First they were closer. Then they were further. Now they’re closer again.
The WGA and the producers had “a good day” on Friday, which means … well, who the fuck knows? It seems like everyone involved in reaching this agreement is a writer on Lost because every time they approach a resolution, someone runs their mouth and we’re right back where we started.
Of course, with the writers strike, people complain that there’s nothing on their DVR. But just a few months ago, everyone was complaining that there was too much on their DVR. It’s such a tough life for the premium cable inclined.
Anyway, if the strike is resolved that means the Oscars. Other than the fashion round-ups, the Oscars are pretty inane. So instead of the awards, how about this:
Congratulations everyone who works in Hollywood. You're great. If your parents don't respect you, they really should. You're creating fine art. Well done.
When news of the Writers Guild of America's strike was coming, one woman was able to turn what was to become, at its core, the most boring standoff since Heidi vs. LC. Then Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily blog made things interesting, trafficking in facts, gossip, and plucky web video better than industry rags like THR, Variety, or even the Los Angeles Times could attempt.
And if there are three things Nikki has done well – besides keeping the story fresh for weeks – it's storytelling, increasing pageviews, and caring. CONTINUED »
Just a quick FYI: Owning your own production has its benefits. Because David Letterman’s company, Worldwide Pants, made a separate agreement with the Writers Guild of America, the second-rated late night host can have Screen Actors Guild guests without any awkwardness and/or protests from the WGA. CONTINUED »
In what world is a MIT physics professor a big talk show"get"? In the murky waters of the WGA strike, where some late night hosts are returning with their writing staffs, and others without.
The professor is YouTube star Walter H. G. Lewin, who makes physics fun with lively demonstrations; he also happened to be featured in the New York Times, so you know the logic path that followed in bookers' minds.
And if Jay Leno were to get him, that'd be just splendid — since David Letterman's arrangement for Late Night and Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show allows them to return with writers and the blessing of the Screen Actors Guild, which the Times reports "is explicitly directing its members — including every A-list movie and television star — to appear on the CBS shows."
Which isn't sitting well with the Lenos, O'Briens, Stewarts, Colberts, Dalys, and Kimmels of the world. Something about an unfair competitive advantage. Or a growing fear that Jay Leno by himself is, indeed, not funny. Shudder.
Should journalists (like Hollywood writers) start getting residuals? Absolutely! says overworked/underpaid journalist/non-biased third party, Albert Kim, who writes:
As a writer who's worked both in Hollywood and journalism, it's clear to me that the arguments used to justify residuals in one field could certainly apply in the other. Just as in Hollywood, media conglomerates are always on the lookout for ways to repurpose their material. Journalism doesn't have as many natural recycling opportunities, but it does happen.
It sure does! Just ask Michael Olesker, Monica Crowley or, better yet, Jayson Blair.
"David Letterman and his producers announced to his Late Show staff that they will be paid through the end of the year even though the show isn't on the air during the writers strike. 'Dave's not doing this to get good press,' a source says. 'This is really significant because, as opposed to all of the other shows, this money comes out of Dave's own pocket.'"
Thanks, source! Although, you must admit, the good press (which, incidentally, you're helping to generate) is kind of a nice afterthought, no? [DeadlineHollywood]
Don't pity the poor pitiful striking screenwriters—let the major daily newspapers do it for you.
Perhaps not since the air traffic controllers' strike of 1981 has the big press lavished such intense and generally sympathetic coverage on a labor dispute. Both the Washington Post ("it hasn't been easy for movie writers") and the New York Times ("my greed is fair and reasonable") have run op-eds by screenwriters demanding that the entertainment industry compensate Writers Guild of America members for digital use of their work on the Web, iPods, cell phones, etc., the sticking point of this strike.
Given the number of stories it has run on the clash, the Los Angeles Times must think the Writers Guild strike is to it as Hurricane Katrina was to the Times-Picayune.
–Jack Shafer can't help but notice that the purportedly objective mainstream media is unequivocally siding with the writers. [Slate]
Although we can’t always shake the nasty habit of writing in the royal we, occasionally one of our editors decides to shake off the cloak of anonymity to write a short, pithy statement long, rambling diatribe about a topic of their choice. Today, Debbie Newman is that editor.
For those of you already traumatized by the prospect of several weeks (or even months) without any new episodes of your favorite television shows, we've taken the liberty of preemptively filling that mindless void by coming up with our predictions for the season ahead.
Please be forewarned that the forthcoming episode guide is a purely imaginative/procastinative effort, and readers are advised to overlook any glaring inaccuracies, predictable plot trajectories or flat one-liners as needed.
CBS news writers, who have been working under an expired contract for the past two years, are threatening to join their WGA brethren (and low-level tv bloggers) and go on strike before week's end. "About 500 unionized news writers could soon join their creative colleagues on the picket line", reports HuffPo.
In response, CBS released a statement saying they are "prepared for the possibility of a writers strike [and] will continue to produce quality news programming."
On Friday, Slate's Troy Patterson wondered aloud why members of the Writers Guild of America – writers by profession – couldn't come up with any snazzy slogans for their little strike thing they've got going on. Is "We want our words' worth" the best they can come up with?
Enter Bruce Vilanch. If he were on the picket line, he'd be making KNBC's 11 o'clock open. (via)
Could Ellen DeGeneres gentle, self-deprecating air be nothing more than an elaborate act? Possibly, says today's Page Six. Their evidence? Not only has DeGeneres refused to go on record in support of the WGA strike, but one time, in the late 90's, she was kinda/sorta mean to some of the writers on her crappy sitcom Ellen. Says one still-bitter anonymous source:
We'd watch her in rehearsals, smiling and winning us over with her charm and comic timing. Then the director would yell cut, her face would fall, and she'd level a glare at the writers. 'Why do you keep writing these unfunny jokes?' she'd hiss.
In DeGeneres' defense, the show really wasn't showing off her A-game, but still. Where was the compassion? Where was the empathy? Is this truly the very same woman who wept openly on her show because the authorities repossessed her hairdresser's dog, or whatever?
Did you know that the writers are still on strike? Yeah, so did we. And frankly, we're sick and tired of hearing about people like Tina Fey and Jamie Lee Curtis come out in favor of the Writer's Guild of America.
Which is why we're kind of loving that Heroes creator Tim Kring made a point of apologizing for the steaming pile of dog poo that NBC tried to pass off as the hit show's second season ("The pace was too slow…We made a mistake") on the very same day the writers first hit the picket line.
Apology accepted, Tim! And this from the man who says his timing still needs work.
• Stephen Colbert on his short-lived presidential campaign: "I am shocked and saddened by the South Carolina Democratic Executive Council's 13-to-3 vote to keep me off their presidential primary ballot. Although I lost by the slimmest margin in presidential election history — only ten votes — I have chosen not to put the country through another agonizing Supreme Court battle. It is time for this nation to heal."
• Bonnie Fuller pulls a Naomi Campbell, takes a non-political "business" trip to the United Arab Emigrates.
• Jamie Lee Curtis pulls a Brian Williams' daughter Tina Fey, blogs in support of the Writer's Guild.
• The only thing black on this Ebony cover is Michael Jackson's hair, and we hear that was a wig.
• Aw, fake news anchor and all-around nice guy Jon Stewart has pledged to continue paying his writers' salaries for up to two weeks! At which point, they'll all be fired.
• Is creating a website to find a random girl on the 4 train creepy or endearing? And, more importantly, will it get you laid?
• When you're standing next to a drag queen, it's hard not to look manly. And yet, Carson Kressley pulls it off masterfully.
This writer's strike has gotta be hard for Tina Fey. She used to be a head writer at Saturday Night Live, so she knows the pain of an under-compensated scribe. But then she became a full-time cast member on the show, which means she understands the frustrations of an actor who can't do her job because those whiny writers aren't scribbling.
Then she decamped for her own 30 Rock, where she's both writer, executive producer, and actor. She's practically NBC Universal management. Who's interests should play bigger?
And yet there she is on the street, with her fellow writers, explaining why they're about to force us into reruns and shelved reality TV programming: It's the Internet's fault!
Editorial Director
