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About 500 unionized news writers could soon join their creative colleagues on the picket line.
As part of its global antipiracy efforts, Microsoft announced today that it has filed 52 lawsuits around the world and referred another 22 cases to law enforcement agencies in 22 different countries.
To watch the AMPTP (movie and TV producers) disinformation campaign against the Writers Guild of America (screenwriters) is to watch a replay of the record industry's profit-motivated suicide of the 1990's.
The WSJ has a good story (sub. req.) on what may happen if the strike drags well into 2008, which is sounding more likely by the day. "There's a huge transition in our business," said mega-producer Steven Bochco.
As 2007 is about to turn into 2008, it really doesn't look like we're going to see that many new scripted shows for the rest of the season (besides what is already in the can and will be seen in January and February). This could last for months.
Rumors, half-truths, and misinformation about what is actually happening at the bargaining table fly across the internet, are posted on blogs, passed across picket lines like a game of telephone, and appear in stories and advertisements in the trade papers.
Once the writers strike is settled, broadcast networks are considering running scripted programming into summer to complete their season-order commitments.
I did not expect tonight to be the last episode of Heroes. Why would such an excellent program end before Christmas? After all of the critical acclaim, was some executive idiotic enough to cancel one of my favorite programs? No, I'm not the only person who likes this show.
NEW YORK (Media Week) - If striking Hollywood writers do not reach a settlement with the studios in the next few weeks, the broadcast TV pilot season could be torpedoed.
The machine is idling this afternoon as both sides in the writers' labor dispute are not scheduled to return to the negotiating table until sometime Tuesday, though there is little hope of the work stoppage coming to an end in the near future.
In today's media landscape, more and more serious-news coverage — particularly political news — is coming from written (read: fake) TV-news programs, with The Daily Show and The Colbert Report as exhibits A1 and A2.
Sides remain far apart; negotiations will continue. So much for the media blackout. Four days into negotiations that many had hoped would bring an end to a costly strike, negotiators for the studios and writers Thursday reversed their pledge to keep talks secret.
Shows could take several weeks to resume production. If the writers strike ended today, Hollywood would not immediately return to its regularly scheduled programming.
A closer look at how the strike by the Writers Guild of America has been aided by the internet. The ability to reach the public directly has put a damper on the media conglomerates ability to "own" the debate.
Hollywood remained on the edge of its collective seat Monday amid hopes for a possible end to the writers strike.
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, currently in reruns due to the Writers Guild of America strike, will dig deep to air five vintage episodes. That's rarely done with the late night talk shows as the monologue and many of the movies promoted by guests are dated.
I am going to start this out by saying that I am rather neutral about the WGA strike. In prinicple I agree with what they are striking about. I don't know though if at this point whether they are striking over small or significant amounts or just the principle in general.
Everyone who writes, and posts in this article will get it Deleted.No exceptions. Protest by having it reinstated, or post twice, All subsequent post after your first deleted post, will be allowed, maybe..Show Your Support for the WGA Strike!
Do you want to support the striking writers but aren't sure how? Well, don't worry! It's easy, and it only costs you a buck.
What most people don't know about me is that I'm way conservative. When rumors were circulating this summer about a possible strike, I was annoyed. I was like: "I like working, man. I get paid really well to work on a show people actually like. Screw you, Union!"
When the strike is over, and one day far into the future that will be true, media critics may have a field day dissecting the slanted coverage and total fabrications which Variety is reporting in these early days of the strike. varietyno.JPGBut for now, I'll do it.
This is pretty phenomenal stuff: Members of the writing staff at the Daily Show (and regular correspondent John Roberts) post Daily Show-like news segment on Youtube addressing the WGA strike.
Variety is reporting that reps from each of the late night shows have been talking with each other behind the scenes to figure out when the best time to come back should be and how to go about it.
Studios invoke 'force majeure' clause in contracts. Dozens of actors joined striking writers on the picket lines this week. They may also soon be joining scribes in not collecting a full paycheck.
The Writers Guild of America's strike against networks and studios is marching through its second week.
As the WGA strike continues, it's not only Letterman and Leno who won't be getting paid. Many shows are already in hiatus or laying off staffers due to production shutdowns.
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