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Writers Strike News Roundup: Wednesday, Jan. 9

Jan 9, 2008  •  Post A Comment

Layoffs Abound Due to Strike
Several studios and entertainment agencies, including Warner Bros., Walden Media and the Innovative Agency, announced layoffs or impending staff cuts due to the writers strike, Daily Variety reports.
Warner Bros. told 1,000 employees Tuesday to expect an unspecified number of layoffs later this month, while Walden Media closed a majority of its operations, the newspaper reports.
ABC’s “October Road” is the only scripted drama still in production in Los Angeles, the publication says.
Oscar Questions Loom in Face of Globes Cancellation
With the cancellation of the Golden Globes telecast, eyes turn to the Academy Awards telecast, scheduled for Feb. 24, and how it will occur if the writers strike is still on then, Daily Variety reports.
ABC and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences are proceeding toward the telecast as usual, with some contingency plans in their back pockets just in case, the newspaper reports.
The Academy has not approached the guild for a waiver yet, but both ABC and Academy execs believe the telecast won’t be delayed or canceled, the newspaper says.
U.K. Braces for Impact of Canceled Globes
Sky One has scuttled plans to show the Golden Globes after Monday’s announcement of the cancellation of the Globes, the Hollywood Reporter says.
Sky was planning to show the Globes for the first time live this Sunday, along with several red-carpet specials. The cancellation of the Globes has raised concerns that the Orange British Academy of Film & Television Arts Awards could see a similar fate, the newspaper reports.
‘Dirt’ Scheduled on FX With Strike-Shortened Schedule
FX’s “Dirt” is scheduled to begin its second season March 2, even in its abbreviated format, Broadcasting & Cable reports.
The strike allowed “Dirt” to finish shooting only seven of its 13 episodes, but FX is going to run the shortened season. New seasons of “30 Days” and “The Shield” have been completed, but have not been scheduled yet, B&C says.

48 Comments

  1. PENCILS DOWN.
    Good luck to the WGA. Keep the faith.

  2. PENCILS UP.
    Fuck the WGA.

  3. AMPTP: SPRED THE WEALTH
    Creativity drives our community. Everytime you sell (and resell) items money passes hands.
    You always take 5.85 of a 6 course meal, and always will, but without a chef you have no meal.
    Spred the Wealth (and the table scraps).

  4. WGA is a bunch of phoney knuckleheads. Just because they got issues means they got to drag us into them? I say to hell with them. To hell with the entire WGA and all their supporters.

  5. Peter,
    I couldn’t have said it better if I tried. It is refreshing to see somone else commenting (for or against the WGA) who is able to express their views using proper english, well thought out points and without lacing it with explitives that do nothing but show the lack of the posters vocabulary.

  6. Jason, you are unbelievably gullable. The WGA has blinded you with their “we are suffering” propaganda. Personally, I don’t care what the WGA is going through. They get punished, and their kneejerk reaction is to take it out on the fans. Yes, that includes you, Jason. It’s like they are beating you with an iron stick, and you still can’t stop thinking “well, there’s got to be a good reason they are beating me to death.” When are you going to wake up and realize that the WGA doesn’t give a shit about you. They don’t give a shit about anybody but themselves.

  7. YO JASON! I GUESS YOU ARE ALSO A PIG! ALONG WITH ALL THE WRITERS HUH? PIGS! SELFISH, STUPID, GREEDY 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK OINK

  8. Diablo, I am just as pissed off with the WGA as the next person, but I think that is a little overkill.

  9. James,
    You don’t seem to understand that I really don’t care if the writers return or not. I watch television so little that I wouldn’t miss it.
    My weekly televison habits include “Today” every morning (WGA is not interested in the “Today” show, as it is considered a news program). I watch about 3 hours of PBS every week (I don’t believe the majority of public broadcasting is affected by the strike, but I could be wrong). I watch the local news every night (again, not affected because it is news programming). My fiancee likes “American Idol”, so I usually watch that with her (reality television is not affected by the strike). I watched the return of “American Gladiators” on NBC (more reality, not affected). I watch sports (not affected), and I keep up with pop culture by watching shows like “Access Hollywood” (not affected).
    The only shows I watch that ARE affected by the strike are “Family Guy”, “Law & Order SVU”, “Saturday Night Live” and Conan. I will miss “Family Guy”, and “SVU”, but it won’t be the end of the world. “SNL” isn’t nearly as good as it used to be anyway, so it isn’t that big of a deal if it goes away for awhile. Personally, I think Conan is better without writers.
    I spend alot of time on the internet, and have no problem finding plenty of entertainment online. I read. I do things OTHER than sit and stare at the big box in the middle of the room. Life is too short to spend it in front of the television.
    I have never watched “Lost”, “Desparate Hosewives”, “The Office”, “30 Rock”, “My Name Is Earl”, “2 and a Half Men”, “CSI”, “Friday Night Lights”, “Heroes”, “Medium”, “Weeds”, “Dexter”, or any other show that everybody else in the world seems to be in love with.
    I enjoy “Monk” and “The Sopranos”, but I don’t have cable (why would I pay 50 dollars a month just to be frustrated when there is nothing on 75 channels rather than nothing being on the 4 I get with bunny ears). I like “Scrubs” too, but NBC kept moving it’s time slot, and I lost track of when it airs. Rather than watch those shows when they air, I watch them when they are released on DVD when the seasons come out. Because of that, I would rather see the people who work hard writing and acting on the shows get a bigger peice of the money I pay for those DVDs, than a corporate type who did nothing more than sign a paper allowing the show to go into production.
    That is why I support the writers, and hope that they get everything they deserve

  10. Sure – lets make sure the writers get their “due”, even if it costs thousands of people their jobs who maintain the livelyhood and their familes from the production of these shows. The writers are cowards, unthinking, gready hogs.

  11. Jack,
    I agree. It is unfortunate that there are thousands of behind the scenes folks who are not working because of the strike. That should show everyone just how important the writers are. If the writers were not important, then it would be just like any other day when the strike began. The fact that Hollywood shut down when the writers stopped working is proof that without writers, nothing else can get done.
    At the very least, I think people should be splitting their hate between the WGA and the AMPTP. It takes two sides to have a labor dispute. The WGA should not be made to look like the bad guy just because they are asking for their fair share.

  12. First off, Diablo, WTF? Moron, we are arguing the same thing. We just have different ways of doing it. So OINK, OINK, OINK yourself, dumbass.
    And Jason, this goes beyond the TV shows. Anyone who can effortlessly put so many people out of work and have such a devastating effect on the LA economy without showing a single ounce of remorse, just to fatten their wallets, that sounds selfish to me. And yet, they continue to make more innocent victims out of all the companies that rely on award shows for business. They just pick and choose what they want to get made. They have complete control over the entire industry. Plus, they expect everyone to bend over backwards to support their cause. Well, I for one, am sick of it.

  13. James,
    I realize that it has basicly put Hollywood out of commision. In a way though, that is a good thing. It proves that without the writers, Hollywood can’t survive. When somebody is THAT important, they should be properly compensated for their work.
    I believe the writers deserve (most of) what they are asking for. I just feel that the hate is misplaced by so many people. Yes, it was the WGA who chose to strike. But, by the same token, it was the AMPTP who chose not to give the WGA what they deserve in the first place. The behind the scenes workers who are cursing the WGA because of the strike should take half of their hatered and direct it at the AMPTP because they are as much to blame as the WGA for the work stoppage.

  14. I am definitely not denying the importance of writers. I know just as much as everybody else about the importance of writers in the creative process. I am just tired of the fact that it seems like the WGA is picking and choosing which projects they want to grant waivers to, such as WWP and SAG but not HFPA or DC or Comedy Central, even though they offered the same thing.
    It is not that I don’t think writers don’t deserve to be paid, it’s just that their tactics are a pain to put up with, to say the least. It seems like they cry and complain about every little thing that happens that they don’t like, and that they don’t seem to realize that even though they are on strike, life goes on. They pointlessly canceled the Globes, they will probably pointlessly cancel the Oscars, this has turned into a giant hostage situation. It is as if the WGA is robbing the bank, holding people (us) hostage, and the AMPTP are the bank tellers who have to get the money.
    They are reckless. They are causing severe damage to people, who don’t even have anything to do with the strike. This strike is their problem, and they keep making it everyone else’s problem. They keep talking about making a “fair” deal, but they can’t fight fair themselves.

  15. Maybe the writers wouldn’t be on strike if the highly over-paid executives and CEO’s weren’t so damn greedy in the first place. IMO, they’re the one to blame for this mess. Those bastards should be stripped naked and forced to live on the streets! Maybe then they’d think twice about cheating the ordinary workers.

  16. I only talked trash because of the incredible irony of the situation.
    Everybody was using profane language and run on sentences. People who has such a limited vocabulary that they have to resort to 4-letter words to express themselves, and people who don’t kow what a subject and a predicate are… It seemed these were the only grops who were not supporting the writers. That is hillarious to me.
    In addition, it seemed that the only people who are speaking out against the writers are people who have nothing to do with the situation… except they are mad that their favorite show doesn’t have new episodes.
    A couple people started talking about the behind the scenes folks who are out of a job now. That really is unfortunate. I feel for those people. I have MORE sympathy for them than I do for the writers. They were FORCED out of a job, whereas the writers CHOSE to leave their job.
    That being said though, the AMPTP is the real villan here. They are the ones who refused to negotiate with the WGA, even when the WGA removed one of their KEY bagaining points (home video residuals) to help negotiations move forward.

  17. Excuse me… I didn’t proof read my last post, and I know I’ll take alot of heat for this if I don’t correct it (since I’m talking trash about grammer and vocabulary).
    “People who has such a limited vocabulary…”
    Should have been:
    “People who HAVE such a limited vocabulary…”
    Speaking of irony… A guy who complains about other peoples grammer, not using proper grammer himself.
    Irony indeed.

  18. Sure – the writers are important. So are the custodians. If the people the clean the studios went on strike, and would not allow anyone to clean up, that would the world how important they are -which is exactly as important as the writers.

  19. I’m an out of work AD. I just lost my home. I’m putting my possessions in storage and moving in with my parents in Northern Calif. At the age of 35, this feels like a travesty. I have to find a home for my beloved cat, my mom is allergic. Maybe by next summer the strike will be over. I put so much, hard earned money, and care into buying the things I own. I refuse to raffle them to eager, bargain hunters on Craigslist.
    I understand and support the writers position, but I am angered by their approach. For a CEO, pride is worth more than gold. And by insulting the producers pride on daily basis, with school yard name calling, the writers are driving the between the two parties wedge deeper and deeper.

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