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Longtime showrunner Tim Doyle, whose credits include Rules of Engagement, Last Man Standing and Better Off Ted, has been censured by the Writers Guild of America West for posting a “racist and offensive depiction of a lynching” on Facebook last year.

In a letter to members today (read it below), the union’s board of directors said that charges were initiated against Doyle after the August 9 post. “Mr. Doyle was charged with engaging in conduct prejudicial to the welfare of the Guild and unfair dealing with other members in violation of Article X.A., Section 1 of the Constitution,” the letter states.

Doyle has insisted that the drawing, posted during the TV and film writers strike, was intended as a joke. The drawing depicted a man hanging upside down from a tree.

Following a hearing in which evidence was presented and Doyle’s testimony taken, a union trial committee determined Doyle “guilty as charged.

Exclusive: Tony winner Adrienne Warren is set to star in and executive produce Dreamland, a period drama series in development at Peacock from Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.

Written and executive produced by Eric Haywood (Law & Order: Organized Crime), Dreamland explores the world of Black Wall Street, the legendary African-American business district in Tulsa, Oklahoma’s segregated Greenwood community. Set in 1915, the series avoids depicting the well-known deadly massacre that took place several years later. Instead, it explores the daily lives, interpersonal relationships, and class struggles of Greenwood’s residents — all taking place in the shadow of an oil boom that ignited long-standing tensions between the city’s white, African-American, and displaced Native American populations.

Warren and Haywood executive produce with Kapital’s Aaron Kaplan and Brian Morewitz. Hannibal Johnson, a member of the Tulsa Community Foundation and author of the...

The Writers Guild of America’s announcement that it has reached a potentially strike-ending deal with Hollywood studios was met with cheers by entertainment union members, including the union that it shared picket lines with for months, SAG-AFTRA.

“SAG-AFTRA congratulates the WGA on reaching a tentative agreement with the AMPTP after 146 days of incredible strength, resiliency and solidarity on the picket lines,” the actors’ guild said in a statement.

A more barbed statement came from Lindsay Dougherty, Principal Officer of Teamsters Local 399, who praised the WGA for their resilience while swiping at the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios in labor talks.

“The militancy of the writers holding the line and hitting the pavement exemplified their unwavering commitment to their core issues,” Dougherty wrote “Their fight has also inspired a renewed solidarity among Hollywood workers that will live long past this bargaining cycle.”

“Solidarity,...

Larry Wilmore says “finally.” Greg Grunberg says “Mazel tov! Writers Strike Deal!!!”

Bill Wolkoff promises not to picket Dancing with the Stars.

The Writers Guild has reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to end its strike after nearly five months, and needless to say — the members have thoughts, lots of happy thoughts. And it’s all spilling out on social media.

Here’s a roundup of their reactions so far:

Billy Ray: “To all my fellow writers— You earned this. You saved our profession. Now let’s continue to stand w the actors. And IATSE. And the Teamsters. And labor everywhere. That’s how we’ll save America.”

Wolkoff: “Day 146. It gives me great pleasure to say we will Not be picketing Dancing With The Stars tomorrow! I really can’t wait to watch the premiere on Tuesday, because we did it!

Striking writers and other members of Hollywood are calling the tentative deal reached by the Writers Guild and the AMPTP on Sunday a “victory.”

The deal was announced Sunday, which was 146 days after the writers strike began on May 2 and following five back-to-back days of negotiations that ran through the weekend.

In its message to members, the union’s negotiating committee asked for patience on details of the pact: “What remains now is for our staff to make sure everything we have agreed to is codified in final contract language. And though we are eager to share the details of what has been achieved with you, we cannot do that until the last ‘i’ is dotted.”

“SAG-AFTRA congratulates the WGA on reaching a tentative agreement with the AMPTP after 146 days of incredible strength, resiliency and solidarity on the picket lines. While we look forward to reviewing the WGA and AMPTP’s tentative agreement,...

Hollywood heaves a sigh of relief. The WGA and major studios and streamers have reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract that promises to end the 146-day strike that has taken a heavy toll across the content industry.

Negotiators for the Writers Guild of America and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers reached the finish line Sunday after five consecutive days of negotiations. Day 4 on Saturday mostly involved lawyers for the guild and AMPTP hashing out the fine print of language around complicated and groundbreaking additions to the WGA’s Minimum Basic Agreement. The nitty-gritty details of language around the use of generative AI in content production was one of the last items that the sides worked on before closing the pact.

“We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional – with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership,” the...

Members of the striking Writers Guild of America voiced their frustrations about the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ latest attempts to resume negotiations following a meeting Friday that was designed to determine if there was a path forward. The guild informed members Friday — day 95 of the strike — that the talks with the group that represents the studios and streamers produced no agreement.

Included in the update to WGA members was the union’s summary of the issues both sides planned to bring back to the table when negotiations formally resume.

According to the Writers Guild memo, the AMPTP is seeking to use the deal that the Directors Guild of America agreed to earlier this summer as a template for shared issues like pay increases and expressed a willingness to increase their offer on a few writer-specific TV minimums — but not such core writer issues as the minimum size...

As the Writers Guild of America’s negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers is about to enter the final week before their contract expires, both sides are hopeful it won’t take a strike to get a deal done. But the WGA’s long battle with the talent agencies showed it can reach agreements with even the most intractable of mega-companies.

Four years ago today, on April 22, 2019, more than 7,000 WGA members fired their agents en masse – a show of solidarity at the start of the guild’s historic two-year campaign to reshape the talent agency business that still is playing out today, emboldening the guild in its ongoing negotiations with the studios for a new film and TV contract.

Five days before the mass firings, the WGA filed a lawsuit against the Big Three agencies that sought to establish that packaging – in which the major talent...

The death watch is on for Twitter.

On Friday, BBC News reported that a message went out to all staff at the social media platform to announce that employees were being locked out of all the company’s office buildings until Monday, Nov. 21.

Reports have also been circulating of mass resignations brought about by new terms of employment brought in by Elon Musk following his 44-billion takeover of the company,

Read More: Elon Musk Shuts Down Twitter Offices As Employees Brace For Layoffs

“I think when the dust clears today, there’s probably going to be less than 2,000 people left,” a former Twitter employee told BBC News, who claimed that so many people on his team had been fired that where was “nobody left in that chain of command.

Meanwhile, another staffer said they’d quit after Musk issued a message declaring that only those who were “extremely hardcore” would be keeping their jobs.

Click here to read the full article.

The Writers Guild of America has named its negotiating committee for the pivotal 2023 round of contract talks covering film and television projects, the first to occur since Covid-19 disrupted the last round of talks two years ago.

With WGA West executive director David Young serving as chief negotiator, the 2023 negotiating committee overseeing the WGA’s Basic Agreement will be co-chaired by former WGA West presidents David Goodman and Chris Keyser. Prominent Guild members including John August, Kay Cannon, Mike Schur, David Shore and Davis Simon will serve on the negotiating committee, as well as WGA West leaders Meredith Stiehm, Michele Mulroney and Betsy Thomas and WGA East leaders Michael Winship, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen and Christopher Kyle.

Other members of the committee include WGA West board members Adam Conover, Angelina Burnett, Robb Chavis, Travis Donnelly, Ashley Gable, Eric Haywood and Nicole Yorkin and WGA...

The WGA East and WGA West have appointed the members of their negotiating committee for upcoming contract talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers – a showdown that could trigger the first writers strike since 2008. The guilds’ current contract expires May 1, 2023.

WGA West Executive Director David Young will serve as chief negotiator, with former WGA West presidents David A. Goodman and Chris Keyser serving as co-chairs. Patric M. Verrone, who was president of the WGA West during the 100-day writers’ strike of 2007-08, will be one of the 24 members of the negotiating committee.

In August, during the run-up to the WGA West’s board elections, several of the candidates who are now serving on the negotiating committee addressed a wide range of issues that could trigger a strike.

Angelina Burnett, who won a seat on the board and now serves on the negotiating committee, wrote in her campaign statement...

The Writers Guild of America has tapped former presidents David Goodman and Chris Keyser to co-chair the guild’s negotiating committee, leading the fight on what are sure to be difficult bargaining with Hollywood’s major players in the first half of next year.

The WGA’s master contract covering most film and TV production is set to expire on May 1. With numerous economic issues and concerns about working conditions for middle-class writers, the negotiations are expected to be intense at a time when the TV and film sectors are in the throes of a messy transition to internet-delivered content on an increasingly on-demand basis.

Goodman, a showrunner known for his work with Seth MacFarlane on “Family Guy” and “The Orville,” is revered among WGA membership for successfully waging a three-year campaign against the top talent agencies that allowed the guild to ban the practice of agencies receiving packaging fees...

Click here to read the full article.

BoJack Horseman creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Abbott Elementary executive producer Justin Halpern are among the eight Writers Guild of America West members just elected to its board of directors.

Incumbents Travis Donnelly, Ashley Gable, Eric Haywood and Deric A. Hughes won re-election to the board in the 2022 board election, while Bob-Waksberg, Halpern, Angelina Burnett and John Rogers were elected as additional members, the union announced on Tuesday. Seventeen WGA members were originally nominated to run in the election, for which voting took place between August 31 and Sept. 20.

In their candidacy platforms, most of the writers that won seats in Tuesday’s election said that, if elected, they would prioritize gaining more compensation — and especially more fulsome streaming residuals — from streaming platforms. Another popular theme of their platforms was ending so-called “mini-rooms,” or small writers’ rooms convened during the development process for a TV series.

Eight WGA West members have been elected to the guild’s board of directors in a race that foreshadowed a possible writers strike next year.

Former board member Angelina Burnett was the top vote-getter, with 1,696 votes, followed by incumbents Ashley Gable, Deric A. Hughes, Eric Haywood and Travis Donnelly. Also elected were Raphael Bob-Waksberg, John Rogers and Justin Halpern.

A total of 2,527 valid ballots were cast.

The WGA’s current contract doesn’t expire until May 1, but many of the 17 candidates made it clear that they’re prepared to strike if the guild can’t get a fair deal at the bargaining table. In their campaign statements, they outlined a wide range of issues that need to be addressed in the next contract, including higher minimum pay rates, bigger streaming residuals, more secure pension and health benefits, greater equity and inclusion, the elimination of free work, and the curbing of mini-rooms,...

Next year’s contract talks and a possible writers strike are looming large over the WGA West’s ongoing board election, in which 17 candidates are vying for eight open seats. The WGA’s current contract doesn’t expire until May 1, but in their campaign statements, many of the candidates are making it clear that they’re prepared to strike if the guild can’t get a fair deal at the bargaining table.

And there’s considerable pent-up demand for major gains, in no small part because in 2020, when the WGA’s previous contract was set to expire, contractual advances the guild had hoped to make became all but impossible to achieve because the threat of a strike was all but off the table as the industry was already shut down by the first wave of the Covid pandemic.

Several candidates observed that the guild’s historic victory last year in...

Seventeen candidates are vying for eight open seats on the WGA West’s board of directors, including five incumbents. Voting begins August 21 and ends September 20.

The candidates are Angelina Burnett, Robert H. Wolfe, Rich Talarico, Justin Halpern, Timothy Dowling, Ryan Walls, Van Robichaux, David Schulner, Danny Tolli, John Rogers, Leah Folta, Raphael Bob-Waksberg and incumbents Eric Haywood, Ashley Gable, Deric A. Hughes, Travis Donnelly and E. Nicholas Mariani.

The guild will host a virtual Candidates Night forum on August 31, where members can pose questions to the candidates. Guild members will receive voting materials, including links to candidate, non-candidate, and rebuttal statements on that same date.

The voting period concludes at noon on September 20. Members can vote online or request a paper ballot to vote by mail. Proxy voting is not permitted, the guild said.

Fox’s coverage of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game knocked it out of the park Tuesday night, scoring a 1.5 rating in the key 18-49 demographic — the highest across all of primetime. The mid-season game was also the most-watched offering across broadcast during primetime last night with 7.5 million total viewers. Still, NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” was a close second with 6.1 million total viewers as the reality competition series continues to be one of broadcast’s most-reliable attention grabbers. Never underestimate Simon Cowell. Despite the stiff competition, Fox still secured the most total average viewers with 7.5 million overall. Not too shabby. Also Read: ‘Empire’ Producers Eric Haywood and Malcolm Spellman Reteam for ‘Billionaire Class’ at Fox Here’s how primetime shook out among the major networks on Tuesday: Fox wasn’t only the most-watched overall network, it also notched the highest average rating with a 1.5 in the key demo from 8 p.

“Billionaire Class,” a new one-hour drama hailing from Malcolm Spellman and Eric Haywood is in development at Fox, TheWrap has confirmed.

The logline is as follows: “A brilliant but disillusioned billionaire’s executive assistant (Jo) teaches a charismatic, fast-talking street hustler (Miles) how to walk, talk and act like a billionaire in order to con her employer’s super-wealthy friends into using their money to help the less fortunate.” The series is billed as a “high-stakes wish-fulfillment drama, offering a complex vision of wealth, race and equity in America.”

Haywood and Spellman will serve as executive producers, reuniting since their time together on the same network as producers on “Empire,” starring Taraji P. Henson. The former will also write, while Ray Smith will co-produce. Executive producers are Nichelle Tramble Spellman and Eli Dansky under The 51 banner, Five All In The Fifth’s Douglas Banker, Trevor Engelson of Underground and Maurice “Mo” Marable.

Exclusive: Fox is developing Billionaire Class, a one-hour drama from writer Eric Haywood, Malcolm Spellman and Nichelle Tramble Spellman’s The 51 and Fox Entertainment.

Written by Haywood, Billionaire Class is described as a high-stakes wish-fulfillment drama, offering a complex vision of wealth, race, and equity in America. It focuses on a brilliant but disillusioned billionaire’s executive assistant (Jo), who teaches a charismatic, fast-talking street hustler (Miles) how to walk, talk, and act like a billionaire in order to con her employer’s super-wealthy friends into using their money to help the less fortunate.

Haywood executive produces with Malcolm Spellman, Nichelle Tramble Spellman and Eli Dansky for The 51, Trevor Engelson via Underground, his frequent collaborator Douglas Banker for Five All In The Fifth as well as director Maurice “Mo” Marable (Woke). Ray Smith co-produces. Fox Entertainment is the studio.

The project reunites Haywood and Malcolm...

The Writers Guild of America West’s Nominating Committee today revealed the 18 candidates who are running in its board of directors election this year.

Those vying for the eight opens seats are Angelina Burnett, Timothy Dowling, Leah Folta, Justin Halpern, Tom O’Connor, Van Robichaux, John Rogers, David Schulner, Rich Talarico, Danny Tolli, Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Ryan Walls and Robert H. Wolfe, along with incumbents Travis Donnelly Ashley Gable, Eric Haywood, Deric A. Hughes and E. Nicholas Mariani.

The WGA West will host a virtual Candidates Night forum, where guild members can pose questions to the candidates, on Wednesday, August 31.

In addition to the candidates selected by the guild’s Nominating Committee, eligible members also can be nominated by petition. Members seeking nomination for the board of directors must obtain 15 member signatures in support of their petitions, per guild rules. The deadline for submitting signed petitions to the WGA West is noon Pt Friday,...

The WGA West is calling on Hollywood to consider not shooting films and TV shows in states that ban abortions. The move comes in the wake of a leaked draft opinion by a 5-4 majority of the Supreme Court that would overturn Roe v. Wade and let states decide whether to ban abortions.

“In light of the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion on abortion rights, we want to reaffirm our Guild’s commitment to fighting on our members’ behalf against inequality and discrimination,” the guild’s board of directors said in a statement. “Women’s rights are human rights, and any laws that ban or limit a woman’s right to choose are dangerous and set a precedent for further erosion of our collective civil rights. We call on our employers to consider the laws of each state when choosing production locations to ensure that our members will never be...

After another politically and socially turbulent year, the Writers Guild of America is ready to celebrate the best that its members have to offer, while reflecting on the ever-changing social and entertainment landscape.

The WGA’s annual awards event, a joint venture between Wgaw and Wgawe, will be held on Sunday, March 20th, and similar to last year, will be handled as a virtual event. With Covid still firmly lingering in the space of the populace, the guild’s priorities have naturally shifted in ways that couldn’t have been anticipated, while still staying true to its collective core values.

This year’s WGA film award nominees represent a roster of high-caliber talent. Nominees in the Original Screenplay category Aaron Sorkin (“Being the Ricardos”), Adam McKay & David Sirota (“Don’t Look Up”), Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola & Hugo Guinness & Jason Schwartzman, Zach Baylin (“King Richard”), and Paul Thomas Anderson (“Licorice Pizza”). Adapted...

Ryan Reynolds has thrown his support behind LeVar Burton’s ongoing campaign to host Jeopardy!, following EP Mike Richards’ exit from the podium.

The actor said as much—albeit in oblique fashion—in a post published to Twitter on Friday. In it, he shared how he relates to Burton’s experience, given the time he himself spent as an underdog, relentlessly pursuing his dream project.

“Pretty consistently from 2013 to 2015, Deadpool would explode on Twitter with fans wanting me to play him. It was awkward, because I agreed with them. But the studio didn’t see it,” he wrote. “Ultimately, the fans won, and the rest is glorious history. I’m forever grateful. Hi @levarburton.”

Burton has been vying to host Jeopardy! for years, most recently serving as one of a number of celebrity guest hosts, following the passing of longtime host Alex Trebek.

Richards was also among the guest hosts...

I’ll take snarky comments for $100. That’s the attitude displayed so far by Hollywood reactions to the news that Mike Richards has stepped down as the host of Jeopardy! after one show.

Richards, a controversial choice ever since he was announced as the host that would replace longtime face of the show Alex Trebek, decided today to step down and reopen the search for a new host. That’s after a devastating expose of past sexist and off-color comments made during a podcast some seven years ago left his position untenable. He will stay on as the show’s executive producer.

The online world gave him a hearty and unsentimental send-off today after the news broke, including a dig by former Jeopardy! champion James Holzhauer. But at least one celebrity (a former tryout for the show hosting duties) found a reason to smile.

A few of the comments:

Happy Friday,...

After a short tenure as Alex Trebek’s replacement on “Jeopardy,” Mike Richards made the bombshell announcement to step down following a period of resurfaced lawsuits alleging sexist behavior in the workplace and sexist and disparaging remarks made on his previous podcasts. Now, people in Hollywood and Twitter users are weighing in on the news that shocked the game show world.

When asked about if he were offered the hosting gig in an interview recorded on Thursday, guest host and NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers told SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio, “Yeah, I definitely would have. If they would have figured out a way to make it work with my schedule yeah, for sure.”

Minutes before the news of Richards’ exit broke, fan-favorite host LeVar Burton tweeted a simple “Happy Friday, y’all,” which many fans read as a coded comment on the shake-up, although Burton is often greeting his...

Updated at 3 p.m.: Amid a social media backlash that had her name and “Claire Huxtable” trending on Twitter, Phylicia Rashad took to the social media site again to clarify her previous tweet in support of former co-star Bill Cosby, whose sexual assault conviction was overturned on Wednesday.

Rashad wrote, “I fully support survivors of sexual assault coming forward. My post was in no way intended to be insensitive to their truth. Personally, I know from friends and family that such abuse has lifelong residual effects. My heartfelt wish is for healing.”

I fully support survivors of sexual assault coming forward. My post was in no way intended to be insensitive to their truth. Personally, I know from friends and family that such abuse has lifelong residual effects. My heartfelt wish is for healing.

— Phylicia Rashad (@PhyliciaRashad) June 30, 2021

Commenters on the post noted that Rashad’s previous tweet in...

Following the surprising news Monday that Arclight Cinemas and its sister chain, Pacific Theatres, will not reopen, L.A. residents and Hollywood creatives alike mourned the movie house chain and its iconic Sunset Blvd location with profanity, shared memories, and calls for someone with money to save it.

“What sad news,” director Jon M Chu wrote. “I loved this theater. And I had my first premiere for my first movie #StepUp2TheStreets there. I snuck out of the movie early so I could cut a piece of the red carpet out and keep it. It sits on my desk. ❤️...

The news that the Arclight Cinemas are closing permanently — part of the larger closure that includes Pacific Theaters in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic — hit the film industry, and the greater Los Angeles community, like a shockwave.

Filmmaker John August was one of the first to tweet about the news: “Oh no. ArcLight Hollywood is my favorite place to see movies.”

Actor Ben Schwartz echoed that feeling. “The Arclight Hollywood was my most favorite theatre in the world to see movies,” he tweeted. “I saw my first movie in LA there when I moved here in 2009 and the last movie before the pandemic there. Truly a bummer.

Writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood tweeted that the Arclight was her “go-to” and praised the theater’s sound, seating, and popcorn.

Writer-producer Liz Hannah called the news “truly devastating” and underlined the emotional connection she shared with so many about the theater: “I know...

The Writers Guild of America West announced on Monday the results of its 2020 Board of Directors Election, with seven of the race’s eight incumbents being re-elected.

The 2020 Board members are Betsy Thomas, Deric A. Hughes, Ashley Gable, Patti Carr, David Slack, Travis Donnelly, Patric M. Verrone, and newcomer Eric Haywood.

A total of 2,204 votes were cast, with Thomas leading the votes with 1,583. The remaining votes were as follows: Deric A. Hughes, Ashley Gable, Patti Carr, David Slack, Eric Haywood, Travis Donnelly, Patric M. Verrone, Katherine Beattie (754), Daniel Kunka (753), Rob Forman (655), Andrew Ti (558), John Lopez (493), Leland Jay Anderson (303).

“A heartfelt ‘thank you’ to all the candidates that ran this year,” said WGA West President David A. Goodman. “The work of the Board continues, and we’re fortunate that we have so many members ready to step forward and give their free time to help protect and advance the interests of all our members.

Former Writers Guild of America West president Patric Verrone and negotiating committee co-chair Betsy Thomas have won re-election to WGA West board seats.

Incumbents Deric A. Hughes, Ashley Gable, Patti Carr, David Slack and Travis Donnelly also won re-election along with “Empire” and “Power” co-executive producer Eric Haywood. Other candidates were Katherine Beattie, Daniel Kunka, Rob Forman, Andrew Ti, John Lopez and Leland Jay Anderson.

A total of 2,204 valid ballots were cast, reflecting the usual turnout of about 25% of eligible members. The ballot count was announced Monday and supervised by Votenet Solutions.

“A heartfelt thank you to all the candidates that ran this year,” said WGA West president David A. Goodman. “The work of the board continues, and we’re fortunate that we have so many members ready to step forward and give their free time to help protect and advance the interests of all our members.”

The seats are for two-year terms.

Writers Guild of America West has announced the results of its 2020 Board of Directors election, with eight members elected for two-year terms.

Of the eight, only one – Eric Haywood – is a non-incumbent.

The elected members include Haywood, Betsy Thomas, Deric A. Hughes, Ashley Gable, Patti Carr, David Slack, Travis Donnelly and Patric M. Verrone.

“A heartfelt ‘thank you’ to all the candidates that ran this year,” said Wgaw President David A. Goodman. “The work of the Board continues, and we’re fortunate that we have so many members ready to step forward and give their free time to help protect and advance the interests of all our members.”

The numerical voting results are: Betsy Thomas, Deric A. Hughes, Ashley Gable, Patti Carr, David Slack, Eric Haywood, Travis Donnelly, Patric M. Verrone, Katherine Beattie (754), Daniel Kunka (753), Rob Forman (655), Andrew Ti (558), John Lopez (493), Leland Jay Anderson (303).

A total of 2,204 valid ballots were cast.

Amid a standoff with two major talent agencies, the Writers Guild of America West unveiled the results of its annual election for its leadership on Monday.

Candidates that have been elected to two-year terms to the guild’s board of directors include Betsy Thomas, Deric A. Hughes, Ashley Gable, Patti Carr, David Slack, Eric Haywood, Travis Donnelly and Patric M. Verrone. The union disclosed that 2,204 ballots were cast.

“A heartfelt ‘thank you’ to all the candidates that ran this year,” stated Wgaw President David A. Goodman. “The work of the Board continues, and we’re fortunate that we ...

Amid a standoff with two major talent agencies, the Writers Guild of America West unveiled the results of its annual election for its leadership on Monday.

Candidates that have been elected to two-year terms to the guild’s board of directors include Betsy Thomas, Deric A. Hughes, Ashley Gable, Patti Carr, David Slack, Eric Haywood, Travis Donnelly and Patric M. Verrone. The union disclosed that 2,204 ballots were cast.

“A heartfelt ‘thank you’ to all the candidates that ran this year,” stated Wgaw President David A. Goodman. “The work of the Board continues, and we’re fortunate that we ...

Grant-Lee Phillips has shared “Mourning Dove,” the latest offering from his upcoming album Lightning, Show Us Your Stuff, out September 4 via Yep Roc Records.

“One day I’m gonna lay my head/In the long cool shadow of the dogwood,” Phillips sings across subtle pedal steel guitar and drums. “Lay back and let the cotton clouds go by.”

“Of the entire album, ‘Mourning Dove’ is among the oldest songs,” Phillips said in a statement. “I lived with it for several years and it went through various stages before its completion.

Sixteen candidates are vying for eight open seats on the WGA West’s board of directors. The seven incumbents seeking reelection are Patti Carr, Ashley Gable, Betsy Thomas, David Slack, Patric M. Verrone, Travis Donnelly and Deric A. Hughes.

The nine other candidates are Adam Starks, John Lopez, Rob Forman, Scott Rosenbaum, Andrew Ti, Katherine Beattie, Daniel Kunka, Leland Jay Anderson and Eric Haywood.

Ballots will go out August 31 and must be returned by September 21. The guild will host a virtual Candidates Night forum, where members can pose questions to the candidates, on September 2.

Former Writers Guild of America West president Patric Verrone and negotiating committee co-chair Betsy Thomas are among the 15 candidates for eight WGA West board seats.

The guild’s nominating committee made the announcement Friday. The election will take place on Sept. 21.

The seats are for two-year terms. The president, vice president, secretary-treasurer, and eight other board seats will be up for election next year.

Verrone, best known for leading the bitter 2007-08 strike while president, is an incumbent on the board. Thomas, who is also an incumbent and has credits on “My Boys” and “Whitney,” was named co-chair of the negotiating committee with Michele Mulroney and Shawn Ryan late last year.

The WGA launched negotiations on May 18 on a successor master contract for film and TV with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The current three-year contract expires on June 30. The WGA has announced that it’s seeking gains in streaming residuals,...

The WGA West’s nominating committee has selected 18 candidates to vie for eight open seats in the guild’s upcoming board of directors election.

Seven of the candidates are incumbents: Patti Carr, Ashley Gable, Betsy Thomas, David Slack, Patric M. Verrone, Travis Donnelly and Deric A. Hughes. The other candidates selected by the nominating committee are Adam Starks, J. David Shanks, John Lopez, Carlos Foglia, Rob Forman, Scott Rosenbaum, Andrew Ti, Katherine Beattie, Daniel Kunka, Leland Jay Anderson and Eric Haywood.

Eligible members also can run for the board by petition by obtaining 15 member signatures in support of their candidacies. The deadline for submitting signed petitions is July 23. Guild members will receive voting materials, including links to candidate, non-candidate and rebuttal statements, on August 31. The voting period concludes on September 21.

Exclusive: The 26th Annual Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference is putting some shine on the often unsung and overlooked heroes of film: the writer. This year, the fest revealed that they will be honoring Oscar-winning screenwriters James Ivory with the “Extraordinary Contribution to Film” Award and Ron Bass with the “Distinguished Screenwriter” Award. The fest, which takes place October 24-31, also unveiled their programming which includes conversations with Lulu Wang, director and writer of the critically acclaimed dramedy The Farewell and Sofia Alvarez, the scribe behind the Netflix hit To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.

Ivory has received multiple Oscar nominations for directing and writing. He won the Oscar for adapting Andre Aciman’s novel Call Me by Your Name which was directed by Luca Guadagnino. He also received the BAFTA and the Writers Guild Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. In addition, he received d Best Director Oscar...

Following last night’s dramatic conclusion to the ongoing standoff between the Writers Guild of America and Association of Talent Agents, a number of WGA members have officially fired their agents.

The Writers Guild left the negotiating table after extending its deadline with the Ata by six days last weekend, with the practice of agency packaging — which the WGA considers to be a conflict of interest that stagnates writers’ salaries — at the root of the conflict. The Ata agreement expired at midnight April 12, and is now replaced by a Code of Conduct that agents must abide by in order to represent WGA writers. The code forbids packaging, agents are not signing it, and that leaves the writers ending agency relationships.

Few WGA members seem happy that it’s come to this, but those speaking out on social media stand with the guild. In addition to Patton Oswalt, Megan Amram, and Jon Cryer,...

As Jordan Peele’s latest horror pic “Us” debuted at South by Southwest, the director and producer held three other screenings nationwide for mostly black audiences, using the hashtag #UsFirst.

The Los Angeles screening reportedly played host to several celebs, including John Legend, Janelle Monae, Ryan Coogler, Tracee Ellis Ross, Lakeith Stanfield, Robin Theade, and La la Milan.

Everybody and their mama was at the La #UsMovie screening. I was sitting right behind John Legend, and Janelle Monae, Tracee Ellis Ross, Ryan Coogler, Robin Theade, La la Milan, and Lakeith Standfield were also in the building. #UsFirst pic.twitter.com/RoJJkJXM3d

— Britni Danielle (@BritniDWrites) March 9, 2019

Screenings also took place in New York and Atlanta. According to Bossip, it was announced before the Atlanta screening began that black media, influencers, film fans, and celebrities would be the first people to view “Us,” which stars Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke...

Lee Daniels, co-creator of “Empire,” posted a strong reaction on Instagram to the assault and suspected hate crime against Jussie Smollett, one of the musical drama’s stars.

“It’s taken me a minute to come to social media about this because, Jussie, you are my son,” he said in a video posted on Tuesday. “You didn’t deserve nor anybody deserves to have a noose put around your neck, to have bleach thrown on you, to be called ‘die f–got n–ga’ or whatever they said to you. You are better than that. We are better than that. America is better than that. It starts at home. It starts at home, yo. We have to love each other regardless of what sexual orientation we are because it shows we are united on a united front and no racist f— can come in and do the things that they did to you.

James Woods drew ridicule on Thursday from Internet liberals after he said his talent agent dropped him because of his right-wing political views.

“It’s the 4th of July and I’m feeling patriotic. I don’t want to represent you anymore. I mean I could go on a rant but you know what I’d say,” Ken Kaplan told Woods in an email, according to the actor. The actor called him a “political liberal” after posting the message online.

So this email from my agent (a political liberal) today… pic.twitter.com/RLXUWi9no8

– James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) July 5, 2018

Kaplan, a partner at The Gersh Agency, did not immediately respond to request for comment from TheWrap. He also represents such stars as Winona Ryder and Kristen Stewart, according to IMDbPro.

Also Read: James Woods Dropped by 'Political Liberal' Talent Agent on July 4th, Actor Says

Woods, an Emmy-winning actor, who...

David Cross is gearing up to deliver a mea culpa to his “Arrested Development” co-star Jessica Walter, following the fallout from a New York Times interview earlier this week, in which her male co-stars seemed to defend Jeffrey Tambor when Walter said that Tambor had verbally harassed her.

In an interview with Gothamist published Thursday, Cross — who plays Tobias Funke on the series — said that he will “unequivocally apologize.”

Cross also said that his wife, Amber Tamblyn, and “Arrested Development” co-star Alia Shawkat had expressed “their discomfort” over the interview.

Also Read: 'Arrested Development' Star Jason Bateman Apologizes for 'Insensitive' Jeffrey Tambor Defense

“I’ll say this: two people that I deeply respect, and I listen to and I love and appreciate, expressed to me after that interview their discomfort with it. One of those was Alia and the other was my wife,” Cross said. “I listened to them,...

“Arrested Development” actress Jessica Walter has received a flood of support since she told The New York Times that co-star Jeffrey Tambor verbally harassed her on set — and fans are also rallying around her because of a group interview with the newspaper in which some of her male co-stars defended Tambor.

“I have to let go of being angry at him,” Walter said during the interview. She added that in “almost 60 years of working, I’ve never had anybody yell at me like that on a set and it’s hard to deal with, but I’m over it now.”

The report, published Wednesday, said Walter, who plays Lucille Bluth, spoke through tears as Tambor sat a few feet away. He plays her on-screen husband, George Bluth Sr.

Also Read: 'Arrested Development' Star Jason Bateman Apologizes for 'Insensitive' Jeffrey Tambor Defense

The show’s Jason Bateman said that the behavior...

The controversial Pepsi ad starring Kendall Jenner may have been short-lived, but unfortunately for those involved its legacy will be immortalized on the internet forever.

The spot—which depicted the reality star easing the tension between police officers and protestors with a can of Pepsi—was widely seen as insensitive and tone deaf, prompting the company to pull the ad just one day after it was released.

Everyone from Lena Dunham to Madonna to Bernice King have since skewered the ad, and as is common in the age of social media, many others took to their keyboards to express their feelings.

Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, in the video below, go behind the scenes with 3 writers from Fox's mega-hit TV soap, "Empire," which returns for a much-anticipated second season, kicking off on September 23 - less than a week from today! THR has a full piece on the entire writing team, which consists of some names you might be familiar with, given that we've featured their past work on this blog: Radha Blank, Eric Haywood, Malcolm Spellman, Jamie Rosengard, Ilene Chaiken, Attica Locke, JaNeika James, Joshua Allen, Carlito Rodriguez, Danny strong, JaSheika James, Ayanna Floyd, Ingrid Escajeda, Wendy Calhoun, Robert Munic.  The piece includes some...

Like many couples, April (Nadine Ellis) and Derrick (Darrin Dewitt Henson) feel like the spark is missing from their marriage. With the demands of work and their hectic schedules, they find themselves in a six-month dry spell. Desperate to shake up their love life and rekindle their passion for each other, they decide to share a steamy night with their free-spirited friends, Christy (Michelle Krusiec) and Matt (Gabriel Olds). Soon after, April and Derrick find themselves dealing with unexpected feelings and must find a way to let go of the mistrust and fall in love with each other all over again. Check out the exclusive trailer for Four of Hearts before picking up the DVD on June 17.

Four of Hearts: Movie Pictures GalleryFour of Hearts: Movie Pictures Gallery 1Four of Hearts: Movie Pictures Gallery 2Four of Hearts: Movie Pictures Gallery 3Four of Hearts: Movie Pictures Gallery 4Four of Hearts:...

Several of the films in this year's lineup have been covered on this site, like Eric Haywood's Four Of Hearts, Andy Mundy-Castle's The Fade, and Jono Oliver's Home. I'll return to highlight those titles that we haven't previously profiled. In the meantime, a summary of events via press release from the festival: San Francisco Black Film Festival 2013 Celebrates Year Fifteen Co –Directors Kali O’ray and Katera Crossley Continue the Legacy of Ave Montague With Thought Provoking Films, Panels and Parties, San Francisco Black Film Festival Xv June 13-16. The San Francisco Black Film Festival continues to make strides as the son of late Arts Impresario,Ave...

CBS has added to the cast of its much-buzzed about new drama Under the Dome, which is based on the 2009 Stephen King novel of the same name, and follows residents of a small town that is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field, as they search for answers as to what the barrier is, where it came from and when/if it will go away. Joining the series cast is relative newbie, Nicholas Strong, who you might recall starred in the Round 4-winning short film of the Shadow and Act Digital Filmmaker Showcase (Nick Of Time) directed by Eric Haywood. You'll also find him currently on ABC's...

A Day In The Life, directed by Matthew Jenifer, professionally known as Sah, is the winner of the fifth and final qualifying round of Season 1 of the Shadow and Act Digital Filmmaker Showcase. Sah plays himself in the film, an independent recording artist struggling to reach a creative breakthrough in order to finish his album. Rounding out the top three, which garnered close to 90% of the vote, are Cole Wiley's Quietly and Mykwain Gainey's popular Loose Change. Sah joins the 4 other winners of qualifying rounds, James Bland, Dominique Deleon, Will Raee and Eric Haywood to compete for the $4,000 grand prize in the season finale. The start date of the finale will...