Sinking

I don't know why I even bother watching the news or reading it online. Pretty much every story seems to be a tale of gloom and doom. But I want to know what's going on in the world, so I watch and read. Right now, the media seems to be consumed with the Hollywood writers' and actors' strikes. I honestly had forgotten the writers were still on strike until the actors went out and I realized the late-night shows have been off the air for months. No Colbert, Meyers, Fallon, Kimmel. Not that I watched any of these shows regularly, but I'd often watch clips from them on YouTube. I do hope an agreement is reached soon for the writers especially. They've been walking the picket lines for months now and I'm sure many of them are being squeezed hard economically. All writers certainly aren't making big money. Still, I understand the pushback from folks who aren't a part of the Hollywood community who don't give two shits about writers and actors going on strike. When you're out here grinding on your own day job just trying to keep your own head above water with your mortgage/rent, groceries, gas, utilities, etc. and prices just keep rising, it's hard to feel sympathy for someone who works in the land of make-believe. Maybe these Hollywood studios and media companies should stop paying millions of dollars to some of these movie stars and media moguls and distribute more of those funds to the people who aren't in the limelight or the face of the business. 

Back in the day, a huge star like Tom Cruise or Harrison Ford would mean instant box office success. But those days are over. Not to say Cruise can't still put asses in the theater seats, but the way people view movies has changed. Why go and sit in a theater with a bunch of strangers when you could watch the same film in the privacy of your own home with access to your own snacks and your own bathroom? The last time I went to a movie theater, I found the entire experience to be a disappoinment and the movie wasn't great either. It's time for Hollywood to face the reality that peoples' viewing habits have changed and we may never go back to the way things used to be. If the only movies that make big money in theaters now are super hero and kids' movies (and even those aren't making bank the way they used to), then maybe it's time for the industry to scale down and stop paying actors millions or dollars to star in the next awful movie. Is Hollywood a sinking ship at this point? I have no idea but, perhaps more importantly, does anyone really care?