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General Discussions => Inner Glimpse => Topic started by: Spacey on December 17, 2007, 11:48:07 am

Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: Spacey on December 17, 2007, 11:48:07 am
The strike is redefining the programs on TV. We will have more reality shows than reality soon.
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: jocelyn on December 17, 2007, 11:50:07 am
Quote from: Spacey;173303
We will have more reality shows than reality soon.


:banghead:
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: Me! on December 17, 2007, 11:55:41 am
I think the writers strike is gonna be great for that terminator show.  Other than Lost there\'s not gonna be much else on.
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: booztravlr on December 17, 2007, 12:02:27 pm
Though I doubt they have many outside writers, Reno 911 starts up in the middle of January too. [/thread hijack]
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: Spacey on December 17, 2007, 12:03:27 pm
I would imagine that they are still writing but not giving material to the networks.

Quote from: booztravlr;173313
Though I doubt they have many outside writers, Reno 911 starts up in the middle of January too. [/thread hijack]


I believe some shows have a back line of episodes written but they are running out of material fast.
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: davepeck on December 17, 2007, 12:04:50 pm
here, have your own thread.
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: Spacey on December 17, 2007, 12:06:03 pm
Quote from: davepeck;173316
here, have your own thread.


thanks, broseph!

kinda just happened organically.
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: Me! on December 17, 2007, 12:11:42 pm
Quote from: davepeck;173316
here, have your own thread.


:lol:

I know there are some shows that still have a few episodes left. House has 3 or 4 left as well as Bones (on right before House)

Quote
Letterman\'s company, writers are primed to talk
Worldwide Pants takes the union up on its offer to negotiate with individual firms.
By Matea Gold, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 16, 2007
NEW YORK -- David Letterman\'s production company, Worldwide Pants, jumped at the chance Saturday to negotiate independently with the Writers Guild of America, saying it was eager to make a deal with its striking writers and get new episodes of its late-night shows back on the air.

full article (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-letterman16dec16,1,4468284.story?coll=la-headlines-nation)
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: jking on December 17, 2007, 12:14:14 pm
Quote
I would imagine that they are still writing but not giving material to the networks.
nope, there\'s a "pencils down" mandate. no writing at all.

and as much as i utterly despise reality tv, i fully support the wga! especially since the companies are using the exact same line of unreasoning now that they used back when vcr\'s first came out. "we just don\'t know if vcr\'s [ now the internet and dvd\'s] will be profitable enough to cut you a slice. sorry." fine. what if you don\'t have any content to put on those dvd\'s and the web? i\'ll bet there\'s no profit there whatsoever! ah, the sacred greed....
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: Spacey on December 17, 2007, 12:38:43 pm
Quote from: Me!;173319
Quote from: davepeck;173316
here, have your own thread.


:lol:

I know there are some shows that still have a few episodes left. House has 3 or 4 left as well as Bones (on right before House)

Quote
Letterman\'s company, writers are primed to talk
Worldwide Pants takes the union up on its offer to negotiate with individual firms.
By Matea Gold, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 16, 2007
NEW YORK -- David Letterman\'s production company, Worldwide Pants, jumped at the chance Saturday to negotiate independently with the Writers Guild of America, saying it was eager to make a deal with its striking writers and get new episodes of its late-night shows back on the air.

full article (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-letterman16dec16,1,4468284.story?coll=la-headlines-nation)


Just read this article. I did not know Letterman owned his show. That is interesting. I would also be interested to see some of these shows that plan on coming back without writers. Probably be horrible.

Quote from: jking;173326
Quote
I would imagine that they are still writing but not giving material to the networks.

nope, there\'s a "pencils down" mandate. no writing at all.

and as much as i utterly despise reality tv, i fully support the wga! especially since the companies are using the exact same line of unreasoning now that they used back when vcr\'s first came out. "we just don\'t know if vcr\'s [ now the internet and dvd\'s] will be profitable enough to cut you a slice. sorry." fine. what if you don\'t have any content to put on those dvd\'s and the web? i\'ll bet there\'s no profit there whatsoever! ah, the sacred greed....


Same argument the producers and film association made in 1988 and we know how that turned out. I support them too since this is basically what the artists did with digital music.
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: tyzack on December 17, 2007, 02:40:18 pm
I have never really watched that much network TV, the only stuff that I watched that had writers were daily show/colbert report. I\'m not really that sad to see them go, because now I can go to be at 10:45 and not have to worry about missing some stupid joke.

However, I do wonder how news (ESPN included) get by, I guess this is only for "entertainment" writers? What about movies, when will they be effected?

Also, I mean, I know writers aren\'t miners or nurses, but how hard is it to find replacements?
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: SlimPickens on December 17, 2007, 03:10:25 pm
Quote from: tyzack;173356
I have never really watched that much network TV, the only stuff that I watched that had writers were daily show/colbert report. I\'m not really that sad to see them go, because now I can go to be at 10:45 and not have to worry about missing some stupid joke.

However, I do wonder how news (ESPN included) get by, I guess this is only for "entertainment" writers? What about movies, when will they be effected?

Also, I mean, I know writers aren\'t miners or nurses, but how hard is it to find replacements?


Reports & Writers not in the same union... infact, I\'m not sure if there is a Reporters union.

I\'m going to say yes, it\'s very difficult to find scab writers.  Last time they went on Strike was in the 80\'s, it lasted 22 weeks and costed the industy hundreds of millions of dollars.  Shows like Moonlighting and Kate & Ally were cancelled, Carson & Letterman crossed the line and went on w/out writers

You won\'t see the effect on the movie industry for close to a year due to production schedules.  And the production companies will probably jockey stuff around so you barely notice.
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: Spacey on December 17, 2007, 03:23:40 pm
ESPN must fall under Disney and be on strike or the writers are not WGA. Movies will be effected if this strike continues for a long time. Currently using back logs of scripts.

You don\'t cross picket lines. Especially in Hollywood, you will get blacklisted.

The techs and stage hands are the ones really getting fucked because there is no work.

Even if you could get scab writers to do the scripts, you still need actors/actresses to cross the picket lines. Which is difficult because these unions all support each other externally, so that if one goes the industry feels the shock.

The 1988 strike estimated to cost the industry $500 million over 22 months.
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: kindm's on December 17, 2007, 03:24:00 pm
IMHO they should GBTW and STFU

I cannot believe they cannot find replacements

It isn\'t like what is on TV is any good anyway. Most of the time they are just rehashing old story lines and plot vehicles.

hell how many times have you seen every sit-com do the same tired idea. They do it over and over and over.

Like person comes home finds a (note, letter, message on the answering machine) and is taken out of context, the entire 20 minutes is this character avoiding asking the person the 1 question that would have ended the assumption 18 minutes ago, and then miraculously they discover that they assumed. They all laugh and roll credits.

TV is tired and boring. Only occasionally do you get a TV show that is sort of new and refreshing. These "writers" could use a class in creative writing.
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: Spacey on December 17, 2007, 03:30:20 pm
You don\'t cross picket lines without repercussions. There is a science to a strike. Even if you did find replacements many actors/actresses would not cross the lines. It is not a questions of creativity but pay and getting residuals for their work, which they are entitled.
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: kindm's on December 17, 2007, 03:56:45 pm
Quote from: Spacey;173385
You don\'t cross picket lines without repercussions. There is a science to a strike. Even if you did find replacements many actors/actresses would not cross the lines. It is not a questions of creativity but pay and getting residuals for their work, which they are entitled.


I agree with crossing picket lines.

I guess I just find it funny that a bunch of no talent assholes can demand anything. How about writing something new and original and we can talk about residuals and compensation.

The reality is that their profession exists to sell advertising and nothing more. Always has and always will.
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: Spacey on December 17, 2007, 04:04:08 pm
Quote from: kindm\'s;173387
Quote from: Spacey;173385
You don\'t cross picket lines without repercussions. There is a science to a strike. Even if you did find replacements many actors/actresses would not cross the lines. It is not a questions of creativity but pay and getting residuals for their work, which they are entitled.


I agree with crossing picket lines.

I guess I just find it funny that a bunch of no talent assholes can demand anything. How about writing something new and original and we can talk about residuals and compensation.

The reality is that their profession exists to sell advertising and nothing more. Always has and always will.


My father is the President of the American Postal Workers Union in New Haven/Connecticut. I brake his balls constantly about this. As long as they pay their Union dues the Union will protect and fight for them. I jokingly break his balls that he is in the business of keeping incompetent people employed because they pay their dues.

That real is it in my opinion. The Union protects their members as long as dues are paid.
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: SlimPickens on December 17, 2007, 04:45:51 pm
Quote from: kindm\'s;173387

I guess I just find it funny that a bunch of no talent assholes can demand anything. How about writing something new and original and we can talk about residuals and compensation.

The reality is that their profession exists to sell advertising and nothing more. Always has and always will.



HOLY SWEEPING GENERALIZATIONS.  

So, you don\'t watch television or movies \'cause the no talent writers never make you laugh, think, or feel any other emotion?

I am Jack\'s false sense of reality.

There is a whole spectrum of writing out there in TV & Movie land from the crap you see on Full House (or whatever it\'s current reincarnation is called) to the genius that\'s winning academy awards.  They belong to a collective union to protect one another from the greedy hounds that in one breath are claiming that DVD & Online royalties are worthless, then turning around and collecting billions.

Plus, the writers are the pioneers blazing a path for the other entertainment based unions to get their fair share of those royalties.

Quote from: Spacey;173390


That real is it in my opinion. The Union protects their members as long as dues are paid.


The union only protects who the company hires.  If the company is hiring a bunch of gap mouthed bottom feeders, whose fault is that?
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: Spacey on December 17, 2007, 04:49:21 pm
Quote from: SlimPickens;173414

Quote from: Spacey;173390


That real is it in my opinion. The Union protects their members as long as dues are paid.


The union only protects who the company hires.  If the company is hiring a bunch of gap mouthed bottom feeders, whose fault is that?


thanks, Dad.

The Union only protects those who pay their dues. It may be the company that hires them, we all work with people who are incompetent, it is difficult for a company to fire them when they are involved with the Unions. Try to fire a Union member and they will hand you a card to call their Union Rep. As long as monthly dues are in, they have the protection of the Union.
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: SlimPickens on December 17, 2007, 05:02:38 pm
Quote from: Spacey;173419
Quote from: SlimPickens;173414

Quote from: Spacey;173390


That real is it in my opinion. The Union protects their members as long as dues are paid.


The union only protects who the company hires.  If the company is hiring a bunch of gap mouthed bottom feeders, whose fault is that?


thanks, Dad.

The Union only protects those who pay their dues. It may be the company that hires them, we all work with people who are incompetent, it is difficult for a company to fire them when they are involved with the Unions. Try to fire a Union member and they will hand you a card to call their Union Rep. As long as monthly dues are in, they have the protection of the Union.



Go to your room Boy!  You\'re grounded.

I work w/ this dude who is a real mouth breathing moron.  I can\'t stand him.  But there are other people here that think he\'s a good worker.  How would a union know who is a good worker and who is a bad worker?
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: Spacey on December 17, 2007, 05:55:00 pm
There is communication between management and the Union reps. This happens almost daily. When management tries to fire an employee they have to deal with a Union rep not with the individual. It is like having an agent/lawyer with you at all times. Every mistake you make can usually be defended by the Union. Unions don\'t care if you can do the job or not, they like everyone else want their money.

I believe in Unions but like I said, tongue-in-cheek, that they only defend if your dues are paid.
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: SlimPickens on December 17, 2007, 07:31:53 pm
Quote from: Spacey;173431
I believe in Unions but like I said, tongue-in-cheek, that they only defend if your dues are paid.


Everyone\'s got bills to pay
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: Spacey on December 17, 2007, 07:45:08 pm
Quote from: SlimPickens;173440
Quote from: Spacey;173431
I believe in Unions but like I said, tongue-in-cheek, that they only defend if your dues are paid.


Everyone\'s got bills to pay


your attitude is starting to get to me, Lovitz!
Title: A thread about the WGA strike
Post by: Me! on February 13, 2008, 11:43:25 pm
strike over (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/business/media/13vote.html?_r=1&oref=slogin)

I had no idea.  Good news though.  Should be getting at most a half dozen new episodes of shows in May.