Fucking commie unions.

As long as we recognize Lucas is washed up and most TV sucks, we'll all get along fine.
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Post by GORDON »

Here's some stuff about the strike.

http://www.mania.com/56540.html
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Malcolm
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Post by Malcolm »

I'd laugh my ass off if ratings actually went up.
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Post by GORDON »

I finally get DVR... and I finally start watching a few highly enjoyable, highly rated television programs, and they pull this shit.

Decimate the population of striking writers, "New Russian Holy Empire style," and watch the rest of them go back to work.
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Post by Malcolm »

GORDON wrote:I finally get DVR... and I finally start watching a few highly enjoyable, highly rated television programs, and they pull this shit.

Decimate the population of striking writers, "New Russian Holy Empire style," and watch the rest of them go back to work.
Bah, don't worry. Just start grabbing a few series from the past to kill time. "Sledgehammer!" springs immediately to mind.

Although, eventually that'll get confusing since everything nowadays just gets remade three decades later. "Knight Rider" is coming back, folks. Yeah, that's right. Fucking Michael Knight. Cos seven seasons of mediocre acting from David Hasselhoff wasn't bad enough. Now someone else has to do it. Any bets on how long till we see the remake of "Streets of San Francisco," "Night Court," or "Hawaii 5-0?"
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Post by GORDON »

I'd like to see more Son of the Beach.
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Post by TheCatt »

Well, I've still got:
Lost - Season 3
Heroes - Season 1

at the very least, stored on my DVR.
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Post by TheCatt »

The TV was on mute, but I just saw Jay Leno being interviewed mingling with the striking workers, and handing out doughnuts.
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Post by Malcolm »

Is there any concrete rule that say you HAVE to be a member of the WGA to work on a TV show? It's still possible for the Tonight Show or something similar to hire what amounts to scabs, right?
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Post by TPRJones »

I'm torn.

On the one hand, they've got a valid point in that they aren't being paid anything for new media, and more and more of the reruns and whatnot are funneling through online venues. They deserve a small percentage of that based on how that industry does business.

On the other hand they're all a bunch of whiney overpaid hacks most of whom don't deserve a tenth of what they are being paid for the pablum they spew onto the pages.

Thus, torn.
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Post by TPRJones »

Malcolm wrote:Is there any concrete rule that say you HAVE to be a member of the WGA to work on a TV show? It's still possible for the Tonight Show or something similar to hire what amounts to scabs, right?
According to WGA "Rule Number One", once they hire scabs then no WGA member will ever be allowed to work there again without being permenantly kicked out of the WGA.
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Post by Malcolm »

TPRJones wrote:
Malcolm wrote:Is there any concrete rule that say you HAVE to be a member of the WGA to work on a TV show? It's still possible for the Tonight Show or something similar to hire what amounts to scabs, right?
According to WGA "Rule Number One", once they hire scabs then no WGA member will ever be allowed to work there again without being permenantly kicked out of the WGA.
That seems to be a fine rule provided that all the talent in the world is in the WGA. Otherwise, it's just arrogant & stupid.

Yeah, they've all certainly just given up the right to be called "artists." Far as I'm concerned, they're just another industry of service workers from now on. I will openly applaud any writer w\ the balls to break from the WGA on general principle.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
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Post by GORDON »

TPRJones wrote:I'm torn.

On the one hand, they've got a valid point in that they aren't being paid anything for new media, and more and more of the reruns and whatnot are funneling through online venues. They deserve a small percentage of that based on how that industry does business.

On the other hand they're all a bunch of whiney overpaid hacks most of whom don't deserve a tenth of what they are being paid for the pablum they spew onto the pages.

Thus, torn.
I'm not torn. It is up to the individual to make sure he or she gets a good contract that includes the possibilities of new media, it shouldn't be up to some beaurocratic collective with the power to blackmail.
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Post by Paul »

I side with the writers on this. The actors and producers and directors get royalties on re-runs, and DVD sales, but writer's don't.

Writers pretty much get screwed all over the place. For example, the guy who wrote Forest Gump opted to get 3% of the movie's profits. Guess what, the studio pays itself to create, edit, advertise, distribute, etc. a movie, the movie doesn't make a profit. Despite over $660 million in sales, their creative accounting put the film in the red some $60 million.

When I took my film class, the teacher told me that if you sold a script you either ask for a lump some or points (a percentage of the ticket sales). The studios rarely agree to the points for writers, and try to get you to agree to a percentage of the profits. Never accept that.
Actually, he said that if you're working with Lucas or a few others, accepting the net profits is OK, as they won't screw you over. But pretty much everyone else will.

I think standard contracts should extend beyond the first airing of a show, and the first release of a film. Actors, directors, producers, etc. get a piece of the DVD sales and re-runs and pay-per-view sales, why not the writers?
Right now the only reason is because of the cheapness of the studios, and because it's not standard practice. Writers are just trying to make it standard practice.
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Post by Paul »

That's not to say I usually agree with unions, or the people in them.

I heard that there were negotiations on Sunday night, and progress was being made. But then one of the guild members was surfing the web during a break and noticed that the East Coast had already started striking.
Because of that, they though they shouldn't negotiate any more.

Both sides got pissy and talks fell apart.
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Post by Paul »

Jimmy Kimmel: “There will be no writing. Even our picket signs will be blank.”

“If you thought you were confused about what’s going on on ‘Lost’ before, wait until actors start making stuff up as they go along.”

“The days are getting shorter and shorter. They say if this keeps up, in five months from now, the world will be completely dark. It’s what Al Gore is calling a global darkening. Maybe we won’t need the writers actually, right?”
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Post by GORDON »

When shows are going dark:

http://www.mania.com/56785.html
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Post by TheCatt »

GORDON wrote:When shows are going dark:

http://www.mania.com/56785.html
Thanks!
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Post by GORDON »

WGA Strike Talks Collapse.

http://www.mania.com/56852.html

Battlestar Galactica fans hardest hit.
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Post by Malcolm »

Sweet. I heard that the TV companies might have to use some spare movie scripts for pilots for new shows. I still say, if there's any freelance writers that think they got the skillz, you couldn't ask for a better time to migrate to Cali.
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Post by GORDON »

GORDON wrote:When shows are going dark:

http://www.mania.com/56785.html
Updated.

http://www.mania.com/56916.html
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
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