Hollywood

The final home of Marilyn Monroe – and the only residence she ever owned independently – will remain standing for now after Los Angeles officials intervened to block the property’s demolition.

The news that the new owners of 12305 Fifth Helena Drive, where Monroe died at age 36, filed for demolition permits had attracted widespread outrage. Los Angeles city councilwoman Traci Park said she received hundreds of calls urging her to save the Spanish colonial-style house in the city’s Brentwood neighborhood.

‘Deleb’ (as in dead celebrity) is a label used in show-business to describe a deceased star, celebrity, or artist whose estate continues to bring in the big bucks long after their death.

In 2013, it was reported by CBC that the ‘Deleb market’ was worth a whopping US$2.25 billion in annual licensing and revenues. Goodness knows how much the market would generate today – a decade later.

The most important Hollywood person at the Toronto International Film Festival this weekend is not a director, actor, studio executive or high-powered agent: it is one unassuming labour expert who no one outside of the entertainment industry has likely ever heard of.

On Friday, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the national executive director and chief negotiator for the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) arrived at TIFF to participate in a live discussion about the strikes tearing the industry apart. His attendance puts a spotlight on not only critical issues affecting entertainment workers in the United States but also Canada – he’ll be staging a joint rally with members of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema Television Radio Artists (ACTRA) on Saturday in solidarity with that union’s 500-plus-day battle with the Institute of Canadian Agencies.

Not impressed frankly, I think the writers and actors have lost to the studios.

If it lasts till the new year bet on a deal little better than what they currently have.

Late-night comedian Jimmy Fallon reportedly apologized to his staff following a lengthy exposé in Rolling Stone alleging serious workplace abuse.

How are you weathering the Hollywood strike? Tough times, right? Except for reality shows and a few independent productions, the whole industry is shut down. Actors can’t even promote completed projects. Yep, there’s quite a void out there.

Or is there?

Imagine if more conservatives were willing to take on Hollywood instead of pandering to it?

Over the summer, Barry Diller warned that the double strike by Hollywood actors and writers could “potentially produce an absolute collapse of an entire industry.”

Diller, who once headed Paramount and 20th Century FOX, may know what he’s talking about.

The news that Disney’s stock price target has just been downgraded to a still optimistic $110 offers a perfect jumping-off point to look at why.

Disney was once one of the most bulletproof brands on the planet. For almost a hundred years, Disney meant magic, family, innocence, fun, and fairy tales. But thanks to the corporation’s current obsession with identity politics and sexual perversion, the brand is not only tarnished, these dual obsessions have sucked all the creative spirit and energy out of a company that once seemed infallible.

Hollywood’s first double strike in over 60 years has dealt a $5 billion blow to California’s economy.

The entertainment industry has been largely on pause since the Writers Guild of America and the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA joined the picket line together.

Now, the consequences are reverberating across Los Angeles, as the slowdown creates a knock-on effect for enterprises across the board.

Aesthetic value can’t be decided by algorithms

The end of holiday season is upon us, and a chance to apply a new perspective to life as it slowly returns to boring normality. For a few short weeks, if you were lucky enough, you were able to immerse yourself in a different culture: eating new food; meeting new people; gazing, fascinated, upon new and startling sights as you encountered your Airbnb landlord’s Netflix algorithms.

Charter Communications, one of America’s largest cable TV providers, admits that cable TV is doomed.

Currently, Charter is in a price war with the Disney Grooming Syndicate. Until Disney and Charter agree on how much Charter will pay Disney to carry its channels (Disney Channel, ABC, FX, ESPN, etc.), those channels are blacked out and unavailable to Charter customers.

The union representing actors in the US is looking to authorise a second strike against major video game companies.

Talks between SAG-AFTRA and companies like Activision and Electronic Arts have reached a “stalemate”, the union said on Friday, particularly on wage increases and artificial intelligence.

Hollywood actors have been on strike since 13 July against major TV and film companies.

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I’m old enough to remember the golden age of American late-night comedy. No, not the Johnny Carson days, but during the years of the George W Bush administration. The patently misconceived 2003 Iraq War and the inept speaking style of Dubya were great fodder for hosts like Jon Stewart and his sidekick, Stephen Colbert. They did hilarious skits on The Daily Show poking fun at the pompous, self-serious media establishment, while cleverly pointing to the obvious lies of the government.

Please remember to donate to Blazingcatfur’s fundraiser