2ND UPDATE: AFTRA Chairman Claims Joint Resolution With SAG “Erroneous” But Admits OKing It; “I Regret I Did Not Object” PPDATE: Huh? No SAG-AFTRA Lovefest After All? This is potentially bad news for the AMPTP today. The Hollywood CEOs had been hoping to exploit the longtime bitter rivalry between SAG and AFTRA in…

After all this time — the years, the witnesses before the grand jury, the rumors, and the media coverage — I can tell you that the trial memo filed last night by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the case of United States v. Pellicano, et al is not going to shake up Hollywood one iota. Of course, these are very serious…

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles has filed the trial memo outlining the case against Anthony Pellicano and his co-defendants. It’s lengthy. Hollywood figures are mentioned in it prominently. I will summarize as quickly as I can for posting.

If a federal judge severs a pair of counts from the wiretapping and conspiracy case against Anthony Pellicano, then the imprisoned Hollywood P.I. would have two trials — the one starting Wednesday, and a second to be held later alongside bigwig showbiz attorney Terry Christensen. Pellicano surprised U.S. District…

Not only has Blu-ray won the format war, but now HD-DVD is rubbing consumers’ faces in it. Paramount will stop releasing HD-DVDs after next week. Cancelled releases include Bee Movie (DreamWorks Animation, which is distributed by Paramount, had scheduled it for March 11), Sweeney Todd (April 1), and even the just…

2ND UPDATE: The New York board of directors of the Screen Actors Guild released a resolution today that urges the guild to begin negotiations on a new contract as soon as possible. It’s well known that the NY and LA branches of SAG are often at odds. The resolution comes only hours after SAG leaders Alan Rosenberg…

This is, in my estimation, a logical, necessary and ballsy move by Time Warner’s new chief Jeff Bewkes (unless Toby Emmerich is kept on as New Line Cinema’s president of production, which would be moronic). It also shows that Bewkes is moving aggressively to start the transformation process of a corporation desperate…

Now that the writers strike is truly behind Hollywood, I’m turning my attention as much as possible to the actors’ upcoming contract negotiations with Hollywood CEOs. Already, Variety is using its Page One bully pulpit to pressure SAG leadership to begin talks with the moguls because the studios are “refusing” to…

Last night on The Late Show, David Letterman noted the writers approval of the new contract by having the WGA’s Dave Young and the AMPTP’s Nick Counter come out onstage at the Ed Sullivan Theater. And shake hands. And hug. And then lip-lock for a passionate 2-minute kiss. And then keep kissing throughout the show…

Already Lorne Michaels has asked Jim Downey to write another Hillary vs Obama skit to open the next Saturday Night Live show. (With Ellen Page hosting, the Juno star might play Chelsea Clinton.) Not bad for a veteran SNL writer who 10 years ago was fired by NBC for going after politicians in power on the show’s…

UPDATE: Sources say Quarterlife will move from NBC to NBC Universal-owned Bravo. The announcement that Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz had sold their 36-episode Internet show Quarterlife to NBC for a network series caused a lot of talk during the writers strike. (See my previous, Zwick/Herskovitz: WGA Friends Or Foes…

Jeez, we hardly knew him. John Kilcullen, who since October 2006 has served as publisher of  beleaguered The Hollywood Reporter, will leave the company at the end of this month. The reason is “to pursue his passion as an entrepreneur,” which has now officially replaced “to spend more time with his family” as the…