Happy Valentine's Day!

I like the Mexican version of this day better. It's simply the day of Love and Friendship, so it doesn't make you feel bad about not having a date. There, I said it. Click Here To Read More

Apocalypse Now: The First Seal

From The Times Online, re: Madonna's directorial debut 'Filth And Wisdom':

...despite its many shortcomings and an ending so mushy and neat it would embarrass Richard Curtis, Madonna has done herself proud. Her film has an artistic ambition that has simply bypassed her husband, the film director Guy Ritchie. She captures that wonderfully accidental nature of luck when people’s lives intersect for a whole swathe of unlikely but cherishable reasons. Altmanesque would be stretching the compliment too far, but "Filth and Wisdom" shows Madonna has real potential as a film director.

Hell freezes over.

A clip from Filth And Wisdom:
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Zappy Endings

Although it seems that the writers' strike might be over soon, it might take a while for your favorite shows to pick up where they left. It might be weeks before we see new episodes. In the meantime, please enjoy this funny feature from NY magazine, where writers from hit shows take on other network series with their own spin. Writers from The Simpsons take on The Office and so on. My favorite one has to be the one where the writers from The Daily Show take on every other primetime show. Click Here To Read More

CUT TO: THE END....?

From The Chicago Tribune:

The WGA strike: It's nearly over, writers should pick up pencils by Wednesday

Deadline Hollywood Daily oracle Nikki Finke says the strike is essentially "over." She reports that at the Saturday WGA meeting in Los Angeles, the guild membership appeared to OK the deal that the leadership negotiated in the last few weeks. A vote is still to come, but the membership looks inclined to approve the deal. Writer Ken Levine called it "at least a start and livable" and influential screenwriter/blogger John August said he'd be voting yes (links to both pieces are below). Writers should be back at their desks by Wednesday, according to Finke. (And if you want to know whether your favorite show will return this season, check out this list.)

A roundup of strike updates from the usual suspects (and I'll keep updating this as I see additional posts):

Mark Evanier, whose News From Me blog has been an invaluable source of perspective during the strike: "A feeling of victory seemed to be the prevailing mood [at the Saturday WGA membership meeting in L.A.] ...You want to know why there was a writers strike? Because they didn't offer us in November the contract that they offered us [on Saturday]. And they could have. It's not that fabulous an offer. It won't hurt the profits at Disney, Paramount, Sony, et al, one bit. What it does mean is that the writers who don't make the megabucks (and that's the vast majority of the WGA) have a better shot at making a basic living. That's all this has ever been about."

The L.A. Times story on the strike's home stretch: "'The reason for this strike was to make sure we had coverage of the Internet, that it didn't become a guild-free zone, and I think we accomplished that,' said Warren Leight, executive producer of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent.'"

Variety's story delves the deal and into the contentious "17-day window," during which networks can stream shows without paying writers. Some writers were hoping for a shorter "free" window, but that didn't come to pass. (Variety's strike coverage is here.)

For the rest of the text...

Entertainment lawyer Jonathan Handel has a lengthy analysis of the deal points. His conclusion: "This deal is an enormous improvement over studio rollbacks of three months ago, and is also an incremental improvement over the DGA deal."
There are more updates and opinions at United Hollywood, including an account of the meeting in LA: "Overall, the atmosphere was very upbeat, more so than many had anticipated. At times it felt like a victory rally. In fact, as of 10:30pm, there was only one openly hostile question during the Q&A session. It focused on the 17-day window for ad-supported streaming. Interestingly, the man who posed the question (pointedly saying, "You guys blinked.") drew some applause at first, but then elicited groans as his anger rose and he refused to relinquish the microphone."

The deal looks OK to "Battlestar Galactica" writer Jane Espenson, who looks forward to picking up her pencil later this week.
Mark Verheiden, another "Battlestar Galactica" writer, said this on his blog: "Either way, tonight's L.A. membership meeting was not the rancorous session some anticipated, but instead the negotiating committee received a standing ovation, the first of several during the evening."

Writer/director Ken Levine's take on the deal: "The main points of the deal are that it gives writers jurisdiction over new media and a share of distributor’s gross, which is hugely significant since any other formula is just monkey points. By establishing precedents the guild believes it is now in position to share the revenue from emerging marketplaces such as the internet. The deal is hardly perfect. There are a number of holes (which the committee candidly acknowledged) but considering we were negotiating against mega conglomerates who would just as soon break the union, this deal is at least a start and livable."
Screenwriter John August wrote that he's voting yes on the deal. "And I suspect it’s a yes for most writers. Some would shout yes emphatically, with a victory dance around a giant picket bonfire. Others would mutter yes with a forlorn shrug of their shoulders, deeply dissatisfied yet not able to rationalize a no vote. I’m somewhere in-between. I don’t think it’s great — hell, it’s not even 'good' — but it’s honestly better than I thought we’d get."

Finally, the WGA Awards were given out over the weekend. On the TV side, "Mad Men," "The Wire," "The Sopranos," "30 Rock," "The Office" and "The Colbert Report" all won awards. The WGA press release on the awards follows.

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Weekly News Roundup (Feb. 3-Feb 9)

- Young@Heart, new documentary about senior citizens rocking the stage, opens nationwide. Martin Scorsese's upcoming Rolling Stones tour documentary no longer seems fresh.

- Woman in small Mexican town murders daughters to keep them from losing their virginity. Trust me, when you in a small Mexican town, being on a sexual roll is not as much of a threat as it seems to be.

- Overhyped, overpaid Tom Brady Miserably Fails To Meet Fans' Expectations. And that's as close to an American David Beckham as we'll ever get.

- U.S. government acknowledges use of waterboarding. Justify their actions by claiming no other interrogation tactic has proven to be so successful when trying to get useful information out of perfectly innocent people.

- Nebraska Supreme Court outlaws use of the electric chair, labels it 'cruel and unusual punishment.' 'Cause we all know anything beyond waterboarding is distasteful. Click Here To Read More

Non-sloppy seconds.

What kind of ass-backwards world we live in where Madonna's new -possibly homophobic- song 4 Minutes To Save The World hasn't been fully leaked yet, but a HQ snippet of the first official mix already has?

Madonna and child. (Yes, I know it's been done to death but I couldn't come up with anything better at this hour) Click Here To Read More

Weekly News Roundup (Jan 28-Feb 3)

50Cent Boots Paris Hilton From Stage. Heaven forbid Fiddy tolerates some slutty-looking lady bringing down the quality of his act.

Cops Boot 50 Cent From Mall. Oh, yeah. That's what happens when you walk into a temple after dissing their highest prophet.

Hillary and Obama fight over Edwards' followers. That would make them the three most sough-after voters in the country.

Madonna to premier directorial debut. If Ben Affleck is any indication, some acting is best done quiet and behind the camera.

Rudy withdraws from Tuesday's primary. I guess he figured out the whole "Obama won't protect you from Cloverfield" angle wouldn't fly. Click Here To Read More