Scouting Hollywood: Aug. 10-16

A roundup of news, gossip and history of the entertainment business brought to you from Hollywood, Calif.

Dissension in the actors’ ranks has appeared over the issue of waivers for indie projects. The Los Angeles Times quotes Viola Davis, whose production company JuVee has been waivered on the action/thriller G20, “I love this movie, but I do not feel that it would be appropriate for this production to move forward during the strike.” Sarah Silverman, never at a loss for swear words, chimed in, “I got offered an indie movie. I f%$king said ‘no.’ And so did a bunch of my friends. And now some of my friends are saying ‘yes,’ and I’m really pissed.” Silverman did acknowledge the thousands of craftspeople who are collateral damage to the work stoppage when she called for solidarity. A Writers Guild of America (WGA) spokesperson noted that work stoppage is the basic idea in a strike and that the writers would offer no waivers. The WGA struck on May 2 and the actors joined the picket line beginning in July. After weeks of no discussions, the producers agreed to sit down with the writers on Aug. 4.