Hollywood

Writers Guild of America West President David Goodman speaks in Los Angeles at the 2019 union award ceremony. The WGA instructed is writers to fire their agents on Friday.

National

'Uncharted Waters': Union Tells Hollywood Writers To Fire Their Agents

8:33pm April 13, 2019

by Sasha Ingber

The abrupt directive on Friday followed a breakdown in talks over proposed changes to the agreement that has guided the basic business relationship between writers and agents for the past 43 years.

Emma Thompson, shown here at a film premiere last year, has pulled out of the animated film Luck.

National

Emma Thompson Quits Film After Studio Hires Executive Accused Of Harassment

5:26pm February 26, 2019

by Merrit Kennedy

"If people who have spoken out — like me — do not take this sort of a stand ... things are very unlikely to change at anything like the pace required to protect my daughter's generation," she wrote.

Books
Arts

'Hollywood's Eve' Feeds Renewed Interest In L.A. 'It' Girl Turned Writer

11:59am January 10, 2019

by Bradley Babendir

Eve Babitz had long been forgotten, when a profile by Lili Anolik triggered a reissuing of the former Hollywood glamour girl's literary works. In a new book, Anolik fills some, but not all, the gaps.

Director Ryan Coogler attends a London screening of his film Black Panther, the highest-grossing movie of 2018.

Arts

Black Directors Had A Big Year In 2018 — But Other Inclusion Numbers Stagnated

5:15pm January 04, 2019

by Colin Dwyer

A new study by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found a huge leap in the number of black directors behind the year's biggest films. But its findings elsewhere in Hollywood weren't so rosy.

Roma, written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, is being shown in cinemas across the U.S. — but for just a few weeks — before heading for Netflix streaming.

Arts

With An Eye On Oscars, Netflix Sent 'Roma' To Theaters First

1:28pm December 07, 2018

by Jasmine Garsd

Alfonso Cuarón's acclaimed movie has been part of an ongoing battle over who gets to premiere movies: streaming services like Netflix, or theaters?

Books
Arts

William Goldman, Writer Behind 'Butch Cassidy,' 'Princess Bride,' Dies At 87

1:25pm November 16, 2018

by Camila Domonoske

Goldman had a successful literary career before he turned to Hollywood, where he made an indelible mark — as the writer of beloved movies as well as a bestselling guide to screenwriting.

Jill Messick, at the premiere of Hot Rod in Los Angeles in 2007, "was victimized by our new culture of unlimited information sharing and a willingness to accept statement as fact," her family said.

Jill Messick, Hollywood Producer Embroiled In Weinstein Scandal, Dies By Suicide

11:45am February 09, 2018

by Scott Neuman

Messick had been a manager for actress Rose McGowan in 1997, when McGowan says Weinstein raped her. "She became collateral damage in an already horrific story," the family says.

National

Hollywood Women Launch Initiative To Stop Sexual Harassment

6:22am January 02, 2018

by Scott Neuman

Some 300 actresses, writers, producers and talent agents took out a full-page ad in The New York Times to announce the campaign, which includes a $13 million legal defense fund.

Arts
Books

'The School Of Doing' Pays Tribute To Theater Master, UNCSA Dean Emeritus Gerald Freedman

5:49am December 18, 2017

by David Ford

In the history of modern theatre and film, few have had more impact than Gerald Freedman.

Queue Listen Now

Tom Hanks, in conversation with NPR's David Greene in Los Angeles on Monday night.

Arts

LISTEN: Tom Hanks On Weinstein Allegations: Some 'Think ... This Is How It Works'

2:27pm October 24, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

Asked about the sexual harassment allegations roiling Hollywood, the actor offered a blunt assessment: There are some in power who "think it's OK to manipulate those under them in a sexual manner."