Hollywood shows its woefully out of touch
By Brian Kirwin | Saturday, November 22nd, 2008 | Catch-AllEconomy slowing, charitable services for meals and assistance are stretched, stock market shrinking, jobs in short supply, layoffs and closings abound, but what do Hollywood millionaire actors want to do?
Go on strike!
For all their talk about regular citizens, the liberal elite only care about one thing – getting your money. And to get it, they’re willing to stop their incredibly HARD work of memorizing a page of dialogue, standing still, and saying it near a camera.
I did think of a way to fund more money for disgruntled millionaire Hollywood actors.
A rehab tax.
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About the author
The right wants to jeer him. The left wants to censor him. Moderates usually want both. Brian Kirwin is a political consultant and public relations strategist in Virginia Beach with a lightning-rod flair. Brian also serves on the VB Arts & Humanities Commission and frequently appears on Hampton Roads theatrical stages, if only to prove that all actors aren’t liberals. Kirwin’s columns stir up debate and hit the political scene with no punches pulled.
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11 Responses to "Hollywood shows its woefully out of touch"
Isn’t this how a free market works? If the actors want to be paid more and the studios do not want to pay them more, striking is a valid tool. If the actors are begin unreasonable, the studios are free to hire new talent.
If they, as a whole, are not worth the money, the studios should hire new talent. As long as we’re not letting government step in and send people back to work by force, this is an issue between a group of people and the movie studios.
You say “millionaire” like its a slur. Being honest, that’s something I expect from the so-called “liberal elite,” not from a conservative blog.
you’re right Chad P. besides there are more than big name actors included in the strike unless you know 120,000 actors. regardless, the talks “failed despite the help of a federal mediator” and that is where the problem lies. Like you said, let the free market work. With the govt involved, if the studios end up losing lots of money and closing down, guess what? we’ll have to bailout Hollywood as well because some lobbyists will convince Congress that if America loses Tinseltown and we all started watching Bollywood movies it would be a national security risk. However, in this case they may be right.
ps. saw Slumdog Millionaire last night which was awesome
Brian,
What do you mean Hollywood is out of touch? They’re following the lead of the Big 3 and the banking industry. They’re completely in tune with our current climate, take the money and run….
Brian, the Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG/AFTRA) is composed of far more than just the top stars you see in blockbuster movies. They also comprise extras used in crowd scenes, character actors, actors who work in commercials, etc. Many of them work for scale, not for huge contracts. In addition, their jobs are not steady. They can go months without jobs. Those are the people who are voting to strike to increase the scale that they are paid.
You have every right to disagree with the right to strike or even with the need. You may think the scale they are paid is already sufficient. But mischaracterizing the strike as a bunch of millionaire top stars going out on strikes is just innaccurate. And as an actor yourself (albeit in community theater), you should know this.
Amit,
Having a federal mediator for the entertainment industry is just silly. While I’m against ALL bailouts from the government, a bailout for the entertainment industry would be especially ridiculous.
remember when Federal moderators designed the purchase of Wachovia by Citigroup? and then un-moderated Wells Fargo ended up giving a better offer for everyone?
AIAW, if actors want to strike so extras who do nothing but stand or walk get paid when a movie is shown on a website, they can be my guest.
When going to a movie is 15 bucks, remember this post.
“When going to a movie is 15 bucks, remember this post.”
That’s essentially what you’re doing when you buy a movie ticket: sending money to Hollywood. The movie theaters themselves get maybe 15-20% of the ticket price.
The economics of the movie theater industry are so bad that companies have been in Chapter 11 or bought out in the last few years.
In this soft economy, who’s going to pay $15 for a ticket?
I paid $10.75 at AMC Loews Georgetown 14 per ticket last night. so what? I’m willing to pay it and so was everyone else in the theater. Movies are a luxury and if it gets too expensive to me to go to the movies then I’ll find other forms of entertainment. Maybe I’ll use NetFlix more or watch movies online. If Hollywood finds they can make more money by charging more for tickets even though fewer people attend then so be it.
The theaters and studios have to work out their symbiotic relationship of revenue sharing, prices, releases, etc. Let’s just not get the govt involved because it would be counter-productive.
Amit,
Absolutely. For some reason, though, both Democrats & Republicans are stuck on the idea that the government is always the best solution to any given problem.
“When going to a movie is 15 bucks, remember this post.”
Brian, that’s how the free market works. If people are unwilling to pay the price, the cost MUST come down. If you disagree with the price, you can stay home.
If the “liberal elite” have the goal to get more of your money through a voluntary exchange of goods and services and you’re complaining about it…. you’re the one taking a big government, OMG liberal position, not them.
Don’t forget, when national healthcare comes, Hollywood types will be the first to seek medical treatment overseas or on the black market , while insisting that public healthcare is much better for the plebes.
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