Wga Strike

On the Road at the 2008 July Television Critics Association Tour

Ed Martin | Posted 07.09.2008 | Home


Ed Martin

After a brutal year that saw its annual January tour cancelled because of the Writers Guild of America strike and its membership battered by newsroom ...

Don't Give Up Your Day Job, Jackass

Bill Barol | Posted 03.27.2008 | Media


Bill Barol

While Jeff Zucker's commerical that's supposed to precede next week's return of My Name Is Earl is funny, is it helpful in forging a post-strike climate of mutual respect? Not a bit.

Recession Hits Hollywood

Variety | JOSEF ADALIAN | Posted 03.25.2008 | Business


The wave of euphoria that swept over Hollywood following the end of the WGA strike has been replaced by a whole new set of emotions: anxiety, depressi...

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

Michael Russnow | Posted 03.23.2008 | Entertainment


Michael Russnow

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.

Also, apparently, there was like a strike about this or something.

Bill Barol | Posted 03.10.2008 | Media


Bill Barol

The New York Times discovers, in today's Business section, that the kids are now watching TV shows on their computers. (Whoa! It's like I'm talkin' sp...

A Love Letter to Writers' Rooms

Taii K. Austin | Posted 02.27.2008 | Entertainment


Taii K. Austin

Hollywood's a messed up place in many ways, but one thing I really dig about it is its crackhead-esque dependence on the collaboration of different kinds of folks.

WGA Strike Primer: The Wrap-up

Robert J. Elisberg | Posted 02.26.2008 | Entertainment


Robert J. Elisberg

Throughout the strike, there regularly were news stories about dissension in the Writers Guild. Writers dissent for breakfast. Finding dissent in the WGA is like finding sand at the beach.

Writers Guild Deal: Details

Jonathan Handel | Posted 02.21.2008 | Entertainment


Jonathan Handel

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 | Posted 02.19.2008 | Entertainment


Robert J. Elisberg

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

Breaking News: Hollywood Execs Ahead of Curve

Nicholas Weinstock | Posted 02.15.2008 | Entertainment


Nicholas Weinstock

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.

Hollywood Begins Salvage Operation

Los Angeles Times | Maria Elena Fernandez, Matea Gold | Posted 02.15.2008 | Business


With the strike over, the salvage operation begins. Hollywood lurched back into gear this week, reviving projects sidelined by the three-month labor ...

The Writers Strike Is Over! Hooray?

Lloyd Garver | Posted 02.14.2008 | Entertainment


Lloyd Garver

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.

Striking Out: Writing Without the WGA in LA

Adam Baer | Posted 02.13.2008 | Entertainment


Adam Baer

Most Los Angeles writers who haven't yet joined the WGA and continue to peck away at careers in writing for publication had their moment in the sun during the Writer's strike.

How the WGA Won: A Behind the Scenes Look at the WGA Strike

Roger Wolfson | Posted 02.12.2008 | Entertainment


Roger Wolfson

The groundwork for the writers' strike started with something the town rarely notices: a routine, biannual WGA election.

What I'll Miss When the Strike Is Over

Ken Levine | Posted 02.11.2008 | Entertainment


Ken Levine

The incessant honking. It was like driving in Mexico City... Hanging out on the picket line with my good buddy Elvis Costello. It was one of the greatest minutes of my life.

Showrunners Back To Work

Variety | CYNTHIA LITTLETON, DAVE MCNARY | Posted 02.11.2008 | Business


After 14 weeks of warfare, labor peace has come to Hollywood. TV showrunners head back to the office today, and the scribe tribe officially resumes w...

Where's the AMPTP? And Do We Care?

Jonathan Handel | Posted 02.11.2008 | Entertainment


Jonathan Handel

In a wonderful article, Variety summarizes the last few month of negotiation, and notes that "movement in the WGA talks began when Disney CEO Robert I...

Notes from the Shrine: The Big WGA Meeting

Ken Levine | Posted 02.10.2008 | Entertainment


Ken Levine

About an hour in, Patric Verrone was handed a note and announced that someone was live blogging and would they please stop it. I was worried that everyone would look to me, and I would have to say, "Hey, guys. I don't even know how to text message."

Writers Deal: Analysis

Jonathan Handel | Posted 02.10.2008 | Entertainment


Jonathan Handel

The writers faced down eight large media companies and conglomerates, and won what appears to be a decent beachhead on the Internet.

The WGA Strike For Dummies: End Game - But What About Our Future?

Michael Russnow | Posted 02.10.2008 | Entertainment


Michael Russnow

The writers' work stoppage has been our shot across the bow. And it was magnificently played. There's no doubt our producing partners know we mean business and now take us seriously.

Writers Deal: Details Emerge

Jonathan Handel | Posted 02.09.2008 | Entertainment


Jonathan Handel

The Writers Guild held a closed-door meeting Friday with strike captains to brief them on the tentative deal. Here's what a source inside the room told me.

WGA Strike Primer: The Secret Letter

Robert J. Elisberg | Posted 02.08.2008 | Entertainment


Robert J. Elisberg

You've probably heard that the strike is over. It isn't. No, really, it isn't. The truth is, no one speaking publicly knows what the deal actually is.

Celebrity Real Estate Losers

Forbes | Dorothy Pomerantz | Posted 02.06.2008 | Business


Even Hollywood's rich and famous can't avoid the housing downturn that's sweeping the nation. In Los Angeles, only 4,430 homes were sold in December, ...

WGA Strike Primer: Crossing Paths with Carson Daly

Robert J. Elisberg | Posted 02.05.2008 | Entertainment


Robert J. Elisberg

Carson Daly's name still can bring a twitch to many a Writers Guild member. But he had the bad fortune to be first.

Favored Nations?

Jonathan Handel | Posted 02.04.2008 | Entertainment


Jonathan Handel

With a writers deal apparently in the offing, now's a time to pause and ask about favored nations.