And just like that, Hollywood shut down.

It’s been a busy week for those of us who follow entertainment.  Not only did we have the Emmy nominations but we also had SAG-AFTRA going on strike, joining the Writer’s Guild and effectively shutting down Hollywood.  It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.  I don’t want to say too much because, honestly, what do I know about labor negotiations?  But I will say that, with the era of AI approaching, I’m on the side of whoever is going to continue to give us films that are written by, directed by, and star human beings.

(As a sidenote, I usually don’t write anything about what’s been going on over at the AV Club because I’m acquainted with a few people who have written for the site and I don’t want to make things awkward for them.  But there is just something so unbelievably depressing about the news that the AV Club will be one of the sites experimenting with AI-generated articles.)

I watched a lot of true crime this week, in preparation for our October horrorthon.  Watching and reviewing 31 true crime films sounds like a good idea until you discover how depressing they are to sit through, one after another.

Here’s what I watched, read, and listened to this week!

Films I Watched:

1. Andrea’s Story — A Hitchhiker’s Tragedy (1983)
2. Barbie Dance Club! (1989)
3. The Case of the Hillside Strangler (1989)
4. The Day My Kid Went Punk (1987)
5. The Drug Knot (1986)
6. The Fourth Man (1990)
7. Goodnight Sweet Wife: A Murder in Boston (1990)
8. Happy Face Killer (2014)
9. The Hunt for the I-5 Killer (2011)
10. It’s Only Rock n Roll (1991)
11. Men In Black (1997)
12. Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Smart Story (1991)
13. Night of the Zodiac (2022)
14. Parts: The Clonus Horror (1979)
15. The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story (2004)
16. Portrait of a Teenage Shoplifter (1981)
17. Ricky 6 (2000)
18. SADD: A Contract For Life (1985)
19. Stalking Laura (1993)
20. Stoned (1980)
21. Testing Dirty (1990)
22. The Wave (1981)
23. The Wraith (1986)

Television Shows I Watched:

1. All You Need Is Love
2. The Ashley Madison Affair
3. City Guys
4. Claim to Fame
5. Fantasy Island
6. Geraldo
7. Gimme A Break
8. Jenny Jones
9. Lifestories: Families In Crisis
10. The Love Boat
11. The Master
12. Night Flight
13. Welcome Back, Kotter

Books I Read:

1. Crooked: The Roaring ’20s Tale of a Corrupt Attorney General, a Crusading Senator, and the Birth of the American Political Scandal  (2023) by Nathan Masters

Music To Which I Listened:

1. Adi Ulmansky
2. Avril Lavigne
3. Britney Spears
4. The Chemical Brothers
5. Christina Aguilera
6. Fatboy Slim
7. Fiona Apple
8. Gwen Stefani
9. Jessica Simpson
10. The Killers
11. Lindsay Lohan
12. Saint Motel
13. Souxsie and the Banshees

Live Tweets:

1. Parts: The Clonus Horror
2. Men In Black
3. The Wraith
4. Blood Vessel

Trailers:

1. Napoleon
2. Wonka

News From Last Week:

1. Writer Milan Kundera dies at 94
2. Actress and singer Jane Birkin dies at 76
3. Producer Daniel Goldberg dies at 74
4. Actor John Nettleton dies at 94
5. Former Rolling Stones tour manager Sam Cutler dies at 80
6. Actors are going on strike after talks with major studios and streaming services fail
7. SAG actors join writers on Hollywood picket lines
8. All the TV Shows and Movies Affected by the Actors Strike (Updating)
9. Actor Hill Harper announces US Senate bid in Michigan
10. Ben Savage lends himself $800K for Congress race; Shyne plays catch up

Links From Last Week:

1. The Case For Warren Zevon…His Complicated Life And Brilliant Music…
2. Tater’s Week in Review 7/14/23

Links From The Site:

1. Jeff shared music videos from Coolio, Eric Clapton, Art of Noise, Ice-T, Faith No More, Lindsey Buckingham, and 10,000 Maniacs!
2. Erin shared Wrong Kind of Love, Paris Nights, Western Short Stories, Brief Stories, Shark-0, A Night With Laura, and Walls Rise Up!
3. Leonard shared the trailers for Napoleon and Wonka!
4. I shared my Emmy picks and my thoughts on the actual Emmy nominations!
5. I shared my week in television!
6. I reviewed Can Ellen Be Saved, Hang Time, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, City Guys, The Master, and Welcome Back Kotter!
7. I paid tribute to Monte Hellman!
8. I shared scenes from Dracula and Apocalypse Now!

More From Us:

1. At her photography site, Erin shared Iris, Caddo Bird, Cemetery, Graveyard, Tree In The Backyard, Summer Day, and Two Ducks!
2. At my music site, I shared songs from Fatboy Slim, Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, The Killers, Saint Motel, Britney Spears, and Fiona Apple!

Want to check out last week’s activity?  Click here!