Writers, studios to resume talks (LA Times)
Hollywood's film and TV writers and its major studios have agreed to return to the bargaining table, offering the first glimmer of hope that a deal to end a costly two-week strike could be within reach.Hollywood writers strike claims first casualty (Reuters)
The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said late Friday that they would resume talks Nov. 26 on a new contract for 10,500 writers to replace the one that expired Oct. 31. The two sides announced the plan in identical statements, a rare show of unity.
Although it was unclear which side took the initiative to revive the talks, the decision was mutual, according to people close to the matter...
Clearing the way for talks to restart was a decision this week by Nick Counter, the studios' chief negotiator, to drop his demand that talks not occur as long as writers were on strike.
In the first big-screen casualty of the Hollywood writers strike, Columbia Pictures said on Friday it had postponed production on "Angels & Demons," a prequel to its box-office hit "The Da Vinci Code" starring Tom Hanks.What The Writers' Strike Won't Change (Forbes)
The Sony Corp.-owned film distributor also said the planned release date for the Ron Howard-directed religious thriller, originally set to open during the 2008 holiday season, has been pushed back to 2009.
"With the strike nearing its third week, Columbia Pictures has postponed production of 'Angels & Demons'," the studio said in a statement, adding that the script by Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldman needed further work.
A week before the Hollywood writers' strike began, NBC Universal Chief Executive Jeff Zucker warned of "a real watershed" and "an inflection point" for the entertainment industry.
There's certainly a lot at stake, including the long-term health of the Writers Guild itself (see: "Why The Writers Must Win").
And while Americans continue to watch a record amount of television, the broadcast TV networks' share of that audience continues to slide, so giving viewers another reason to change the channel is the last thing they want to do.
But here are three much-discussed things the writers' strike will not change...
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