DramatistDreamer

Streaming (I really hate that word “content”) had potential when Netflix streamed indie films and shows that people wouldn’t have seen elsewhere that’s when I think they had potential. When the networks all had buy in with Hulu, that’s when Hulu had potential. As it is now, I am tired of most of these streamers as they all seem to serve the same purpose. Add in Max and the rest and there are now too many of them. Greed has done in a few years with streamers what took decades to happen to cable. Corporate media can try to lay blame on union strikes (at this point, perhaps blame has already shifted to SAG-AFTRA which has always been seen as less sympathetic and taking a harder line than the writers) but no one in normal life sees the billionaire corporate titans as being remotely sympathetic, so they can have at it. Create some fake polls like they are now doing with Biden vs Trump. And another thing, everyone like to talk about AI taking writers’ jobs first but has anyone considered the fact that producers and executives’ jobs don’t actually require a unique or special skill set and might actually be easily performed by algorithms and software? Remember when everyone assumed that the manual laborers and people who worked with their hands would be the first ones to lose their jobs to automation? Until we saw that it was in fact a lot of office workers who spent hours on the phones who were the first ones to suffer the fallout? If that wasn’t enough, the pandemic really illustrated who were the essential workers. When everyone flocked to their televisions to watch “comfort” shows, it wasn’t the producers they were heaping praise on.

Of course, the likes of Netflix bragged about this, as if it were some brilliant strategy. They deliberately got rid of viable series simply because they got to some arbitrary episode number. It wasn’t long before their so-called strategy began to backfire.

Probably, although a few of them had already increased subscription fees as they were crying poverty before the strike. They’ve also got the problem that many of their shows don’t survive the third season. How they actually believed they could maintain a loyal workforce without offering a modicum of job security is anyone’s guess.

No, I just meant that the AMPTP issued a very terse statement compared to the one by the WGA, which was triumphant. Even the statement from other entities (SAG-AFTRA, DGA, President Biden, etc) congratulating the agreement was longer. The AMPTP was not happy but they are resigned to the agreement.

I read it this morning in the NYT this morning. Did you check the AMPTP’s website? It may be on their website as a press release. It was a very trite abrupt statement anyway, not sure it’s worth the effort to search for it.

It seems that the writer’s guild got just about all of their demands met. Keep in mind that this will still need to get approval by members who have yet to vote. As for the AI provision, while no one can completely anticipate the future and the direction of AI, it does seem as if this tentative agreement respects compensation terms for the writers regardless of how/if AI is implemented. Also, people need to know that at this time, AI is pretty terrible at doing what a screenwriter does, and even worse at doing what a playwright does. Perhaps because those programming AI are not good at that type of writing. I can’t speak to twenty years from now, but at this present moment, AI is pretty atrocious at producing this type of work. By the way, the A.M.P.T.P. is not too happy about having to accede to this agreement but judging by their statement, they realize they have no choice. Read between the lines. Also, keep in mind that the actors are still on strike and, believe it or not, they have more and more complicated demands than the writers did. The only shows that can restart right now are talk shows, game shows and ones that don’t require actors.

Well, the ATP and the WTA and the PTPA, PTA or whatever they’re called are all probably waiting for Saudi Arabia to fix everything. Tennis lost a lot of steam during the pandemic and has yet to fully recover, attendance records (and the long lines of spectators waiting for the uber-pricey hone deuce cocktails) at the US Open notwithstanding.

That’s nice to see. Good to see Zach Roerig looking well.

The very definition of the professional tennis tour! It should have stayed an exhibition with a large payday for the selected players. The WTA, historically went from the Wightman Cup to the Fed Cup to the Billie Jean King Cup. Had the Davis Cup just changed the name to the Rod Laver Cup and maintain the Hopman Cup instead of dismantling it, we could have avoided all this. A lot of people were complaining that they thought Felix was sucking all the fun out of it but he was likely putting pressure on himself because he’s taking it as a real tournament with real stakes (especially seeing the lackluster season that he had) and he’s somehow trying to redeem himself from his lack of success this year. Also, Montreal is his home city so he wanted to do well. Monfils, having never participated in Laver Cup before, likely genuinely believed it was an exhibition, whoever sold him on the idea of playing probably wanted him to believe he could enjoy himself or else, I doubt he would have bothered to participate. Anyhoo, I can’t even watch so, whatever, lol.

Well, what is it though? Exho or tournament? I mean Davis Cup is in a shambles but the ATP already has Davis Cup, which to my knowledge, is not “invitation only”.

By the way, neither I nor @Soapsudswere talking about mandates, we were simply stating what we are doing, especially in the wake of the obvious climb in infection rates. I know two people who have been infected, one of which was briefly hospitalized. It’s your body, it’s your choice. I do understand why many hospital workers would be in favor of masking policies. They have to be there daily, for 8-12 hours a day.

In what kind of crazy messed up world do I agree with anything Ted Nugent says, ever?! Because even Nugent thinks Wenner’s comments were racist and misogynistic. Waiting for hell to freeze over in 5-4-3-2… https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/even-ted-nugent-thinks-jann-154510677.html Of course, Ted Nugent being Ted Nugent, he couldn’t just stop there, he had to go on and make this about himself and his lack of inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And that’s where I jump off the flotilla.

Normally, I detest the idea of Democrats being primaried but Menendez has been on the edge of full-blown scandal for at least a decade and due to his rank within the Senate, has been a potential political liability for awhile now. I have been waiting for this corruption damn to burst for years but now we’re on the eve of a president election year. What timing.

In a hospital with sick and immunocompromised people?

MEAction NOW MEActNOW All NJ hospitals should bring back mask mandates... N.J. hospital returns to masking amid COVID rise - nj.com An uptick in hospitalizations and cases in the community led to the reinstatement. 04:27 AM - Sep 22, 2023 1 14 37 data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== I recently went to get my driver's license renewed and I was the only one wearing a mask. Did it feel weird? Yes but I wanted to keep myself safe. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== I know the feeling. I also wear a mask when I am in spaces where there isn’t enough space for distancing or I know I am going to be in an indoor setting with others for longer than 10 minutes. Now that the numbers are going up, I am masking in public spaces at all times. The masks can also protect from the flu and other respiratory viruses. I thought I was doing a quote reply, I don’t know why it looks like this.

😂 These candid photos. Scott Bryce looks like he would poison the person and Steven Weber just looks like he wants to flatten them. Brian Bloom looks confused as to why someone would want to take a photo of him obviously playing what looks a company softball game. Yes, they’re all so good looking. ATWT was spoiled for choice back then.

Okaaay, so it is what I thought! Thanks for the confirmation @dragonflies. And naming the bar Mahoney’s is a nice touch. Wouldn’t it be something if Niles and Daphne had a bunch of kids? I remember in the episode where Niles had to have bypass surgery, there was a flashforward to Daphne having a baby girl and Niles was there with their daughter introducing her to her baby sister. Especially since Daphne grew up in a family of siblings that she once described as “hideously large”but she loved and sometimes missed having a lot of family around in Seattle, it would have made perfect sense for them to have had four or five kids. Of course, Niles wouldn’t deny Daphne anything. I am still hoping that if the series gets a second season, that Niles will eventually show up, preferably reigniting that sibling rivalry with Frazier, after congratulating Frazier on teaching at Harvard while not-so subtly taking about his recent teaching assignment at Cambridge.

Is Freddie a firefighter? From what I’ve seen of the trailer(s), I have noticed him wearing a t-shirt that looks like it has a Fire Department insignia. I also saw what looks like a pole as would appear in a fire station. I know that there are houses that have been converted from old fire stations ( I used to live near one when I lived in NYC). If this is the case, it is kind of cool that Freddie is followed his grandfather and great-grandfather (who were both police officers) into public service, probably much to Fraser’s dismay. Another thing, people keep referring to Trevor Einhorn as the original Freddie Crane but he’s not. Luke Tarsitano played a younger version of the character. As far as I can remember, he was the first speaking actor to have portrayed the character.

Hm. Did they repurpose some of the furnishings then? Giving a closer look, the bar does and doesn’t look like the bar in Lucinda’s mansion. Although this bar is a definite downgrade from Lucinda’s, which had a soda fountain. Honestly, you know ATWT had a fairly healthy budget by the mid-late 1980s if they could afford that mansion.

That looks like they were striking the set for the final time in those photos. Wow, that Snyder kitchen looks lived in, for real! And of course, I recognize the Hughes living room, the beverage bar at the Walsh mansion and ever other landmark set and scenery. Too bad there was no Stewart cabin left, some pivotal scenes in the show’s history took place there as well.

These guys have to find their amusement where they can, I guess. Lol. This reminds me of years ago when asked in an interview about the chemistry between members of the Russian Davis Cup team, Dmitry Tursunov and Marat Safin claimed to braid each other’s hair (they both had long hair at that time). Or how when asked about who the most romantic person on the ATP Tour, without hesitation, Kei Nishikori responded “Gael Monfils”.😂

Whoa! https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/india-canada-expel-diplomats-over-accusations-delhi-killed-sikh-activist/ar-AA1gVuAd

For years, I insisted that As The World Turns might have lasted a few more years if they had hired me. 🤓 Seriously, I never understood why these soaps never bothered to recruit directly from the writing departments of the top arts schools. I just came across this clip which likely explains why MG and VB might actually have that bit of chemistry. Apparently, Phyllis was also on trial back then…somethings never change.

Word?! Oh wow! Maybe I’ll check out some clips, I admit, I’m intrigued now.