Hollywood Blog

Producers’ Final Offer To SAG: No Good

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Mickey Rourke tries to entice a pooch as he exits the Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills to head to the SAG Awards

It seems that a longstanding and prominent issue in Hollywood has been forgotten by many. The rift between the producers and the Screen Actor Guild has been long and drawn out and you would think that it would continue to be splashed all over the headlines. Perhaps the Oscars is just too attractive to resist? Or maybe channeling all the attention to the event is one way of dealing with the unpleasant situation?

Whatever the reason may be, I have not been hearing a lot about the developments in that area. Still, from what I read in the report published by the Associated Press, it seems that even the goodwill that the Oscar promotes is not enough to pacify the situation. As a matter of fact, the producers supposedly gave their “last, best, and final offer.” That’s a lot of superlatives right there! Still, they were not enough to sway the staunch Screen Actors Guild.

The report goes:

The contract was rejected by 73 percent of SAG’s board members, spokeswoman Pamela Greenwalt said in a statement.

SAG called the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ demand for the contract to run for three years instead of two, “regressive and damaging.”

Producers insist the three-year contract would start when it is ratified, instead of when the last one expired, which would mean SAG would not be able to join with the writers’ and directors’ guilds to increase their bargaining power when their contracts expire in 2011.

According to the AMPTP, the economic situation simply does not allow them to offer better terms. So far, nothing else has been said. What would happen if the SAG calls in these days right after the Oscars?

Originally posted on February 24, 2009 @ 1:28 pm

Christmas Of The Stars

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The Grammy Nominations Concert Live - Show

What are your Christmas plans? The average person will probably spend the holidays with his family. Either he will hit the road to visit or family members will come over for the holidays. Have you ever wondered how the stars spend their Christmas? Here are some snippets from a news article to give you an idea.

Mariah Carey
She shares: “I am hoping for peace, and for the world to turn itself around for the New Year. I’m going to be in Aspen, where I have been during the holidays for the past few years. I love it there! It’s a really fun place to be!”

Her wish is reminiscent of a beauty pageant answer, isn’t it? Her holiday plans sound exciting, though!

Emma Thompson
“We live in Scotland, as well, so for me, holidays are spent there. That also means I don’t wash my hair for six weeks (laughter). I go wash in the river. Last summer, we were there for seven weeks. I wore one of my husband’s old shirts and several pairs of his underwear. I washed them. They were nice and soft. I wore the shirt and underwear for the whole summer. We made hay. We planted things. We have a sauna. We swam in the river. He grew a beard, and I practically did, as well (laughter). It was most upsetting!

Christmas in Scotland is a dream for the average person, don’t you think? Well, unless you live thereabouts.

John Travolta
“Every year, we have a tradition of having Christmas at our house in Maine. It’s a small group this year.”

Just like most of us…funny no one’s spending the holidays in Hollywood, eh?

Happy holidays you all!

Originally posted on December 20, 2008 @ 3:08 pm

Gwyneth Paltrow Starts Hollywood Book Club

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Two Lovers Paris Premiere

Whoever said that Hollywood stars are mindless and brainless people couldn’t be more wrong – at least if we’re talking about Gwyneth Paltrow and her circle of friends who have been invited to become part of her special book club. This “book club” is actually part of Gwyneth’s effort to encourage readers of her web site to take up reading as a pastime this winter.

While some people might prefer to go out and ski or engage in other quite costly winter pastimes, the Hollywood star prefers to sit back and relax at home with a good book. Apparently, some of her friends – celebrities and non-celebrities alike – lean towards the same idea. In her web site, Goop, Gwyneth asked some of her friends to list down their all time favorite reads and no less than Madonna is part of that group!

The Telegraph actually found this newsworthy and published a feature on it:

She introduces the recently-divorced singer saying: “Madonna Ciccone rules the world, is a loyal friend and a terrific mother”. Also featured in the reading list are Turlington and her best friend Abby Kane.

Paltrow writes: “These are the women who read voraciously and with passion. No TV for them before bed (I need a little something, even 10 minutes of ‘The X Factor’ or a forensic pathology documentary, just something, for Lord’s sake!).

“I always like knowing the literary preferences of people. I think it gives a better understanding of their inner life.”

Madonna’s favourite books are listed as the Richard and Judy Book club favourite, The Time Traveller’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger, The Bad Girl by renowned Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa, and Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts.

While we might not be part of that club, there’s nothing stopping us from trying those books out. We might learn a thing or two.

Originally posted on January 26, 2009 @ 10:10 am

Hollywood Honors CNN Heroes

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Everyone needs a hero and our world today, more than ever, needs its own heroes to look up to. In a world were violence and all sorts of negative things are common, it can be hard to retain a positive outlook. Yet when we hear of and witness simple acts that become great in their simplicity, we can’t help but be inspired and once again believe in the goodness of mankind. This is how I felt when I read and viewed the tribute to CNN Heroes of 2008.

Appropriately held on the night of Thanksgiving, CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute was sort of a get together for some of the biggest personalities in Hollywood. CNN has this report:

Singer Christina Aguilera joined fellow Grammy Award winners Alicia Keys and John Legend for “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute,” which honored the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008.

The show, taped before an audience of more than 2,500 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, premiered on the global networks of CNN on Thanksgiving night.

Liz McCartney, dedicated to helping survivors of Hurricane Katrina rebuild their homes, was named 2008 CNN Hero of the Year.

McCartney, who will receive $100,000 to continue her work just outside New Orleans, was selected from among the top 10 CNN Heroes after six weeks of online voting at CNN.com. More than 1 million votes were cast.

Here is the video of Christina Aguilera singing, courtesy of YouTube.

I regret that I was not able to take part in the voting for the heroes of this year. Maybe next time.

Originally posted on November 29, 2008 @ 12:06 am

Grissom Gets A Star!

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William Petersen Honored On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame

CSI fans rejoice! There is no doubt that Gil Grissom is one of the most popular and most loved characters in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Known as William Petersen in real life, he has finally gotten a much coveted star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Press Association published a report earlier this week:

William Petersen said he was “overwhelmed” as he became the latest star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was joined by cast and crew members from the TV show when he was honoured with the 2,379th star on the famous Los Angeles boulevard.

“I’m overwhelmed by this, needless to say. I never expected it, I never thought of this…” he said. “You know I feel privileged and honoured and incredibly humbled. The men and women of the film and television industry are the soul of Los Angeles. I have been so fortunate to work with so many of the artists who have devoted their lives to the entertainment business and I feel truly blessed to be counted among them, to be in their company.”

Grissom’s fans are not the only one who are rejoicing with him, though. As you can see up there, his co-stars were there to provide their support and encouragement. And they were quite vocal about this as well:

His CSI co-star Marg Helgenberger paid an emotional tribute to William at the ceremony. II can’t think of anyone more deserving of this honour, Billy,” she said. “Millions of fans love him for his many memorable roles, yet the sum of all the parts he’s played don’t come close to the complexity, the kindness, the mystery, the loyalty and the generosity that is Billy himself.”

Now I can’t help but wonder who will be the next star to get his star?

Originally posted on February 7, 2009 @ 5:00 am