Clay Bennett for July 14, 2023

For a variety of good reasons.

Saw Fran dresher’s speech and dand even with that nasally voice she can still talk with such conviction

Now I have the time, freed from caring duties, this means I can catch up on my Netflix binging.

Good for them! They need to get this sorted sooner rather than later.

Who knew. Did not miss anything. Which is the sum total of their contribution to society.

Thar’s gold in them there hill’s!

So much for fall television. The last big Hollywood strike gave us an avalanche of “reality” shows that we still suffer with today.

Well done, Mr. Bennett!!

The striking workers are a microcosm of what most folks see everyday. The vast majority of SAG AFTRA and WGA members are not rich super stars but regular working stiffs that just happen to make things happen if not just make them work. The oligarchy that rules and controls Hollywood is however just like the uber wealthy oligarchy that runs all of our lives. And no, a billionaire/“billionaire” is not “just like you and me!” and never will be. Especially the oligarchy that convinces the suckers & losers to willingly donate to them and always gives back only empty promises and crapola like “trickle down” economics

Unions give you strength in numbers and most of them are the reason you get paid even what you do and even if you are not in a union (think of how screwed you would be if there were no unions to make businesses have to compete even for the meager pay that you get). Think about how businesses try to shame you into working extra or being on-call for free instead of honoring the 40 hr/week laws and the laws about about the basics like lunches and breaks. Think about paid vacations. Think about it on Labor Day and every day. You get that because of unions even if you are not in a union

Here come more reruns.

Workers of the world unite . You have nothing to lose but your chains .

The writers, especially the fiction writers, need to be worried about AI in that this program can literally write whole scripts in seconds. The production companies are probably looking into utilizing AI to replace writers as we speak.

Nice artwork, but the hills are usually brown most of the year. Let both the writers and actors strike as long as possible until they get what they deserve.

I might just get around to watching shows that are available for streaming on Netflix (currently the only paid streaming channel I have) that I had been meaning to watch like Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Bridgerton (I’m almost done with the prequel, Queen Charlotte), Squid Game, etc. I might even dust off my DVD player and start renting DVDs from my local library! Bottom line, SAG/AFTRA and the WGA are in it for the long haul and have been supporting each other since the WGA hit the picket line last May. For all their saber rattling, the studios and honchos realize they need the actors and writers more than the actors and writers need them! When they start getting hit in the wallet, the studios will be more willing to settle.

Given the maxim dear to the heart of Hollywood that “Nothing succeeds like success,” films and television have been pretty formulaic for years. There’s only so many ways you can recycle car crashes, explosions, chase sequences, or super villains squaring off against equal and opposite super heroes. And of course, there’s always “remakes” which typically proves the original was far superior and the remake was, at best, unnecessary (and in the case of the computer generated live action remake of Disney’s “The Lion King”) and pretty bad to boot. Maybe this strike will allow both the motion picture and TV industries to do a reset. One can only hope.

If you want to see a ghost town, go to Studio City, Glendale, and Burbank starting tomorrow.I feel bad that small businesses will also be hurt by the studios during the strike. People don’t realize actors and writers have to get their hair cut, nails done, cars fixed, eat at their favorite burger stand or restaurant near the studios, etc. All those places are generally small businesses.

I’m all for these people going off to make their appropriate share of the money (though I think the bulk of the actors are grossly overpaid.)

That being said, our society will be far better off with a lull in the mind-numbing drivel that is most of what passes for modern “entertainment.”

A small step towards curbing global warming. The production of all that “glitz” has to be significant.

No problem here. Most new stuff Hollywood puts out nowadays isn’t worth watching anyway.

Soooo….I guess there goes the new Fall season….:-(