SAG-AFTRA and Hollywood Studios Still at Odds Over Higher Residuals for Hit Streaming Shows

Here Lies Love (★★★★★) works so well. Patrons expecting the ambiance of a standard theater will be shocked to see the major transformation that has occurred at the Broadway Theater, which for 10 years was home to both the original production and revival of Miss Saigon.Gone are the plush crimson-red orchestra seats.

Barbie‘s historic opening weekend at the box office proves we’re all living in Barbieland.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic When the history of movies in the age of streaming, COVID and the first double strike since 1960 is written, the day of July 21, 2023, will still go down as the rare date that’s actually remembered as a box-office landmark. For that was the day that Hollywood dropped two blockbusters — one pink, the other dark — both of which hit their target audiences and went boom. A downside of our franchise culture is that even when movies become impressive hits, their appeal often boils down to a calculus that’s less inspiring than it is a basic expression of mass taste engineered by market forces. Look, the “Jurassic Park” concept worked again. Shocking! The “Mission: Impossible” series has a wild card tucked into its gamesmanship (you’re not going to get AI to do what Tom Cruise does on a motorcycle), but once you look past the star’s stunt mojo, even the perfectly decent new “M:I” installment has been greeted by critics as “the best action film of the summer.” That made me think: Aren’t the “Mission: Impossible” movies supposed to be more than action films? We’ve got “Fast XXV: Fuel-Injected Diesel” for that.

If you've been a Neighbours fan since the 90s, you'll definitely remember the Alessi twins, Christina and Caroline played by Gayle and Gillian Blakeney who now look totally different. Identical twins Gillian and Gayle Blakeney, who are now 57 years old, shot to fame on the Australian soap during the 1990s and they certainly had their fair share of dramatic storylines.

Courteeners‘ Liam Fray debuted the new Manchester United away shirt for the new season during a festival set this weekend.The Manchester band were headlining Sheffield’s Tramlines on Saturday night (July 22) and Fray emerged on stage in the white and green kit.“Fantastic night tonight,” Fray wrote on Instagram after the show. Headlining Tramlines whilst being asked to debut the new United shirt. Crowd were incredible, from start to finish…always have been here.”He added: “We’re off for a bit to do some new music.

Shakira is being investigated for alleged tax fraud in Spain for the second time.The singer was first charged with tax fraud in July 2021, when Barcelona prosecutors alleged she should have been paying tax because she was living in Spain for over half the year between 2012 and 2014.She allegedly owes authorities $13.9million (£13m). Shakira has maintained that her fiscal residence at the time was in the Bahamas and described the claims as “fictional”, saying she had paid what she had owed.The authorities also alleged that she made widespread use of shell companies to conceal her income made at that time, claims Shakira has strenuously denied, saying she has always been transparent about her income.Now, the Associated Press reports that a Spanish judge has agreed with prosecutors to investigate Shakira on two additional counts of alleged tax fraud that reportedly happened in 2018.

Nick Cave has revealed that he’s currently “finishing” work on his new album with the Bad Seeds.Last year, Cave said he was planning on writing a new album once his touring commitments had wrapped up.Then, at the start of 2023, he confirmed that work was underway and shared some early lyric ideas for the follow-up to 2019’s ‘Ghosteen’.Now, in an entry on his Red Hand Files website, he told fans that he was to take a short break from replying to questions from fans to finish work on the album.“Thank you for your kind words,” he told a fan who asked a question about soulmates, “but before I answer I’d like to let everyone know that I am now back in the studio finishing the new Bad Seeds record.“I will continue to read all the letters that come in, and will be with you in spirit, but my replies may not be that regular or very expansive over the next few weeks.”Cave confirmed that the album-writing process was underway in the first week of January. Responding to a question from Fred about his plans for 2023 on The Red Hand Files, Cave said: “My plan for this year is to make a new record with the Bad Seeds.

Officers have moved to reassure Mancunians their city centre is safe after shocking video emerged of a brawl on a busy shopping street. Footage shows punches being thrown and kicks lashed out among a group near to Market Street tram stop.

Carlee Russell’s boyfriend wants the hate against her to stop!

amid recent reports that she was holding out for just half of what he makes. “50 percent of Pat’s salary is so outrageous that no one in their right mind could say that it’s fair,” the unidentified insider alleged to People this weekend.“The negotiation is asking for much more than 50 percent of his salary.

Concerns are growing for the welfare of a teenage boy who has not been seen since nine days ago. Oscar, who is 13, is missing from his home in High Peak.

Drake has never walked down the aisle — and he knows exactly why he hasn’t been yearning to say “I do.”

Outnumbered star Ramona Marquez - who starred as Karen Brockman on the BBC Sitcom - has shared a snap of herself sporting a bikini.

Raven Gates celebrated her 32nd birthday Sunday by welcoming her second child. The alum took to her Instagram Stories to reflect on the extra special moment and share the first look at the newborn.«Literal BIRTHday,» Gates captioned a video of herself entering the hospital before giving birth to the little one.What made it more special, the former TV personality added, is the realization that her mother did the same thing on the same day when she welcomed her 32 years ago.«Super special sharing a birthday with this baby, but what a full circle moment my mom also did this on the same day,» the proud momma added. Gates and husband Adam Gottschalk's announced that they were expecting their second child back in January.

Follow OK! on Threads here: https://www.threads.net/@ok_mag BBC broadcaster Evan Davis found out through a phone call on his wedding day that his seriously ill father had taken his own life.The Dragons' Den star, 61, said he was alerted that something was wrong soon after he married Guillaume Baltz, 56, by a message from his brother Roland which urged him to "call ASAP". The news came during his wedding reception in July 2022 and the occasion turned into "a very warm-hearted, supportive, reflective day" as he told guests in a speech his father had died with the support of his brothers Roland and Beric. He told his guests at the time: "We've just had some news.

Follow OK! on Threads here: https://www.threads.net/@ok_mag Love Island star Amber Wise has revealed that she made a vow to her footballer dad Dennis Wise before heading into the villa.The 19 year old star, who became part of the Casa Amor line-up, failed to make a strong connection with any of the boys in the villa, despite sharing a brief kiss with Sammy Root, 22. Speaking for the first time since leaving the villa last week, Amber said that she assured her dad that she would not have sex on TV to avoid embarrassing the football legend, 56.

Follow OK! on Threads here: https://www.threads.net/@ok_mag Gordon Ramsay's daughter Holly has been spotted looking absolutely stunning in a little black dress during a date night with her new boyfriend, Adam Peaty. The 23 year old took to social media to upload a carousel of photographs from their night out together. Sharing their date night with her 331,000 followers, Holly uploaded a photo of herself sitting in the back of a car wearing a short black dress and chunky gold jewellery.

“Shark Tank” star Daymond John has been granted a permanent injunction against some former contestants on the show, alleging that they’ve been waging an online smear campaign against him.

Barbie movie marketing.Surely, I’d rather be at some protest or another, adding my substantial decibels to the righteous ruckus as we collectively shout, “No justice, no peace!” or “This is what democracy looks like!” or a dozen other cheery chestnuts.My go-to for news and pop-culture takes, The Guardian, offered a critique that might echo my own. Natasha Walter, author of Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism, therein wrote, “Mattel’s dedication to using feminist language to sell more and more plastic flotsam to women seems to me to be a poor return on our former dreams of thoroughgoing social change.”Certainly, I have not seen Barbie. But I might.

Victoria and David Beckham put on a show in Miami! On Sunday, the designer shared a video of her and her husband taking center stage and performing the Spice Girls' hit, «Say You'll Be There.» «Just a casual night out in Miami!

Elon Musk is making yet another change to his social media platform.

A Fatal Accident Inquiry is to be held after a dad-of-three was crushed to death by a 3.5 tonne drill at a Scots shopping centre.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer SAG-AFTRA and the studios will keep talking beyond the midnight Friday contract deadline, as they remain at odds on issues like streaming residuals and artificial intelligence. The union has agreed to extend the contract to July 12. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and SAG-AFTRA made the announcement in a joint statement just before 7 p.m. Friday. In a message to its membership, SAG-AFTRA said the leadership had decided unanimously to extend the contract “in order to exhaust every opportunity to achieve the righteous contract we all demand and deserve.”

Hollywood is at a crossroads and the 160,000 actors that make up SAG-AFTRA are seemingly in the driver’s seat.

SAG-AFTRA’s negotiations for a new contract are making headway “in some areas” but not in others, Fran Drescher, the guild’s president, said in an interview today on ABC’s Good Morning America.  

EXCLUSIVE: With 54 hours to go before SAG-AFTRA’s current contract with the studios expires on June 30, both sides are considering extending their negotiations until next week or slightly later.

be joining Hollywood writers on the picket lines.The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), which represent the majority of actors in film and television, are in negotiations with major Hollywood studios, who are being represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), for a new contract agreement after the current deal expires June 30 at midnight Pacific Time.Among the actors' sticking points for a new agreement are improved compensation and benefits, residuals that reflect the value of their contributions amid the expansion of streaming services, regulated use of artificial intelligence and the issue of self-taped auditions.On June 24, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher and national executive director/chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland updated members of the union on ongoing talks with studios. Drescher shared in a video message that negotiations have been «extremely productive» and that «we're going to achieve a seminal deal.»A few days later, more than 300 actors — including Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence — signed a letter urging leaders not to compromise and writing «SAG-AFTRA members may be ready to make sacrifices that leadership is not.»«Anyone right now is trying to guess what could happen,» Marc Malkin, 's senior culture & events editor, told ET.

EXCLUSIVE: After it emerged that over 300 actors had written to SAG-AFTRA leadership that they are “prepared to strike” if the guild doesn’t “get all the way there” during talks with the studios, the number of actors signing the letter has more than tripled overnight.

, more than 300 members of the Screen Actors Guild, including Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence, are threatening to strike should an agreement on a new contract with major Hollywood studios, streamers, and production companies not be reached.The letter, addressed to the SAG-AFTRA Leadership and Negotiating Committee was allegedly sent to leadership expressing their concern with the idea that «SAG-AFTRA members may be ready to make sacrifices that leadership is not.»«We hope you’ve heard the message from us: This is an unprecedented inflection point in our industry, and what might be considered a good deal in any other years is simply not enough,» the letter, obtained by , says. «We feel that our wages, our craft, our creative freedom, and the power of our union have all been undermined in the last decade.

, more than 300 members of the Screen Actors Guild, including Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence, are threatening to strike should an agreement on a new contract with major Hollywood studios, streamers, and production companies not be reached.The letter, addressed to the SAG-AFTRA Leadership and Negotiating Committee was allegedly sent to leadership expressing their concern with the idea that «SAG-AFTRA members may be ready to make sacrifices that leadership is not.»«We hope you’ve heard the message from us: This is an unprecedented inflection point in our industry, and what might be considered a good deal in any other years is simply not enough,» the letter, obtained by , says. «We feel that our wages, our craft, our creative freedom, and the power of our union have all been undermined in the last decade.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer A group of more than 400 actors — including Oscar winners Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and Rami Malek — are urging SAG-AFTRA leaders to take a harder line as contract talks reach a critical point. The members sent an internal letter Tuesday to the union’s negotiating committee and the leadership. They emphasized that “we are prepared to strike if it comes to that.” “And we are concerned by the idea that SAG-AFTRA members may be ready to make sacrifices that leadership is not,” they continued. The contract expires on Friday, and the leadership has the power to call a strike as soon as Saturday if no agreement is reached.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International If you ask most people in the U.K. industry how business is going right now, they’ll likely tell you it’s been agonizingly “slow.” It’s meant to be boom time for production, but this summer, the U.S. writers strike combined with a cost of living crisis is brutally squeezing unscripted and scripted projects. This week, as the clock ticks away on negotiations between American actors union SAG-AFTRA and Hollywood’s collective bargaining agent, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the prevailing thought will be: is all of this about to get much worse? A number of British actors Variety has spoken to say they’ve yet to hear from local actors’ union Equity with any guidance about their situation. That’s likely because it’s being worked out in real time. Paul W. Fleming, general secretary for Equity, has been in Los Angeles for discussions with SAG-AFTRA, which is optimistic about its negotiations with the AMPTP. (He’s also visiting New York to meet with theater union Actors’ Equity.)

In an unprecedented show of solidarity, SAG-AFTRA’s two leading political factions have joined forces to form a unity slate to endorse the reelection of president Fran Drescher and secretary-treasurer Joely Fisher in an election will be held later this summer.

In an unprecedented show of solidarity, SAG-AFTRA’s two leading political factions have joined forces to form a unity slate to endorse the reelection of president Fran Drescher and secretary-treasurer Joely Fisher in an election will be held later this summer.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer With less than a week to go before their contract expires, the leaders of SAG-AFTRA are striking an optimistic note about the progress of negotiations. In a video sent to members on Saturday, union president Fran Drescher and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland say they hope to be able to achieve a deal with the studios. If they do, that would avert a “double strike,” in which performers would join the Writers Guild of America on picket lines outside the major studios. “I just want to assure you that we are having an extremely productive negotiations that are laser-focused on all of the crucial issues you told us are most important to you,” Drescher said. “We’re standing strong and we’re going to achieve a seminal deal.”

SAG-AFTRA leaders told their members today that the guild’s ongoing contract negotiations have been “extremely productive” and that they “remain optimistic” that a fair deal can be reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.