion in video rental and sales. "After this record year,
in possession of these gigantic numbers, studio chiefs should be
slapping backs and passing out cigars; there should be hullabaloos
up and down Wilshire Boulevard. Instead, they are battening down
the hatches, composing secret lists of who to axe, and talking
doomsday." Globe
and Mail (Toronto), 01/26/01
GLOBAL
SLOWDOWN: For the second year in a row, Hollywood's
international box office take has tumbled. In an international
marketplace plagued by depreciating local currencies, escalating
marketing costs and a global exhibition slowdown, distributors
will be lucky to clear $6 billion, down 10% on last year's $6.66
billion target and way short of 1998's boffo $6.8 billion."
Variety
01/03/01
RECORD
CANADIAN MOVIE AUDIENCES: A record 112 million Canadians
bought movie tickets last year. It's the seventh year in a row
that overall attendance has been up. But despite the record sales,
profitability of movie houses is down.
CBC 10/18/00
SERIOUS
ABOUT SLIMMING DOWN: For the first time in 20 years the cost
to market movies dropped last year. At the same time, ticket
prices climbed an average 8 percent. Slimming down to a more
profitable Hollywood. Variety
03/08/00
Other
TAKING
TINSELTOWN TO TASK:
Critics and serious moviegoers have always complained about the
lackluster fare coming out of Hollywood. But lately the grumblings
of the discontent have reached a fever pitch. "You could look
at any of these trends as proof of a new brand of adventurousness
sweeping the land, as evidence that moviegoers are more open to
non-mainstream pictures than they've ever been. But there's more
than a whiff of sanctimoniousness in the anti-Hollywood sentiment
that's been going around." Salon
3/29/01
IS
HOLLYWOOD FUNDAMENTALLY CONSERVATIVE? "Look into the very
heart of American counter-culture and you will find films like
Taxi Driver and Blue Velvet, films which penetrated the mainstream
with a spirit of the avant-garde. Yet at the core of their
innovative visions there is also a spirit of right-wing
libertarianism and rage against modernity." Prospect
04/01
A
FILM BY... Hollywood directors have rejected writers' demands
to end the practice of tagging a movie as "a film by"
and crediting a director. Writers feel the practice belittles the
writers' contributions. CNN 03/21/01
A
NO WIN:
The British Board of Film Classification is all over the news
lately, and for two seemingly contradictory charges: granting two
extremely violent foreign films certification, and recent remarks
by its director that suggested the end of mandatory ratings. But
is anyone asking if Britain still needs an official censor? The
Guardian (London) 3/01/01
WHAT
HAPPENED TO THE MOVIES? This time last year movie critics were
writing about a rebirth of the art of film. After years of
lamenting what was widely seen as a decline in the art of
filmmaking, 1999 surprised critics with several innovative
interesting works. And this year? A big disappointment. Critics
are still waiting for a movie to grab their imaginations, and even
the commercial box office has been down for the first time since
1991... The Globe & Mail (Toronto)
12/01/00
THE
NEW FILMMAKERS: "The American cinema's past has for the
last 30 years been intertwined with the rise of American film
schools. Many of the producers, directors, writers,
cinematographers and editors making mainstream movies today are
graduates of those schools, and, like me, most have made their
movies on 35- millimeter motion picture film. But a friend who
teaches cinematography at a major film school recently lamented
that his students were refusing to shoot their projects on film.
This generation of filmmakers-to-be grew up with camcorders, and
they find it bothersome to learn what they call the 'technical
stuff,' like focus and exposure. They relish the immediacy of
video and consider its hands-on ease of operation a
birthright." The New York Times
02/18/01
INCREDIBLE!
UNPARALLELED! PHENOMENAL! And all bad. Teamed with the Oscars,
the Razzies - annual awards for Hollywood's worst. Although John
Travolta seems a shoo-in for individual honors, "Arnold
Schwarzenegger picked up three nominations by himself for worst
actor, worst supporting actor, and worst couple, all for 'The 6th
Day,' in which he played a helicopter pilot named Adam Gibson and
Gibson's clone." CNN 02/12/01
PLANNING
AHEAD: The looming strikes by Hollywood's writers and actors
may not be as devastating as some have predicted, since the
industry appears to have a record number of big-budget
blockbusters already in the can. The studios' effort to be ready
to release new films throughout the strike was helped along by
many major stars, who can't bear the thought of having their names
out of circulation for months.
The
Globe & Mail (Toronto) 02/09/01
WHO
ARE THE BIGGEST MOVIE STARS? A new ranking system takes away
all the subjectivity and reduces it to a formula. The biggest?
Bruce Willis. Overpaid? Kevin Costner and John Travolta. Chicago
Sun-Times 01/16/01
ART
FILMS' TOUGH TIMES: "The art cinema in America is in
crisis. Cable television has increasing muscle and, after
contributing to the costs of a movie, wants the kudos of its
premiere. There are more art film distributors than ever, yet this
sector of the US box office is down 15 per cent over last year,
and an alarming 31 per cent over the past decade — not allowing
for inflation." The
Times (London) 01/08/01
THE
ART OF SELF-PROMOTION:
"Once again, after a year of producing largely dreary
commercial product, Hollywood has put on its straightest face to
pretend that all it has ever really cared about is quality. And
once again it can point to a (very small) handful of films that
almost justify the chest-thumping pomposity."
New
York Times 01/05/01
(one-time
registration required for access)
OVER
THE HILL AT 40? "In a twist of irony over youth obsession
in America's television dream factory, actors are not the only
ones fretting over on-camera looks. They are concerns of the
unseen talents who dream up the plots of TV sitcoms and dramas -
writers. And the concern about age is not cosmetic: It's job
preservation." A lawsuit filed last week alleges age
discrimination in the movie and TV business. Nando
Times (Christian Science Monitor) 10/30/00
BUT
I CAN WRITE YOUNG: Television writers in Hollywood have filed
a $200 million age discrimination suit against producers. The
writers content that producers systematically discriminate against
writers over 40. "According to the suit, writers over age 40
account for more than two-thirds of the Writers Guild of America
membership. During the 1997-98 television season, however, writers
age 40-plus made up one-third or less of the writing staff on half
of all prime-time series." Dallas
Morning News 10/24/00
SEA
CHANGE: "Hollywood is in a panic mode. For the first
time, unions are confronting networks and studios about how
writers and actors should be paid when films and television shows
are shown on the Internet and on the growing number of cable
outlets. And they are threatening strikes that union officials and
television and film executives all expect to define the issues
that will shape the entertainment industry's labor relations for
decades." New York Times 10/01/00
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WHERE
ARE THE YOUNG? Movie attendance in Europe and Australia for
those under the age of 25 has fallen off. Movie theatre's blame
the drop on the growing popularity of computers and cell phones.
The Age
(Melbourne) 09/18/00
UN
"PATRIOT"-IC: The British are protesting the
gratuitous rewrite of history in "The Patriot," but
there are other reasons to worry about this movie. "Thanks to
the sheer raving outrageousness of 'The Patriot' - which climaxes
with the use of an American flag as a bayonet; which evokes Waco
in a scene in which a church-full of militia sympathizers are
burned alive by the British; and which peddles a right-wing agenda
so outlandish it would make Rambo blush - you'd have to be a
flaming, wood-paneled idiot to miss the movie's politics." Toronto
Star 07/14/00
SIX
DEGREES OF SPIELBERG:
Stephen Spielberg has decided on his next project. That one act
reverberates around the movie world. "It's a kind of Six
Degrees of Spielberg effect: He makes a single move, which sets
off a flurry of activity at four studios across town, which sets
off more flurries throughout the industry - ripples from a single
stone cast in the movie pond by, as producer Mark Johnson calls
him, 'an 800-pound gorilla.' Chicago
Sun-Times 05/07/00
JUST
WHEN YOU WERE WRITING THEM OFF: A number of critics are
talking about a renaissance in Hollywood movies. There are a
number of reasons, but one of them, ironically, was the success of
"Titanic." Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette 04/16/00
