Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Ali Larter Pitches In at the Picket Lines

It’s been going on for too long, and the Hollywood writers’ strike is starting to have a deep impact on the entertainment industry.

And celebrities like “Heroes” actress Ali Larter have joined the striking writers, lending support and encouragement (and in some cases pizza and doughnuts) during this time of industry unrest.

Television shows are finding themselves within an indefinite hiatus, and its implications are getting more and more far-reaching. This past Monday, the Television Critics Association announced that it would be cancelling its annual January meeting, where networks and cable channels would usually promote the year’s coming attractions.

On the movie end, both Johnny Depp’s new flick “Shantaram” and Tom Hanks and Ron Howard’s “DaVinci Code” prequel “Angels & Demons” will be sidelined until the writers return to work.

“DaVinci” screenplay writer Akiva Goldsman (who also wrote “Angels & Demons’ screenplay) told press, “I just thank God that I’m not involved with anything in production, because it would be agony to have to stand there and know you could fix something and not fix it. But that’s what a lot of my brothers and sisters are doing right now. That’s tough, because you spend years getting to a movie, and it’s like, melodramatically, it’s like watching someone you love wander out into traffic.”

As the strike drags on, we’ll keep you updated on any progress.

Gossip Girls

Enjoy the pictures of Ali helping out at the picket line (December 11).