http://film.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2289490,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfrontA-list actors square up as dispute over pay deal threatens shutdown of film and TV studios
Paul Harris in New York
Sunday July 6, 2008
The Observer
Hollywood is this week on the brink of a damaging actors' strike, with A-list stars fighting each other about whether or not to join the picket lines. In the middle of it all is George Clooney, playing the peacemaker among Hollywood's divided acting aristocracy and urging a united front against the film studio bosses.
If it were a summer blockbuster, the looming strike would probably get terrible reviews for its complex storyline and confusing all-star cast. But the truth is simple: Hollywood could shut down as actors strike over a new pay deal, derailing billions of dollars' worth of films and TV shows.
That could set back the production schedules of dozens of huge movies and see popular programmes sent into repeats or cancelled. It would also hit a California economy already squeezed by a national downturn and a 100-day Hollywood writers' strike that only ended in February.
Peter Bart, editor-in-chief of film industry magazine Variety, predicts a nightmare scenario ahead for the entertainment industry in Los Angeles if a settlement is not reached soon. 'The impact on the town psychologically and economically would be devastating,' he warned. 'The lemmings are running out of running space. And it's a long way down.'
It's not just Los Angeles that would be hit. Filming in other entertainment centres, including New York, would also grind to a halt.
The strike has been threatened by the Screen Actors' Guild, which last week held fruitless final pay negotiations with the studios, largely over future income from DVD sales. The guild has now urged its 120,000 members to prepare for a possible strike this week, though it has not yet scheduled a strike ballot.
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