It took four fired writers, a Will Smith-defied picket line, an open letter from Tina Fey (among others), and an intervention by the NAACP, but we're happy to report that the impossible dream has finally landed at Tyler Perry Studios: The mogul is finally coming around to a deal with the WGA.The Guild sends word today that it reached an agreement with Perry after five months of negotiations, during which a handful of veteran scribes for his series Meet the Browns and House of Payne were terminated for attempting to unionize the staff. The catch? Those writers will not be coming back, according to a WGA release issued late this morning. But, they added, the mogul "thanked them for their services and wished them well in their future endeavors." Surely that's of little comfort to the reeling Tyler Perry Four, who now confront the reality they may never again have the enviable opportunity to mass-produce Madea jokes for a Perry-starved populace. We hope the NAACP negotiators can sleep at night.

Tyler Perry's crisp white tuxedo was a bold choice of attire at the opening of his new studio Saturday night, when the mogul was dodging the worst of his fired former writers' union-busting accusations reported here last week. The WGA came through with its picket line on behalf of Kellie Griffin, Christopher Moore, Teri Brown-Jackson, and Lamont Ferrell — the House Of Payne Four whom Perry allegedly let go for their attempts to unionize the show's writing staff. One reported list of attendees had Will Smith, Oprah Winfrey, Sidney Poitier and several illustrious others crossing the picket line Saturday night, while the WGA sent word late Saturday that a second protest was planned for another, smaller event at Perry's Atlanta mansion on Sunday morning. So what does it all mean besides Oprah scabbing her way to free drinks and having a drunken Madea-Off with Poitier and Ruby Dee?Nikki Finke evidently thinks this will have some bearing on the presidential race; more usefully, she also passed along an open letter from a small army of showrunners including Tina Fey, Mad Men creator Matt Weiner and TV legend Larry Gelbart:

Maybe it's just that Don LaFontaine is dead, but we're more invested than usual in the spectrum of new trailers making their ways through the mourning cosmos The Voice left behind. In fact, it's his special touch that perhaps most conspicuously missing from this new spot for the Lindsay Lohan comedy Labor Pains: "In a world... where one of the biggest celebrities is among the least employable... an independent film gave her a chance... to dazzle audiences again... by faking a pregnancy..." Adding insult to injury, the standard "Coming soon" title card is subbed out for "Now in post-production," reminding us that the film has yet be picked up for American distribution. It'll happen though, don't you worry; this has straight-to-Flopz written all over it. Check it after the jump. [Cinematical]

In a bold move that sent the celebrity bloggerati into an epileptic fit, Cahuenga Blvd based DJ Samantha Ronson blew a kiss to gal pal Lindsay Lohan while leaving the set of Labor Pains. According to on set spies, the air born kiss was to celebrate Lohan's successfully finishing the film without any major incident. Later in the afternoon,Lohan received a text message from Ronson that implied that her lip lock telegram was only the beginning of their fun.

On the set of her latest film, Labor Pains, Lindsay Lohan ran into a different kind of pain at the craft service table. Earlier in the day, Lohan had over heard a couple crew members raving about the donuts; in particular, the apple fritters at the craft service table. Yet, by the time, Lohan managed to make her way to the craft services, all of the pastries were gone. She asked a P.A. where had all the donuts gone, but the P.A. shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know, but they were really awesome. I think Stan in the camera department might have half of an apple fritter. I can check for you." Lohan decided against sharing the donut and picked up an apple instead. Lohan said, "If I can't have the delicious sugary baked thing, then I guess I'll have the boring, somewhat healthy thing as a snack."

The nuclear labor plume at left is presented a little closer to actual size this morning, the start of the first full day without the specter of strike hell exhaling waves of rancid breath over Hollywood. Not that AFTRA's ratification of its prime-time contract Monday evening vanquishes the SAG threat altogether; the 62.4% tally in favor of AFTRA's deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers suggests that while a strike vote might fail, SAG leadership convinced probably upwards of 10,000 AFTRA members to stand down in the pitched battle between unions.

[Photo Credit: X17]

While on the set of Labor Pains, Cheryl Hines wanted the paparazzi to know that there are other people in the movie besides Lindsay Lohan. Hines thought it would be nice if the photographers could expand their photographic horizons and take pictures of other people on set, too. Hines explained that she understands that Lohan is bit of a financial rainmaker for people, but she felt it would be nice if they took her photo from time to time. Hines enjoys having proof to show friends and family that she's working on a fairly regular basis.

Until now, we had some troubles fully accepting Lindsay Lohan As Lesbian. Don't get us wrong. We are major fans of unicorn-straddling shoe fairies, C-list lesbian couples coming out, and someone finally putting food on Portia de Rossi's table every night. But we were fond of Lindsay's borderline feminist habit of having zipless fucks with every guy she found in bathrooms, overseas, or on her friends' arms. So seeing the freckly nudist settle down was easier to swallow knowing the "relationship" was likely a figment of our horny imaginations. But as these new pictures from the set of Labor Pains show, the girl on girl performance may be more real than we hoped. A closer look at Hollywood's happiest couple, and details on what's making Lindsay so smiley around her Smokey Bunch girlfriend, after the jump.

What appears to be a very innocent, all-American clip of lush-turned-lesbian Lindsay Lohan playing a game of baseball on the set of Labor Pains kind of reminds us of watching a Disney film from the '90s. Upon first viewing, you walk away feeling warm and fuzzy, confident that life is full of happy endings, laughter, and pretty hair. But after watching it about five times, you may notice the brief glimpse of cock sneakily inserted into a frame by a pervy animator, or an underlying message about females being the weaker sex. In the case of this Lindsay video, we were at first struck by the innocence of LiLo taking part in America's pasttime, but after watching the clip a second and third time, we know our lasting memories will be of Lindsay using a grip's body to shield her so that she could light a smoke (not to mention her jiggling around as she lamely runs the bases). The video and some additional analysis follows after the jump.

Just in from the set of her new film, the picture that could have launched a 1,000 rumors if its subject wasn't joined at the hip with another woman almost hourly: Lindsay Lohan is back at work — with a baby bump! OMG! Except, of course, well, no. "Lindsay Lohan wore a prosthetic baby bump Thursday while shooting her new comedy Labor Pains in Encino, California," report the killjoys at US Magazine. "She plays an assistant who pretends to be pregnant in a desperate attempt to keep her nasty boss from firing her." So meta, really, considering even her films' own broadcasters these days can't help but market their unwatchability; Starz should be ashamed of itself. Anyway, jump ahead for a closer look at what actually actually to be more "clump" than "bump" at this stage. All the more sympathetic, Linds — you know all our weaknesses. [US]

[Photo Credit: Splash Pics]

Yesterday marked Lindsay Lohan's first day on the set of Labor Pains, her first paying film role since the abominable "stripper with dueling personas" fiasco that was I Know Who Killed Me. And while we can’t imagine that the prospect of actually working (not to mention faking on-screen love with male co-stars) was leaving Lohan with anything other than a frowny face, somebody on the set had a really good idea as to how to motivate her. As these pictures show, it took only three things to cheer the seemingly sober-these-days star up to levels not previously seen since the Mean Girls days — too bad each of the vices things in question (including the delivery woman) aren’t exactly good for her health.

Exciting news indeed, as America's Little Career-Squandering sweetheart Lindsay Lohan has—we repeat has—secured an honest paycheck, and one that doesn't require her to climb onto a hotel diving board before a swarm of paparazzi, shouting, "Mom! Mom over here! Watch me suck some serious face with my best-friend-with-benefits, Samantha Ronson! Mooooom! You're not waaatching!!!" Fake-pregnancy comedy Labor Pains has managed to avoid the on-again, off-again fate of another Capitol Pictures-financed production, David O. Russell's Nailed, reports Variety:

Happy news emerged this morning from the deep, dank reaches of the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers headquarters, where it was announced the major studios have come to last-minute terms with AFTRA on a new three-year contract. Conveniently or not, the report comes a few hours before AFTRA's former negotiating partners in the Screen Actors Guild were set to resume their own talks with the majors. And with AFTRA reportedly agreeing to conditions on new-media residuals similar to those accepted by the DGA and WGA during the latter union's strike, SAG has until June 30 to determine if the terms are good enough for itself — or detonate! The! Industry! with another labor stoppage.

More apocalyptic Hollywood strike talk is surfacing this morning, with Variety noting that little progress has been made in the ongoing contract negotiations between SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Shocking! But with one week remaining on their clock before the compliant gang at AFTRA gets their turn to bend over the conference room table for a little rough, residual-based intimacy, time is of the essence for an aggressive union leadership that wants to at least pretend it maintains the upper hand:

As noted here Monday, SAG president and all-around industry red-ass Alan Rosenberg never encountered a paper cut he couldn't pick and peel into a festering scab. A lot of it is the institution's historic dysfunction; less than 90 days from the expiration of its contract with studios, SAG has more factions, infighting and revenue disparities than the Jackson family. Nevertheless, on the second day of negotiations between SAG and producers, Brooks Barnes offers a revealing portrait of the Man Who Would Bring Hollywood to Its Knees If It Will Get Him in the New York Times:

While most of the civilized world enjoyed an early-spring weekend about town, SAG president and press warlord Alan Rosenberg practiced his saber-rattling in anticipation of upcoming labor negotiations with the studios. Despite reaching out to AFTRA to rejoin them in talks starting tomorrow, such token detente couldn't mitigate Rosenberg's resistance pledged against everyone from mutinous actors like Kevin Bacon and Charlie Sheen to penny-pinching producers. And at least one high-powered, face-saving source is urging the union to stand down or face certain doom.

Mere days after the meltdown of their negotiating partnership in upcoming labor talks with film and TV producers, SAG president Alan Rosenberg and AFTRA boss Ron Morgan appeared at a press conference Tuesday to proclaim their unity in the face of looming crisis — at least when it comes to walking 25 miles from Hancock Park to San Pedro: