The WGA is gearing up for upcoming contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, arguably its most important in over a decade. This has prompted a group of top writers to look back at the lessons learned from the 2007-08 writers’ strike to see what can be applied to this year’s talks. Angela Workman, writer of The Zookeeper’s Wife , Chap Taylor, consulting producer on The Blacklist, Holly Sorensen, creator of the Step Up TV series, Flint Wainess, consulting producer of The CW’s In The Dark, Mixed Signals writer Eric Tipton and Marc Guggenheim, co-creator and exec producer of Arrow and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow – all veterans of the 07-08 picket line – weighed into the issue ahead of the negotiations. “There’s a lot of confusion about what the 2007-08 strike did and did not accomplish, and a lot of discussion about what we might achieve in our upcoming negotiation,” writes Workman on the From The Trenches: Working … [Read more...] about WGA Writers Look Back At 2007-08 Strike For Lessons To Apply To Looming Negotiations: “They Call It Fog Of War For A Reason”
75 thousand dollar drink
Surfers tell us why Western Australia is the best place in the world to live like a retired rockstar
Heinrich Böll’s short story, ‘Anecdote Concerning the Lowering of Productivity’ might be one of the most famous tales of the internet era. Although it was originally published in 1963, its brevity and “gotcha” ending have made it the prime subject for IM and social media sharing. It’s so popular it’s one of those things that are so misattributed, misquoted, and modified that at a certain point nobody knows where it originally came from. All of you surely know it already. A smug tourist attempts to lecture a scruffily dressed fisherman about how to live his life and ends up receiving quite the lesson. The story is fantastic, definitively one of Böll’s best, but it has been shared so many times on grandma’s Facebook page and co-opted by so many wellness gurus that I can’t help cringing at it. Speaking to these surfers that have spent their lives pouring their blood, sweat, and tears to improve their local communities, the overused tale suddenly came back to me, and I must … [Read more...] about Surfers tell us why Western Australia is the best place in the world to live like a retired rockstar
‘The Music Man’, ‘A Strange Loop’ And ‘Death Of A Salesman’ Among Shows Leaving Broadway On A High Note; Overall Box Office Slips To $34M
Broadway lost six productions on January 15 – including the top-grossing The Music Man – to the usual January roster-thinning, and each show went out on a happy note with strong attendance. With 29 productions on the boards, Broadway grossed $33,859,988 for the week ending January 15, down about 9% from the previous week when there were 32 productions reporting figures. Total attendance was 247,667, a 10% drop commensurate with the fewer shows. Overall capacity percentage remained at about 93%. Each of the six final-week shows filled at least 90% of seats at their venues, and all reported significant increases in box office dollars from the previous week. A Strange Loop , for example, set a new house record at the Lyceum, beating (with eight performances) the 2020 record set by Jack Thorne’s A Christmas Carol (and that was for nine performances). The Music Man , meanwhile, set previous 8-show records in 53 out of 54 performance weeks and the 9-show record 51 … [Read more...] about ‘The Music Man’, ‘A Strange Loop’ And ‘Death Of A Salesman’ Among Shows Leaving Broadway On A High Note; Overall Box Office Slips To $34M
NBA’s Kelly Oubre Jr. Sues Clothing Company Over Failed Deal
TMZ.com Charlotte Hornets forward Kelly Oubre Jr. claims a luxury clothing company screwed him on a six-figure deal ... and now, TMZ Sports has learned he's suing over it all. The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County on Friday ... and, according to the docs, it all stems from a pact Oubre Jr. attempted to make with former pro basketball player Patrick Christopher and his company, Sloan And Bennett, in 2021. Oubre claims he asked Christopher and his co. to help him make products for his own clothing line, DopeSoul. He says in the suit Patrick agreed to provide him with items for DopeSoul's Capsule 001 and 002 collections. Getty The 28-year-old hooper says he sent over hundreds of thousands of dollars to Christopher ... expecting to receive clothing in return. The problem ... Oubre Jr. claimed Christopher never delivered what he promised -- saying simply in the suit "the defendants did not perform." Oubre Jr. said "for months" … [Read more...] about NBA’s Kelly Oubre Jr. Sues Clothing Company Over Failed Deal
Chief Keef — Another Day, Another Baby
Chief Keef just learned he's a daddy ... again ... bad news for him because he now owes another big chunk of change for child support ... TMZ has learned. Keef's attorney says the rapper admitted he's the father of a 10-month old child ... after being confronted with some pretty conclusive evidence -- his own DNA. According to the lawyer ... Erica Early went to court in Chicago to establish paternity. The DNA test shows there's a 99.9% chance Keef is the papa. The 18-year-old rapper is still in court-ordered rehab in California for his weed smoking ... so he wasn't in court when the judge ordered him to pay Early $2,500 a month in child support ... plus, another $25K lump sum payment for the previous 10 months. But good luck collecting ... Keef owes thousands of dollars in back child support in ANOTHER paternity case ... and he's not coughing it up willingly. Gallery Launch Gallery Getty … [Read more...] about Chief Keef — Another Day, Another Baby
Spotify Content And Ad Business Chief Dawn Ostroff Departing As Company Cuts 6% Of Workforce
Dawn Ostroff is departing Spotify as the company’s head of content and advertising amid cutbacks affecting 6% of the company’s workforce. Against a backdrop of austerity in the once-invincible tech sector, Spotify said it is shedding hundreds of jobs. In a memo to employees posted online, CEO Daniel Ek said he had been “too ambitious” in scaling up the company. “To bring our costs more in line, we’ve made the difficult but necessary decision to reduce our number of employees,” he explained. “While I believe this decision is right for Spotify, I understand that with our historic focus on growth, many of you will view this as a shift in our culture. But as we evolve and grow as a business, so must our way of working while still staying true to our core values.” Ek praised Ostroff for her contributions and said Alex Norström would assume her duties. Ostroff, a veteran of Condé Nast and the CW, joined the company in 2018. “Dawn has made a tremendous mark not only on … [Read more...] about Spotify Content And Ad Business Chief Dawn Ostroff Departing As Company Cuts 6% Of Workforce
Rich Dollaz — Arrested During Illegal Burger Run
" Love and Hip Hop " star Rich Dollaz just bought the most expensive burger of his life ... it cost him thousands of dollars and his freedom. Here's what we know. Dollaz and his pals double parked outside the Edgewater, New Jersey police HQ Sunday night ... so they could make a quick burger run to a nearby Five Guys. Cops went over to write Dollaz up when they ran his plates and discovered there was a warrant for his arrest. Turns out ... the 43-year-old music exec owes $11K in child support ... so cops busted him burger in hand. Dollaz was hauled off to Hudson County jail ... where he's still in custody. Gallery Launch Gallery … [Read more...] about Rich Dollaz — Arrested During Illegal Burger Run