Writers' strike hurting LA economy
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- The writer's strike is likely to cost the Los Angeles area $20 million a day if it continues much longer, a report says.
In December, 44 one-hour dramatic shows and 21 sit coms filmed in Los Angeles will have to shut down production for lack of scripts, the Los Angeles Times reported. Many shows have already closed down, including "24," "Desperate Housewives," "My Name Is Earl" and "The Office."
"If the strike continues it's going to have a huge impact on the local economy and middle-class jobs," FilmL.A. President Steve MacDonald told the newspaper.
FilmL.A., a non-profit organization promoting the industry, puts the value of direct production at $20 million.
The strike began more than two weeks ago after talks between the movie and TV producers and the Writer's Guild broke down over payments for shows distributed via the Internet and wireless devices. Talk shows like "The Tonight Show" and "The Daily Show" went into reruns immediately.
Group co-opts Barbie for anti-lead message
WASHINGTON, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Barbie and Ken have been co-opted by a group fighting against the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, starring in an online critique of lead in toys.
Campaign for America's Future released a video on YouTube that shows Barbie getting lead poisoning after a reunion with Ken. "Toxic Toys: A Poisonous Affair" has Barbie complaining of symptoms after the couple's one-night stand.
In a news release this week, the group said that the CPSC's annual list of safety tips for parents and others buying toys for Christmas fails to include making sure they do not contain lead.
California Attorney General Jerry Brown sued Mattel, which makes Barbie, and other toy manufacturers and retailers, claiming that they have failed to warn consumers of hazardous levels of lead in some toys. A number of Democratic legislators have also called for the departure of Nancy Nord, head of the CPSC.
N.J. Symphony unloads rare instruments
NEWARK, N.J., Nov. 24 (UPI) -- The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra has made a deal to sell 30 stringed instruments, including Stradivarius and Guarneri violins.
The collection has been something of an embarrassment for the orchestra since it acquired the instruments in 2003. Officials say that the sale will allow the orchestra continue to use the instruments for at least five years while paying off its debt, The New York Times reported.
The purchasers are an investment group headed by Brooke and Seth Taube, twin brothers who graduated from Harvard and are both amateur violin players. The Star-Ledger of Newark reported Friday that the group will pay $20 million for the collection as well as a percentage of profits from eventual resale of the instruments.
The orchestra bought the collection from Herbert Axelrod, a businessman who later went to prison on unrelated tax charges. At the time, the instruments were said to be worth $50 million, but officials later acknowledged that was at least twice their actual value.
Prince Charles tours Uganda shantytown
KAMPALA, Uganda, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Prince Charles of Britain, in what could be the start of a campaign to become head of the Commonwealth of Nations, visited a Kampala slum.
The prince met two former prostitutes in a program to train sex workers in other jobs and got a lesson in condom use Friday from a public health nurse, The Times of London reported.
"He is a nice man," said Jane Nabunya. "He treated us with more respect than many people do."
The Commonwealth, originally an organization of former British colonies, was headed first by King George VI and then by his daughter, Queen Elizabeth II. The British monarch's role is not automatic, and there have been suggestions that the queen's successor could be some one such as former Prime Minister Tony Blair or former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
While Charles was touring the Kawempe shantytown, his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, spent time with a dance group and attended a lunch hosted by Sarah Brown, wife of the British prime minister.
