State of the Union

David Dean Bottrell, 09.18.2009

blogs at www.partsandlabor.tv

If the new SAG leadership doesn't rapidly start taking all the painful, but necessary steps to merge with AFTRA, we are fucked.

Larry Wilmore Shares His "Black Thoughts" On Life

Sean L. McCarthy, 03.13.2009

Publisher of The Comic's Comic, providing round-the-clock news about comedy

Wilmore reveals, among other things, how he feels that Al Roker is both a tragic and magical figure, why he'd replace the terms "African-American" and "black" with "chocolate," and how black men are portrayed on television.

A Double Shot at...No.

Kiesha Ramey-Presner, 03.04.2009

Although The Real World was initially a compelling concept of seven strangers living in a house set in a major city, it unraveled as Abercrombie

Why the WGA was Right and SAG is Wrong

Michael Seitzman, 12.26.2008

Screenwriter, Director, Producer

The time we're in now isn't more hospitable to a work stoppage or a better deal. The only thing SAG's timing is more hospitable to is home foreclosure.

Comments About the Looming SAG Strike

Norman Horowitz, 12.22.2008

Senior executive with almost 50 years of diverse media experience

The appointment of a mediator will not help one teeny weenie little bit. The actors want "more money" and the production companies are unwilling to give it to them. Simple isn't it?

Finding the Toilet in Stockholm

John Sauer, 09.27.2008

Last week a mix of water and sanitation experts gathered for World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden to mull over the world's biggest public health crisis. The problem is that not enough people paid attention.

Talkin' Peace and John With Yoko Ono

Marissa Moss, 09.21.2008

Ono: I really wanted to [re-release the track, Give Peace a Chance], it was my statement because right now the world is in turmoil and we really need to talk about world peace.

Network Television SAGs Painfully

Robert J. Elisberg, 07.16.2008

Columnist and screenwriter

It's the current common wisdom throughout SAG negotiations that the Writers Strike Destroyed Network Television. Hey, honestly, it sounds reasonable. As long as you don't think too hard. Or at all.

Warner Bros. Explains Why the Strike Was Necessary

Robert J. Elisberg, 06.13.2008

Columnist and screenwriter

Any questions on the strike should now be all laid to rest, with all fingers properly pointed at the actual cause and corporate perpetrators.

HuffPoster John Ridley Among Those Called Out By Writer's Guild

Reny Monk, 04.26.2008

The WGA has sent out a castigating letter to its members that lists names of writers who crossed the picket lines during the tense hundred-day strike that ended in February.

Why Bones Is the Perfect Show (Or At Least One of the Best Ones Ever)

Jamie Frevele, 04.14.2008

www.dilfits.com

After watching every episode available to me, I was ready to make a very bold, James Lipton-caliber claim: Bones might be the best show of its kind, perhaps ever.

Deborah Kerr Rhymes With Star, and What a Star She Was: She Deserves to Be Remembered, Too

Michael Russnow, 01.10.2009

Screenwriter, former Member Writers Guild West Board of Directors

Though Kerr was 86 and had been out of the public eye for a number of years, her film and stage career, spanning four and a half decades, had secured her legendary status in motion picture history.

The SAG Negotiations: Two Short Videos By German Actors Explain Why TV and Film Actors Have To Remain Vigilant

Michael Russnow, 04.20.2008

Screenwriter, former Member Writers Guild West Board of Directors

A better case could not be made for what's at stake for all of us who work in the American entertainment industry than a video produced by German actor Andreas Stenschke.

Hillary (and Bill): A Closed Mouth Inserts No Foot

Edward Ugel, 03.28.2008

We are watching a global case of bad politics in action. At the tip of the poor-sport spear is none other than Bill Clinton himself. He's taken his ever growing legacy and shoved it right into the toilet.

How the Writers' Strike Launched My New Career

Tom Gammill, 01.12.2009

Striking Similarities

Neil G. Giuliano, 03.28.2008

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of gay and transgender visibility, of the importance for millions of Americans struggling with their identity to see their lives accurately reflected on TV shows.

Why The Strike Hurt ABC And CBS The Most

Michael Learmonth, 03.28.2008

The writers strike may be over, but the ratings pain it caused for the broadcast networks isn't. Nielsen ratings are down 20% so far in February at AB...

Writers Guild Deal: Details

Jonathan Handel, 03.28.2008

Entertainment Attorney at TroyGould in Los Angeles

Want to know the gory details of the tentative writers deal now being voted on by the Writers Guild members?

WGA Strike Primer: Settling a Final Debt

Robert J. Elisberg, 03.28.2008

Columnist and screenwriter

Admiration and thanks are plentiful. But I still reserve my awe for the strike captains.

Breaking News: Hollywood Execs Ahead of Curve

Nicholas Weinstock, 03.28.2008

It's not surprising -- as has become clear in the oceanic email volume of these post-strike days -- that many writers turn out to have written scripts on spec over the past few months.

The Writers Strike Is Over! Hooray?

Lloyd Garver, 03.28.2008

Writer and producer

After working steadily as a TV writer for many years, I made a big mistake: I allowed some of my hair to turn gray. In the eyes of those at the studios, I was suddenly too old to be funny.