The Writers Guild of America renewed its 2023 strike with a comedy at its Los Angeles awards ceremony Sunday night.
More than half a year after the union ended a 148-day strike, it spoofed Carol Lombardini, the top negotiator representing studios and streamers, during a sensational and sometimes gory routine at the Hollywood Palladium. Nearly an hour into the union's annual awards ceremony, between awards ceremonies, host Niecy Nash-Betts began interacting with the “Lombardini” image on the screen behind her. (Only the mouth of the image moves, the rest remains static.)
When Nash-Betts asked why “Lombardini” was there, the image responded by congratulating David Goodman and Chris Keyser, co-chairs of the WGA negotiating committee during the 2023 strike, on receiving the Morgan Cox Award for service to the union I did. “First, I would like to congratulate all the nominees and winners, especially David Goodman and Chris Keyser, who won the Morgan Cox Award. When you think of David Goodman and Chris Keyser, the first word that comes to mind is ‘cock,’” Image responded.
“Lombardini” continued: “Kudos to WGA Executive Director Ellen Stutzman. You were a tough negotiator. It reminds me of that show. beef, except it’s meaner and less Korean. And all of you writers remind me. Crown Because you think you’re so high and powerful, but in reality you’re just a bunch of natural crybabies.”
The scene elicited groans and occasional laughter from the audience, and it didn't end there. After Nash-Betz jokingly admonishes “Lombardini,” the video continues, “I really like that movie. May December. May and December were also the periods in which I planned to continue the strike. Just three more months and you will all be homeless. Fuck you, you damn content creators who get paid too much.”
Lastly, Image mentioned the 2023 summer box office phenomenon created by simultaneous release. Bobby and Oppenheimer. “I would like to say one more thing. Barbenheimer – genius movie. “I know it’s two movies, but for business purposes, I think it’s considered one and I’m only paying half of the balance.” As Nash-Betts said goodbye to “Lombardini,” the image read: “See you on the picket line in 2026, Lombardini out.” This indicates that the WGA's major labor contract is up for negotiation next year and that members may be able to negotiate at this time. In theory, we're on strike again.
Lombardini, president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, has been the Hollywood studio's top negotiator since 2009. neck As explained in our September 2023 story about the largely opaque AMPTP, Lombardini's role will be to guide his constituents (executives from top studios and streamers) toward agreement on bargaining goals and present their positions to the union across the table. It represents. Lombardini tends to keep a low profile, but he gained attention in 2023 due to the historic writers' and actors' strike that halted mainstream Hollywood productions for months and became the subject of popular spoof accounts on social media. Media Platform
Through the 2023 strike, the second-longest strike in the union's history, the WGA worked through regulation to install guardrails on the use of AI in scriptwriting and improve compensation for members in an era when streaming is the dominant platform. -So-called “mini-rooms”, higher wage floors and residuals that reward successful streaming titles.
The Hollywood Reporter AMPTP has been contacted for comment.
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