Tag: Fran Drescher

Hidden Blessing in the Hollywood Shutdown

Hollywood sets have gone dark.

A central reason for the recent Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike is that actors, writers, and other entertainment artists are super nervous about Artificial Intelligence (AI) making them and their jobs obsolete.

When the strike was first announced, current president of SAG-AFTRA Fran Drescher was at the mike to address the press.

Drescher, the former lead actress of the 1990s hit TV sitcom “The Nanny,” heads the union that boasts a membership of over 160,000 film and television actors.

Interestingly, the writers union had gone on strike a couple of months back. But now that SAG-AFTRA has also taken to the picket line, the situation in Hollywood is looking pretty bleak.

The last time both unions were on strike simultaneously was over sixty years ago, when none other than then-actor (who ultimately turned President of the United States) Ronald Reagan was wearing the union president’s hat.

Like every other aspect of our lives, things presently appear to be out of whack.

The brand of Hollywood itself is in tatters, in large part because of the cultural and political agendas that permeate every nook and cranny of the town.

What has particularly outraged the public, though, are the productions that have been coming from major studios, chock-full of vile and inappropriate imagery, content, and messaging aimed straight at our kids and teens.

Could the Hollywood shutdown created by the two entertainment unions be a blessing in disguise?

A lot of consumers of entertainment fare are viewing it this way, as if maybe a wrench in the works was exactly what was needed to stop the madness.

Striking actors and writers have reason to be concerned about the capability of AI models to supplant human beings in the manufacture of entertainment products.

Creative types are also increasingly astonished at the sheer capabilities of generative AI models, which can digitally produce what would typically have been created by human beings, but in a faster and less expensive way.

AI ingests the works and images of human artists as part of its training data. The technology can then alter and/or mash-up content, allowing entertainment companies to avoid compensating the people who originally created the works or were even the subjects of images used.

Additionally, other creative types such as musicians and visual artists are carefully watching the entertainment biz battle, as are all those who work in an array of fields that will no doubt be affected by AI’s implementation.

We are already witnessing the technological replacement of human beings in a host of industries. Still, the entertainment business has a unique opportunity to do something helpful for society at large.

The manner in which Hollywood resolves the two strikes could set the marker, not only for the entertainment industry but for other businesses as well.

Digitally created trailers and scenes featuring what appear to be well known actors have popped up all over the internet. The virtual phenom is posing legal and ethical concerns that the unions are obliged to address.

At a recent press conference, Drescher warned, “If we don’t stand tall right now, we are all going to be in trouble. We are all going to be in jeopardy of being replaced by machines.”

SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland indicated during a press conference that a proposal by the studios would put background performers at a terrible disadvantage.

“They propose that our background performers should be able to be scanned, get paid for one day’s pay, and their company should own that scan of their image, their likeness, and should be able to use it for the rest of eternity,” Crabtree-Ireland said.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents major studios including Walt Disney and Netflix, issued a statement suggesting that the claim made by SAG-AFTRA leadership is untrue.

An AMPTP spokesperson told ZDNET that the use of digital replicas would be restricted to the specific motion picture for which the actor is employed, and that any additional use would require the actor’s permission.

“Any other use requires the background actor’s consent and bargaining for the use, subject to a minimum payment,” the spokesperson stated.

This strike over AI is just the opening scene.

Sit yourself down and get ready for a real-life epic drama.

Only this time you’re not going to be able to say, “Don’t worry. It’s only a movie.”

Michael Rapaport at the Crossroads of Hollywood and Politics

In addition to enjoying some big-time name recognition as a Hollywood actor, Michael Rapaport is also famous for expressing aloud exactly what is on his mind.

He is a celebrity of the “woke” kind, and for years he has gone about establishing his bonafides by taking positions that line up perfectly with his liberal Hollywood colleagues.

Having appeared in scores of films and an assortment of television fare (including the wildly successful “Friends,” “Prison Break,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and “Boston Public”), Rapaport is currently featured in the Netflix offering “Atypical.”

Intriguingly, he seems to have recently made a u-turn with regard to his perspective on the Biden administration.

The actor shared, via Twitter, some of his heavy duty frustration with the Biden administration’s present approach to the addressing of public health concerns and issuing of attendant recommended protocols.

Those who have already received seemingly protective shots “… are spreading Covid! That’s the new news of the day! I’m ranted out,” Rapaport writes.

In an additional tweet that appears to take direct aim at his otherwise esteemed mentor Dr. Anthony Fauci, Rapaport sounds more like fellow thespian Kirstie Alley than Hollywood-minded colleague Ted Danson.

He encourages people to take a trip down Memory Lane and try to recall a time “… when Phil Jackson left the Lakers? Bill Parcels left the Giants?”

Then he implies that now may be the time for Dr. Fauci to exit the spotlight, adding, “It’s all white noise at this point.”

The culmination of his frustration was on display in a TicTok video that he posted on his Twitter account, one in which he appears to experience a fairly dramatic emotional meltdown.

The title caption of the post reads: “Am I a Hero or a Super Spreader?”

Making no effort to suppress his feelings, he boldly blurts, “Figure this sh** out!”

In the video footage, Rapaport appears to be both angry and appalled to discover that information he had previously been relying upon was incorrect.

Continuing with a profanity laced outburst, he laments his personal predicament, which has been created by the mixed messages and shifting recommendations coming from myriad public health officials.

He also talks about falling from hero status to the rank level of a super spreader, using expletives to apparently lend more power to his emotion-packed words.

His change of attitude may have been brought on by the Biden administration’s reversal of its mask policy.

National mask mandates had been lifted in May of this year. However, public health leaders pivoted and recommended that both vaccinated and unvaccinated people wear face masks indoors in specified regions across the country.

Dr. Fauci indicated that the change was due to the Delta variant’s alleged increased transmissibility. The doctor also revealed that recent data indicate, when a vaccinated person becomes infected with the Delta variant, the level of virus in the upper part of the pharynx, which is connected to nasal passages, is about 1,000 times higher than when infected with the initial Alpha variant.

Reactions to Rapaport’s comments caused a Twitter explosion on both sides of the political and ideological aisles.

Still, he isn’t shying away from sharing his views with fellow Hollywood neighbors and others.

Interestingly, though, the actor is in the thick of a quasi-political power struggle for a leadership position in Hollywood’s most influential organization, the celebrity drenched labor union SAG-AFTRA.

Involvement as a union leader is actually what led the late great President Ronald Reagan to enter the world of politics.

Two major “parties” currently exist: The incumbent “Unite for Strength” party, whose ticket is headed by sitcom actress and SAG-AFTRA presidential hopeful Fran Drescher; and the upstart “Membership First” party that offers actor Matthew Modine as its presidential contender.

National board candidates for “Unite for Strength” include outgoing union president Gabrielle Carteris, and actors Shari Belafonte and Camryn Manheim.

“Membership First” candidates who are running for seats on the national board include actors Sharon Stone, Stephanie Powers, Sean Astin, Brad Garret, and Rapaport himself.

As part of the “Unite for Strength” party, Rapaport, in his official campaign statement, warns voting members of the following: “SAG-AFTRA is OUR UNION! We need to protect it and ourselves.”