Writer's Strike

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Writer's Strike; Season 4
Topic Started: Nov 8 2007, 12:32 PM (20 Views)
oncetherewasaway	Nov 8 2007, 12:32 PM Post #1
McEditor Posts: 1,625 Group: .Grey Girls. Member #23 Joined: October 25, 2006	[size=6] STRIKE WATCH - 1st 4 weeks[/size] Will Studios Delay Settlement With WGA Two More Weeks? - November 27th, 2007 The studios and WGA started talking again yesterday, but some people are pretty sure the studios will try to delay things a bit: If the studios wait two additional weeks, they could invoke this clause — and drop or suspend projects of their choosing. Insiders worry that the studios could benefit from waiting until the clause is effect, in order to have control over which projects would be dropped. Force majeure also allows studios to suspend actors’ contracts. This could give the studios the early advantage of firing currently employed castmembers before the Screen Actor’s Guild contract expires in seven months. Ummm…sounds a bit small minded and mean to me, but I guess the studios will say that the WGA started it and they are just taking advantage of the situation? http://www.mediumdreams.com/will-studios-d...two-more-weeks/ Strike Days: Voices From The Line - Nov 26 2007 2:12PM EST On this Monday where the talks between writers and the companies are resuming under a news blackout, and there's an item floated that the strike-ending terms may already be cut--er, unless they're not--(have we covered all the possibilities there?), comments made by three successful writers to me some days ago keep coming to the fore. Amidst all the heat and antipathy, these comments from picketers keep resonating as being enar the middle ground of the writers' mood--restless, a bit daunted at the financial consequences, conciliatory at the very edges, but resolute enough to kep them picketing even today as the talks resume.......................cont’d http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/the-h...s-from-the-line Writer's Strike: Big Day Today - November 26, 2007 he two sides return to the bargaining table today for the first time since Nov. 4, and the writers will be back on the picket lines for the first time since last Tuesday. No doubt the promise by showrunners to return to their producing duties with a resumption of talks helped get the producers on board. "Everybody's feeling more pain more quickly than they thought." The writers also have public opinion on their side. But the most encouraging report suggests that the behind-the-scenes work by the town's agents has a real deal in the works. And we have to take it seriously because while Nikki Finke was writing that, the, um, New York Times was busy writing about Nikki Finke. Hmmm. Blogs rule, eh? Of course, the new frontier has also created new opportunities for dirty tricks. So, while we're waiting for the rumors and leaks from the negotiating table, please enjoy the latest strike video from the creative minds of the WGA, "Writer Boi. http://blog.meevee.com/my_weblog/2007/11/w...rs-stri-22.html [size=14]----------------------------------------------------------------------- [/size] Writers Strike Could Cost $21.3 Million a Day - November 21, 2007 A continuing dispute would have an acute effect on the region's economy, according to a film group's conservative estimates. As thousands of TV and film writers marched along Hollywood Boulevard in the third week of their strike, film officials put a price tag on the potential economic toll of the walkout. Los Angeles' economy will lose more than $20 million a day in direct production spending if the writers strike extends into next month, according to FilmL.A. Inc., the nonprofit group that handles film permits and promotes the industry. "If the strike continues it's going to have a huge impact on the local economy and middle-class jobs," FilmL.A. President Steve MacDonald said Tuesday. Writers walked out more than two weeks ago in a dispute with major studios over pay for work that is distributed via the Internet, video iPods, cellphones and other new media. Writers and major studios are set to resume talks Monday, although the guild has vowed to continue striking until a deal is finalized. http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-story-co...-news-headlines Unions, "Grey's Anatomy" to march on Hollywood Boulevard - November 19, 2007 Tuesday will be all unions, all the time with the Service Employees International Union, the California Nurses Association, IATSE, SAG and AMF joining in a WGA solidarity march down Hollywood Boulevard. In addition to various union leaders (including WGAW President Patric M. Verrone), speakers will include actress/SAG member Sandra Oh, WGAW member/showrunner Shonda Rhimes and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman and L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti. Assembly is 1 pm, at the intersection of Hollywood Blvd. at Ivar Ave. (between Cahuenga Blvd. and Vine St.); the march and rally begin at 1:30. In New York, WGAE will picket Sony Plaza at 10 a.m. Among those expected are screenwriter Paul Haggis, comedian Artie Lange and Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY). http://weblogs.variety.com/wga_strike_blog...s-greys-an.html This Evening's Best WGA Strike Video - November 19, 2007 Hey AMPTP, want us to stop beating up writers? Come up with a fair deal. http://blog.meevee.com/my_weblog/2007/11/t...evenings-b.html Ausiello Report - UPDATED Strike Chart: How Long Before Your Shows Go Dark? http://abc.go.com/primetime/greysanatomy/i...0931&rtid=66741 Writer's Strike: Shows Start To Run Low On New Material - November 20, 2007 Ausiello has updated his strike chart, listing which shows are getting dangerously close to running out of new episodes. I love looking at this kind of information and trying to guess what it means to studios and to writers. As I mentioned the other day, it seems to me that the WGA won't have a lot of leverage until big hits go dark, in particular serial dramas like "House" and "Grey's Anatomy." While the strike has already ensured some future trouble - "Entourage" is way behind schedule if it's going to get its next season ready in time - I think the writers need to be sure that viewers are aware that shows are dying because the studios are being jerks. That means the strike is going to have to go on much longer if it's going to really put the squeeze on. That's not impossible: The record is 22 weeks. But it's going to get very, very ugly, and the studios are going to do whatever they can to last as long as they can before the shows go dark and public opinion really swings against them. Anyway, if the USA Today article I posted earlier today is correct, we'll see shows skipping new episodes whenever they can. For example, "Bionic Woman" has only two episodes left, and it's not wasting one tomorrow, the night before Thanksgiving. That'll push it into mid-December before it dies and both its fans turn against the AMPTP. On the other hand, "Grey's Anatomy," with just three episodes, is still burning one on Thanksgiving, when quite a few regular viewers won't be watching. That means they'll both go off-air in early December, along with "Shark" (two episodes left) and "Pushing Daisies" (three). Even if the strike ends right after Thanksgiving, that means a hiatus during December for all four shows. For now, we've only lost two primetime shows, and only one that was any good. "The Office," of course, is the good one, and its fans are pissed. The other shuttered project is "Big Bang Theory." I'd say that nobody's going to miss that, but given the deluge of third-rate non-union shows we're likely to get, we very well might. http://blog.meevee.com/my_weblog/writers_strike/index.html United Showrunners: "We're on the ten yard line, folks. Let's drive it home." - November 16, 2007 Just how both sides agreed to return to the table is a story that will no doubt be revealed over the next hours and days. But there's no doubt one key behind-the-scenes force has been the informal United Showrunners group, which is comprised of hyphenates who serve as both scribes and producers. Because they work so closely with the big companies that make TV shows, they know how the moguls think. But they've also been careful to display nearly-universal solidarity with the WGA, not wanting to appear as if they're backing away from their guild. Just moments after the WGA and the AMPTP announced talks were back on, the United Showrunners sent the good news to its members. Here's the email: Subject: URGENT - Big Announcement Here's the great news: Talks between the WGA and the AMPTP have been scheduled to officially resume Monday, November 26th. Those in the process say the studios' sudden responsiveness is a direct result of three thousand writers in the streets, our Internet/communications strategy, and especially showrunners' actions. We had the impact we intended. So, what now? Simply put, stay out if you can. The WGA wants to stress that it's crucial for writers to keep the pressure up next week. All pickets and rallies are still on. It's critical that our negotiators go to that table with as much strength as possible. So, please, hang in there. We will monitor the situation extremely closely and will talk with John Bowman directly throughout. We will not ask you to stay out a minute longer than necessary. We're on the ten yard line, folks. Let's drive it home. Thank you to all who have been so courageous these past weeks. --- United Showrunners --Josef Adalian http://weblogs.variety.com/wga_strike_blog...how-both-s.html WRITERS, STUDIOS AGREE TO TALK - Negotiations to begin Nov. 26 Studios and networks will resume negotiations with striking writers on Nov. 26. The WGA remains on strike. The companies recently dropped their insistence that the strike had to stop, at least temporarily, as a condition of restarting negotiations. The Friday night announcement came on the 12th day of the strike in the form of a joint statement from the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers. Both sides have agreed to a news blackout. "Leaders from the AMPTP and the WGA have mutually agreed to resume formal negotiations on November 26," the statement said. "No other details or press statements will be issued." Shortly after the joint statement was released, WGA West president Patric Verrone sent an email to the WGA membership. "This announcement is a direct result of your efforts," Verrone said. "For 12 days I have repeated that a powerful strike means a short strike. ...Now it is equally important that we now prove that good news won't slow us down, either. We must remember that returning to the bargaining table is only a start. Our work is not done until we achieve a good contract and that is by no means assured. Accordingly, what we achieve in negotiations will be a direct result of how successfully we can keep up our determination and resolve." Backchannel efforts have been ongoing throughout the strike to restart the talks, spurred partly by the fact that the negotiations were progressing on Nov. 4, the final day of bargaining. Since then, as job losses and show cancellations gained momentum, agents, high-profile screenwriters and showrunners have exerted pressure for a resumption of talks. WGA leaders were angry over what they saw as a lack of substantive response by the AMPTP after the guild took its DVD residuals increase off the table. By contrast, the companies contended that they had made significant moves in new-media compensation for streaming video, providing a six-week window for promotion and giving the WGA jurisdiction over made-for-Internet work that was based on existing properties. Verrone had indicated that for his union to restart negotiations, it needed to receive assurance that the companies would offer more in new media than they did on Nov. 4. As for the companies, AMPTP president Nick Counter had said he needed to be convinced that the guild wanted to make a deal. He had moved away from last week's stance that the guild would have to stop striking in order to return to the table. "For true negotiations to take place, there has to be some expectation that a deal can be made, but by their past actions and their current rhetoric that certainly doesn't appear to be the case," Counter said in his most recent statement. On Wednesday, the WGA trumpeted a pair of surveys showing the public had plenty of sympathy for the writers, with backing of 69% in a Pepperdine poll and 63% in a SurveyUSA poll. Companies received a only a smattering of support, with 4% and 8%. That same day, IATSE topper Thomas Short had blasted WGA leaders over job losses, noting that more than 50 TV series have been shut down by the strike. "The IATSE alone has over 50,000 members working in motion picture, television and broadcasting and tens of thousands more are losing jobs in related fields," he said. http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797621...oryId=2821&cs=1 WGAW president Patric Verrone emails his membership - November 16, 2007 To My Fellow Members: This evening the WGA and the AMPTP announced that we will resume negotiations on Monday, November 26. This announcement is a direct result of your efforts. It is the direct result of the hours you have spent on the picket lines, the days you've spent educating friends and colleagues, the boundless energy you've put into engaging with not only the Hollywood talent community, but people all over the country and the world. It is a direct result of your dedication to this union and to each other. Over the past two weeks we have shown incredible resolve and resourcefulness. Every fifteen minutes someone sends me an e-mail with a new suggestion or a copy of a supportive news article or an entertaining and informative pro-writer YouTube video. Actors, local legislators, fans, and fellow members of the Hollywood workforce joined us in droves on our picketing lines this week. SAG's Alan Rosenberg and I were warmly welcomed in Washington D.C. and offered support from every member of Congress with whom we met. These developments all undoubtedly contributed to the decision to return to the table. For 12 days I have repeated that a powerful strike means a short strike. In that time we have proven that bad news won't slow us down. Now it is equally important that we now prove that good news won't slow us down, either. We must remember that returning to the bargaining table is only a start. Our work is not done until we achieve a good contract and that is by no means assured. Accordingly, what we achieve in negotiations will be a direct result of how successfully we can keep up our determination and resolve. We have an abridged picketing schedule next week. Next Monday, November 19, we will return to the lines but on Tuesday we have a Labor Solidarity Rally scheduled and Wednesday through Sunday we will not be picketing due to the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The picketing schedule for the following Monday, November 26 (when we return to the table) will be determined in consultation with the Strike Captains and will be designed to continue to have maximum effect on our employers and include both studio and location picketing. We will keep you posted through your Strike Captains. Once again, I thank you all for your efforts and ask you to continue to dedicate yourself to this cause with the same level of energy and enthusiasm that has gotten us to where we are today. We are all in this together. Best, Patric M. Verrone President, WGAW http://weblogs.variety.com/wga_strike_blog...-president.html Strike's effects ripple beyond studio gates - November 15, 2007 For dry cleaners, caterers and other merchants dependent on Hollywood, when the shooting stops, so does the cash flow. For years, Television & Cinema Wardrobe Cleaners has lived by its motto: "We do nothing but showbiz!" That narrow focus is costing the Sun Valley company, which lost 30% of its TV work just one week into the strike by the Writers Guild of America. That figure could double by the end of this week. "It's dreadful," said Denny Ashkenazi, whose husband, Oren, owns TVC Cleaners, which provides dry cleaning and laundering services for TV shows, feature films and commercials. "Business is so slow." Less than two weeks after the start of Hollywood's first major strike in nearly 20 years, local businesses are feeling the strain from reduced orders and canceled contracts. The pain has spread beyond businesses tied to the production of shows and films, reaching those that serve the industry or simply operate in the neighborhood, including catering companies, hotels, florists and dog groomers. The strike "really does have far-reaching effects," said Mark Deo, executive director of the Small Business Advisory Network, which has been counseling many entertainment-related companies during the strike. "It's not just people directly involved." http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/...0,4466079.story Strike Days: Blunt Instruments - Nov 15 2007 9:33PM EST Appearing today in various media outlets--notably the New York and Los Angeles Times A sections--was a full-page text ad from the AMPTP billed as "An Open Letter..." Beginning with a reference to a "paradigm shift in how entertainment is distributed and consumed", it went on for the next two paragraphs hinting that the writers have a "fundamental misunderstanding" and went on to assert that writers "do receive residuals for digital downloading...the notion that we are not sharing new media revenue with writers is simply not correct", and then got into particulars: The Writers Guild is proposing to change the formulas for digital downloading. For electronic selI-through (like buying a movie on iTunes), the Guild is seeking at least a 700 percent increase over what writers currently receive, and more than a 200 percent increase over what they receive for Internet "pay per view." There is no way that these increases can be deemed reasonable Sounds huge, no? Read on (below) for WGA's translation of those numbers into the pennies they represent. Meanwhile, the letter states the writers are asking for "a percentage of what the internet site owners receive in advertising revenues, even if the producers are getting none of that money themselves" (again, there's rebuttal below) and finally, save for a plea that common ground can be found, the letter ends by noting that "No labor agreement in history has given writers, actors or directors a portion of advertising dollars."..............................keep reading http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/the-h...unt-instruments [size=14]----------------------------------------------------------------------- [/size] [size=8]MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION[/size] ***Attention** Come write for TV Squad! - Posted Nov 14th 2007 10:01AM Your favorite, ever-expanding TV blog (no not that one, TV Squad!) is looking to add to its team of writers. Are you a TV junkie and interested in news of all-things TV? Do you have an RSS feed list for TV news in the double digits? Would you like to be paid to write about TV? Well, this may be your chance! Read on for a few details about this new opening... First and foremost, this open position would be for someone to be able to post throughout the day and not be hindered by a full-time job or school. Your primary focus will be to post TV news items as they happen throughout the day and not so much episode reviews. You should be capable of and expect to post at least five times a day through the hours of 9AM and 8PM, with some fun weekend posts sprinkled in there. If this sounds like you, go ahead and submit three original writing samples about something in the news about TV, a TV show or a TV celebrity (by original I mean you should take time right now to write up three new posts as you'd expect to see them posted on TV Squad). Show us you know what TV Squad's about and what audience we post for. Submit those samples to apps at tvsquad.com. PLEASE, NO ATTACHMENTS -- Paste your text into a normal email message. And now, a little something to inspire you ... http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/11/14/come-write-for-tv-squad/ WRITERS, STUDIOS AGREE TO TALK - Negotiations to begin Nov. 26 Studios and networks will resume negotiations with striking writers on Nov. 26. The WGA remains on strike. The companies recently dropped their insistence that the strike had to stop, at least temporarily, as a condition of restarting negotiations. The Friday night announcement came on the 12th day of the strike in the form of a joint statement from the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers. Both sides have agreed to a news blackout. "Leaders from the AMPTP and the WGA have mutually agreed to resume formal negotiations on November 26," the statement said. "No other details or press statements will be issued." Shortly after the joint statement was released, WGA West president Patric Verrone sent an email to the WGA membership. "This announcement is a direct result of your efforts," Verrone said. "For 12 days I have repeated that a powerful strike means a short strike. ...Now it is equally important that we now prove that good news won't slow us down, either. We must remember that returning to the bargaining table is only a start. Our work is not done until we achieve a good contract and that is by no means assured. Accordingly, what we achieve in negotiations will be a direct result of how successfully we can keep up our determination and resolve." Backchannel efforts have been ongoing throughout the strike to restart the talks, spurred partly by the fact that the negotiations were progressing on Nov. 4, the final day of bargaining. Since then, as job losses and show cancellations gained momentum, agents, high-profile screenwriters and showrunners have exerted pressure for a resumption of talks. WGA leaders were angry over what they saw as a lack of substantive response by the AMPTP after the guild took its DVD residuals increase off the table. By contrast, the companies contended that they had made significant moves in new-media compensation for streaming video, providing a six-week window for promotion and giving the WGA jurisdiction over made-for-Internet work that was based on existing properties. Verrone had indicated that for his union to restart negotiations, it needed to receive assurance that the companies would offer more in new media than they did on Nov. 4. As for the companies, AMPTP president Nick Counter had said he needed to be convinced that the guild wanted to make a deal. He had moved away from last week's stance that the guild would have to stop striking in order to return to the table. "For true negotiations to take place, there has to be some expectation that a deal can be made, but by their past actions and their current rhetoric that certainly doesn't appear to be the case," Counter said in his most recent statement. On Wednesday, the WGA trumpeted a pair of surveys showing the public had plenty of sympathy for the writers, with backing of 69% in a Pepperdine poll and 63% in a SurveyUSA poll. Companies received a only a smattering of support, with 4% and 8%. That same day, IATSE topper Thomas Short had blasted WGA leaders over job losses, noting that more than 50 TV series have been shut down by the strike. "The IATSE alone has over 50,000 members working in motion picture, television and broadcasting and tens of thousands more are losing jobs in related fields," he said. http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797621...oryId=2821&cs=1 WGAW president Patric Verrone emails his membership - November 16, 2007 To My Fellow Members: This evening the WGA and the AMPTP announced that we will resume negotiations on Monday, November 26. This announcement is a direct result of your efforts. It is the direct result of the hours you have spent on the picket lines, the days you've spent educating friends and colleagues, the boundless energy you've put into engaging with not only the Hollywood talent community, but people all over the country and the world. It is a direct result of your dedication to this union and to each other. Over the past two weeks we have shown incredible resolve and resourcefulness. Every fifteen minutes someone sends me an e-mail with a new suggestion or a copy of a supportive news article or an entertaining and informative pro-writer YouTube video. Actors, local legislators, fans, and fellow members of the Hollywood workforce joined us in droves on our picketing lines this week. SAG's Alan Rosenberg and I were warmly welcomed in Washington D.C. and offered support from every member of Congress with whom we met. These developments all undoubtedly contributed to the decision to return to the table. For 12 days I have repeated that a powerful strike means a short strike. In that time we have proven that bad news won't slow us down. Now it is equally important that we now prove that good news won't slow us down, either. We must remember that returning to the bargaining table is only a start. Our work is not done until we achieve a good contract and that is by no means assured. Accordingly, what we achieve in negotiations will be a direct result of how successfully we can keep up our determination and resolve. We have an abridged picketing schedule next week. Next Monday, November 19, we will return to the lines but on Tuesday we have a Labor Solidarity Rally scheduled and Wednesday through Sunday we will not be picketing due to the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The picketing schedule for the following Monday, November 26 (when we return to the table) will be determined in consultation with the Strike Captains and will be designed to continue to have maximum effect on our employers and include both studio and location picketing. We will keep you posted through your Strike Captains. Once again, I thank you all for your efforts and ask you to continue to dedicate yourself to this cause with the same level of energy and enthusiasm that has gotten us to where we are today. We are all in this together. Best, Patric M. Verrone President, WGAW http://weblogs.variety.com/wga_strike_blog...-president.html Strike's effects ripple beyond studio gates - November 15, 2007 For dry cleaners, caterers and other merchants dependent on Hollywood, when the shooting stops, so does the cash flow. For years, Television & Cinema Wardrobe Cleaners has lived by its motto: "We do nothing but showbiz!" That narrow focus is costing the Sun Valley company, which lost 30% of its TV work just one week into the strike by the Writers Guild of America. That figure could double by the end of this week. "It's dreadful," said Denny Ashkenazi, whose husband, Oren, owns TVC Cleaners, which provides dry cleaning and laundering services for TV shows, feature films and commercials. "Business is so slow." Less than two weeks after the start of Hollywood's first major strike in nearly 20 years, local businesses are feeling the strain from reduced orders and canceled contracts. The pain has spread beyond businesses tied to the production of shows and films, reaching those that serve the industry or simply operate in the neighborhood, including catering companies, hotels, florists and dog groomers. The strike "really does have far-reaching effects," said Mark Deo, executive director of the Small Business Advisory Network, which has been counseling many entertainment-related companies during the strike. "It's not just people directly involved." http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/...0,4466079.story Strike Days: Blunt Instruments - Nov 15 2007 9:33PM EST Appearing today in various media outlets--notably the New York and Los Angeles Times A sections--was a full-page text ad from the AMPTP billed as "An Open Letter..." Beginning with a reference to a "paradigm shift in how entertainment is distributed and consumed", it went on for the next two paragraphs hinting that the writers have a "fundamental misunderstanding" and went on to assert that writers "do receive residuals for digital downloading...the notion that we are not sharing new media revenue with writers is simply not correct", and then got into particulars: The Writers Guild is proposing to change the formulas for digital downloading. For electronic selI-through (like buying a movie on iTunes), the Guild is seeking at least a 700 percent increase over what writers currently receive, and more than a 200 percent increase over what they receive for Internet "pay per view." There is no way that these increases can be deemed reasonable Sounds huge, no? Read on (below) for WGA's translation of those numbers into the pennies they represent. Meanwhile, the letter states the writers are asking for "a percentage of what the internet site owners receive in advertising revenues, even if the producers are getting none of that money themselves" (again, there's rebuttal below) and finally, save for a plea that common ground can be found, the letter ends by noting that "No labor agreement in history has given writers, actors or directors a portion of advertising dollars."..............................keep reading http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/the-h...unt-instruments [size=14]----------------------------------------------------------------------- [/size] WGA Strike: Get ready for reruns - Posted Nov 12th 2007 http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/11/12/wga-stri...ady-for-reruns/ Ausiello Report UPDATED Strike Chart: How Long Before Your Shows Go Dark? - November 12, 2007 http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TV...-Long/800026937 Hollywood on strike? Write your own 'Grey's' script - Sunday, November 11, 2007 http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a.../711110333/1118 Schwarzenegger moves backstage in writers strike - By Steve Gorman Today at 12:54 pm After weeks of overseeing efforts to fight raging fires and an oil spill, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is weighing in on another potential disaster: the screenwriters strike against film and TV studios. The action movie star turned politician met on Monday with leaders of the Writers Guild of America and was reaching out by telephone on Tuesday to a number of studio executives, Aaron McLear, a spokesman for the governor, told Reuters. "The governor is very interested in getting this strike ended as quickly as possible," McLear said as the labor action entered its ninth day with little discernible progress in getting the two sides back to the bargaining table. "The purpose is to see what the state can do to be helpful."......................................cont’d http://tv.yahoo.com/contributor/1050148/ne...nnFCb5b7On6o9EF USA TODAY - TV writers strike could hurt everyone down the line - November 12, 2007 Nobody much likes a strike. - Certainly, the Hollywood writers' strike — driven by the writers' demands to share in the money earned when their work hits the Internet — seems to have raised the level of animosity in and toward Hollywood to near-historic heights. As in all strikes, both sides are trying to make their cases to the public. And as usually happens with consumer-targeted work stoppages, from baggage handlers to Broadway stagehands, the public's interest is limited to when it will end and how it will hit them................ cont’d http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/ne...ke-bianco_N.htm Showrunners turn strike into a show stopper - Sat., Nov. 10, 2007 Production managers’ decision to side with scribes pulling plug on series - Rhetoric has turned into rage. Negotiations are over, deader than the unfortunate saps caught in the wrong place at the wrong time in the opening moments of every “Six Feet Under” episode. The first question in Hollywood these days isn’t “What’s your Oscar movie?” but, rather, “Whose side are you on?” Almost a week into the melee, the most surprising aspect of the walkout is how acrimonious it’s become. Writers have always felt like the ugly stepchildren in town, and they have a good point. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21696189/ Scandal Sheet: Patrick Dempsey http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI8CJlZpbuY Fight The Power! - November 9, 2007 at 4:08 pm A view from above one of the office buildings in Century City of the massive - thousands strong - Writers Guild demonstration outside Fox studios on Friday morning. If you support the writers on strike, CLICK ON LINK to sign the petition! http://perezhilton.com/?p=8519 Writers Strike: Friday Post-Rally Update - November 09, 2007 # Report from Variety suggests 4,000 attended the rally, featuring Jesse Jackson, Tom Morello, Seth McFarlane and greying lion Norman Lear. Nice. Also featured: A lot of professionally written signs and t-shirts. (Scribe Vibe) # The LA Times sez 3,500 and offers this: Steven E. de Souza, who wrote "Die Hard," stood in front of the building on Avenue of the Stars where that blockbuster was shot and where Bruce Willis' famous jumping scene unfolded. "This strike is far more organized; there is more solid support from unions and the public," he said, adding that he wanted to send a message to the governor, who coincidentally starred in another movie de Souza wrote, 1985's "Commando." Pretending that he was knocking on the governor's trailer, he said: "Fifteen minutes, Mr. Schwarzenegger. We need you on the set." (LA Times).......................................CONT’D...... http://blog.meevee.com/my_weblog/writers_strike/index.html Get ready..... this article is 7 pages long..... EW Cover Story - Striking Home - Posted Nov 08, 2007 \| Published in issue #964 Nov 16, 2007 \| How long before the writers' walkout silences your favorite TV shows? Slows down movie production? Here's a breakdown of how the dispute could affect Hollywood's future You may not notice much of a difference for a while. Other than a few more reruns in your TiVo playlist — late-night talk shows, mostly — it'll pretty much be entertainment as usual over the next couple of months. Fresh episodes of Heroes and Ugly Betty will air as originally scheduled and new movies like I Am Legend and The Golden Compass will arrive in theaters right on time, as if nothing unusual had happened in Hollywood on Nov. 5. But, of course, something did. Some 12,000 film and TV writers walked off their jobs, leaving the whole town at a loss for words. Literally....... cont’d http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20159253,00.html EW.com The Final Cut - Why the Striking Writers Are Right - Producers are full of reasons for not giving scribes the revenue share they deserve — and all of those excuses are ludicrous, says our columnist (This is a column about the writers' strike, so some full disclosure is in order. Anyone who wants to call me a tool of management should know that Entertainment Weekly is fully owned by The Man, a.k.a. Time Warner. Anyone who wants to call me a tool of labor should know that I am married to a WGA member. And anyone who wants to split the difference and just call me a tool is welcome to do so on the message boards, where I always enjoy your kind words.) The Writers Guild of America is a hard union to love, even for many of its members. Anybody who has spent time in a roomful of writers knows that getting them to agree on anything is a fool's errand. Fill that room with 12,000 people, and you have a fractious alliance that has, at times, barely been on speaking terms with itself. The WGA, long known as the guild that can't even unite its East and West coasts, has always been something of a mess, and its handling of the run-up to the strike that started on Nov. 1 has been met with some justifiable criticism..............................cont’d http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20159387,00.html Writers Strike: Showdown On Pico - November 09, 2007 THE LATEST: Today should be fun and games as the writers turn out en masse for a rally outside the Pico gate of Fox featuring live music from Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello. Details on WGA plans for that are here. The studio's email to its employees on dealing with strikers is here. Expect this to be a media circus, because the machine-owned local media have been taking a sh it load of grief for lame coverage of the strike against their parent companies. There's also talk of shaming both sides back to the negotiating table with a list of little people who are out of work or otherwise screwed because of the lack of progress. But I still think this is going to take outside intervention - from Gov. Ah-nold or President Bill or someone - to get the process moving again. It's getting nasty out there. http://blog.meevee.com/my_weblog/writers_strike/index.html Will producers turn to U.K. writers? - Thurs., Nov. 8, 2007, 4:35pm PT London grapevine is abuzz with gossip - Far from the WGA picket lines, there's a place where top-tier screenwriters are, in theory, still free to work on movies backed by the U.S. studios. It's called the United Kingdom. The WGA has no jurisdiction here. But the question worrying producers, agents and studio execs in London is whether local writers can (or should) work on projects involving U.S. partners. The subject is so delicate that no one will discuss it on the record. Indeed, some would prefer that the subject not be raised publicly at all for fear of drawing the WGA's attention to the gray area in which the U.K. biz operates. ....... cont’d http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797562...egoryid=10&cs=1 WGA strike enters fourth day -Thurs., Nov. 8, 2007 No new talks have been scheduled. Both sides in the writers strike proclaim they're eager to get back to the negotiating table -- until you read the fine print. In fact, it's more likely that the next set of contract talks will involve the Directors Guild of America rather than the WGA. With the writers strike now in its fifth day, a return to the table may be far harder than it sounds -- even though both sides were making progress toward a deal late Sunday when talks collapsed as the guild went on strike. http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797560...egoryid=18&cs=1 Hillary Clinton's Husband Said to Be Offering Up His Diplomatic Services to Broker Far West Peace Accord - November 07, 2007 http://www.pastdeadline.com/president_clinton/index.html WGA strike enters fourth day - No new talks have been scheduled - Thurs., Nov. 8, 2007, 3:30pm PT With the writers strike now in its fourth day, WGA West president Patric Verrone's insisting that he wants to get back to the bargaining table. "We are ready to get back any time that the companies are ready," he said while on the picket line Thursday outside the Paramount lot, where he was appearing with the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Verrone appeared upbeat and said he was bearing up well amid the blizzard of demands on his time. No new talks have been scheduled. And a return to the table may be harder than it sounds -- even though both sides were making progress toward a deal late Sunday when talks collapsed as the guild went on strike. For their part, studios and nets have indicated they won't return to the bargaining table until the WGA stops striking. Nick Counter, president of the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, has indicated that he expects to be negotiating next with the DGA rather than the WGA. .......cont’d http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797560...egoryid=10&cs=1 WGA Strike Show Runners Photo Gallery - Posted: 11/7/2007 http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=ph...yid=405&order=0 Hillary Clinton's Husband Said to Be Offering Up His Diplomatic Services to Broker Far West Peace Accord - November 07, 2007 http://www.pastdeadline.com/president_clinton/index.html WGA strike enters fourth day - No new talks have been scheduled - Thurs., Nov. 8, 2007, 3:30pm PT With the writers strike now in its fourth day, WGA West president Patric Verrone's insisting that he wants to get back to the bargaining table. "We are ready to get back any time that the companies are ready," he said while on the picket line Thursday outside the Paramount lot, where he was appearing with the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Verrone appeared upbeat and said he was bearing up well amid the blizzard of demands on his time. No new talks have been scheduled. And a return to the table may be harder than it sounds -- even though both sides were making progress toward a deal late Sunday when talks collapsed as the guild went on strike. For their part, studios and nets have indicated they won't return to the bargaining table until the WGA stops striking. Nick Counter, president of the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, has indicated that he expects to be negotiating next with the DGA rather than the WGA. .......cont’d http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797560...egoryid=10&cs=1 WGA Strike Show Runners Photo Gallery - Posted: 11/7/2007 http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=ph...yid=405&order=0 WGA GALAXY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9s04LlhlEIk Garry Marshall un-Happy Days http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVvSG1c8tt0 Our Friends From Grey http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml8cGcAmp48 Patrick Dempsey: "They WANT the strike!" A tragedy... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkE_GPi2p1E Sandra Oh: "How greedy can they get???" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn9tvyh5dHY Strikewatch: Grey's Stars Speak Out - Wed, Nov 7, 2007, 9:07 PM "Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Management can’t write the show!" "Webisodes and DVD, we won’t write ‘em, not for free!" These were the choice chants of the picketing members of the Writers Guild of America today at Prospect Studios in Los Angeles—and some of our Seattle Grace favorites, who were shooting Grey's Anatomy inside the studio, spent their hourlong lunchbreak on the picket line to show their support. In attendance were Patrick Dempsey, Ellen Pompeo, Sandra Oh, T.R. Knight, Katherine Heigl, Eric Dane, Sara Ramirez, Brooke Smith, Justin Chambers and James Pickens, Jr., and here's what they said......................................As Katherine, Ellen and Sandra point out, this is really also an issue for the actors, whose current SAG contract will come up for review in June. "We're fighting the same fight," Sandra said, just before the cast's lunch hour came to an end and she was called back to set. The cast will continue shooting until they complete the 11th episode until Tuesday, when production is expected to shut down. Grey's writers and show runners have been picketing and not working since Monday. .........more with photos... http://www.eonline.com/gossip/kristin/deta...08-7ac221df422b Is "Grey's Anatomy" Next to Shut Down? - Wednesday, November 07, 2007 Nikki Finn of LA Weekly is reporting that actors Sandra Oh, T.R. Knight and Katherine Heigl of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" have joined the picket lines and the cast and crew may not be able to complete production on episode #11. Show runner Shonda Rhimes has already walked out altering her earlier decision to stay on board and help produce the already written scripts. 13 scripts have been written, but only 10 episodes have been filmed. The studio was hoping to complete production on episode #11 this week. Episodes 12 and 13 will not be filmed until the strike is resolved. ABC has scheduled the first part of the "Crash Into Me" episode (#9) (Seth Green guest stars) for November 22. Instead of airing the second part of that episode (#10) the following week, ABC is expected to repeat the season premiere on November 29. Episode #10 would then air on December 6 and beyond that point the show would go into repeats. In any event, there will be no new episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" after Christmas, unless the strike is resolved quickly. http://televisionista.blogspot.com/2007/11...-shut-down.html 'Private Practice' Showrunner Throws Support Behind Striking Writers - November 7, 2007 http://www.buddytv.com/articles/private-pr...r-th-13468.aspx Patrick Dempsey: "They WANT the strike!" A tragedy... http://youtube.com/watch?v=tkE_GPi2p1E Patrick Dempsey: WGA Strike Could Stall 'Grey's Anatomy' - Nov. 4, 2007 Video and article...... 11 episodes done and one to finish. http://www.etonline.com/news/2007/11/55404/index.html TV Series Grey ' s Anatomy cast members join the picket line of the Writers Guild of America in front of the Prospect Studios in Los Angeles … - Nov 07 3:45 PM http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?e...-t-471&c=images Deal or no deal: The strike - What would it take for a resolution?-Wed., Nov. 7, 2007, 5:35pm .......................................................There's still time for both sides to make accommodations. Many in town fear that if the issue is not resolved soon, this could turn out to be a very long and very damaging strike. Pressure to get back to the table came Wednesday from dozens of WGA showrunners, who rallied at Disney and then came to a consensus about if and when they should start working as producers again. “We will gladly return to our (showrunner) jobs the day that the producers return to the negotiating table,” one insider said. That means if the nets and studios start bargaining, the showrunners will help shoot the scripts that have already been written. Ironically, deals are already in place for many of the points the WGA is seeking. Big-name screenwriters and showrunners have already used their leverage to get such concessions as new-media residuals. For now, no new talks are scheduled, and the DGA's expected to begin its negotiations within the next few weeks, which could mean the WGA would wind up having to accept the terms of that contract.........................................cont’d http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797554...egoryid=10&cs=1 Forbes.com - Why The Writers Must Win - 11.07.07, 6:00 AM ET Hollywood scribes had to strike, and now they have to prevail. When 12,000 Hollywood writers traded pencils for picket signs this week, they took a huge risk. Even riskier: not striking. Losing to the studios now could doom their union as television gives way to the Internet. “We know that the future of the industry is the Web, and that in the near future television sets and computer monitors will merge into the same screen,” says Kate Purdy, a writer for CBS' (nyse: CBS - news - people ) Cold Case and a blogger behind a new strike-related writers' blog, United Hollywood. Hollywood writers want compensation for work on new media platforms like the Web--the central fight in three-plus months of acrimonious negotiations with the studios and networks. But as scripted television sheds viewers and work jurisdiction to other genres (like reality) and media (like the Web), they continue to lose leverage at the bargaining table. That's a harrowing prospect for a union that's already been fighting for nearly two decades to overturn a stingy VHS/DVD residual formula negotiated in 1985. http://www.forbes.com/leadership/2007/11/0...1107strike.html Writers' strike day three: Showrunners walk the picket line - Nov 7, 2007, 04:25 PM In an extraordinary show of power and solidarity, some 70-plus showrunners, from series as varied as CBS' Numb3rs to Disney Channel's Hannah Montana, walked the picket line Wednesday in front of the Disney lot in Burbank, CA. Virtually every primetime show was represented on the line by its exec producer. Among the showrunners marching alongside WGA West President Patric Verrone were Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse (Lost), Shonda Rhimes (Grey's Anatomy), John Wells (ER), Steve Levitan (Back to You), Ed Bernero (Criminal Minds, pictured with star Shemar Moore), Bill Lawrence (Scrubs), Kevin Falls (Journeyman), Greg Berlanti (Dirty Sexy Money, Brothers & Sisters), Seth MacFarland (Family Guy), Marc Cherry (Desperate Housewives), Greg Garcia (My Name is Earl), Joss Whedon (the upcoming Doll House), and Carol Mendelsohn (CSI)......... cont’d http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2007/11/day-three-of-st.html Defamer Strikewatch - Nov. 7, 2007 Breaking! Horny TV doctors show support for striking writers! Says a tipster: "Cast of Grey's Anatomy outside protesting ABC Prospect Studios right now in their blue gowns. Heigl, Dempsey....they're all out there." Actually, we're told Dempsey isn't wearing his scrubs, a wardrobe failure that potentially could hamper a lovestruck picketer's ability to flesh out his or her fantasy of sneaking off with McDreamy for a quickie show of solidarity in the back of a temporarily unused production van. http://defamer.com/hollywood/strikewatch/ Shawn Ryan's Letter open letter to showrunners and writers Fellow Showrunners and Television writers: As you all know by now, we are on Strike. It's sad that we have arrived here and I don't know each and every one of your opinions, but I wanted to share my personal plans for what I intend to do until we have a fair contract. I am currently quoted in today's Hollywood Reporter as saying that I will do some producing work, but won't do any editing as I consider that to be writing. While I said something similar to that earlier last week (I've learned you can't trust a word of what these trades report), that was before I went to the Showrunners Meeting yesterday and became very crystalized in what I need to do. ....................cont’d http://weblogs.variety.com/wga_strike_blog...ter-open-l.html Shonda Rhimes' response to Shawn Ryan I have to tell all of you that (Shawn Ryan's) email directly reflects the stance I came to over a very long night in New York. I absolutely believed that I would edit our episodes. Until a thought hit me: how can I walk a picket line and then continue to essentially work? How am I supposed to look at myself in the mirror or look at my child years from now and know that I did not have the courage of my convictions to stand up and put myself more at risk than anyone else? So I choose not to render my services as a producer. I choose to honor the strike. And I am proud that you all stand with me. - Shonda (Originally posted 11/07/07 at UnitedHollywood.com) http://weblogs.variety.com/wga_strike_blog...esponse-to.html Pencils down, support up: Showrunners plan rally - November 06, 2007 TV's showrunners are planning a show of force Wednesday from 9-11 a.m. at Disney. Plans are underway for a special picket line packed with TV's writers-producers, according to two scribes who plan on attending. No doubt one reason for the showrunner picket is to create some media buzz by assembling some of the medium's better-known scribes in one place. Another goal is likely to demonstrate that writers at all levels are backing the WGA's actions. Showrunners have become an early focal point of the 2007 strike. http://weblogs.variety.com/wga_strike_blog...u.html?nid=2854 TV shows quickly going dark -Nov. 6, 2007, 5:02pm PT Strike shuts down 'Christine,' 'Back to You' - As showrunners start to flex their muscle with plans for a major rally today, sitcom and drama sets are going dark -- in some cases sooner than the nets and studios had anticipated. .................In the past two days, Shonda Rhimes ("Grey's Anatomy," "Private Practice") and Shawn Ryan ("The Shield," "The Unit") have come out publicly with statements declaring they won't help wrap up episodes in the works. It's a change from the pre-strike conventional wisdom that such showrunners would stay on the job.............................cont’d http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797548...1&cs=1&nid=2854 What do writers do? More than just write - By LYNN ELBER, AP Television Writer Today at 2:28 pm In the entertainment industry, there's more to writing than putting words on the page. They may work on their own, or be part of a freewheeling brainstorming session. Workweeks may be an orderly 40 hours or a manic 80-plus. Pay can be $50,000 for an original screenplay, or soar past $1 million for a top screenwriter or writer-producer in charge of a hit TV show. And contrary to conventional wisdom, writers are not all ensconced in sun-drenched Los Angeles: of 12,000 total guild writers, about 4,000 belong to the WGA East......................cont’d http://tv.yahoo.com/show/31376/news/urn:ne...sIdWx_YlpP6o9EF The writers are on strike; what does that mean to you? - Posted Nov 5th 2007 10:45AM As you might have heard, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike at 12:01 AM PST this morning. Nikki Finke of Deadline Hollywood Daily had live blogged last minute negotiation attempts between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). However, when members of the WGA on the East coast walked out, talks on the west coast were over. Reportedly, the AMPTP had tried to convince the WGA to delay the strike to talks could continue. According to ABC News, WGA Spokesperson Sherry Goldman reports that negotiations are ongoing; however, the strike has moved forward in the meantime. Apparently, during Sunday negotiations, the Writer's Guild removed DVD residuals from the negotiations, which would have doubled writers' residuals. However, the AMPTP's refusal to budge on Internet residuals made the negotiations something of a joke. ................cont’d http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/11/05/the-writ...at-mean-to-you/ Strike Watch--It's On for Monday - Nov 2 2007 5:20PM EDT As widely predicted, the strike has been called for 12:01 a.m. Monday, barring the slim chance of a weekend settlement. As summarized in Variety, It applies to all writing covered under WGA agreements. In practical terms, it's the late-night and constantly updating television shows that will first go dark--including such topical favorites as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart--and many of the popular one-hour drams and comedies, depending how much material they have banked, will fall in turn. (Grey's Anatomy, for example, was rumored to be only one episode away from grinding to a halt.) Hollywood Reporter analyzed the big picture for the various networks....... cont’d http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/the-h...s-on-for-Monday Strike in limbo as contract expires - Wed., Oct. 31, 2007, 9:03pm PT http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797516...egoryid=18&cs=1



oncetherewasaway	Dec 12 2007, 11:15 AM Post #2
McEditor Posts: 1,625 Group: .Grey Girls. Member #23 Joined: October 25, 2006	[size=6] STRIKE WATCH - Weeks 5-6[/size] [size=14]----------------------------------------------------------------------- [/size] A-list stars may forgo Globes - December 14, 2007 If the Writers Guild of America strike against the TV networks and movie studios isn't resolved, the WGA could picket the Jan. 13 show. And the winner is . . . not here? The Golden Globe Awards are a highly rated NBC event, an often irreverent ceremony brimming with A-list stars. If the Writers Guild of America strike against the TV networks and movie studios isn't resolved, the WGA could picket the Jan. 13 show, potentially resulting in a ceremony with all the celebrity clout of a charity bowling tournament. http://theenvelope.latimes.com/awards/glob...e-top-headlines As new episodes fade, TV facing a long winter - Updated 23h 27m ago A writers' strike that has slowed the flow of new TV shows is threatening to linger well into next year — and force more lasting changes in Hollywood that determine what we watch and when, at home and in theaters. The 5-week-old walkout by 10,500 members of the Writers Guild of America took a turn for the worse last week, when talks between writers and industry executives collapsed amid harsh words. Now both sides are bracing for a long standoff. If the strike isn't settled by early in the new year, the absence of new scripts will narrow the pipeline of movies headed to theaters starting in late 2008. For the top broadcast networks, the impact would be more immediate: The rest of this TV season could be a virtual washout, cluttered with reality shows and repeats as the networks run out of fresh episodes of sitcoms and dramas.......................cont’d http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/ne...e-effects_N.htm Writers guild files labor complaint against studios - Posted 5m ago LOS ANGELES — Union officials representing striking Hollywood writers said Thursday they filed an unfair labor practices complaint claiming studios violated federal law by breaking off negotiations. The Writers Guild of America also demanded that the producers alliance return to the bargaining so the six-week strike can be ended and thousands of workers idled by the walkout can return to their jobs. Negotiations broke off on Dec. 7 when the alliance refused to bargain further unless the union dropped a half-dozen proposals that included the authority to unionize writers on reality shows and animation projects...................more..... http://www.usatoday.com/life/2007-12-13-WGA-complaint_N.htm Writers Strike: Diversity And Propaganda Not much in the way of actual news, despite WGA's Diversity Day picket (featuring Shonda Rhimes, below right) and voluminous and contradictory press releases and email from both sides. http://blog.meevee.com/my_weblog/writers_strike/index.html Hollywood directors delay contract talks Move made to let writers try to reach a deal with the studios updated 2 hours, 15 minutes ago LOS ANGELES - Hollywood directors said Thursday they will hold off on contract negotiations with studios for now but could start talks after New Year’s Day. The move could put added pressure on striking Hollywood writers to reach a new contract with studios and end their six-week walkout. In a statement, the Directors Guild of America said it was deeply disappointed by the collapse of talks between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The writers strike, which began Nov. 5, has shut down production on dozens of TV shows and started to slow the making of movies for release in 2009......................cont'd http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22246628/ Grey’s Stars: We’re on Strike! -Wed, 12 December 2007 at 11:23 pm Grey’s Anatomy stars Katherine Heigl and future bridesman T.R. Knight support the Writer’s Guild of America’s “Diversity Day” at Paramount Pictures studio on Wednesday in Los Angeles, Calif. Justin Chambers and wife Keisha are joined by co-star Sara Ramirez, Orlando Jones and Isaiah Washington. Things aren’t looking too good for the strike to end anytime soon. These re-runs are death! Here are some show updates. 25+ pics of Katherine Heigl and the gang showing some love… http://justjared.buzznet.com/2007/12/12/ka...e-heigl-strike/ Smith "Didn't Really Think" Grey's Anatomy Stint Would "Work Out" Thursday, December 13, 2007 During the third season of ABC's Grey's Anatomy, Dr. Burke, played by Isaiah Washington, suffered a gun shot wound that left him bedridden and out of commission. In came Brooke Smith's Dr. Erica Hahn, a cardiothoracic surgeon at a neighboring hospital who substituted for Burke at Seattle Grace. While Smith loved the role, she wasn't expecting it to become a permanent gig. “I didn't really think it was going to work out,” Smith told The Daily News. However, things took a different turn when the network decided not to renew Washington's contract. With the actor out of the show and his character out of Seattle Grace, Smith was called back to not only to reprise her role, but to act as the hospital's new head of cardiothoracic surgery. http://www.buddytv.com/articles/greys-anat...n-of-14718.aspx Heigl Distances Herself From Washington - Thursday, December 13, 2007 Daily News reports actor Isaiah Washington ("Bionic Woman") joined the cast of "Grey's Anatomy" as they hit the picket lines on Wednesday. When Katherine Heigl, who was posing with co-star and friend T.R.Knight, was asked if Washington was with the Grey's group, she responded: "He's not with me." Writers and actors who are gay or a minority were specifically asked to appear on the picket line on Wednesday. Washington said there were no problems between him and his former co-stars and posed with Justin Chambers. The outspoken Heigl was also quick to react to her Golden Globe nomination this morning saying she would not cross the picket line to attend the awards ceremony. http://televisionista.blogspot.com/2007/12...washington.html Writers' Strike: Any One Gonna Cross Picket Line To Get A GG? - Dec. 13 Hollywood is a funny business. But no one's laughing right now. Nominees for the Golden Globes have been announced, but the Hollywood Foreign Press Association--the group behind the Globes--has yet to get a waiver from the Writers Guild of America to let writers write the awards broadcast January 13th. Actually, I might like an awards show where they just, you know, get to the awards. I would also watch to see which stars crossed the picket line to attend because they feel this may be their only chance to win something. Back in 1980, during an actors strike, Powers Boothe crossed the picket line to collect an Emmy for playing cult leader Jim Jones. He said, "This may be either the bravest moment of my career, or the dumbest." The point here is that it looks like we'll still have a strike January 13th. There was a huge rally by actors supporting striking writers this week, and most of them have given up hope of getting back to work soon. Katherine Heigl of "Grey's Anatomy" told us, "I have a terrible feeling it's going to be a while...I'm thinking February, I hope, at the latest." "Grey's" creator Shonda Rhimes is even more pessimistic. "I'm fearful that it will last 'til March." "The corporations are ruining Christmas," said cast mate T.R. Knight. ............read some more http://www.cnbc.com/id/22242587 WGA strike redefines TV business - Wed., Dec. 12, 2007, 5:32pm PT Changes include end of TCA tour, upfronts - As the writers strike hits the six-week mark on Monday, the ramifications for the TV biz are growing by the hour. Starting next week, the force majeure ax may begin to fall on various talent deals at the major studios. Industry insiders say some of the nonwriting producer deals and nonwriting "pod" deals that have proliferated during the past decade could be vulnerable, particularly for those with a mixed track record of delivering successes to their studio partners. (Many contracts use the six-week mark for allowing termination of a deal under provisions of force majeure, or a disruptive event that prevents both sides adhering to the terms of the contract, but the length of time can vary significantly depending on the deal.)......................keep reading....... http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797761...egoryid=14&cs=1 Hollywood huddles to restart talks - Wed., Dec. 12, 2007, 7:34pm PT Industry hopes to bring WGA, AMPTP to table - With the Directors Guild of America expected to announce as early as today a start date for negotiations, the backchannels have started buzzing again to revive the smoldering remains of the WGA talks. A flurry of high-level huddles -- involving some of the town's top agents, showrunners and screenwriters -- have been held in recent days to explore methods of luring leaders of the Writers Guild of America and of the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers back to the table. That's a daunting task, given last week's cratering of talks as the AMPTP insisted on the immediate removal of six WGA demands, followed by a brutal public war of words between the two sides. Neither side commented publicly Wednesday on the backchannel efforts, which are focused on finding a way in which the WGA could give enough -- such as promising to remove its proposals on reality jurisdiction, animation jurisdiction and sympathy strikes -- to restart talks with a focus solely on new media..................cont’d http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797762...egoryid=18&cs=1 [size=14]----------------------------------------------------------------------- [/size] As new episodes fade, TV facing a long winter - Updated 23h 27m ago A writers' strike that has slowed the flow of new TV shows is threatening to linger well into next year — and force more lasting changes in Hollywood that determine what we watch and when, at home and in theaters. The 5-week-old walkout by 10,500 members of the Writers Guild of America took a turn for the worse last week, when talks between writers and industry executives collapsed amid harsh words. Now both sides are bracing for a long standoff. If the strike isn't settled by early in the new year, the absence of new scripts will narrow the pipeline of movies headed to theaters starting in late 2008. For the top broadcast networks, the impact would be more immediate: The rest of this TV season could be a virtual washout, cluttered with reality shows and repeats as the networks run out of fresh episodes of sitcoms and dramas.......................cont’d http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/ne...e-effects_N.htm Writers guild files labor complaint against studios - Posted 5m ago LOS ANGELES — Union officials representing striking Hollywood writers said Thursday they filed an unfair labor practices complaint claiming studios violated federal law by breaking off negotiations. The Writers Guild of America also demanded that the producers alliance return to the bargaining so the six-week strike can be ended and thousands of workers idled by the walkout can return to their jobs. Negotiations broke off on Dec. 7 when the alliance refused to bargain further unless the union dropped a half-dozen proposals that included the authority to unionize writers on reality shows and animation projects...................more..... http://www.usatoday.com/life/2007-12-13-WGA-complaint_N.htm Writers Strike: Diversity And Propaganda Not much in the way of actual news, despite WGA's Diversity Day picket (featuring Shonda Rhimes, below right) and voluminous and contradictory press releases and email from both sides. http://blog.meevee.com/my_weblog/writers_strike/index.html Hollywood directors delay contract talks Move made to let writers try to reach a deal with the studios updated 2 hours, 15 minutes ago LOS ANGELES - Hollywood directors said Thursday they will hold off on contract negotiations with studios for now but could start talks after New Year’s Day. The move could put added pressure on striking Hollywood writers to reach a new contract with studios and end their six-week walkout. In a statement, the Directors Guild of America said it was deeply disappointed by the collapse of talks between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The writers strike, which began Nov. 5, has shut down production on dozens of TV shows and started to slow the making of movies for release in 2009......................cont'd http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22246628/ Grey’s Stars: We’re on Strike! -Wed, 12 December 2007 at 11:23 pm Grey’s Anatomy stars Katherine Heigl and future bridesman T.R. Knight support the Writer’s Guild of America’s “Diversity Day” at Paramount Pictures studio on Wednesday in Los Angeles, Calif. Justin Chambers and wife Keisha are joined by co-star Sara Ramirez, Orlando Jones and Isaiah Washington. Things aren’t looking too good for the strike to end anytime soon. These re-runs are death! Here are some show updates. 25+ pics of Katherine Heigl and the gang showing some love… http://justjared.buzznet.com/2007/12/12/ka...e-heigl-strike/ Smith "Didn't Really Think" Grey's Anatomy Stint Would "Work Out" Thursday, December 13, 2007 During the third season of ABC's Grey's Anatomy, Dr. Burke, played by Isaiah Washington, suffered a gun shot wound that left him bedridden and out of commission. In came Brooke Smith's Dr. Erica Hahn, a cardiothoracic surgeon at a neighboring hospital who substituted for Burke at Seattle Grace. While Smith loved the role, she wasn't expecting it to become a permanent gig. “I didn't really think it was going to work out,” Smith told The Daily News. However, things took a different turn when the network decided not to renew Washington's contract. With the actor out of the show and his character out of Seattle Grace, Smith was called back to not only to reprise her role, but to act as the hospital's new head of cardiothoracic surgery. http://www.buddytv.com/articles/greys-anat...n-of-14718.aspx Heigl Distances Herself From Washington - Thursday, December 13, 2007 Daily News reports actor Isaiah Washington ("Bionic Woman") joined the cast of "Grey's Anatomy" as they hit the picket lines on Wednesday. When Katherine Heigl, who was posing with co-star and friend T.R.Knight, was asked if Washington was with the Grey's group, she responded: "He's not with me." Writers and actors who are gay or a minority were specifically asked to appear on the picket line on Wednesday. Washington said there were no problems between him and his former co-stars and posed with Justin Chambers. The outspoken Heigl was also quick to react to her Golden Globe nomination this morning saying she would not cross the picket line to attend the awards ceremony. http://televisionista.blogspot.com/2007/12...washington.html Writers' Strike: Any One Gonna Cross Picket Line To Get A GG? - Dec. 13 Hollywood is a funny business. But no one's laughing right now. Nominees for the Golden Globes have been announced, but the Hollywood Foreign Press Association--the group behind the Globes--has yet to get a waiver from the Writers Guild of America to let writers write the awards broadcast January 13th. Actually, I might like an awards show where they just, you know, get to the awards. I would also watch to see which stars crossed the picket line to attend because they feel this may be their only chance to win something. Back in 1980, during an actors strike, Powers Boothe crossed the picket line to collect an Emmy for playing cult leader Jim Jones. He said, "This may be either the bravest moment of my career, or the dumbest." The point here is that it looks like we'll still have a strike January 13th. There was a huge rally by actors supporting striking writers this week, and most of them have given up hope of getting back to work soon. Katherine Heigl of "Grey's Anatomy" told us, "I have a terrible feeling it's going to be a while...I'm thinking February, I hope, at the latest." "Grey's" creator Shonda Rhimes is WGA strike redefines TV business - Wed., Dec. 12, 2007, 5:32pm PT Changes include end of TCA tour, upfronts - As the writers strike hits the six-week mark on Monday, the ramifications for the TV biz are growing by the hour. Starting next week, the force majeure ax may begin to fall on various talent deals at the major studios. Industry insiders say some of the nonwriting producer deals and nonwriting "pod" deals that have proliferated during the past decade could be vulnerable, particularly for those with a mixed track record of delivering successes to their studio partners. (Many contracts use the six-week mark for allowing termination of a deal under provisions of force majeure, or a disruptive event that prevents both sides adhering to the terms of the contract, but the length of time can vary significantly depending on the deal.)......................keep reading....... http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797761...egoryid=14&cs=1 Hollywood huddles to restart talks - Wed., Dec. 12, 2007, 7:34pm PT Industry hopes to bring WGA, AMPTP to table - With the Directors Guild of America expected to announce as early as today a start date for negotiations, the backchannels have started buzzing again to revive the smoldering remains of the WGA talks. A flurry of high-level huddles -- involving some of the town's top agents, showrunners and screenwriters -- have been held in recent days to explore methods of luring leaders of the Writers Guild of America and of the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers back to the table. That's a daunting task, given last week's cratering of talks as the AMPTP insisted on the immediate removal of six WGA demands, followed by a brutal public war of words between the two sides. Neither side commented publicly Wednesday on the backchannel efforts, which are focused on finding a way in which the WGA could give enough -- such as promising to remove its proposals on reality jurisdiction, animation jurisdiction and sympathy strikes -- to restart talks with a focus solely on new media..................cont’d http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797762...egoryid=18&cs=1 [size=14]----------------------------------------------------------------------- [/size] A-Listers Support Writers Strike - December 12, 2007 4:09:00 PM Celebs including KATHERINE HEIGL and ISAIAH WASHINGTON picket alongside striking writers Wednesday outside of the Paramount Studios lot........video http://www.theinsideronline.com/news/2007/...4709/index.html WGA holiday planning begins - ., Dec. 11, 2007, 5:40pm Strike won't slow down until next week - Even with the approach of the holiday season, the WGA strike won't start slowing down until next week. Final day of WGA picketing at studio lots in Los Angeles is expected to be Monday, although the Writers Guild of America hasn't officially confirmed those plans. Picketing would presumably resume during the first week in January. With the WGA and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers still seething at each other, the biz has been turning its attention to the prospect that the AMPTP will start talks with the Directors Guild; the DGA may shed some light on scheduling once it holds its directors council meeting today. The DGA talks, expected to launch early next month, will face the same challenge that derailed the WGA negotiations: how to compensate creative talent for new-media work. The DGA's been prepping for the talks for the past year and is expected to..........cont’d http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797753...oryid=2821&cs=1 WGA's cost of striking $102 mil so far, AMPTP says - Dec 12, 2007 Hollywood studios have suggested all along that writers will be sadly surprised when they discover the high cost of a WGA strike. Now they're actually helping them calculate that cost. A Web site operated by the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers now boasts a running tally -- updated by the second -- of income lost by guild members since the WGA launched its strike against studios and networks Nov. 5. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/conten...b80945121d550e8 SAG bags a waiver for kudos - Dec 12, 2007 SAG said Tuesday that the guild has obtained a WGA script waiver for the 14th annual SAG Awards, allowing its Jan. 27 telecast to go forward unencumbered by the current writing ban in force since guild scribes went on strike 51?2 weeks ago. Officials from other kudocasts -- including the Golden Globes and Academy Awards -- still are scrambling to obtain similar waivers from the WGA. But guild executives were ducking the question of whether such waivers might be forth??coming. "For the time being, it's too preliminary to forecast," a WGA West spokesman said Tuesday..........cont’d http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/conten...72d6963fb9c523e [size=14]----------------------------------------------------------------------- [/size] THE BIG PICTURE: In the strike, the studios are playing to win - December 11, 2007 While attention is focused on the writers strike, a bigger confrontation with the actors guild looms down the road. DESPITE what they say about global warming, it's going to be a long, cold winter for the writers of Hollywood. The studios pretty much made it official Friday, when they walked away from the negotiating table after giving the Writers Guild an abrupt "put up or shut up" ultimatum. Considering that the studios were asking the writers to give up much of their core Internet residuals proposal, there was little left to negotiate. The studios' message was obvious: They're going to play hardball. Believing they have comparatively little to lose by letting the strike drag on, the studios will try to weaken the guild by letting writers spend Christmas out of work while studio operatives sow seeds of discord among the membership, hoping to persuade some high-profile writers to cross the line and go back to work.........................keep reading http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/...ack=1&cset=true Strike deadlock cancels TCA press tour -- Dec 11, 2007 The January TCA press tour became the latest casualty of the writers' strike. Dave Walker sent word to members of the Television Critics Association Monday night that he has reluctantly become the first TCA president ever to cancel one of the biannual press tours. "The machinations that forced this outcome were outside our control," he told members. "It was and remains the TCA's preference to stage a January 2008 TV tour, strike or not. Given the current woeful state of the negotiations, as well as broadcast network reluctance to present during a strike, that does not appear possible." Last week, Walker said he would wait until the end of this week before making a decision. He sped up the decision, he said, because prospects of a settlement were dim and the host hotel, the Universal City Hilton, will need as much time as possible to fill the space previously committed to the press tour. ................................. more http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/conten...97c7aca6edafcc2 Strike's war of words resumes - WGA, AMPTP unlikely to meet anytime soon - Mon., Dec. 10, 2007, 5:52pm PT The tone of the WGA strike -- now in its sixth week -- keeps getting nastier, with both sides abandoning any pretense of diplomacy. In the wake of Friday's meltdown of negotiations -- spurred by the AMPTP's insistence that the Writers Guild of America remove half a dozen demands as a condition of continuing the bargaining -- the WGA and AMPTP made it clear in dueling statements Monday that there's virtually no chance they'll get back to the table anytime soon. Monday saw both sides resort to insult as the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers persisted in referring to WGA leaders as "organizers" while a guild missive about the AMPTP began, "They lie. And then they lie again. And then they lie some more."..................................continue on..... http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797746...oryid=2821&cs=1 Prolonged writers strike a nightmare for TV biz- Sun Dec 9, 10:51 PM ET NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Television executives' nightmare scenarios for 2008 are coming closer to reality as the Hollywood writers strike enters its sixth week Monday. Renewed contract talks between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP) broke off abruptly Friday, and industry executives see no end in sight to the worst Hollywood labor dispute in almost two decades....................cont’d http://real-us.news.yahoo.com/s/nm/2007121...ALXJLwZVZy2GL8C Strike skews nets' skeds, ad sale plans - Dec 10, 2007 The nightmare possible scenarios for the second half of the 2007-08 broadcast season and the fall 2008 development season are looming on the horizon as talks between AMPTP and the WGA broke off Friday night. The full effect of the writers strike will start to play across primetime in January. CBS, NBC and Fox have already outlined their plans for the first quarter, which employ the nets' entire arsenal of midseason scripted shows as well as reality and judicious repeats. (ABC is expected to announce its strike-afflicted schedule early this week). http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/conten...3b95e9309306875 AMPTP: Negotiations with WGA break down - Dec 8, 2007 The AMPTP says contract talks with the WGA have broken down over the guild's refusing to move from demands including a push for first-time jurisdiction on reality and animation. In an end-of-day statement after Friday's bargaining session, the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers said, "We're puzzled and disheartened by an ongoing WGA negotiating strategy that seems designed to delay or derail talks rather than facilitate an end to the strike." Another major sticking point for management is the guild's demand for new contract language allowing writers to go out in sympathy strikes with other guilds, the AMPTP said. "Their quixotic pursuit of radical demands led them to begin this strike and now has caused this breakdown in negotiations," the AMPTP said. "We hope that the WGA will come back to this table with a rational plan that can lead us to a fair and equitable resolution to a strike that is causing so much distress for so many people in our industry and community.".................................read on http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/conten...51b1c4a052fc0f5 WGA likely to see final offer soon - Thurs., Dec. 6, 2007, Slow pace frustrating, holidays loom - With few clear signs that the five-week writers strike will end soon, the WGA faces the daunting prospect that the majors will lose patience with the slow pace of negotiations and make a take-it-or-leave-it offer as early as next week. Little progress emerged from Thursday's talks, with both sides meeting briefly in the morning, followed by WGA negotiators waiting most of the day for the companies' response in two key new-media areas -- Intenet downloads and jurisdiction. Neither side issued a statement at the end of the day other than confirming that negotiations will resume in the ayem today for the fourth straight day. But time's starting to run out, partly due to the looming holiday season with Christmas and New Year's Day falling midweek and essentially wiping out any chance for the sides to meet for those two weeks -- should they still be negotiating.................................................cont’d http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797726...egoryid=14&cs=1 Writers Strike: Weird Vibes - December 07, 2007 Let's mix some metaphors. On the surface things are starting to gel a bit, as in this post, but there's a rumble underneath suggesting that the producers are just shining us all on, and they're about to pull the rug out. This uneasy report is just one example. There's also resurgent buzz about the idea that the producers might try to divide and conquer by opening talks with the DGA ahead of next spring's contract expiration. Several sources note that the producers have hired some big PR guns, who in addition to being politically connected are crisis-management experts, an ominous development that has the writers striking back. Don't be surprised - as if you would be - by a sudden walk on the part of the producers, followed by an anti-WGA PR blitz. There's also a new pro-writers initiative online from the liberal firedoglake site making it easy for fans to send letters to studio honchos in support of the writers. Nothing will stir Les Moonves and Peter Chernin more, I'm sure. Meanwhile, here's yet another hi-larious strike video from the writers. Make sure you stick around for the kicker:FUNNY! http://blog.meevee.com/my_weblog/writers_strike/index.html STRIKE REPORT - Directors urged to delay their contract talks - December 7, 2007 More than 300 writer-directors support the appeal in an effort to keep the Writers Guild of America contract negotiations from being undermined by studios. More than 300 writers who are also directors are urging Directors Guild of America leaders to hold off for now their own contract talks with the studios while Hollywood's striking writers are engaged in their delicate negotiations. The writer-directors are seeking to block any gambit by the studios to undermine writers by first reaching a new contract with the DGA. The group, most of whom belong to the Writers Guild of America, made their request in a letter that was hand delivered Thursday to DGA officials. It was signed by some of the biggest names in the business, including brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, Ed Zwick, Lawrence Kasdan and Sean Penn. Writer-directors represent a minority of the DGA's 13,400 members. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-stri...0,2644424.story Writers bring counteroffer to talks - Mon., Dec. 3, 2007, 5:25pm PT WGA to respond to AMPTP offer - Talks resume today after a four-day respite, and both writers and the AMPTP are anxious -- but few are optimistic. Exactly one month after the strike began, Writers Guild of America leaders are expected to deliver a counteroffer, with a focus on new-media issues, in response to the offer the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers presented Thursday. WGA West president Patric Verrone, speaking at a picket line Monday at Paramount, underscored the guild's displeasure with the AMPTP's proposal for a fixed $250 annual residual on streaming video for one-hour network dramas -- without any additional compensation for use -- compared with the current $20,000 figure for TV reruns. http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797695...egoryid=10&cs=1 Writers halt picketing so Liz Taylor can perform - Dec. 2, 2007 Actress gives benefit performance of ‘Love Letters’ for AIDS charitySun., LOS ANGELES - Elizabeth Taylor returned to the stage Saturday night, after persuading striking TV and film writers to briefly put down their picket signs. The Writers Guild of America agreed not to picket the Paramount Pictures lot when actress and AIDS activist Taylor gave a benefit performance of A.R. Gurney's play "Love Letters" with James Earl Jones. The guild lowered the picket line because "this worthy event is happening solely through the efforts and underwriting of Dame Elizabeth Taylor, who is not only a longtime member of the Screen Actors Guild, but an outspoken supporter of the Writers Guild," Patric Verrone, president of the western chapter of the guild, said in a statemen http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22070387/ Strike Days: It (Really, Really) Ain't Over Until... - Nov 29 2007 10:46PM EST The initially lukewarm news from the negotiating table turned into plain discouragement yesterday afternoon when the AMPTP issued a statement (soon to be matched by a longer, angrier release from the writers) confirming that their sweetened offers were on the table but the writers wanted to postpone further talks until Tuesday. They added that they respected the writers' need to study the proposals, but the writers soon made clear that the offer, to their thinking constituting a "massive rollback", had been rejected out of hand. In a week where there's been some media chatter about the AMPTP's lack of a palatable public profile (as their spokesperson Barbara Brogliatti chose to depart the thankless post the studio bosses had convinced her to fill), it's interesting to note the typically terse AMPTP release and the typically through-gritted-teeth WGA response, in their entirety here:...................................good reading and breakdown of what is going on....... http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/the-h...aint-over-until Striking screenwriters disparage new studio offer - Thu Nov 29, 11:01 PM ET LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Labor negotiators for the major Hollywood studios presented striking screenwriters on Thursday with a new set of proposed pay formulas for digital media, but the writers' union immediately rebuffed the offer as far too stingy. Breaking their silence after a four-day round of talks conducted under a strict media blackout, the two sides resumed their public relations duel as the studios unveiled what they called a "new economic partnership" and the writers shot it down as a "massive rollback." The latest offer was disclosed in a brief statement issued by the studios' bargaining entity, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), on the 25th day of a strike by 10,500 film and TV writers. The Writers Guild of America launched its work stoppage on November 5 after months of rancorous on-and-off negotiations with the studios collapsed, triggering the worst labor crisis to hit Hollywood in nearly 20 years.......read on http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071130/tv_nm/...ers_strike_dc_4 After four days of talks, WGA rejects studios' offer - Posted Nov 30th 2007 9:01AM Our long, dark national nightmare ... continues. After four days of talks and media silence, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) disclosed the latest offer presented by Hollywood studios to the striking writers. But the WGA (Writers Guild of America) quickly rejected this offer, according to Yahoo! News. The studios described their offer as a "new economic partnership" with writers, who refer to it instead as a "massive rollback." They went on to disparage the offer point by point. As an example, the studio offered less than $250 for a year's reuse of an hour long show for Internet streaming, one of the biggest catalysts for the strike in the first place, as compared to $20,000 plus for a single network rerun airing. Talks will resume next Tuesday with the studios said to be presenting additional proposals. Is it too late to just hug it out? It doesn't seem like they're even close to the same library yet, much less the same page. It's been 25 days, man ... my palms are getting itchy and sweaty ... and there's a Gremlin swinging from my light fixture looking hungry, should I feed him? ... I can't take this much longer! http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/11/30/after-fo...-studios-offer/ [size=14]----------------------------------------------------------------------- [/size]



oncetherewasaway	Dec 28 2007, 07:46 AM Post #3
McEditor Posts: 1,625 Group: .Grey Girls. Member #23 Joined: October 25, 2006	No live broadcast for the 34th People's Choice Awards - Dec 21st 2007 In a somewhat unprecedented move, Reuters details a shift in format for the People's Choice Awards. The January 8th broadcast was to be the typical awards show fare, people make bad jokes, struggle to read teleprompters with bad jokes written on them, accept awards by making bad jokes all interspersed with snippets of bad jokes from a host.....cont’d http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/12/21/no-live-...-choice-awards/ Writers Plan to Picket Golden Globe Awards - December 19th, 2007 The WGA plans to picket the Golden Globe Awards on January 13, 2008 unless, of course, the writers’ strike has ended by then. Therefore, actors and actresses who wish to attend the awards will be forced to either skip it or cross the picket line - either way, it stinks. Can you imagine being one of those people who finally gets nominated and this is the situation standing between you and your Golden Globe?!?! Variety reports that "a WGA spokesman confirmed the decision to picket, a day after the WGA turned down a request for a waiver from Dick Clark Prods., producer of the Globes. The WGA’s also denied a waiver request from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciencs for use of clips and has said it won’t OK an interim agreement for writing services so long as it’s on strike." We’ll see what happens. In the past, picketers and protesters have been hard to spot since you need credentials to get within a block of the Kodak center. I can’t believe this has gone on this long - hurry up and come to an agreement so that the writers can be back to making us all happy!!! http://www.filmgecko.com/writers-plan-to-p...n-globe-awards/



oncetherewasaway	Jan 10 2008, 05:00 PM Post #4
McEditor Posts: 1,625 Group: .Grey Girls. Member #23 Joined: October 25, 2006	[size=6] STRIKE WATCH[/size] Letterman makes deal with WGA - BREAKING NEWS - Posted Dec 28th 2007 And then there were none. David Letterman has struck a deal with the Writers Guild of America, and both his show and The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson (both produced by Letterman's Worldwide Pants) will return next Wednesday, January 2.........cont’d http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/12/28/letterma...-breaking-news/ No live broadcast for the 34th People's Choice Awards - Dec 21st 2007 In a somewhat unprecedented move, Reuters details a shift in format for the People's Choice Awards. The January 8th broadcast was to be the typical awards show fare, people make bad jokes, struggle to read teleprompters with bad jokes written on them, accept awards by making bad jokes all interspersed with snippets of bad jokes from a host.....cont’d http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/12/21/no-live-...-choice-awards/ Writers Plan to Picket Golden Globe Awards - December 19th, 2007 The WGA plans to picket the Golden Globe Awards on January 13, 2008 unless, of course, the writers’ strike has ended by then. Therefore, actors and actresses who wish to attend the awards will be forced to either skip it or cross the picket line - either way, it stinks. Can you imagine being one of those people who finally gets nominated and this is the situation standing between you and your Golden Globe?!?! Variety reports that "a WGA spokesman confirmed the decision to picket, a day after the WGA turned down a request for a waiver from Dick Clark Prods., producer of the Globes. The WGA’s also denied a waiver request from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciencs for use of clips and has said it won’t OK an interim agreement for writing services so long as it’s on strike." We’ll see what happens. In the past, picketers and protesters have been hard to spot since you need credentials to get within a block of the Kodak center. I can’t believe this has gone on this long - hurry up and come to an agreement so that the writers can be back to making us all happy!!! http://www.filmgecko.com/writers-plan-to-p...n-globe-awards/ Hey Guys -- So, I blogged to you last month at my myspace page and I was planning to update it but I'm so technologically challenged that it proved too much for me. Plus, I'm not sure how many of you went there to read it so I thought this was an easier way to reach you -- though I'm pretty sure ABC will delete this message shortly after I post it. (if you are interested in reading my original blog on why we are striking, please go to my myspace page. and if you want more info than that, go to unitedhollywood.com) Many of you have been asking how you can help end this strike and I haven't had a very good answer til now. I told you to write letters and I thank those of you who did -- and those of you who wrote to me in support. I appreciate it and so does every writer walking that line. Picketing sucks. SUCKS. This strike SUCKS. I HATE THAT WE HAVE TO DO THIS. I am so so worried about our crew -- I hate that they're out of work at the holidays. And of course, I hate that we are not at work and can't bring you new programming. So -- when someone emailed me an idea of what more we can do to help -- I wanted to bring it to you all, who have been so supportive. And yes, I know some of you don't want to hear from me cause we haven't listened to you on the mer/der front and I can respect that. But -- if we're going to get anywhere with mer and der and all the rest of them, we gotta end this stirke. So -- I'm pasting now an email i got this afternoon. Thanks as always, Krista SC-JOHNSON - GLADE advertising executives and company lawyers are holding an emergency meeting Friday December 7th to debate pulling their network television spots due to direct pressure from the thousands of television fans who have called and expressed their EXTREME RELUCTANCE to buy their products until the writers of their favorite shows receive a fair contract. If SC Johnson Glade pulls their ads and asks for their money back, their competitors will follow suit. And the sooner the advertisers demand their money back from the networks, the sooner this strike will end! Let's make sure that SCJ GLADE feels the heat this week. Please distribute this email to your fans, friends, family, and anyone who watches network television, cares about writers, hates reruns, and despises corporate greed. Call SC JOHNSON GLADE at 1- 800 –494 -4855 and say: “My name is ________________. I am a consumer calling to tell you that I support the TV writers in their ongoing dispute with the television networks. I regret to to inform you that I am no longer comfortable using, buying, or recommending SC Johnson Glade products due to your company's continued financial support of the networks by paying them for television ad time. Thank you.? The call is free and will only take two minutes of your time. We already know it is making a difference. Once you've called, please forward this email to anyone and everyone you know who watches television or movies. The strike is hurting everyone. Writers. Actors. Crew Members. Everyone who lives and works in or near Hollywood. Help all of them have a Happy Holiday Season. The strike needs to end. Help us. Make the call. Thank You.



oncetherewasaway	Jan 14 2008, 12:58 AM Post #5
McEditor Posts: 1,625 Group: .Grey Girls. Member #23 Joined: October 25, 2006	ABC Medianet FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 11, 2008 DGA AND AMPTP AGREE TO BEGIN CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS LOS ANGELES - The Directors Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers agreed today to enter into formal contract negotiations. Negotiations are scheduled to begin tomorrow, Saturday, January 12, 2008, and will be held at AMPTP headquarters in Encino, CA. The DGA and the AMPTP have agreed that neither organization will comment to the press regarding negotiations until negotiations have concluded. http://www.abcmedianet.com/DNR/2008/pdf/dnr011108.pdf ABC says 'no' to SAG expenditures - Thurs., Jan. 10, 2008, 8:00pm PT Studio ditching talent costs for Guild Awards - The latest front in Hollywood's labor war? Hair, makeup and limos. Insiders said ABC and ABC Studios will not pick up the tab for its talent attending the SAG Awards on Jan. 27. Show will be telecast on both TNT and TBS. http://www.variety.com/awardcentral_articl...oryid=1985&cs=1 Weinstein Co. gets interim WGA deal - Thurs., Jan. 10, 2008 Agreement nearly identical to United Artists' - The Weinstein Co. has followed United Artists by inking a nearly identical interim agreement with the Writers Guild of America. The pact, which also covers Dimension, will allow the pace of activity at the company to resume. The move had been expected earlier in the week (Daily Variety, Jan. 10). Harvey Weinstein made no bones about his reasons for signing the deal, stressing his empathy for the striking writers and the hardships they've endured over the past 10 weeks. He stressed that he supported a proposal from George Clooney that a blue-ribbon panel of actors and filmmakers be set up to mediate the dispute. The condition would be that no one would leave the room for 48 hours until a settlement was (theoretically) reached............keeep reading http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797886...egoryid=18&cs=1 Breakaway from Cancer Public Service Announcement Spreads Support and Hope http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=47...351163556&hl=en Spirits, SAG could outshine star-struck awards shows - Jan 10, 2008 NEW YORK -- The de-glitzing of the Golden Globes has been a blow to everyone from movie marketers to caterers. But could it lift award shows that aren't hit by the strike? The Film Independent Spirit Awards and the SAG Awards, both of which have been granted WGA waivers, could find themselves reaping the fruits of a Globes downsizing in media attention, TV ratings and advertising revenue. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/conten...788bf123a837a7e Globes Downgrade--Now What Of The Oscars? - Jan 8 2008 6:21PM EST To borrow a metaphor that was reworked in Paul Haggis's In the Valley of Elah (given that he's been perhaps the Writers Guild MVP for his untiring early commitment to their cause), the WGA has again taken their slingshot and staggered the AMPTP in its effort to run Hollywood's business as usual. The somewhat mournful announcement went out Monday from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, scaling the Globes back from the standard gala to a press conference whose format was yet to be fully determined:..........................read some more http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/the-h...t-of-the-oscars Golden handcuffs for Globes awards - January 08, 2008 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22559529#22559529 Pickets: They're back! - January 07, 2008 WGA picketing resumed Monday morning at all major studios lots after a three-week break, although the guild staged three days of picketing last week at NBC Burbank. "I feel rejuvenated," said strike captain A.L. Katz outside Paramount's Windsor gate, where two dozen pickets marched mid-morning. The line included several writers from "Grey's Anatomy" and a trio of recent film school grads looking to make connections with TV writers. The mood was upbeat in the wake of the looming cancellation of the picket-threatened Golden Globes and the possibility of the WGA signing interim deals with such indies as Lionsgate and TWC. ........more http://weblogs.variety.com/wga_strike_blog...icketing-r.html United Artists, WGA sign interim deal - Sun., Jan. 6, 2008 Writers heading back to work at studio - The Writers Guild of America and United Artists have agreed to sign an interim deal, allowing striking feature writers to begin work for the studio -- and opening the door for other indies such as the Weinstein Co. and Lionsgate to follow suit.................cont’d http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797854...oryid=2821&cs=1 Golden Globes Update: NBC Cancels Telecast - Jan 7th 2008 4:00PM This just in from Deadline Hollywood: Though an official word has not hit the internets just yet, DH is reporting through their sources that NBC has indeed gone ahead and canceled the Golden Globes telecast currently scheduled to air live on January 13. Instead, what they are going to do is air a news broadcast announcing the winners. DH says: "It will consist of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association handing out Golden Globes to the winners, who will then pick up the awards and pass through a press room for photos and interviews." Sounds sort of lame, but at least the media will get their photos of the actors and actresses all dolled up (should they decide to dress for the event), which will come along with quotes and what have you.................more http://www.cinematical.com/ Latenight hosts return to work -Wed., Jan. 2, 2008 Jay, Dave, Conan deliver pro-WGA message Latenight's leading lights took up the WGA's cause in their return to the airwaves on Wednesday, balancing pro-WGA messages with their first jokes in two months -- some scripted, some not. http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797833...egoryid=14&cs=1 Golden Globes, WGA at odds again - Producers hoped for agreement with writers So much for the Christmas spirit. The town's first day back at work started with reports that the Golden Globes would probably proceed as scheduled Jan. 13, thanks to a hoped-for waiver from the striking Writers Guild. Then the WGA was heard from: No way would the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. gain an interim deal, said the guild. The writers intend to picket the show. Then the Screen Actors Guild weighed in, saying it would inform members "of their rights with respect to not crossing WGA picket lines."...........................more http://www.variety.com/awardcentral_articl...oryid=1983&cs=1



oncetherewasaway	Jan 14 2008, 01:01 AM Post #6
McEditor Posts: 1,625 Group: .Grey Girls. Member #23 Joined: October 25, 2006	Wells gives thumbs up to DGA deal - Fri., Jan. 18, 2008, 5:40pm PT WGA leaders plan to meet over the weekend As the WGA's negotiating committee prepares to meet Saturday to discuss the DGA's tentative deal with the studios -- and the WGA board of directors plans a Tuesday powwow -- the helmers' pact is getting a rave review from one former Guild prexy. "ER" exec producer John Wells told Daily Variety he's very impressed by the deal, and says the template provided by it could produce an end to the writers' strike within two weeks. "This is a genuinely landmark deal," Wells said Friday. "I've been involved in negotiations for 20 years. This is the best deal I've seen that anyone's been able to negotiate." Informal talks among groups of scribes have been going on since the DGA deal was announced Thursday, and are expected to continue over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend. It's also believed backchannel conversations between key WGA members and CEOs and top execs from the AMPTP companies have already begun, possibly paving the way for a formal resumption of negotiations.................cont’d http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797933...egoryid=18&cs=1 First Glance at the Deal Summary - Thursday, January 17, 2008 Before we begin, here's a caveat: WE ARE NOT LAWYERS. WE ARE NOT BUSINESS AFFAIRS EXECS. WE ARE NOT PROFESSIONAL NEGOTIATORS. We're a group of volunteer WGA strike captains, and we're posting our reactions to the DGA deal summary that was released today. These are our thoughts alone. They are not official, they don't reflect the WGA's opinion, and frankly, they will probably include a few mistakes. Which brings us to our second caveat: The DGA deal summary is just that, a summary. It's not the final comprehensive contract. That document, we've been told, is still being drafted by the DGA. So the unclear items in the summary will remain so until the DGA releases the contract. Since the conversation is raging already, we want to weigh in with our preliminary thoughts. Caveats in mind, here we go: Issues of Wage Increase, Residual Increase and Healthcare From what we can see in the summary, there are no rollbacks and some decent increases. As rollbacks on just about everything were such a big part of the congloms' proposal to the WGA, we are, cautiously, optimistic here. Jurisdiction on Internet Productions The good: Content that is derivative of something already covered would likewise be covered. In other words, mobisodes, webisodes, whatever-isodes based on something that's already a series or a movie are automatically covered, no matter what the budget. The bad: We can't tell from the deal summary language if that includes the WGA concept of "separated rights." And there are few concepts more important to writers than separated rights. When you create a character, you have merchandising, sequel and other exploitation rights to that character. Those rights can be a very important source of income -- just ask the creators of a character named Captain Jack Sparrow.............there’s a lot more http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/2008/0...al-summary.html SAG enters fray for actors' pay - Jan 18, 2008 Files claims for regulars sidelined during strike- Force majeure action by the television studios was front and center this week. But while the focus was on writers, directors and producers whose overall deals were terminated because of the writers strike, behind the scenes there has been plenty of activity by SAG regarding the regular actors on TV series, who also have been sidelined by the work stoppage. SAG has filed hundreds of claims with the production entities behind the vast majority of scripted shows seeking half-pay for all regulars for up to five weeks. Earlier this week, SAG sent out questionnaires to talent representatives inquiring whether their series regular clients have been paid their minimum guarantees for the season (on average, 13 episode fees), and it plans to file new claims on the issue for those actors whose guarantees haven't been met....................cont’d http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/conten...8a263cf7d712c7e Showrunners showing enthusiasm - Thurs., Jan. 17, 2008, 5:30pm PT DGA outline gives hope - Now, the spotlight is on TV's showrunners. The writer-producers behind primetime's scripted fare were looking closely Thursday at the DGA's new deal with congloms -- and many liked what they saw. Some are even quietly hoping that part of the 2007-08 season can be saved and that even some of pilot season might be salvaged. It's a long way from the DGA deal to the Writers Guild/AMPTP negotiating table, but there's a strong sense among several showrunners that scribe leaders such as WGA West prexy Patric Verrone and chief negotiator David Young will feel the pressure to use the Directors Guild of America template as a means of getting talks restarted. Insisting on conversations about issues such as reality or animation would be, as one showrunner put it, "a disaster."...... read on http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797925...egoryid=14&cs=1 Directors negotiate a separate peace - Fri., Jan. 18, 2008, 1:33pm PT Unclear whether WGA will accept healthy deal - There have been some truly surreal moments this winter as a byproduct of the writers strike. We have seen latenight talkshow hosts reciting material they themselves have written -- then complaining about its mediocre quality. We have witnessed high-priced showrunners on picket lines chanting labor slogans dating back to the coal miners in "How Green Was My Valley," even as they carry signs demanding better breaks on esoteric new-media deals. We have watched perspiring hosts of celebrity interview shows blurting out the winners' names at the Golden Globes -- an event they'd originally been sent to dish about. We have been surprised by the strong ratings of reality shows, which had been hastily strung together to replace the scripted shows they were suddenly outperforming. http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797928...tegoryId=1&cs=1 AMPTP Asks For Informal Talks - Thursday, January 17, 2008 Here's the text of the AMPTP's "Joint Statement" on the front of their website. As frustrated as we all have been with the congloms -- 41 days after they walked out -- this invitation is very significant. Nowhere in the invitation does anyone mention preconditions or thresholds for these informal talks. There are no demands here that we take "distributor's gross" off the table, for example -- which was one of their precondition of resuming talks -- in fact, they just agreed to distributor's gross with the DGA. So, both in the wake of the DGA announcement and on its own merits, we think this can be seen as progress. JOINT STATEMENT The agreement between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and the Directors Guild of America establishes an important precedent: Our industry’s creative talent will now participate financially in every emerging area of new media. The agreement demonstrates beyond any doubt that our industry’s producers are willing and able to work with the creators of entertainment content to establish fair and flexible rules for this fast-changing marketplace. We hope that this agreement with DGA will signal the beginning of the end of this extremely difficult period for our industry. Today, we invite the Writers Guild of America to engage with us in a series of informal discussions similar to the productive process that led us to a deal with the DGA to determine whether there is a reasonable basis for returning to formal bargaining. We look forward to these discussions, and to the day when our entire industry gets back to work. http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/2008/0...rmal-talks.html Here is the site address for the AMPTP http://www.amptp.org/ Directors, Studios Reach a Deal – January 18, 2008 The Directors Guild of America reached a tentative three-year deal with the major Hollywood studios, adding to pressure on striking screenwriters to either accept a similar deal or prolong their 11-week strike, possibly for months. The proposed deal between the directors' guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which negotiates on behalf of the studios, addresses many of the critical issues that have divided the Hollywood creative community and the major studios and broadcast networks. The deal announced yesterday includes provisions to compensate directors for the use and re-use of their work on the Internet -- both content created specifically for the Web and traditional programs and films that are streamed online or made available by the companies for download. Other, more routine issues, including wage increases, are also covered. The deal includes a so-called sunset provision that allows the two sides to revisit the new-media issues in three years. http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB1200...NzYxMDc2Wj.html Ad buyers stick with spots - Jan 17, 2008 Despite mounting concerns about strike-induced ratings shortfalls in the months to come, most advertisers are sticking with their upfront media commitments. Most advertisers had until this week to cancel up to 50% of their upfront ad purchases for the second quarter. But with the deadline passing, few clients actually opted out, network and media agency sources said........................................That may not be the case for those who bought such top rated shows like “Grey’s Anatomy”, “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” or “Heroes”, who might find it challenging who might find it challenging to make up for their lost rating points .......................... "Those 15 shows that are really good shows, those ratings are never coming back," Kanefsky said. "Those advertisers may say I'm going to pull out because I can't get the ratings back." ....................................................... For advertisers in those top shows, it could be worthwhile to get cash back and then buy a show like "American Idol" in the scatter market despite prices that might be about 20% higher than they were in the upfronts, buyers said. There are other options, too. "Grey's" advertisers are being given the opportunity to run their ads during "Lost," which is taking over "Grey's" Thursday night time slot beginning Jan. 31. Such clients as automakers and movie studios could end up ahead with a more male-skewing audience than "Grey's," but those who were seeking a more female-oriented graphic might not want to advertise during "Lost.".........cont’d http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/conten...817b226a78?pn=1 DIRECTORS MAKE DEAL - Thurs., Jan. 17, 2008, 1:30pm PT DGA reaches tentative deal with AMPTP - The DGA’s reached a tentative three-year deal with the AMPTP with key advances in jurisdiction and payment for programming on the Internet. “Two words describe this agreement -- groundbreaking and substantial,” said Gil Cates, chair of the DGA’s Negotiations Committee. “The gains in this contract for directors and their teams are extraordinary -- and there are no rollbacks of any kind.” The was announced Thursday afternoon following six days of negotiations at AMPTP amid widespread expectations that the helmers would quickly reach an agreement with the majors. Deal, if ratified by the 13,500 DGA members, will take effect on July 1. DGA touted a trio of new-media gains: Establishing DGA jurisdiction over programs produced for distribution on the Internet; Boosting the residuals formula for paid Internet downloads (electronic sell-through) by double the current rate; And establishing residual rates for ad-supported streaming and use of clips on the Internet.The DGA deal amps up the pressure from all sides on the leadership of the Writers Guild of America, which has been on strike since Nov. 5. Its last negotiations with the AMPTP collapsed on Dec. 7 with the congloms demanding that the guild drop six of its proposals. The WGA had no immediate reaction to the announcement. ..........cont’d http://www.variety.com/VR1117979228.html Everyone on edge over DGA deal - Jan. 16, 2008, 5:45pm PT Pressure builds for WGA to settle - Hollywood is anticipating a settlement on the Directors Guild contract this week -- but not expecting an end to the labor war. Anticipation of a DGA deal is amping up the pressure from all sides on the leadership of the Writers Guild. The major studios sent a blunt wakeup call to striking scribes Monday, canceling dozens of TV deals in a move guaranteed to intimidate WGA members and split their ranks. A significant number of writers -- weary of the 11-week strike and perplexed over what they perceive as the hardline approach of WGA West prexy Patric Verrone and exec director David Young -- have been quietly pushing for the leaders not to reject the DGA deal out of hand. http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797919...egoryid=10&cs=1 Writers Strike: More Pain, But DGA Gain Today? - January 15, 2008 Just to use Scribe Vibe as an example, you can click here, here and here to read about studios terminating development deals with writers and producers under the "Force Majeure" (French for "screw you") clause in their contracts. Funny how they all did it at the same time - sounds almost like collusion to me. ..........keep reading http://blog.meevee.com/my_weblog/2008/01/w...rs-strik-8.html Black Monday at TV studios - Jan 15, 2008 The force majeure ax swung wide Monday as four TV studios -- CBS Paramount Network TV, Universal Media Studios, 20th Century Fox Television and Warner Bros. TV -- tore up dozens of overall deals. All four issued similarly worded statements blaming the writers strike for the terminations, which are expected to save the studios tens of millions of dollars. ................................cont’d http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/conten...eee60a2b5536ec4 Studios terminate more deals - 3:55 p.m. PT Jan. 15, 2008 More names of writers and producers whose overall deals were terminated in the Monday sweeping force majeure action by four major TV studios have surfaced.Oscar-nominated filmmaker John Singleton and comedy writer-producers ........cont'd Another 25-30 producers were dropped by ABC Studios Friday. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/conten...2bb03c3fa32e2b5 DGA talks raise hope for WGA - Mon., Jan. 14, 2008, 5:17pm PT Directors, AMPTP talk new media compensation With optimism steadily growing that the Directors Guild of America is heading toward a tentative deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the town's attention has shifted to what the majors' next step will be once they have a DGA deal in hand.........cont'd http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797902...oryid=2821&cs=1 Grammys requests WGA agreement- Tue., Jan. 15, 2008, 4:35pm PT Awards show not a signatory with Guild - The producers of the Grammy Awards requested an interim agreement from the WGA Tuesday for the telecast of the 50th annual awards on Feb. 10. Cossette Prods., which produces the show aired on CBS, has requested the same terms as those arrangements signed by the WGA with David Letterman's company, Worldwide Pants. The Recording Academy owns all rights to the Grammy Awards and is not a signatory with the WGA. Recording Academy president and CEO Neil Portnow met with WGA president Patric Verrone on Jan. 8, noting that the Academy supported the WGA in its efforts on the digital front..........more http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797908...egoryId=16&cs=1 T-shirts http://www.strikeswag.com/ Writers Guild may block the Grammy Awards - Posted Jan 15th 2008 5:27PM This year's awards season, barely a month old now, has not been a good one for Hollywood. First, the Golden Globes ceremony was reduced to an Access Hollywood special after members of the Writers Guild and Screen Actors Guild boycotted the show. Now, it looks like the Grammy Awards ceremony may also be in trouble.........cont'd http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/01/15/writers-...-grammy-awards/ Studios say this season is over, and next season might be too - Jan 15th 2008 2:22PM This isn't a good sign at all.Yesterday, four of the major studios - CBS Paramount, 20th Century Fox Television, NBC Universal, and Warner Brothers Television - canceled the contracts of dozens of writers and put an end to over 65 development deals, which basically means that there are no new scripts to choose from to start filming pilots for next fall's schedule. This will save the production companies millions, since they won't have to keep paying the writers for the deals.........cont'd http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/01/15/studios-...n-might-be-too/ Guild signs interim pact with Media Rights Capital - Jan 14 2008 The Writers Guild of America has signed an interim agreement with Media Rights Capital, a new independent film finance and production company. The company, which works with such creative artists as Larry David and Ricky Gervais, is financing various films, TV shows and several original online programs, including animated shows by "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane..........cont'd http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/ D GA ' shouting' for pact -Sun., Jan. 13, 2008 A ll eyes on Guild for labor talks leadership Can "shouting distance" be traversed in a matter of days? Showbiz insiders were hopeful at the prospect that the Directors Guild of America could reach a tentative contract pact with the majors as early as this week, after DGA leaders spent Saturday and Sunday in formal contract negotiations with reps.......cont'd http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797897...egoryid=18&cs=1 ABC Medianet FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 11, 2008 DGA AND AMPTP AGREE TO BEGIN CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS LOS ANGELES - The Directors Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers agreed today to enter into formal contract negotiations. Negotiations are scheduled to begin tomorrow, Saturday, January 12, 2008, and will be held at AMPTP headquarters in Encino, CA. The DGA and the AMPTP have agreed that neither organization will comment to the press regarding negotiations until negotiations have concluded. http://www.abcmedianet.com/DNR/2008/pdf/dnr011108.pdf ABC says 'no' to SAG expenditures - Thurs., Jan. 10, 2008, 8:00pm PT Studio ditching talent costs for Guild Awards - The latest front in Hollywood's labor war? Hair, makeup and limos. Insiders said ABC and ABC Studios will not pick up the tab for its talent attending the SAG Awards on Jan. 27. Show will be telecast on both TNT and TBS. http://www.variety.com/awardcentral_articl...oryid=1985&cs=1 Weinstein Co. gets interim WGA deal - Thurs., Jan. 10, 2008 Agreement nearly identical to United Artists' - The Weinstein Co. has followed United Artists by inking a nearly identical interim agreement with the Writers Guild of America. The pact, which also covers Dimension, will allow the pace of activity at the company to resume. ............keeep reading http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797886...egoryid=18&cs=1



oncetherewasaway	Jan 19 2008, 11:19 AM Post #7
McEditor Posts: 1,625 Group: .Grey Girls. Member #23 Joined: October 25, 2006	It's official: WGA strike is over 92.5% of guild vote in favor of strike's end By CYNTHIA LITTLETON, DAVE MCNARY"The strike is over," Patric Verrone said, dispassionately but with the hint of a smile. "Our membership has voted. Writers can go back to work." The WGA West prexy announced the news, something the town had taken as a fait accompli, shortly before 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills. Some 92.5% of the 3,775 ballots cast were in favor of ending the 100-day strike, with 3,492 members voting yes and 283 die-hards ready to tilt at the windmill of continuing the work stoppage that began Nov. 5. The vote on lifting the strike concluded a mere three days after the WGA cinched its contract agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in the wee hours of a Saturday morning. The strike vote was held over a 48-hour frame, with members able to vote in person at the WGA Theater and at Gotham's Crowne Plaza Hotel, or via fax. After announcing the vote tally, Verrone said WGA members were free to go back to work "immediately," and he noted that writers for the Feb. 24 Oscar ceremony were believed to be doing just that on Tuesday night. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences prexy Sid Ganis and Oscarcast exec producer Gil Cates will hold a news conference Thursday morning to discuss their plans for the show now that the cloud of picket lines and stars staying home has lifted. The AMPTP was quick to weigh in after the vote tally was announced with a statement credited to the eight top execs of its member congloms. "This is a day of relief and optimism for everyone in the entertainment industry," read the statement credited to CBS' Leslie Moonves, MGM's Harry Sloan, NBC Universal's Jeff Zucker, News Corp.'s Peter Chernin, Paramount Pictures' Brad Grey, Sony Pictures Entertainment's Michael Lynton, Walt Disney Co.'s Robert Iger and Warner Bros.' Barry Meyer. "The strike has been extraordinarily difficult for all of us, but the hardest hit of all have been the many thousands of businesses, workers and families that are economically dependent on our industry. We hope now to focus our collective efforts on what this industry does best -- writers, directors, actors, production crews, and entertainment companies working together to deliver great content to our worldwide audiences." Tuesday's vote was a pro forma step, given the enthusiastic response of members to the contract agreement that guild leaders detailed at membership meetings in Gotham and L.A. on Saturday. Showrunners returned to their offices Monday in their producer capacities in preparation for the formal return to work by the scribe tribe today. Moonves, CBS Corp. prexy and CEO who worked closely with News Corp. prexy Peter Chernin and Walt Disney Co. topper Robert Iger in initiating the informal negotiations that broke the WGA impasse last month, said that both the scribes and the studio brass had learned a lot during the wrenching process of watching TV and film production grind to a halt. "I think there was some miscommunication early on. It was important that we started speaking eye to eye. Ultimately, getting the percentage of streaming revenue was important to (WGA), and I understand it," Moonves told Daily Variety.More than one option(Co) Daily Variety Filmography, Year, Role (Co) Daily Variety "We will never know if they would have achieved these things without a strike. I think it's really important now that everybody come back together, and work together. I think that's going to happen. Let's not look backward; let's look forward. Let's not talk just once every three years but maybe every month. Especially on new media. The rules of our business are changing so rapidly, the ways people are using media and content are changing so rapidly. For our creative partners, relationships and communication are really important. The (WGA) realizes it, and we realize it." Although relations between guild leaders and AMPTP conglom toppers seemed to be nonexistent during the worst stalemate periods of the strike in December and early January, Moonves said the ill will quickly dissipated once both sides agreed to meet together in small groups and under the cover of a media blackout. "Once (WGA leaders) got to know some of us (toppers) they realized where we were coming from. Nobody handed us these jobs," Moonves said. And he was quick to praise his colleagues Chernin and Iger for "doing an excellent job in going in with (WGA toppers) and working out the details." Looking ahead to the AMPTP's pending negotiations with the Screen Actors Guild, Moonves said he was hopeful that "the tone that was set at the end of (the WGA talks) will continue on." The SAG-AFTRA contract on feature films and primetime TV expires June 30. No talks have yet been set. Hopes that the WGA strike would end began to rise when the DGA reached a tentative agreement on Jan. 17 on a three-year deal with the helmers touting its gains in new media. The WGA was able to use that pact as a template in reaching the outlines of its deal two weeks later. DGA prexy Michael Apted issued a brief statement following the WGA's strike vote tally announcement. "The DGA applauds the successful conclusion of the AMPTP/WGA negotiations and the end to the strike," Apted said. "The last three months have been painful ones for tens of thousands of working people in and around the entertainment industry, and like everyone else, our members are now eager to get back to work." For any WGA members who might not have been decided on whether to call it a wrap on the strike, the wintry weather that blanketed Manhattan with snow on Tuesday provided a stark reminder of the freezing days spent on picket lines since the work stoppage began Nov. 5. In Gotham, WGA ballots were cast at the Crowne Plaza Hotel from 4 to 7 p.m. The opening of the polls was preceded by an hourlong membership meeting, at which WGA East prexy Michael Winship, WGA East exec director Mona Mangan and others spoke about the contract terms and took questions from members. In brief remarks to reporters before the meeting, Winship reiterated that the hard-fought contract includes landmark gains for writers in new media, and that the guild achieved its primary goal of establishing a new-media compensation formula that will pay scribes a percentage of revenue generated by exploitation of their work in the digital realm. "We're receiving a percentage of the distributor's gross," he said, "which is very real money, as opposed to what people refer to as creative or Hollywood accounting." The ratification process of the contract itself will begin later with week via a mail-in-ballot. The vote will be tallied at membership meetings on Feb. 25, with the expected ratification being finalized on Feb. 26. Writers, studios edge closer - January 29, 2008 Outlines of a deal are said to be near, raising hopes on both sides. Hollywood's striking writers and major studios have moved closer to bridging their divide after a week of talks, raising hopes that a new contract is within reach. The parties have narrowed the gap between them in some key areas, including how much writers should earn when films and TV shows are distributed online, according to people close to the situation who insisted on anonymity because talks are confidential. The discussions could still derail, as they did in early December, these people cautioned. The parties remain apart over how much writers should be paid when their shows are streamed online and union jurisdiction over original content created for the Internet. Moreover, relations between the two sides have been marred by distrust and near-loathing as positions hardened in both camps...........................more to read http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/...,0,850038.story Actors union has its own script - January 30, 2008 The Screen Actors Guild is preparing for a fight in contract talks. But in strike-weary Hollywood, it won't be easy. When Alan Rosenberg was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild in 2005, he vowed to take a hard line against the Hollywood studios. After years of moderation and pragmatism, Rosenberg argued, the union needed a more aggressive leadership to square off against the corporate behemoths that could undercut actors in the new era of digital entertainment. Now, with movie and TV directors agreeing on a contract with the studios this month and striking writers nearing an accord of their own, the actor who frequently has played a lawyer on TV faces a different challenge: making good on his campaign promise to win advances for his 120,000 members despite being third up at the negotiating table, at a time when the economy is heading south and Hollywood is suffering from strike fatigue.....................read on http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/...0,5311071.story Strike: Signs still promising - Sun., Jan. 27, 2008, 3:45pm PT RKO signs interim deal - Hollywood remains guardedly optimistic about an end to the writers strike, now entering its 13th week. Informal talks between the studios and leaders of the Writers Guild of America are expected to continue today. Both sides continued to observe the news blackout, instituted last week when the WGA accepted the majors' invitation to start meeting. The sessions -- widely viewed as de facto negotiations -- have apparently been productive, but the outcome remains uncertain.........read on http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797971...oryid=2821&cs=1 Lionsgate signs as WGA talks go on - Thurs., Jan. 24, 2008, 7:50pm PT Indie producer, Marvel make interim deals - With Hollywood holding its collective breath, WGA leaders and moguls provided another slice of optimism as they continued to meet informally for a third straight day to hammer out a conclusion to the three-month writers strike. Talks remained under a news blackout Thursday with another session planned for today -- giving rise to hopes that the de facto negotiations are productive enough developing sufficient momentum to lead to the resumption of formal negotiations. The WGA trumpted a pair of interim deals Thursday with Lionsgate, the largest indie producer, and superhero specialist Marvel Entertainment. The new pacts give the WGA a dozen such deals as part of its "divide and conquer" strategy to put pressure on the majors to accept the guild's terms. http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797961...oryId=2821&cs=1 WGA, moguls begin informal meetings - Wed., Jan. 23, 2008, 5:08pm PT Hollywood holds breath after 2nd day of talks - The WGA and the majors have stayed on their tentative path to peace with a series of informal meetings aimed at ending what's been a brutal three-month writers strike. Moguls and guild leaders confabbed Wednesday morning for the second consecutive day as both sides observed a news blackout. In the meantime, the town's hopes for a deal have received several major boosts thanks to a variety of signals -- the Directors Guild of America deal, the direct involvement of powerful players such as News Corp.'s Peter Chernin and Disney's Robert Iger, the cooling of rhetoric from both sides and the decision not to picket the Grammys. http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797953...oryId=2821&cs=1 Writers Strike: Could A Breakthrough be At Hand? - January 23, 2008 Looks like there's a chance good news is right around the corner. Well, around the corner, down the block and across the street next to Musso's. But you get the idea. Consider these developments: * The Writers Guild of America has agreed to take two contentious issues off the table, namely representation for non-union writers in the reality and animation genres. * The WGA also says it will not picket the Grammy Awards, meaning stars can attend without crossing a picket line, meaning the Grammy might not be a trainwreck like the Golden Globes. (On the other hand, there's no sign the WGA will issue a waiver allowing its members to work on the show.) * With those items as a backdrop, the WGA and the producers group, the AMPTP, have resumed informal talks and declared a news blackout. Now, all of this could turn out to be another cruel illusion, and the resumed talks could collapse in acrimony again even though they're "informal." But it seems that, with thousands of below-the-line workers missing paychecks across Hollywood, and production and pilot deals being canceled left and right, and the Oscars looming, the two sides have decided to give it another go. Everyone keep your fingers crossed. http://blog.meevee.com/my_weblog/2008/01/w...rs-stri-11.html Striking writers won’t picket Grammy Awards - 5:14 p.m. PT, Tues., Jan. 22, 2008 WGA says it is unlikely to grant ceremony a waiver for show - The striking Hollywood writers guild said Tuesday it will refrain from picketing the upcoming Grammy Awards, possibly allowing the music ceremony to escape the fate of the wrecked Golden Globes show. The guild’s board of directors has yet to grant the music industry show a waiver that would allow union writers to work on the ceremony, but the Grammys typically depend more on performances than scripted lines or comedy. The guild previously said it was unlikely to grant the Recording Academy a waiver for the Feb. 10 show, the music industry’s most important event, set to be broadcast live on CBS from Staples Center in Los Angeles. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22788210/ WGA drops one of their demands - BREAKING NEWS - Jan 22nd 2008 8:57PM Yesterday we talked about how the WGA and studios were going to enter informal talks today, and it looks like those talks have actually made some news. The WGA announced just a short time ago that they have dropped one of their main demands, that reality and animation writers be unionized. The union members say that they are going to try other ways to organize writers that work on animation shows and reality shows. This is more evidence that the deal the Directors Guild made several days ago might actually speed up the negotiations with the WGA and the studios. Not in time to save this season, mind you, but hopefully in time to bring scripted shows back to our TV sets next fall. Update: Nikki Finke has more info on the story, including the letter sent out by the WGA. http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/01/22/wga-drop...-breaking-news/ Here’s that letter..... http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/now-...scars-be-saved/ Hope surrounds new strike talks - Mon., Jan. 21, 2008, 8:00pm PT Town seeing more jobs vanish each day - Today could be the beginning of the end of the three-month writers strike. Informal negotiations between WGA leaders and several moguls are set to start today with the goal of mimicking the process used by the Directors Guild of America to reach its deal last week -- laying the groundwork and sorting out potential deal breakers prior to going into formal bargaining. With the town seeing more jobs vanish each day, the talks will be scrutinized microscopically along with the details of the DGA pact. Even the most optimistic believe it will take at least two weeks to work out a Writers Guild of America deal -- a scenario that would allow the Oscars to proceed Feb. 24 without WGA picket lines........cont’d http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797942...oryId=2821&cs=1 WGA, studios to meet this week - Jan 21st 2008 11:46AM The Writers Guild of America is going to hold an informal meeting with studios this week in what looks like a first step in getting back to the bargaining table with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (I'm sure that the deal the Director's Guild of America made on Thursday is what generated these talks.)........read on http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/01/21/wga-stud...meet-this-week/ Script in rewrite for WGA - Jan 21, 2008 Reps of Hollywood writers and the major studios enter this week sharing a single resolve: once more, with feeling. The WGA will hold informal talks with studio CEOs this week in an effort to resume formal negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers. News of the hopeful development circulated Friday, a day after the announcement of a new contract with the DGA. The striking WGA, which hasn't held a negotiating session with the AMPTP since Dec. 7, studied terms of the DGA contract all weekend. The WGA negotiating committee met Saturday and will convene again Tuesday, with the WGA West board set to meet Tuesday morning and the WGA East council also assembling soon.......cont’d http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/conten...b31b15d563cd848 CBS pulls plug on 20 projects - Jan 21, 2008 In the latest fallout from the writers strike, CBS has trimmed its development slate, letting go of about 20 projects, most of them dramas. On Friday, the network contacted the reps for the projects, most of which hail from CBS' primary supplier, sister studio CBS Paramount Network TV. Also affected are scripts from Sony Pictures TV, 20th Century Fox TV and ABC Studios. The list of terminated projects is said to include CBS Par's drama "Brothers Grimm," from writer Stephen Carpenter and Sean Hayes' Hazy Mills Prods., and a 20th TV-produced comedy from writer Barbie Adler. .......cont’d http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/conten...dff90be1498ed5a SAG pushing AFTRA divorce - Sun., Jan. 20, 2008, 8:21pm PT SAG's toppers have launched their push to persuade the guild's 120,000 members to give them permission to divorce AFTRA. In an email last week, leaders of the Screen Actors Guild asked for a yes vote on ditching the guild's 27-year-old Phase 1 joint bargaining agreement with AFTRA after a "frustrating" effort to change the pact that's lasted more than a year. "Phase I isn't working for SAG members now," said prexy Alan Rosenberg, secretary-treasurer Connie Stevens and national exec director Doug Allen. "We need to start over with a clean slate, to negotiate a new joint strong.......read on http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797936...egoryId=18&cs=1 Writers, studios plan to resume talks - Jan 19, 2008 STRIKE ZONE: LATEST NEWS AND UPDATES - The WGA will begin informal talks with studio CEOs, perhaps as soon as Monday, in an effort to resume formal negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers. That news -- from a key WGA source requesting anonymity -- follows Thursday's announcement of a new contract for the DGA. The striking WGA, which hasn't held a negotiating session with the AMPTP since Dec. 7, will study terms of the DGA contract all weekend, the guild insider said. The WGA negotiating meeting is set to meet Saturday and again on Tuesday, with the WGA board set to meet Tuesday night. "We're going to follow the same pattern as the DGA," the guild source said, "first meeting with the studio executives informally and then maybe following that up with actual negotiations. But first we have to study all of the details of the DGA deal." http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/conten...e0d4560485bedda [size=14]----------------------------------------------------------------------- [/size]



ObscureAllure	Feb 11 2008, 09:50 AM Post #8
McOptimistic Posts: 577 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: October 24, 2006	As of the time of this posting, there are 4-7 planned episodes to be produced to air in May/April. For archived information on this STRIKE - please look here: http://z11.invisionfree.com/seattlegracesp...hp?showforum=35 Any further updates will be posted on this thread! ....... this posted when the strike began..... 10 Grey's Anatomy Quotes to Get Us Through the Writers' Strike - Monday, 21 January 2008 By the time you read this, the last Grey's Anatomy episode will have aired (well, the last one they have a script for anyway) and you'll probably be in dire need of some Grey's Anatomy quotes to get you through the drought. Who would have thought the 2007/2008 writers' strike would have had such dire consequences for us Grey's fans? Alas, while I can't provide you with a new Grey's Anatomy episode, I can recap some of your favorites with these 10 Grey's Anatomy quotes. 1. "We're adults. When did that happen? And how do we make it stop?" ~ Meredith 2. "I live with these women and every time you guys don't meet their expectations I have to hear about it. So it is my business." ~ George 3. Boundaries don't keep other people out. They fence you in. Life is messy. That's how we're made. So, you can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them. ~ Meredith 4. "I know you all have your messy love lives and your secrets and your silliness, but I want more. I need something to hold on to. I need a reason to believe that medicine can do more than stitch you up and send you away. I need to believe that medicine can not only save lives, but change lives! I need... I need... to believe in something the way I used to believe in you all. Sign the papers! Sign the papers." ~ Dr. Bailey 5. "Why don't you pick a floor and stay on it and I'll pick a floor and stay on that because I really need a moment or two without you. Your face pops up in my head and your panties show up in my husband's pocket, really, you're everywhere, and I need a moment or two without you." ~ Addison 6. "I dunno... it's just... Meredith always makes me think screwed up people have a chance." ~ Alex 7. "Dr. Bailey. You need those clowns to sign off on your proposal because one of them may be Chief of Surgery in a month. It's hard to imagine, for me more than anyone, but since you're not ready for the job, one of them has got to do it for the next few years." ~ Richard 8. "Four years of high school, four years of college, four years of med school. By the time we graduate we're in our late 20s and we've never done anything except go to school and think about science. Time stops. We're socially retarded." ~ Callie 9. "Could you stop looking at me like that? It's creepy and it makes me feel like you haven't been fed." ~ Cristina 10. "I'm both. I'm a surgeon and I am a person who becomes emotionally involved. I will never again cross the line like I did with Denny. I have learned my lesson. But I'm still both, and I'm not going to give up either part of me. And I am not going to apologize for it." ~ Izzie So here's to hoping the writers' strike is over soon. Don't get me wrong -- I support those writers and all the hard work they do. I just know that there are great Grey's Anatomy quotes waiting to be written, and I'm not exactly the patient type. http://www.melodika.net/index.php?option=c...=1449&Itemid=50



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