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Scribe Strike May Last Months

No talks planned as shows tabled, actors refuse to work

By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 6, 2007 7:23 PM CST
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(Newser) – The Hollywood writers strike could last for months, says ABC News, because negotiators will have trouble dividing profits that no one can predict.  "You can't slice a pie that isn't baked yet," a consultant tells ABC, referring to new media. "It's really poor timing on the part of the writers. And they're going to do mutual damage to themselves and the industry." Right now, no talks are scheduled between producers and writers.

On both coasts, more than a thousand writers picketed as major talk shows like Leno's, Letterman's and The Daily Show tabled production. Actors Steve Carrell and Ellen DeGeneres refused to work out of solidarity with the scribes. Some Teamsters, risking their jobs, refused to cross picket lines and may have shut down some shows, a union official said.

Writers Guild of America member Dennis Regan takes a break from the picket line at NBC main entrance on the first day of the writers strike in Burbank, Calif., Monday, Nov. 5, 2007. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)
Writers Guild of America member Dennis Regan takes a break from the picket line at NBC main entrance on the first day of the writers strike in Burbank, Calif., Monday, Nov. 5, 2007. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)   (Associated Press)
Pickets march beneath a billboard for the Fox TV series Bones outside the entrance to Twentieth Century-Fox Studios in Los Angeles as a strike by film and television writers got under way Monday, Nov. 5, 2007. The contract between the 12,000-member Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of...
Pickets march beneath a billboard for the Fox TV series "Bones" outside the entrance to Twentieth Century-Fox Studios in Los Angeles as a strike by film and television writers got under way Monday, Nov....   (Associated Press)
Pickets marching outside the entrance to Twentieth Century-Fox Studios in Los Angeles are reflected in the mirrored sunglasses of Barry Safchik, who has written for shows including Weeds and Side Order Of Life as a strike by film and television writers got under way Monday, Nov. 5, 2007. The contract...
Pickets marching outside the entrance to Twentieth Century-Fox Studios in Los Angeles are reflected in the mirrored sunglasses of Barry Safchik, who has written for shows including "Weeds" and "Side Order...   (Associated Press)
Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus lends her support to Writers Guild of America members as they picket Warner Brothers studios in Burbank, Calif., on the first day of the writers strike, Monday, Nov. 5, 2007. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)
Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus lends her support to Writers Guild of America members as they picket Warner Brothers studios in Burbank, Calif., on the first day of the writers strike, Monday, Nov. 5, 2007....   (Associated Press)
Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus lends her support to Writers Guild of America members as they picket Warner Brothers studios in Burbank, Calif., on the first day of the writers strike, Monday, Nov. 5, 2007. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)
Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus lends her support to Writers Guild of America members as they picket Warner Brothers studios in Burbank, Calif., on the first day of the writers strike, Monday, Nov. 5, 2007....   (Associated Press)
Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, right, lends her support to Writers Guild of America members as they picket Warner Brothers studios in Burbank, Calif., on the first day of the writers strike, Monday, Nov. 5, 2007. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)
Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, right, lends her support to Writers Guild of America members as they picket Warner Brothers studios in Burbank, Calif., on the first day of the writers strike, Monday, Nov....   (Associated Press)
Writer Moira Walkey-Beckett greets drivers from the sidewalk of The Walt Disney Co. building in Burbank, Calif. Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2007. The first strike by Hollywood writers against TV networks and movie studios in nearly two decades entered its second day Tuesday.(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Writer Moira Walkey-Beckett greets drivers from the sidewalk of The Walt Disney Co. building in Burbank, Calif. Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2007. The first strike by Hollywood writers against TV networks and movie...   (Associated Press)
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Internet • Hollywood • cell phones • labor • Steve Carell • union • strike • Jay Leno • teamsters • Ellen DeGeneres • Writers Guild of America • studios

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