As in her actual voice. Somehow a discussion about Oprah Winfrey, actor, became a conversation about how women’s voices a judged – like the sound of them, whether or not they’re too high, low, squeaky, or deep. This is why, no matter how much I know about sports, I would never be hired as a sports reporter.
About Oprah though, she’s on the cover of the new issue of InStyle and most of the headlines about this interview have to do with her running for president. Is this a definitive “no” though? Or… is this Oprah, on a promotional tour for a movie, ahead of the release of A Wrinkle In Time, shrewdly playing up a storyline? What is the work of Oprah, the actor?
Next, Julie Plec is the showrunner of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals. Here’s what she tweeted after the Producers Guild Awards last week:
No disrespect to streaming and cable, but could we please create a ‘made for broadcast network’ awards category at Emmys and others? Between commercial act outs, broadcast standards & stringent running time, the playing field is simply NOT EQUAL. Not to mention budget for most. https://t.co/NXK0E1fyrq
— Julie Plec (@julieplec) January 21, 2018
In the time of Peak (or Platinum, as it’s now being called) TV, do we need to revisit awards categories for broadcast network and streaming services? It’s a good time to have a conversation about how differently they operate.
As noted recently, Time’s Up has encouraged actresses to exchange information about salaries and negotiation in an effort to achieve pay equality. Last week, two anonymous google docs were being shared online – an actors’ spreadsheet and a writers’ spreadsheet. Does this mean that, across the board, pay transparency is happening among creatives in all departments, and not just for the actors? Will this extend outside of Hollywood, in other industries? If so, what effect will it have on workplace culture – in YOUR workplace culture?
Finally… Patti LuPone performed last night to honour Andrew Lloyd Webber after they’ve been bitching at each other for 20 years. She sued him for a million dollars! And then, last week, she announced to a roomful of people that, “This is a détente”. Because if you have to forgive, you might as well be as theatrical about it as possible.
But remember what Ellen Pompeo said of her relationship with Shonda Rhimes? It was built on loyalty. Patti and Andrew’s loyalty was broken. Was it loyalty that brought her back? To whom?
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