No late-night shows, celebrity profiles or awards show gatherings. Major 2023 releases like “Dune 2” could be bumped to 2024, much like the fate of “Kraven the Hunter” and the “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” sequel.
The earth continues to spin, and most people have bigger issues on their minds. Inflation. Gas prices. Their nation turning into a banana republic in real time.
Dueling Hollywood strikes have shut down La La Land, and there’s little panic across the American heartland.
Does anyone outside of the Hollywood area code care?
Stars like Billy Porter are downsizing while audiences e-watch “The Office” to savor life in the pre-woke era. The writers put away their pens on May 2, with actors joining their strike on July 14. The Hollywood machinery ground to a halt, with only projects birthed outside the traditional gatekeepers moving forward.
Few predict a swift resolution to either strike, and even if the writers end their walkout first they’ll have no one to read their lines.
It’s hard to escape a palpable yawn to all of the above.
Wait. Don’t audiences love celebrities, follow their every move and listen with rapt attention when they speak? Once upon a time, of course. And they still do, to an extent, but one side of this cultural bromance has been behaving too badly to keep the relationship afloat.
Part of the issue is pragmatic in nature.
Audiences have endless content to explore on a gaggle of streaming platforms, including free options like Pluto TV and Tubi. Video games have never been so sophisticated and engaging. YouTube shares killer podcasts, feisty comic sketches and original fare made for a fraction of what it might cost Hollywood, Inc. to produce.
Who needs the Food Network when you can watch Sam the Cooking Guy’s videos with slick production values and a fraction of the commercial load? Miss “Saturday Night Live?” Try sketches from Ryan Long, Kyle Dunnigan and J.P. Sears instead. They’re waiting for you at the click of a mouse, and they pack a better satirical bite than anything from the NBC showcase.
Much of the independent content being made is 100% woke-free. Another bonus.
Hollywood’s PR problem expands beyond those content alternatives.
The industry has been insulting large swathes of the public for some time now. The problem intensifies during election cycles, but the attacks never fully stop even after all the votes have been counted.
Both Conan O’Brien and NBC’s “Saturday Night Live”’ compared President Donald Trump’s fans to Nazis in recent years.
“Please watch our shows and movies. Oh, and by the way, we hate you and your political choices.” That’s just a microscopic look at a larger, more disturbing trend in Hollywood.
The recent pandemic the bond between audience and artist even more tenuous.
We saw celebrity hypocrisy on full blast via events like the 2021 Met Gala where the stars roamed the halls sans masks while “the help” had their faces covered in cloth. TV shows featured talk show hosts addressing fully masked audiences without a flicker of guilt or shame.
It got worse when some of those talkers attacked everyday Americans for protesting what we now know were cruel, ineffective lockdowns that damaged their businesses.
Sometimes permanently.
Other stars slammed anyone who didn’t get their government-approved COVID-19 vaccine, ignoring factors like natural immunity and medical autonomy along the way.
Howard Stern and Arnold Schwarzenegger separately cursed America’s freedoms along the way. Only the “Terminator” star apologized for his words. Jimmy Kimmel suggested unvaccinated Americans shouldn’t be treated at local hospitals.
Was he kidding? Hard to tell given the rhetoric flowing from La La Land.
More discerning consumers read all about unvaccinated actors finding themselves unemployed. Broadway and TV actor Clifton Duncan left the business for that reason, earning a new fan base by calling out the creative community’s draconian measures.
We still have plenty of rock-solid reasons to care about the dueling strikes. Most actors can barely make a living these days, working from gig to gig just to keep their finances afloat. For every Clooney, Streep, or Jordan there are hundreds of actors whose names we’ll never know hoping for their big break. Some may never get it.
This is doubly true for many Hollywood scribes who toil in near complete anonymity.
The current system should reflect the massive technological shifts happening behind Hollywood’s golden walls. Streamers also should be more transparent about how many people watch their shows … and share that information with the stars and scribes who make it all possible.
You can hate Hollywood’s political leanings and understand the system feels rigged or their collective fear over AI’s potential.
Plus, the studios are likely playing hardball while their executives enjoy lavish salaries and lifestyles.
Eventually, we will run low in fresh content and will crave something new beyond Michael Scott’s “Office” shenanigans.
Hollywood strikers have yet another PR problem on their hands. The culture feels a growing divide between the “elites” – the experts who share misinformation while blocking opposing views – and regular Americans who see celebrities as part of that exasperating group.
Hollywood’s combination of nasty politics and pandemic-era hate makes it darn near impossible to root for either side.
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of HollywoodInToto.com. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at @HollywoodInToto.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.