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Today's the Big Day for the Writers' Strike

BuzzSugar — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 09:00:00 PST

Want to see your movies back in production, series back on TV, and writers back at work? Then cross all your fingers and toes today: Members of the Writers Guild of America are meeting to chat about the status of negotiations in the writers' strike. Word as of yesterday was that an agreement between writers and producers was being drafted, and if it's done -and the WGA membership supports it today - the union's board could approve it on Sunday and writers could be back at work on Monday.

Of course, nothing's over till an agreement is signed - but all signs point to a resolution. And by "all signs," I mean Disney's Michael Eisner and Fox's Peter Chernin, both of whom have been telling their buddies (and reporters) that the deal is done. Even United Hollywood, the pro-writer blog, has been sounding more optimistic lately - and one of its founders is is being recognized as a key peacemaker.

Would the end to the strike bring TV back right away? Not exactly. Most shows will take between four and six weeks to get new episodes on the air, and some - including Heroes and Pushing Daisies - probably won't return till fall. TV Guide has a handy chart of when shows could return, and how many episodes they might complete, if the strike really does end this weekend.

The East Coast WGA meets this morning, while the West Coast meets at 7 p.m. With any luck, we'll get news shortly after that. Until then, I mean it: fingers and toes.

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Cross Your Fingers: Writers' Strike Could End This Week

BuzzSugar — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 06:30:00 PST

Our long Winter of repeats, reality shows, and terrible awards show press conferences may be coming to an end -and sooner rather than later. The entertainment world is buzzing with the news that "major roadblocks" to a new contract between writers and producers have been eliminated, meaning the writers' strike could be over as early as this week.

There's no official contract as of now, and the Writers Guild of America would still have to vote on whatever deal is reached. But several reports said the major sticking points were nearly resolved - including the thorny issue of how (and how much) to pay writers for programs broadcast online.

What would a deal mean for the TV season? It depends on the show. But some shows, including Grey's Anatomy, are preparing to go back into production within a month or so, while others such as Pushing Daisies are more likely to be off the air until Fall. But hey, at least we're talking about this Fall, not Fall of 2010, right? Let's keep those fingers crossed until a deal is official.

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Golden Globes to be Picketed by Striking Writers

BuzzSugar — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:35:29 PST

Bad news for the Golden Globes: The striking Writers Guild of America has turned down a request from the producers of the Golden Globes to allow a union writer to work on the January show. That means the ceremony will be treated like any other Hollywood production or studio being picketed by the writers.

Well, not just any production. It's still a fancy awards ceremony, after all, so the writers plan to strike in their red-carpet-ready gowns and tuxes. As for how to deal with nominees who want to accept their awards without crossing the picket line, the current strategy is to offer winners the chance to accept their award outside, with their speeches broadcast on the Internet. (For its part, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers struck back by nominating the WGA for Worst Supporting Union. No, really, that's what they said.)

It's going to be interesting to see how the nominees decide to deal with this. Katherine Heigl has said she won't cross the picket line, while Tina Fey sounded ready to attend. Will anyone even go inside the theater? Will there be anything for NBC to broadcast? (The LA Times says the show might not be televised at all.) Or will the sides be able to work something out before the Jan. 13 ceremony? And what will this mean for the Oscars? One thing's for sure: It's going to be an interesting Winter in Hollywood.

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Strike Update: Producers Present a New Proposal

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:30:25 PST

There's a recess in writers' strike talks today, as the writers' side considers a new proposal presented yesterday by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

The producers say the proposal, dubbed the New Economic Partnership, would offer writers more than $130 million beyond what they already receive for broadcasts of their work over the Internet and other "new media" methods. The Writers Guild of America, on the other hand, said the proposal is actually a massive rollback that would hurt writers in the long run. Full details of the proposal have not been made public.

It's hard to say what it all means, at this point, other than that negotiations are on hold till Tuesday while the writers study the proposal. The memo from the WGA makes it sound like this isn't a deal the writers are ready to accept - but maybe it's a step toward new proposals and ultimately a good deal? Let's hope.

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Actors Go Speechless to Support Writers

BuzzSugar — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 10:32:16 PST

Negotiations in the writers' strike are resuming today, but for the moment, pencils are still down in Hollywood. What would a writerless TV and movie season look like? Several A-list actors are offering up their interpretations in a series of videos called Speechless.

The videos, which feature the cast of Ugly Betty, Harvey Keitel, Kate Beckinsale, Holly Hunter, David Schwimmer, and many more, premiered on the Deadline Hollywood Web site over the weekend and have now spread to various online video sites. Eleven have been posted so far, but there are many, many more to come.

The videos range from just a few seconds to several minutes long. Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy whistle in theirs, while Holly Hunter acts out a scene about the outsourcing of scripts to a call center in India. One of my favorites features David Schwimmer and Kate Beckinsale as a couple on the phone with nothing to say; another finds Laura Linney using Scene It cards as inspiration for a scene she decides to write herself. To watch a few of my favorites, just

Strike News: Planned Talks, a Pencil Drive, and More

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:30:06 PST

Though talks are scheduled between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the Hollywood writers' strike has rolled into its third week. Those of you who watched the American Music Awards on Sunday saw Jimmy Kimmel host the ceremony without a single prewritten joke, while fans of The Office have already bid an indefinite farewell to their show. Here are some of the other strike-related developments:

The Pencils 2 Media Moguls campaign, an effort to bombard top executives with unsharpened pencils all Jericho-style, has already raised money for more than 150,000 pencils. Every $1 donation buys a box of 12 pencils, which the writers hope will be donated to organizations that teach kids to write once their symbolic purpose has been served.
Actors on 30 Rock, The Office, and Bionic Woman have been suspended, and most of Saturday Night Live's production staff has been fired.
A recent survey says people will read more books or magazines if the strike knocks their favorite shows off the air.
The Office staff has spoken out about the strike: The writers wrote a letter to fans last week, and Mindy Kaling (aka Kelly Kapoor) has blogged about her experiences.
CBS News writers are striking now, too.

The writers of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart already recorded their take on the strike, so it was only a matter of time before the good folks at The Colbert Report got in on the action. To watch their video (the closest we'll be getting to a Threatdown for a while), just

Which Side Do You Support in the Writers' Strike?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 05:30:29 PST

The results of the first public poll about the Hollywood writers' strike are in, and so far, 63 percent of Americans side with the writers. Just 4 percent said they supported the studios, and the rest were undecided. What about you? Whose side are you on?

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Writers' Strike Update: The Effects So Far

BuzzSugar — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 15:35:29 PST

It's only day two, but already, the Hollywood writers' strike is starting to affect our daily viewing. Late-night shows went into repeats starting Monday; here's some of the other news from the picket lines:

The start of Cashmere Mafia has been postponed. Originally slated to start Nov. 27, the show only has a handful of episodes completed, and the network is reportedly worried about starting a new show that could run out of ready-to-air installments quickly.
CBS has apparently started work on a new season of Big Brother that could air in January or February if a strike is still going on.
Among scripted shows, half-hour comedies shot in front of a live audience are the first to be affected; production has shut down on The Big Bang Theory, 'Til Death, Two and a Half Men, and Rules of Engagement.
Scrubs might finish only 12 of its final 18 episodes if a strike persists.
Many showrunners (aka head writer/producers) have stopped all work on their shows, including Shonda Rhimes of Grey's Anatomy and Tim Kring of Heroes.
Only two scenes from The Office got shot yesterday, and protesters forced filming to stop on one scene of Cane.

As many of you have been saying, focusing on TV and movies is maybe the most shallow view to take during the strike; not everyone has that luxury. Let's hope for a quick resolution so everyone affected can get back to their lives.

Do You Care About the Hollywood Writers' Strike?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 06:30:00 PST

As of 12:01 a.m., Hollywood writers are officially going on strike. Some TV shows - mostly late-night shows, including The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - will be affected immediately, while others won't show wear and tear from the strike for a while (here's a great chart breaking down which shows are doing what). Movies won't feel the effects until early 2009. How are you feeling about the strike so far? Are you worried, or is it too soon to care?

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Hollywood Writers Plan to Strike

BuzzSugar — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:27:45 PDT

Barring an unlikely last-minute deal, Hollywood's film and television writers will indeed go on strike within the next couple of days. The leadership of the Writers Guild of America, whose contract with the The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers expired on Wednesday, called for the strike at a meeting on Thursday.

The timing hasn't been announced yet, but TV Week and others are reporting that the strike will likely begin on Monday. More details are supposed to come out by this afternoon. Negotiations could continue over the weekend, but writers said they're already talking about how the strike would be carried out, not whether there will be one.

What does it mean for you? Well, unless you work in Hollywood, it doesn't mean much - for now. But if a strike really does begin on Monday, late-night shows will be affected immediately. Most primetime shows have enough episodes to last through November, at least - by which point I hope this will be resolved. Here's more on the potential effects of the strike. I'll do my best to keep you up to date, so stay tuned.

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