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Writers Strike In the US


Happenstance

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Good for them, they get paid very little for producing the most important part of any production while the actors get all the glory and the sudios get all the money. The studios are bullshitting them about "not having a business model" for mobile, internet and DVD sales, so they can't offer them even a tiny percentage of profits from their work being distributed in that way. They've kind of got them by the balls though, because like I say they don't earn much and can't claim benefits while striking. I think the studios are just hoping they'll win by starving the writers. If it goes on too long turn off the telly and go down the pub, or otherwise get a life.

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Was going to do a thread about this last week but didn't think the interest would be there.

 

Random Info and quotes

 

Basic Easy-to-read summary of WGA Strike

 

What the writers are demanding (with an overwhelming majority voting to strike) is that when a writer is lucky enough and talented enough to create a successful work, that he or she continue to reap the benefits (2.5% of the net profits) along with the producers. Who knows when a writer will hit it out of the park again? Who wants to see a phenomenon, an unexpected, multi-platform, international hit be exploited by the many tentacles of an multi-national corporation, knowing that you, the writer in who's brain it may have been born (or even if you did a great job adapting from a book, etc.) have no part in the on-going success of the property?

 

If an agreement is made it will only effect shows going force and currently in production (and presumably, the writers of a show will only get this commission from new DVDs and such but I am unsure of that). Thus, the writers of Friends, MASH and any other show they put on the air all the time will get sod all.

 

"This is a war against corporate greed, and we're on the side of right," she said. "The producers are being completely unreasonable and incredibly greedy and piggish. They're making enormous amounts of money, and we deserve a share."

 

Variety article about picket-line

 

A Writer's Blog

 

"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' Cold Case and a blogger behind a new strike-related writers' blog, United Hollywood."

 

BBC Article

 

United Hollywood Blog

 

Writers Strike: An Inside Look

 

Pencil's Down

 

People Seen on the Picketing Line (not a complete list, just big names)

 

Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse ("Lost"), Marc Cherry ("Desperate Housewives"), Shonda Rhimes ("Grey's Anatomy"), Neal Baer ("Law & Order: SVU"), Carol Mendelsohn ("CSI"), Josh Schwartz ("Chuck"), Shawn Ryan ("The Unit"), Alan Ball ("Six Feet Under"), Greg Daniels ("The Office") and Joss Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer").

 

 

Show Rundowns (most popular, then rest in the spoiler tag)

 

30 Rock: Shooting episode #210 through November 9th. No additional scripts have been written.

 

24: Eight episodes completed. FOX has shelved Season Seven indefinitely.

 

Desperate Housewives: Production shut down.

 

Family Guy: Seemingly finished forever ("Time could also be up on Fox's "Family Guy," with creator Seth MacFarlane saying the show's final produced episode -- at least with his involvement -- is set to air this Sunday. He hinted his relationship with producer 20th Century Fox Television could suffer if the studio uses other talent to finish remaining episodes.")

 

Heroes: Production shut down 11/9.

 

Ugly Betty: Shooting "Odor in the Court" between November 9th and 20th. Prepping "A Thousand Words Before Friday" next week. No additional scripts available after that.

 

Big Bang Theory: Production shut down.

 

The Captain: Shooting episode #102 November 8th - 14th. Scripts in for episodes #103 and #104 (production will conclude 11/30).

 

Carpoolers: Production shut down 11/16.

 

Cavemen: Shooting episode #113 between November 7th - 13th. No additional scripts had been ordered.

 

Cold Case: Production shut down 11/16

 

Dirt: Prepping episode #206 for a November 20th - 30th shoot. Script written for episode #207.

 

Dirty Sexy Money: Shooting episode #111 between November 8th - 19th. Prepping episode #112 next week. Shoots 11/21. There are other scripts written but it's unclear if production will

continue.

 

Eli Stone: Prepping #111 now which shoots between November 15-26th. Not clear if there are additional scripts.

 

Ghost Whisperer: Shooting episode #312 between November 12th - 21st. No additional scripts written.

 

Greek: Shooting episode #1018 starting November 15th. No additional scripts out of the 20 episode order written.

 

K-Ville: Shot #110 October 28th - November 8th.

 

Journeyman: Status of production unclear. 13 scripts written.

 

Medium: Prepping episode 069-09 for a shoot between November 15th - 28th. No additional scripts have been written.

 

Numbers: Prepping episode #412 for a shoot between November 19th - 30th. No additional scripts have been written.

 

October Road: Shooting episode #210 between November 9th - 21st. Scripts through #213 completed.

 

The Office: Production shut down. One additional script written.

 

Old Christine: Production shut down.

 

Rules of Engagement: Canceled production on episode #210 (meant to shoot 11/7-11/13). No additional scripts written. Production shut down.

 

Samantha Who: Production shut down 11/12

 

Swingtown: Shooting episode #103 11/9-11/21. No additional scripts written.

 

'Til Death: Episode #212 completes production on November 9th.

 

Two and a Half Men: Production shut down.

 

Without A Trace: Production shut down 11/22.

 

Source: http://televisionary.blogspot.com/2007/11/strikewatch-production-blackout-update.html

 

 

Affected Shows

 

24

30 Rock

According to Jim

Aliens in America

American Dad

Army Wives

Back to You

Battlestar Galactica

The Big Bang Theory

Big Love

Big Shots

Bionic Woman

Bones

Boston Legal

Brothers & Sisters

Burn Notice

Canterbury's Law

Carpoolers

Cashmere Mafia

Cavemen

Chuck

The Closer

The Colbert Report

Cold Case

Cory in the House

Criminal Minds

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

CSI: New York

The Daily Show

Desperate Housewives

Dexter

Dirt

Dirty Sexy Money

Dollhouse

Ellen

Eli Stone

ER

Eureka

Everybody Hates Chris

Family Guy

Frank TV

Friday Night Lights

Gossip Girl

Greek

Grey's Anatomy

Hannah Montana

Heroes

House

How I Met Your Mother

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Jericho

Journeyman

Just Jordan

King of the Hill

K-Ville

Kyle XY

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

Law & Order

Law & Order: Criminal Intent

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Lincoln Heights

Lost

Mad Men

Men In Trees

Miss/Guided

Monk

MONY

Moonlight

My Boys

My Name is Earl

NCIS

The New Adventures of Old Christine

New Amsterdam

Nip/Tuck

Notes from the Underbelly

Numb3rs

The Oak

The Office

Out of Jimmy's Head

The Philanthropist

Prison Break

Private Practice

Pushing Daisies

Reaper

The Riches

Rules of Engagement

Samantha Who?

The Sarah Silverman Program

Scrubs

Shark

The Shield

The Simpsons

Smallville

South of Nowhere

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody

Supernatural

Swingtown

Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles

Til Death

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

True Blood

Two and a Half Men

Ugly Betty

The Unit

The Wire

Wizards of Waverly Place

Women's Murder Club

 

 

Joining In, Groups and such

Facebook

Myspace

Livejournal

Fans4Writers

 

And finally, for now, if anyone wants info on a certain show I can dig around.

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Erm, do you know anything else about American Dad? I know it was on the vertge of being cancelled a few times, will this strike end it for good?

 

Also desperate housewives, do you know if they are going to film the rest of the season when they can? I've been waiting for it to come to the UK for ages, and if only half of it gets done I'll scream.

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Yo yo - Any particular info on Smallville? They're filmed in canada, so does that mean the canadian guild has joined in?

 

The show is only filmed in Canada for monetary reasons, the writers are American. Anyway, Smallville has 15 scripts completed, which is more than most shows.

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Erm, do you know anything else about American Dad? I know it was on the vertge of being cancelled a few times, will this strike end it for good?

 

Also desperate housewives, do you know if they are going to film the rest of the season when they can? I've been waiting for it to come to the UK for ages, and if only half of it gets done I'll scream.

 

I presume American Dad is also gone. Seth McFarlane seems to want to wash his hands of Fox.

 

There is no definate answer regarding DH as nobody knows when the strike will stop. Best case scenario is soonish and shows can start again with maybe only a week or two disrubted in the schedule. If it goes on for a prolonged period (ie into the new year) I think most shows will just wait for the next season (September) as Summer is a pretty slow time. You never know, they could do one or two special episodes but thats just my idea. Its all up in the air until the strike is sorted.

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I presume American Dad is also gone. Seth McFarlane seems to want to wash his hands of Fox.

 

There is no definate answer regarding DH as nobody knows when the strike will stop. Best case scenario is soonish and shows can start again with maybe only a week or two disrubted in the schedule. If it goes on for a prolonged period (ie into the new year) I think most shows will just wait for the next season (September) as Summer is a pretty slow time. You never know, they could do one or two special episodes but thats just my idea. Its all up in the air until the strike is sorted.

 

Oh bollocks. I loved that show. I know the writers are doing it for a good reason but still, bollocks.

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