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Archive for December, 2007

David Letterman Makes Deal to Cross Picket Lines

In Entertainment Business, Hollywood, Politics, Television, celebrity, entertainment on December 30, 2007 at 5:48 pm

David Letterman is one happy guy.

“I am grateful to the WGA for granting us this agreement,” Letterman said in a recent statement to the press.

A few weeks back Letterman’s production company, Worldwide Pants, went public with its plan to seek a separate deal with the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA). The comedian got what he wanted.

As a result, the Letterman show and Craig Ferguson’s “Late Late Show,” also produced by Letterman’s company, get to go back on the air with help from their writers pumping out jokes.

Unlike their competitors who have no similar agreements, which includes Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien, Letterman and Ferguson are now going to be able to get the big-name celebs on their shows.

Two important facts explain Letterman’s huge score.

The first fact has to do with history. Back in 1988 when the writers last struck, the late-night shows affected were the “Tonight” show, then-hosted by Johnny Carson, and “Late Night” hosted by Letterman. Both shows were on NBC at the time.

Carson was able to cut a separate agreement with the Writer’s Guild while Letterman had no agreement and consequently had to host his show for weeks minus the writers. That kind of experience can leave an indelible mark in a late-night comic’s memory bank.

The second fact has to do with business. Sometimes it really does matter who owns the show.

Unlike his competitors, Letterman was able to negotiate directly with the union because his company owns his program as well as Ferguson’s.

With shows like NBC’s Leno and O’Brien, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel and Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert going back on the air without having made deals with the union, writers intend to exert heavy pressure.

In a joint letter to their members, the WGA East and WGA West said, “In the case of late-night shows, our strike pressure will be intense and essential in directing political and SAG-member guests to Letterman and Ferguson rather than to struck talk shows.”

Also included in the letter was the following: “At this time, picket lines at venues such as NBC (both Burbank and Rockefeller Center), The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and the Golden Globes are essential.”

What does it mean?

“Struck talk shows” is a reference to those of Leno, Conan, etc., who will obviously find it a lot more difficult to book guests. In addition, the shows will most likely serve as targets of intensified picket activity.

All of which means the funny business doesn’t seem so funny right now.

‘Charlie Wilson’s War’ Credits Dem with Cold War End

In Culture, Entertainment Business, Hollywood, Movies, Politics, entertainment on December 16, 2007 at 8:22 pm

History indicates that a prominent conservative’s steadfast actions are what led to the Cold War end.

It was the late great Ronald Reagan who was the key player in the engineering of U.S. victory following the prolonged tension-ridden period during which we were at odds with the then-Soviet Union.

A current film once again illustrates that acknowledging Reagan’s triumphs doesn’t sit all that well with liberal Hollywood.

Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin of “West Wing” fame (who, incidentally, is up for a Golden Globe but is refusing to cross the writers’ strike picket line) and director Mike Nichols, who’s best known for “The Graduate,” found a book to adapt to the big-screen that credits a Dem with the Cold War win.

“Charlie Wilson’s War” is based on a non-fiction book by George Crile, which profiles a 1980s congressman named Charles Wilson, a.k.a. “the liberal from Lufkin.” Representative Wilson was a pro-abortion, Equal Rights Amendment-supporting Democrat.

Tom Hanks plays the Texas rep who was involved with covertly funding Afghanistan’s Mujahideen rebels in opposition to the Soviet Union. He was urged on by born-again socialite and mistress Joanne Herring, who is played by Julia Roberts.

Entertainment Weekly gave the quintessential Tinseltown take on the flick, praising it as “a journalistic satire of realpolitik in which our jerry-rigged alliances, which looked strategic at the time, end up biting the U.S. in unforeseen ways.”

But the publication did take a small swipe at the movie in the following way: “Charlie was right to fight his war…All of which sounds a little too close to recently made rationalizations for a certain other war.”

Not surprisingly, the critics are heaping praise on the film. It has been nominated for 5 Golden Globes and is also on most of the Academy prognosticators’ Oscar lists.

The Golden Globes may be a predictor of what happens at the Oscars in more ways than one.

Globe nominations were recently announced, but the six-week old writers’ strike may all but eliminate any reason for the public to watch the telecast.

Writers, presenters, nominees and, of course, red carpet walkers could be agonizingly absent.

Globe producers are trying to get a waiver from the Writers Guild of America to exempt the January 13 ceremony at the Beverly Hilton, promising to use the event to express solidarity with the picketers.

If the requested waiver is denied, many of the nominees who don’t want to be labeled Ellen DeGeneres-like strikebreakers have already declared that they won’t cross the picket line and will therefore boycott the Globes ceremony.

David Duchovny, of “X-files” fame who’s nominated for “Californication” told the Hollywood Reporter, “I would never cross picket lines. I would probably send a stunt double in.”

“Grey’s Anatomy” producer Shonda Rhimes, “Eastern Promises” director David Cronenberg and “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” writer Ronald Harwood have also said they will boycott the Globes if there is no waiver.

“Samantha Who?”’s Christina Applegate who’s nominated for the new comedy has decided to attend despite the picket lines. Applegate summed up her feelings about being nominated for a Globe while the writers are on strike.

The actress said, “It stinks.”

Will Smith: ‘Barack Obama Stole My Idea’

In Celebrities, Celebrity News, Culture, Hollywood, Media, Politics, celebrity, entertainment, film on December 9, 2007 at 8:44 pm

As I reported a while back in a previous column, Will Smith revealed a secret ambition to someday become President of the United States.

While out promoting his upcoming film “I Am Legend,” Smith said in an interview with the U.K.’s Daily Mail, “I always wanted to be the first black president but Barack Obama stole my idea.”

The actor even expressed some policy ideas for his campaign. He said he would start with universal healthcare and shelter, indicating that he could not “see that happening under Bush. Too many bad things have happened under his presidency.”

Still, Smith distinguished himself from the Bush-hating fringe, saying, “I don’t believe he is an evil man, I just think he has an unevolved perspective. It’s a good thing he’s served his time. Now it’s time for Barack Obama.”

Smith has contributed some campaign cash and appeared in a video extolling the qualities of the Illinois senator and presidential candidate, but his support of the Obama campaign has been overshadowed by daytime TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

Evidently, Smith has no animus for Obama for attempting to take the same job that he himself had aspired to.

“That’s OK with me,” Smith explained. “Barack can go first and then I’ll take my turn.”

Barack Obama’s Oprah Card

In Culture, Hollywood, Obama, Oprah, Politics, celebrity, entertainment on December 2, 2007 at 8:38 pm

Just as the polls show that the race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is getting tighter, over the primary hill comes a player in the Obama campaign who just may deliver the Dem nomination to the Illinois senator.

For the first time in her career, daytime TV icon Oprah Winfrey is endorsing a candidate for the White House.

What’s even more astounding is that Winfrey is touring Iowa with Obama, and she’s luring even bigger crowds than the charismatic candidate and his wife have been drawing.

Hillary is fighting back with an in-house celebrity of her own, former president and First Gent wannabe Bill Clinton.

In the Oprah vs. Bill battle, there’s really no contest.

Bill prevaricated in a recent comment about his supposed opposition to the Iraq war, a clear negative for his wife.

Meanwhile Oprah has a huge influence track record with her vast audience of 8.6 million fans.

Her message about Obama is simple and clear: “I know him well enough to believe in his moral authority,” Winfrey told the Hollywood Reporter.

Lady O’s endorsement certainly has the potential to work big-time for Obama.

Obscure books turn into massive bestsellers with a mere Oprah mention.

And when it comes to endorsements of individuals, let’s just say Oprah was able to take an unknown jury consultant from Texas, transport him to Beverly Hills and make a mega-TV star out of him.

She did just that with a guy named—Dr. Phil.

In more presidential primary news, as the Writers Guild of America strike drones on, late-night talk shows are featuring monologues with rerun jokes on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s run for California governor, Scooter Libby’s pardon and President Bush’s pretzel mishap.

As a result, the current presidential primary candidates have been spared being the target of late-night wisecracks.

One candidate in particular is benefiting from the humor vacuum: Dem frontrunner Hillary Clinton.

The Center for Media and Public Affairs keeps tabs on Jay Leno, David Letterman and fellow jesters via a joke-tracking database called “Punchlines.”

From Jan. 1, 2007 to Oct. 10, 2007, the former First Lady was the subject of 186 late-night jokes as reported by the Los Angeles Times. All of the other Dem candidates combined chalked up a mere 197 quips.

Three non-candidates did better than Hillary with their joke counts: Vice President Dick Cheney (197), Paris Hilton (258) and late-night perennial punching bag George W. Bush (826).

Here’s a sampling of some late-night Hillary horseplay:

Jay Leno’s comment on the Clinton marriage: “Sen. Clinton said that as president she would bring the troops home. The troops? She can’t even get Bill to come home.”

David Letterman’s fashion quip: “Hillary is dressing sexier and sexier. Yesterday she was seen shopping at Victoria’s Pantsuit.”