Hat tip to shamskygirl for pointing out the news and to Nikki Finke for keeping Deadline Hollywood Daily a must-read, even when we’re not sure we want any more news.
The Writers Guild of America has released a statement regarding Stephen’s and Jon’s return:
Official: Stewart/Colbert Return Jan. 7th
. . .
The Writers Guild Of America had this response to the news: “Comedy Central forcing Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert back on the air will not give the viewers the quality shows they’ve come to expect. The only way to get the writing staffs back on the job is for the AMPTP companies to come back to the table prepared to negotiate a fair deal with the Writers Guild.”
How were they “forced” to go back?
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Yeah, I’d like some clarification on that too. Were they holding their staffs pretty much up for ransom? Or was that part of the statement the WGA’s way of taking the heat off of Stewart and Colbert?
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Refresh the home page of DHD for an update on the TDS/TCR return.
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@ Page: I’m guessing the WGA still wants to give the public the impression that Stewart and Colbert are on their side. They had to do something to temper all of the inevitable talk of scabbery.
If/when fans find out that S and C are not honoring the picket line, they may think that the strike is not very important or that it is over.
And they may be right.
And so the purpose of this announcement is to tell us that these two heroes have been “forced” to go back on air. That seems to be it’s only purpose, because as a threat or a show of defiance it is … just kind of cute.
“You may get your shows back on, and your viewers back, and the advertising dollars that come with them, Mr. Sumner Redstone, but we’re still … walking around holding these signs and being hungry … and we’re not going to stop until you come back to the table!!!” *shakes tiny, defiant fist*
I’ve really been looking around to try and figure out what “forced” means here. I can’t figure it out. I’m sure it’s some deep, dark, contractual secret. I’m sure that there are cold, imprisoned children or rooms full of puppies somewhere, and The Crypt Keeper has promised to waterboard every single child and puppy if the hosts don’t come back on the air.
Damn you Crypt Keeper! You know how much Jon Stewart loves puppies!!!!
Yep. I’m sure there’s an explanation here somewhere.
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The comments on the “Deadline Hollywood Daily” say it all – Stephen and Jon are being marked as scabs. Writers feel betrayed by their own fellow union members, and two of their most powerful fellow union members have crossed the line.
Unions are under threat all over this country. When highly paid and highly visible union members cross the line, it’s not just a blow for the writers, and it’s not just about the WGA. It’s about unions, and the fact that once you can bust one up or “force” people to break a strike, they’re worthless.
For two smart men who see the nuance and the big picture in everything, it’s hard to believe that they didn’t see that, too.
From where I sit, they are taking an action that had it not been them, they would have railed against as elitist, hypocritical, and two-faced.
It’s one thing to be the darlings of the progressives when things are great. It’s another thing to walk away from those principles when you have a chance to stand up for them.
When the writers come back, I’ll watch. But frankly, I never thought in a million years that two people I admire would do something so egregiously wrong. Every human being has an Achilles heel, but this is a darn big one.
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They’re just people. I still love them.
They remind me of my dad.
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Could we please stop panicking and making judgements, guys? I know in the internet(s) age we expect instantaneous gratification for everything, but let’s step back and take a breath.
I’ve been a fan of Jon and Stephen for a long time. So I have faith in them. I think they are dealing with a very bad situation the best way they can. Maybe the only way they can. We don’t know everything that is going on, and we may never know all of it.
In the end, I trust Jon and Stephen. To do what they can. I don’t think they will ignore the strike and the plight of the writers on their shows. But I’m going to be patient and wait and see what they say and how they deal with it.
I wonder if Stephen will make any comments about this situation at the Holiday Apparition this weekend… I want a Christmas Miracle!
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With due respect to all parties, I would take the comments I read on DHD with a huge grain of salt. Posters there are fond of rushing to judgment, and using Jon and Stephen’s actions to “justify” why they never liked them in the first place, whether that’s fair or not.
I understand why people are disappointed in this development. But IMHO, it doesn’t make Jon and Stephen, by definition, self-serving hypocrites to return to the shows. I think they try their best to support their writers and their staffs. In fact, if it weren’t for Jon’s support, the writers would most likely not be unionized in the first place.
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@ Alison: I think you’re right. Stephen and Jon are truly stuck here, and I think they’re doing the best they can under the circumstances. We know they support their writers, but there are other people to think about, too. As much as I’d like to see them take a strong stand for the WGA, I think it’s better to do the compassionate thing and look out for the people who are out of work involuntarily.
I’m not going to make any judgement at all here. I’ll just say that I still love them and respect them, and I wish they didn’t have to make such a difficult choice.
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There’s a lot of quickness to name Jon and Stephen scabs on the Deadline Hollywood Daily boards, and some here too, but maybe the thing that’s “forcing” them to come back on is keeping their production staff employed. I don’t think Jon and Stephen are stupid enough to fall for hypocrisy if they mock it daily. Even if my above hypothesis is wrong, I’m sure something serious drove them to this very difficult decision. Don’t tell me none of you guys have ever had to decide between two evils.
And even if THAT assumption is wrong, I’m willing to bet that the situation is a lot more nuanced than just “I’m gonna cross the picket line and f*** over my writers because I wanna make lots and lots of money. Proud scab I am.” Ethical decisions are RARELY black & white.
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Addendum: just adding to the whole thing about keeping the production staff employed, I’m gonna guess Jon and Stephen doesn’t want their staff to receive the same treatment the SNL production staff did (entire staff got laid off!). That’s a pretty crappy scenario, if you ask me.
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What’s that old saw about not judging people until you have walked a mile in their shoes? I imagine their shoes are quite painful at the moment.
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I agree, Mr. T. I know it’s not as simple as greed.
I don’t blame them for going back. I just don’t get it. And whatever their reasoning, their going back on the air makes this whole strike and boycott thing seem kind of silly.
I know that their staff’s jobs were in jeopardy. I’ve been hearing that everywhere, from angry IATSE members and fired assistants (or people posing as such) who claim the writers’ selfishness and greed have caused them to lose their jobs.
And the defense I always hear (and say, usually) is that it is not the WGA but the AMPTP who are causing all of this suffering. They are the ones refusing to offer a fair deal.
If we truly believe the writers are right, how can we hold Colbert and Stewart responsible for rescuing the jobs of these staffers? The studios could save those jobs and get everyone back to work in a minute, if they would only agree to pay the writers for the work that they do. The studios are the ones who need to rescue the jobs of their OWN employees.
I know it’s easy for me to say this because it is not my job being threatened, but were the writers and the shows not aware of the fact that the strike was going to hurt?
It might have been a quick, band aid kind of pain if this workers had stood together with the writers to secure their jobs and their fair and respectful treatment instead of allowing themselves to be treated like bait. But that’s not the way it went down.
Anyway, I’m not down on S and C. I’m sure they know what they’re doing. And I bet we’ll have forgotten all about this unpleasantness by Valentines Day.
Which is kind of sad.
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I’d like to know more about this whole “forcing” thing — sounds like an ultimatum was presented. Perhaps if they’re being forced to return, maybe they’d be more able to use both shows as a way to bring awareness of the strike, and (God willing) help bring it to a conclusion.
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“Thursday’s announcement also could pave the way for the network, which owns both shows, to potentially explore a separate signatory agreement with the WGA that would allow writers to return. Comedy Central declined to say Thursday whether it was speaking to the WGA about such an agreement.”
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i074b6c9d80a440504ead1521f42d399d?pn=1
Aha! Maybe we can still hope for an AMPTP busting?
I shall immediately recommence hoping.
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@barenjager: I am of the opinion, that once the Letterman ‘interim agreement’is agreed to, that there will soon be an ‘interim agreement’ with the writers of both shows. The shows are co-owned by CC/Viacom and Busboy and Spartina. as CC has a financial stake in Busboy. I don’t know about Spartina, but they are the production companies for the shows. not comedy central.
Letterman could very well be the key.
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Not that I should have expected anyone playing but the rules, but there’s something underhanded about this. Sorry if I might get ridiculed for taking a Colbert stance and letting my gut inform me, but my gut is saying something is wrong here. I’m not happy about this.
It’s true, we don’t know what’s really going on, but you have to wonder how many people involved with this strike actually do.
It’s a flippin’ tv. It’s about entertainment. Making money. A freakin’ money machine. Who cares about the writers, right? Who cares about the people behind the scenes. I can’t wait for the taste of greed to finally catch up to the higher ups.
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@Lesley
I know exactly what you mean ,my first thought when i heard the word `forced` was of this modern style medieval fiefdom/cartel the 8 main moguls have formed.How big a step would it be for them to simply say “if you dont work for one of us you will not work for any?”
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I do feel…ambivalent…about this. But I’ve read a decent amount about Jon and Stephen and watched a decent number of interviews with them, and my impression has always been that they are extremely intelligent and emphatic people who want the best for their union and their employees. I refuse to judge them until I know all of the circumstances that led to their decision – and, like someone above me noted, we probably won’t EVER know. It’s not just because I look up to them and don’t want them taken off their pedestal; it’s that them f***ing the WGA seems to contradict everything I’ve seen. Do you really think someone as intelligent as Jon would encourage his writers to unionize and then, during the second month of a strike, decide that the WGA’s demands really aren’t worth fighting for after all? Is he really that flighty and stupid and callous and self-centered and money-hungry and unaware of the gravity of the situation? Maybe, but it just doesn’t seem *likely* enough to me for me to be able to accept that viewpoint.
A lot of is venom going around right now, which I hate. :( Especially when it’s directed at people who I’ve really come to admire over the years. Best wishes to all of the writers and those whose jobs are being threatened.
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As on-air performers, Jon and Stephen are under AFTRA contracts. Comedy Central is probably threatening to sue them and their production companies for breach of contract if they don’t show up for work. So I won’t be calling either of them scabs at this point. What this is, to me, is a rare conflict of interest because Jon and Stephen belong to two unions.
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WOW! What is it with all the pansy commies in here?? I can’t even tell if you guys are being serious. I thought this was a site for fans of Stephen Colbert not for fans of writers of Colbert Report. Let me guess, you are boycotting the Simpsons and the family guy too coz of FOX news?? You people crack me up!
Let’s not forget both Stephen and Jon write for their own shows as well. I’m sure they’ll be as funny and smart as before. And while I am empathetic towards the writers’ demands, I think the news of Stephen’s and Jon’s shows going back on air might just be the best news of the year. It’s fine if you are serious about the boycott, it’s just more of Stephen for me to enjoy!
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“What’s that old saw about not judging people until you have walked a mile in their shoes? I imagine their shoes are quite painful at the moment.
Posted by: vigwig on December 20th, 2007 at 11:34 pm ”
Thank you for this response. I’ve read the comments from the past two days and am somewhat heartbroken over the negative and nasty tone of some of them. It’s far too easy to rush to judgment and find fault, to see only the black and white in this very gray, muddied situation.
Another saying comes to mind in the same vein as Vigwig’s:
But for the grace of God, go I.
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Late to the game.
You can never really know what’s in people’s hearts. So instead, we look at what they do, and at the effects of what they do, and focus on mostly acts, rather than intentions.
If you’re a member of a union, and your union goes on strike, if you cross the picket line and continue to work as you did before the strike, then you’re a scab and a strikebreaker. (Not sure if everyone distinguishes between the two)
If you cross the line, but work differently than before, then maybe you’re not a scab, but you’re still, to some extent, a strikebreaker. You’re undermining your union, since the main weapon in a strike is withdrawal of labour.
So it seems to me that if JS/SC go back to work without a waiver or interim contract with the WGA, they’re necessarily acting as strikebreakers. Which is disappointing. Only when we’ve seen how they do the new shows, can we determine if they’re being scabs too.
If they do old, familiar segments from their shows, then I think, no matter how much we like them, they’re being scabs.
Now, Colbert and Stewart have always said they’re not interested in being the leaders of any social movements; they’re just comedians. But I don’t think you have to be the leader of a movement to see the value of a union (esp if you belong to that union!) and to respect the picket line. Besides, I think a big part of their popularity, as comedian/satirists, results from their perception as leftish-leaning, social progressives.
By going back to work sans writers/contracts, Colbert and Stewart may believe they’re doing good by putting food on the table for their 200 non-writer employees.
But by actively prolonging the strike (via bringing in bucks for Viacom), they’re helping to ‘starve’ hundreds of writers, and their families.
This strategy is good for preserving JS/SC’s employees’ current finances (also for JS/SC), and neutral for their future finances. For the writers, it’s very bad for the present, and even worse for the future.
Their future earnings probably won’t be primarily in TV reruns, but in new media, which they’re currently shut out of, unless they can get a fair new contract.
The longer they have to wait for a contract, the more desperate they’ll become, and they’ll eventually be willing to accept even less . It’s what the AMPTP is counting on with their delaying tactics. And anything that protects the earnings of the AMPTP lets them keep delaying, and works against the WGA.
I’m curious to see how this is going to play out.
I don’t really see any long-term upside here for Colbert and Stewart. Overwork won’t be good for their health. Being perceived as rather reactionary may not be good for their general popularity. They probably won’t be as good without their writers.
And I don’t believe they’re going to slag their own employer, except perhaps very faintly, in heavily veiled terms.
I hope I’m wrong.
Do I win the essay contest…? ;)
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