Fran Drescher’s Fiery Speech against Hollywood Studios Goes Viral as Actors Strike

Jul 14, 2023 | The Nanny star blasts Hollywood studios after talks between the actors’ union and studios fail to avert a strike, calling them 'disgusting' for claiming they’re losing money while 'giving hundreds of millions of dollars to their CEOs'.

Fran Drescher is president of Hollywood's biggest union, Sag-Aftra. About 160,000 of its members are joining the Writers Guild of America in a strike, marking the biggest shutdown of Hollywood since both unions last went on strike together in 1960.

The unions are fighting for better terms with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents major studios and streamers, including Amazon, Apple, Disney, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount, Sony and Warner Bros Discovery


Read the accompanying Guardian article here.

Les acteurs d'Hollywood rejoignent les scénaristes dans un mouvement de grève inédit : Les tournages, déjà ralentis, sont complètement à l’arrêt depuis l’échec des négociations entre syndicat et studios concernant une revalorisation des salaires. »

„Wir sind hier die Opfer. Wir laufen Gefahr, durch Maschinen ersetzt zu werden“: Hollywood im Stillstand: Nach gescheiterten Verhandlungen mit den US-Filmstudios legt die Schauspielergewerkschaft ihre Arbeit nieder. Auch die Drehbuchautoren streiken seit Wochen. Das gab es seit 60 Jahren nicht. »

Barack Obama's Hollywood Star on the Wane

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama arrived in Hollywood four years ago with a star-studded fund-raiser on Oprah Winfrey's lawn that featured Stevie Wonder in an event that helped propel him to the White House.

Surrounded by celebrities and movie power players like Cindy Crawford, Will Smith and Halle Berry, he was the political darling of the entertainment industry's liberal elite.
But Mr Obama's return to the West Coast today is much less glamorous, reflecting how much his star has waned.

Instead of Miss Winfrey's house, he will be at the less glamorous "House of Blues" nightclub on Hollywood's Sunset Strip with the rap singer B.O.B, a DJ called Adam 12, and The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles. Tickets for the event, hosted by a sitcom actor, have been available for just $250 (£160).

Hollywood is traditionally seen as a cash machine for campaigning Democratic candidates. In his first presidential campaign he found nothing but generous friends and open chequebooks.

But some of those wealthy supporters now feel frustrated by what they see as lack of progress on issues including the environment, gay rights, withdrawal from Afghanistan and closing Guantánamo Bay.

While few are openly criticising the president, much less supporting any of his possible Republican opponents, the word "disappointment" is surfacing regularly.

A string of other big name backers from four years ago have yet to donate at all. They include Matt Damon, who has been perhaps the most critical of Mr Obama's A-list friends. » | Nick Allen, Los Angeles | Sunday, September 25, 2011

Rock Hudson - Hollywood and Closeted Sexuality | True Story Documentary Channel

Jun 1, 2024 | There are two reasons to revive interest in the Hollywood star Rock Hudson in 2010: If he had not died of AIDS 25 years ago, it would have been his 85th birthday in November 2010.

The film portrays a very male-looking gay leading man who had to perform a secret balancing act between the heterosexual Hollywood world and the dark side of closeted sexuality. In fact, he was someone who always needed to tell lies. He had to become a very good actor even in real life.

The film includes interviews with his French doctor, Dr. Philippe Siou, and Dr. Michael Gottlieb, Rock’s American doctor who became the first physician to describe a new disease that would later become known as AIDS. And with friends like Stockton Briggle and his personal secretary Mark Miller, Yanou Collart, his French PR manager, Armistead Maupin, bestselling author, Richard Dyer, film historian, Robert Hofler, author of the book “The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson”, Richard Anderson and Salome Jens, co-stars of “SECONDS”, Leonard Stern, producer of Hudson’s TV series “McMillan&Wife” and Hollywood reporter Rona Barrett.

Meryl Streep to Play Baroness Thatcher in Hollywood Movie
THE TELEGRAPH: Baroness Thatcher may be played by the Hollywood star Meryl Streep in a movie of the former British prime minister's life.

The biopic titled "Thatcher" will focus on the period immediately prior to the Falklands war, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Producers are said to be in talks with Streep, one of the most successful actresses in Hollywood, who is seen as one of the few women capable of convincingly playing Lady Thatcher.

However, they may face concerns over how an American will be received playing the part, and suggestions that it should go to a British actress.

The film's producers are said to be lining up British actor Jim Broadbent to play Lady Thatcher's husband Denis. >>> Nick Allen in Los Angeles | Thursday, July 01, 2010

Hollywood Turns on Sultan of Brunei

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Stars boycott Polo Lounge in protest at Sultan of Brunei's plans to introduce Sharia law at home - but waiters say it's only them who will suffer

Amid the opulent surroundings of the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel, for decades the scene of Hollywood power lunches and celebrity tete-a-tetes [sic], a pall has descended.

Secluded booths once occupied by A-listers who stepped in from Sunset Boulevard lie empty as waiters stand idly by under the green-striped ceiling, listening to a pianist play Coldplay's Viva La Vida.

The lounge, once frequented by stars from Elizabeth Taylor and Marlene Dietrich to Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Cruise, has become an unfortunate casualty of a movie industry boycott aimed at the Sultan of Brunei, the hotel's ultimate owner.

Last week Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah confirmed he was pushing ahead with a plan to introduce Sharia law for the 70 per cent of his 400,000 subjects who are Muslims, and the first phase came into effect on Thursday.

Unsurprisingly, the prospect of punishments such as death by stoning for adultery and same-sex relationships, amputations by sword for theft, and 40 lashes from a rattan cane for drunkenness, has not gone down well in Hollywood and the Sultan has been unofficially declared persona non grata. Read on and comment » | Nick Allen, Los Angeles | Saturday, May 10, 2014

My comment:

I wonder what Prince Charles has to say about the introduction of full sharia'h law in the Sultanate of Brunei? After all, the Sultan is one of Prince Charles' big chums. – © Mark

This comment appears here too.

Related »

"Gay" in Pre-Code Hollywood

Sep 14, 2008 • The "gay" part of a great documentary called, "Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood" "must see" to anyone interested in movie making in Hollywood's golden age!

Hollywood Gives Jesus Christ a Multi-Culti Makeover
THE GUARDIAN: Film based on Aquarian Gospel to cover years left out of New Testament

Hollywood is to fill in the Bible's "missing years" with a story about Jesus as a wandering mystic who travelled across India, living in Buddhist monasteries and speaking out against the iniquities of the country's caste system.

Film producers have delved deep into revisionist scholarship to piece together what they say was Jesus's life between the ages of 13 and 30, a period untouched by the recognised gospels.

The result is the Aquarian Gospel, a $20m movie, which portrays Jesus as a holy man and teacher inspired by a myriad of eastern religions in India. The Aquarian Gospel takes its name from a century-old book that examined Christianity's eastern roots and is in its 53rd reprint. Hollywood takes action hero Jesus to India (more) By Randeep Ramesh

Mark Alexander

Gay Hollywood: The Last Taboo (2009 – Documentary*

This documentary looks at the challenges facing gay artists in Hollywood past and present. Hollywood in the 1920s was the most homosexual-friendly place to be as most of the behind-the-camera staff were gay. However, for those in front of the camera there was no tolerance from the movie-going public. Any homosexual who wanted to maintain a career had to remain in a well-locked closet. During the 1950s, the studios provided their own "police" who would be the first to arrive at any scene of an "indiscretion" or other scandalous act. Their task was to collect and remove any evidence and then call the real police if necessary. The studios, wanting to safeguard their investments, even forced male gay actors, like Rock Hudson and Cary Grant, into sham marriages.
Watch the documentary HERE »
* This documentary is age-restricted, so it cannot be embedded. It must be watched on YouTube.

Banks Defend Bonus Culture as Profits Jump
THE GUARDIAN: Barclays and HSBC made a passionate defence of the City's bonus culture yamid [sic] a growing public backlash about the return to a big pay bonanza barely a year after the government bailed out the financial system.

As criticism of bonuses crossed the traditional political divide, the banks compared their high-flyers to footballers and Hollywood stars to try to explain the need for the hundreds of thousands of pounds individuals are expected to receive this year. Neither bank gave figures about potential bonuses for investment banking staff, but a jump in profits in both operations led to speculation that huge pay deals will be awarded.

Profits at Barclays Capital, the investment banking arm of the high street bank, doubled to £1bn while at HSBC's investment bank the profits rose 125% to $6.3bn. Each bank reported overall profits of nearly £3bn despite a combined £13bn of bad debts caused by rising unemployment, making it more difficult for households and companies to pay back loans. Bank shares jumped sharply, pushing the FTSE 100 to its highest level this year.

John Varley, chief executive of Barclays, turned to footballers to explain bankers' pay while Stuart Gulliver, who runs the investment bank at HSBC, used Hollywood stars. Varley said: "The football analogy certainly goes some way I think [to explain bonuses] ... There is simply no higher priority that to ensure we field the very best people. That in a sense is exactly the same as a football manager if they are going to win. Our obligation is to ensure we pay appropriately."

Gulliver likened the situation to a Hollywood studio that not only paid stars for pulling in profits, but also many of the extras. "If a foreign exchange trader makes a deal then they know two days later how much they made. If it's a £5m profit, that is something we can count, we can see it, its real. And they are part of a successful team," he said. >>> Jill Treanor and Phillip Inman | Monday, August 03, 2009

Gay Hollywood: The Last Taboo | Documentary (2009)

Looks at the challenges facing gay artists in Hollywood past and present. Hollywood in the 1920s was the most homosexual friendly place to be as most of the behind-the-camera staff were gay. However, for those in front of the camera there was no tolerance from the movie-going public. Any homosexual who wanted to maintain a career had to remain in a well-locked closet. During the 1950s, the studios provided their own "police" who would be the first to arrive at any scene of an "indiscretion" or other scandalous act. Their task was to collect and remove any evidence and then call the real police if necessary. The studios, wanting to safeguard their investments, even forced male gay actors, like Rock Hudson and Cary Grant, into sham marriages.

Hollywood-Protest gegen Scharia in Brunei: "In welchem Jahr leben wir?"

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Brunei hat das Scharia-Strafrecht eingeführt, in Hollywood formiert sich der Protest. Dem Sultanat gehört auch das glamouröse Beverly Hills Hotel, wo die Stars der Szene am Pool entspannen. Jetzt wird zum Boykott aufgerufen.

Los Angeles – Das Beverly Hills Hotel ist vor allem für seine glamourösen Geschichten bekannt, es gehört mit den Legenden seiner mehr als hundertjährigen Historie zum Inventar Hollywoods. Hier stiegen Elizabeth Taylor und Richard Burton ab; hier ignorierte Marlene Dietrich die Vorschrift, dass Frauen im Restaurant keine Hosen tragen dürfen; hier betrachtete Faye Dunaway nach der Oscar-Nacht ihre Goldstatue im Bademantel am Swimmingpool.

Nun müssen die Hotel-Manager jedoch mit einer äußerst unangenehmen Geschichte umgehen. Am Montag versammelten sich Dutzende Demonstranten, um gegen den Besitzer des Hotels und dessen Politik zu protestieren.

Seit Jahren gehört das Beverly Hills Hotel einer staatlichen Investmentgesellschaft aus Brunei. In dem Sultanat auf der Insel Borneo wurde in der vergangenen Woche das Scharia-Strafrecht eingeführt, was Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah als "großartigen Fortschritt" pries. Auf Ehebruch und homosexuelle Handlungen können demnach in Brunei künftig der Tod durch Steinigung stehen.

Zum Protest vor dem Hotel hatten unter anderem Feministinnen und Homosexuellenverbände aufgerufen. Unter den Teilnehmern war auch der berühmte Moderator Jay Leno. "In welchem Jahr leben wir? 1814? Kommt schon, Leute. Es ist 2014", sagte Leno laut "Variety.com". "Das Böse blüht, wenn gute Leute nichts tun." » | hut/AP/dpa | Dienstag, 06. Mai 2014


VARIETY: Jay Leno Among Sultan of Brunei Protesters at Beverly Hills Hotel: As it is embattled with a growing list of prominent organizations dropping out of events, the Beverly Hills Hotel on Monday faced the public spectacle of a protest across the street as entertainment figures and political leaders rallied against a harsh Islamic code imposed by the sultan of Brunei, who owns the fabled venue as well as other prominent tony hotels. » | Ted Johnson | Senior Editor | Monday, May 05, 2014

LOS ANGELES TIMES: Brunei law on gays, women sparks Beverly Hills Hotel boycott: The tiny, oil-rich country of Brunei has been a quiet steward of the Beverly Hills Hotel and Hotel Bel-Air, undertaking multimillion-dollar renovations of the landmarks. ¶ But in recent days both hotels have come under siege from Hollywood feminists and gay rights advocates because of new laws in the Southeast Asian sultanate. ¶ Brunei last week imposed new criminal codes, based on Islamic law, with harsh penalties for homosexuality and adultery, including death by stoning. » | Martha Groves, Nabih Bulos, Matt Stevens | Monday, May 05, 2014

What Will Clooney’s Next Move Be? Taking the Shahada?
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: With her good looks and glossy aura, Fatima Bhutto, the bright new star of a revered political dynasty is causing quite a stir in both Hollywood and her own troubled country.

Photo of Fatima Bhutto, George Clooney’s latest flame, courtesy of The Telegraph
Fresh from an ill-fated entanglement with a Las Vegas cocktail waitress, George Clooney, Hollywood’s Armani-suited Renaissance Man-on-call, is reported to have fallen for 26-year-old Fatima Bhutto, the new star of Pakistan’s greatest political dynasty. Across the sub-continent the excitement spread like Valentine’s Weekend wildfire. And why not? George is radical, Fatima is chic. It has to work out this time.

For while George has been the subject of more Random Couple Alerts than almost anyone else in showbusiness, the signs are unmistakable that, at 47, greying, childless and possibly losing his vogue, he is ready to settle down. He has done all the liberal cause-mongering an actor of his stature could reasonably do, and with his hero Obama safely in the White House (“the best candidate there has ever been,” he said), it was time to turn his attention to international affairs.

Nowhere could they be stickier than in Pakistan, where Fatima, niece of the assassinated former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, enjoys a reputation as the smartest and most glamorous of her extended, perma-feuding clan. The pair are said to have met last year at a conference (George goes to them in his capacity as a United Nations Messenger of Peace, Fatima as a journalist) and agreed to keep in touch. When he broke up with shapely waitress Sarah Larson, 30, late last summer, his interest in Fatima apparently began to grow.

“He’s still out there with his usual assortment of Hollywood eye-candy hanging from his arm,” claimed the American magazine which first reported the romance, “but George insists those days could be coming to an end if Fatima wants to take their relationship to the next level and spend some serious time with him in the US.” >>> By William Langley | Sunday, February 15, 2009

YOUTUBE: Fatima Bhutto Speaks


The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback (US) Barnes & Noble >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Hardcover (US) Barnes & Noble >>>

Merkel Goes to Hollywood
Video ’Frühstück mit Arnie’ anschauen | Donnerstag, 15 April 2010
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Besuch in Hollywood – Doktor Merkel entdeckt den Glamour: Der zähe Atom-Gipfel bei Obama ist vorbei, jetzt will die Kanzlerin für den Rest ihrer USA-Reise vor allem: schöne Bilder. Beim Besuch in Los Angeles zeigt Merkel, dass sie auch die Glamour-Rolle beherrscht. Selbst wenn die Stars aus Hollywood nicht mitspielen wollen. >>> Aus Los Angeles berichtet Gregor Peter Schmitz | Donnerstag, 15. April 2010

Out of the Closet, Off the Screen: The Life of William Haines (2001 Documentary)

What price Hollywood? was the title of an early George Cukor film, but is a question every closeted movie star has probably asked himself. In 1930, the top box office star was a gay man. Billy Haines lived with his lover, Jimmie Shields, and never posed on the red carpet with a beard on his arm. By 1933, he was washed up in show business; and by 1936, he had become hugely successful in an entirely new line of work-interior decorator. Out of the Closet, Off the Screen: the Life of William Haines details the extraordinary life of Billy Haines, the only matinee idol who ever decided that Hollywood’s price was too high and walked away from film stardom.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Terminates Hollywood Comeback

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Arnold Schwarzenegger has terminated his Hollywood comeback after admitting to fathering a love child.

After seven years as governor of California the former action star had been planning to return to the big screen in several movies, including the planned blockbuster "Terminator 5."

On Thursday night, he put all projects on indefinite hold so he could deal with the scandal. Patrick Knapp, his entertainment lawyer, said: "Governor Schwarzenegger is focusing on personal matters and is not willing to commit to any production schedules or timelines. We will resume discussions when Governor Schwarzenegger decides."

The 63-year-old star had been expected to appear next in "Cry Macho," a drama in which he was to play a horse trainer who bonds with a Mexican boy. An animated television series called "The Governator," in which he was to voice the main character, has also been postponed.

Mr Schwarzenegger is facing a potentially bitter divorce battle after his wife Maria Shriver hired a high profile lawyer known as the "Disso Queen" in a step toward ending their 25-year marriage.

Laura Wasser, 42, a glamorous single mother-of-two, earned her nickname handling dissolutions on behalf of some of the entertainment industry's biggest names. Her other clients include Robyn Moore, the wife of troubled "Braveheart" star Mel Gibson, who filed for divorce in 2009. » | Nick Allen, Los Angeles | Thursday, May 19, 2011

The History of Gay Hollywood

Jul 13, 2023 | Hollywood, despite the best efforts of executives and studio heads, has been gay since the day it was born. In this video we'll explore the first seventy years of Tinsel Town's not-so-private closet. From silent film and federal investigations to the golden age of coding and the rise of out and proud queer cinema.

Please note that this is a very long documentary, so I haven't yet been able to find the time to watch it all the way through. I hope and trust that it does not contain particularly sensitive content. I doubt that it does, because YouTube doesn't usually allow such videos to be embedded on external websites. – Mark

Andrew Breitbart Dead at 43
FOX NEWS: Widely read conservative Internet publisher Andrew Breitbart has died, his attorney confirms.

The websites he founded ran a statement Thursday morning announcing that Breitbart, 43, died "unexpectedly from natural causes" in Los Angeles shortly after midnight.

"We have lost a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a dear friend, a patriot and a happy warrior," the statement said. "Andrew lived boldly, so that we more timid souls would dare to live freely and fully, and fight for the fragile liberty he showed us how to love."

Breitbart was a prolific commentator who founded several websites devoted to covering politics, entertainment and everything in between. Earlier in his career, he worked for the Drudge Report before breaking off to start his own outlets -- including Big Government, Big Hollywood and Breitbart.tv. » | FoxNews.com | The Associated Press contributed to this report | Thursday, March 01, 2012




LOS ANGELES TIMES: Andrew Breitbart dead at 43 of natural causes at UCLA hospital » | Thursday, March 01, 2012

Breitbart.com » | Breitbart TV » | Big Hollywood » | Big Government » | Big Journalism » | Big Peace »


CNN: Read the article here | CNN Wire Staff | Thursday, March 01, 2012

Hollywood Legend Doris Day Dies Aged 97

Doris Day - one of Hollywood's biggest stars of the 1950s and 60s - has died aged 97. Day was known for her dozens of film appearances, including in the musical Calamity Jane and Pillow Talk. She also famously sang Que Sera, Sera in Hitchcock film The Man Who Knew Too Much. From the United States, here's our Correspondent Amanda Walker.

Matt Damon Dismisses Barack Obama as 'One-term President'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Matt Damon has taken another swipe at Barack Obama and dismissed him as a "one term president".

In his most ferocious attack to date, the Hollywood star vented his anger at the President's failure to bring about change in America.

He said: "I've talked to a lot of people who worked for Obama at the grassroots level. One of them said to me, 'Never again. I will never be fooled again by a politician,'".

"You know, a one-term president with some balls who actually got stuff done would have been, in the long run of the country, much better."

His latest attack was made in an interview for Elle magazine to promote his new film "We Bought a Zoo."

Damon, 41, was one of the biggest Hollywood stars to stump for Obama during his 2008 election campaign. » | Paul Thompson | Wednesday, December 21, 2011

I Shouldn't Be Here: Ledger's Drugs Dismay
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Speculation about the death of the Australian actor Heath Ledger has resurfaced after video footage emerged of him talking about drug use at a Hollywood party.

Channel Nine last night broadcast excerpts of the video, which was allegedly made two years ago at the Chateau Marmont hotel on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard - the same hotel where the actor John Belushi died.

It was reported that the footage was taken while Ledger's girlfriend, Michelle Williams, and their daughter, Matilda Rose, were upstairs.

Ledger was not shown taking drugs, although others can be seen in grainy footage apparently snorting a substance off a table.

"I'm going to get serious shit from my girlfriend," Ledger says in the video.

Asked by someone why, he replies: "We had a baby three months ago."

He goes on to tell the person his daughter's name and then says: "I shouldn't be here at all." I shouldn't be here: Ledger's drugs dismay >>> By Jonathan Dart

WATCH VIDEO:
US television program will not show footage of Heath Ledger openly discussing his drug use

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)