Teacher JacobCrisis in the HOLLYWOOD?
Learning English - Words in the News
Learning Objective: At the end of the session, the students are expected to be able to use the new words and phrases included in this lesson.
05 January, 2009 - Published 13:22 GMT... adapted from bbc.com
The recession and the prospect of another strike in Hollywood could combine to make it a miserable New Year for the entertainment business.
The global credit crunch is making it much more difficult for studios to get funding for big budget pictures. High earning actors are being asked to lower their expectations and accept more modest salaries.
The Screen Actors Guild has said it will ballot its 120,000 members on a possible strike, although it needs a 75 per vote in favour before a walkout can be authorised by the union's leaders.
The mood of many is that now is not the time to rock the boat and that the fight over payments for work on the internet should wait until a later date.
Well known actors such as George Clooney and Tom Hanks have urged the Guild to reconsider its strategy.
The biggest casualty of a fresh round of industrial action, could be the Oscars ceremony. This year the show went ahead, but in a subdued fashion. The screenwriters strike, which lasted a 100 days, sapped the enthusiasm of Hollywood for the traditional party. But it's an event the studios rely on as a global shop front for their movies.
Peter Bowes, BBC, Los Angeles
Listen to the words
the prospect of
big budget pictures
more modest salaries
a walkout
to rock the boat
urged
to reconsider its strategy
a subdued fashion
sapped the enthusiasm
a global shop front