Hollywood Week: SAG/AFTRA Studios Near Deal, Matthew Perry Funeral, R&R Hall of Fame, Box Office

Studio executives and AMPTP have delivered a new proposal to the SAG/AFTRA negotiating team hoping to end the longest actors strike in its 100-year history and salvage the remainder of the fall season and the 2024 slate.

"With "fluid" replaced by "cautious optimism" as the new drumbeat for contract talks over the past several days, the insider pointed out the "urgency" to find a resolution. At the same time, individuals with knowledge of events add that any notion of the latest proposal being the best and final offer from the AMPTP is "really premature," as one put it," Deadline reported.


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The Big Four, as studio executives, Bob Iger from The Walt Disney Company, Ted Sarandos of Netflix, Discovery's David Zaslav, and Donna Langley from NBC/Universal, are expected to attend the negotiations which are continuing over the weekend even after the October 11, memo from the AMPTP that stated, "the differences between the too were too great" and no new negotiation would take place until after the New Year.

"In an Instagram message on Friday, union president Fran Drescher said she hoped the studios' response would "seal the deal." "Let's hope the amptp ceo's resurface with a seal the deal counter!," she wrote," reported Variety.com.


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Matthew Perry Funeral

Matthew Perry, 54, who died last weekend after being discovered submerged in his hot tub, was laid to rest Friday at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles, near Warner Bros Studio.

The private funeral was attended by his former castmates from the hit sitcom "Friends," Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer along with family and invited guests.

Perry, who was found October 28 in his Pacific Palisades home hot tub, is reported to have fallen asleep, slipped under the water, and drowned.

"The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed to PEOPLE that an autopsy has been completed and results are pending a toxicology report. However, an online record has the status of the actor's cause of death currently listed as "deferred" since it's "pending additional investigation," People magazine reported.

Over the past year Perry had been very open about his addictions. His instant New York Times #1 bestseller, Friends, Lovers, and a Big Terrible Thing, gave the comedian the opportunity to discuss candidly his spiral into the abyss of addiction and the dedicated effort over impossible odds to regain some semblance of himself.

Since the news of Perry's death, media has revealed sides to the actor that those in fandom may never have seen. From more recent moments as he champions sobriety and had just begun to evangelize the importance of it to hidden moments across the three decades that have passed since he became a household name as Chandler Bing.

The freedom he gained from releasing the shackling hidden secrets in his 2022 biography appears to have continued to endear him to the legions of fans as sales of his autobiography skyrocketed.

"Frank, self-aware, and with his trademark humor, Perry vividly depicts his lifelong battle with addiction and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that is both intimate and eye-opening—as well as a hand extended to anyone struggling with sobriety. Unflinchingly honest, moving, and uproariously funny, this is the book fans have been waiting for," according to Barnes and Noble Bookstore review.


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Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Announces Inductees

"The 38th annual ceremony took place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn with performances that spanned genres and paired different generations of stars, including an opening act with Crow and Olivia Rodrigo singing "If It Makes You Happy," a pairing of honoree Chaka Khan and Common, as well as with H.E.R. and Sia, and a medley of Nelson's songs featuring the 90-year-old performer alongside Dave Matthews, Chris Stapleton and Crow. Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page made a surprise appearance to perform "Rumble" in honor of inductee Link Wray," reported The Wrap.


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Box Office

Five Nights at Freddy's, a Blumhouse Horror flick, has remained at number one with an eight day worldwide release total of #156 million.

Taylor Swift still reigns supreme at the box office as her ERAS tour film continues to dominate the with a 22-day total of $156 million delivering a much-needed boost to struggling theaters owners.

Martin Scorsese's Children of the Flower Moon, the wester crime thriller starring Robert De Niro, Leonardo Di Caprio and Lily Gladstone dropped to third place at the box office after 15 days. The more than three-hour thriller is expected to perform beyond expectations.

Priscilla, from Director Sofia Coppola and A24, which presents a walk-through Priscilla Presley introduction to Elvis Presley and her life as the child girlfriend and wife of the world's first rock and roll superstar, has jumped to number 4.

Rounding out the top five films at the box office Radical, from Pantelion Films, an unknown film about the worst performing school systemin Mexico and the teacher who decides to turn this tragedy into triumph, takes number 5 with a one day $870K worldwide total.

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Arts / Culture