2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike

[Rappy Veteran]

CBS and FOX studios have threatened to file lawsuits against their top show runners if they do not immediately go back to work and complete their non-writing duties. The news comes as people like Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse ("Lost"), Marc Cherry ("Desperate Housewives"), Shonda Rhimes ("Grey's Anatomy") and many others joined their writers on the picket lines on Wednesday.

Although show runners are essentially writers and creators of their respective series they also own production companies as part of deals with studios and their role is to oversee the production and perform a number of non-writing duties on the set.

The industry's top show runners however decided to completely walk out of their productions and join writers in the picket lines.

TV's top showrunners rallied in front of Disney studios on Wednesday to send a clear message they are "united in the fight against corporate greed."

The show runners also said if only one lawsuit is filed none of them will return to work.

They are asking the studios to come back to the negotiating table. If so, they would be willing to complete production on several already written episodes.

The studios however claim the show runners have breached their contracts and already caused studios and networks irreparable monetary damage.

[Hurmoth]

^ Duh! The point of a strike it to do "irreparable" damage. The only thing the studios are trying to do is stop the bleeding, but it is to late. The only thing they need to do is go back to the negotiating table.

[Reeg]

If 24 doesn't start when it's supposed, I'm headin to LA and NY with a box cutter and a bottle of bleach to take care of these negotiations myslef. :crazy: Especially with a Voltron movie on the way. You don't how long I've dreamed of that.

[Hurmoth]

If 24 doesn't start when it's supposed, I'm headin to LA and NY with a box cutter and a bottle of bleach to take care of these negotiations myslef. :crazy: Especially with a Voltron movie on the way. You don't how long I've dreamed of that.

To late, FOX has already issued a revised schedule and 24 is postponed until further notice (most likely until 2009).

They were already having a ton of issues with the filming. Sutherland's (sp?) jail sentence, the California fires, and constant disputes about the overall storyline for "Day 7" were already causing delays. It is probably for the best so everything can get ironed out over at FOX regarding that.

[phantasmorph]

Nevermind. Nothing to see here, move along.

[Pretend]

Most likely 2009 :o

[Hurmoth]

Most likely 2009 :o

Yeah since they don't like splitting the season apart, the most logical thing for them to do is start it same time (Jan I believe) in 2009. No holiday's to have to fight with or anything like, otherwise people might miss it because of Christmas/New Year.

[Rappy Veteran]

^

I lol'd

[OPaul]

eh.. what have those 2 written?

[gigapixels Veteran]

eh.. what have those 2 written?

They're supporting the writers.

[Hurmoth]

eh.. what have those 2 written?

SAG means Screen Actors Guild. They are stating they support the WGA in their cause, simply because they're contracts are up next year and whatever the WGA gets, the SAG will get as well. They support each other.

[OPaul]

SAG means Screen Actors Guild. They are stating they support the WGA in their cause, simply because they're contracts are up next year and whatever the WGA gets, the SAG will get as well. They support each other.

Oh I see.

[Rappy Veteran]

SAG means Screen Actors Guild. They are stating they support the WGA in their cause, simply because they're contracts are up next year and whatever the WGA gets, the SAG will get as well. They support each other.

Lets hope they get the WGA sorted then that should make the SAG happy because if not we could have another strike next year!

[exUBERance]

ummm, who didnt know about this?

[Rappy Veteran]

Good little Youtube Channel to watch to keep up with the news!

[Rappy Veteran]

According to E! Online, NBC and CBS have told the non-writing staff of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and The Late Show with David Letterman that they will be laid off beginning the end of next week if the writers do not return.

Leno and the other late night talk shows have gone dark this week as their writers join the strike. Leno has even joined his writers on the picket line.

While NBC is threatening layoffs for Tonight Show staff, E! reports that the network was also looking for guest hosts to replace Leno starting on November 19th. Apparently no one wants to be that guy/gal who crosses the picket line (and Leno!) to host a show.

[Rappy Veteran]

Here is the show lists from TV Guide...

• 30 Rock: Ten episodes will be produced. Five episodes have aired, so there are five left.
  
• Back to You: Nine episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are three left.
  
• Bionic Woman: Roughly nine episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are three left.
  
• Bones: Twelve episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are six left.
  
• Boston Legal: Fifteen episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are nine left.
  
• Brothers & Sisters: Twelve episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are six left.
  
• Chuck: Thirteen episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are six left.
  
• CSI: NY: Fourteen episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are seven left.
  
• Desperate Housewives: Ten episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are four left.
  
• 
  
• Dirty Sexy Money: Eleven episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are five left.
  
• Friday Night Lights: Fifteen episodes will be produced. The sixth episode airs tonight, Nov. 9, so there are nine left.
  
• Gossip Girl: Thirteen episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are six left.
  
• Grey's Anatomy: Eleven episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are four left.
  
• Heroes: Twelve episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are five left.
  
• House: Twelve episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are six left.
  
• Jericho: Seven episodes will be produced. None have aired yet, so there are seven episodes left.
  
• Law & Order: SVU: Fourteen episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are eight left.
  
• Lost: Eighth episodes will be produced. None have aired yet, so there eight episodes left.
  
• Medium: Nine episodes will be produced. None have aired yet, so there are nine episodes left.
  
• Men in Trees: Nineteen episodes will be produced. The fifth episode airs tonight, Nov. 9, so there are 14 left.
  
• Numbers: Twelve episodes will be produced. The seventh episodes airs tonight, Nov. 9, so there are five left.
  
• The Office: Twelve half-hour episodes will be produced. Eleven half-hour episodes have aired, so there is one half-hour episode left.
  
• Prison Break: Thirteen episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are six left.
  
• Private Practice: Ten or 11 episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are four or five left.
  
• Pushing Daisies: Nine episodes will be produced. Five episodes have aired, so there are four left.
  
• Reaper: Ten to 12 episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are three to five left.
  
• Samantha Who?: Twelve episodes will be produced. Four episodes have aired, so there are eight left.
  
• Scrubs: Twelve episodes will be produced. Three episodes have aired, so there are nine left.
  
• Shark: Eleven episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are five left.
  
• Smallville: Fifteen episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are eight left.
  
• Supernatural: Ten to 12 episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are four to six left.
  
• Ugly Betty: Twelve or 13 episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are five or six left.
  

[Pretend]

^ Damn, most/some of they shows are great! :/

[Rappy Veteran]

NBC fires 102 workers from The Office

Excerpts from an e-mail from Dale Alexander, a key grip on NBC's "The Office":

"Our show was shut down and we were all laid off this week. I've been watching the news since the WGA strike was announced and I have yet to see any coverage dedicated to the effect that this strike will have on the below the line employees.

"I respect the WGA's position. They probably do deserve a larger percentage of profit participation, but a lengthy strike will affect more than just the writers and studios. On my show we had 14 writers. There were also 2 cameramen, 2 camera assistants, 4 hair stylists, 4 makeup artists, 7 wardrobe people, 4 grips, 4 electricians, 2 craft service, 4 props people, 6 construction, 1 medic, 3 art department, 5 set dressers, 3 sound men, 3 stand-ins, 2 set PAs, 4 assistant directors, 1 DGA trainee, 1 unit manager, 6 production office personnel, 3 casting people, 4 writers assistants, 1 script supervisor, 2 editors, 2 editors assistants, 3 post production personnel, 1 facilities manager, 8 drivers, 2 location managers, 3 accountants, 4 caterers and a producer who's not a writer. All 102 of us are now out of work.

"I have been in the motion picture business for 33 years and have survived three major strikes. None of which have been by any of the below the line unions. During the 1988 WGA strike many of my friends lost their homes, cars and even spouses. Many actors are publicly backing the writers, some have even said that they would find a way to help pay bills for the striking writers. When the networks run out of new shows and they air repeats the writers will be paid residuals. The lowest paid writer in television makes roughly twice the salary than the below the line crewmember makes. Everyone should be paid their fair share, but does it have to be at the expense of the other 90% of the crewmembers. Nobody ever recoups from a strike, lost wages are just that, lost.

"We all know that the strike will be resolved. Eventually both sides will return to the bargaining table and make a deal. The only uncertainty is how many of our houses, livelihoods, college educations and retirement funds will pay for it."

--Maria Elena Fernandez

[fkid]

Amazing quote from Maria Elena. That is exactly why strikes like this one are not fair whatsoever, or almost all large-scale strikes ever initiated for that matter. I wonder how much % would writers' wages go up from the new revenue streams. Nobody's mentioned ANY numbers so far. What's funny is that the new increase in wages will take years and years to make up for the lost wages caused by the strike itself. I know the writer's guild has some intelligent people, but sometimes even 12,000+ hollywood writers and supporters can be wrong. Sadly, everybody loses in this scenario.

[Tech Star]

I think WGA stands for "Windows Genuine Advantage" :p

Anyways in all seriousness, the networks need to get off their lazy as*'s and end this thing, I want to watch a WHOLE season on my shows, not parts off it.

[Pretend]

If even parts of it :/

[Hurmoth]

Strike Forces Hard Choices for Film Studios

As many as 75% of stockpiled scripts "up in the air"?

It's just a week old, but the effects of the writers' strike are already being felt on television -- and, as Variety reports, those shockwaves will eventually be heading to a theater near you.

In a lengthy report by Anne Thompson and Tatiana Siegel, Variety examines the difficult decisions facing studios forced to choose between the scripts they hurriedly stockpiled during the months leading up to the strike. From the article:

For the most part, they are prepared to shoot their locked and cast projects that start within the next month or so, meaning there will be little impact on the 2008 schedule.

But if the strike goes on past the New Year, things start to look a bit more dicey. Every production chief faces the anxiety-filled challenge of actually proceeding with greenlit projects that will shoot under unprecedented duress, and "bubble" projects that have solid scripts but incomplete casting.

An estimated 50 or so projects across studios are at the "go" stage, among them the next James Bond movie, "The Da Vinci Code" prequel "Angels & Demons" and "The X-Files" sequel, rumored to be titled "Done One."

A producer who has five films on the bubble, however, estimates that as many as 75% of the "go" projects are actually "up in the air." Inevitably, some will end up on hold or the chopping block.

The problem is that, as long as the writers stay on the picket line, those scripts can't be touched -- no polishes, no fixes, no overhauls of any kind. As Variety puts it, "Even under the best of circumstances, screenplays require writer-assisted tweaking right up until the first day of principal photography and sometimes throughout the shoot"; the article quotes an unnamed Sony producer as saying "There's no such thing as a locked script."

This is less of an issue if you're filming with actors who are comfortable improvising -- Adam Sandler's Bedtime Stories and the Jeremy Piven-led, Will Ferrell-produced The Goods are named as two projects that can get by without additional input from writers -- but for the most part, the strike has left the studios wandering through uncharted territory.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bond_22/news/1688278/

[Rappy Veteran]

They need to get back to the negotiations!

[Hurmoth]

Strike News Roundup: Monday, Nov. 12

News Corp?s Chernin Rankles Writersb>

During a Wednesday meeting with financial analysts, News Corp. president Peter Chernin said the WGA picket could be a good thing for Fox, as the savings in not paying writers more than offsets the loss in potential advertising, the Los Angeles Times reports. Fox is positioned well for the strike, as ?American Idol? is a ratings juggernaut, and the channel has fewer hours in the day to programming, the Times sAgents Might Bring Producers, Writers Back to Tablele

Agents are talking with negotiating heads of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and the WGA in the interest of goading them back to the bargaining table, Deadline Hollywood Daily reports. Inside sources are telling the blog that a phone call will happen at some point in the near future between AMPTP president Nick Counter and WGA negotiating head Dave YoStrike?s Second Week Spells Potential Layoffsoffs

With productions halting and writers in their second week of picketing, layoffs for non-writing staff are becoming a definite possibility for Hollywood workers, Daily Variety reports. Studios also could try to trigger so-called force majeure clauses in contracts with actors and others that would let the producers avoid some liabilities by citing the superseding event of the strike. Force majeure clauses usually aren?t enacted until six weeks of work stoppage, Variety says. Some speculate that studios dragging their feet to return to the bargaining table. Also on the chopping block are writers? assistants, who some studios have fired no less than three days into the strike, as with Fox?s ?Family Guy,?Pilots Ready in the Wings During Strike During Strike

Dozens of TV series pilots were stockpiled in the lead-up to the current Writers Guild of America strike, which gives networks programming options as the strike continues, the Daily Variety says. While most pilot scripts aren?t completely polished for air, some are currently being shot or already are in the can, including Fox drama ?The Oaks,? and CBS drama ?The KingdLacking Late-Night Could Boost ?Nightline? Could Boost ?Nightline?

ABC?s ?Nightline? could receive a shot in the arm, ratings-wise, as its late night brethren go into reruns, Broadcasting & Cable reports. The news show, perennially third in its time slot behind NBC and CBS, is looking to push its news content as alternative program to the stream of reruns on at the same time, B&C says. ?Nightline? is banking on having the opportunity to be seen by people who don?t noStrike Crunches Budget For Low-Level Workersrike Crunches Budget For Low-Level Workers

The writers aren?t the only people affected by the strike, as layoffs of craft services, grips and background artists are putting a squeeze on already tight budgets, the Hollywood Reporter says. Lower level studio workers who are hired week-to-week, such as those in the postproduction industry, are scrambling to find alternate work in order to pay bills ?Scrubs? in Limbo Over Series Finalets.

?Scrubs? in Limbo Over Series Finale

NBC?s ?Scrubs?? final season is in jeopardy as creator Bill Lawrence refused to quickly write a series finale that would have served as a backup if the strike continues, the Hollywood Reporter says. Seven of the show?s 18 episodes haven?t been written yet, and Mr. Lawrence said he wants to end the series correctly, even it means doing it himself, the Reporter says.

Source: http://www.tvweek.com/news/2007/11/strike_..._monday_nov.php