WGA strike

SAG-AFTRA Moves A Step Closer To Strike Action

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Much of America’s TV and film production has shut down amid the ongoing strike by the Writer’s Guild of America. The union, which represents writers in both Hollywood and TV networks, has been on strike since May 2. While the reasons for the strike are myriad, they include demands over basic pay, access to sets, residual pay, and the use of AI.

However, while studio bosses are currently holding firm in denying the demands of the WGA, they might be about to be hit with another strike. This time, it’s the actors who are potentially preparing to walk out. If the strike is called, it would absolutely devastate the bloated, top-heavy entertainment industry that has long relied on its workers not doing this.

Union Board Endorses Strike Action

SAG-AFTRA is the primary union representing actors and on-screen personalities. The union is a behemoth, ranging from film stars to newscasters. However, SAG-AFTRA has not called for a strike since 2000. In that instance, members of the union executed a six-month work stoppage between May and October. Furthermore, while many SAG members have spoken out in solidarity with the WGA strike, their own time on the picket may be imminent. Late on May 17, the SAG-AFTRA board voted unanimously in favor of endorsing strike action and encouraging union members to vote in favor of strike authorization. One of the biggest reasons for the vote was opposition to the increasing use of AI.

The vote is a bold move towards strike action for SAG-AFTRA. If authorized, a SAG-AFTRA strike at the same time as a WGA strike would effectively cripple the entertainment industry. The 2000 SAG-AFTRA strike lasted six months. The 2007-08 WGA strike lasted 14 weeks. A combined SAG-WGA strike, especially as the key summer production block and fall premiere season approaches, should be a terrifying prospect to studio executives. This is exactly the sort of thing you want to avoid if you like having a job at a major studio. It’s unclear how much support the strike authorization vote will get. However, if the support for the WGA strike from SAG members is anything to go by, then SAG-AFTRA will be hitting the picket lines very soon.

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Hollywood Writer Says AI Can’t Write Hit Movies

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Over the past few weeks, the Writer’s Guild Of America (WGA) has been on strike. They’ve been battling with the powers that be over their futures regarding the development of artificial intelligence (AI). Established screenwriter, Jim Herzfeld, famous for “Meet the Parents” and “Meet the Fockers” had some choice words on whether or not AI can take his job in Hollywood. TMZ caught up with Herzfeld in the picket line and asked about his thoughts on AI infiltrating Hollywood and the rest of the writing industry. When asked on if there should be a hard stance within writer’s contracts Jim Herzfeld had this to say.

“No one has a crystal ball,” the writer began. “No one knows, so that’s why we have to have it in our contracts.” Jim Herzfeld mentioned that in ’07-’08 the WGA had to fight about their futures concerning the emergence of the internet. Later Herzfeld was asked on what the stance should be concerning AI and writers. However, he kept it brief saying that the terms were already laid out to the networks. “Anything that started with a writer that was then run through AI to be fleshed out or whatever, then we have to get credit for that.”

Jim Herzfeld Sounds Off On AI’s In Hollywood

The Hollywood writers’ strike broke out this week over pay, but the refusal of studios like Netflix and Disney to rule out artificial intelligence replacing human scribes in the future has only fueled anger and fear on the picket lines. With their rapidly advancing ability to eerily mimic human conversation, AI programs like ChatGPT have spooked many industries recently. The White House this week summoned Big Tech to discuss the potential risks. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

While Jim was sharing his thoughts with the gossip blog, he sounded pretty confident about the safety of his job. Not only that he made note that simply prompting new writing AI ChatGPT could get the job done. However, he quickly said that it was never going to work. “You need a human to come up with the idea,” Jim Herzfeld told TMZ. He told the publication that AI isn’t developed enough to do what the thousands of writers that help produce our favorite movies and shows do.

Hopefully, the strike can come to an end soon and writers can come to a suitable agreement with the networks. Do you think AI will take over Hollywood? What will the future for writers look like down the road in all industries? Let the HNHH staff know what you think below!

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Pete Davidson Brings Pizzas To WGA Picket Lines

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We are nearing the end of the first week of the Writers Guild of America strikes. The WGA, which represents film and television writers, authorized a work stoppage and strike on May 2. The strike comes after the AMPTP, which represents film and television studios, refused to bring a reasonable deal to the table before the expiration of the current WGA contract. The WGA is seeking fairer wages, better residual structures, and protections from AI amongst many other issues.

The strike has brought Hollywood, and the East Coast TV networks, to a standstill. In New York, most late-night shows have gone off the air as their writer’s rooms walked out. Meanwhile, the pre-production of several films, such as Marvel’s Blade, has also come to an end. However, it appears as though the AMPTP is settling in for a long strike. Unconfirmed reports suggest that studio executives are booking yachts and European vacations to take advantage of the work stoppage. The WGA last went on strike in November 2007, remaining on strike until February 2008.

Pete Davidson Brings Pizza And Signs To the Picket Line

Pete Davidson saw his Saturday Night Live hosting spot canceled due to the strikes. However, Davidson is a union man through and through. He visited the picket outside the famous Silvercup Studios in Queens. One video posted to TikTok by a Davidson fan account includes audio of Davidson saying “no writers, no shows” to picketers. Photos also emerged of Davidson joining the picket, holding a sign that read “We want fair contracts now!” along with an illustration of a set of scales.

But picketing is also hungry work, especially when the studios have been paying you barely enough to live on. Davidson came around with a tower of pizza boxes to help keep the picketers going. In a similar move, Jay Leno brought donuts for picketers at Disney Studios in Burbank earlier in the week. The WGA strikes have received overwhelming support from actors and producers. Figures like Brett Goldstein, Quinta Brunson, JJ Abrams, and Mike Flanagan have all visited the picket lines. Meanwhile, people like Drew Barrymore have boycotted Hollywood obligations in solidarity with the striking writers. HotNewHipHop will have all the latest stories from the WGA strikes.

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Foo Fighters And Labrinth Were Set To Appear On ‘SNL’ But The WGA Strike Derailed Those Plans

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foo fighters
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The Writers Guild of America’s ongoing strike against labor conditions could be changing Americans’ viewing habits for the foreseeable future, but that isn’t the only thing it’s affecting. Many peripheral industries will feel the effects in the coming weeks and (potentially) months as the WGA fights for fair wages and job protections from networks and studios amid a changing media landscape and record profits.

For instance, musical guests Foo Fighters, Labrinth, and Lil Uzi Vert have had their upcoming guest appearances on Saturday Night Live canceled along with immediate show episodes. According to Variety, the show, which normally runs through May before the summer hiatus, won’t produce any new episodes until the strike ends. This week would have seen former cast member Pete Davidson return as host with Lil Uzi Vert as the musical guest — a dynamic duo if ever there was one — while Entertainment Weekly reports Foo Fighters’ first appearance since the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins was canceled along with Jennifer Coolidge’s hosting debut. Labrinth would have appeared in an episode hosted by Kieran Culkin.

Artists that would have appeared on other late-night variety shows will also need to find alternative promotion, as the only show running through the strike is (of course) Fox News’ Gutfield!, a show I just learned exists five minutes ago. Even so, recording artists are still showing solidarity with their fellow writers, with Snoop Dogg comparing screenwriters’ pay to streaming royalties.

Drew Barrymore Pulls Out Of MTV Awards To Support WGA Strike

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The Writers Guild of America (WGA), the union that represents the creative staff at most Hollywood and New York studios, has been on strike since May 2. The strike, the first of its kind since 2008, was called after the WGA and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to reached an agreement before the current WGA contract expired. The 2007-08 WGA Strike lasted a little over three months.

According to the WGA, the contract offered by the AMPTP was not satisfactory. Issues such as writer compensation, residuals, and AI usage were not properly met by the AMPTP contract. This led to the calling of a strike beginning at 12:01 am PDT on May 2. The strike has shut down production at multiple Hollywood studios, as well as at the major East Coast television studios. Late-night talk shows and other shows, such as SNL, will halt their production and run re-runs until the conclusion of the strike. A number of famous faces have come out in support of the strike, including Snoop Dogg. Drew Barrymore can also be added to that list.

Barrymore Pulls Out As MTV Host

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 26: Drew Barrymore attends the 2023 Time100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 26, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)

Drew Barrymore, the iconic actor and now talk show host, was due to host the MTV Movie & TV Awards on May 7. However, Barrymore made the sudden decision to step down as host on May 4. “I have listened to the writers, and in order to truly respect them, I will pivot from hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards live.” Barrymore told Variety, “Everything we celebrate and honor about movies and television is born out of their creation. And until a solution is reached, I am choosing to wait but I’ll be watching from home.” Barrymore also called for others to boycott the services of the studios being picketed.

However, MTV has supported Barrymore’s decision to step down. “When this all reared its head, we started to prepare for what could be,” executive producer Bruce Gillmer told Variety. “She is not surprisingly, standing in solidarity with the writers, which we have full respect for.” Barrymore will instead host the awards in 2024. Meanwhile, the 2023 ceremony, which will still go ahead, will feature no host or red-carpet event.

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Snoop Dogg Chimed In On The Writers Guild Strike By Taking Aim At ‘F*cked Up’ Streaming Models

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Snoop Dogg May 2023
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Snoop Dogg isn’t high on streaming services, and he hasn’t been for a while. After acquiring Death Row Records in February 2022, Snoop removed seminal albums such as his Doggystyle debut and Dr. Dre’s The Chronic from platforms.

“First thing I did was snatch all the music off those platforms traditionally known to people because those platforms don’t pay,” Snoop explained on Drink Champs that April. “And those platforms get millions of millions of streams, and nobody gets paid other than the record labels.”

Snoop resurfaced his opinion on Wednesday night, May 3, in the context of the Writers Guild Of America strike that began earlier this week. He was participating in a panel at Milken Institutes’ Global Conference with Variety executive music editor Shirley Halperin and Larry Jackson, his Gamma business partner.

Per Variety, Snoop called streaming models at the center of the WGA’s dispute “f*cked up.”

“[Artists] need to figure it out the same way the writers are figuring it out. The writers are striking because [of] streaming; they can’t get paid. Because when it’s on the platform, it’s not like in the box office,” Snoop said.

He added, “I don’t understand how the f*ck you get paid off of that sh*t. Somebody explain to me how you can get a billion streams and not get a million dollars? … That’s the main gripe with a lot of us artists is that we do major numbers, … but it don’t add up to the money. Like, where the f*ck is the money?”

For what it’s worth, Death Row Records’ catalog returned to streaming services this March.

Pete Davidson’s “SNL” Episode Canceled

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The Writer’s Guild of America, the primary union for writers working at major studios across America, authorized strike action on May 2. The first WGA writer’s strike since 2008, writers working at numerous studios walked out after studio management failed to meet their demands for a better contract before the present contract expired. Studios affected range from Netflix to Warner Bros. to Disney to the East Coast TV behemoths like NBC.

The WGA writers had asked for studio concessions on a variety of issues. These include the base pay of writers, the way that residual checks work (especially in regard to streaming services), and the regulation of AI use in media production. The studio executives were unwilling to meet the union’s demands on almost every issue, necessitating a work stoppage and strike.

“SNL” Among The Shows Affected By WGA Strike

The response to the WGA strike has differed from studio to studio, and network to network. For example, HBO will not cease production of House Of The Dragon Season 2, as all scripts have been completed. Meanwhile, many late-night talk shows will suspend their current runs in the wake of the strike action. Hosts such as Jon Oliver and Seth Myers have actively voiced their support for the strike. It’s almost like writers deserve basic and fair compensation for making millions of dollars for entertainment juggernauts.

Another causality of the strike is Saturday Night Live. After a brief break last weekend, SNL was supposed to return to air on May 6. This would have been the highly-anticipated hosting debut of former castmate Pete Davidson. Not only were fans looking forward to Davidson’s return, but the episode had also gotten press coverage about its content, or lack of, regarding Kim Kardashian. However, with strike action authorized and the show’s writers on the picket line, SNL has been suspended indefinitely. The timeslot will be filled by SNL re-runs instead. Davidson famously left social media several years ago, so it is unclear what his stance on the strikes is. Furthermore, it is unknown if Davidson will get a chance to host when the strike eventually resolves.

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