STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE!

Even this adorable child agrees:

http://www.yaledailynews.com/img/2006/11/17/best%20practices(sokolow)UP_014425_603799625.jpg

http://www.braggtopia.com/Timeline/articles/1984-09-11-photo.jpg

The Union forever
defending our rights
Down with the blackleg,
all workers unite

I shall honor the picket lines by not watching TV.

hey! i'm (technically still) a teamster!

i've walked a picket line! i was out of work for a month and all that happened was my employer didn't have to pay workers during an expected down time and the union bosses looked good to the rank and file for being "tough on management".

i guess my enthusiasm to do not much will have to wait until monday so i do not have to do much to advance my career in which i am not really doing much

Shall Remy go?
Yes he shall go.
(He does not move.)

in solidarity i will not write any sitcoms for the duration

@WSJ

OH NO I will never find out if George gets to bone Izzy if this drags on too long!

Hey, the Wobblies have an awfully nice webpage these days, and apparently I can pay dues using American Express.

good luck. (don't we have another thread with a very similar title? i'm sure i was posting on it in july.)

good luck remy (and any other WG ILXors).

You fools, you got 'Heroes: Origins' cancelled!

I'm glad your enjoying it Remy - despite being on the writers' side, literally, the strike could decimate our income. Not that I disapprove but it's not all fun and laughter.

xpost eh who cares about Heroes. Lost, on the other hand... ;_;

but otherwise, good luck WGA!

it's not at all fun and laughter!

No I know - are you going to be substantially affected on a financial level? It's all sucky :(

A friend works for WGA; man, I bet he's having fun staying up for conf calls w/ the West Coast from NYC.

well, I'm flat broke anyway - and not really working at present - so I doubt this will affect me much in any immediate financial sense. (I once read that of all the guild's members, only about 15% are working at any given time) However, it also means that I am kinda hog-tied when it comes to finding new projects. And since the money is tight, it looks like I'll be working holiday meat counter at Whole Foods.

Will you be letting pretty girls steal sliced cheese?

It's driving me mad... I have a new script all polished up and ready to go out, and people interested in looking at it, but now we can't really do anything with it until the strike is over. I've also been working on developing an animated feature, but with a company that has a deal with New Line, so it's looking like I'm going to have to put that on hold as well. Drat, drat, and double drat.

in the meantime, there is always...

THE THEATER

http://www.metropolitanconservatory.com/zack_red_curtain_monologue.jpg

http://www.amrep.org/darko

Looks like there's one last ditch meeting scheduled for Sunday morning.

yeah, i'm hoping...

i am not sure if i am allowed to work on a script for a foreign / non-signatory producer tho?

I have a professor that's pretty much convinced that the strike will kill the Chicago industry, still in its infancy. He then proceeded to tell everyone graduating in the next two years (incl. me) that we were fucked unless we moved.

Bit dramatic, but probably based in some truth.

However, being raised with union sympathies, I, like Dr. Superman, promise not to pen a single plot line in which a physically unattractive husband has communications problems with his improbably gorgeous wife.

I believe that's alright, Remy, at least if you aren't in the guild already. The producer I'm working with on the animated feature sent me this link: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-strikeqanda2nov02,1,3566733.story?coll=la-headlines-business

comic books?

If you are a WGA member you can't work for ANYONE during the strike.

Even though its an entirely different industry? That seems odd. Presumably they're not prohibited from tightening up that old novel they have sitting on the hard drive (and its difficult to see how such a thing would be enforceable anyway.) Also, if they are prohibited from writing for publishing during the strike, how are they going to get their side of the story out in editorials, etc.?

And it occurs to me now what with media conglomeration describing publishing as an 'entirely different industry' may not be completely true.

And it occurs to me I might have been too hasty. Certainly you can't write for the screen in any format. Journalism, literature etc. is presumably fine - there will definitely be a rash of books coming out in a year or so if the strike does go ahead.

what i am unsure about (specifically) is if i am able to continue work on my independent pilot for a foreign and obv. non-signatory market.

I am near-certain you will have to down tools Remy - we've done a lot of exploration of what can and can't be done lately and the only people who appear to be safe are non-members writing for non-signatory companies overseas.

So I can't call Ned a scab when he finishes his Nanowrimo?

I am my own closed shop.

We can call him a scab when he adapts it for the screen and sells it for $$$.

Now we're talking.

Have your people call my people baby.

Etc. etc. (Actually I'm kinda pleased with my effort so far this year -- obv. just a rough manuscript but I tend to envision things with camera angles in my head as I go.)

Well, looks like there's a meeting scheduled for tomorrow morning... maybe they'll sort things out? Striking just seems like a very bad idea to me...

OTM Jeff,

much as i support it, and i really do, the guild is trying to take on big media for money off (mostly) future (potential) non-traditional distribution profits : big media holds all the cards w/ their ability to convice general public opinion that the reason lost is delayed is because the writers are greedy manipulative bastards.

Talks have broken off and the strike's on. Good luck all.

Well that's taken care of. Now what do we have to do to get bloggers to quit posting?

The Board of Directors of Writers Guild of America, West, Inc. (“WGAW” or “Guild”) has adopted Strike Rules which will go into effect if and when the Guild calls a strike. A strike can occur only after the members of WGA East and West vote to authorize a strike action.

If there is a strike, each WGAW member is required to follow these Strike Rules. The purpose of these Rules is to win the best possible contract for writers. By following these Rules, you will enable your bargaining committee to be in the best position to achieve improvements in the MBA. Please take the time to read and review the Strike Rules in their entirety. Strict adherence by all Guild members leads to a more effective strike and ultimately a better MBA.

The basic principle behind these Rules is very simple: you (and your agent or other representative on your behalf) may not pitch to or negotiate with a struck company, and you may not provide writing services, sell or option literary material to a struck company.

As explained in some detail in the Rules themselves, prohibited conduct includes:

• delivery of written materials; and
• negotiations and discussions regarding present or future writing projects.

There are also certain notice requirements, including:

• notice to the companies to return writer-owned “spec” literary material; and
• filing with the Guild copies of unproduced literary material already written for a company.

There are Rules related to picket lines and other strike support activity, including:

• honoring all Guild picket lines;
• performing assigned strike support duties; and
• informing the Guild of strike breaking activity.

Finally, please note these other aspects of the Rules:

• Non-traditional media

The Rules prohibit writing services performed for a struck company in connection with new programming intended for initial viewing on non-traditional media (such as the Internet and cellular telephones), and the option or sale of literary material for that purpose.

• Animation

The Rules apply to (1) all network primetime animated series covered by a WGA contract and (2) contracts for writing services with struck companies in connection with fully animated theatrical features, unless covered by a current collective bargaining agreement with another union. Writers are advised to consult with WGA staff to determine whether animation writing is prohibited before performing any writing services. Members should assume that projects combining live action and animation, and live action-based processes such as motion capture, are covered by the Strike Rules.

• Hyphenates

The Rules prohibit hyphenates (members who are employed in dual capacities) from performing any writing services, including the “(a) through (h)” functions.

http://kingofbreakfast.livejournal.com/67646.html

Paul Dini passes along Micah Wright's explanation of the need for new contractual terms.

Oh God, please, couldn't Dini have found someone a little better than Wright, given his false Ranger stories that got him blacklisted from DC (and probably most of Time Warner)?

http://www.impawards.com/1976/posters/front_ver3.jpg

• Non-traditional media

The Rules prohibit writing services performed for a struck company in connection with new programming intended for initial viewing on non-traditional media (such as the Internet and cellular telephones), and the option or sale of literary material for that purpose.

Um, does this mean WGA members have to stop posting to ILX?

we just don't get paid for it any more

ILX is a subsidiary of Warner Bros

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/11/05/tina_fey_2.jpg

^^^ strike like a cobra in heat

wow, not as right-wing as i thought

xpost

Um, does this mean WGA members have to stop posting to ILX?
-- nickalicious

we just don't get paid for it any more
-- remy bean

In that case, somebody better set up a Frank Kogan emergency relief fund.

Last Friday's (?) ad from the trades w/r/t writer-producer solidarity. Quite a good list, huh?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=H-v2zwKDggI

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_3mw49mk_x0

lets all cry for hollywood

r.i.p.

heaven needs some csi spinoffs

Good thing the writers for Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles are showing their solidaity.

if heaven doesn't have csi spinoffs then I don't want to go there

hopefully one starring marg helgenberger

word

and me

probably lots of boring, sinless crimes up there though

http://defamer.com/hollywood/heroes-of-the-writers-strike/jon-stewart-reportedly-offering-two+week-strike-fund-to-his-picketing-staffers-319006.php

Fuck yeah!

tina fey is all kinds of hot.

If/when the dispute is resolved, will the spring season push into what would've been the summer season to make up for time off? Or are we again looking at the '94 baseball strike which canceled the World Series?

All sympathy to remy and others, but what this country needs is less TV.

this sucks, i really wanted teri hatcher to break bonds' HR record

LOST says that they're committed to showing the remaining 8 episodes of S4 whenever the strike ends.

I would agree with Morbs but the "less TV" I would say this country needs is the kind of TV that's still cranking away just fine (not talking about ESPN)

at least the wire is wrapped and ready to go

And by "showing" I mean "writing and producing." If it was just a matter of "showing," it wouldn't be a problem at all.

What this country needs is better, cleaner, more efficient automobiles, but insinuating the GM assembly-line strikers are responsible is just snide.

In 2000, 84% of one-hour and half-hour programs were scripted and 16% reality, in 2005, 47% were scripted and 53% were reality.

Looks like the WGA has backed off on animated features, so my animated pitch isn't dead in the water. I get the feeling this is going to be a bad strike, though.

at least the wire is wrapped and ready to go

I wish I had my Daily Show. At least House was on last night. Srsly I called a hotline last night and the lady convinced me that life was worth living bcz House M.D. would be on many more seasons.

House last night was pretty wacky

I mean, CIA, brazil nuts, fake polio? wtf.

new chick looks like a porn star

new chick (aka The OC's favorite lesbian) is Alexander Cockburn's niece or something.

omg Tina Fey I heart u

House was HELL OF nuts...wtf dr.s w/out borders insaniac.

New chick wld not look so porny if they gave her normal eyeshadow and dyed her roots. Seems a good character.

What are the chances that this will last past mid-February?

I'm hearing that it's now expected to last until the DGA and SAG contracts also expire (at the end of June), but I'm trying to be optimistic.

It's like a giant staring contest -- neither party wants to blink, but eventually someone is going to have to. On the writer aside, I'm guessing the lack of money is going to be a big factor. On the studio side, well, they kind of aren't going to have any television for the second half of the season. I'm hoping that the TV side of things is going to force them to get back into the negotiating room. But who knows...

I'm hearing that it's now expected to last until the DGA and SAG contracts also expire (at the end of June), but I'm trying to be optimistic.

-- Melissa W, Wednesday, November 7, 2007 2:05 PM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

I'm thinking this is a bluff on both sides.

Can't we all just get along?

NWBTCW

I'm thinking this is a bluff on both sides.

Even considering that the 1989 strike lasted nearly as long?

I'm going to ask again in case Jeff or remy missed my first post: will whatever time lost to the strike in terms of the TV season be irrevocably lost? Or will the summer season be pushed back once the strike is over?

From what I've heard, if the strikes lasts until the end of December, shows will not go back into production for the current season, no matter what.

steve carell suffering from enlarged balls.

(aka The OC's favorite lesbian)

Olivia Wilde?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6hqP0c0_gw

this is a good source for strike stories

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/

I was talking with a friend who works at a producer's office, and she said it's super boring there this week. They've just been renting movies and taking three-hour lunches. So, yeah. Sucks for everyone.

oh yah that sounds horrible. im crying.

honestly, jeff, i hope you were joking.

Well, if the producers are bored, that means movies aren't getting developed, and people are going to start losing their jobs, which is going to be a problem in the long term. For writers included. I mean, I totally support my brothers in penmanship, I just wish we could get this sorted out so everyone can go back to work and continue putting out the quality product Hollywood is known for!

(I was being facetious, yes, but it doesn't bode well -- if this is what it's like the first week of the strike, imagine what it's going to be like four months in.)

strike is yay see !!!!

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/11/08/us/09writers.1-337.jpg

everbdy loves strike

STAY OFF MY SIDE

see also zach braff

I absolutely support the writers, and obviously want the very best contract for when I get into the guild. My point is that the strike isn't a good thing for anyone, and I get the feeling it's going to get pretty old pretty fast. I just wish the two sides would get back in the negotiating room and work out their differences.

this is all over online and dvd residuals right? I don't understand at all why the producers are so against giving up points on what seems to amount to free $$$$ for everyone.

Because they want to keep that free money so they can throw themselves sex and coke parties, obviously.

Tom: DVD battle has been given up already. Writers caved. Truthfully, they probably lost the argument years and years ago.

I think the online/digital media issue is less about residuals and more to do w. the fact nobody knows exactly where the business of dramatic writing will be in 5 or 10 years / where the balance between traditionally distributed content and "new media" will settle. Producers don't want to give away the farm, writers don't want to get screwed again.

It's all nuanced and acrimonious, and both sides are greedy (at least as far as their posturing goes).

What I don't understand is why an arrangement can't be brokered that'll be something like:

Writers are entitled to receive a guild minimum fee for original content, which includes initial airing rights, a traditional (broadcast) residual schedule, as well as no less than .0x% of ad (or otherwise generated) revenue per-view/purchase on digital media including DVD sales, and other unspecified post-broadcast distributions, not to exceed [let's just say] 5% except in hyphenate instances.

I have received a dozen emails a day from various sources about the strike and I still don't know what the actual points of contention are.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2007-11-07-writers-strike-side_N.htm

South Park is continuing, Bill Maher got cut short, and the 2nd half the last BSG season is up for grabs.

will Jon Stewart host the Oscars if he has to write all the jokes? or will he commit seppuku when his show misses all the 'meaningful' primaries?

"Forget it, Jake. In an ethnic enclave like Chinatown, things can be hard to figure out."

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/if-amateurs-wrote-the-best-movie-lines/

television and film to be replaced by video games in 2009

i wonder how many writers are at home today smoking weed and playing mario galaxy?

+1

I have received a dozen emails a day from various sources about the strike and I still don't know what the actual points of contention are.

-- Mark C, Friday, November 9, 2007 11:22 AM (4 days ago) Bookmark Link

On the off chance that this isn't a joke, the issues are getting paid for web content and a larger share of home video royalties.

so no new Office after this week?

correct

most writers i know are either glad their projects just got approved before the strike or miserable because they didn't or they're still writing on their own spec ideas, albeit very quietly. none of them are are going to cross any picket lines and they'll honor whatever's going on but none of them really care about the strike, for whatever reason. i know some girl who keeps trying to get some friends of mine involved in the strike, all like "c'mon guys why aren't you interested in supporting your fellow writers?" and she's barely a writer, i think she just wants to network.

yah the only writers really concerned are the tv 9-5er's

so no new Office after this week?

-- Jordan, Tuesday, November 13, 2007 3:30 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Link

correct

-- Oilyrags, Tuesday, November 13, 2007 3:31 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Link

I asked this in the wrong thread, but does this mean, like, ever? Is the show over until further notice, or over, full-stop, enjoy the reruns?

people still trying to bust their ass and get a steady paycheck are highly likely not to give a fuck vis a vis points on Amazon.com UnBox downloads

so what omar sez makes a lot of sense, to me

greg fitzsimmons today was commenting on how much networking was going on in the picket lines on stern.

the strong shows will come back, the weaker-to-borderline ones might not. yeah tv writers have a stronger group in a lot of ways but they've also got more to lose, whereas a lot of film writers--even if they do have day jobs--aren't really affected as much.

i mean they're affected certainly, but more along the lines of "well this strike just delayed my shit" rather than "okay let's strike and fight for what we want!"

yah the only writers really concerned are the tv 9-5er's

-- chaki, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 21:00 (Yesterday) Bookmark Link

So far off the money you're joking, right?

not concerning the dvd and internet sales but i mean concerned about working at the moment.

to answer the question above, I'm sure the office will come back when and if the strike ends, probably not until next season

We rep a lot of British film writers, some of whom are WGA members but most of whom aren't, and a lot of them are having to pull out of jobs which they may or may not get back.And they're not all rich enough to be able to take an indefinite period without cash lightly, I promise you!

http://i3.tinypic.com/6khoub6.jpg

lol

"John, Robin! You're both pretty; def. would smash." - Rudy Giuliani

New talks scheduled for November 26. Here's hoping!

Too fucking right.

There's a NYC 'solidarity' rally in Wash Sq tomorrow at noon.

There's also some "insider" rumors that a deal may have been reached and may be all legally worked out before christmas!

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/dare-we-hope-a-deal-has-been-struck/

And there is the source of the rumors. Which isn't necessarily credible on its own, until you notice that NBC and ABC just ordered full seasons of several of their scripted series. That is a very good sign.

Right, yeah, today NBC picked up the back 9 for both Chuck and Life (unfortunately not Journeyman, which I was just starting to enjoy) so that's giving me a lot of optimism.

so which side was bluffing, then?

just gimme my BSG/Office

Doing a search for work:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/biondino/wga.jpg

Carson Daly about to defy writers strike

...too easy

Looks like a looooong one...

Hollywood Writers Strike Takes on Bitter Tone
By REUTERS
Filed at 6:31 a.m. ET

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Where to from here?

That was the rueful question posed around Hollywood on Monday, three days after the dramatic collapse of contract talks between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, the bargaining arm of the studios.

The writers strike, which began November 5, is now likely to persist well into 2008, turning Hollywood into a virtual ghost town as film and television production shuts down.

There seems little chance of a resumption of negotiations, which center around payments for content delivered over the Internet and wireless devices such as cell phones. Emotions are running high, as evidenced by WGA East president Michael Winship's bitter denunciation of the studios Monday.

"They lie," Winship said in a statement. "And then they lie again. And then they lie some more. Because the AMPTP wants to create confusion, doubt, fear and dissension. They want to divide and conquer, to undercut our proven solidarity."

The guild has suggested it might try to woo individual studios into contract talks, targeting moderate studio CEOs and the heads of smaller entertainment companies. Such a strategy could drive a wedge in the production community, but for now it seems to be more of a theory than a reality.

On the management side, just about everybody in Hollywood expects the AMPTP to announce contract talks with the Directors Guild of America (DGA) imminently. Although it's unlikely actual negotiations would begin before January 1, the DGA is prepared to launch early talks in advance of its June 30 contract expiration.

The DGA, which already has a negotiating committee in place for such talks, has a history of sealing new pacts about six months in advance of any expiration date. The directors were prepared to connect with the AMPTP in November, only to delay the move when the WGA launched its work stoppage.

Then, with the strike dragging on for weeks, the DGA was expected to connect with the AMPTP sometime this month, but the directors backed off again when writers and management resumed bargaining November 26. With negotiations between the WGA and AMPTP now off again, it's tough to see what might keep the DGA from beginning its own negotiations with studio reps next month.

"I think the DGA's just about done waiting," said entertainment attorney Jonathan Handel, a former associate counsel with the WGA West. He said the WGA has been "outmaneuvered."

Meanwhile, the WGA is taking fire from a Hollywood union that represents behind-the-scenes workers such as drivers and stagehands. Thousands have been laid off, to the chagrin of Tom Short, the head of the Intl. Assn. of Theatrical Stage Employees. On Friday, he accused WGA leaders of holding to an overly rigid negotiating strategy. And Sunday, hundreds of displaced workers marched through Hollywood in a protest aimed at urging both sides back to the bargaining table.

On Monday, writer-director Craig Mazin ("Superhero!") used his ArtfulWriter blog to suggest guild leaders focus primarily on new-media compensation, and drop peripheral demands such as jurisdiction over writers on reality TV shows.

"Now it's time to dramatically reduce all of our demands down to the only one that matters, in an attempt to wrest this negotiation back to our union and away from the DGA," he said.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

This week's The Business had some really pithy quotes re. the strike, and a good synopsis of how the writers have been out-maneuvered at every step by the AMPTP.

the best synopsis I heard (and it was used as a promo) was something like 'The producers are saying they have no money for the writers ... somewhat like Dudley Moore in the movie 'Arthur' who spends millions on wine and food and women and then tells the butler that he can't pay his salary.'

Dudley Moore: muy classic
Strike (mainly its consequences for my selfish tv desires): extra dud

seth godin says none of it matters, because you know, he's already on web 2.8:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/12/monopolies-seve.html

Bill Carter, NYT:

NBC officially announced yesterday that its two late-night stars, Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien, will return to the air on Jan. 2 even if the strike against networks and studios by entertainment writers is not resolved by then.

The two hosts would be forced to perform without writers and might have to face opposition from the Writers Guild, which has thus far urged the late-night hosts to support the strike by staying off the air. However, the executive producers of both shows said yesterday that they believed the tone of that opposition has softened in recent weeks after the hosts began paying the salaries of the nonwriting staff members of their shows.

“I think the temperature may have changed a little,” said Jeff Ross, the executive producer of Mr. O’Brien’s show.

Permanent Improv!

Conan's strike beard

FREE AT LAST, CONAN

i like that beard!

Barbaric.

Conan should keep the strike beard when he starts filming.

The Writers Guild has notified the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and Dick Clark productions that their requests for an agreement to allow writers to prepare material for the 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards show have been denied.

The Guild has also denied a request from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for a waiver in connection with the use of clips from motion pictures and past Academy Awards shows for use during the annual Academy Awards presentation.

i do not like conan's strike beard. dave's is a-ok, tho.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/12142007/tv/shave__dave__787602.htm

i like it! he looks rugged!

Conan's strike beard

He better be careful when he shaves that, because he might cut himself, and it'll bleed, and he'll just look like a BIG SCAB when he comes back to work.

I think you should be 50 before you're allowed to have a beard. Death to indiefuzz.

Colbert and Stewart to return Jan. 7th - no clear word on whether it'll be wit5h scabs or no writers at all...

hahaaaa, Dave kept the strike beard.

Was it any good? Apparently he can't write his own jokes because he's an equity member, so he's had to rely entirely on Bulgarians or whoever's doing it now.

It's just starting. He has his writers -- he owns the show, not CBS, and negotiated a separate agreement with the union for his show and the show with Craig Ferguson.

Oh yes, I remember hearing about that.

Are Leno and Conan back tonight as well? And they've done a similar deal with some writers, yeah?

I don't believe they have.

Yes they're both back but neither has writers in tow. As far as I know both Stewart and Colbert will also be flying without anybody in the cockpit. And neither's allowed to write anything. Won't they just try to protest it all somehow?

Surely they are both hyphenate cases?

Apparently Leno is answering audience questions.

Ahahaha oh dear.

Everything I've said so far is wrong ;_; but I think this is correct: Cops began because of the '80s US writers' strike, and led to all sorts of scriptless crap. I hate to think what'll happen this time.

too late!

If they haven't settled by the time the Wire finishes, I'm just throwing away my satellite box and doubling my Netflix subscription.

Conan minus writers is actually the funniest episode of Late Night I've seen in who knows how long. I doubt he can keep it up forever, but it might not be as painful to watch as I'd feared.

Jimmy Kimmel: professional ASS

"During his opening, Kimmel criticized WGA members picketing Leno and O'Brien: "I don't want to depart too much from the party line, but I think it's ridiculous. Jay Leno, he paid his staff while they were out. Conan did the same thing. I don't know. I just think at a certain point you back off a little bit.""

Watching Letterman, he obviously really supports the writers and it's very nice and almost touching to see. He's almost setting this up as an ideological showdown between his show and Leno's. And of course it's not so much Leno's fault but he's also not helping things telling jokes on his show about how the po po writers have it so so bad.

Letterman fucking killed it tonight

I remember hearing that once during a writers' strike they had to get someone who was actually funny to present the Academy Awards. Maybe this could be the way forward for American television.

They have a funny "liberal" SCAB hosting it this year.

The Guild has also denied a request from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for a waiver in connection with the use of clips from motion pictures and past Academy Awards shows for use during the annual Academy Awards presentation.

This = truly bad-assed

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20080104/2008_01_02t202000_299x450_us_screenwriters_strike_pix.jpg?x=229&y=345&sig=JlECbfDyURRYBY40gB56HA--

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080103/capt.b86cfccd53d24fe8bec177d29a22d1f4.hollywood_labor_late_night_la106.jpg?x=400&y=267&sig=9SHvPlpqXqwd1vMa3RlnPg--

Everything I've said so far is wrong ;_; but I think this is correct: Cops began because of the '80s US writers' strike, and led to all sorts of scriptless crap. I hate to think what'll happen this time.

-- Autumn Almanac, Wednesday, January 2, 2008 11:55 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Link

God forbid television suddenly become full of scriptless crap...

So, who watched Conan? Is it worth tracking down the vid?

I watched it last night, but I was busy with caucus coverage tonight.

Leno's show hasn't been too different so far, perhaps a bit more looser with a couple good off-the-cuff lines (and that random story about his girlfriend who wouldn't move to California with him).

Conan so far is pushing the zany button as far as he can his pre-interview filler. I was pretty entertained with him climbing the rafters last night and talking to the hand-held camera a la Blair Witch, even if it was only done out of desperation. The good thing is that he seems to be doing more remote segments, which are usually great. The beard makes him look so much older though. I keep thinking of a perverse Jack Nicholson.

did Conan shave? Letterman said last night he was now the only host with facial hair "except for The View."

conan has not shaved. nbc.com has the episodes, and they're both pretty hilarious (at least the parts before the guests come on).

is it possible we're gonna have a brief golden age of improv/unpredictability here?

Very, very brief.

It could be the catalyst for a new era in television.

there would be, like, all sorts of "reality" shows and stuff

Golden Globes 'big show' cancelled

the revenge of sean penn

lol

No but imagine how cool the news would be if the anchor just improvised it all.

so I was watching jay leno, and at some point they made john melendez run around in the borat swimsuit.

I.JUST.DON'T.KNOW.

Clearly it will sort the wheat from the chaff.

Friend who works for WGA East just emailed: "Life in disarray."

TV writer contracts cancelled.

ABC straps camera to Britney Spears's head, starts new prime time craze

Word is it should be settled soonish.

A deal has been struck between the major media companies and the Writers Guild of America to end the writers' strike, former Walt Disney chief executive Michael Eisner revealed on CNBC.

"It's over," Eisner said. "They made the deal, they shook hands on the deal. It's going on Saturday to the writers in general."

Not official yet, but if MICHAEL EISNER says so, then...

I picketed today! It was fun sticking it to the man.

Rumour was it was supposed to get sorted last weekend but after the networks leaked that I've spoken to a few people since then who say it could go on until the summer.

Well, they are still having that big meeting on Saturday, so I suspect we will know after that.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f325/caek/IMG_2622.jpg

don't take too much glee in this strike shit, esp since i know a few people who have been out of work since this thing started.

Tentative agreement reached, etc.:

In a statement, guild leaders said the three-year deal made significant strides toward ensuring that writers get a fair cut of new media revenues.

"It is an agreement that protects a future in which the Internet becomes the primary means of both content creation and delivery," the guild said in an e-mail to it members. "We believe that continuing to strike now will not bring sufficient gains to outweigh the potential risks and that the time has come to accept this contract and settle the strike."

Being presented to the writers today.

so is it over?

They're furiously pounding out 30 Rock scripts for a nation of crying bloggers as we speak.

will "30 Rock" be infecting US movies 3 years from now like "Arrested Development" currently is?

go make your diarrhea on another thread, please

How is Arrested Development currently "infecting" US movies? By reviving the career of Jason Bateman?

http://www.porkbelly.net/azupload/uploads/widow/top10moments/Chinatown.jpg

xp: yeah, by making movies "very Michael Bluth" ;)

I'm guessing he means by giving Michael Cera a movie career?

xp

babelfish.morbius.com/

U R ALL CORRECT!

More Office episodes plz kthxbi

Best result of strike: episodes of The People's Court where litigants walk into the courtroom WITHOUT the sinister voice-over summary of their case and dramatic "he's accused of ... <terrible pun>."

Instead, they walk in silence while text scrolls across the bottom of the screen: THIS CASE WAS ADJUDICATED DURING THE WRITER'S STRIKE ...

Well not so much silence as "ba-dump bump .... ba-da-dump BUMP bump ... bad-da-dump bum ..." etc.

Srsly?

Also, is Harvey Levin still on the People's Court, or is he too busy w/sleazy TMZ?

He is! I don't really get it, but I admire his persona change between the two. TMZ Harvey appears to work out more.

Oh wait, never mind, he has nicer suits and his cool-guy TMZ haircut on People's Court now. And he looks all smug and relaxed.

OKAY i knew i knew that guy from somewhere

He just made a Zsa Zsa Gabor joke. You'd think Mr. TMZ would have something a bit more ... current.

he's been acting way gayer on the peep's court since alec baldwin outed him as super gay.

Bill Simmons this week:

Type No. 5: The "Watch Me Sit Out This Entire Season, I Will Absolutely Bite My Nose To Spite My Face!" Holdout

Usually a disaster, with two exceptions: Gus Williams (1980) and Sean Gilbert (1997) signed for significantly bigger deals than they passed up the previous year. Gus came back as good as ever, although I can't condone any situation that robbed us of one year of Gus' prime. (Loved that guy.) Gilbert was never as effective, no surprise because when players skip a year in their primes -- especially in football -- it's nearly impossible to shake off that rust.

(Important note: This is the same reason why the 2007 writer's strike in Hollywood was so dumb at the time and seems 10 times dumber now. Walking away from guaranteed salaries for eight months just to get a better deal on Internet royalties? I dare any writing winner at this month's Emmys to make a joke about how much they've enjoyed spending their millions in Internet royalties these last two years. The room will go dead silent.)

Is this true? Has there been fundamentally no impact yet from the new deal? Just curious.

(Def not true that the 2007 strike destroyed television -- I feel like TV has been much fresher since that strike, except for network dramas which were arguable not that strong to begin with.)

i think i'm in the minority in believing bill simmons to be a tedious dipshit but the strike was weird and career-affecting to a couple people i know who had projects sunk by the strike.