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Music Supervisors in Hollywood Look to Unionize With IATSE

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The supervisors are asking for standardized pay, fair and equitable treatment, and a chance to sit at the bargaining table.


Music Supervisors Begin Union Effort

Music supervisors, who are responsible for the powerful moments that bring songs to life on film and TV screens, are seeking to unionize with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE).

The IATSE is one of the largest Hollywood unions, representing over 160,000 crew members in the industry. In a statement on Monday, the group said that 75% of film and television music supervisors signed union authorization cards to be part of the union.

Despite this desire to unionize, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) “indicated they will not voluntarily recognize it,” according to the IATSE. 

“Every worker deserves to have rights and a voice in the workplace, regardless of how your employer values your work,”  IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb said in a statement. “The workers have spoken, and the AMPTP should respect its workers and democracy by voluntarily recognizing Music Supervisors’ union immediately.”

The IATSE further argued that the responsibilities of music supervisors have expanded, but their “conditions have deteriorated, and pay has been stagnant and does not reflect the cultural impact of their work.”

Tired of working with lacking rights and benefits, supervisors are fighting for fair and equitable treatment, healthcare and retirement plans, standardized pay rates, timely payments, and the ability to negotiate with employers and codify a union contract. 

A Twitter account speaking on behalf of the unionizing workers called @MusicNeedsSupes wrote that music supervisors are “one of the few in Film and TV that don’t get workers rights under our craft.”

“Stand with our community in our fight for equality,” the tweet continued. 

The Industry Responds to Calls For Action

Many prominent faces in the industry have answered the music supervisors’ call for visibility. Diane Warren, who has been nominated for 13 Best Original Song Academy Awards, shared @MusicNeedsSupes’ message and wrote that she is “supporting [her] music supervisor friends.”

“The job is much more than ‘picking music,’” composer and producer Pedro Costa added. “Supes are overworked, underpaid, under-respected. Enough!”

On social media, many have been using the hashtags #MusicSupervisorEquity and #SilentWithoutUs to draw attention to the movement. Amanda Krieg Thomas, who has served as a music supervisor on shows like “Pam & Tommy,” “American Horror Story,” and “Dopesick,” said in an Instagram post that the position is one of few that “are on a project from script phase, through production, post production, and sometimes (often!) all the way until air/release.”

“And yet we do not get the same workers’ rights as many of our colleagues – there is no overtime, pension or other benefits for our role,” she wrote. 

Some songs have become so inextricably tied to the movies or shows they are featured in that it’s impossible to hear them without thinking of the flick. “Don’t You Forget About Me,” will always bring to mind the fist pump at the end of “The Breakfast Club,” while “Old Time Rock & Roll” conjures an image of Tom Cruise dancing in boxers in “Risky Business.” More recently, Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” found a new life and a space on the Billboard Top Ten after being featured in the latest season of “Stranger Things.”

Music Supervisors facilitate some of the most beloved moments in film and television,” the IATSE said in a call to action, urging that their pay and benefits be matched the strength of their artistic footprint.

See what others are saying: (Deadline) (The Hollywood Reporter) (NPR)

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Max to Agrees to “Properly” Credit Writers and Directors After Facing Backlash For Lumping Them in As “Creators”

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The company said the credits were laid out incorrectly due to “an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max.”


After film and television writers slammed Max for crediting all writers, producers, and directors as general “creators” on its platform, the company said it will be adjusting its credits display.

“We agree that the talent behind the content on Max deserve their work to be properly recognized,” the streaming service said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. 

Max — the new rebrand of HBO Max that incorporates Discovery content — launched on Tuesday to much criticism. Amid glitches and app-switching confusion, the biggest backlash it faced was over the choice to lump creative roles into one credit section called “creators.” As one viral tweet noted, if a user were to select the film “Raging Bull,” the service’s display would not specifically credit Martin Scorsese as the director, rather, his name would be included at random with half a dozen other people, including writers and producers. 

The decision was condemned by many in the industry who argued it minimizes writers and directors by not properly giving them credit where it is due. Especially amid the ongoing writers’ strike, and with directors and actors starting negotiations with studios, some took it as a slap in the face. 

“The studios don’t want anyone to know our names,” writer Christina Strain tweeted. “It’s easier to pay us nothing if we’re faceless.”

“Another move from studios to diminish the role of writers, directors, actors and other craftspeople. Miss me wit this nonsense,” Jorge Rivera, the Vice-Chair of the Writers Guild’s Latinx Writers Committee, added. 

In a statement, Directors Guild President Lesli Linka Glatter said that Warner Bros. Discovery’s choice to “collapse” these roles into one credit “while we are in negotiations with them is a grave insult to our members and our union.”

“The DGA will not stand for it,” Glatter continued.

WGA West President Meredith Stiehm claimed the move was “a credits violation,” as well as an insult “to the artists that make the films and TV shows that make their corporation billions.”

On Wednesday, Max said it would rework its crediting. 

“We will correct the credits, which were altered due to an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max and we apologize for this mistake,” the platform said.

See what others are saying: (Gizmodo) (The Hollywood Reporter) (The Los Angeles Times)

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A Quarter of Young British Men Support Andrew Tate’s Thoughts on Women

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U.K. residents at large, however, do not view him favorably.


Even under house arrest in Romania, misogynist influencer Andrew Tate still holds substantial sway over young men. 

According to data from YouGov that was obtained by The Independent, 26% of U.K. men between 18 and 29 years old who know of Tate agree with his views on women. That figure was largely the same for men between 30 and 39, as 28% agreed with Tate’s opinions on the subject. 

Men in their 30s were slightly more likely to agree with Tate on his thoughts about masculinity. Three out of ten supported those views, compared to just a quarter of men 18 to 29.

Those statistics only include the thoughts of men who have heard of Tate, but per YouGov, most have. In the 18 to 29 group, 93% were familiar with him, and 86% of men in their 30s knew of him. 

The U.K. at large was less aware of Tate, with just 63% of British adults having heard of him. Of that group, only 6% held a positive view of him. 

Tate has faced substantial backlash for his sexist rhetoric over the years. In the past, he said that men should have “authority” over their wives or girlfriends, and that women should “bear some responsibility” for being raped. He was previously banned from Twitter over his extremist views on women but has since been allowed back on the platform. 

He is currently being investigated in Romania for organized crime and human trafficking. He was arrested and held in custody in December but was released to house arrest earlier this year. No formal charges have been filed against him yet and he has maintained his innocence. 

Tate currently boasts a Twitter following of 6.7 million. It has grown significantly since he was enveloped in legal controversy, and many of his supporters have demanded his release. 

See what others are saying: (The Independent) (Glamour U.K.)

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Involved in “Near Catastrophic” Paparazzi Chase

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“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” a spokesperson for the couple said.


“Aggressive” Paparazzi Chase Couple in New York

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were involved in a “near catastrophic” paparazzi car chase Tuesday night in New York City, according to a spokesperson for the couple.

In a statement, the spokesperson described the photographers as “highly aggressive.”

“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” the statement added.

“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers,” it continued. 

Details of the incident are still emerging, but BBC News reported that there are claims the chase involved roughly six cars driving recklessly by running red lights, driving on the sidewalk, carrying out blocking moves, going backward on a one-way road, and taking pictures while driving. 

The chase happened after Harry and Meghan were leaving the Women of Vision Awards with Meghan’s mother, Doria. They did not want photographers to learn where they were staying and attempted to avoid them in what turned into a 75-minute chase on a main road in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. They eventually ducked into a New York Police Department Precinct to hide out before getting into a different vehicle.

The NYPD released a statement confirming that they assisted in protecting the couple as “numerous photographers” hindered their transport. Officials said they made it to their destination and there were no collisions, injuries, or arrests. 

The couple’s spokesperson is asking the public to not share or post footage of the incident. 

“Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved,” the spokesperson said. 

Memories of Princess Diana

The chase evokes the brutal press hounding Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, was subjected to throughout her life. The paparazzi’s obsession with her ultimately resulted in her death in 1997, when she was killed in a car crash after being chased by photographers in Paris. 

Since marrying Meghan and later bowing out of the Royal Family, Harry has made it explicitly clear that he fears those events could happen again. Meghan has been the subject of endless tabloid scrutiny, enduring racism and harassment from the press. Part of the reason they left the Royal Family was to keep their family protected from such attacks.

Mayor Eric Adams brought up Diana’s tragic passing while speaking about Tuesday night’s chase. 

“I don’t think there’s many of us who don’t recall how [Harry’s] mom died,” Adams said while speaking to reporters. “And it would be horrific to lose an innocent bystander during a chase like this and something to have happened to them as well…I think that was a bit reckless and irresponsible.” 

Adams also questioned whether or not he believes a chase could go on for two hours in a city as congested as New York, but noted that even a 10-minute chase would be dangerous. He said he will be briefed on the exact timeline and details later. 

See what others are saying: (BBC News) (Associated Press) (Yahoo News)

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