The race by the AMPTP and the WGA to get a deal done by sundown had plenty of folks thinking back to a very memorable episode of Entourage — Doug Ellin, included.
The creator of the HBO comedy was reminded Sunday on X about how the weekend negotiations between the AMPTP and the WGA sounded “like an Entourage storyline.”
Not sure what he’s talking about? Think back 16 years ago to the season 3 episode dubbed “The Return of the King.” The 2007 episode kicks off with the boys at the race track while Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) is arriving at temple before the start of Yom Kippur. That’s when he runs into Nick Rubenstein (Adam Goldberg), the neurotic son of movie producer Phil Rubenstein who is making the movie Medellin with Paul Haggis.
The rub: Benecio Del Toro has walked away from the film so the Rubensteins want Vince (Adrian Grenier) to take over the lead role. The trouble is, studio head Arthur Gatoff (Harris Yulin) has given Nick until sundown to hire Vince or the movie dies. And Ari no longer reps Vince; Amanda Daniels (Carla Gugino) is his agent now.
That doesn’t stop Ari and Nick from trying to make the deal.
“Jesus Christ, it’s Yom Kippur,” Ari’s wife (Perrey Reeves) shouts at him in temple.
After a comical attempt by Ari and Nick to confront Gatoff at his own temple, sundown comes with no deal for Vince (though he later ends up joining that hot-mess-of-a-movie that goes straight to DVD).
Fortunately, life didn’t imitate Entourage art on Sunday because the WGA got its deal.
Washing your hair might seem pretty straightforward, but not knowing how to use conditioner is one of the most common hair care mistakes you can make, according to hairstylists.
Isn’t conditioner sort of self-explanatory? Well, not really, seeing as multiple top stylists from across the country cite improper conditioning as the biggest hair care no-no their clients are guilty of. First things first: Yes, you really should be regularly conditioning your hair, so make sure not to skip it after you shampoo.
“I would never skip the conditioner when shampooing my hair,” says Jenna Spino, hairstylist at Chicago’s Maxine Salon. “Many people think conditioner will make their hair flat, but even those with fine hair need a little conditioner, even if it’s just on the the ends.”
In fact, conditioner helps restore your hair after cleansing. “Shampoo removes grease and dirt, but it also strips the hair of its natural oils that keep the hair moisturized,” Spino says.
Read on for exactly how (and where) to use conditioner when you shower.
Wring out hair before conditioning.
A big conditioning mistake is using product on hair that’s still too wet. “Another hair care no-no is applying conditioner onto hair lengths without squeezing out water first,” says hairstylist and L’Oréal Professionnel global ambassador Min Kim. “Hair is a fiber; squeezing out the excess water before applying conditioner allows the conditioner to penetrate instead of rolling off hair that’s saturated with water.”
Translation? Just like with a sponge—or beauty blender—your hair won’t properly absorb what’s being applied if it’s still soaking wet.
Apply conditioner to midlengths and ends.
Now, onto technique: After wringing out your hair, be sure not to put any conditioner on your roots but instead to focus on your midlengths and ends. “Applying to the roots is unnecessary as this is newer hair that doesn’t require conditioning, unless you’re naturally curly, and can leave hair feeling flat especially if you’re on the fine side,” Kim explains.
Celebrity hairstylist Marc Mena agrees, sharing that built-up conditioner is not great for direct contact with skin. “It makes your hair and scalp greasy, and let’s say you’re using a conditioner that has silicone in it, it starts to drip into your skin, clogs your pores, and can cause breakouts on your back and skin,” he says. “And after a while, using too much conditioner in the scalp increases buildup, clogs your hair follicles, and can cause hair loss.”
This is an especially important rule to follow if your hair is naturally fine or limp, adds New York City hairstylist Dan Williams. “This will only cause your hair to get flat and greasy,” he says. So if you’re looking for volume, avoid the roots at all costs.
Rinse out all of the product.
On that note, another common mistake is not rinsing conditioner thoroughly enough once you’re done. “Be sure to rinse well,” Spino says; otherwise, your hair could dry feeling greasy and flat. A good way to measure whether the product is out of your hair is when the slippery texture and feeling of conditioner has completely gone away.
Shower conditioner isn’t always enough.
Sometimes the product you use in the shower isn’t enough to keep your hair adequately hydrated. “I think leave-in conditioners are often forgotten,” says Bronwen Robinson, senior stylist at New York City’s Suite Caroline Salon. “Traditional conditioners and hair masks are great and do add moisture and protection for the hair; however, much of it is still rinsed away in the shower. Leave-in conditioners come in spray, lotion, serum, or cream form to suit the needs of different textures.”
In the lawless land of Gando, fierce bandits will stop at nothing to fight for their precious homeland and loved ones — even if it means life or death.
Certificate:TV-MA For Mature Audiences.
Year: 2023
Duration: 9 Episodes
Available Seasons: Season 1 (9 Ep)
Audio: German, English, Spanish, French, Korean – Audio Description, Korean [Original]
Subtitles: English, Spanish, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese
Status: Ended”Song of the Bandits” is a TV show produced by Studio Dragon, Baram Pictures and Urban Works Entertainment. The show was originally broadcast on Netflix and premiered on September 22nd 2023. “Song of the Bandits” ended after 1 seasons and a total of 9 episodes.
“Congratulations to the WGA on reaching a tentative agreement tonight on behalf of their members,” according to the statement. “We have been proud to support the writers in their fight for a fair deal and look forward to reviewing the details of the agreement. Now it’s time for the AMPTP to get back to the table with SAG-AFTRA and address the needs of performers.”
A month after the WGA hit the picket line earlier this summer, the DGA reached a three-year contract with the studios that included wage increases and “a 76% increase in foreign residuals for the largest platforms.” At the time, the DGA said the new deal with the AMPTP “achieves major breakthroughs in addressing the international growth of the entertainment industry and makes significant gains across key economic and creative rights while reaffirming the critical role of DGA directors and their teams.”
“We have concluded a truly historic deal,” said Jon Avnet, chair of the DGA’s Negotiations Committee said at the time. “It provides significant improvements for every Director, Assistant Director, Unit Production Manager, Associate Director and Stage Manager in our Guild. In these negotiations we made advances on wages, streaming residuals, safety, creative rights and diversity, as well as securing essential protections for our members on new key issues like artificial intelligence – ensuring DGA members will not be replaced by technological advances. This deal would not have been possible without the unity of the DGA membership, and we are grateful for the strong support of union members across the industry.”
Details of the WGA’s tentative agreement haven’t been released, but will be revealed by the guild in advance of the membership ratification votes.
Next steps in process will see the WGA negotiating committee vote on “whether to recommend the agreement and send it on to the WGAW Board and WGAE Council for approval” in votes tentatively scheduled for Tuesday.
Kylie Jenner recently showed off an easy styling trick that can upgrade even the plainest little black dress in under five minutes. Naturally, she did so at the Prada fashion show in Milan, where season after season fantastic fashion moments are created not only on the runway but also by the high-profile star guests sitting front row.
Which brings us back to Jenner: Her look for this year’s show is the perfect styling inspiration to elevate what could otherwise be a rather plain and boring black dress. Whether it’s through her recent campaign for Acne Studios, her relationship with Timothée Chalamet, or her ever-changing style, she keeps on making headlines as of late. As for the latter, her style has noticeably evolved in recent months away from very bold outfits to a more relaxed, one might even say “quiet luxury,” aesthetic.
Though the youngest sister of the Kardashian-Jenner clan always attracts attention, it wasn’t easy to stand out at the Prada show. From Emma Watson to Rosalía and Hunter Schafer, there were a number of A-list celebrities present in Milan for the event. But we’re here to talk about Jenner’s look in particular, which was nonchalantly cool—and so easily to style at home ourselves.
For the occasion, the entrepreneur chose a black turtleneck minidress that at first glance looked extremely simple. The real highlight of the look, however, was the net miniskirt decorated all over with Swarovski crystals Jenner wore over her dress. Incidentally, this comes from the fashion house’s archives and was first shown on the runway at the spring-summer 2010 show.
Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images
The skirt is also the styling trick we keep teasing—a layering piece like this enhances any dress in no time. It’s also ideal for day-to-night dressing. A black turtleneck dress, in a mini length à la Kylie Jenner or in a midi or maxi version, can be worn with a blazer to the office during the day. When you leave, layer a fun net skirt over it for a going-out look. And of course, it doesn’t have to be this exact Prada version: Skirts sparkling with rhinestones or crystals are available in every price range right now. Shop the look, below:
Kody Brown declares that he’s convinced that Janelle Brown is no longer “in love” with him in the September 24 episode of Sister Wives. Kody, 54, continues to not address his own issues that have caused the fracture in his relationship with Janelle, 54.
“Janelle’s not in love with me. I think she thinks I’m hot. I got nice pecks and a great six-pack abs, but that’s all she’s interested in,” Kody says in the episode. Janelle doesn’t see things that way. “There’s way more to a marriage than just physical attraction, and I feel like we’re in big danger here,” she admits.
Kody Brown addresses his relationship with Janelle. (TLC)
Kody and Janelle sit down for their first conversation since their intense showdown before Christmas. They have lunch together and discuss their massive fight.
During their talk, Kody continues to claim that he was blindsided by Christine Brown leaving him. Janelle is baffled that Kody is trying to use that excuse. “So when Kody talks about Christine and him splitting up, it always shocks me that he purports that he never saw this coming,” Janelle says. “He’s been telling me for years that he wasn’t attracted to Christine, they were struggling in their marriage. I would have left his ass the first time he said that to me. I would have.”
Janelle Brown talks with Kody about their future. (TLC)
Janelle tells Kody that she’s willing to go to counseling to save their relationship, but she wants to stay “separated” for the time being. Janelle fully admits that she doesn’t think she’s getting what she deserves from Kody. Despite everything that’s happened recently, Janelle still has a lot of love for her husband.
“I do miss Kody. We are very best friends. We have a lot of conversations,” Janelle reveals. “I miss him in my bed. I miss him in my house. I miss him. But I am not being treated the way I deserve to be treated here.” New episodes of Sister Wives air Sundays on TLC and Max.
Country-bluegrass-blues songwriter and instrumentalist Mike Henderson, who won Grammy and CMA awards as a collaborator of country superstar Chris Stapleton, died Friday at age 70. His wife of nearly 45 years, Janet, said in a post on the musician’s website that he had been in “very good health” before dying peacefully in his sleep.
The Missouri native’s death was initially confirmed in a Facebook post by his former band, the SteelDrivers, which he cofounded with Stapleton and several other players in 2006. Stapleton left the group in 2010 and Henderson followed a year later, although the band continues with an evolving lineup today.
Even though he released solo albums before and after his tenure in the SteelDrivers, Henderson ultimately found his greatest renown as a songwriting partner of Stapleton’s.
The first Stapleton song to go to No 1 on the country airplay chart, “Broken Halos,” was a Stapleton-Henderson cowrite; it won the 2018 Grammy for country song of the year and a CMA Award the same year for song of the year. The songwriting comrades returned to the CMA winners’ circle in 2021 when another country chart-topper, “Starting Over,” was named song of the year. He was also nominated for three Grammys with the SteelDrivers in 2009-2011.
“It is with a heavy heart we announce the passing of Mike,” his wife, Janet, wrote in a statement. “He was a wonderful husband, father, and the love of my life for almost 45 years. We followed his dreams, and colleagues, friends and fans allowed him to achieve a level of success we never imagined. He most valued his friends who meant everything. Although Mike was in very good health, he died peacefully in his sleep yesterday morning. Myself and our daughters are devastated but we know we can get through this with all your love for Mike that we are are basking in. Thank you. We couldn’t be prouder.”
Other cowrites between Henderson and Stapleton that appeared on the latter star’s wildly successful solo albums in recent years included “Second One to Know,” “Without Your Love,” “Death Row,” “Nobody’s Lonely Tonight” and “Midnight Train to Memphis.”
One of their vintage SteelDrivers writing collaborations, “If It Hadn’t Been for Love,” was covered by Adele on her 2011 “Live at the Royal Albert Hall” live album and video release.
Stapleton invited Henderson to join him on stage last year at the star’s biggest gig ever. “On July 23, 2022,” Henderson wrote, “I had the honor of playing with Chris Stapleton at Wrigley Field. Being a die-hard Cubs fan, getting to roam Wrigley Field that day and night was a dream come true. Thank you Chris for the privilege.” They performed “Midnight Train to Memphis” together, and the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Stapleton referred to Henderson as his “hero.”
Henderson was at least as well-regarded as a player as he was as a songwriter. No less a guitarist than Mark Knopfler hired him as an accompanist for his 2001 solo tour. “Mike was an extraordinary talent,” Knopfler wrote upon hearing of the death, “as at home with bluegrass and old time fiddle music as he was with the blues. He was a superb blues harp player too.”
The list of artists he recorded with — playing mandolin, guitar, slide guitar and harmonica — included the Dixie Chicks, Lucinda Williams, Sting, Waylon Jennings, Emmylou Harris, John Hiatt, Albert King, Tim McGraw, Hank Williams Jr., Faith Hill, Guy Clark, Bob Seger, Patty Loveless, Blake Shelton, Kelly Willis and Martina McBride. Those recording his songs, besides Adele and Stapleton, included the Chicks, Loveless, Kenny Rogers, Travis Tritt, Trisha Yearwood, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Randy Travis and Marty Stuart. He also co-produced several of John Oates’ blues-based solo efforts.
Henderson had one major-label solo album, his debut, “Country Music Made Me Do It,” on the RCA label in 1994 before going independent. That same year, Henderson formed a label, Dead Reckoning Records, along with Kevin Welch, Kevin Kieran, Harry Stinson and a fellow future SteelDriver, Tammy Rogers. Besides those founders’ own solo albums, Dead Reckoning’s roster included roots figures like David Olney and the Fairfield Four. Henderson’s three solo releases for the imprint were 1996’s “Edge of Night,” 1996’s “First Blood” and 1999’s “Thicker Than Water.” Henderson was not a prolific lead recording artist after leaving the SteelDrivers, but the Mike Henderson Band issued “If You Think It’s Hot Here…” on Ellersound in 2015.
That last album was testament to a long-running residency: Henderson had been performing with his blues band every Monday night at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville for close to 40 years.
“I spent most of my Monday nights for the last 20+ years making music with Mike Henderson,” wrote band member Kevin McKendree. “It’s very hard to accept that last Monday was the last time. I admired him deeply for so many reasons. Being in his band was… and is… a point of pride for me.”
Wrote Kevin Welch, “I was incredibly blessed to get to play with Mike for many years, and he surprised me over and over. I listen to some of the older records and I’m still baffled by the parts he came up with, on the spot. You could not get him to play the same thing twice, so you either took it or tossed it. I almost always took it. … One moment I’ll never forget was when we went to see… Mark Knopfler’s band, at Red Rocks. Mark is an excellent human being, and he proved it when he gave Henderson the first solo of the night, on the first song. Henderson stepped up to the front of the stage and just absolutely tore it up. And Mark just stood there with a little smile, like ‘Look what I brought you…’ It choked me up.”
The Bluebird Cafe wrote in a statement: “It’s hard to imagine a Bluebird Cafe without Mike Henderson spearheading a Monday night, plugged-in, anti-SHHHH blues night. From the mid-’80s until today, Mike’s presence was as steadfast as his playing. He was one of the people who, over the years, became such a piece of the club’s fabric that his loss has truly taken our collective breath away. We were stunned at the news, disbelieving and now trying to find a way of accepting a loss so profound that it feels like the walls of the club might just crumble. Words just can’t cover the emptiness and pain. Sending love to Janet and Mike’s family as we share this heartbreak.”
Besides his wife, Henderson is survived by his daughters Lauren and Shannon.
A memorial service will be held in Nashville on Wednesday, with visitation 10-12 and service to follow at Woodmont Christian Church.
The Writers Guild of America’s announcement that it has reached a potentially strike-ending deal with Hollywood studios was met with cheers by entertainment union members, including the union that it shared picket lines with for months, SAG-AFTRA.
“SAG-AFTRA congratulates the WGA on reaching a tentative agreement with the AMPTP after 146 days of incredible strength, resiliency and solidarity on the picket lines,” the actors guild said in a statement.
A more barbed statement came from Lindsay Dougherty, Principal Officer of Teamsters Local 399, who praised the WGA for their resilience while swiping at the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios in labor talks.
“The militancy of the writers holding the line and hitting the pavement exemplified their unwavering commitment to their core issues,” Dougherty wrote “Their fight has also inspired a renewed solidarity among Hollywood workers that will live long past this bargaining cycle.”
“Solidarity, however, does not come without sacrifice,” she continued. “The antiquated bargaining playbook of the AMPTP caused these negotiations to be intentionally dragged on longer than necessary. Their tactics have left many questioning the function, effectiveness and longevity of this multi-employer bargaining entity.”
On social media, the deal prompted several jokes, including from the parody account Americana on Brand Memes, which posted a picture of white smoke streaming from the Sherman Oaks Galleria, where the negotiations took place at the AMPTP offices.
After 146 Days, white smoke is finally emitting from the Sherman Oaks Galleria signifying that the AMPTP and WGA have reached a tentative agreement! pic.twitter.com/qDUt2qmbee
Kay Cannon, a member of the WGA negotiating committee, commemorated the moment by posting a picture of her with the team, which included chief negotiators Ellen Stutzman and committee co-chairs Chris Keyser and David A. Goodman.
The tentative deal was announced on Sunday after marathon negotiations that lasted for five days, with studio CEOs Bob Iger, Donna Langley, Ted Sarandos and David Zaslav present for the first three days of talks. Negotiations continued through the weekend largely to resolve contract language, with those final touches still continuing as of Sunday evening.
The WGA strike is still officially continuing until the guild authorizes members to return to work, but picket lines will be suspended. The Writers Guild is still encouraging its members to march in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA members in their picket lines, which began on July 14.
See more social media posts on the WGA deal below:
Day 146. It gives me great pleasure to say we will NOT be picketing Dancing With The Stars tomorrow! I really can’t wait to watch the premiere on Tuesday, because we did it! We won! #WGAStrongpic.twitter.com/R7p5aEHq6A
THANK YOU TO EVERY MEMBER OF THE WGA AND OUR NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE! I will still be on the picket line with my fellow SAG-AFTRA members to carry this over the finish line but tonight we celebrate! #WGAStrongpic.twitter.com/0tBY0kHP1O
Very thankful to see a tentative agreement reached in the #wgastrike, and my immediate thought is to thank all the other unions – most especially those in IATSE and the Teamsters – who took it on the chin supporting this fight.
Janelle Brown is a self-proclaimed “independent” woman — but she confessed on the latest Sister Wives episode that she does miss a few things about ex Kody Brown.
“I do miss Kody. We are very best friends. We have a lot of conversations,” Janelle, 54, told the cameras during the Sunday, September 24, episode of the TLC series. “I miss him in my bed. I miss him in my house. I miss him.”
Janelle doubled down on her comments, telling Kody, 54, directly, “I miss you honey. I just don’t know how to fix this. You and I have a tendency to be, like, you come back and forget all the hard stuff. I need something different this time.”
Sister Wives‘ Janelle Brown and Kody Brown’s plural marriage was anything but conventional ahead of their 2022 split. Janelle and Kody’s lives were intertwined well before they spiritually tied the knot in 1993. Janelle’s late mom, Sheryl Brown, and Kody’s dad, William Winn Brown, were married for years before William’s death in 2013, making the eventual […]
Kody, meanwhile, claimed during a confessional that Janelle is “not in love” with him, but rather lusts over his body. “I think she thinks I’m hot. I’ve got nice pecks and a great six pack abs, but that’s all she’s interested in,” he alleged.
TLC
Janelle denied his claims, telling the cameras, “I’m like, whoa buddy, you’re way missing the boat here. There’s way more to a marriage than just physical attraction, and I feel like we’re in big danger here.”
Proud parents! Sister Wives stars Janelle Brown and Kody Brown have documented themselves doting on their six children through the years. Janelle and Kody were spiritually married in 1993, three years after he legally wed Meri Brown. “Before Kody and I were really courting, I was actually friends with his family,” Janelle said during a 2013 episode of […]
“I am not being treated the way I deserve to be treated here,” Janelle said during Sunday’s episode, referring to Kody’s choice to stay away after their December argument.
TLC/YouTube
Throughout the episode, which filmed in the new year, Janelle and Kody tried once again to make amends and move past their problems. Although Janelle admitted their second chat “went better than I thought,” she revealed she wanted to stay “separated” a while longer.
“Well, it went better than Janelle expected. I kind of thought we would reconcile right here,” Kody said during a confessional. “She’s like, ‘No, I’m enjoying my independence, this freedom, too much, so I want to stay separated.’ More in my mind it went well because I am deeply committed to never triggering again. Or becoming angry.”
Kody Brown’s relationships with Meri Brown, Janelle Brown, Christine Brown and Robyn Brown have all had their ups and downs — but many Sister Wives viewers were shocked when nearly all his wives started to leave him. TLC fans were introduced to the Brown family in 2010 when he was legally married to Meri and […]
Janelle, for her part, told the cameras that her independence wasn’t behind her choice to live apart from Kody. It was his treatment of their kids — having ghosted their youngest daughter, Savanah, since early December — that caused her decision.
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“I don’t need a lot from him,” she said. “But when it comes down to [the fact that] he all of a sudden doesn’t want to be a father to my kids because they disagree with him … That sort of changes the cost benefit equation for me in this marriage.”
Jawan box office day 18: SRK film continues to rule the box office.
Jawan box office collection day 18: Shah Rukh Khan’s film eyes Rs 1000 crore club.
Jawan Box Office Collection Day 18: Shah Rukh Khan is all set to make history at the box office with Jawan. The film is eyeing the Rs 1000 crores club. The film, directed by Atlee, has collected Rs 954.10 crore gross worldwide in less than three weeks. If the film bridges the gap, Jawan will become SRK’s second film to surpass Rs 1000 crores. The first film was Pathaan, released earlier this year.
According to trade expert Manobala V, the film has collected a worldwide collection of Rs 954.10 crore as of Sunday. The film has already surpassed the Rs 500 crore club in India.
Jawan has not only received love from India but international as well. Speaking with Film Companion, Atlee revealed that he got calls from people working in Hollywood after they watched Jawan. He revealed that they were impressed by the massy approach, with many praising a scene featuring Shah Rukh Khan lighting his cigar with sparks from the road.
“People who worked on our film were from Hollywood. Action director Spiro Razatos worked with us. So, Spiro and other great director and technicians from Hollywood were at the same screening of Jawan. And Spiro said I have done action in this film. So, they asked who has done that scene where SRK is engulfed in flames. He said, ‘It was the director’s vision and he executed it,’” he revealed.
“So they immediately connected with me and told me, ‘If you want to work in Hollywood, let us know,’ so it isn’t a taste which is very desi. It is something superheroic and it has a very basic rhythm. I thought this idea only works for us but it is working globally,” Atlee added.
While Jawan has emerged as a success at the box office, SRK’s fans are now preparing for his third release this year. The actor will return on the big screen in Raju Hirani’s Dunki. The film marks Shah Rukh’s first collaboration with the filmmaker. It will also be the first time that he will share the screen with Taapsee Pannu. SRK has confirmed the film is on track and is set for a Christmas release.
Dishya Sharma, Chief Sub Editor, is part of the entertainment team at News18. She eats, sleeps, and drinks entertainment. While Indian films have fuel…Read More
One of the beautiful things about tabletop gaming is variety. A board game that matches your specific interests and preferred play style very likely exists. For example, if you like cooperative gameplay and you have a passion for Greek mythology, Ravensburger’s Horrified: Greek Monsters is for you. Structured around the same format as the game company’s first release in the Horrified series, Horrified: Universal Monsters, and this version is geared towards Greek legends and monsters. As we slide towards the release of Percy Jackson and the Olympians TV series, Horrified: Greek Monsters is an ideal game to get in the mood.
Ravensburger
The premise is straightforward enough. You and your fellow players choose a hero to play. Each hero has a special ability, and one of the heroes is a Traveler—a crown-wearing pegasus. Yes, I absolutely chose to play the pegasus for obvious reasons. I also picked the pegasus because that particular hero has the most actions of the group. You’ll choose the monsters based on the difficulty level you desire. Horrified: Greek Monsters comes with Minotaur, Cerberus, Basilisk, Chimera, Medusa, and Siren. Working together, you and your fellow players have to stop the monsters before your horror level hits the max. You win or lose together. Along the way, you can guide legends such as Daedalus around the board to gain perks.
Ravensburger
Horrified: Greek Monsters is relatively simple to set up and get into, even if you haven’t played another Horrified game. And if you have played Universal Monsters or American Monsters before, you’ll find it even easier to start. You can use your heroes’ actions to choose from a long list of possibilities, and you and your cohorts will have to determine the optimal strategy. Will you try to collect as many items as possible to meet the requirements necessary to stop the monster(s)? Or will you try to focus on guiding legends to their destination in order to acquire more perk cards that could be handy later? The multi-tasking aspect of this game, like so many, is both a satisfying challenge and a frustration. It can be hard to choose what to focus on, especially when the monsters are coming at you after every turn.
In playing (and losing) a two-player game, I lost sight of the primary strategy: keeping the horror level from climbing. Well, that and we didn’t focus on stopping the more challenging monster first. Your mileage may vary, but I think if we would have turned our attention to stopping Cerberus sooner—his defeat requires precise dice rolls that can be challenging to achieve—we could have been in a stronger place.
Ravensburger
Even with losing to Cerberus, Horrified: Greek Monsters was an enjoyable romp of a game. Like its Horrified predecessors, the storytelling around the various monsters’ abilities connects well to what we know about their mythology. The monster miniatures are detailed and would be a blast to paint. Heroes have cardboard tokens, like with the other Horrified games, and I hope one day we’ll see minis offered for those characters as well. I need a miniature of the Traveler to paint.
Horrified: Greek Monsters is set to release on October 1.
Amazon has a half-off deal for Prime members on a Blink outdoor / indoor security camera bundle. The sale gives you a pair of Blink Outdoor 4 cameras, which launched last month, and a Blink Mini for only $117.49. Whether these are your first security cameras or you’re adding to an existing setup, this is a chance to save 50 percent off their usual cost.
Blink
Get this bundle including the new Blink Outdoor 4, Blink Mini and a Sync Module 2 for half off
The Blink Outdoor 4 is a wireless device that, despite its name, can work as an inside or outside camera. It supports person detection, which uses computer vision to alert you when it spots a human in its field of view (if you also subscribe to an optional Blink subscription). The camera offers 1080p HD video, infrared night vision, two-way audio and enhanced dual-zone motion detection. Its bundled AA batteries can last up to an estimated two years. Also included is the Blink Sync Module 2, required for offline storage (if you bring your own USB drive).
Meanwhile, the Blink Mini is the company’s classic entry-level indoor camera. The wired device also records and streams in 1080p. It includes motion detection, two-way audio and night vision. It also requires a Blink subscription to save clips in the cloud, but, like the Outdoor 4, the Blink Mini also supports offline storage if you connect a USB drive to the Sync Module 2.
Remember that the deal is only available for Amazon Prime members. And it only lasts until midnight Pacific time.
After 146 days of a strike, the WGA and AMPTP have reached a tentative agreement. Writers will vote on the deal soon, and we’ll update you when the details are released. If ratified, it will mark the end of the WGA strike and allow them to go back to work.
An email from the WGA sent to its members reads:
“We have reached a tentative agreement on a new 2023 MBA, which is to say an agreement in principle on all deal points, subject to drafting final contract language,” the message stated. “We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional – with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.”
It continued, “Immediately after those leadership votes, which are tentatively scheduled for Tuesday if the language is settled, we will provide a comprehensive summary of the deal points and the Memorandum of Agreement. We will also convene meetings where members will have the opportunity to learn more about and assess the deal before voting on ratification.”
No one will return to work until the guild specifically says so, but this is a huge moment.
The writers went on strike on May 2 and have been picketing for 145 days. The AMPTP did not seek out a resolution to this labor movement until over 100 days into the strike. Negotiations have been off and on since August, with the WGA restarting them this week.
SAG-AFTRA is still striking with the AMPTP, but you have to assume they’ll come back to the table next week in order to find a way through the quagmire as well.
We will fill you in on all the specifics as they become available.
Jamie Lee Curtis would like to play Doctor Kureha in an upcoming season of Netflix’s adaptation of One Piece.
Nearly five decades into her career, Jamie Lee Curtis can do just about anything she wants. And what Jamie Lee Curtis wants is to join the high-seas adventures of One Piece, the manga adaptation that premiered this summer and has already been renewed for a second season.
Posting on Instagram over the weekend amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike (now well into its second month), Jamie Lee Curtis picked her dream role for One Piece. “ONCE the STRIKE against the greed of the AMTPT is SETTLED with a FAIR CONTRACT, I will lobby along with the growing fan frenzy to become Doctor Kureha in @onepiecenetflix”. The post was accompanied with a series of photos, which you can see below:
So, what are the odds that Jamie Lee Curtis could join One Piece. Actually, it seems like as close to a guarantee as we can get without any contracts signed. Replying to the post, co-showrunner Matt Owens wrote, “Mommy dearest, that’s why we sent you that figure! No need to lobby. Once we get what we deserve and get back to work let’s talk!”
Jamie Lee Curtis has actually been lobbying for a role on One Piece for some time now, posting a manipulated image on X (back when it was called Twitter) that showed her as part of the team. That the official One Piece page posted a crying with laughter emoji got many excited that there was some sort of communication between the two.
Considering One Piece is based on the best-selling manga and comic book series ever, there was a lot of pressure for its success. Fortunately, reviews have been strong (OK, so our own Alex Maidy didn’t love it but did call it a “fun swashbuckler”) and viewership has been great, with nearly 300 million hours watched in its first two weeks.
For those who have yet to get acquainted with the comic or the show, here is the plot: “Monkey D. Luffy is a young adventurer who has longed for a life of freedom since he can remember. Luffy sets off from his small village on a perilous journey to find the legendary fabled treasure, ONE PIECE, to become King of the Pirates!”
What do you think? Could Jamie Lee Curtis be a good fit for One Piece in her desired role? Would she be a welcome addition or would her star power take away from the series? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below!
The Tokyo International Film Festival revealed Monday that China’s Xiaogang Gu and Indonesia’s Mouly Surya will jointly receive the festival’s prestigious world cinema honor, the Kurosawa Akira Award, at the upcoming 36th edition of the event.
The award, which until last year had been on a 14-year hiatus, is presented to “filmmakers who have made waves in cinema and are expected to help guide the industry’s future.” The prize has been previously awarded to film luminaries such as Steven Spielberg, Yoji Yamada and Taiwan’s Hou Hsiao-hsien. Last year’s recipients were Mexican auteur Alejandro González Iñárritu and Japan’s own Koji Fukada.
The 2023 honorees were chosen by a selection committee including director Yoji Yamada, veteran actress Fumi Dan, casting director and producer Yoko Narahashi, film critic Saburo Kawamoto and Tokyo Festival’s programming director Shozo Ichiyama.
Hailing from southern China, Gu’s debut feature, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, was shot over two years and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019. The film was selected as the closing film of Cannes Critics’ Week and also won the Special Jury Prize at Tokyo Filmex in 2019.
Jakarta-born Surya made her filmmaking debut with Fiksi in 2008. Her followup feature, What They Don’t Talk About When They Talk About Love, was screened in Tokyo in 2013 and was also the first Indonesian film to be selected for the Sundance Film Festival. She cemented her international reputation with her third feature, Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts, which debuted in Cannes in 2017, and became only the fourth Indonesian film ever to make the official selection. The film would also go on to win the Grand Prize at Tokyo Filmex and was selected as Indonesia’s entry for the international feature category at the Academy Awards.
The Kurosawa Akira Award ceremony will be held Oct. 31, at the Imperial Hotel. The 36th Tokyo International Film Festival runs Oct. 23 to Nov. 1.
As the WGA strike draws to a close, first stop on the road to normalcy will be late night — where producers are already plotting a return to air within the next two to three weeks. “We want to come back ASAP,” said one late night insider. Added another: “I think everybody’s leaning forward, like they’re ready to go…. I would look for them to return on October 2 or October 9. I think that they are going to be very motivated to get their crews working again.”
According to insiders, some late night producers are already emailing staff members about coming back to work ASAP — perhaps as soon as Tuesday, depending on what happens next at the WGA.
Because talk shows fall under SAG-AFTRA’s network code deal, which isn’t a part of the talent guild’s current strike, that should allow the hosts (who are all on strike as members of the Writers Guild) to come back immediately, or at least after the WGA membership approves the new deal. Most insiders predict that the major network daily shows will coordinate an exact time to return at the same time — continuing the cooperation between competitors that has even led to the “Strike Force Five” podcast, featuring Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert and John Oliver. The hosts have been in close contact during the strike, and will likely want to maintain that spirit of cooperation.
The next step is to get back in touch with crew members (some of whom may have left the shows’ New York or Los Angeles home bases during the strike) in addition to their writing teams, who have likely been on the picket line and will quickly be available to return to work — once they have the all-clear from the WGA.
“I think that the calculation for all these shows is how quickly you can get your crew back to work,” said one insider. “There’s probably some conversations to be had with labor relations. We’re so close to the finish line that no one wants to step on a guild landmine. But from a production standpoint, I think you could turn it around pretty quickly.”
Although the late night shows — among them “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers” — have been off the air since the end of April, many of those weeknight strips have continued to operate with a skeleton staff. That includes non-writing executive producers, digital teams, production managers and bookers.
“We’ve been keeping the wheels somewhat in motion,” one talk show staffer said. “So, it’s just sort of dusting off the studio, and getting it back up again… it’s not exactly a light switch, but as long as you can get everybody back in, the network just has to pull repeats and start putting new broadcast shows back on. It’s just about what goes into those shows. And that’s the part that you need a little lead time for, is to figure exactly what you’re coming back and doing.”
Some shows have been continuing to book their episodes, with the knowledge that eventually they’ll actually be back in production. Shows that kept their talent boards going have been plotting various versions of guest lists: Some with SAG-AFTRA guests (for when that strike ends), some with non-SAG-AFTRA guests, and in some cases, guest lists of SAG-AFTRA members who are allowed to promote a project that is either not SAG related, or has received a waiver from the guild. Then there are musicians, sports figures, politicians, reality stars, authors, celebrity chefs and other ways to fill the time.
“If you look at all of the shows that have been continuing to run, like ‘CBS Mornings’ or ‘Live with Kelly and Mark’ or the ‘Today’ show, the bookings are good,” one insider noted. “Oprah and Matthew McConaughey and the like are promoting things that have nothing to do with a SAG project.”
The shows will likely need a few weeks to gin back up the marketing machine — to let audiences know that the talk shows are returning with originals. And producers will want a few weeks to bank material for the shows.
“I don’t think anyone’s interested in rushing to put a crappy first show together,” said one staffer.
At the same time, the start-and-stop nature of producing talk shows during the COVID-19 pandemic has already given the shows a template on how to quickly turn the engine back on.
“Most of those shows are pretty well-oiled machines. And it’s a lot of people that have been working together for a long time. Short of paperwork, I think they can get the operation going quite quickly,” said one exec with a late night background. “Those pivots happened multiple times through the pandemic, where you’re up, you’re down, you’re at home, you’re back in the studio. And so, everyone’s sharpened those skills quite a bit at rapid adjustment over the past few years. I think that they’re probably better suited to it.”
That’s on the broadcast side. In cable, “The Daily Show” had been running for months on guest hosts after the departure of Trevor Noah, and it will likely take longer to ramp back up with a new slate of hosts. At HBO, “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” relies almost entirely on research and writing, and will probably take longer to prepare.
On the other hand, “Real Time with Bill Maher” was almost set to return this weekend, until Maher decided to put the show on hold as the WGA and AMPTP resumed negotiations. That probably means “Real Time” could be back this coming Friday, having just pushed back a week.
The daytime talk shows are in a similar situation: Because most of them had planned on returning last week — until a backlash led them to postpone their season premieres — it should be relatively easy for “The Drew Barrymore Show,” “The Jennifer Hudson Show” and “The Talk” to get on the air quickly. (“The Kelly Clarkson Show” is still building its new set in New York and hasn’t yet announced a premiere date.)
“Their productions would all be in shape,” an insider said. “They brought back their crew for those shows. They’d have everybody local and ready, and could probably get going pretty quickly when they decide they can.”
Bob Dylan made a surprise appearance on Saturday night at Farm Aid 2023 in Noblesville, Indiana. He played guitar and was joined by three members of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers—Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, and Steve Ferrone—for a performance of three songs from 1965: “Maggie’s Farm,” “Positively 4th Street,” and “Ballad of a Thin Man.” Watch it happen below.
The night also features performances from Neil Young, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Margo Price, Sturgill Simpson, and for some reason, Indiana Colts owner Jim Irsay. Dylan has been touring behind Rough and Rowdy Ways and has dates lined up across October. He recently announced The Complete Budokan 1978.
China’s remarkable box office recovery this year took a pause on a weekend with no new releases and the quietest attendance levels since January.
Next week’s crop of blockbuster holiday releases will show if the latest weekend was aberration attributable to timing.
Data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway showed nationwide box office worth just $25 million – from a population of 1.3 billion people and some 100,000 commercial cinema screens. The figure was the second lowest of 2023 and only fractionally higher than the second week of January, which was a time when China’s post-COVID recovery was only just gearing up and major film releases were targeting the late-January Chinese New Year festivities.
Since that time, China’s box office has mostly been on a roll. The Chinese New Year period was worth $1 billion to cinemas. Hollywood films have been allowed to return in quantity. And the summer season was buoyed by a string of successful and genuinely popular Chinese-made movies.
These factors have allowed the film industry in China to defy the increasingly gloomy macro-economic picture, which is being held back by the property crisis, changing international trade patterns and only weak stimulus measures from central government.
Artisan Gateway shows the year-to-date box office total at $6.19 billion, up 75% on moribund 2022 and only 5% shy of pre-pandemic 2019.
The National Day – Golden Week holiday season may give a clue as to whether film is to be sucked into the economic vortex. As many as 9 Chinese-produced titles are expected to release on Thursday (Sept. 28) or Friday (Sept. 29) along with a couple of imported animation titles.
Among the anticipated leaders are rom-com “The Ex-Files 4,” sports comedy “Lose to Win,” animation titles “I Am Nezha 2” and “Kung Fu Tiger” and Zhang Yimou’s second film this year, crime action drama “Under the Light.”
Over the latest weekend, “Dust to Dust” bounced back to the top spot in its third week of release, as “Expendables 4” weakened in its second weekend. “Dust” earned $7.6 million (RMB54.5 million) for a cumulative of $57.1 million (RMB411 million). “Expendables 4” collected $4.3 million for a cumulative of $19.4 million.
Summer hit, “No More Bets” earned $2.7 million, for a cumulative of $532 million since releasing on Aug. 8. Surprise hit, “Oppenheimer” earned $2.5 million for a China cumulative of $58.1 million. And “Creation of the Gods 1” claimed $1.7 million of tribute, for a total of $364 million, since releasing on July 20.
Cooper Neill/Getty Images; David Eulitt/Getty Images
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were spotted together for the first time after the Kansas City Chiefs won their game against the Chicago Bears at the Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, September 24.
Swift, 33, was seen leaving the locker room with Kelce, also 33, after the game. While he was on the field, the singer was in his suite, watching the game alongside his mom, Donna Kelce. Swift seemed enthusiastic, cheering for the Chiefs, chest bumping one of her pals and even appearing to enthusiastically shout “Let’s f–king go” at one point.
She wore a Chiefs windbreaker over a white tank top and accessorized with red lipstick and matching red nail polish. When Swift left the venue with Kelce, per an Instagram video from sports reporter Payton Sun, the football player wore a matching white and blue jacket and pants, perfectly matching the color scheme of her upcoming 1989 (Taylor’s Version) album. Photos on social media showed them driving off together in a convertible.
The superstar’s presence at the NFL game wasn’t entirely unexpected. Kelce made it clear that Swift had been invited to cheer him on.
Taylor Swift is sparking the interest of the NFL’s biggest stars — and we’re not just talking about Travis Kelce. New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, for one, attended multiple dates of Swift’s Eras Tour when the show came through East Rutherford, NJ in May 2023. “I’m very proud of my dancing skills finally being […]
“I told her, ‘You know, I’ve seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead [Stadium], you might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead and see which one’s a little more lit,’” he said during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday, September 21. “So, we’ll see what happens in the near future.”
A fan at the Chiefs game on September 24, 2023.Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Luckily, Swift saw the Chiefs on their A-game. The team won 41 to 10, and quarterback Patrick Mahomessaid the pressure was on to make sure Kelce looked good with his special guest in the stadium.
“Do you realize how much pressure there was on you from the Swifties to get Travis Kelce a touchdown with Taylor in the house tonight?” Fox Sports’ Erin Andrews asked Mahomes after the game.
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“I felt a little bit of pressure,” Mahomes admitted. “So I knew I had to get it to Trav. … I think he wanted to get in the end zone just as much as all the Swifties wanted him to.” (Mahomes also celebrated his 10-month-old son Bronze attending for the first time, but the pop star’s attendance just slightly overshadowed his little one’s first NFL game.)
Prior to connecting with Swift, Travis dated Kayla Nicole on and off for several years. The 12-time Grammy winner, for her part, has been single since May when Us Weekly confirmed she had ended her brief fling with Matty Healy. Swift split from her boyfriend of six years, Joe Alwyn, in April.
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer nudged near the $60 million mark in China during a somewhat downbeat weekend for moviegoing in the world’s second-largest theatrical territory.
The Universal Pictures-backed historical blockbuster added $2.5 million from Friday to Sunday, taking its total to $58.1 million, according to data from box office tracker Artisan Gateway. Oppenheimer came in fourth place for the frame behind local crime thriller Dust to Dust, Millennium Pictures’ action franchise misfire Expend4bles and Chinese comedy blockbuster No More Bets.
Oppenheimer has been huge on Imax in China. The film earned $740,000 this past weekend for a $17 million total in the format, which is a whopping 30 percent of its nationwide cume to date.
Oppenheimer opened in China nearly a month ago and its staying power has been considerable. Nolan has a strong following in China — a fact that Universal leveraged with a very well-received pre-release promotional visit to Beijing by the director in late August. Oppenheimer now sits near the middle of his filmography in terms of total box-office earnings in the country: Interstellar ($139 million), Inception ($68 million), Tenet ($66 million), Oppenheimer ($58.1 million), Dark Knight Rises ($52.7 million) and Dunkirk ($51 million).
Oppenheimer is also the fourth-biggest U.S. film release in China of 2023 behind Fast X ($139.5 million), Meg 2: The Trench ($116.5 million, but a China co-production) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ($86.9 million).
Dust to Dust, the weekend’s top title, is the first feature from Jonathan Li, who cut his teeth as an assistant director on several Hong Kong crime classics, including Infernal Affairs 3, Dog Bite Dog and the Overheard series. The crime thriller earned $7.6 million for the weekend. Its total is $57.1 million.
Sylvester Stallone’s Expend4bles inched along with a $4.3 million weekend in second place. The film has been a disappointment both in China and globally. Its China total is now $19.4 million and Mayoyan projects it to top out at around $23 million. The first three Expendables films — released in 2010, 2012 and 2014 — earned $31.7 million, $53 million and $72.8 million, respectively.
Crime thriller sensation No More Bets came in third for the weekend, adding $2.7 million and lifting its enormous total to $531.7 million. The film, produced by Ning Hao, has been dominant at Chinese multiplexes since its Aug. 8 release.
20th Century’s A Haunting in Venice, the latest Hercule Poirot mystery starring Kenneth Branagh, also has underperformed in China. It didn’t manage to crack the top five in the country this past weekend and it has earned only about $5 million. Previous entries in the two franchises have generated mixed results but performed notably better than the new installment. Murder on the Orient Express earned $35 million in 2017, while Death on the Nile, released while China was still struggling under pandemic lockdowns, brought in $10.8 million.
Paramount’s PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie will be the only U.S. release hitting Chinese screens on Friday. It will face off against several new Chinese titles, including Herman Yau’s and Andy Lau’s action tentpole Operation Moscow.
After 146 days on the picket lines, the Writers Guild of America has reached a tentative agreement in principle with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on a new labor contract, potentially ending one of the two strikes that has shut down Hollywood through the summer.
“What we have won in this contract — most particularly, everything we have gained since May 2 — is due to the willingness of this membership to exercise its power, to demonstrate its solidarity, to walk side-by-side, to endure the pain and uncertainty of the past 146 days,” the WGA said in a memo to members announcing the deal. “It is the leverage generated by your strike, in concert with the extraordinary support of our union siblings, that finally brought the companies back to the table to make a deal.”
As the agreement is in principle, the WGA says that the negotiating committee is still currently putting the final touches on contract language with the AMPTP before it is presented to the WGA West board and WGA East Council for approval. That board vote is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, assuming that the contract language is completed by then.
“Though we are eager to share the details of what has been achieved with you, we cannot do that until the last ‘i’ is dotted. To do so would complicate our ability to finish the job. So, as you have been patient with us before, we ask you to be patient again — one last time,” the guild’s memo read.
In the meantime, all WGA picket lines will be suspended, though writers are still officially on strike until authorized to return to work by the guild. In its memo, WGA encouraged members those who are able to join SAG-AFTRA’s strike picket lines in solidarity.
The tentative deal came after talks resumed between the guild and AMPTP on Wednesday, a restart that was preceded by nearly a month of stalled negotiations and finger-pointing between the two sides as to who should make the next counterproposal. AMPTP’s first counterproposal sent to the guild on Aug. 11 was described by the guild in a memo to members as “not nothing, nor nearly enough.”
But escalating financial pressure on the studios from months of production shutdowns along with urging from showrunners concerned about the financial insecurity of their writers and crew members brought the two sides back to the table for several days of talks that led to this deal, which the guild says contains “meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.”
Four studio CEOs — Disney’s Bob Iger, NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos and Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav — were present throughout the first three days of negotiations at the AMPTP’s Sherman Oaks headquarters.
With several key sticking points resolved during the week, including staffing requirements and further compensation for writers whose films and shows perform well on streaming, the talks continued through the weekend without the CEOs present, with lawyers on both sides negotiating the fine print details of the contract.
With the WGA deal now in place, the AMPTP’s attention will turn to SAG-AFTRA, which has been on strike since July 14. Studio insiders have told TheWrap that they expect negotiations with the actors guild to happen quickly, as studios are anxious to get productions up and running again and for actors to be once again available for awards and marketing campaigns.
In its own statement, SAG-AFTRA congratulated the Writers Guild for its deal and its “incredible strength, resiliency and solidarity on the picket lines.”
“While we look forward to reviewing the WGA and AMPTP’s tentative agreement, we remain committed to achieving the necessary terms for our members. Since the day the WGA strike began, SAG-AFTRA members have stood alongside the writers on the picket lines. We remain on strike in our TV/Theatrical contract and continue to urge the studio and streamer CEOs and the AMPTP to return to the table and make the fair deal that our members deserve and demand,” the actors’ guild wrote.
Striking Hollywood screenwriters reached a tentative new labor agreement with studios including Walt Disney Co. and Netflix Inc., settling one of two walkouts that have shut down film and TV production.
The Writers Guild of America, which represents more than 11,500 Hollywood scribes, said Sunday it reached the deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, the studios’ bargaining group. The agreement, if approved by the guild members, will end a strike that began on May 2.
The provisional three-year deal remains subject to the completion of contract language and recommendations from the union’s council and board, which could come as soon as Tuesday. Members would vote after that. The strike continues through that process.
“We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional – with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership,” the guild said in a statement.
The writers went on strike for the first time since 2007 to fight for higher pay from streaming services, which have reshaped how TV is made and how talent gets paid. The Screen Actors Guild joined them in July over similar concerns.
Details of the agreement won’t be announced for a few days, however people familiar with the matter said earlier that writers gained concessions on key points, including higher wages.
The studios have agreed to staff a certain number of writers on their TV shows, a figure that will increase with the number of episodes in a season, one of the people said. The two sides have also created a structure in which writers will receive bonuses for popular shows on streaming services.
And it appears they have also reached an agreement on the use of artificial intelligence, which writers feared could destroy jobs.
Production of hundreds of films and TV shows stopped as a result of the strikes, impacting not just writers and actors but directors, crew members and industries like catering and real estate. With less money coming in, talent agencies fired workers and studios suspended deals with major producers to cut costs. Awards shows have been delayed and film festivals held without stars. The walkout has delayed the return of new shows for the fall TV season, and many films scheduled to debut this year were pushed into 2024.
The studios and writers didn’t come close to a deal before the onset of the strike, and the studios and writers then didn’t negotiate for months, during which thousands of guild members protested outside the studios’ offices from New York to Los Angeles. While the economics of streaming remained the primary focus of the guilds, the threat of artificial intelligence also emerged as a growing concern.
The heads of the biggest media companies got more engaged with the dispute in late July and early August, after the actors joined the strike. The studios offered a new proposal in August that addressed many, but not all, of the writers’ concerns. The two sides negotiated for a couple of weeks before breaking off yet again.
The September negotiations came as a surprise. The two sides hadn’t been speaking — at least not officially — and many studio executives were debating whether it was time to engage with the actors instead.
But pressure on both sides to cut a deal had increased. Studios feared the impact of months more without the ability to produce new programming, and many writers began to push their union’s leadership to cut a deal so everyone could get back to work.
People who work in entertainment, be they writers or grips, were starting to leave Los Angeles due to the lack of progress. Prominent writers asked to meet with the leadership of the guild to discuss the state of the negotiations, and several talk shows said they would return, only to cancel plans under pressure from the unions.
When the latest talks began, four of the most powerful executives in entertainment — Netflix Chief Executive Officer Ted Sarandos, Disney CEO Bob Iger, Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. CEO David Zaslav and NBCUniversal Chief Content Officer Donna Langley — joined their labor negotiators.
The studios and writers negotiated for several days. After months of public acrimony and finger-pointing, the two sides kept their public communications to a minimum as they hammered out a deal to get the industry back to work.
While the writers’ rooms may soon reopen, a return to production will have to await a deal with striking actors, who have been picketing from coast to coast, shutting down productions that tried to restart. This was the first time in more than 60 years that both writers and actors went on strike at the same time. The Directors Guild of America reached a new agreement with the studios in June.
The Writers Guild of America and the major Hollywood studios have reached a tentative deal that would end a strike that has lasted 146days, tossed thousands of people out of work and exposed deep anxiety over changes brought by technology.
The proposed three-year contract, which would still have to be ratified by the union’s 11,500 members, would boost pay rates and residual payments for streaming shows and impose new rules surrounding the use of artificial intelligence.
“We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional — with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership,” the WGA negotiating committee said in a Sunday night message to its members.
The writers have been on strike since May 2, seeking protections from the ways in which streaming and other industry shifts have threatened their livelihoods.
With the tentative pact with the WGA done, entertainment company leaders are expected to turn their attention to the 160,000-member performers union, SAG-AFTRA, to accelerate those stalled talks in an effort to get the industry back to work. Actors have been on strike since mid-July.
The WGA leaders, in their Sunday message to members, said guild staff will now comb through the contract to make sure that “the last ‘i’ is dotted.”
The negotiating committee will vote on whether to recommend the contract and send it on to the WGA West board and WGA East council for approval. Those leadership votes are expected to take place Tuesday.
Writers were told not to return to work until the guild authorizes them to do so, but picketing will be suspended.
WGA members declared victory on social media. “We held strong together as one union to demand our fair share,” former WGA West board member David Slack wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “And that’s why we won.”
The writers’ strike was, in many ways, a response to the tectonic changes wrought by streaming. Shorter seasons for streaming shows and fewer writers being hired have cut into guild members’ pay and job stability, making it harder to earn a sustainable living in the expensive media hubs of Los Angeles and New York, guild members have said.
The studios came into negotiations with their own set of challenges.
The pay-TV business is in decline because of cable cord-cutting and falling TV ratings, which have eroded vital sources of revenue. At the same time, the traditional companies have spent massively to launch robust streaming services to compete with Netflix, losing billions of dollars in the process.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers represents a diverse set of companies. Its members include entertainment-only companies such as Netflix; traditional studios including Warner Bros. Discovery and Walt Disney Co.; and tech behemoths like Apple and Amazon.
SAG-AFTRA and WGA members demonstrated with AFL-CIO and other unions outside Disney Studios in Burbank in August during a day of solidarity.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
The road to an agreement was rocky.
The writers picketed major studios, effectively bringing much of Hollywood’s film and scripted TV production to a halt.
Then, in mid-July, writers were invigorated when actors joined the work stoppages. The surge compounded the economic pain for the industry but also widened the lens on the labor struggle, making it more relevant to everyday Americans.
The dual Hollywood strikes, not seen since 1960, decimated the entertainment industry, further shuttering productions and financially clobbering related businesses, including talent agencies, casting firms, caterers and prop houses.
Without popular scripted shows including ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” and CBS’ “Young Sheldon,” networks filled their fall TV schedules with reruns, sports and unscripted programming. Fox aired a game show called “Snake Oil”; CBS reprised “Yellowstone” episodes; and ABC began simulcasting ESPN’s broadcasts of “Monday Night Football.”
The entry of the actors into the “hot labor summer” also re-energized the WGA and other unions.
The writers effectively used social media platforms to wage a campaign highlighting the economic disparities between the raises they were asking for and the executive compensation packages of top studio executives.
Corporate titans took the heat. Bob Iger, CEO of Walt Disney Co., incurred a backlash after telling CNBC that the demands of the writers and actors unions were not realistic while he was attending an exclusive investment banker-sponsored retreat for industry luminaries outside Sun Valley, Idaho.
One unnamed studio executive reportedly told Deadline, “The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses.”
These statements became rallying cries for WGA members, who enlisted a broad array of support from other Hollywood unions, including the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Teamsters.
After three months of striking, WGA and AMPTP agreed to meet last month, but it didn’t go well.
Netflix co-Chief Executive Ted Sarandos and Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra were initially among the most active executives to try to facilitate compromises, but they soon were joined by other leaders, including Iger, NBCUniversal Chief Content Officer Donna Langley, CBS Chief Executive George Cheeks and Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav.
Talks fell apart after an Aug. 22 meeting with the four leading CEOs — Iger, Zaslav, Langley and Sarandos. Representatives for the writers described it as a “lecture” and a browbeating session in which they were pressured to accept an Aug. 11 proposal from the AMPTP.
After the meeting, the alliance released a summary of its proposal, causing much anger among writers for allegedly trying to go around the WGA’s negotiating committee. The effort deepened the mistrust between the two sides.
For their part, the executives wanted writers and the wider Hollywood community to see the offer on the table, hoping that move would put pressure on the guild to compromise.
The studio’s proposal offered wage increases and signaled a willingness from the alliance to negotiate on topics it previously was unwilling to discuss, such as sharing of viewership data with the WGA and staffing in writers’ rooms.
But the WGA’s negotiating committee felt the proposal did not go far enough. Writers on the picket lines were not impressed, calling the studios’ proposals “half-measures.” They also balked at a proposal to share viewership data on streaming programs with only six WGA staffers — and not with the writers who worked on the shows.
Some Hollywood workers moved out of state, some lost their homes and others worried about losing their health insurance due to a lack of enough qualifying working hours.
Political leaders including Gov. Gavin Newsom, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and State Treasurer Fiona Ma also weighed in, urging the parties to settle the dispute.
“This historic strike impacted so many across Los Angeles and across the nation,” Bass said in a statement hailing the deal. “Now, we must focus on getting the entertainment industry, and all the small businesses that depend on it, back on their feet and stronger than ever before.”
Todd Holmes, associate professor of entertainment media management at Cal State Northridge, estimated that the economic damage of the dual strikes on California is about $5 billion. If the strikes were to go into mid-October, the cost could balloon to at least $6 billion.
For weeks, the two sides presented different timelines and disagreed on whose turn it was to offer a counteroffer. The WGA’s negotiating committee even suggested that some studios might be willing to break from the alliance and negotiate separately with the guild, exploiting potential fractures in the alliance. The AMPTP denied that notion.
Last week, the studio alliance said the WGA had reached out to restart negotiations, signaling a possible thaw was underway.
Studios had their own motivations to get an agreement done by early October. In order to salvage their 2024 film slates, they would need to be back in production soon.
They’re also hoping to salvage what they can of the 2023-24 television season.
Despite the new agreement, it’s unlikely that production will restart right away.
Scripts will have to be written, and the studios still need to reach a new contract with SAG-AFTRA. SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP have not held formal talks since the actors’ strike began.
Video game performers also are weighing whether to give SAG-AFTRA negotiators the authorization to call a strike in their negotiations with video game companies.
Brandon Routh’s Superman and Michael Keaton’s Batman come together in new fan art, imagining a shared appearance in the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover.
Keaton’s Batman didn’t actually appear in the crossover due to cost constraints, but the Arrowverse still cleverly honored his Batman movies.
The Arrowverse made a quick visit to Earth-89, establishing it as Keaton’s Batman universe, and included a cameo by Robert Wuhl reprising his role from the 1989 film.
Brandon Routh’s Superman and Michael Keaton’s Batman join forces in a new DCEU crossover fan art. DC’s live-action legacy has had some of its most interesting years over the last decade, primarily through the Arrowverse. In 2019, The CW’s superhero franchise did its own rendition of Crisis on Infinite Earths, which celebrated DC TV and movies which included various cameos from past live-action projects.
One of the most beloved Crisis on Infinite Earths cameo appearances was Routh, who got to play Superman again after his run in 2006 through Superman Returns. While it has been nearly five years since the Arrowverse crossover aired, fans are still imagining how the event could have turned out with other DC cameos.
Skull101Ify recently put Keaton’s Batman and Routh’s Superman together in new fan art, imagining how it would have looked if the Dark Knight appeared in the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. Since Routh’s Man of Steel is meant to be the same version of Christopher Reeve’s character, this would be the closest fans could get to seeing the Batman and Superman of the 1980s together in live-action.
How Arrowverse’s Crisis On Infinite Earths Honored Keaton’s Batman Movies
As ambitious as it would have been to try to get Keaton’s Batman in Crisis on Infinite Earths, it would have never happened, as his cameo would have been one of the most expensive ones. Even though he never showed up, Crisis on Infinite Earths still honored Keaton’s Batman movies in a few neat ways. Before his appearance in The Flash movie, the Arrowverse crossover made a quick visit to Earth-89, establishing that as the world of Keaton’s franchise.
During the Earth-89 scene, the footage showed Gotham City several years after the events of Tim Burton’s Batman movies. While the Caped Crusader wasn’t present, a familiar face did pop up, as Robert Wuhl reprised the role of Alexander Knox from Keaton’s first Batman film in 1989. While the skies were turning red, Knox was seen reading a Gotham City Gazette paper with the headline “Batman Captures Joker” while the iconic Batman theme song was playing in the background.
Even though it would have been huge if Keaton’s Batman showed up, the creative team behind Crisis on Infinite Earths deserves props for finding a short, but memorable way to include his universe. It was also a major deal at the time for the Arrowverse to have this much interaction with the DC movies. Fans can always relive Keaton’s entire Batman legacy through his solo films and his DCEU appearance in The Flash, both on home media or through streaming.
Lies of P is a Souls-like game where you do battle against countless puppets. Along the way, you also meet several human characters who are willing to help, but there’s a little secret at the end of the campaign, one that allows you to turn all NPCs into puppets in Lies of P. You can also earn two Achievements/Trophies–“Pianist of Krat” and “The Story of One Father”–while you’re at it. Likewise, please be reminded that this article contains spoilers.
How to turn all NPCs into puppets in Lies of P
You can turn the Hotel Krat NPCs into puppets in Lies of P by playing the piano in Hotel Krat after making a pivotal decision at the end of the campaign. Here’s a quick summary from fellow writer Kai Powell:
After defeating a boss named Simon Manus, ride the elevator to the bottom of the tower. There, you’ll see Geppetto in the middle of the chamber.
Geppetto will ask P if he wants to be a real boy. Choose to give up P’s heart to get one of the game’s endings.
After the post-credits scene, you’ll be prompted if you want to proceed to a New Game Plus run.
Do not switch to New Game Plus. Instead, you should continue your current run so you can respawn back in Hotel Krat.
Playing the piano after getting a certain ending leads to an Easter egg.
How to get the Pianist of Krat achievement
Once in Hotel Krat, go to the piano. Because you’re in a post-campaign run with a particular ending chosen, you’ll be able to play a perfect tune. This nets you the Lies of P “Pianist of Krat” Achievement/Trophy.
After the cutscene has finished, check out the NPCs in the area. You’ll notice that they’ve all turned into puppets. Moreover, they refer to P as “Carlo,” perhaps a reference to Carlo Collodi, the author of the Adventures of Pinocchio.
Gallery
NPCs in Hotel Krat, such as Venigni (left) and Eugenie (right) have turned into puppets.
How to get The Story of One Father achievement
To get the Lies of P “The Story of One Father” Achievement/Trophy, make sure you exhaust all dialogue options when talking to Geppetto throughout the campaign. Then, once you’ve turned everyone in Hotel Krat into a puppet after the ending, go upstairs to Geppetto’s room. There, you’ll find Geppetto’s Letter, which you can read to obtain this Achievement/Trophy.
Make sure you read all the pages in Geppetto’s Letter.
That’s how you turn all Hotel Krat NPCs into puppets in Lies of P. As an aside, it seems that other collectibles or secrets aren’t necessary for this particular Easter egg. When we got this particular outcome, we didn’t have all the records or Golden Lie special weapon.
In any case, you can continue this current run to obtain other items or achievements that you may have missed. Alternatively, you can proceed to New Game Plus, where you’ll be able to replay the campaign, bolstered by a lot of your gear pieces and upgrades. You can learn more about the related mechanics in our Lies of P NG+ guide.
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SAG-AFTRA, which has been walking with the writers since day one of the WGA strike, was quick to congratulate the guild Sunday after reaching a tentative agreement on a deal.
The union said tonight that it remains on strike and in a statement urged the AMPTP to get back to the table with the actors to “achieve the necessary terms” for its members.
“SAG-AFTRA congratulates the WGA on reaching a tentative agreement with the AMPTP after 146 days of incredible strength, resiliency and solidarity on the picket lines. While we look forward to reviewing the WGA and AMPTP’s tentative agreement, we remain committed to achieving the necessary terms for our members,” it noted.
“Since the day the WGA strike began, SAG-AFTRA members have stood alongside the writers on the picket lines. We remain on strike in our TV/Theatrical contract and continue to urge the studio and streamer CEOs and the AMPTP to return to the table and make the fair deal that our members deserve and demand.”
This comes as the actors have been on strike for 73 days themselves.
SAG-AFTRA walked out July 14, two weeks after their contract expired on June 30. The union approved its strike authorization vote – by a 98% margin – on June 5.
Talks broke down on July 13, marking the first actors strike against the film and TV industry since 1980. These talks had been extended as negotiations were still ongoing, although the more conspiratorial minded suggested that the studios used this tactic to allow certain Hollywood blockbusters more time to be promoted.
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator, has long said that the union remains eager to get back in the room with the AMPTP, which during this process has only been negotiating with one side at a time.
“We have been ready, willing and able to continue bargaining with them and we very much want the AMPTP to come back to the table,” he said last month.
Bill Wolkoff promises not to picket Dancing with the Stars.
The Writers Guild has reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to end its strike after nearly five months, and needless to say — the members have thoughts, lots of happy thoughts. And it’s all spilling out on social media.
Here’s a roundup of their reactions so far (keep refreshing for the latest):
Billy Ray: “To all my fellow writers— You earned this. You saved our profession. Now let’s continue to stand w the actors. And IATSE. And the Teamsters. And labor everywhere. That’s how we’ll save America.”
Wolkoff: “Day 146. It gives me great pleasure to say we will NOT be picketing Dancing With The Stars tomorrow! I really can’t wait to watch the premiere on Tuesday, because we did it! We won! #WGAStrong“
Glen Mazzara: “We should all be so proud. And grateful to our Negotiating Committee. #Closers.”
Levar Burton: “Happy news! The details will tell the tale however, this is a huge step in the right direction! #bydhttmwfi“
Justine Bateman: “Being in a union, and going on strike with it, is the type of thing that’s become unfashionable in society. It means you are sacrificing for others; committing to something bigger than yourself; putting in effort because those in the past did it for you, & now it’s your turn. It may be new terms that affect only the newest of the union’s members, or the part-timers, or the elders, and not necessarily you, specifically. But that’s not the point. “You” are not the point. ALL of you are the point. The union, the members as a whole, is the point. Being in a union is one of the most fantastic opportunities in life, to have the chance to stand up for the group, for the strongest and the weakest alike. What a magnificent experience in which to participate.”
Warren Leight: “Strikes are hard. They wear you down. Sometimes they fail. Sometimes the good guys win. Thanks to all who walked the line, and held the line. May we all be back to work soon.”
Josh Gondelman: “This is probably the happiest I’ve ever felt on Yom Kippur.”
Travis Helwit tweeted a meme of a crown and wrote “@ellenstutzman you dropped this.”
Amy Berg: “Incredibly proud of my team at the Fox picket for holding it down for the last five months. Great captains, great people. Hopefully the strike ends this week, but our family is forever.”
Helen Shang: “THANK YOU TO THE NEGOTIATION COMMITTEE — toand David Goodman and Chris Keyser and all the other writers on that committee, I fucking love you all for doing this for us, I will never forget what you have had to shoulder to get us here!!!
Mark Blutman: “I can’t come up with the words. I’m a bit of a mess. But until we ratify I don’t have to. I’ll just say this. I LOVE MY UNION and I love every other union that stood with us. And I will do the same till you have yours.”
Timothy Dowling: “WOOO to the EFFIN HOOO!!! Now let’s get back to work doing what we love: making magic and telling stories.”
Christopher Gorham: “In tears. It shouldn’t have to be this hard. And I’m so deeply proud. next.”
Joseph Mwamba: “Thank you lot coordinators Thank you Strike captains Thank you vendor donors Thank you WGA NegCom & WGA staff Thank you SAG, IATSE, & Teamsters But thank you to every single writer who made PreWGA writers feel included You won more than a deal tonight You won a stronger Union
Jon Hurwitz: “Hell to the yeah! Thank you to the WGA negotiating committee! Ready to get back into the dojo! #WGA#CobraKai“
The fake Carol Lombardini: “Well we laughed, we cried, we fucked around, we found out, we murdered some trees and we wished a little light homelessness on certain people, but overall i think we can all agree i personally did a great job! now if you’ll excuse us we need to go atone!!!!!!” said the fake Carol Lombardini.
Caroline Renard: “We got a deal. That was the hardest I’ve worked in forever. Captain signing off!”
Phillip Iscove: “We did it!!! Thank you to every single person who supported the WGA through this strike!!! #wgastrong.”
Pictured: Reptile, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Us
Welcome to your first look at what’s coming to Netflix in the US over the next seven days. Incredibly, we don’t quite have a full picture of what’s coming up in October yet, but we’ve pieced together all the known movies, series, and games set to hit the streamer over the next week and picked out three of our most anticipated.
Unbelievably, Netflix has still yet to unveil its October 2023 lineup in full. We suspect this is because they’ve got a few October announcements on Wednesday as part of the DROP 01 initiative. In any case, this list will be particularly incomplete when it comes to the October 1st additions. Keep an eye on our What’s New on Netflix section for more when we get it on Sunday for the full list.
Now, let’s take a look at a few of our most anticipated titles coming up this week:
Most Anticipated Releases on Netflix This Week
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)
Coming to Netflix: Wednesday
Wes Anderson makes his grand debut on Netflix this week, utilizing the incredible worlds Roald Dahl conjured. With an all-star cast, this 40-minute short tells the story “about a rich man who learns about a guru who can see without using his eyes and then sets out to master the skill in order to cheat at gambling.”
Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Dev Patel, and Richard Ayoade star.
The release of this particular short kicks off a few days worth of Wes Anderson shorts coming to Netflix, with The Swan, The Ratcatcher, and Poison to release in the following days.
Releasing slightly earlier on Netflix than previously billed, Reptile is the big new high-budget movie starring Justin Timberlake and Benicio del Toro.
Here’s the official synopsis of the new thriller:
“Following the brutal murder of a young real estate agent, a hardened detective attempts to uncover the truth in a case where nothing is as it seems, and by doing so dismantles the illusions in his own life.”
The movie recently debuted at TIFF to mixed-to-negative reviews from most critics, but this one could turn out to be a crowd-pleaser. CBR concluded the movie “is something of a noble misfire, willing to take risks with the genre and its expectations even if the end result leaves a bit to be desired.”
Django (Season 1)
Coming to Netflix: Sunday
Loosely based on the cult movie by Sergio Corbucci, this series that’s being licensed for the first time in the USA tells the story of a man seeking revenge who ends up fighting for something greater.
Sadly, Django will come on the same day another excellent Western series leaves the service. We’re referring to the limited series Hatfields & McCoys that features Yellowstone star Kevin Costner. We’d recommend watching both of these shows for your Western fix this week.
Full List of What’s Coming to Netflix This Week
Coming to Netflix on September 25th
Little Baby Bum: Music Time (Season 1) Netflix Original
Coming to Netflix on September 26th
Chappelle’s Home Team – Luenell: Town Business (2023) Netflix Original
Storyteller (iOS and Google Play) Netflix Original Game
Who Killed Jill Dando? (2023) Netflix Original
Coming to Netflix on September 27th
Encounters (Limited Series) Netflix Original
Overhaul (2023) Netflix Original
Miss Adrenaline: A Tale of Twins (Season 1 – Episodes 27 to 65) Netflix Original
Street Flow 2 (2023) Netflix Original
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023) Netflix Original
Vasco Rossi: Living It (2023) Netflix Original
Coming to Netflix on September 28th
Castlevania: Nocturne (Season 1) Netflix Original
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc (Season 4)
Ice Cold: Murder, Coffee and Jessica Wongso (2023) Netflix Original
Love Is In The Air (2023) Netflix Original
The Darkness within La Luz del Mundo (Season 1) Netflix Original
The Oskars Fantasy (2023)
The Swan (2023) Netflix Original
Coming to Netflix on September 29th
Choona (Season 1) Netflix Original
Do Not Disturb (2023) Netflix Original
NOWHERE (2023) Netflix Original
Power Rangers: Cosmic Fury (Season 3) Netflix Original
Reptile (2023) Netflix Original
The Devil’s Plan (Season 1) Netflix Original
The Great British Baking Show (Collection 11 – New Episodes Weekly) Netflix Original
The Ratcatcher (2023) Netflix Original
Coming to Netflix on September 30th
Poison (2023) Netflix Original
Coming to Netflix on October 1st
60 Days In (Season 4)
American Made (2017)
BlackKkKlansman (2018)
Blessers (2019)
Django (Season 1)
Get Out (2017)
Identity Thief (2013)
Ma (2019)
Miss Juneteenth (2020)
Last Vegas (2013)
One Piece (New Seasons)
Pompeii (2014)
Us (2019)
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
The Monuments Men (2014)
The Night Logan Woke Up (Season 1)
What will you be checking out on Netflix this week? Let us know in the comments below.
It appears the writers strike is finally coming to an end. On Sunday, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) told its members that the guild has reached a tentative deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on a new minimum basic agreement.
After 146 days on strike, nearly the longest in guild history, the WGA says it has reached a deal in principle on “all deal points,” which have included a revised residuals formula, regulations on so-called “mini-rooms,” a means of preserving the writers room, a residual that provides data transparency and rewards success, and protections from members’ work being replaced by artificial intelligence.
Specifics of the deal were not immediately available at press time, but told members that it would share contract language soon.
The guild has made clear that “no one is to return to work” until the contract has been ratified, but picketing is suspended.
“What we have won in this contract – most particularly, everything we have gained since May 2nd – is due to the willingness of this membership to exercise its power, to demonstrate its solidarity, to walk side-by-side, to endure the pain and uncertainty of the past 146 days. It is the leverage generated by your strike, in concert with the extraordinary support of our union siblings, that finally brought the companies back to the table to make a deal,” the WGA said in a statement. “We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional – with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.”
The next steps will be for the WGA to complete the “Memorandum of Agreement” with the AMPTP and then have the negotiating committee vote on sending it to the WGA West and East boards for approval. The bodies will also vote on whether to lift the “restraining order” and end the strike at a time still to be determined once the contract is ratified by members.
Leadership is tentatively scheduled to meet Tuesday, the guild says, at which point the full summary of the contract will be provided to members. The guild will also schedule meetings for members to learn more and assess the contract before voting.
It’s been a long back and forth to reach this point. The WGA and AMPTP first agreed to meet on Friday, August 4 three months into the strike, and formal negotiations resumed on August 11. At that point, the studios made what the WGA said was the AMPTP’s one and only counterproposal, and guild leadership ultimately met with top CEOs, including Bob Iger, Ted Sarandos, David Zaslav, and Donna Langley. When a deal still wasn’t reached, the AMPTP made the move to publicly release the specifics of its proposal, forcing the WGA to call that deal “not good enough.”
All that led to a stalemate of nearly a month in which both sides felt like they deserved a response from the other. Given the uncertainty, things only got uglier. Studios that had projected an end to the strike by early September started delaying movies and pausing overall deals with showrunners in waves, leaving many writers without the means to support their non-writing staffs.
Talk show hosts, most notably Drew Barrymore and WGA member Bill Maher, started to make plans to return to the air without writers employed, sparking fierce backlash online and forcing them to delay for longer. Efforts by top showrunners to schedule a private meeting with guild leadership sparked rumors of dissent, and the meeting never came to pass. The WGA also released a blistering report that called on lawmakers to bring antitrust regulation and investigate anti-competitive practices at Disney, Netflix, and Amazon, and the guild even urged individual companies to break from the AMPTP and negotiate with writers individually.
But both sides eventually returned to the table on September 20, with the CEOs Iger, Sarandos, Zaslav, and Langley all unexpectedly taking a hands-on approach in negotiations. The four remained in the room for three straight days of late night bargaining sessions but were not present on Saturday when lawyers gathered to finalize language.
Since beginning the strike on May 2, the writers have demonstrated incredible resolve. Even though there were grumblings and backchannel conversations, we didn’t see the organized pockets of dissenters trying to go around the guild as we did in the last strike. Their leverage was bolstered by SAG-AFTRA, which has been on strike since July 14, and from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which agreed to not cross picket lines and helped disrupt the fall TV schedule and indefinitely delay many shows and films.
All eyes now turn back to the actors, who have their own demands as it pertains to a streaming revenue sharing model and a more elaborate set of protections when it comes to AI, particularly for background actors.
From the beginning, SAG-AFTRA leadership expressed a willingness to return to the negotiating table. However, the guild showed its solidarity with the WGA when it modified its interim agreement policy such that WGA-covered projects would not be eligible to sign the agreement. And talks did not resume with the actors amid the stalemate between the WGA and AMPTP.
Doja Cat’s Scarlet, her fourth studio album, marks her highly anticipated return following 2021’s Planet Her, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and delivered plenty of Hot 100 hits.
She’ll be heading out on a 24-date trek in support of the album with The Scarlet Tour, which kicks off on Halloween in San Francisco and wraps Dec. 13 in Chicago. Ice Spice and Doechii have been announced as opening acts.
After 146 days, the Writers Guild of America is close to heading back to work.
The WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) resumed bargaining on Wednesday and reached a tentative deal on Sunday. Final language for the parties’ contract is still being finalized, but should the WGA negotiating committee followed by the WGA West board and the WGA East approve, the contract will then be the subject of a vote among guild membership, where it will likely pass and end the historic strike that began on May 2.
In an email sent to members at 7:10 p.m. PT, the WGA said, “We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional – with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.”
Before the news, the strike was reaching record length — the WGA’s longest ever work stoppage lasted for 154 days in 1988. Though the current strike is still technically on until the membership vote, with new deal terms settled on the issues of staffing minimums, artificial intelligence and more, guild members naturally have cause to celebrate.
“THANK YOU TO EVERY MEMBER OF THE WGA AND OUR NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE!” posted Robin Thede, creator of “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I will still be on the picket line with my fellow SAG-AFTRA members to carry this over the finish line but tonight we celebrate!”
THANK YOU TO EVERY MEMBER OF THE WGA AND OUR NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE! I will still be on the picket line with my fellow SAG-AFTRA members to carry this over the finish line but tonight we celebrate! #WGAStrongpic.twitter.com/0tBY0kHP1O
“We did it. We have a tentative deal,” said Adam Conover, a member of the WGA negotiating committee. “Over the coming days, we’ll discuss and vote on it, together, as a democratic union. But today, I want to thank every single WGA member, and every fellow worker who stood with us in solidarity. You made this possible. Thank you.”
We did it. We have a tentative deal.
Over the coming days, we’ll discuss and vote on it, together, as a democratic union. But today, I want to thank every single WGA member, and every fellow worker who stood with us in solidarity. You made this possible. Thank you. #WGAStrongpic.twitter.com/KfzVKoPMPz
“This is the end, beautiful friends,” said “American Crime Story” co-creator Larry Karaszewski.
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass also posted about the strike, noting that she was “grateful” for the “fair agreement.”
After a nearly five-month long strike, I am grateful that the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have reached a fair agreement.
Bass walked the red carpet on night one of this year’s iHeartRadio Music Festival on Friday, and he spoke with ET’s Cassie DiLaura about the unforgettable experience of joining together at the VMAs.
“It is beautiful, you know? To be this age and the fans are still this excited, it is a dream come true,” Bass shared with a smile. “I had no idea the fandom would go this nuts.”
“I blame Taylor Swift,” he added with a laugh, in reference to how the group’s reunion culminated in presenting a star-struck Swift with the award for Best Pop Video. “I think she she sicced the Swifties on us and I think the Swifties and the *NSYNCers just kind of created this tsunami. And I think it’s been so fun!”
Bass was joined on stage by bandmates JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, Justin Timberlake and Chris Kirkpatrick when they handed Swift her award, and the celebrated songstress couldn’t contain her excitement as being near the pop icons.
“I’m not doing well pivoting from this to this,” Swift said of her award, telling the group. “I have your dolls! You’re pop personified, so to receive this from your golden pop hands is really too much”
And the singer spoke for *NSYNC fans everywhere when she speculated what the reunion might mean for the group’s future: “They’re gonna do something and I need to know what it is!”
Although, despite the public outcry, Bass says there’s no definitive plans for a reunion tour or special as of now.
“I’ve been telling the fans, like, we don’t have solid plans right now. Because, you know, we’re waiting for the strike to end we’ve got things to do,” Bass said. “But [the fans are] definitely shaping our future.”
“It was pretty emotional, the first time we all got in the studio together,” Bass recalled of the recording session. “Back in March, we decided to you know, get back together and have some fun and it was like no [time] had passed.”
“But there was there was a lot of tears. It was just tears of joy. And it was just a beautiful moment,” he continued. “Like, time does so much and for us to finally be together, it just feels right.”
Fans will get a chance to listen to the group’s song when it drops on Sept. 29, well ahead of the release of Trolls Band Together on Nov. 17. Check out the video below to hear more about the band’s recent reunion.
Destiny 2 players – and its development team – have had it tough this week. Not only has the sci-fi shooter endured DDoS attacks that have taken the game down for hours at a time, but players have continued to experience connection errors and strange bugs and glitches over the weekend, too.
Beyond confirmation of maintenance over the weekend, developer Bungie has yet to formally comment on the issues plaguing players, but some have taken to Reddit and Destiny’s social media channels to report a range of strange happenings, including doors that don’t open, PvP scores that don’t update, and even pacifist enemies that refuse to engage.
As u/Indecisive_um said on the Destiny subreddit earlier today, “the game is currently broken, it’s not just you”.
“If you’re trying to use interactions but can’t or doors aren’t opening, don’t worry, it’s not you, it’s everyone,” Indecisive_um – just one of dozens of thread starters bringing attention to the current issues – wrote.
“It seems […] something has broken big time with the game, and some of the following issues have popped up.”
The thread then lists a handful of issues that players have reported today, including:
Doors are not opening for any activity including Savathun’s Spire, Dungeons like Prophecy or Shattered Throne, and even the Helm.
Most, if not all, interactions are not working like the Chalice of Light in Crotas End, or the rally flag for public events.
Enemies are bugged out to the point that it seems they can’t die, nor can they notice the player in any way.
“I’m sure there’s more things going on that I haven’t listed, but just wanted to put this out for anyone who may be wondering what’s going on,” the OP said. “In the meantime, it might be a good idea to play another game while Bungie tries to address the issue, or do what I’m doing and get a chance to look up close to some of these enemies in their natural habitat.”
Whilst it seems that most issues have since been resolved – many suggest rebooting your system, particularly if you’re in the midst of a heavy session – some players report issues still persisted after Bungie’s background maintenance earlier today (thanks, PCGN).
Earlier today, both PvP and PvE were broken for a brief period in #Destiny2, with enemies in PvE completely unresponsive, doors in activities not opening, and rounds in Trials of Osiris always resulting in a tie. pic.twitter.com/6cxjZKz3cdSeptember 24, 2023
After acknowledging that players could give Legendary guns Exotic traits – essentially circumventing the game’s usual balance systems and allowing players to equip what is, in essence, three exotic weapons at once – Bungie confirmed that it’s “working on two fixes” that it hopes will address the issue.
The first was a server-side update that will disable all crafted weapons from being equipped, after which the team will address “illegal” weapons by resetting them “to a default state”.
Earlier this week, Bungie said this issue was “now resolved”.
“Illegitimate frames and perks on crafted weapons have been replaced by legitimate ones. Please be advised that any players attempting to utilize the previous crafting exploit will receive a WEASEL error code and be kicked to the login screen.”
Even the most committed Destiny 2 player should check out our guide for the best Destiny 2 PvE weapons. We’ve also got a guide to the best FPS games if you’re looking for an experience further afield, too.
After nearly 150 days, Hollywood studios have finally come to tentative agreement with the Writers Guild of America for a new contract. Barring unforeseen objections from WGA members, the writers’ portion of the Hollywood strike is effectively at an end.
So, how soon will your favorite shows be back on your screens? When will your most anticipated films head back into production?
The short answer: As soon as possible. WGA members have consistently said they’re eager to get back into the writers rooms, and the studios, represented in guild negotiations by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, have takena heavyfinancialhit during the strike and need to restart production urgently to reverse it.
But before that can happen, some other boxes need to be ticked off first, starting with ratification of the contract.
Guild leaders will now send the new contract to members for a ratification vote. The guild hasn’t provided a timeline for the vote yet, but it will need to provide enough time for members to review the contract before casting votes.
In June, the Directors Guild of America members ratified their new contract in just over two weeks. Each guild has its own rules, but we could be looking at a similar timeline here. TheWrap has reached out to WGA for comment. Well update this when we know more.
However long it takes, the guild remains technically on strike until the contract is ratified.
Another complicating factor is SAG-AFTRA, which has been on strike since July 13, and who the WGA has vowed to support through the end of their side of things.
As of this writing, the actors guild and studios still have not set a date to pick negotiations back up, but insiders say resuming talks with the actors has been top of mind for some studios, especially when talks with the WGA had hit another standstill.
As actors and writers went on strike for largelythe samereasons, it’s likely the actors guild is motivated to secure a deal on terms similar to WGA’s as soon as possible.
One of the last sticking points in talks between WGA and AMPTP was a goal to secure protections for members who want wait until SAG-AFTRA has a deal before returning to work. Or, as WGA put it in a memo to members in early August, “to honor other unions’ picket lines as they have honored ours during this strike.”
It isn’t yet known what the deal includes, and well update as soon as we know.
That said, once the WGA deal is ratified, some shows will be able to start sooner than others — namely, talk shows and variety productions like “Saturday Night Live.” At the end of August, “SNL” director Liz Patrick told TheWrap her hope is that the sketch series can be a “light switch” production.
“I don’t want to speak as as the voice of ‘SNL,’ but I will say, from my perspective of it all, as soon as the strikes are resolved, I think we are the type of show that literally, if we know by Monday or Tuesday — or, hopefully Monday, just to give to the writers Tuesday — we just turn the lights on and we go,” she said at the time.
Then there’s the talk shows. Daytime shows like “The View” and more have continued on amid the strike, just without WGA writers. In May, Whoopi Goldberg explained that viewers would see what the show looks like “when it’s not slicked up.”
And indeed, the women — along with the hosts of multiple other daytime shows — have effectively improvised their material since, keeping things on the air. So, in theory, their typical writers could simply walk in the next day after ratification, and the show won’t miss a beat.
As for late night, that’s a little more unclear. As we noted, they are among those who could come back the fastest — much like they were the first to go dark — but the exact timeline would be at the discretion of each show. That said, an individual with knowledge of the matter told TheWrap in August that late night could be up and running in as little as two weeks.
Reps for the series did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Meanwhile, scripted shows will undoubtedly be the last to return to screens. Because, while their writers can get to work on new scripts, they still need their actors to return. Former NBC studios president Tom Nunan told TheWrap in August that “the sunniest scenarios would have network shows back in production in January.”
But insiders note that it could happen quicker than people might think. On Thursday, “Law & Order: SVU” showrunner Warren Leight outlined a path on X, formerly known as Twitter, that would allow for 13-episode seasons of scripted series to survive if the strike ended by October.
“Writers — once hired — would need less than the normal five or six weeks of lead time to start the season, since they’d ‘only’ be doing 13 episodes,” Leight wrote. He went on to say that if “everybody agreed” to having one week off for the Christmas break rather than the traditional two weeks of unpaid leave, productions “might be able to get five eps shot before the new year.”
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav was also optimistic this month, telling analysts during an investor conference hosted by Goldman Sachs at the start of September that “as soon as these strikes are resolved, everybody is ready to get back to work.”
Like we mentioned though, SAG still needs to reach a deal themselves. Without actors, no scripted series will return. But, “Star Trek: Picard” actress and the actors guild’s Los Angeles VP Michelle Hurd explained to TheWrap in August that there was very little chance that SAG would get back into talks before the WGA got their own deal.
“The bottom line is that we can’t go back into negotiations until they come to an agreement with the WGA,” Hurd said at the time. “So this makes it, you know, as long as there’s actual true good faith bargaining happening, then that path to us getting back is closer, because they’re at that table.”
For all of TheWrap’s WGA strike coverage, read here.
Andrew Tracy joined Realscreen as associate editor in 2021, following 17 years as managing editor of the award-winning international film magazine Cinema Scope. From 2010 to 2020 he also held the position of senior editor at the Toronto International Film Festival, where he oversaw the flagship publication for the organization’s year-round Cinematheque programming and edited its first original monograph in a decade, Steve Gravestock’s A History of Icelandic Film. He was a scriptwriter and consultant on the first season of the Vice TV series The Vice Guide to Film, and his writing and reporting have been featured in such outlets as Cinema Scope, Reverse Shot, Sight & Sound, Cineaste, Film Comment, MUBI Notebook, POV, and Montage.
The actors have worked together in films like Devdas and Happy New Year among others.
Shah Rukh Khan reunited with his Devdas co-star Jackie Shroff at CM Eknath Shinde’s Ganpati puja on Sunday.
Shah Rukh Khan has been busy basking in the record-breaking success of his latest release, Jawan. The Atlee directorial film was released earlier this month and has entered the Rs. 1000 crore club in less than 30 days. However, the actor is now making headlines for his appearance at Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s residence for Ganpati puja on Sunday. The puja was a star-studded event, but what excited netizens was the actor’s reunion with his Devdas co-star Jackie Shroff.
Shah Rukh looked dapper in a royal blue kurta with a white salwar. He completed the look by tying his hair in his signature ponytail. She bumped into Jackie Shroff on his way to the Ganpati idol and planted a kiss on his cheek. Jackie wore a similar outfit to Shah Rukh’s ensemble but styled it with a yellow bandana and a white stole with blue accents. The two actors indulged in a quick conversation as they laughed and posed for the paparazzi.
Fans of the actors took to the comments section to express their appreciation. One Shah Rukh fan wrote, “He is so fine at the age of 56.” Another added, “Mashallah srk❤️” A fan of Jackie Shroff commented, “Jaggu bhai”
Besides Jackie, Shah Rukh also reunited with Salman Khan as the superstars posed with CM Eknath Shinde. This left their fans excited for their likely joint feature in the upcoming film Tiger Vs Pathaan.
While there were initial reports of Aditya Chopra planning a joint script narration session for Salman and Shah Rukh, it was recently reported that the story was presented to them individually during separate meetings over a month ago.
DNA quoted a source as saying, “Tiger vs Pathaan’s script is locked after the two mega-stars of Hindi cinema gave their nod to the script. This film is a huge milestone moment because it sees the two giants of Indian cinema to come together for a full-fledged film after their box office juggernaut Karan Arjun.”
Meanwhile, Shah Rukh Khan is currently seen in Jawan. The film also stars Vijay Sethupathi, Nayanthara and Sanya Malhotra among others. Shah Rukh’s long time co-star Deepika Padukone also has an extended cameo in the film.
Ever notice how each person has their own roster of feel-good movies they turn to when life feels a little less colorful or when the stress seems to keep piling high? Or simply when they need a buffer from this long series, they end up binging or want something to put on while keeping busy with a chore? Those films that never fail to lift your mood and make everything seem brighter and softer, even if it is just for a few hours?
These pick-me-ups could be a funny comedy, a heartwarming drama, a sweeping saga of love, or a delightful animation. It really depends on the flavor of optimism one is craving, but one thing is for sure – there is solace in the worn-out wonder. It doesn’t matter how many times you re-watch these movies; they have this universal feel-good factor that is tried, tested, and true.
Update September 24, 2023: This article has been updated with even more great feel-good movies to watch if one is feeling down.
Movies have been a constant source of comfort and joy, and when we find ourselves drawn to a story over and over again, they remind us that there is light, even in small moments. It is amazing how, when life has you down, and the world feels dark, you can simply slip into these feel-good fantasies and be instantly soothed. From quirky characters to wonderful settings, open hearts, and emotional developments, they leave you smiling, laughing, hoping, and longing with a spirit that never fades.
25 Love, Simon (2018)
Twentieth Century Fox
Love, Simonis a romance for the ages. Adapted from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, the coming-of-age romance follows Simon Spier, an awkward closeted high schooler who has been penning anonymous emails to a fellow gay guy he’s falling for. When his secret identity is threatened, Simon braces for the reactions of his friends and family and ultimately finds support from all unexpected quarters. The movie is a charming tale; it is as poignant as it is funny, capturing all the thrills and terrors of first love.
24 Up (2009)
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Disney’s Uphas been on the re-watch radar for almost everybody, no matter how old or young. Featuring the vocal talents of Ed Asner and the comedic chemistry of Pete Docter’s creative team, this animated gem follows the elderly protagonist, Carl Fredricksen, trying with all his might to settle into a life of quiet despair after losing his beloved Ellie. But adventure comes knocking when an enthusiastic Wilderness Explorer helps him fulfill his wish. What follows is a comedic trip filled with imagination and wonder as the unlikely duo takes on a great escapade.
23 Matilda (1996)
Sony Pictures Releasing
Matildais a magical childhood dream. It is basically a whimsical wonder in the form of a movie. Adapted from Roald Dahl’s novel, the movie follows Mara Wilson’s Matilda Wormwood, who lives with her neglectful parents and brother. She is also fed up with being under the watchful eye of tyrannical headmistress Ms. Trunchbull. To softly and playfully fight back, she uses her telekinetic powers and gets even. Directed by Danny DeVito, the movie is clever, humorous and inspirational. It also features a beautiful teacher-student bond with Miss Honey, which is absolutely perfect.
22 Groundhog Day (1993)
Columbia Pictures
If you’re re-watching a movie for the nth time, it better have a time loop to match the energy. And Groundhog Day is a comedy classic that keeps on delivering. Starring Bill Murray at his hilarious and poignant best as Phil Conners, the movie centers around a cynical and arrogant weather forecaster trapped in a time loop in the town of Punxsutawney, repeatedly reliving the same day over and over again. There is fresh humor and emotion, and Murray brings a layered nuance to his role. As he gradually breaks free and discovers empathy and connection, it adds to a profoundly reassuring moment.
21 Elf (2003)
New Line Cinema
An adorable tale that has the power to warm the coldest heart, Elffollows Buddy, a human raised among Santa’s elves, who travels from the North Pole to New York to find his real father. Will Ferrell is excellent in portraying the perpetually cheerful elf experiencing the big city and human quirks for the first time. Hopping from hot dog carts to flickering Christmas lights, Buddy shows a sense of wonder and kindness to New Yorkers and helps them discover their own. Elf is a reminder that magic can be found in ordinary things and people, making for a movie you can watch again and again.
20 To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
Netflix
If you’re in the mood for a warm, fuzzy teenage rom-com featuring a dream come true, then To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the perfect pick-me-up. Lara Condor glows as Lara Jean Covey, a shy high school girl who escapes life’s everyday angst through daydreaming and fantasy letters to her crushes. When these secret admirations are sent out to the boys they were meant for, Lara Jean braces for the fallout. What follows is fake dating and romantic possibilities, and along the way, she finds her voice. Jenny Han’s novel adaptation makes for a refreshing and relatable romance, making you wish you were 16 again.
19 Mamma Mia! (2008)
Universal Pictures
It is hard to find a better soundtrack than that of Mamma Mia!With the help of the legendary pop group ABBA, the music sets the stage for a story of romance, redemption, and loads of fun. A soon-to-be bride (Amanda Seyfried) invites her mother’s former lovers to her wedding on their home Greek island of Kalokairi in the hopes of discovering who her real father is. The problem is that her mother (Meryl Streep) doesn’t want to see them there and has no idea who the actual father is.
If you want to see a film with beautiful musical numbers, comedic interactions, and heart-stopping romance, this is the film for you. After grossing $611 million, the film became one of the highest-grossing movies of 2008. A sequel to the film was released in theaters in 2018.
18 The Princess Bride (1987)
20th Century Fox
Stories that blend awe-inspiring magic and easy-going romance are always fun to watch. The Princess Bride is one such movie. It transports you to a fairytale world filled with adventure, humor, love, and plenty of heroics. The story revolves around Buttercup, who is head over heels for a farm boy, Westley. But a long separation awaits them as Westley sets out on a sprawling journey and ends up in trouble. The comedy classic is very enchanting, with every fabric of the frame shimmering with nostalgia. It features a star-studded cast and loads of visual beauty to spare. The Princess Bride remains endlessly re-watchable in its ability to inspire childlike wonder.
17 I Love You, Man (2009)
Paramount Pictures
I Love You, Manis a delightful spin on the rom-com, making a bromantic comedy that is all about making a best friend. The comedy film tells the story of real-estate agent Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd). Klaven has everything going right for him. From a successful job to a loving soon-to-be wife (Rashida Jones), he seems to be doing everything right. However, he doesn’t have many male friends due to his busy work and home life. So, of course, he is struggling to find a best man for his wedding. This prompts him to go on a quest to find his beloved bud before the big day.
I Love You, Man, is hilarious but also heartfelt. It also deconstructs many preconceived notions about male friendships and chips away at some of the more toxic traits most movies and television shows associate with them. I Love You, Man is one of the more underrated comedies of the 2000s and one that will put a smile on your face.
16 Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Little Miss Sunshine is a gem of an underdog story that has pleased the audience for almost two decades. It circles around Olive, the youngest member of the Hoover family, with just one wish – to compete in a beauty pageant. Her eccentric, dysfunctional, yet decidedly lovable family casts out on a road trip to California. Through laughs and quiet moments of grace, the movie is all about finding purpose and joy in each other’s company. Steve Carell, Tony Collette, Paul Dano, and Greg Kinnear shine as they drag the family out of the gloom. By the time the journey ends, it doesn’t even matter that the beauty pageant turned out to be a misadventure.
15 Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Universal Pictures
To be fair, any movie that adapts the works of Jane Austen instantly becomes re-watch-worthy material. As for Pride and Prejudice, it is simply a cinematic lavishness for the senses. The story brings to life Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy’s sweeping tale of love and romance. With Mrs. Bennet cracking their daughters to find suitors and one wealthy man moving in close to the house, it is lovely how the period piece features a dream-romantic cast, lusciously appointed sets, and colorful costumes. But beneath the visual wonder and magic is the very portrayal of maidenly strength, dramatic irony, and romance against the odds.
Sitting regally among the many other animated classics, one of Disney’s finest and a feel-good wonder is The Lion King. From the brilliant minds of Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers, this famous film transports us to the Pride Lands, a kingdom filled with unforgettable characters, moving music, and heartfelt adventure. This is the story of Simba, who had no choice to leave home when his treacherous Uncle Scar brutally murdered his father and king, Mufasa. Now that Simba has come of age, he must save his kingdom and rightfully reclaim his place.
The movie features the earth-shaking song “Circle of Life,” characters like Zazoo and Nala, as well as thorough moments of drama, danger, love, and loss. A tale as old as time, The Lion King is adored as one of animation’s greatest treasures.
13 Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Paramount Pictures
Ferris Bueller’s Day Offis an ’80s comedy classic for a good reason. This handsome troublemaker, played by Matthew Broderick at his most charming, simply wants to fight boredom by skipping school for a day and spending the day with his two favorite people. On his day off, Ferris does a lot of cool stuff, like driving around in a Ferrari and gazing at masterpieces at the Art Institute of Chicago. But his perfect day is being spied at by the dean. The movie is Ferris’ witty escapist adventure, and with his playful girlfriend and eager-to-please high school buddy, it sure keeps you giggling from start to finish.
12 Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
DreamWorks Pictures
Over-the-top comedy is always highly re-watchable. And Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy tops the list when it comes to a quotable film with goofball characters that love and loathe. Will Ferrell, at his comedic peak, plays Ron Burgundy, San Diego’s most famous news anchor and a man who is utterly convinced of his own legend. But when a female reporter, Veronica, joins the news team, this puffed-up peacock struggles to keep up with changing times – but in a hilarious fashion. Anchorman is a delight for those longing for simple days every day.
11 The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
20th Century Fox
Filled with style and an incredible ode to female empowerment, The Devil Wears Prada is a stylish comedy-drama featuring Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep. Anne plays Andy Sachs, a recent college grad who must navigate the treacherous fashion world under the tutelage of Miranda Priestly, a demanding and often unsentimental legend in the industry. The movie features a ton of witty repartee and delightful feminist awakenings. Yet, at its core, is a simple story about surviving at work – and even thriving – especially when you’re faced with unimaginable challenges.
10 Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
How could a feel-good list be complete without this breezy and exuberant classic? Singin’ in the Rain is a 1952 movie that personifies Hollywood glamor and good cheer. In 1920s Los Angeles, when silent film stars are faced with the challenge of transitioning to talking, a talented duo had to adapt while another aspiring actress blossomed into a revelation. Starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen, and Donald O’Connor, arguably cinema’s most charismatic stars, the movie dazzles right from the opening numbers. Even after 70 years, with lavish sets and technicolor cinematography, exchanging witty banter and dancing its way around, Singin’ in the Rain remains the gold standard of musicals.
It is hard to find a greater overall sequel than Top Gun: Maverick. Over three decades after the events of the first film, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is still pushing the envelope and disobeying orders. After being called back to Top Gun, he must prepare a class of recent graduates to go into combat on a level no living man has ever seen. The only tricky part is that one of the graduates is the son (Miles Teller) of his late, great best friend, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw. Maverick must make peace with the past and overcome his fears to ensure everyone is properly prepared and can come home safely.
Top Gun: Maverick was the movie event of summer 2022. Part of the appeal of the film, and why it inspired so much repeat viewing, was the old-time nature of the film. It was a throwback to simpler times, with a classic story that was not trying to subvert expectations or deconstruct a genre but instead deliver an entertaining thrill ride. Top Gun: Maverick is a movie that made everyone watching it feel good.
8 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Warner Bros.
Honestly, all eight movies in the Harry Potter franchise can be revisited at any point, for as many times as you like. But Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the magical middle child of the series. Under Alfonso Cuarón’s whimsical direction, Hogwarts feels a place of danger and wonder in new ways this time out. Our favorite trio is faced with the news of Sirius Black and how he seeks Harry. However, the truth turns out to be a lot lighter than imagined. We see the cast grappling with loss and answering life’s hardest questions, with fantastical delights and wizarding wonders at every turn.
7 When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
Castle Rock Entertainment
Rom-coms do not get better than When Harry Met Sally… The lively classic poses a question that no one has been able to answer – can a man and a woman ever just be friends? Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan sparkle as two New Yorkers whose chance encounter blossoms into a 12-year and three-month relationship marked by humor, longing, and life’s everyday challenges. From meeting in college to taking on uproarious escapades, Rob Reiner’s on the differences that arise between two people with time and whether they can override the existing chemistry makes you root for nothing but a happy ever after.
6 The Big Lebowski (1998)
Gramercy Pictures
“The Dude abides.” For Jeff Bridges’ character, the words translate to ‘going with the flow’, and that is exactly what he does in The Big Lebowski. The comedy cult classic from the Coen Brothers follows Bridges as “The Dude,” a quirky stoner caught in a case of mistaken identity that pulls him into a bizarre kidnapping plot. Every odd character, unplanned detour, and perpetually quotable dialogue delivers laughter in spades. And still, there are moments of truth in the silliness that you cannot help but love. After all, who doesn’t go for nonsense, especially if it means following your heart and earning the love and laughter you deserve?
Patch 3 is now live for Baldurs Gate 3. Mac users and chronic character re-creators rejoice! Fridays update will bring the full release of Baldurs Gate 3 to Mac, and allow you to change your characters appearance in-game via the Magic Mirror.
Locally-made fantasy drama “Sleep” headed the Korean box office charts for the third successive weekend. But theaters were comatose ahead of bigger new releases timed for the Chuseok holiday season.
“Sleep” earned just $1.06 million between Friday and Sunday, with a 27.5% market share, according to data from Kobis the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council. Its cumulative after 19 days in cinemas now stands at $9.50 million.
The film’s three weekends at the top of the chart have coincided with low power competition and a month-long decline in cinema attendance. The nationwide box office aggregate for the latest weekend was worth just $3.85 million. That was the quietest box office weekend of 2023.
Korean comedy drama “Marrying the Mafia Returns” released on Thursday and took second place. Over its opening four days it managed $684,000, with $523,000 of that over the weekend proper.
Hollywood import, “Gran Turismo” also revved slowly. It opened on Wednesday and earned $585,000 over its opening five days, with $413,000 between Friday and Sunday.
“Oppenheimer,” which had been one of the few standouts of a weakening August-September period, held on to fourth place with $258,000 in its sixth weekend of release. Its cumulative is now $25.3 million – the tenth best score of the year to date.
“A Haunting in Venice,” in its second weekend, earned $215,000. Since releasing on Sept. 13, it has accumulated $1.41 million.
French animation title “Epic Tails” (aka “Argonuts”) released on Thursday and earned $191,000 over the weekend, and $264,000 over its opening our days.
Korean-produced “Honeysweet” took $121,000 over the weekend, extending its cumulative since Aug. 15 to $9.99 million.
Japanese animation, “The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes” took $110,000 for a cumulative of $478,000 after two weekends of release.
“Dr Cheon and the Lost Talisman,” doing previews ahead of a Wednesday release, sneaked into ninth place with $98,000 from just 16 screens. Its pre-release total now stands at $145,000.
“Concrete Utopia,” a disaster action film that is also Korea’s Oscar contender, took $85,000 over the weekend. Its cumulative since Aug. 9, is $28.0 million.
More firepower is expected to be brought to Korean cinemas over the next two weeks, aiming to take advantage of the multi-day and extended Korean Thanksgiving (Chuseok) holidays. “Dr Cheon” will be opened wider and in terms of pre-sales looks to be the winner.
This week on the podcast, an Aussie-US, Lionsgate-WWE Films co-production, See No Evil.
This one rests on the formidable shoulders of wrestler, Kane, the antagonist here and chief antagonist to The Undertaker during the heyday/attitude era of WWE.
Juvie/criminal types are taken to a prison work program, but rather than picking up garbage on some interstate, they’re tasked to clean up some derelict hotel.
They’re supervised by two corrections officers, and as they’re going about their duties (rather lazily, it should be said), they are being stalked…by…a giant…hulking…killer.
See No Evil, but listen to and subscribe to the podcast! New episodes are uploaded every Friday.
Hollywood heaves a sigh of relief. The WGA and major studios and streamers have reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract that promises to end the 146-day strike that has taken a heavy toll across the content industry.
Negotiators for the Writers Guild of America and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers reached the finish line Sunday after four consecutive days of negotiations. Day 4 on Saturday mostly involved lawyers for the guild and AMPTP hashing out the fine print of language around complicated and groundbreaking additions to the WGA’s Minimum Basic Agreement. The nitty-gritty details of language around the use of generative AI in content production was one of the last items that the sides worked on before closing the pact.
The three-year contract will be sent to WGA members for a ratification vote. After nearly five months on strike – the work stoppage began May 2 – it’s highly likely to pass muster with the WGA’s 11,000 members, especially with the enthusiastic endorsement of WGA leaders. As momentum built this week, negotiators began to look at the approach of the Yom Kippur holiday on Sunday as a soft target deadline.
No doubt – the WGA prevailed in forcing Hollywood’s largest employers to address the guild’s major priorities in the first full-fledged contract negotiation since 2017 (the 2020 talks were hampered by the pandemic). The guild’s insistence in achieving a minimum guaranteed staff level for episodic TV was considered an extreme long-shot when the contract discussions began in March. The unwavering support of the vast majority of WGA members was the muscle that allowed the guild’s negotiating committee, led by Chris Keyser and David Goodman, to dig in on priority issues. They achieved a new-model streaming residual formula that should help fellow striking union SAG-AFTRA in its quest to achieve a revenue-based residual. The WGA’s formula amounts to a bonus system based on pre-determined, high-bar performance benchmarks for individual titles. But it’s nonetheless more than industry dealmakers predicted the guild would secure when the first round of WGA-AMPTP talks began in earnest last spring.
The end of the WGA strike will hasten the end of SAG-AFTRA’s walkout. It will also start the process of returning the creative community to its typical cycles of production, distribution, marketing and promotion cycle for content. Production of TV and film has been in state of turmoil since the start of the year when production slowed down in the face of the May 1 deadline set by the WGA’s contract expiration. It was no secret as early as last year that the 2023 round of guild contract negotiations would be challenging, given the level of structural change across TV and film.
Hollywood is eager to get back to work. But after a five-month pause in production, studios and streamers will need time to get shows and movies back on their feet. As word of progress at the negotiating table spread earlier this week, quiet planning for a return to production stepped up with producers and executives inquiring about the availability of stages and other production resources.
The terms of the tentative agreement have not been formally disclosed.
The sides returned to the bargaining table Sept. 20 after talks had stalled for a month. Four key Hollywood leaders participated in three days of marathon negotiations that finally broke the logjam. The executives: Disney’s Bob Iger, NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos and David Zaslav of Warner Bros. Discovery.
The AMPTP first attempted to address the guild’s demands for a viewership residual and minimum staffing guarantee in a proposal on Aug. 11. The WGA maintained that the offer was riddled with loopholes and exceptions that made many of its provisions meaningless.
The AMPTP returned Sept. 20 with another set of proposals, which it hoped would break the logjam.
Once Labor Day came and went, WGA negotiating committee co-chairs Chris Keyser and David Goodman faced heightened internal pressure from some prominent members to restart the negotiations process. Now that a deal with the WGA is in hand, AMPTP negotiators will turn their attention to SAG-AFTRA, which has been on strike since July 14. Production and promotion cannot fully restart until SAG-AFTRA members vote to ratify a new agreement.
It’s the Arthurian legend told in a different way. Has The Winter King TV show been cancelled or renewed for a second season on MGM+? The television vulture is watching all the latest cancellation and renewal news, so this page is the place to track the status of The Winter King, season two. Bookmark it, or subscribe for the latest updates. Remember, the television vulture is watching your shows. Are you?
What’s This TV Show About?
A historical fantasy drama series airing on the MGM+ cable channel, The Winter King TV show stars Iain De Caestecker, Eddie Marsan, Ellie James, Nathaniel Martello-White, Stuart Campbell, Daniel Ings, Valene Kane, Jordan Alexandra, and Simon Merrells with Steven Elder, Andrew Gower, Aneirin Hughes, Emily John, Tatjana Nardone, Ken Nwosu, and Billy Postlethwaite. The story retells the Arthurian legend and is set in the fifth century, long before Britain was united. It’s in a brutal land of warring factions and tribes. The series follows Arthur Pendragon (De Caestecker), the illegitimate son of King Uther (Marsan), as he evolves from an outcast to a legendary warrior and leader. Other characters include Arthur’s ambitious and scheming wife, Guinevere (Alexandra); warrior Derfel Gadarn (Campbell); powerful and political wizard Merlin (Martello-White); priestess Nimue (James); Uther’s champion, Owain (Ings); and Arthur’s sharp-tongued half-sister, Morgan (Kane).
O F F I C I A L S T A T U S
As of September 25, 2023, The Winter King has not been cancelled or renewed for a second season. Stay tuned for further updates.
Telly’s Take
Unless they decide to publicize viewership, it is difficult to predict whether MGM+ will cancel or renew The Winter King for season two. The series also airs in the UK, so the outlet isn’t footing the bill alone. The Winter King is based on some popular novels, has a positive Rotten Tomatoes score, and seems to fit well with the other MGM+ programs. So, I think there’s a good chance it will be renewed. I’ll keep my ears open and an eye out for news and will update this page with breaking developments. Subscribe for free alerts on The Winter King cancellation or renewal news.
The Winter King Cancellation & Renewal Related Links
What do you think? Do you hope that The Winter King TV show will be renewed for a second season? How would you feel if MGM+ cancelled this TV series instead?
Check out our status sheets to track new TV series pickups, renewals, and cancellations. You can find lists of cancelled shows here.
Dan Harmon’s new adult animated series “Krapopolis” finally debuts Sunday evening after years in the works at Fox. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the show’s staff to shake up virtually every step of development and production, from a virtual writers’ room to a Zoom table read.
Just before the pandemic hit the U.S. in March 2020, Fox Entertainment president Michael Thorn encouraged Harmon to dust off an old idea the “Community” creator had shared about a show set in ancient Greece, but had yet to explore.
“Dan had this idea to do a show in ancient Greece, and that was about it — that’s all we had,” executive producer Steve Levy told TheWrap. “Dan loved the world, and was a myth buff when he was a kid and really took to the stories. We were like, ‘sure, we could explore that world,’ [but] we really didn’t have anything.”
As Harmon and his team quickly started on a pilot script to send to the network, the “Rick and Morty” creator immediately knew he didn’t want the ancient Greek civilization to have developed a written language yet. Harmon found that period was “the most fun and most challenging era” to write within, Levy explained, as writers can’t layer in language jokes (i.e. a funny sign) into the plot.
Harmon delivered the savvy social commentary Fox executives wanted out of a new adult animated comedy. Fox was so happy with the pilot that they picked up “Krapopolis” after just one script.
“I think when [Fox execs] read the pilot, they were like, ‘this is the perfect blend of everything we asked for, and all of the genius we hoped to mine from Dan Harmon,’” Levy said. “It’s commentary on today’s society through the lens of older-generation humans, that have similar struggles as we do emotionally and within their relationships, but takes place in a time where people are eating each other and there’s incest.”
Now picked up to series, “Krapopolis” staff began working on an “aggressive schedule.” The show simultaneously juggled casting, writing and design, leaving the writers’ room in a unique position of crafting a first season without having final sketches of the main cast.
“It was really hard to be writing something we didn’t have any visuals for, or like a voice or anything of how these characters sounded outside of our own heads,” Levy said. “When you bring just the one script into the writers’ room, and people are reading it, everyone’s hearing it differently. … But we needed to really unite the room under a single vision, which took a while, because we didn’t have voice actors or art generated yet.”
After throwing a wide casting net, the series recruited Richard Ayoade to take on the principal role of Tyrannis, a mortal who has been dubbed King of Krapopolis, while Hannah Waddingham plays his mother, a goddess named Deliria. Matt Berry voices Shlub, Tyrannis’ father who is half-centaur, half-manticore, with Pam Murphy playing Tyrannis’ half-sister Stupendous and Duncan Trussell as Tyrannis’ half-brother, Hippocampus.
Once the voice actors were secured, Levy notes that the character sketches could get more granular, as they began to incorporate elements of the actors into the characters.
“We loved Richard’s hair and were like, ‘that’s a really fun design choice for Tyrannis.’ Or for Shlub with Matt Berry, it was like, ‘why don’t we give him a little bit of that suave, handsome [look] but [with] a little bit of gruff,” Levy said. “There was definitely a little bit of a back and forth between the design work and the casting process — they did help each other out.”
The pandemic shifted writing on the show completely onto Zoom, where Harmon and Levy had the formidable task of fostering a virtual writers’ room with a group of writers who hadn’t worked together.
“This show was the first one that Dan and I did where it started entirely in COVID, and so we didn’t get, didn’t have the opportunity to build the same rapport with our coworkers like we did on other shows like ‘Rick and Morty,’ ‘Little Demon’ or even ‘Strange Planet,’” Levy said. “You have to learn the technology; you have to learn how to pitch again in a writers’ room, because you’re not all in the same space [and] the rules change a little bit.”
While working fully virtually wasn’t perfect by any means, the team leveraged it as best they could for their first Zoom table read — which Levy recalls as “bizarre” — by displaying the final character sketches in the background for each of the corresponding voice actors.
“Sometimes there’s this awkward pause, or somebody speaking over somebody else by accident, so it’s not as fluid, but you get through it,” Levy said. “For the first time hearing the pilot script, read by all of the actors, it was proof in the pudding that there’s a show here — this is fun, we cast it well and we’re on track for something very cool.”
The series also features a slew of guest stars, including Daveed Diggs, Jane Lynch, Ben Stiller, Susan Sarandon, Joel McHale, Dave Franco, Yvette Nicole Brown, Will Forte, Steve Buscemi and Stephanie Beatriz, among others.
“Fox loves having a big name for guest role, and when there was a new character that felt right to cast a big star for, we would talk to Fox about who we might want and we would come up with lists. … Sometimes it took a little push from Dan or one of our personal relationships with the actors,” Levy said. “It was also a strange time because people were afraid of going into a booth, and some people had to record from home. It’s all about comfortability, and making sure that the actors felt safe in recording the lines during the height of COVID.”
Even before its debut, “Krapopolis” scored an early renewal for a second and third season at Fox, which Levy notes was a welcome surprise that “added a lot of fuel to [the team’s] gas tank.”
“It gave us a much-needed pressure release and allowed us to really dig in and feel like we can expand the world in ways we didn’t necessarily get to explore in a Season 1, because we we weren’t sure how much real estate we were going to have with the show,” Levy said. “Moving forward into the show, season to season, we go crazier and bigger and get more into that ‘Rick and Morty’ rhythm, where a lot of the concepts are a little more sci-fi and fantasy, and a little more grounded emotionally in whatever’s happening with the characters’ relationships with each other.”
For Levy and his team, the network’s commitment to the show enabled them to have “space to create and breathe in this world,” leading “Krapopolis” to “push the boundaries of what Fox typically allows or explores in their animated programming.”
While Levy jokes that the show has been in the works for so long that it felt like the team was only making it for themselves, he hopes that viewers feel seen through the unique characters — and that he might eventually see fans dressed as Tyrannis, Shlub, Stupendous, Deliria or Hippocampus at future Comic-Con conventions.
“My hope is that no matter who you are … there is a character in this show that you really connect to and feel like represents them in a really positive way,” Levy said, adding that the mythology embraced in the show results in a “broader range of types of people.” “The hope is that we can build a little bit of a community — for lack of a better word — around the show, and allow for people to meet and connect over shared love for something.”
Kelly Clarkson has a new collaborator — her daughter! On Friday, the 41-year-old singer released the deluxe edition of her album, chemistry, which includes “you don’t make me cry,” a song with her 9-year-old daughter, River Rose.
In the track, Kelly belts out lyrics that feel like the tune is something of a break-up song, as she sings, “I’d rather be alone than blue/ Know it ain’t easy but watch me walk the high road without you.”
“You don’t make me cry/ And I cry at everything/ You don’t make me feel/ And I feel more than most/ now that says something, doesn’t it?” Kelly croons, as he daughter provides backup vocals. “Feeling free since I found out you don’t have power/ So you searching for some/ Well, you can’t have mine/ you don’t make me cry.”
In a tweet earlier this month, Kelly revealed that her daughter “was 5yrs old when she was layin down tracks” for the new song.
Atlantic Records
It’s not the first time Kelly has teamed up with her kids, River and 7-year-old Remington, both of whom she shares with her ex, Brandon Blackstock. Back in 2019, River starred in her mom’s music video for “Broken & Beautiful.”
More recently, both of the Blackstock tots joined their mom onstage for a performance of “Heartbeat Song” during her Las Vegas residency.
Kelly initially released chemistry in June. She followed that up by dropping a new song, “roses,” earlier this month.
In addition to “roses” and “you don’t make me cry,” chemistry‘s deluxe edition includes new songs “i won’t give ip,” “did you know,” and “goodbye.” It also has a live version and a remix of “mine,” as well as a remix of “favorite kind of high.”
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