Writer's Strike

[crawfish]

Coming on ABC - Three hours of "The Bachelor", 7 nights a week. WAG members beaten silly by mobs of angry husbands...

[LosAngelesSooner]

Nah, Dave Letterman and Johnny Carson tried to continue through the strike in the 80s. They're sitting it out now because they relied on writing too much and not their own wit that they supposedly had.
You try writing one hour's worth of GOOD new material every single day, then performing it that night. :rolleyes:

You have no clue what you're talking about.

[badger]

Oh, and I called both sides selfish, because their own jobs aren't the only thing being effected here. This is going to shake up the entire television industry. Thousands of non-writers are going to lose their jobs permanently and even some of the striking writers won't have work after this is over. The television industry will not recover after this strike, because they didn't even recover from the '88 one yet, nearly 20 years later.

I'm a writer myself, and I know that the pay could always be higher and the work isn't always appreciated. But this time, this battle doesn't seem like it has a winner, no matter what the outcome. Ratings will drop when favorite shows are postponed and canceled and more people will be out of work in a already suffering California economy.

[Vaevictis]

3. It occurs to me (as it did to Veritas) that the market is setting the value of your services. Why, pray tell, is that wrong?

It's "wrong" because the market is distorted. Twice.

When you have a few large buyers who can effectively set the buying price, then the market doesn't work. When you have a large supplier who can effectively set the selling price, then the market doesn't work.

The market isn't magical; certain assumptions must be met for it to work efficiently. And in this case, they're not.

[badger]

Well, considering I was on the picket line yesterday and will be on it again today...
Sorry, I didn't realize you were so close to the situation when I made comments earlier or I wouldn't have been so... you know... unscripted.

Please do what you can to not have this one be as bad as '88 :) Get back to work soon! I miss my Colbert!

EDIT: I realized that I must have missed something earlier (in longer threads, sometimes I just pop in cuz I'm not a SO regular) and aside from a bunch of deleted spek related posts (thanks Veritas), it's quite educational.

[mdklatt]

The market isn't magical; certain assumptions must be met for it to work efficiently.

That's not what they told us in 6th grade social studies.

[LosAngelesSooner]

Sorry, I didn't realize you were so close to the situation when I made comments earlier or I wouldn't have been so... you know... unscripted.

Please do what you can to not have this one be as bad as '88 :) Get back to work soon! I miss my Colbert!

EDIT: I realized that I must have missed something earlier (in longer threads, sometimes I just pop in cuz I'm not a SO regular) and aside from a bunch of deleted spek related posts (thanks Veritas), it's quite educational.
Fair enough. :)

[badger]

Fair enough. :)
Nyuh uh, no fair dropping in this here thread and not giving a status report!

Ok... pulling out the reporter's notebook... questions...

Please spell your name and profession... ok, let's skip that one for once...

1- Which celebrities are currently out there with you and what type of donuts or other freebies are they providing?

2- Which celebrities must go to hell (or at least join Matthew McLonghorney on the saxet sideline) because they are still working through this and not giving the writers the support necessary for there to be a successful resolution for all parties involved (which includes those who are not involved, like the actors and personalities and broom guys and such)?

3- What is your daily striking routine? Give us a timetable of what you usually do every day to get your message out. It's ok - you can skip the "obligatory post on South Oval at soonerfans.com" part. We already see that.

4- We back in these here parts of the country are already seeing shows like 24 postponed and more advertisements for contestant searches for reality shows that do not rely on union writers. What can we television watchers expect in the near future with our other favorite shows? Would you please name some of these shows that we can expect to be postponed or canned.

5- It is a common stereotype that Los Angeles is often quite glamorous, overspending and lavish as far as lifestyles go. Some may also get the impression that Hollywood writers share this lifestyle and can afford to strike while poor minimum wagers are suffering and losing their Hollywood menial jobs while actors and writers party it up on the street striking parties and Hollywood producers and television bosses count their millions. Would you please edit my above statements to reflect the truth of the situation?

6- Finally, my last question: Is Pete Carroll really a d0uche, or are we just being hard on the poor trojan (little girlish giggle)? Is the poor man just down on his luck this year and we should lay off him for awhile, at least until the potential of us facing him again comes up, or should we continue starting "USC goez on teh probation cuz of teh Bush, lolz!!1!" in the football forum?

kplzthxinadvance

[LosAngelesSooner]

Nyuh uh, no fair dropping in this here thread and not giving a status report!

Ok... pulling out the reporter's notebook... questions...

Please spell your name and profession... ok, let's skip that one for once...

1- Which celebrities are currently out there with you and what type of donuts or other freebies are they providing?
Jeebus. It's a Who's Who out there. We're all doing 4 hour shifts and many celebs are out there supporting us. I was sandwiched between David Boreanaz and Albert Finney (not as kinky as it sounds) while Michael Bay walked around handing out Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

We're getting all the water/sodas we can drink and tons of bagels/doughnuts, etc.


2- Which celebrities must go to hell (or at least join Matthew McLonghorney on the saxet sideline) because they are still working through this and not giving the writers the support necessary for there to be a successful resolution for all parties involved (which includes those who are not involved, like the actors and personalities and broom guys and such)?
Really none at this point. We're not far enough along for any real scabbers working. All the actors who are still working are honoring their contracts, so they're in the clear. For now. Once there are some scab writers who try to write episodes and any (doubtful) actors cross the lines to work on them...the list will grow.


3- What is your daily striking routine? Give us a timetable of what you usually do every day to get your message out. It's ok - you can skip the "obligatory post on South Oval at soonerfans.com" part. We already see that.
4 hour shifts every day at different locations as determined by the strike captain.

I haven't thrown anything, yet, but I DID give a car the finger when they drove through the picket line...but I did it because they had a Texas Longhorn sticker on the window. (Then I gave them the Downward Hook'Em sign and yelled "Boomer Sooner!" (This got me strange looks since it really stood out from the "Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho!" chant that was going on.


4- We back in these here parts of the country are already seeing shows like 24 postponed and more advertisements for contestant searches for reality shows that do not rely on union writers. What can we television watchers expect in the near future with our other favorite shows? Would you please name some of these shows that we can expect to be postponed or canned.
I would honestly expect ALL scripted shows to be delayed at this point.

Sorry.

As for cancellations at this point...I don't know. (But I hope that Cavemen is one of 'em)


5- It is a common stereotype that Los Angeles is often quite glamorous, overspending and lavish as far as lifestyles go. Some may also get the impression that Hollywood writers share this lifestyle and can afford to strike while poor minimum wagers are suffering and losing their Hollywood menial jobs while actors and writers party it up on the street striking parties and Hollywood producers and television bosses count their millions. Would you please edit my above statements to reflect the truth of the situation?[/
Heh. :D

Well, the strike IS taking away from my weekly Yachting time. ;)

No, I think most people realize that 90% of the writers are middle class to poverty line. Only the really lucky ones pull in the big big bucks...and that usually only comes after a "Showrunner" title or "Producer" title is given to them.

[quote]6- Finally, my last question: Is Pete Carroll really a d0uche, or are we just being hard on the poor trojan (little girlish giggle)? Is the poor man just down on his luck this year and we should lay off him for awhile, at least until the potential of us facing him again comes up, or should we continue starting "USC goez on teh probation cuz of teh Bush, lolz!!1!" in the football forum?

kplzthxinadvance
Pete

Carroll

Is

A

Tremendous

******.

(I've met him. He's a ******. And his program is dirty. And everyone out here knows it. Once we get an NFL team...his Golden Umbrella will disappear.)

[sooneron]

Please punch Bay in the throat for me. Plzkthnx.

[badger]

All right, LASooner, here's some follow-up questions for ya:
1- First off, will you please punch Bay for sooneron and punch Pete Carroll for the rest of us? Kplztnx.

2- You have oceans and you get to rub elbows with the rich and famous. Is the situation really so bad that you need to Steve Owens-style elbow drive your bosses? Please explain why or why not.

3- Your strike thus far has shown that you have a good relationship with the actor's union. However, the stage hand's union is becoming critical of you guys and your strike. What are your thoughts on your union's relationship with other Hollywood unions?

4- There have been jokes that strikers usually egg or just block people trying to walk across picket lines... not necessarily your strike, but we've seen it at other strikes before, of course. To be fair, though, there have been union pickets around places where there is filming going on. Is it the goal of your union to stop productions that writers normally have a role in during your strike, or would you rather see work continue during your strike? Please explain.

5- Is there any end in sight for this strike? If not, how are you and other writers going to potentially make it through months of picketing? How have you and your colleagues prepared to go through this for the long haul, and how long can you afford to hold out for?

6- Ok, final question here... the governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger (I bet I didn't spell that right, but you know who I'm talking about), has been the public figure for mediating the two sides during this strike. What progress has been made with bringing the two sides together during these past two weeks?

[Ike]

heh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFntFDfaf5o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzRHlpEmr0w

[KABOOKIE]

Mmmmmm. My give-a-sh*t light is still out.

[StoopTroup]

Getting paid is the name of the game...lol

[Harry Beanbag]

Update please, I'm on pins & needles.

[KABOOKIE]

Update please, I'm on pins & needles.

Must be the most overpaid union ever. Even the biggest fatheaded $40/hr wrench turner in Michigan would be sweatin' his personal economics this long into a strike and this close to Christmas.

[Harry Beanbag]

Is it still going on?

[sooneron]

http://www.wga.org/subpage_member.aspx?id=2643

[royalfan5]

Is it still going on?
yes.

[Harry Beanbag]

Pity.

[mdklatt]

Must be the most overpaid union ever. Even the biggest fatheaded $40/hr wrench turner in Michigan would be sweatin' his personal economics this long into a strike and this close to Christmas.


It's only been going a couple of months.

[KABOOKIE]

It's only been going a couple of months.


Maybe you could cover 2 months without salary, bruce.

[rufnek05]

any word on an end? I'm getting tired of watching reruns of the Daily Show and the Colbert Report.

[mdklatt]

Maybe you could cover 2 months without salary, bruce.


Dave Ramsay says to keep at least 6 months expenses in savings.

[mdklatt]

any word on an end? I'm getting tired of watching reruns of the Daily Show and the Colbert Report.

Get some better "stuff" and maybe you'll forget that you've seen them already.

[NYC Poke]

[Duplicate post]

[NYC Poke]

any word on an end? I'm getting tired of watching reruns of the Daily Show and the Colbert Report.


The SEIU (service workers union) just marched up 6th Ave. and rallied in front of the News Corp. Building in "labor solidarity" with the writers. There were thousands of them. They sounded pretty mad, and it's not even their union! I don't think it's ending soon.

[KABOOKIE]

Dave Ramsay says to keep at least 6 months expenses in savings.


Dave Ramsay is a mouthpeice for the bank industry.

[rufnek05]

The SEIU (service workers union) just marched up 6th Ave. and rallied in front of the News Corp. Building in "labor solidarity" with the writers. There were thousands of them. They sounded pretty mad, and it's not even their union! I don't think it's ending soon.


crap.

[Frozen Sooner]

Must be the most overpaid union ever. Even the biggest fatheaded $40/hr wrench turner in Michigan would be sweatin' his personal economics this long into a strike and this close to Christmas.

Well, they are paid a little differently than your average wage earner-they're getting residuals still, they're just not getting paid to produce any new material. Residuals aren't enough to live on by any means, but they certainly help to stretch the budget if there's any savings there.

But there's stories out there about how a lot of them are sweating right now.

[NYC Poke]

crap.


I've also heard rumors and rumblings that the awards shows (like the Academy Awards) could be affected as well. We'll learn just how stupid actors are when they don't have people writing for them.

[sanantoniosooner]

Dave Ramsay is a mouthpeice for the bank industry.
B.

S.

[TheLurker]

I've also heard rumors and rumblings that the awards shows (like the Academy Awards) could be affected as well. We'll learn just how stupid actors are when they don't have people writing for them.
Considering that this is the "man" writing for them usually, I think it may be an improvement.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/photo/2003-08/9187031.jpg

[sooner_born_1960]

I've also heard rumors and rumblings that the awards shows (like the Academy Awards) could be affected as well. We'll learn just how stupid actors are when they don't have people writing for them.
We would if we watched crap like that.

[rufnek05]

Considering that this is the "man" writing for them usually, I think it may be an improvement.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/photo/2003-08/9187031.jpg


is that alf?

[JohnnyMack]

is that alf?

No it's OU4LIFE.

[LosAngelesSooner]

A lot of us ARE sweating.

Oh, and I'd guess it'll be over in April. That's my thought, anyway.

[JohnnyMack]

A lot of us ARE sweating.


You guys get crazy and burn down a Starbucks yet?

[LosAngelesSooner]

No way, man. It's all that's keeping us going! IF the producers were smart THEY'D burn 'em down and it would force us to end the strike tomorrow! ;)

[NYC Poke]

LATE-NIGHT GUYS SHOOTING FOR SAME-DAY RETURN
By DON KAPLAN

December 14, 2007 -- THE late-night shows are quietly talking to each other about all coming back on the air at once - before the ongoing writers' strike is over.

The late-night shows, which shut down early last month when the writers walked out, do not want to alienate their union writers.

But it is becoming increasingly clear to both sides that Jay Leno, David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel and the rest will have to come back before the strike is settled.

In order to avoid any bad blood with the unions - or bad PR with viewers - the executives from the shows have been trying, behind the scenes, to agree to all come back on the same night, according to knowledgeable industry sources.

"Nobody wants to be vilified like Ellen DeGeneres or Carson Daly," two shows that broke with strikers and went back on the air early, said one source.

"But it's getting to the point where they are beginning to realize that this [strike] could be going on for a while and they're trying to figure out a way to get back on the air sooner rather than later," says the source.

If the late-night shows go back into production before the strike is settled, at least some members of the Writers Guild will understand - the late-night comedy writers themselves.

"We will never be able to repay [Letterman] for what he did for us," says "Late Show" writer Bill Sheft, who also serves as the show's union rep for the Writers Guild. "Dave Letterman on the air without writers and ****ed off about it would be as powerful as anything we [union members] can do. He will rail nightly at the greedy pinheads that put him in this position.

"He made the right decision, and when and if he decides to come back, it will be the right decision," Sheft said.

Letterman was the first late-night host who said he would continue to pay his staff out of his own pocket while the strike was on. The other late-show hosts soon followed when the networks began informing the idled late-night staffs that they would be laid off.

"We understand the 'Late Show,' " Sheft says. "The fact that other shows fell in line after him is enormous . . . We can march in a circle all day and blog all we want, but, to me, he's been an off-air supporter. Maybe his greatest potential is as an on-air provocateur."

While Letterman doesn't talk to the other late-night hosts, "Daily Show" host/head-writer/executive producer Jon Stewart "has been extremely active since this began, making calls, starting conversations and sending e-mails," says a late-night talk show source.

"Believe me, all these guys are going crazy," says one late-night talk show executive. "They've had to sit on the sidelines for the last six weeks and watch the world go by without having their soapboxes. It's hard for them, and it's getting harder."

"The fact is they're talking, but no one wants to be first or the only one, for that matter," says a knowledgeable network executive. "But I think their power will come in their solidarity. It's a hot potato."


http://www.nypost.com/seven/12142007/tv/shave__dave__787602.htm?page=1

Dave's looking relaxed.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/12142007/photos/tv129a.jpg