strikewatch

SAG Delays Strike Vote Two Weeks In Landslide Vote-Delay Referendum

As pro-strike SAG members gathered around their mediation menorahs to light a tiny Eric Bogosian head on fire, thereby commemorating the second night of Yea-nukkah, they were met with a shocking development:

12/23/08

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By Seth

Comment by levari: oh, by all means, let's blame the union. striking for fair division of profits? contemptible. 2 Responses | Other threads

strike two

Crisis Averted (Sort Of) As AFTRA Reaches Deal with Studios

Happy news emerged this morning from the deep, dank reaches of the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers headquarters, where it was announced the major studios have come to last-minute terms with AFTRA on a new three-year contract. Conveniently or not, the report comes a few hours before AFTRA's former negotiating partners in the Screen Actors Guild were set to resume their own talks with the majors. And with AFTRA reportedly agreeing to conditions on new-media residuals similar to those accepted by the DGA and WGA during the latter union's strike, SAG has until June 30 to determine if the terms are good enough for itself — or detonate! The! Industry! with another labor stoppage. More »

05/28/08

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By STV

Comment by CrankYank: @Sweet Panda Love: Yeah, but think about walking a line in June and July. On the other hand, NYC... more » | Other threads

defamer

SAG, AFTRA Bosses Bravely Unite For Common Cause Of Walking to San Pedro

Mere days after the meltdown of their negotiating partnership in upcoming labor talks with film and TV producers, SAG president Alan Rosenberg and AFTRA boss Ron Morgan appeared at a press conference Tuesday to proclaim their unity in the face of looming crisis — at least when it comes to walking 25 miles from Hancock Park to San Pedro: More »

04/02/08

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By STV

Comment by CatherineTrammell: So it IS true that actors disappear in the "Miracle Mile" and end up in San Pedro 48 hours later. Wait,... more » | Other threads

defamer

Breaking Down The SAG / AFTRA Squabble

There's nothing inherently sexy about the ongoing labor disputes between producers and writers, producers and directors, producers and actors and whatever other banal kerfuffles you care to conjure. But the SAG/AFTRA square-off pitting actors against producers and themselves is quite a tentpole-ready disaster in the making, setting up a showdown that could torch yet another slate of projects on Hollywood's horizon: More »

04/01/08

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By STV

Comment by Shumina: @HwoodHills: It eventually bottoms out, though. You work to either pay the bills, because you love your craft, or both.... more » | Other threads

trade roundup

Upfronts, Peacocks And Low-Grossers

· Good news, advertisers, entertainment journalists, and fans of overblown montages of new shows that will likely be canceled before December: The upfronts are back on! The networks may continue them in some modified form, but it seems as if they're planning on maintaining the most crucial part of the tradition: free booze. [Variety] More »

02/15/08

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By Mark

trade roundup

Trekkies Rip Off Rubber Vulcan Ears In Disgust Following Announcement of Five Month 'Star Trek' Release Delay

· Paramount breaks the hearts of the millions of Trekkies who thought they'd be spending Christmas at the multiplex with Kirk, Spock and Uhura, delaying their J.J. Abrams directed Star Trek from this December 25 until May 8, 2009 in hopes that they can wring more money from the franchise during the summer blockbuster season. Also, DreamWorks is moving Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder from this July 11 to August 15, a change that Stiller's fans will endure without complaint. [Variety] More »

02/14/08

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By Mark

Comment by secretagentman: @raincoaster: It too is called Dragons Den and is doing quite well ratings wise. more » | Other threads

just talk

Clooney, De Niro, Hanks And Streep Tell SAG, Studios It's Time To Start Talking

Yesterday, Variety reported that several Big Name Actors were about to kick off a public campaign to ~~shame~~ convince SAG's leadership and the studios to pick up a phone and arrange the kind of pleasant little rap session with moguls like News Corps' Peter Chernin, Disney's Bob Iger and CBS's Les "Negotiations Are Fun! Let's Do One Every Week at My Place! I'll Even Spring for the Bagels!" Moonves that helped to end the writers strike, hoping that getting a jump on things before their Guild's contract expires at the end of June might help to avoid another one of those mildly inconvenient, 100-day shutdowns of the industry that seem wildly passé at this point. The first of these exhortations are appearing in the trades today, with the initial installment authored by George Clooney, Robert De Niro, Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep, a line-up so laden with Oscar hardware that Hollywood has no choice but to take notice of their plea. More »

02/14/08

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By Mark

Comment by queserasera: I was taught that 'but' should never be preceded by a comma. I can't imagine the stress four actors must go... more » | Other threads

defamer

Producer Surnow Leaves '24,' Tired Of Thinking Up Ways For Jack Bauer To Violate The Geneva Convention

· 24 co-creator/primetime-torture advocate Joel Surnow is leaving the series to follow his muse, having previously ceded day-to-day control of the show to fellow executive producer Howard Gordon. Surnow explains his decision to officially pass on Jack Bauer's interrogation-speeding belt-sander to his colleagues: "I've done seven years, almost eight years at the same place with the same great group of people. During the strike I started thinking about different things I'd like to do independently, and decided it was time to see if there were other opportunities I wanted to pursue." [Variety] More »

02/13/08

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By Mark

Comment by Miss d: Kevin Martin obviously hasn't ventured out of any major cities in the past few years... more » | Other threads

defamer

The Strike Is Over! Look Busy!

The strike is over! Everyone's back to work! As expected, the WGA voted overwhelmingly to dance off the pickets lines and back to their sitcom writers rooms, deadline-rushed screenplays begging for punch-up, and blank Final Draft screens, with 92.5% of its membership agreeing to usher in a new, internet-enabled era of peace, love and shared prosperity that will last between four months and three years, when an ugly battle over a yet-discovered content-delivery platform (we're thinking gamma rays will be involved!) once again shakes the industry to its very foundation. Variety solicits the post-strike reflections of dangerously charismatic CBS despot Les Moonves, one of the moguls credited with hammering out the deal with the Guild: More »

02/13/08

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By Mark

Comment by Miss d: I hope I don't draw the short straw to clean out the fridge... more » | Other threads

defamer

'Lost' Showrunners On Strike So Long Even They Can't Remember What's Going On With Their Series

Today's LAT picks the strike-weary brains of four TV showrunners who are returning to work after three weeks of agonizing about the fates of their series, storylines they were forced to abandon, and early-draft scripts they may soon need to rush into production, hoping to illustrate the back-to-work chaos facing a town scrambling to pick up where it left off in early November. My Name is Earl's Greg Garcia, for example, is publicly promising that anyone who fritters away their precious time with unproductive chatter about which agency's picket line snacks were the most delicious (the debate, of course, begins and ends with CAA's baby-filled scones) risks an immediate shitcanning. ("[T]hat's all I've heard about for the last three months. And now it's over. I'm not going to sit and listen to them talk about it now. If you say the word 'strike' and you're not talking about bowling, you're fired.") Meanwhile, Lost's Damon Lindelof frets that his staff's been laid off for so long that they may have lost their already seemingly tenuous grasp on what the hell is going on with their magical, polar-bear-and-smoke-monster-infested island: More »

02/12/08

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By Mark

Comment by SneakingThroughTheAlleyWithLalley: @Wendy_Kroy: My ex had such a hard-on for Mr Eko... it was creepy. Particularly because he likes to go under... more » | Other threads

abc

Moving decisively into the Post-Strike Era that began with today's Return of The Showrunners Parade on Hollywood Blvd., ABC has already picked up nine—nine!—of its series for next season, giving Desperate Housewives, Lost, Grey's Anatomy, Brothers & Sisters and Ugly Betty full orders, while giving 13 episode each to newer shows Private Practice, Pushing Daisies, Samantha Who? and Dirty Sexy Money. Curiously absent from this list: Cavemen, an indication that the network's groundbreaking sitcomfercial experiment may have finally come to an end. [THR]

02/11/08

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By Mark

Comment by FrankieButtons: @heidiho: I thought Dirty Sexy Money was done for, too. I'm craving more silly rich people antics. more » | Other threads

defamer

Little Richard, Tina Turner Fail To Save Grammys From Nielsen Disappointment

· Network executives are trying to make sense of the brave, new, post-strike world they suddenly find themselves in, either taking this unprecedented opportunity to blow up their development system, or shrugging it off as a "blip" and going back to the old, comfortable ways of doing business (i.e., throwing a bunch of money at talent and pilots). Also, tough decisions need to be made about which series should be rushed back into production to finish up this abbreviated season, which should be put off until the fall, and which should be put out of their misery after losing their momentum. [Variety] More »

02/11/08

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By Mark

Comment by gwendemarco: Boy, I hope they pay those NBC execs a lot of money. It must be grueling recycling already existing work... more » | Other threads

defamer

The Strike Is Over! On Wednesday! Let There Be Rejoicing! But Not Too Much!

With word arriving over the weekend that Saturday night's WGA Scribeapalooza II: Let's Call the Whole Thing Off event at the Shrine Auditorium sent TV showrunners back to work today and will return everyone else to their jobs on Wednesday pending the outcome of a strike-ending vote to be counted tomorrow night, Hollywood can safely upgrade its feelings of Cautious Optimism to full-blown This Waking Three-Month Nightmare Is Finally Over Euphoria. More »

02/11/08

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By Mark

Comment by hack-a-rific: btw, we haven't discussed the WGA Awards winners, have we? more » | Other threads

defamer

Is Exiting MTV President Norman Leaping Into Oprah's Embrace?

· Possibly sandwiched between the theoretically imminent end of the writers strike and a potential June 30 walkout by SAG, studios are rushing to get their high-profile projects into production during that slim window of opportunity, hoping to get enough movies in the can to fill out their late 2009 release schedules. Still on the studios' limbo lists due to deadline-rushed scripts: Angels & Demons, Thomas Crown Affair 2, Fame, The Grind and Death Wish. [Variety] More »

02/08/08

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By Mark

Comment by Wendy_Kroy: So Hilary Swank is playing a strong, scrappy woman trying to make her way in a man's world, only to... more » | Other threads

defamer

Michael Eisner Unilaterally Declares Writers Strike Over

Defying both the media blackout and the current spirit of Cautious Optimism keeping the industry from throwing a premature Everybody's Going Back to Work! Parade on Hollywood Boulevard before a new WGA contract is signed, former Disney boss and current trading-card magnate Michael Eisner declared an end to the writers strike earlier this afternoon on CNBC's Fast Money: More »

02/07/08

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By Mark

Comment by InkStainedWretch: @fuddes: Now we do know the offer. And it looks like SuperstarSteve had it right. Thanks to a... more » | Other threads

defamer

· Looking for inventive ways to develop scripted programming during the writers strike, CBS Paramount TV reaches across our northern border to partner with CTV to produce the police drama Flashpoint. which will be scripted and shot in Canada. "[The production values] will be as good as any American production," somewhat defensively notes a source, trying to alleviate fears that CBS is trying to save money by eventually airing some second-rate Mountie melodrama badly overdubbed to eliminate suspicious Canadian accents. [Variety] More »

01/29/08

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By Mark

Comment by Miss d: They have writers for the Grammys? Could of fooled me... more » | Other threads

defamer

When the WGA and AMPTP finally announce a new deal, we're really going to miss all those What Striking Writers Are Doing To With Their Free Time pieces that have kept us so entertained during the labor war. In today's LAT, some screenwriters chat about how they've temporarily thrown off the lucrative, artistically stifling shackles of Final Draft and embraced the creative freedom offered by the novel; however, not every agent is thrilled about the prospect of having to plow through idling Hollywood scribes' boredom-inspired literary experiments: "'Oftentimes, you shudder when a screenwriter sends you a novel, because they tend to be strong with dialogue but crappy with context, and novels are all about creating the proper context for the story,' said [book agent Mary] Evans, whose clients include Smith and Michael Chabon. 'Screenwriters are attracted to novel writing because they can let their freak flag fly and just write what they want, but the truly talented novelist-slash-screenwriter is very rare." [LAT; Image via marvunapp.com ]

01/28/08

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By Mark

Comment by brechtgirl: Awesome, I just love flying freak flags! more » | Other threads

defamer

Super-Secret New Study Reveals Writers Strike Will Continue To Cost Everyone A Lot Of Money

· According to "an industry study conducted by informed sources" which Var was allowed to view on a "confidential basis" (we'll let you concoct your own theories about a trenchcoat-clad Nick Counter giving a sneak preview of the figures in a dark corner of the Beverly Center parking lot), the cost of the writers strike could reach $3 billion if it drags on for 60 to 90 more days. Also, in case you haven't heard: the national economy is headed down the shitter. [Variety] More »

01/24/08

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By Mark

Comment by dollywould: @Cacafuego: *fingers crossed* more » | Other threads

defamer

'Let My Writers Go,' Sings A Heartsick Stephen Colbert

Though the strategy of occasionally pointing to the joke-void on one's blank TelePrompTer screen is certainly a valid one for calling attention to the struggle of one's striking writers, sometimes a more dramatic display is necessary, lest even the most loyal TV audience begin to tune out the oft-intoned message of solidarity. More »

01/23/08

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By Mark

Comment by VirusWithShoes: @jeweltones: Yay! Let's form a support group, and silently, but succintly, take over ColbertNation from within! He did handle the baritone... more » | Other threads

defamer

WGA Takes Reality And Animation Off The Table, Won't Picket Grammys

How about some quick, late-afternoon strike news to break up the unpleasantness of today's dominant, thoroughly depressing story? OK then! In an e-mail blast to members, WGA West/East presidents Patric Verrone and Michael Winship say that they're happy to join in informal talks with the AMPTP, and that they've decided to pull their reality and animation proposals off the table to help get a deal done. Also, the Guild won't be picketing the Grammys, one awards show we really wouldn't have missed if it gave its life for the Cause: "In order to make absolutely clear our commitment to bringing a speedy conclusion to negotiations, we have decided to withdraw our proposals on reality and animation. Our organizing efforts to achieve Guild representation in these genres for writers will continue. You will hear more about this in the next two weeks." The full message follows after the jump: More »

01/22/08

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By Mark

Comment by gangrenejean: @Lula Mae Broadway: Uh, I work in animation. A lot of it is covered by another union now, IATSE, which... more » | Other threads

defamer

Fiscal Insanity Returns To Sundance With Rumored $10 Million 'Hamlet 2' Deal

· NBC's Jeff Zucker has been strongly hinting that his network's upfront presentation to advertisers may be scaled back this year, if not eliminated entirely; in lieu of the customary "dog and pony show," Zucker may instead ask lieutenant Ben Silverman to show a 30-second clip of American Gladiators injuries to a ballroom full of media buyers, then circle the room with a burlap sack into which they can place the portion of their ad budgets they'd like to spend on the Peacock's new primetime schedule. [Variety] More »

01/22/08

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By Mark

defamer

Hollywood Reacts To The DGA Deal

· The DGA, as you undoubtedly heard just moments after puffs of white smoke were belched skyward from the chimney of AMPTP headquarters, reached a deal with the studios yesterday. While anxious WGA members are picking over the proposed contract to see if any writer-screwing provisions have been hidden in the fine print, a strike-weary industry reacts: "One thing that is very clear is that with all the bad blood between the WGA and studios, the writers can strike until the end of time and they will not do better than the directors did. It is time to stop this," said a "veteran agent" obviously eager to start earning commissions again. Check out the full story to read quotes carefully chosen to make the WGA look totally unreasonable if they don't fall hopelessly in love with the terms offered the directors! [Variety] More »

01/18/08

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By Mark

Comment by susiefaye: I LOVED Circus of the Stars as a kid. Although undoubtably it will suck this go 'round. more » | Other threads

defamer

Breaking! Directors Reach Deal! (UPDATE)

It's here! It's finally here! According to Var, the Directors Guild has reached the much-rumored deal with the AMPTP that's had Hollywood aching with uneasy anticipation since the formal start of negotiations over the weekend. No details are in yet; stay tuned to see if the terms offer hope that a similar agreement can be struck with the WGA, or whether the proposed contract is so disappointing that it will just drive a fresh wedge between striking writers and the studios, plunging the town even deeper into gut-wrenching despair. More »

01/17/08

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By Mark

Comment by thrillwill: @Imnotatnbc: And in crappy Internet video too! more » | Other threads

defamer

A Nervous Hollywood Asks: Where The Hell Is This DGA Deal Everyone Says Is On Its Way?

· Warner Brothers allows its options on the Justice League cast to lapse, putting the project on "indefinite hold," though the studio has assured its roster of mostly no-names that it still would eventually like to see what they all look like in their cute superhero costumes. [Variety] More »

01/17/08

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By Mark

Comment by secretagentman: DGA just made a deal!! more » | Other threads

couch swap

Kimmel, Leno Commiserate About Life As Strike-Plagued Talk Show Hosts

More »

01/11/08

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By Mark

Comment by GingerVitis: @Max Power: He isn't. Where'd you read that, Variety? [www.nytimes.com] more » | Other threads

short ends

The Writers Strike Experience: Day 65

· Day 65 of the strike: probably looked a like Day 64 of the strike, not to mention Day 66. More »

01/10/08

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By Mark

Comment by InkStainedWretch: Why isn't this guy picketing? Get back on the lines, buddy, we miss you! more » | Other threads

defamer

Weinstein Company, WGA About To Announce Deal Allowing Harvey Weinstein To Abuse Guild Writers Again

According to the AP, The Weinstein Company says it's about to reach the same kind of interim deal with the WGA that United Artists signed back on Monday, with the papers necessary to get back to work with union writers possibly signed by the end of the day. (Let the Official Side Deal PressReleaseWatch begin! Exciting, we know.) Once the contract is finalized, Weinstein can expect a scriptalanche like one that is reportedly burying Tom Cruise; TWC employees will undoubtedly be rejoicing that their boss will have a fresh supply of three-hole-punched projectiles to launch at their heads at the slightest provocation, as they're probably a little tired of dodging the same stale batch of screenplays he's had to use since the start of the strike. More »

01/10/08

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By Mark

Comment by BabylonSister: Why are the douchiest companies signing up first (Worldwide Pants excepted from the douchiestness)? more » | Other threads

tom hanks

In the kind of statement everyone's been expecting from the A-listers who have mostly been reluctant to anger the people who sign their eight-figure paychecks, Tom Hanks says it's time for the "big guys" to stop the grab-assing and spa trips and get back to negotiating. Well, maybe not in such forceful words, but at least he seems to have an opinion on the situation: "'There are caterers and carpenters ... and electricians and gaffers,' the 51-year-old said. 'There are a lot of people out there associated with the industry, for whom the sooner this work stoppage is over the better. I just hope that the big guys who make big decisions up high in their corporate boardrooms and what not get down to honest bargaining and everyone can get back to work.'" [Reuters]

01/10/08

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By Mark

Comment by Little Mintz Sunshine: As much as I like Tom Hanks, the actor, it's pretty easy to soft-rant against the moguls when your house... more » | Other threads

trade roundup

Reese Witherspoon Dumped, Quickly Scooped Up On The Rebound

· With plenty of time on their hands these days to evaluate their relationships, studios have start dropping (and/or not renewing) first-look deals with partners with whom they've fallen out of love. Not even America's Sweetheart Reese Witherspoon (and her Type A shingle) has been immune from this recent caprice, though New Line was more than happy to climb into bed with her after a recent dumping. [Variety] More »

01/10/08

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By Mark

Comment by BlinkyMcChuck: Heather Has Two Producers. more » | Other threads

defamer

Show Your Fighting Cocks Pride At The Benjamin Silverman High Winter Prom

Moving quickly to fill what must have been a staggering demand for appropriate attire for the recently announced Benjamin Silverman High Winter Prom, Strike Swag has just unveiled the official B.S. High Fighting Cocks t-shirt, an item that's sure to be the first choice of any nerdy WGA attendee who doesn't have a pumpkin tuxedo in the closet that he can break out for the dance. (Those who plan on showing their Fighting Cocks pride will be happy to know their purchase benefits the Writers Guild Foundation Industry Support Fund.) More »

01/10/08

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By Mark

Comment by Cacafuego: Game Cock? Then again, there's my all time favorite real idiotic football team name: The Cairo Syrupmakers. You can even buy... more » | Other threads

defamer

United Artists Mogul Tom Cruise Reportedly Buried Under Mountain Of Thousands Of Scripts

One studio in Hollywood, at least, may not think that this strike situation is really all that bad. A Defamer operative tells us there's a rumor floating around that since it struck its side-deal with the Writers Guild earlier this week, Tom Cruise's United Artists has been deluged with "2,500" scripts as idling agents frantically abandoned their Scrabulous games and retaliatory werewolf attacks to get their clients' projects in front of pretty much the only people who can get anything done at the moment. Is that figure merely the fantasy of some tracking board poster who decided to arbitrarily assign a numerical value to "a shitload"? Probably! More »

01/10/08

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By Mark

Comment by Whiteboyfunfark: He's a very short man, Tom Cruise is. How many scripts WOULD it take to bury him? Not many I'd... more » | Other threads

short ends

Murder Unscripted

· In an unusually star-studded strike video (Eric Bogosian! Dean Winters! B.D. Motherfucking Wong!), we're introduced to Murder Unscripted, a completely writerless police procedural. Enjoy. More »

01/09/08

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By Mark

Comment by sonjahenie: @Desk_hack: Umm...'scuse me? more » | Other threads

defamer

How will high-powered members of Viacom's corporate family like Sumner Redstone and Les Moonves be spending some of the days freed up by not having to deal with the boring details of a contract negotiation with the WGA? By heading off for some much-needed head-clearing time early next week at Boulders Resort and Golden Door Spa, an executive-pampering Xanadu located in picturesque, improbably named Carefree, Arizona. And when they finally return from their well-earned post-holiday break, they'll hardly even remember why all those rude people in red T-shirts are walking in circles in front of their studios. [United Hollywood]

01/09/08

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By Mark

defamer

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