WGA Strike: Finally Ending?

Could it be true? Could the strike FINALLY be coming to a close? The WGA & The AMPTP are scheduled to "talk" this weekend, and hopefully they'll finally see eye to eye. Not only have writers grown tired of the lack of work, but I'm sure all the crew members from shows that got cancelled and literary agents who were laid off aren't too thrilled either. But now it's time for everyone to hold hands and sing Koombaya because the Oscars are coming! And no one wants to fuck with a precious event like the Oscars. I won't protest either. I want to see Danny take home his golden milkshake.
So yeah. The word on the street is that the strike will be over on Monday. I guess we'll have to wait and see... I'm not getting my hopes up too high.

WGA Strike- Day 8,000?

<--- When will I see you again??

As the WGA strike drags on, everything is being ruined. As I mentioned before, the premiere of LOST will probably be delayed until Feb. 2009, and the new season of 24 has been postponed indefinitely. But it's not only our favorite TV shows that are being affected. Many small production companies and lit. agencies are suffering as well.

In an email to all employees of NBC Universal last Fri. about the strike was the following paragraph:

"There is no ignoring the financial damage the strike is inflicting upon the industry, and we can only hope the WGA returns to the bargaining table soon with a strong desire to work toward an agreement."

Quite a passive-aggressive statement! How about the STUDIOS return to the bargaining table to give the writers what they deserve? But the higher-ups at NBC Universal have been too busy furiously promoting their "green" campaign to save the environment. How noble! In honor of the green campaign, the studio sent thousands of "green" water bottles and tote bags to all NBC Universal employees. I'm not sure how much paper and energy was wasted by packaging and shipping these thousands of green items, but I'm sure it was a lot. Maybe if studios like NBC Uni wouldn't waste hundreds of thousands of dollars on TV spots and Internet ads for their fake green campaigns, the writers could be fairly compensated and the strike could be over!!

You know... just a thought.

WGA Strike- Day 3

Now that it's day three, people are really starting to get antsy about this WGA strike. The buzz among industry peeps is that the strike is going to last "a long time." Whatever that means. But I do know that the strike is probably going to fuck up the airing schedule of one of my favorite shows- LOST. TV Guide reports that if the strike goes on into the new year, ABC may opt to delay the new season until Feb. 2009. That's a long-ass time folks. 2009? We could have flying cars by then! I'm not even going to remember what Jack's scruffy face looks like by 2008!

Not only does the strike mean trouble for LOST fans, it also means bad times for lit. agencies. An article in Variety today described how agents are getting screwed over: they are unable to sell specs, pitches or their writers' services. Perhaps the one good thing to come out of the strike thus far is that my old boss, Jordan Bayer of Original Artists, was quoted in this article. While the article says that a lot of boutique agencies will suffer a serious blow from the strike, Jordan says that OA will be A-ok because their revenue was up this year and they have planned for this dry spell by starting new ventures.

An interesting part of this article is the quote given by a "veteran deal maker"-

"Not one of my big writer clients favors this strike, and yet the media doesn't challenge the WGA's claim that 90% of its membership wanted a strike."

It's strange to think of the possibility that most writers actually disagree with what's happening right now... although I don't think Mr. Deal Maker can realistically speak for all writers, or proclaim what the media should or shouldn't do. Then, the guy goes on to liken the situation to "How people felt going into the war with Iraq."

I seriously don't even know how to respond to that comment, but it's the typical attitude of an entertainment exec to think that what is going on in his little world is comparable to a deadly, four-year global conflict.

WGA Strike- Day 1

So the Writer's Guild strike began today which means that people who write for TV and movies are not allowed to do their jobs until the conflict is resolved. For those of you in the dark about this whole thing- writers are trying to get residuals of Internet and DVD sales (rightly so) and the Producer's Guild says no no no. Like the bad Pharaoh.

This also means that there are people picketing and being angry. It also means that screenwriters like my friend Craig (who was 3 weeks shy of completing the last rewrite of his screenplay he's submitting to Universal) are getting fucked in the ass.

Speaking of Universal, I am technically employed by the company so I get to hear it straight from the horse's mouth. Here is an email that they sent to employees today:

We just received word that the Writers Guild of America, the labor union representing many writers in the television and film industries, has called a strike. This is a disappointing development that will have negative consequences for the industry, our viewers and the economy. There’s never been a time of greater change in our industry. It is imperative that entertainment companies and labor unions do their utmost to work together to keep these businesses viable and competitive in a rapidly evolving marketplace. As always, our goal is to deliver quality content to our viewers across all platforms, and we have taken steps to assure we continue to do so.

If they actually cared, they would stop being so unreasonable and give the writers what they want.

Jon Stewart, on the other hand, is the knight in shining armor in this whole debacle. Defamer reports that Stewart will "reach into his own pockets" and pay his writing staff (and the staff of the Colbert Report) for the the next two weeks!

I love that man.