Will justice finally be served for long suffering interns—and hopefully, not in the same way that Bill Clinton served one of his interns?
Our Brave New Hollywood view: To explain, a judge in New York City ruled that Fox Searchlight Pictures violated federal and New York minimum wage laws by not paying production interns. This case could finally end the legalized indentured slavery called “interning.”
But, when lawyers on the clock are involved, a relatively straightforward “right vs. wrong” case becomes slightly elongated—and not in the Bill Clinton way with his intern. Naturally, Fox Searchlight attorneys’ appealed the “Black Swan” lawsuit. Rudy Murdoch’s Men wants the court to set legal precedents by defining what is the test for determining if an intern has been misclassified and is worthy of an employee’s compensation.
“As if!–” as in as if these ambulance chasers never interned! Just because Fox Searchlight made “Slumdog Millionaire” doesn’t mean that an intern has to eat and scrounge for food like a slumdog! After all, an “Intern” credit in an art movie does not shock and awe a grocer to give an ex-intern free food. If there is a higher power, then these lawyers will get hit by the ambulance they’re chasing, go to a hospital, only to meet their maker when an “intern doctor” botches their heart transplant operation; needed because most don’t have a heart.
Do you think these lawyers will report that “Black Swan” grossed $329 million worldwide but can’t pay the interns doodly-squat? After all these interns have gone through! No doubt, there were “Black Swan” interns reminding Natalie Portman to swallow food, and not throw it up like Karen Carpenter in her prime so she can play and weigh the part of a ballerina. Or do they flatter Barbara Hershey with comments like, “My, your lips are looking fuller this morning.” Or ask klepto Winona Ryder, “Want to go shoplifting later?”
Would there even be a case if Fox Searchlight had even paid interns, say even $10.00 per hour? It’s like that ol’ axiom of “If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make sound?” For “lowly” interns, it’s “If you don’t get paid for a job, does that make a job–a job?” It is when you’re working 12 hour days!
Of course, Fox’s sly as a fox lawyers will argue that the interns knew what they were in for when they signed up to be interns; which also means that being an intern is having a guaranteed “in” at a company at employment time. But how many Fox interns got Fox jobs after interning? What does an intern for “Black Swan” put on her or his resume? Does fetching coffee and asking “More cream?” to a higher-up even count as experience?
Then again, there has been many an intern who say “More cream?” to a higher up, then gets back on her (or his) knees and finishes the job.