Hopes high for today's session, say insiders
Deadline Hollywood Daily Nov 27, 07 9:45 AM CST
(Newser)
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"Reasonableness ruled the day” during yesterday’s renewed negotiations between producers and striking screenwriters, an insider tells Deadline Hollywood Daily scoop artist Nikki Finke. Producers and writers reviewed the status of proposals outlined Nov. 4 before talks broke off and the strike began, with plans to resume today, when "they really start advancing the ball," says a source.
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Blogs allow 'fun of working, without stress or pay'; talks resume
Los Angeles Times Nov 26, 07 1:44 PM CST
(Newser)
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Striking late-night comedy writers have some serious issues—no jobs and, worse, no creative outlet. When the jokes went from "60 to zero," in the words of a "Colbert Report" staffer, many aimed new blogs and videos squarely at the studios on the other side of the picket line. The result? A platform and a growing audience, reports the LA Times.
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Studios deny overtime, meal breaks to reality TV writers, guild says
Los Angeles Times Nov 24, 07 4:15 PM CST
(Newser)
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With negotiations in the Hollywood writer's strike coming Monday, a new survey shows that writers for "unscripted" TV are denied overtime pay and meal breaks, the Los Angeles Times reports. Reality TV is a major sticking point in the strike, as studios insist that writers be classified as editors and story producers.
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Alicia Keys performs at thousands-strong solidarity rally
Variety Nov 21, 07 12:45 PM CST
(Newser)
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Though one marcher was "Looking for Mr. Write," the other 4,000 striking writers and supporters who took over Hollywood Boulevard yesterday were marching to boost solidarity before for next week's negotiations with studios. An Alicia Keys performance kicked off a rally aimed at keeping strike commitment high. "Let's get this done by Christmas," one writer urged studios, Variety reports.
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Union aims to kick start negotiations
Broadcasting & Cable Nov 20, 07 4:19 AM CST
(Newser)
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Some 500 CBS News writers and other staffers are threatening to join Hollywood writers on the picket line. News writers, graphic artists, researchers and other network employees who are members of the Writers Guild of America have voted by a huge majority to authorize a strike against the company, the union announced yesterday. WGA news employees have been working without a contract since 2005 and without raises since 2004.
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Creators will retain creative control
Wall Street Journal Nov 19, 07 12:42 AM CST
(Newser)
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The made-for-Internet show "quarterlife," created and largely financed by the brains behind "My So-Called Life" and "thirtysomething," will be appearing on TV thanks to a deal with NBC signed this week. The show will most likely hit old-media screens early next year, after all 36 scheduled webisodes have aired. New episodes will continue to debut online before their TV air dates.
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Cast stages longer, uninterrupted, dirtier show to benefit strikers
Associated Press Nov 18, 07 12:29 PM CST
(Newser)
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It was SNL with all the trappings: opening monologue, musical guest, Weekend Update. But the extra-long, raunchier-than-usual show that never aired last night was witnessed by only 150 audience members at a Manhattan theater. "Saturday Night Live—On Strike!" benefited the long-running comedy show's striking production team, the AP reports.
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With 2 dozen TV shows shut down, will meet with studio reps Nov. 26
Los Angeles Times Nov 17, 07 5:48 AM CST
(Newser)
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With the Hollywood writers' strike starting to cause economic pain, writers and studios have agreed to head back to the bargaining table Nov. 26. The breakthrough came via back-channel talks between top TV writers and studio execs, the Los Angeles Times reports. The strike halted production on some two dozen TV shows; late-night talk shows are in reruns, and stockpiled episodes of others are dwindling.
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Picketing Hollywood's money machine
Associated Press Nov 14, 07 2:49 AM CST
(Newser)
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Striking writers waving banners marched on Wall Street to complain that the nation's media giants aren't sharing the wealth from online content. The Writers Guild of America targeted CBS, Disney, Viacom Inc., which owns Comedy Central and MTV; News Corp., owner of the Fox TV and film studios, and others
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Writers use Veterans Day to teach kids and garner attention
Associated Press Nov 12, 07 6:20 PM CST
(Newser)
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Striking scribes took advantage of Veterans Day to bring their kids to picket lines in Los Angeles today, the AP reports. The move garnered attention and gave parents a chance to tutor youngsters in payments and residuals. "It's a little rude for the producers to take so much and have nothing left to share," said one 10-year-old carrying a homemade sign.
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Strike threatens an already troubled genre
Los Angeles Times Nov 12, 07 4:31 AM CST
(Newser)
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The strike by the Writers Guild of America could leave an entire genre hanging by a bubble. Daytime soaps operas won't be sent into reruns immediately, like late-night talk shows, because producers have scripts stockpiled. But the soaps have been hemorraghing viewers for years, reports the Los Angeles Times , and the strike could prove fatal to the lowest performers.
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Transatlantic talent search a possibility; strike marches on
Variety Nov 9, 07 2:10 PM CST
(Newser)
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Five days into the Writers Guild strike, studios are looking across the Atlantic to UK screenwriters who don't fall under American union jurisdiction. So far, they're just looking, Variety reports, and the jury's still out on the ethics of the situation. One studio exec says it presents "an extraordinary opportunity," while a top agent advises steering clear.
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Cancel deals with production companies to spread the pain of writer's guild strike
Los Angeles Times Nov 7, 07 8:52 AM CST
(Newser)
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Hollywood studios are moving quickly to spread the pain of the writers' strike, saying they'll start—as soon as today—suspending dozens of long-term deals with TV production companies and laying off assistants, development executives and production managers who work for striking writers. "Anyone who's not working on pilots or shows is going to get suspension letters," one top studio executive told the Los Angeles Times.
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No talks planned
as shows tabled,
actors refuse to work
ABC News Nov 6, 07 7:23 PM CST
(Newser)
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The Hollywood writers strike could last for months, says ABC News, because negotiators w