Scribes Eye Date for Return to Table
by Dave McNary
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) – Nearly three weeks after breaking off
contract talks, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) may be close
to setting a date for resuming negotiations with studios and
networks.
Top WGA officials have said only that they plan to seek an
April restart for the talks, which collapsed March 1 after six
weeks of negotiations. The guild's current pact expires May 2.
Several guild leaders and representatives with the Alliance
of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP), which
represents employers, met Monday and were due to meet again
Tuesday as trustees of the union-industry health and pension
plan, leading to speculation that a new date may emerge shortly.
Both sides have insisted a deal can be reached without a
strike, and many in Hollywood remain perplexed by the inability
of negotiators to bridge the gap between the two sides —
estimated at $82 million by the AMPTP and $102.4 million by the
WGA for a three-year pact.
The companies contend they have offered a $30 million hike
overall and that the WGA is seeking a $112 million increase. The
WGA maintains that the AMPTP's offer amounts to a $2.7 million
decrease while the Guild offer calls for a $99.7 million hike.
The WGA has held two town hall meetings for members, one in
Los Angeles and one in Gotham, along with confabs for attorneys
and agents. It plans to hold several more such meetings before
resuming negotiations.
Flockhart Goes to 'Philadelphia'
by Matt Wolf
LONDON (Variety) – “The Philadelphia Story,” with Calista
Flockhart as the ice-maiden heiress played in the 1940 film by
Katharine Hepburn, is set for a May 21 start of previews and a
June opening at the Shaftesbury Theater.
Blythe Danner also stars in the $865,000 West End production,
which, lead producer Duncan C. Weldon moans cheerfully, has “16
in the cast and two bloody sets.”
A run of at least 10 weeks is expected, depending on
business, reviews and Flockhart's commitment to “Ally McBeal.”
© 2000 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Animation legend William Hanna, who
with partner Joseph Barbera helped turn television into their own
personal cartoon world, creating such characters as Huckleberry
Hound, Yogi Bear, the Flintstones and the Jetsons,
died on Thursday at age 90, a spokesman for Warner Brothers
said.
Hanna, the co-chairman and co-founder of Hanna Barbera
Studios, died at his home in North Hollywood, Warner Brothers
spokesman Scott Rowe said.
The cause of death was not immediately released.
Born in Melrose, New Mexico on July 14, 1910, Hanna received
early training as an engineer. He began his animation career
during the Depression when he took a position in the ink and
paint department of Hollywood's Harman-Ising studios.
He was hired by MGM in 1937 where he met his future partner,
Barbera, and the two began a creative partnership that lasted
over 60 years.
They were famed for their work on the “Tom and Jerry”
cartoons and founded Hanna-Barbera in 1957 after MGM closed its
cartoon division. They went on to produce more than 3,000
animated half-hour television shows, carefully streamlining the
process of animation to make it easier to do for television.
Their studio has been owned by Warner Bros., a unit of AOL
Time Warner Inc., since 1996.
The duo received a star on the Hollywood walk of fame in 1976
and were inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in
1993.
Hanna was involved with the studio until his death. He was
also a charter member of the Boy Scouts of America and remained
active in the organization throughout his life.
He is survived by wife, Violet, two children, and seven grandchildren.
