Some of you may have heard recently about the strike of the Writer's Guild of America that started a few days ago. I don't understand the issue completely, but know that part of it has to do with Hollywood writers feeling left out of royalties from TV shows released on DVD and other various forms of media (iTunes, etc.), which studios are refusing to cough up. And so, after much negotiation, the writers of your favorite TV shows and movies are now currently on strike.I read today that Tina Fey joined her 30 Rock's writers on the picket line today; The Office has halted production because half its producers are also writers (not to mention actors). Same goes for Lost, Pushing Daisies, and Heroes. (Read more about it here.)The networks are now reportedly scrambling to finish up already-filmed episodes in preparation for the possibility of a long-term strike, in which case I suppose we'd be flooded with even more reality TV and news magazines.
Some of you might ask why the networks won't just go hire some talented young writers who haven't yet joined the WGA, and there is a possibility, I suppose, that they will. Having said that, any writers hoping to make it into show business are basically shooting themselves in the foot by writing against the WGA strike. As one radio reporter, talking to KSL's Nightside, put it: "They'll never work in Hollywood again."
Let's hope the studios and writers can make peace again, and soon! I can only imagine what life would be like without our favorite scripted shows!
6 comments:
Will this affect Lost's start date? It shouldn't since by February will have been almost A YEAR!!! since the last episode.
Lost will still come back in February, as far as I can tell. I think it has already begun filming. Having said that, if the strike goes on for very long, we may get an even shorter season...
Who's side are you taking here, Jen? The studios or the writers? Right now, I'm leaning toward siding with the writers, who should be entitled to residual revenue from things they created, that the studios continue to profit from.
BYU is going to have to play four football games a week so that I will have something to watch ... oh wait, I don't have the Mtn.
I am 100% for the writers. We would have no show without them. It's really sad that the actors get paid so much and the writers are struggling.
I love actors. I love tv. The writers deserve respect.
Are Tina Fey and her kind willing to take less in royalties so that the writers can have some?
Next question: are the writers willing to share in the risk of a flop? If not, then they don't deserve to share in the success.
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