Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 2, 2008 7:30:36 AM CST



Writers' Block track this thread

Started by K Schwartz; Last updated by D Lim | View history

Writers' Block

"Once it starts, it's going to get ugly." -LAT writer

The first Hollywood writers strike since 1988 was expected to be long, expensive and debilitating from the get-go...and a few months into it, that seems to be the case. Writers are demanding a bigger share of DVD and new-media profits.

Stories

Stories 81 - 98 of 98

  • November 2007
    • 'Family Guy' Gets Scabby

      'Family Guy' Gets Scabby

      (Newser) - Fox is producing new episodes of animated series "Family Guy" during the Writers Guild strike—without show creator Seth MacFarlane, who is on the picket lines. "I hope they don't do it," MacFarlane said Friday. The Hollywood Reporter says the first episode finished without MacFarlane's involvement was delivered to the studio yesterday; three more are in the works, E! Online reports. More »

    • Writers March on Wall Street

      Writers March on Wall Street

      (Newser) - 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 More »

    • Writers' Strike Could Send Soaps Down the Drain

      Writers' Strike Could Send Soaps Down the Drain

      (Newser) - 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. More »

    • The Internet Didn't Kill the TV Show

      The Internet Didn't Kill the TV Show

      (Newser) - With Viacom's lawsuit against YouTube, and widespread speculation that the dearth of material created by a long TV writers' strike will send more viewers online, there are still some economists who think Internet video could stimulate rather than stifle TV viewing. The key is not to think of the online/on-air conflict as a zero sum game, Melissa Lafsky writes on the Freakonomics blog at the New York Times. More »

    • Writerless Studios May Turn to UK

      Writerless Studios May Turn to UK

      (Newser) - 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. More »

    • Hollywood Studios Strike Back

      Hollywood Studios Strike Back

      (Newser) - 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. More »

    • Scribe Strike May Last Months

      Scribe Strike May Last Months

      (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. More »

    • New Web TV Show May Benefit From Writers' Strike

      New Web TV Show May Benefit From Writers' Strike

      (Newser) - Just as Hollywood writers go on strike, the Emmy-winning creators of "thirtysomething" and "My So-Called Life" are launching their new show, which will air not on TV but online, in eight-minute weekly webisodes. "Quarterlife" will focus on six twentysomething artist friends living in a big city, and characters and fans will be able to interact on quarterlife.com to form a social networking community. More »

    • At a Loss for Words, Colbert Quits 'Race'

      At a Loss for Words, Colbert Quits 'Race'

      (Newser) - Stephen Colbert’s fake dreams of becoming president ended in South Carolina last week, and the Writers Guild strike has put the final nail in the coffin of his White House aspirations. “I am going off the air until I can talk about this without weeping,” the fake candidate said today—not coincidentally, the same day his show was forced into reruns, ABC News reports. More »

    • Hollywood Writers on Strike

      Hollywood Writers on Strike

      (Newser) - The first Hollywood writers strike since 1988 began early this morning when union representatives walked out on talks with studio negotiators after 11 hours at the bargaining table. Both sides expect the strike to be long, expensive and debilitating. "Once it starts, it's going to get ugly," a writer told the Los Angeles Times . More »

    • It's On: Writers Finalize Plans for Midnight Strike

      It's On: Writers Finalize Plans for Midnight Strike

      (Newser) - Members of the Writers Guild of America met in their LA headquarters this weekend to plan for their strike, scheduled to begin at midnight tonight. About 300 strike captains will lead and organize the picketing. "This is it. This is the time in history that a stand has to be made," one writer told the Los Angeles Times. More »

    • Writers to Hit Picket Lines

      Writers to Hit Picket Lines

      (Newser) - Hollywood scribes vow to strike on Monday if they can't reach an accord with film and TV companies first. "We don't want to strike," a Writers Guild of America rep said today. "What we really want to do is negotiate." But the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers reacted by blasting the guild for "falsehoods, misstatements and inaccuracies. We are very disappointed with their press conference and the action they took." More »

    • Hollywood Writers Call Strike

      Hollywood Writers Call Strike

      (Newser) - Setting the stage for the first walkout in nearly 20 years, Hollywood writers voted yesterday to go on strike, reports Associated Press. The union's president announced the decision in a closed-door meeting yesterday, drawing raucous cheers from the assembly. "There was a unified feeling. I don't think anyone wants the strike, but people are behind the negotiation committee," said one writer. More »

    • Hollywood Writers in Cliffhanger

      Hollywood Writers in Cliffhanger

      (Newser) - Fans of soaps and late-night talk shows, get ready for reruns; a strike looms as soon as tomorrow after Hollywood’s writers and producers failed to reach agreement on a new deal last night. Stalled talks were called off before the writers' contract expired at midnight, and the sides are deadlocked on key issues, including increased residuals for DVDs and other digital distribution channels. More »

  • October 2007
    • History of Loathing Fuels Labor Unrest

      History of Loathing Fuels Labor Unrest

      (Newser) - The current Hollywood labor difficulties are the culmination of generations of animosity, dating to the earliest days of talking pictures and studios' resentment of the sophisticated New Yorkers they employed. With the Writers Guild of America set to strike at midnight tomorrow, the LA Times takes a look at a long, troubled marriage that's currently on the rocks. More »

    • Hey Brother, Can You Spare a Screenplay?

      Hey Brother, Can You Spare a Screenplay?

      (Newser) - Last week, Paramount issued an urgent call for someone, anyone, to doctor its Wolverine script—fast. Across Hollywood, studios and writers alike are desperately rushing to finish scripts before the Writers' Guild’s Halloween strike deadline, the LA Times reports. “Everybody is living in the impending doom,” said one scribe, furiously scribbling a Da Vinci Code sequel. More »

    • Hollywood Writers Vote to Strike

      Hollywood Writers Vote to Strike

      (Newser) - Hollywood writers are headed for the picket line if they don't reach a deal with the studios by Oct. 31. Members of the film and TV writers' union voted by a 90% margin to authorize a strike if the standoff isn't resolved, the first such strike vote since 1988, the Los Angeles Times reports. At issue is the writers' belief that they are being shortchanged on home video sales and web distribution.