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More than 2,300 members of the Writers Guild of America West and East, including no shortage of heavy hitters, have signed the union’s open letter decrying the Trump administration’s “recent threats to the free press.”

“We are members of the Writers Guild of America who speak with one voice to decry the dangerous and escalating attacks on the First Amendment, independent media, and the free press,” the letter reads in part. “[Trump] regularly calls for the cancellation of news and entertainment television shows that criticize him in late-night and, most recently, The View.”

It ends with the ominous line, “This period in American life will not last forever, and when it’s over the world will remember who had the courage to speak out.” Read the letter and list of signatories in full below.

Related: How Public Media Lost The Federal Funding Battle, And What Happens Next To Stations, NPR...

In 2010's "True Grit" — one of the best Westerns of recent years — Matt Damon plays Texas Ranger Laboeuf, whose pursuit of murderer Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) leads him to join forces with U.S. marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges). Laboeuf is a by-the-book lawman who also happens to be a bit of a windbag who likes the sound of his own voice. As such, I'm not sure Tommy Lee Jones would be all that flattered to learn he was a big part of the inspiration behind Damon's performance.

Back in 1995, Damon appeared alongside Jones in "The Good Old Boys," a TV movie that also marked Jones' directorial debut and which he co-wrote with J.T. Allen. The film was based on Elmer Kelton's 1978 novel of the same name, in which a West Texas man named Hewey Calloway witnesses his town developing rapidly, much to his distaste. He dreams of a...

Matt Damon's diverse career includes impressive Western movie performances showcasing his range and talent. Damon's lesser-known roles in TV and film paved the way for his success, such as The Good Old Boys. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron highlighted Damon's voice acting skills in this animated Western classic.

The career of Matt Damon has been categorized by acclaimed roles across a variety of genres and has included some fantastic performances in Western movies. While Damon first became known for his breakout success as the co-writer and star of Good Will Hunting, hes also portrayed cowboys and Western lawmen on more than one occasion. These enjoyable performances showcased how well Damon was suited to genre movies as he fully embodied the free-roaming ideals and individualist nature of the Wild West.

With many incredible performances under his belt, Damon has made a name for himself through his long-running and Academy Award-winning collaboration with Ben Affleck.

Leaders of the Writers Guild of America expressed cautious optimism on Wednesday about a move to resume bargaining, but said they are still ready to stay on strike over the long haul.

The head of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers called the WGA’s chief negotiator on Tuesday to set up a Friday meeting to discuss how to proceed.

“It’s a meeting to discuss meeting,” said John Rogers, a member of the WGA negotiating committee, who was picketing outside Warner Bros. on Wednesday morning. “We’re trying to urge members to remember that this is a great first step, but not to get your hopes up too much.”

Though there have been some backchannel talks over the last week or so, the phone call was the first formal communication between the AMPTP and the WGA since negotiations broke down on May 1. Carol Lombardini, the CEO of the AMPTP,...

Peter Meyer a prominent talent agent who prior to launching his company was a William Morris agent for over a decade, died Monday following a years-long battle with sarcoma. He was 68.

“After a heroic five-year battle against sarcoma, Meyer found peace surrounded by his family. He will be deeply missed by his wife, Anna Maria, and his three children, Christopher, Sasha, and Chase, as well as by his brothers John & Michael, sister Patty, nephews Zachary, Nathan, and Matthew and the rest of the Meyer and Sistare families. He also will be mourned by his beloved friends and incredibly talented clients with whom he grew very close over the decades,” the family said in a statement, provided to TheWrap by Meyer’s sister, producer Patricia K Meyer.

Born May 11, 1955 in Los Angeles, Meyer came from a family with deep ties to Hollywood and to the city. His father was Stanley Meyer,...

Peter Meyer, who represented the likes of Tom Hanks, James Caan and William Shatner as a talent agent at William Morris before spending the past three decades leading his own management firm, has died. He was 68.

Meyer died May 14 in his Los Angeles home after a five-year battle with sarcoma, his sister, writer-producer Patricia K. Meyer (The Women of Brewster Place), announced. Survivors also include his son Chris Meyer, a talent agent at CAA.

After training under legendary Wma agent Stan Kamen, Meyer was hired as a talent agent in June 1978. His clients would include actors Sterling Hayden, Kevin Costner, Kathleen Turner, Christopher Walken, Steve Guttenberg and David Hasselhoff.

After 11 years at Wma, he launched Meyer Management in 1990 to represent directors, writers, producers and authors, selling their work and facilitating their employment across all entertainment platforms.

He repped Jeffrey Reiner (Friday Night Lights), Michael Sloan and Tony Eldridge (The Equalizer...

In a massive show of solidarity on day 2 of the ongoing Writers’ strike, Writers’ Guild of America members were joined by representatives of other Hollywood unions at a rally held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Participants at the event included members of the Directors’ Guild of America (DGA), the Screen Actors’ Guild (SAG-AFTRA) the stagehands’ union (IATSE), the Teamsters, and more. In all, 6 other unions sent representatives to the event.

Images from the rally were shared by attendees, one of whom described the strike as “a war for labor itself.”

Every union is at the #WGA town hall tonight. This is a war for Labor itself. pic.twitter.com/sVMSoCoHvd

— Diya Mishra (@thedimishra) May 4, 2023

The strike began when the previous contract between WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) ended on May 1, and the two sides were unable to agree on a new deal.

Nobody was particularly happy that Joan Crawford’s final big-screen performance was in 1970’s “Trog,” probably least of all the actress herself. But that very silly movie about a troglodyte found living in the modern age is at least more fun than “William,” in which a Neanderthal is cloned from an ancient caveman’s DNA. Instead of cheesy sci-fi horror, this is an earnest teen drama of a “Mom and Dad, why am I different from the others?” variety, one that ekes amazingly little excitement from its protagonist’s status as an evolutionary anomaly.

Tim Disney’s film strikes a bland compromise between science-fantasy, suspense-melodrama and family entertainment, developing no element to a level that generates more than mild interest. It’s a polished but dull enterprise that leaves one wondering just what the filmmakers had in mind. “William” opens on one screen each in Los Angeles and New York...

The new musical by Marshall Pailet Claudio Quest, Triassic Parq and A.D. Penedo The Three Times She Knocked, Who's Your Baghdaddy Or How I Started The Iraq War, opened on October 4. Directed by Marshall Pailet with musical direction by Rona Siddiqui and choreography by Misha Shields,Who's Your Baghdaddy Or How I Started The Iraq War is based on a screenplay by J.T. Allen and runs throughNovember 22, 2015 at the Actors Temple Theater 339 W 47th St.. Broadway's Waitress songwriter Sara Bareilles stopped by to see the show, and you can check out a photo of her with the cast below...

NEW YORK -- The Discovery Channel is getting into the movie business. For the first time in its 18-year history, the cable network will air an original film. Scheduled for early 2004, 12 Days of Terror chronicles the series of real-life shark attacks in 1916 that later inspired the Peter Benchley novel Jaws. "With so much viewer fragmentation out there, it is incumbent upon us to look at new opportunities to tell amazing stories," Discovery executive vp and general manager Clark Bunting said. "This is a logical extension to opening up the entertainment side to what we do." Shot in Cape Town, South Africa, Terror completed its 25-day production this month. With a cast including John Ryhs-Davies (the Lord of the Rings trilogy) and newcomers Colin Egglesfield and Jenna Harrison, the two-hour thriller was directed by Jack Sholder (The Hidden) and written by Jeffrey Reiner, J.T. Allen and Tommy Lee Wallace.