Thanks to the holidays, I’ve avoided strike news for a few days, but the writers and Nikki Finke have not been so lucky. Here’s a roundup of recent developments.
United Hollywood launched a new contest on Friday, on its website FairDeals4Writers.com. If you have an idea of what will end the strike, make a video and send it in. You could win a poster signed by ‘over 150 writers, actors, actresses, and directors.’ And maybe the AMPTP and the WGA will use your idea to finally, finally come to an agreement.
Also on Friday, the AMPTP set up a new website called WeWantTheAwards.com, to let people convince the writers that 2008 awards shows should go on as planned. Say what you will about awards shows; most are hideously long and sometimes our favorite nominees don’t win (MANILOOOWW!). However, once in a while, we get to see moments like this. Or this. Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood Daily adds:
I’m sure the owners of the fashion labels, and the limo companies, and the hotel ballrooms, and all the other ancillary businesses that depend on the awards shows for business are right now wringing their hands and understandably so. But the reality is that every studio and network (often one and the same thanks to media consolidation) are still gonna be stuck with their already rented space for their Golden Globe parties, including the catering and florist bills etc, whether or not the awards show is held. And, anyway, the AMPTP can’t be concerned about the impact of the strike on the local economy or else it wouldn’t have been a no-show at the LA City Council hearing on that very subject.
The big loser will be NBC, whose parent company GE/NBC Universal is one of the 8 Big Media companies that make up the AMPTP. The same is true of the Oscars broadcaster ABC, whose parent company Walt Disney. Surely, it’s no surprise to the AMPTP that the WGA wants to hurt Big Media financially. But trust the AMPTP to over-react.
Panicking over a lack of awards shows, but ignoring the negotiating table? Priorities, priorities. The AMPTP was represented at the LA City Council hearing by the Motion Picture Association of America, which also did not show up but sent a statement to be read into the record (as quoted by United Hollywood). On Monday, the WGA-East posted a Christmas Eve statement:
Dear Fellow Members of the Writers Guild, East: I write this to you two nights before Christmas. It’s tough as hell to be on strike during the holiday season. Not only are we staging outdoor pickets and other events in the throes of winter’s cold, we’re without work and paychecks at a moment when gift giving and good times are very much on the minds of everyone around us, especially our friends and loved ones.
Yet we know that what we’re fighting for is worth it, that we’re exchanging our temporary stress and discomfort for future gain and security, not only for ourselves but those who will follow us as wordsmiths and storytellers.
The widespread pain and hardship of this strike would cease instantly if the studio and networks heads simply would realize the need to have their representatives return to the table and bargain a contract fairly and respectfully. We’re ready any time, any place, to sit down to negotiate — even as AMPTP members take off on holiday jaunts to Vail or Aspen or wherever it is moguls mogul.
Until then, the Guilds, East and West, continue to take actions that make our strength and position in the entertainment industry clear. This week, for example, a waiver was denied for writers to work on the Golden Globe Awards, as was a waiver for the use of film clips on the upcoming Oscars (the Oscars have not yet requested a waiver for writers). However, an interim agreement for writing services was granted for the Independent Spirit Awards, demonstrating Guild support for the independent film community.
What’s heartening is that despite the length of this strike, our solidarity remains intact, strong and committed. At events such as Monday’s Time Warner picket, honoring our daytime writers, and Tuesday’s Foley Square rally, at which the writers and stars of crimes shows presented a mock indictment of those who deny us an honest deal, we continue to demonstrate that our resolve and faith in the justice of our cause are as powerful as ever.
In addition, 127 writers, all with pilots in the works and in danger of never airing, signed a letter to Hollywood CEOs and studio and network executives asking for their support for negotiations between the WGA and the AMPTP. As you may recall, these talks stalled on December 7 – though the WGA soon began negotiations with individual companies. However, Nikki says that restarting the WGA-AMPTP talks is looking less and less likely (emphasis mine):
I have learned that last week Jeffrey Katzenberg tried and failed to backchannel a compromise that would have brought both the WGA and the AMPTP back to the bargaining table. It was an effort that was laudable. But the fact that it was unsuccessful dramatically points up disturbing realities, I have learned: that the CEOs are deeply entrenched in their desire to punish the WGA for daring to defy them by striking and to bully the writers into submission on every issue, and that the writers are sadly misguided to believe they have any leverage left. I’m told the CEOs are determined to write off not just the rest of this TV season (including the Back 9 of scripted series), but also pilot season and the 2008/2009 schedule as well. Indeed, network orders for reality TV shows are pouring into the agencies right now. The studios and networks also are intent on changing the way they do TV development so they can stop spending hundreds of millions of dollars in order to see just a few new shows succeed. As for advertising, the CEOs seem determined to do away with the upfront business and instead make their money from the scatter market. I’m sorry to break this disappointing development right before Christmas, but I pledged to stay objective in my reporting and I can’t ignore this major news development. The truth often hurts. But don’t blame the messenger. And, no, this info wasn’t dumped in my lap, either. (That only happens over at Variety or the Los Angeles Times…)
Finally, Carson Daly, who was the first late-night show host to return to the air with ‘Last Call with Carson Daly,’ said on Monday that he was given an ultimatum of “Put a new show on Dec. 3 or 75 people are fired.” Daly was vilified by many for crossing picket lines but said that he had no choice when the jobs of his staff were at stake. Obviously we can’t jump to any conclusions, but it doesn’t paint NBC’s network executives in a very good light.
And with that, I’m done. How does MsI do this every few days??
You know, I never used to think of myself as a masochist …
Hope you all are having a lovely holiday; it’s been strange, being away from the blog so much, but I’ve had a very restful trip home so far, and I’m enjoying myself immensely. Thanks, fellow NFZ-ers, for the holiday coverage and cheer!
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Quote from NFZ post: Finally, Carson Daly, who was the first late-night show host to return to the air with ‘Last Call with Carson Daly,’ said on Monday that he was given an ultimatum of “Put a new show on Dec. 3 or 75 people are fired.”
This is close to what Stephen said at the Charleston event as to why they are returning: to keep the other 70 people on staff from losing their jobs.
Well I guess he’s being called a “scab” in some corners too but I think Carson had a lot more virtual spat put on him, because he’s not so beloved as Stephen is. I just think that it’s not anything that ANYONE out here in TV Land can make judgments on. Johnny Carson went back in ’88 for the same reason: he said some of those guys had been with him for 25 years and were going to lose their homes if he didn’t go back on the air. What the hell is someone supposed to do in that position? I’d absolutely hate having the responsibility of knowing that no matter what I do it’s screwing someone over, but I think that, although I support the writers and definitely think they are getting a bad deal as things are now, they are but 13 (on TCR). There’s another 70 who have nothing to do with this who are going to be on unemployment, if they can even get it. Some people would get zero. I’d not want to be Stephen and know that I put 70 people out of work in order to improve things for 13 people. I’m can’t believe Jon feels any different. It’s a really bad spot they’re in. Let’s hope the whole thing is resolved as soon as possible.
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people call jon and steven scabs because they are dissapointed, they dont seem to understand the concept that there are others peoples lives at stake… sure the writers deserve a fair deal, but if it means firing the rest of the staff that had nothing to do with it (and wont get anything from it either), is too much of a sacrifice… i mean 70 people’s lives compared to the writers of the show that is probably no more than 10… unfortunatelly the math tell us you go to the majority that will be hurt the most…
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Wow — who knew this strike would entirely change the face of the TV business as we know it (or, knew it)…hopefully, for the better in the end.
I seriously can’t believe it really does look like this’ll last until June. Unreal.
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So Stephen has evidently now publicly stated his staff was directly threatened. It would not surprise me in the least to hear too that both he and Jon have been threatened with financially devastating lawsuits.
For the WGA to attack Stephen under the circumstances is like kicking your best friend in the face while a group of thugs hold him in a head-lock. Not exactly the most winning strategy to adopt in a street fight. And the WGA is definitely in a street fight with a bunch of thugs. As a fan I offer that organization the following advice: when the TDS and TCR return, LAY OFF Stephen and Jon. There is simply NO point in dividing fans’ opinion on your strategy when the public at large is only just beginning to awaken to your cause.
As for the Fans4Writers video contest on how to end the strike: do we really need more wankerish videos (‘funny’ or otherwise) about the strike at this point? I think one thing that fans can do that could prove very helpful if done in sufficient numbers is to write letters to the members of Congress running for president who serve on the labor committees in both the House and Senate (viz., Kucinich, Dodd, Clinton, and Obama; and don’t forget John Edwards has been very vocal in supporting the WGA also).
These letters could ask that the moguls’ intransigence in the negotiations be subjected to official government scrutiny. Some of us who visit NFZ are already doing that. We know that the WGA actually approached Congress before the strike began, and two weeks later the AMPTP was at the negotiating table. It is difficult to resist the conclusion that that was cause and effect.
I’m wondering NFZ: do you think it would be helpful to set up a write-these-congress-people widget on the site that could facilitate such a letter-writing campaign? (Cp. for example the ACLU’s write-your-congress people gadget: they provide a form letter expressing the ACLU position on a particular issue, with space for a member to substitute or add their own words. You fill in the relevant congressional addresses, click and send). This could be a very strategic time to start such a letter writing effort. For one thing, Congress is on hiatus for about the next three and a half weeks. That would give us time to build support and write letters in not-to-be ignored numbers. For another, we are entering the first series of primary elections. What does NFZ think?
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@nousblet:
Ok, there, let’s reign this in a little.
About a possible lawsuit: There have been no talks anywhere of any type of lawsuits happening with any of the late night writers. It puts this blog in an awkward position when people even suggest things such as this. We don’t know what’s happening and probably won’t for a while.
About the videos: Fans4Writers is simply trying to give people an outlet to vent their frustration, just like we do here with our blog. It may not be your cup of tea, but to criticize them is not being fair to them. Many of the people who have worked with their site have done everything they know to do in regards to ending the strike, and this is simply another outlet.
About letters to Congress and putting up a gadget: We considered this, but since the shows are going back on the air, I feel it’s best that this blog stick to reporting the news until we hear from the writers or Stephen on the show what we should do. The Colbert Nation, as a fan base, has some awesome power, but it’s prudent to remember that we are led by Stephen, not by this site or the Colboards or anything else.
We as a staff have talked long and hard about different approaches to supporting the show and supporting Stephen and the staff. And the truth is, with the show going back on the air, we have no idea what to do. We support Stephen, but we also support the writers. Everyone involved has been put in an awkward position, and that includes us, the fans.
So, as to what NFZ thinks, I think that basically we’re going to continue to report the news for now. We still have the Operation Superstantial Truthiness actions, with calling the sponsors and Pencils2MediaMoguls, but right now, we (the NFZ staff) need to see what happens with the show before we do much else.
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Stephen said something about talking to the camera while staring at a blank teleprompter when he returns to TCR. I’m VERY curious to see what he’ll say and I think the AMPTP will probably tremble with the lambasting they’ll get when they finally hear him. Or at least that’s my fantasy.
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Hey, big whoa there. My quotation of Stephen, that he said they are returning “to keep the other 70 people on staff from losing their jobs” does not mean in any way that they were threatened or might have been threatened. The quote doesn’t indicate that and since he didn’t elaborate I don’t know what his implication was. It’s entirely possible, hypothetically, for a business owner to very regretfully tell his plant manager, “If we can’t get this plant going again in some fashion by Tuesday, then I’m very very sorry but we’re going to have to let everyone else go because I can’t keep employing 70 people for no reason when we’re not manufacturing our widgets anymore.” I have no idea what Viacom said to Stephen nor what the reasons are for his statement but please don’t take my reporting of it as proof that he has been threatened by CC/Viacom. I would hate to be the source of that misinformation.
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True. Perhaps it’s just his own decision. I bet it was a tough one too.
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@ MH: You don’t have to yell. I have only noted that we have now learned that the non-writing staff of TCR was threatened with losing their jobs. You quoted: “Carson Daly said on Monday that he was *given an ultimatum* of “Put a new show on Dec. 3 or 75 people are fired.” Then you observed: ‘This is close to what Stephen said at the Charleston event as to why they are returning.’ I naturally took you to mean that Stephen related he was given a similar ultimatum. If that isn’t what you meant, one can at least see why someone might think that it was, given the manner in which the observation was expressed.
In any case, I’m sorry I’ve ruffled some feathers here. Since I seem to have darkenethed counsel with words without wisdom, I will layeth my hand over my mouth, and stop leaving comments on this site.
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@nousblet: I think that Meow House’s worry was that people might take more than what’s there out of her statement, that’s all. What she was saying by comparing Stephen and Carson Daly is that the situations appear to be similar. Both seem to have been told to go back to work or the non-writing staffs might lose their jobs. I don’t believe she meant to imply lawsuits or threats by CC/Viacom, and I can see why she wouldn’t want to be the source of something like that.
I don’t think you should feel like you can’t post anymore. A lot of what has been posted during this strike has been speculative because none of us know anything for sure right now (as far as I know).
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This is why we’re trying to stick to reporting only the news. Yes, it is easy to relate Daly’s quote to what Stephen said in Charleston, but we don’t have a direct quote from either Jon or Stephen about what the networks have said to them. So until we get that information, we’re doing our best to keep our stress levels low and not assume anything.
It’s just a few days they’re back on the air and we’ll (hopefully) know for sure.
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To Nousblet, I am sorry to have caused confusion. I did not mean to equate Carson Daly’s exact situation to Stephen’s: I was comparing the fact that they were both going back to work or risk everyone else being terminated/laid off/let go, not to Stephen’s hypothetically being given an ultimatum or being threatened.
Also, my use of bolded text was not an indication of yelling; merely a way to stress that I did not under any circumstances wish to be “the source” that was “proof” that Stephen was threatened. I have read enough “it’s obviously true” statements about this strike from people who “heard” something from about 10 people removed, or who read one sentence out of context or who are basing Jon’s actions of 5 years ago on what’s going on today, or whose post didn’t appear on some site and therefore it’s “proof that so-and-so is trying to shut us down” to last the rest of my life. I don’t wish to be the reason for anyone to say, “See, Stephen SAID he’s being forced back to work.” It’s like the kid’s game of telephone and someday it would come back to “Well this woman who met him said Stephen told her personally he was threatened!!!!!” And of course he did not. Sorry for any misunderstandings between us. I don’t think you ruffled any feathers. This is how blogs work though: people post and other people are going to comment! I appreciated hearing your opinions. :-)
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Speculation is definitely the name of the game as far as comments go. I think that’s sort of a new understanding around here (for the most part, but then again, I don’t speak for anyone but myself when I say this), and I think it’s pretty hard to avoid considering all the circumstances surrounding the strike, and the information we know and don’t know (i.e. mostly concerning what goes on behind the scenes). It’s easy to get upset, frustrated, and angry over the majority of what’s gone on over the last few months, and hope to God we can all put it behind us VERY soon.
In the meantime, I think we could all benefit from a few more viewings of the “Dancing Muchachos”…I know I could.
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There’s nothing the WGA members can do to make up for what they did to Ellen and poor Carson Daly, who was pretty much a non-entity to begin with. His whole career really was threatened by the strike, along with the jobs of his staff. And he is not a member of the guild, but they put him through hell.
I don’t think there has ever been any real threat that Late Night with Conan O’Brien, or TCR and TDS would just never come back. That the jobs of their staffs would be gone for good.
But I’m pretty sure the threat was there for Carson Daly. He came back for the same reason all these hosts are going back, only more, and he has been humiliated and villified.
I don’t expect it, but I do hope there will be some kind of public acknowledgement that his return did far less damage than the return of more popular late night shows will do and was for a reason just as “noble” as these other hosts–who actually had more money and more power to bargain than he did.
I hope one or more of the late night programs coming back have Carson Daly and Ellen Degeneres on as guests.
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