In case anyone was wondering whether the writers’ strike could really shut down an event as big as the Academy Awards, several major Hollywood stars and Oscar nominees confirmed yesterday that they will not cross writers’ picket lines to attend the ceremony.
Tag: 01.23.08
CBC Selloff Outrages Canadians
Anger is growing over the CBC’s decision to sell off the international rights to many of its Canadian-produced (and publicly funded) shows without giving Canadian companies an opportunity to bid. “What’s missing is the uproar this charade should have provoked in Ottawa. “
Grammys Won’t Face Writers’ Picket After All
“Striking Hollywood writers snatched victory from the jaws of defeat yesterday when they revealed they had decided not to picket the upcoming Grammy Awards, which means it will be a celebrity-swarm zone. But the Writers Guild of America’s board of directors has not yet decided whether to grant the Recording Academy’s trophy show on Feb. 10 an interim agreement, so that two WGA writers can work on the show itself.”
Smithsonian Museum Director Leaving
“Nine months after taking over as acting director at the National Museum of Natural History, biologist Paul G. Risser has announced he is returning to an academic post in Oklahoma… Risser said he had planned to spend only six months in the job.”
Oscars Could Be A Real Race This Year
“It would be a pity if the Academy Awards show were spiked because of the writers’ strike, because this might be the most wide-open contest in years… With no big Hollywood blockbuster to squash the competition, the Oscar nominations went Tuesday to dark, unsentimental and often violent films and performances.”
Brooks Lashes Out At NY Critics
Mel Brooks says that the critical slams that greeted his latest Broadway spectacular, Young Frankenstein, were due in part to producers’ decisions to price the top ticket for the show at a whopping $450. Michael Riedel says that’s nonsense. “He should listen to his own cast recording, just out from Decca, where he’ll find 19 far better reasons, starting with ‘The Transylvania Mania’.”
Money Starts Moving At Sundance
“After a weekend marked by too many downbeat dramas and comedies in name only, the Sundance Film Festival’s flock of film buyers finally began taking in movies they could send to the multiplexes.” Almost immediately, the first big deals of this year’s fest started to be announced.
Heath Ledger, 28
Actor Heath Ledger, whose career took a major leap when he starred in Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain, has been found dead in a New York hotel room. Foul play is not suspected, and there was no obvious indication of suicide. An autopsy will be conducted later in the week.
NC Symphony Gets A Record Deal
At a time when many orchestras have given up on making studio recordings because of the high cost of paying musicians, the Raleigh-based North Carolina Symphony has signed a two-disc deal with the well-regarded BIS label, and lined up designated contributions to pay for it.