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Writers Strike News Roundup: Friday, Jan. 4

Jan 4, 2008  •  Post A Comment

Leno Asked, Received Guild Permission Over Monologue
A controversy over Jay Leno’s penned monologue has ruffled Writers Guild of America feathers, but NBC is claiming the guild gave permission to Mr. Leno to write his own material, Deadline Hollywood Daily reports.
Sources said Mr. Leno met with WGA West president Patric Verrone on Monday and asked about his ability to write his own material. Mr. Verrone responded that the guild would look the other way, the blog reports.
Guild Denies Claims of Looking the Other Way
The Writers Guild of America refutes claims that it told Jay Leno it would look the other way if Mr. Leno wrote his own monologue, Deadline Hollywood Daily reports.
A WGA insider said Mr. Leno and Patric Verrone, WGA West president, met on Monday, but Mr. Leno wasn’t there to discuss his monologue. He was there to clarify how he didn’t want to seem like the bad guy in going back to work, the blog says.
The confusion might lie in what happened at the end of the meeting, when Mr. Leno said he was going to do his monologue, which the insider said was interpreted as ad-libbing as opposed to scripting the piece, the blog says.
Strike Poll Paints Dimmer Picture for Writers
In a December follow-up to a poll distributed by Daily Variety in November, job loss has increased, with 26% of respondents saying they’ve lost their jobs due to the strike. That’s compared to 16% in November, the newspaper reports.
Also more respondents said they view the WGA in a more negative light than in the last survey.
Fewer respondents said they believed the strike would turn out in the writers’ favor than in November, Daily Variety said.
The newspaper polled 616 of its subscribers for the survey.
Pants Deal Helps Writers’ Image
The Writers Guild of America’s deal with David Letterman’s Worldwide Pants has boosted the image of the guild, making the WGA look reasonable, Daily Variety reports.
The terms of the deal between the two sides are hush-hush, but industry insiders believe the deal includes residuals of 2.5% of accountable receipts, which could mean the distributor’s gross, the newspaper says.
That deal also overlaps online through free streaming and downloadable video, with a free three-day window for promotional purposes, the newspaper reports.
Directors, Producers Taking Their Time Over Negotiations
Informal talks between the Directors Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers have been occurring over the past week. These talks, which are trying to bring in the right people, could continue well into next week, the Hollywood Reporter says.
Once these informal talks end, the two sides should be at the negotiating table immediately, the newspaper says.

48 Comments

  1. Writers don’t deserve to get paid anything.

  2. You know what? FUCK YOU ALL! I’m so sick of this fucking bullshit! You WGA cuntbags are ruining it for everybody else in Hollywood. I’m through with it! I hope all your fucking members go fi-core and th WGA is not left with a single penny. You don’t deserve it.
    This strike is your fucking problem Not ours. Stop shoving your goddamn problems in our faces! We’re sick of them and we’re sick of you! I have lost every ounce of sympathy I ever had for the WGA. You are no better than the two-faced losers who run the AMPTP.
    SAG is a piece of shit! I’m boycotting the SAG awards. This is rediculous. WGA is trying to have a monopoly over everything. I’m sorry, but the world doesn’t belong to you.
    WGA is a bunch of fucking cowards!! You don’t have a single ounce of sympathy for the below-the line workers who lose everything for YOUR cause! Not to mention you fuckheads at UnitedHollywood were cowardly enough that you didn’t even post my comment from before. Well, you know what. I’ve had it with the WGA, I’ve had it with the SAG, I’ve had it with all fo fucking Hollywood.
    Patrick Verrone and Alan Rozenberg are two-bit bastards who want control of everything, and break down crying if they don;t get it. They both should shut the fuck up already! Verrone is a complete asshole with a Hitler haircut, and Rozenburg, well, I don’t know what Rozenburg looks like but I’m sure he’s got the IQ of a condom.
    Bottom line, WGA sucks! SAG sucks! Leno is the man! He is the only one with the balls to stand up to you fascist pigs! Him and Carson Daly. I hope your reign of terror ends soon because I am unbelievably PISSED OFF!!! Your tactics are selfish and stupid. I hope the AMPTP steals all the money you have (what little you have left) and you end up celebrating Christmas next year in your brand new home in the back-alley of a porno theater.

  3. It is disappointing that people who strike, people who are fighting for their honest rights, are made to feel like criminals, especially by a bunch of idiots!
    As for those who have lost their jobs…it is regretful when this happens but it is often the consequence of any strike and is the kind of thing that greedy corporations do on purpose to help them pressure the striking employees to knuckle under. Remember, any strike where people are trying to get honest pay and benefits for honest work, in the writers’ case – actually providing the product by which said corporations can make their millions, should be praised. Corporations would like to eliminate all unions. This would be a disaster! Corporate greed has to be checked. They must remember that all work, by them and by us, is a partnership and is based on trust. We all work together to maintain the existence of companies and organizations that benefit the livelihood of both.
    The next time you see someone fighting for what is right, support them; as they should support you, to achieve and maintain a higher, and more equal, quality of life for everyone!!
    By the way, I am not in the entertainment industry, just in case you boneheads think I’m one of the striking writers!

  4. I am unbelievably annoyed by those stupid selfish writers. For 2 solid months, I have been hearing them do nothing else but cry and complain and bitch and moan and cry and complain some more. Grow some balls you fucking douchecakes. I’m sick of hearing the constant crying and complaining of the WGA. They are starting to really make me sick to my stomach.
    First about Carson Daly, then about Leno and then about the Golden Globes and the Oscars and Letterman and everything! Seriously! It’s a pain in the neck! Shut the fuck up already and grow a pair.

  5. First of all why is everyone blaming the writers on this board. Its the studios that wont give them fair wages. The writers are not the greedy ones here. Grow up, educate yourself, and stop corporate greed. This countries future depends on it. Its bigger than just a writers strike. they are standing up for the common man. No corporation or busness would excist without the employees that earn the companies there money. So they should stand up be men or women and pay them.

  6. all the people complaining on this board and saying that they’re complaining for no reason and should shutup are really complaining for stupider reasons. The only reason they have to complain is they aren’t getting new episodes of their tv shows. Oh big deal. Get a life and escape from the tv while the writers get what they deserve. They aren’t nearly appreciated enough. I miss new episodes of my shows as much as the next person, but the writers deserve more than they get!

  7. What writers deserve is to rot in hell for being such cry babies. I don’t think holding those award shows is going to kill anybody. I don’t think Jay Leno doing a few monologues is going to kill anybody, but the WGA still cries and complains about every little thing. I sympathised with them at the beginning. But after 2 months of this shit, I’ve had it!

  8. “Writer’s don’t deserve to get paid anything” ??!! Are you serious? What a retarded comment. Obviously “shlumpy” has no idea that actors are basically talking props and there would be no storyline, plot, dialogue, or charater development without the input of writers.
    In fact, most successful tv series were written by their actors–“Seinfeld”, “George Lopez”, “Everybody Loves Raymond”, come to mind. In fact, one of the greatest movies of all time, “Citizen Kane”, was written by (actor and director) Orson Welles.
    The outcome of the Writer’s Strike will set a precedence for all other union deals. For those of you who keep slamming the writers, your vehemence should be directed at the producers–you must be completely unaware of the obscene BOATLOADS of money producers make off any one episode aired on TV. Writers make a fraction of this. A FRACTION. For example, a high rated show like CSI or Gray’s Anatomy makes $250,000 per commercial aired during any one episode. At 5 commercial breaks per hourlong drama, with 6-7 commercial per break, you are looking at potentially $1.75 million per episode. The writers get maybe $20,000. This is roughly 1 percent. 1 PERCENT! Plus not every writer on a show writes for every episode. Of 13 episodes a year, they may write 1 or 2. Do the math.
    Every other crew guild union member out there: Camera, Grip, Lighting, Hair and Makeup, Wardrobe–gets a DAY WAGE. Whatever the writer’s deal for will become the standard to which all other negotiations are made. This is not about the writers being greedy, this is about profit sharing.
    A great example of this is how George Bush’s Haliburton Corp. is making millions of US dollars “rebuilding” Darfur, yet good ol’ George is pocketing the profits instead of sharing with veterans’ families and the rest of the American people who endure rising gas and food prices while their houses are foreclosed on (if you haven’t figured it out, Haliburton is George W’s big money laundering operation.)
    Anyway, all those who have posted horrible, uneducated responses regarding the “greed” of the writers should examine the unfairness of how much money the producers pocket per season. Really, think about it.

  9. ok guys i used to be in to this whole strike but its gone too far the fucking writers need to go back to work and stop the ” BULLSHIT”its costing us americans or hard working money i mean shit we work all fucking day we deserve to come home watch a good show or movie so shut the fuck up wga and go back to work we all have toooooo

  10. I’m a little confused. For certain groups of workers unions seem beneficial, more homogeneous workers (Coal, Manufacturing, etc.). Writers would not seem to qualify. I’m sure writers on more popular shows could and should demand more than those who write for less profitable shows. Additionally don’t most writer deal with the production companies that produce episodic television, such as Dick Wolf productions (Law & Order)? Do the writers deal directly with the networks? If not who exactly is the WGA negotiating with? I can see the union establishing a minimum contract for writing, but this would have to be based on the least profitable show. Anyway if anyone knows I would appreciated the answers.

  11. shut up studio teacher. you are stupid. you dont know anything.

  12. Studio Teacher has it right. I don’t think anyone who is calling the writers greedy have any real knowledge about what’s going on. Yea, I agree that not getting new episodes of my fav tv shows sucks. But what else would you have them do? What would you do if your job wasn’t paying you like you felt you should be? Quit? The writers are showing the studios how much they are needed. If the studios really didn’t need the writers would we be dealing with no new episodes? NO! They would have worked around not having them.
    SO the writers are proving their point of how much they are important on any show or movie made.
    If any of the fools posting how retarded the writers are actually did some research on the original 1988 strike they would see that it did good for the industry in the long run. That’s what they are hoping to do with this one. They are hoping to do some good for future writers.

  13. I don’t think writers are wrong. I think they deserve to get paid, unlike our friend shumpy. I just think they shouldn’t be such babies about it. Seriously, not a day goes by when they aren’t complaining about something. First, it’s Ellen, then Carson, then the Globes, Oscars, Leno. Jesus Christ! Who could put up with this. It’s like dealing with a bunch of 1st graders. It’s no wonder the AMPTP won’t negotiate. Maybe when the WGA decides to grow up a little bit, maybe then they will talk. Until then, I don’t think anyone is in the mood for negotiating with a bunch of whiney cry babies.

  14. FUCK THE WGA! FUCK THE SAGS! FUCK ALL UNIONS!
    BOYCOTT THE SAG AWARDS!!!!!!!
    BOYCOTT THE SAG AWARDS!!!!!!!
    BOYCOTT THE SAG AWARDS!!!!!!!
    BOYCOTT THE SAG AWARDS!!!!!!!
    BOYCOTT THE SAG AWARDS!!!!!!!
    BOYCOTT THE SAG AWARDS!!!!!!!
    BOYCOTT THE SAG AWARDS!!!!!!!
    BOYCOTT THE SAG AWARDS!!!!!!!
    BOYCOTT THE SAG AWARDS!!!!!!!
    BOYCOTT THE SAG AWARDS!!!!!!!
    BOYCOTT THE SAG AWARDS!!!!!!!
    BOYCOTT THE SAG AWARDS!!!!!!!
    BOYCOTT THE SAG AWARDS!!!!!!!
    BOYCOTT THE SAG AWARDS!!!!!!!
    BOYCOTT THE SAG AWARDS!!!!!!!
    BOYCOTT THE SAG AWARDS!!!!!!!
    BOYCOTT THE SAG AWARDS!!!!!!!
    BOYCOTT THE SAG AWARDS!!!!!!!
    BOYCOTT THE SAG AWARDS!!!!!!!

  15. diablo add me to that list fuck the wga…..
    wga stands for
    whiney
    greedy
    assholes

  16. Absolutely right!

  17. WGA IS A BUNCH OF FUCKING PIGS!
    OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK

  18. Go Don
    Turn up the heat on the WGA my brother.
    They are all a bunch of scumbags, especially Patrick Verrone and Alan Rosenberg….
    If I had my way I will feed their ass to a fire.
    Rosenberg, you bastard, I hate the furor for missing your ass.

  19. Craig,
    Hate to break it to ya, but THAT’S WHAT A STRIKE IS. This strike isn’t any different than a strike by teachers, pipe fitters, auto workers, or anybody else for that matter. You wouldn’t want the lunch lady teaching a class would you? Of course not because your kids wouldn’t get a good education from the lunch lady. Just like the writers don’t want Carson or Ellen to do a show without writers, because it won’t be the quality that viewers have come to expect.

  20. I am all for the WGA strike. This work stopage not only demonstrates the solidarity of American workers, but also has provided the opportunity to catch up on reading and home projects, enjoy the beautiful weather and outside activities, and begin a hobby. I hope the WGA never returns to work and TV dies.

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