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Writers Strike News Roundup: Thursday, Jan. 10

Jan 10, 2008  •  Post A Comment

Globes Announcement Shaping Up
“The 65th Annual Golden Globes Awards Announcement,” the official title for the Golden Globes since its reworking due to the writers strike, is settling on its plans, Daily Variety reports.
“Access Hollywood” co-hosts Nancy O’Dell and Billy Bush have been tapped to present the telecast.
Screen Actors Guild, Spirit Awards Might Win Viewers With Star Power
Both the Screen Actors Guild and the Film Independent Spirit Awards have been granted Writers Guild of America waivers, allowing actors and writers to show up at these events. That star power could boost these shows tremendously in both viewership and ad revenue, the Hollywood Reporter says.
CBS’ pre-taped Viewers Choice Awards has set a grim tone for star-less award shows, posting a record low 1.6 rating/4 share, the newspaper said.
That could set the tone for the Golden Globe press conference on Sunday, the newspaper reports.
Agents Affected By Strike
Talent agency ICM has invoked force majeure clauses in as many as five agents’ contracts and has made pay cuts to agents and execs making six-figure salaries due to the writers strike, Daily Variety reports.
The agents hit by force majeure are still under contract with ICM, but the company has no obligation to pay them. Health benefits are still in place and the agents are receiving some strike payment for the time being, the newspaper says.
A few other agencies have made similar moves in the past weeks. Nearly all agencies have taken some steps in financial belt-tightening, bracing for the impact of a prolonged strike, the newspaper reports.
Picketer, Driver Fight at Fox Lot
“Law & Order: Criminal Intent” co-creator Rene Balcer was involved in a physical altercation with a Fox employee while picketing at the Fox Studios lot in Century City, Deadline Hollywood Daily reports.
According to reports, Mr. Balcer was nudged by the Fox employee’s SUV while crossing the street in front of the Fox gate, the blog reports.
The driver exited the vehicle, took a swing at Mr. Balcer and then shoved Mr. Balcer to the ground. Other writers began shouting for Fox security. According to writer reports, Fox guards did not react, the blog reports.
It is unknown if Mr. Balcer will press charges, DHD says.

24 Comments

  1. This kind of idiocy is why the strike needs to end now. Why are no talks being scheduled?

  2. My guess is there have been no talks because the AMPTP still believes they can do it without the writers.
    They are wrong.
    It almost seems like the AMPTP is more concerend with winning than being right. While it is true that Downloads/streaming is too new to know what the long term profits will look like, there is no reason they can’t give up a percentage of thos profits. If it ends up not being profitable, then they aren’t losing anything. It WILL be profitable though, and they don’t want to share the profits with the people who make the shows possible.
    The writers should stick to the demads for residuals, but drop the demads concerning reality and animation writers joining their union. That would be a good step in showing that the WGA is willing to bargain and negotiate.By doing that though, the AMPTP should give in too and show that they are willing to negotiate.
    If that were to happen, I’m sure you would see who the REAL bad guys are in this strike. I promise you, it isn’t the WGA.

  3. WOW, I am NOT on my game today.
    2 typos. There shouldn’t be a Capitol “D” in downloads, and I forgot the “e” in the word “those”.
    I need to slow down and take my time when commenting.

  4. Many people, like me, are tired of being placed in the middle of these disputes and have just decided to boycott TV programming of any kind. It’s an excellent time to read more books and see live theater. Analysts say that networks can stand to lose approximately 20% of their viewers — people who will not return to watching hit shows after the strike ends; I’m hoping it’s more like 75%!

  5. Writers are cowards! Writers are backstabbers! The WGA cares so little about everyone else that they would betray even their most loyal supporters.

  6. I have tried to be a writer for some time now but have been forced to stick to small indi projects. This is mostly due to the lack of need for more writers. WGA can help me find work but I wouldn’t get credit. I think the writers should strike aginst the WGA. Writers need to get credit for their work. Untill then I will be submiting samples of my work to shows and ask only for credit. The threat of not working as a writer again has no berring on me as I currently have no work as a writer.
    shutdown H-wood.

  7. Paul,
    I agree. I think America watches WAAAY too much television. My guess is that when it isn’t baseball season, I watch less than 15 hours of television in a week (20 at the most). That includes news (probably half of my TV viewing every week is news), and several hours of PBS.
    With so many entertainment choices these days, I have no idea why people are so up in arms about their TV shows. Alot of people don’t want to go to the theatre because it costs money, and that is understandable, but there are tons of FREE entertainment choices available too. Heck, just on the internet, you could spend hours upon hours watching videos on youtube or playing poker & other games for free.
    I read one user’s comment the other day comparing the strike to 9/11, and comparing the WGA to Osama Bin Laden.
    Seriously?
    That is a sign that you’re WAY too dependant on TV. It’s time to get up and DO SOMETHING!

  8. im sick of the strike the writers are gay and so is everyone who supports them i read above that the strike is getting so bad violence is taking place they dont need that i hate the strike but i hate violence more.

  9. ps im surprised a riot hasnt happened yet

  10. Yeah, some writers are gay. I’m not a homosexual, but I and many others support the strike. I don’t trust the newscasts because they’re not really covering the strike like they should. News Corp, Time Warner, CBS Paramount, Disney, and NBC Universal own Fox News, CNN, CBS News, ABC News, and NBC News, respectively, so you’ll see very little “fair” coverage of the strike.
    You’re more likely to hear execs like Fred Silverman whine about “the ugliest, nerdiest, meanest kids taking over and ruining the prom” (he was talking about the Golden Globes) than hearing about someone like Letterman or Conan using personal funds to help out their employees during the strike.
    Media is changing more and more, and to say there is no money made on the internet is not only a false statement, but it is a moronic one.
    Hell, every network this season is positioning their programming online as part of their campaign. Writers don’t earn anything from downloads and streamcasts. Entertainment companies are also producing more internet-exclusive programming too. The way I see it, the studios seem to be getting a little money-hungry, and writers aren’t really getting their due, figuratively and literally.

  11. Oops. BEN Silverman, not Fred.
    I’m so old, I remember when the Silverman heading NBC was named Fred.

  12. You know. Ppl work for Taco Bell. Taco Bell sells their product at the grocery store. Maybe all the Taco Bell employees should go on strike until they get a fair share of the stuff sold at the store. Or maybe as a movie projectionist, they should get a cut for each movie sold at the store, or rented. Does Tivo give money to writer’s? Why not? I can record the show on my Tivo and watch it anytime, Tivo charges me money, So the writer’s should get some of that money, right? Or if I use a VHS tape, Should VHS pay money to the writer’s for letting ppl tape the shows? You know some of the ideas from writer’s comes from books, I figure that those writer’s get some royalties for that fact, maybe they should get even more for the selling of the shows at the store too. I think that the writer’s should ask for so much that the tv stations have to charge the commercials more, then the products of those commercials can charge more, and the ppl who ship those products will have to charge more, and then the food that the writer’s eat will cost more, including the gas that they put in their cars, and then this can start all over again. Ppl in America as families make less then 1 writer does!!!
    Writer’s strike still on, I’m still entertained by everything else in the world. As far as i’m concerned they can take their time as i’m not missing anything by not having the shows on tv. Maybe after a few years I might miss a show, but i think i’ll be able to carry on.

  13. I can understand that the writers decided to go on strike because they weren’t making any money for writing scripts for movies and shows. A lot of people felt for the writers but now it seems like the writers are taking things way out of perportion. Instead of using their creativity for good they have chosen to use it for for their own personal gain,the writers aren’t thinking about how it effects alot of people. People have to pay out alot of money just to go see a good movie in theaters and to buy or rent them in a store or over the internet. Let’s not forget that the people also pay out alot of money just to watch our favorite shows on television,instead of making people suffer for their personal gain why don’t they just grow up or move on and get real jobs and let’s see just how long that lasts. Their all acting like children or spoiled brats or perhaps a bunch of bullies who is always wanting their own way, well guess what it doesn’t work that way or atleast it shouldn’t anyway so why don’t they try doing some good in the world. If the writers weren’t thinking of themselves I would actually feel for them but I that’s what this world is all about isn’t it plain all around greed, people who is all about greed and power make me sick, if I had the talent or gift to write something as good as what writers have written throughout the decade I would be the luckiest person and to make money for any movies or shows that my helped creat I would probably use some of it for donations to those who doesn’t have any money, a home or any clothing so they should feel so lucky to be making something for what they do plus they get recignition for what they do. Me I hope to one day write some really good books if they make a television show from my books then that would be great. If it weren’t for the writers I wouldn’t have gotten the insperation to decide to write, but because of them I’m working really hard on my very first book. The writers are like my heros but if their only thinking of themselves and they don’t care about anybody but themselves then I guess the people who I thought were my heros well perhaps maybe I was wrong about them, maybe I don’t want to be a writer or maybe I don’t want to be like those who I have idolized since I was just a little girl. All I know is it’s the writers decision on how they want to live their lives nobody can really make their minds up for them so it’s their lives and their decisions I just hope that they make the right decisions for all the right reasons but if they make decision for all the wrong reasons I hope they can find people who put the people first and themselves seconde because that is the kind of person I am. People who aren’t about greed but is about working as a team and as a family then things will work out for the best for everyone. Well that’s all I have to say on the subject but before I go I have one last thing I would like to add, Just a little something to think about what would this world be without television, or movies, or shows especially sports, news, and many other things that people like to watch if you take away our entertaiment then we would probably have lots of violence and plus you would be taking alot of guff from people well I’m sure you can use your imagination well I’m going to go now. Toodles!!!!

  14. ai3di,
    I agree with the last part of your comment. I will miss not having new episodes of Family Guy, and SVU (when the network runs out of shows). It won’t be the end of the world though.
    The Taco Bell comparison makes no sense though. It’s apples and oranges.
    The TiVo & VCR comparison kind of works. I would say that the reason writers don’t get compensation for time shifting (recording a show and watching it later) is because it isn’t a re-airing with NEW commercials. As a matter of fact, TiVo lets you take out the commercials… and THAT is why you pay for the service.
    Also, companies who produce recordable media (VHS tapes, cassette tapes, CD-Rs, DVD-Rs, etc.) DO pay the production companies a percentage of the profits made from those items as part of the beta-max ruling (my guess is TiVo probaby does that too). I would guess the reason the writers don’t get a cut of that money is because like I said, it is nothing more than a copy of the original run program, and there probably is no fair way of distributing the cash to the writers.

  15. Xena,
    If you ever write a book, I would LOVE to read it. It would be the first time that anyone ever wrote a 13 chapter, non-coherent, run on sentence. I’m dizzy after trying to read your comment.
    BTW,
    “what would this world be without television, or movies, or shows especially sports, news, and many other things that people like to watch”
    Sports and news programs are not affected by the strike. News writers are part of a different union. I don’t know if sports writers and sports play by play guys are part of a union or not (I don’t think they are).

  16. Jason, are you some kind of english professor or something?

  17. Jack,
    No. I just wish that people would have concise thoughts and not just ramble on aimlessly. It is much easier to read a well written comment. It is easier to understand the points the author is trying to make if the comments are at least somewhat scoped. Not to mention the fact that a well written comment is likely to leave a better impression and have more impact than a comment that looks like it was written by a second grader.
    Plus, I find it very funny and ironic that most of the people who are not supporting the writers are people who couldn’t construct a proper sentence if their life depended on it. They seem to be the exact people that need to forget about the writers strike, turn off the TV and read a book.

  18. im back for another round of lame ass people who say writers are good great buh buh buh shut up about the writers already their not gonna get what they want the producers will win and victory gos to the producers and the crowed gos wild 1.000.000 to none

  19. Ok. I have just never seen anybody who obsessed so much about grammar who wasn’t an english teacher themselves. Usually, blogs are more casual.
    Also, people leaving anti-WGA comments probably don’t have that much writing experience. That’s why they are anti-WGA.

  20. Good point. Jason, you take grammar a bit too seriously here. I know grammar is important, but blogs are a lot more laid back.
    As for the fight with that “Law & Order” guy, I saw it coming. You can’t have a dispute this big without some fists flying.

  21. jason, listen man in all jokes aside the writers are good i mean i was pissed at the time when i heard the staff of family guy getting fired and the producers finshing the season without seth’s permisson and im sorry if i have run on sentences i just think it should come to an end calm and peacefully now you should agree to that

  22. Have you noticed all the people who talk shit about the wga on here have like two word vocabs. You haters seem to have no clue about what’s going on. IF you want to inform yourself go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Writers_Guild_of_America_strike
    Do producers really need another ferrari?
    Corporations need to be split up. These monopolies are gonna kill us.

  23. Thats Funny ! two word vocabulary. Ok time to get back to work. wait a minute, the strikes still on . SHIT ! I know most of the shows are dumb and I never watch the ones I work on but meeeeees neeeeeeeds the work !

  24. Richie,
    I agree man, no question. The whole thing DOES need to come to an end. If for no other reason, because the behind the scenes folks need to get back to work. The writers have it rough (in the sense of they don’t get paid what they are worth), but the below the line folks have it even worse because they don’t get paid what they are worth either… And they are being forced out of work because of somebody elses problem.
    I think Gov. Schwarzenegger will step in and force the hand of both sides to come to some sort of an agreement before too much longer. His state’s economy is taking a HUGE hit because of the strike, and he knows that the people involved in the strike (both sides) helped put him into office.
    Keep in mind too that this whole thing could be happening again in a few months with the SAG. I don’t feel nearly as sorry for the actors as I do the writers though. When you have each cast member on “Friends” making 7 figures PER EPISODE, and the writers are lucky to see 40,000 per episode… I have a hard time feeling sorry for the stars. (I realize “Friends” isn’t on anymore, but it was just an example).
    I was reading something that said the average WGA member makes between 70 and 90 K per year. That may sound like ALOT to a guy like me (less than 35K per year), but ya gotta keep in mind that it isn’t cheap to live in Hollywood. 80K there is more like 40-45K anywhere else. That’s upper middle class (barely). Then you look at the AMPTP folks, and they are living in freaking mansions. Who’s REALLY being greedy?

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