Writers Strike on The Huffington Post

David Dean Bottrell: State of the Union

2009-08-18T12:26:41Z

My adrenaline spiked a little when I spotted the pale green envelope in my mailbox. "Money!" I thought. It was a logical assumption since the Writer's Guild of America always sends out their residual checks in these lovely wintergreen envelopes. I was slightly disappointed to discover that instead of a check, it was a little missive from my other union, the Screen Actors Guild containing a ballot and a form letter recommending that I vote to approve our new and long-delayed TV and film contract. As I checked the "yes" box, I couldn't help but reflect on the 18-month circus that had finally led to this small slip of paper in my hand. If the events hadn't been so damaging, they would have been hilarious. In case you haven't been following the saga, here are just a few of the highlights:

Our story opens with a bizarre open letter from SAG's former National Executive Director, Doug Allen, attacking sister union AFTRA just months before we were supposed to start joint negotiations with them. The pissed-off AFTRA leadership then broke ranks and (much to the studios' delight) negotiated a wonderfully lame contract of their own. When the more moderate faction of the SAG board (aka "Unite for Strength") then tried to fire Mr. Allen, SAG President Alan Rosenberg and his hard-line "Membership First" cronies all but declared civil war. This led to Mr. Rosenberg's now famous 28-hour, boardroom filibuster to block the firing. His opponents, however, found a constitutional loophole, stormed the executive offices and fired Mr. Allen anyway -- not once, but twice. The following morning, Mr. Rosenberg felt moved to write a folk song about the incident and posted it on YouTube. As if that wasn't punishment enough, he then joined forces with SAG's 1st Vice President, Anne-Marie Johnson and a few other fire-breathing cohorts and together filed a lawsuit against their own union to reinstate Mr. Allen. This being an organization run by actors, none of the participants was particularly shy about issuing statements to the press, which quickly turned SAG's internal strife into a big, embarrassing and very public soap opera.

At the peak of this shit-slinging contest, I attended one of the "informational meetings" held at the Harmony Gold Theatre in Hollywood. Mr. Rosenberg opened the meeting by stating that although we might be "walking in here as a union divided, we were going to walk out of this auditorium in complete solidarity." That wasn't exactly what happened. Instead, some none-too-subtle pressure was applied for us to approve a strike authorization which would have effectively handed the equivalent of a small nuclear bomb to a bunch of extremely pissed-off people. To hear our leadership tell it, the AMPTP was now being run by Darth Vader and if we didn't act now, the entire empire would be lost. As a veteran of the recent WGA strike, I wondered why SAG thought they were going to prevail in obtaining a superior contract when all of their sister unions had failed. As various rabid strike enthusiasts took the microphone to rant against the forces of darkness, the whole event began to take on the feeling of a "McCain-Palin" rally (i.e. a lost cause covered in a thick, sugary coating of nostalgia for the good old days).

All of this hysteria was, of course, being fueled by that sign of the apocalypse, "New Media." It's no secret that the coming of New Media has already started altering the economics of the industry. The question on the table is (and will always be) the future of residuals. The original template for paying residuals came about in the late 1950's and early 60's when ideas like Cable TV, DVR's, Blu-Ray and the Internet sounded like something from The Jetsons. There were exactly three TV networks to choose from and every night, every American sat down and dutifully watched at least three full hours of whatever was on. This huge captive audience was an advertising gold mine and the networks were raking it in. To their credit, the unions realized it was the perfect time to step up and demand a piece of that gargantuan pie. Not wanting to interrupt the torrential cash flow, the networks and studios saw the wisdom of cutting them a slice. Those were also the Golden Days when entertainment companies were actually entertainment companies -- as opposed to now, when most of the studios and networks are just divisions of much larger conglomerates who view their broadcasting or movie-making divisions as just one small asset out of many.

As I sat in the Harmony Gold, I wondered if SAG was keeping up with the times. In truth, labor unions all over the country are finding their effectiveness eroding. Public sentiment, once largely on the side of labor, has cooled. When I was walking the picket line in the WGA strike, I got used to the occasional "Fuck you" being hurled at us by passing cars. Apparently, there are a few folks out there who now view unions as a bunch spoiled brats who, having long ago won a choice corner of the sandbox, don't want to share an inch of it with anybody. Lest we forget, unions have, over the last 70 years, played a major role in creating this country's huge middle-class. They have stabilized lives and given workers opportunities to help their children achieve a stronger economic and educational foothold. Unions provide much needed medical insurance, create safe working conditions and can also raise a big stink (when a big stink is needed).

Unfortunately, while the SAG leadership was busy pantsing each other for the last 18 months, the economy tanked and the membership got stuck working under our old contract (with no pay raises). By some estimates, this delay may ultimately have cost SAG members upwards of 80 million dollars. Rumor has it that the guild is now operating at a substantial deficit and has had to lay off 8% of its staff. Plus, out of the 70 new pilots produced this season, 66 went to AFTRA.

Soon SAG will be electing new leadership. Membership First, in a effort to retake the castle, has lined up a slate that includes high-profile board candidates like Ed Harris, Martin Sheen and former SAG president, Ed Asner. "Unite for Strength" is running a slightly less well-known crew including Clark Gregg, Hill Harper and Michael O'Keefe. In a good year, approximately 30% of the membership votes and it's a sad reality that well-known actors tend to get elected. Oddly, there is some kind of assumption that fame equals wisdom; that a star's on-screen persona will work miracles at the bargaining table. With our current contract due to expire in 2011, I hope my fellow SAG members will keep in mind that negotiation sessions are not scripted. The good guys don't always win. Sometimes they don't even show up. And in my opinion, if the new SAG leadership doesn't rapidly start taking all the painful, but necessary steps to merge with AFTRA, we are fucked.

I suspect that SAG, in addition to working hard to protect its members, will continue provide us with some lively entertainment. We are after all, a union made of people who are naturally predisposed to conflict and drama. I do hope that whoever takes the reins in the next election will keep in mind that (for now) it appears that broadcast TV, cable and movies are far from dead. New Media is already so in love with itself that I have no doubt it will keep us well-informed when it starts achieving its financial zenith. And when that day comes, I'll be totally happy to lace up my Nikes, grab my picket sign and walk the line for as long as it takes to win the fair compensation required to allow us to keep doing the work we are meant to do: entertaining people.

David Dean Bottrell is an actor (Boston Legal) and screenwriter (Kingdom Come) who writes a weekly blog about being strangely middle-class in Hollywood at www.partsandlabor.tv

Jay Leno Cleared Of WGA Strike Violations

2009-08-12T11:12:54Z

LOS ANGELES — Jay Leno has dodged disciplinary action after being accused of breaking union rules last year.

On Tuesday, the Writers Guild of America, West sent an e-mail to members listing those found guilty of breaking ranks during a 100-day writers strike that ended in February of last year.

Jay Leno On Trial Over Strike Monologues

2009-02-26T09:57:05Z

Reporting from Los Angeles and New York -- Comedian Jay Leno was hauled in front of his own union's trial committee Wednesday to address charges that he broke guild rules during last season's writers strike, a full year after the alleged violations.

The NBC late-night host was a prominent backer of the Writers Guild of America during the 100-day work stoppage, but he alarmed union officials when he announced on the air that he was penning his own monologues while the strike was still in full swing.

Leno contends that he did nothing wrong. He has the highest profile among a handful of writers whose cases are being reviewed by the committee, which will make a recommendation to the board on whether any action should be taken. Possible penalties include a reprimand, a fine and even expulsion from the union.

Writers Guild May Suspend Jay Leno Over Strike Monologues

2009-02-11T11:25:35Z

A year has passed, but the WGA West is still reviewing the possibility of disciplinary action against Jay Leno for "Tonight Show" monologues he delivered while the guild was on strike.

It's understood that the guild has brought disciplinary proceedings against Leno, who is a Writers Guild of America member and writer for his NBC latenighter. The specifics of the proceedings are unclear, but the process should come to a head soon.

According to the strike rules the WGA distributed to members before the strike began on Nov. 5, 2007, the guild's constitution gives it the authority to hold hearings to review allegations of violations of strike rules and to discipline members. That discipline may include "expulsion or suspension from guild membership, imposition of monetary fines or censure," according to the WGA's strike rules. There is also an appeals process.

Kiesha Ramey-Presner: A Double Shot at...No.

2009-02-01T21:07:12Z

When the television writers went on strike last season , it breathed forth an incredible opportunity for Reality TV producers to dig deep into the depths of filth and give us their best. Captivated initially by mainstays like Survivor and The Amazing Race, and further mesmerized by more direct hits to the libido like The Bachelor(ette), American viewers probably never considered how far the phenomenon could go. Thank you, cable television.

Most point to MTV's Real World as the first true reality show. Initially a compelling concept of seven strangers living in a house set in a city of worldly opportunity, it unraveled as Abercrombie & Fitch set to motion and sound with the Vegas crew in season 12 -- minus the innuendo and plus the blatant exploitation of pretty young things with too much access to alcohol and too little responsibility.

But that season set the stage for the simultaneously TiVo-worthy and parental-blocking reality shows on the air today -- and MTV is not the only player here. VH1, positioned as the MTV for those of us who have grown up, has perfected a formula of bringing girls who strip as a gateway to porn together with guys who view porn as a gateway to a relationship. And thus we have such nuggets of intelligentsia as Flavor of Love, I Love New York and my favorite, Rock of Love. But just when you think VH1 has beaten MTV at their own game, MTV steps up with A Double Shot at Love. Chug.

So for those of you who have too much class or self-restraint to have watched this debacle; or simply haven't had the fortune of stumbling upon it while channel surfing - allow me to fill you in. A Double Shot at Love is built upon the same concept as a previous MTV hit, A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila. Tila is a bisexual femme on a Bachelorette -- like search for the perfect man -- or woman. Tila's sexual identity is not what makes the show seedy. Whether it features a man looking for a woman, a man looking for a man, or any other combination not heretofore mentioned, the premise of these reality shows that ironically suspend all reality is the same. What makes the show seedy is its excessive sexploitation of Tila and her suitors.

Now take that concept and multiply it times two -- literally. A Double Shot at Love features identical twin sisters filling Tila's old role, bringing a disturbingly incestuous bent to the program. The "Ikki" twins, so named since they are "Rikki" and "Vikki," spend the show swapping spit and undoubtedly other substances with the same men and women, often in front of and within seconds of one another. It's dirty, jaw-dropping and mystifying -- and yet, not even entertaining. For one, the Ikki twins aren't so much hot as they are skanky, which would be fine if they had the self-aware or less aware humor of Bret Michaels and Flavor Flav, respectively. They don't. And the show's contestants lack the stripperific personalities essential to this format. In a nutshell, the Ikki twins give you no reason to care who they end up with, and their love interests are too boring for you to love them or hate them. So it's not long before you realize you're just watching almost-porn, somehow cheaper than the real XXX.

Have I gotten old, or has MTV gone too far for someone who actually tried to defend Temptation Island*? Set your TiVo, and you be the judge.

*Okay, so the one couple had a child. Aside from that, they were halfway decent people, right?

Michael Seitzman: Why the WGA was Right and SAG is Wrong

2008-11-25T12:10:14Z

There's a scene in Good Will Hunting when Will says that his foster father used to put a wrench, a stick and a belt on the table and said choose one. Robin Williams says that if it were him, he'd go with the belt. Will says he picked the wrench every time. Why? "Because f*ck him, that's why."

The dialog is satisfying because we've all been in a situation where clinging to our dignity felt worth whatever sacrifice had to be made. But how many times as a child were we told not to cut off our nose to spite our face? That's what Will does in picking the wrench and that's what SAG does if they choose to strike.

I was a staunch supporter of the Writers Guild strike. I picketed, organized, and wrote extensively about our very peculiar and vital labor movement. I gave up a lot of income during the strike, along with so many others, because I believed in it. And as strongly as I felt in favor of the necessary Writer's Guild Strike, I feel just as strongly in opposition to a reckless and dangerous Screen Actors Guild strike.

Much has happened in the last year. Namely, the most significant and crippling economic disaster in almost a century. And our industry specifically is still on its knees as a result of the WGA strike. While TV viewership is up this year, movie-going will very likely fall off considerably in the next twelve months as people have less disposable income. Our "recession proof" industry is nothing of the sort when people can't afford to buy a movie ticket.

The WGA had the sympathies of many others in the industry, the talk show hosts, the politicians, and the activists. Where have those people been through the many months of this current dispute? Crickets. At a time when the UAW is being called upon by many to take a hard look at its labor agreements as the auto industry falters, how can SAG justify such a dangerous and doomed attempt to improve upon a deal that was won in a completely different economy, after a bitter strike?

SAG has not refuted the AMPTP's assertion that they've been offered the same deal that the WGA and the DGA agreed to. Our membership signed off on that deal after four months of a painful work stoppage. Yes, of course the deal should have been better. But many of us believed it was the best we could do at the time. Many also felt that any benefit to continuing the strike was far outweighed by the clear and present need to get the town back to work. And that was then. 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.

So, why does SAG's leadership want a strike authorization? I can only go by what they're saying. SAG President Alan Rosenberg said in an interview yesterday, "We deserve our day in the room. We never got that."

Every now and then someone will say the thing they're really thinking. If you were writing this as a screenplay you might call it a rising subtext. "We deserve our day in the room. We never got that." Maybe I'm a bit cynical, but what I hear in that sentence is not one man's desire for a moment in the room, but for a moment in the sun.

Mr. Rosenberg says that the strike authorization isn't intended to result in a strike, but to provide strength in the negotiation. Where have we heard that before? The authorization for war in Iraq? Beware of the leader who asks for power he hopes to never use. I want to believe that Mr. Rosenberg is purely committed to his members, but there is too much at stake right now to blindly give him the benefit of the doubt.

I still feel that the WGA strike was the right thing at the right time, but context is everything. The context we're in now is that our industry is still staggering from billions lost in the last strike. Millions of people around the country have seen their pensions evaporate with their home values. We're spending trillions of our children's money in bailouts as other industries crumble around us. And the employees of those companies, not incidentally, also happen to be our audience.

Context is everything. Anyone who doesn't realize that today's context is nothing short of terrifying, and chooses the wrench over pragmatism, doesn't deserve their "day in the room." More to the point, they've clearly not yet stepped outside of the room.

Marissa Moss: Talkin' Peace and John With Yoko Ono

2008-08-21T12:54:47Z

Much has happened since John Lennon recorded "Give Peace a Chance" 39 years ago with new bride Yoko Ono in a Montreal Hotel Room, during their "Bed in For Peace." Presidents have come and gone, wars lost and won, and no one's talkin' much bout Timmy Leary, Tommy Smothers, Tommy Cooper, Derek Taylor anymore. One thing hasn't changed: we are no closer to peace. We've barely given it a chance.

Which is why Yoko Ono, famous Beatle wife, musician and artist, decided that it was the perfect time to re-release her husband's classic anthem. Only this time, the spare chanting has been replaced by steady dance beats, with a little help from the likes of remix masters Tommie Sunshine, Eric Kupper, Johnny Vicious, Dave Aude, Morel, Mike Cruz, and Double B. Last week, the track reached Billboards's Hot Dance Club Play Chart, proving an age-old anthem is as relevant as ever when given a makeover by a woman more visionary than given credit for, though every bit as controversial.

"Headlights in action, imagine peace," Ono deadpans on the Tommie Sunshine remix, talking determinedly through a series of lyrics, both old and new. More somber than the original, odd considering the incessant synthesizer in the background. It's a call for peace, with the tone of 39 years of everything but.

"[Ono] and John saw what was happening to the world we live in almost 40 years ago and gave us this beautiful song,"DJ, producer and remix artist Tommie Sunshine told me. "Now, when we need it the most, I have been given the chance to serve it back up with a modern slant and that is exactly what I did. The reason why it sounds a bit dark is because the world we now live in is a bit dark and it simply had to reflect that...If John was here to see what we have done to New York and the rest of this country, he would cry his eyes right out."

For Ono, amidst the darkness always lies hope--a sense of optimism that can either seem
naïve or steadfastly inspirational, depending on how you look at it. I called Yoko at home in New York to talk about giving peace a chance--both the song and the mission.

"Give Peace a Chance" first hit the charts 39 years ago. How does it feel to be on top again?

Well, it's always a nice feeling especially with this one because it's Give Peace a Chance, and I just didn't think it would make it.

Why did you feel that now was the right time to re-release and re-introduce this song?

I really wanted to do this, it was my statement because right now the world is in turmoil and we really need to talk about world peace. It's almost like giving someone soup- you give them soup to soothe their stomach. But this is like a peace soup, giving peace soup to everybody. And [with a dance mix] I just wanted to make a statement that would spread, that would be recognized. And dance is very important. I feel that dance is such an important part of our lives, for our health mentally and physically.

So do you dance every day?

I am either dancing in my mind or when I am walking the city, because I like to walk a lot - my steps are like dance steps. I feel like I am always dancing, dancing through life...we should all do that, because it is better than marching through life.

I love that. So were you pleased with the outcome of this song?

I am very pleased, and it's an honor that the artists I worked with wanted to do it.

Tommie Sunshine said working with you was a dream come true.

Well, Ditto.

Do you think that this idea of peace is the same as when this song was written, or has it taken on a new meaning?

In those days it was a bit tongue and cheek but I think now it is a more serious time--we all want peace, the whole world it asking for it. It's upfront, it's new, it's real. And that has to come through.

Are other musicians, artists, those with a public voice, doing enough for world peace or to promote peace? What are you doing next to promote peace?

I think so. There are two things in this world: peace industry and war industry. And anybody who is doing something peaceful in their work is in the peace industry. It needs to keep developing and spreading. That's what we are doing....For me, I'm into just now the imagine peace tower. On October 9th I go to Iceland and put a light on the imagine peace tower. It's giving a lot of solace to people. Go to Imagine Peace. When you click into it, you'll suddenly realize that we are all family.

How would John feel about you remixing the song?

I think he wanted this to happen - I think that if he were around, he'd do it. He did it now, whether I thought of it, or he did- I really believe in spirits, and I think his spirit is still alive. At the time, the lyrics were very current, with a sense of humor, and that's John. But now, it's a different society, different world. He would have loved the fact that I didn't just throw it in the old track.

Make it new and relevant.

I think so.

Are you following the election? Does either candidate represent peace to you?

I feel it's great that [the election] is going on, and that people are going to be really active about making sure that things are going to be all right for us. But meanwhile, we have to do some grassroots stuff too, and I believe in a grassroots movement.

Would you endorse a candidate?

Institutional politics...good luck to them. But I like grassroots work that has nothing to do with institutional politics, I suppose. You know, in the grassroots movement there is no red tape. The things that we are doing in the grassroots movement are of course going to effect the election. But in a roundabout way. Whatever happens, it is going to be a trying situation for the next president.

What can young people do to organize and bring about peace? Is protest effective?

The only thing that anyone should know is that each person's power is incredible, infinite-trust in your power and do things in a creative way, as long as it doesn't hurt others or hurt society. We all reach for world peace.

Finish my line to reflect today's zeitgeist: everybody's talking about....

Wanting world peace! You might think that some people are into war. But even those people in the bottom of their hearts, they want world peace. They are just going about tit a different way.

Obama To Showcase New VP At Saturday Springfield, Illinois Event

2008-08-19T12:46:02Z

The Obama team, in the run-up to the Democratic convention, will showcase the new Obama ticket Saturday in Springfield at the Old State Capitol, where presumptive Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) officially kicked off his campaign in February, 2007.

State of Illinois authorities have beens asked permission by Obama folks to reserve the historic spot at noon. This does not mean that this is the time and place where Obama announces his running mate; that could happen any time from Wednesday morning on. Obama's time frame is shrinking, so the announcement is coming soon. The new vice presidential contender will jump on the road with Obama to showcase the new partnership. Springfield is a leg on the Obama roots tour.

Meta! Chuck Lorre Makes Hilarious WSJ Article About His Vanity Cards Even More Hilarious With A Vanity Card About The WSJ

2008-05-15T10:01:56Z

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal's featured a hilarious front-page article about "Two and a Half Men" and "The Big Bang Theory" exec producer Chuck Lorre and the 'vanity cards' that flash at the end of every show. Most vanity cards are two-second production company logos (think 'Worldwide Pants' or 'Bad Robot' or 'Sit, Ubu, Sit. Good Dog. Woof!') but Lorre's are mini-essays — hilarious, personal and what writer Katherine Rosman calls "some of the most provocative writing on broadcast television." So far, Lorre has written 211 vanity cards — collected on his website for your (addictive) browsing pleasure — on topics ranging from his late father ("I want to apologize for despising you for reasons I still don't understand"), words he'd like to invent ("Homortified - the uncomfortable feeling straight men have when they're watching porn and are momentarily turned on by the wrong ass") and, not surprisingly, tangling with his bosses ("Just two episodes back from the strike and I've already managed to write a vanity card that is completely unacceptable to the good folks at CBS").

It's a very fun story, and Rosman goes through all sorts of examples of how Lorre's vanity cards wreak varying degrees of havoc — but she probably wasn't betting on being on the receiving end of same. Yet, that was exactly what happened on Monday night, when the latest vanity card aired — mentioning the WSJ, Rupert Murdoch, Warner Brothers and AOL, and requiring some fast action from Rosman on Tuesday for an article that was set to run on Wednesday:

This past Monday, in a card that aired after one of his shows, Mr. Lorre lampooned The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch, chief executive of the paper's new owner, News Corp. Mr. Lorre wrote about his vanity cards being the subject of an upcoming "article in The Wall Street Journal (or as I like to call it, The Depressingly Inevitable Next Step Toward the End of a Free Press in America, Thanks a Lot Rupert, Journal)." Robert Christie, a spokesman for Dow Jones & Co., publisher of the Journal, declined to comment.

The card also took a shot at Warner Bros., describing it, in part, as the "monolithic, multi-tiered, entirely un-integrated, boy-did-we-make-a-colossal-boo-boo-with-AOL entity." Warner Bros. Television produces Mr. Lorre's shows. A spokeswoman for Warner Bros. Television, a part of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which is owned by Time Warner Inc., declined to comment.

There's only one word to describe this situation: Hilarious! Lorre somehow managed to become the story even more in a story that was already about him, taking the piece from outsider's account to perfect example of why his vanity cards are so newsworthy and boundary-pushing (and, we're sure, exasperating). ETP emailed WSJ spokesman Christie, asking who had noticed the new card and how it had affected the editorial process but, not surprisingly, he declined to comment: "It is the policy at the Journal not to comment on newsgathering or editing decisions, so we will decline comment on these questions below." Still, one can surmise that the there was probably a last-minute flurry in the newsroom Tuesday as the page one story was amended to include a reference to how the new boss was killing journalism.

The moral of the story? Never miss an episode of "Two and a Half Men." Also, if you make enough money for Les Moonves, he will tolerate an awful lot.

Below are a few Chuck Lorre vanity cards, including the full WSJ card from Monday night, his most popular card (about the writer's strike), his least popular card (thanking his staff, which is still funny) and a card about Arnold Schwarzenegger that I can't believe they allowed on the air. He really must make a lot of money for Moonves.

Hit TV Writer Has Brief Message For His Viewers [WSJ]
The Official Vanity Card Archives [Chuck Lorre Productions]

Top two vanity card screengrabs courtesy of the WSJ interactive feature, which features audio from Lorre discussing more cards. Highly recommended.

TV Viewership Still Down In Wake OF Writers Strike

2008-05-11T14:06:42Z

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NEW YORK (AP) _ Television heads into its biggest week with the hangover from a 100-day writers strike persisting.

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

2008-04-18T18:15:01Z

I just received this email, and it's clear the WGA has thrown down the gauntlet. They are definitely playing old school hardball. They're circulating a list of scab writers who crossed the 100-day strike picket line; that is, writers who decided they would cash in while their fellow scribes marched and went without checks. One of the names may be familiar to Huff Posters, it's John Ridley. John, what's up with that?

Friends of the Hollywood Community,

To keep you updated on the WGA Contract news, here's the latest news from the presidents of the WGA East and West about those who went financial core during the strike and the list of scabs writers is below their statement.

David W.

_____
April 18, 2008

Dear Fellow Members of the Writers Guilds East and West:

During our 100-day strike, the extraordinary solidarity you demonstrated on the picket lines and the courage and dedication with which you committed yourselves to our cause were not only an inspiration but also the key to making our actions successful.

In the face of enormous personal and financial hardship on the part of many, you sacrificed in the knowledge that your refusal to work would reap benefits not only for yourselves but countless others in the creative community, now and in the future. Your stalwart resolve paid off.

Yet among the many there were a puny few who chose to do otherwise, who consciously and selfishly decided to place their own narrow interests over the greater good. Extreme exceptions to the rule, perhaps, but this handful of members who went financial core, resigning from the union yet continuing to receive the benefits of a union contract, must be held at arm's length by the rest of us and judged accountable for what they are - strikebreakers whose actions placed everything for which we fought so hard at risk.

While others forfeited paychecks to stand in unity with their fellow Guild members, many who went financial core continued to collect salaries. Without concern for their colleagues, they turned their backs and tossed the burden of collective action onto the rest of us, taking jobs, reducing our leverage and damaging the Guilds for their own advantage.

Even in cases of deep financial distress, there were other options, including generous no-interest loans from our strike funds, which would have sustained them until the end of the strike and beyond. That's what unions are for.

Those who went financial core did not share in the adversity; and should not share in our victory. They cannot vote in our elections, run for Guild office, attend Guild meetings and other events, or participate in the Writers Guild Awards. Further, it has been determined by the National Council of the Guilds West and East, and affirmed by Guild East Council and the Guild West Board, that we send this joint letter with a link to a list on respective websites of those who went financial core during the strike. To view it now and for future reference, you can find it at: http://www.wga.org/subpage_member.aspx?id=2828.

The rest of us are all in this together.

Sincerely,

Patric M. Verrone
President, WGAW

Michael Winship
President, WGAE

Members who elected financial core

Arena, Maria

Clark, Marlene Poulter

Cosgrove, John F.

Cwikly, Paula F.

Egan, Clem

Esensten, Barbara J.

Grunwell, Jeanne M.

Higley, Dena

Higley, Mark Christopher

Kelly, Meg

Lisanti, Michelle Poteet

Meurer, Terry A.

Morrison, Shawn

Reilly, James E

Ridley, John

Sheffer, Hogan

Smith, John F.

Thomas, Darrell R. Jr.

Tomlin, Gary

Vogelaar, Janeen A.

Wolf, Garin

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

2008-04-07T23:23:27Z

With the recent deaths of Charlton Heston and Anthony Minghella, and the resulting post-obit tributes that came their way, it bothered me that this was not the case when one of our greatest motion picture actresses passed away a little less than six months ago.

In light of this, I thought it appropriate to share the moment I learned of the news. Perhaps some of you felt likewise.

I was checking my email at an Internet cafe in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where I was attending the Film Festival in that city when I noticed a similar subject heading in a large array of messages. Deborah, they all indicated and without missing much of a beat my heart sank as I correctly predicted the ominous contents. Deborah Kerr had died, my lady love and favorite actress since I was ten. Four days prior apparently, and I couldn't believe the news. Nor that I had missed it on CNN, which certainly must have covered it. My friends and colleagues assumed I knew and were just passing along their regrets.

But to learn such sad news and so late in an age of instant technology was unfathomable, and it bothered me greatly that I was in Brazil and could not watch the many tributes to this wonderful star.

It also bothered me that my hometown paper, the Los Angeles Times, had relegated the story to the obit page, whereas it had given front page coverage to the widow of Christopher Reeve! I'm sorry, but there is no comparison between the public significance of these two women, however tragic the younger woman's death was so soon after Reeve's. Nor was Paul Tibbets as notable. Indeed the Times had to inform us that he was the pilot of the Enola Gay in its front page reportage of his death, though the man was only a coincidental tool in the events of Hiroshima, having neither planned, perpetrated or made the decision that fateful day.

Shouldn't a newspaper's coverage signal proper import of the collective deeds of a subject's life? There were also no "In Remembrance" memorial columns in the LA Times as a follow-up to her death, and I found this rather outrageous. Yes, Deborah was 86 and had been out of the public eye for a number of years, but her film and stage career spanned four and a half decades, she was one of the biggest stars of the fifties, had six Academy Award nominations in the space of eleven years and had secured legendary status in motion picture history. That alone should have made the choice simple, but the fad conscious editors must have decided her absence from the spotlight trumped the significance of her contributions to the film industry.

I was fortunate to get to know Deborah and helped secure her the Oscar long denied her, as well as a royal honour in 1998.

Many of her colleagues, including Scottish Film maven David Bruce joined me and appealed to the British authorities to make her a Dame, but she was awarded instead a CBE, Commander of the British Empire. This, in spite of From Here to Eternity writer Daniel Taradash comparing the reception that greeted her at the Oscar ceremonies to none other than Charlie Chaplin when he received his honorary Oscar. And he'd been anointed a knight, but the female equivalent was not to be presented to Deborah. It was an enormous royal shame and I complained about it to the British dailies, a number of which printed my remarks condemning the Ceremonial Secretariat, which administers the Honours process.

Deborah Kerr was simply a treasure, beloved by her co-workers and generally free from scandal. The closest she came was when it was reported that she had fallen in love when her marriage was apparently over. But that was it. Her screen presence of class personified her personal behavior. Though a star of the highest magnitude, she was enormously taken by a stranger's kindness, which is how we happened to meet. She reacted so appreciatively to a letter I wrote her while she was in Los Angeles doing a play and wrote back saying, "You have no idea what that does for the timid ego I possess!"

She invited me to her meet her and we later began an every so often exchange of letters until she expressed her thanks in a phone call when she received the CBE in 1998. Her Tea and Sympathy playwright Robert Anderson told me to call her in Switzerland after he'd related my involvement in the campaign, and she was ever so grateful, ever the lady.

That's the memory I'll cherish forever. How I was fortunate to work as a writer in the same industry and got to know the once far off dreamy figure I'd discovered in my youth when my grandmother took me to the Roxy Theatre in New York City to see her performance in The King and I.

It remains my favorite film, and apparently is still much appreciated by her motion picture colleagues, who raised the level of their applause during the tribute to Deborah at the 1994 Oscar ceremonies when a film clip suddenly appeared showing her dancing with the king of Siam.

After I returned from Brazil I performed duties as a strike captain for the 2007-2008 Writers Strike. While picketing I regaled my fellow writers about this splendid actress, my heart aching for our collective loss, for my personal loss. Then, a tearful smile occasionally spread across my face when I realized how lucky I was to know her.

Study: Strike Didn't Stop TV Usage

2008-04-04T08:17:43Z

During the WGA strike, TV fans barely left the couch.

According to a new study, strike-era viewers managed to increase the amount of time spent watching DVDs, playing video games and surfing the Internet while continuing to watch as much television programming as before.

The findings are from a just-released Nielsen research study assessing the impact of the strike.

The report concluded that the industrywide work stoppage lowered the average Live+7 primetime total viewer ratings on the four major broadcast networks by 6.1% from the beginning of the walkoff in November to its conclusion in mid-February.

Hollywood A-List Demands Further Contract Action

2008-02-23T13:47:10Z

Two of Hollywood's biggest stars -- George Clooney and Tom Hanks -- dropped in at the home of Screen Actors Guild President Alan Rosenberg this week to deliver a message: Start negotiating.

With the writers strike fresh in their minds, the high-powered actors want to head off another labor disruption that could paralyze the film and television industry.

SNL To Return, Catch Up With Present

2008-02-18T15:25:11Z

Saturday Night Live will be back — finally! — this coming Saturday, February 23rd, with special guest host Tina Fey, fresh off her Golden Globe and ready to pour some prime-time synergies into her former baby, where she spent years as a cast member and head writer. After the strike, all the shows could use a boost, so it makes perfect NBC sense for there to be some serious cross-pollination, in the from of cameos from 30 Rock. My money's on perennial host Alec Baldwin (to whom Fey has already shouted-out in promos for the show), plus former cast member Tracey Morgan, and possibly Jack "Kenneth the Page" McBrayer, who knows all the SNL kids from their off-hours antics at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater (backstory here). Expect a pull-out-all-the-stops show.

That's just my prediction of course — and lord knows those aren't worth much. For evidence, you need look no further than the New Hampshire primary, and, along those lines, at the very first moments of the SNL season opener, featuring Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton, smugly delivering an address to the nation as the "All But Certain to Be The Next President." Golly, September sure seems like a long time ago, watching that (though there's a touch of prescience in how Darrell Hammond as Bill Clinton refuses to get out of frame). Less so was the next clip from the Brian Williams-hosted show, where BriWi proclaims that the media have "pretty much made up our minds" that she'd be the nominee. Golly, November sure seems like a long time ago! There was a touch of prescience there too, in the form of Jason Sudeikis' version of Joe Biden planning to invoke the phrase "Where's The Beef?" which, amazingly, actually popped up earlier this year in reference to Barack Obama. It made little sense back when Sudeikis said it but not a whole lot more on the actual campaign trail.

Speaking of the campaign trail, SNL's got plenty of material to sink it's teeth into and get caught up, to both the current political situation and its comedic brethren at the Daily Show, Colbert Report and the talk shows as part of what former host BriWi calls "a separate branch of government." Alas, no word on whether that branch will include anyone to play Barack Obama (other than actual Barack Obama, who's come through before in a pinch but will probably be a little busy this time around) — but, seriously, a representative from the show remained noncommittal on that critical casting matter, which has yet to be addressed this political season. Ah well, there's always Maya Rudolph dressed up "Time-Traveling Scott Joplin" style, unless Kenan Thompson's kept busy during his strike time. Videos below!

Related:
"Where's The Beef?" [YouTube]

Jay Leno Weathers Strike, Comes Out On Top

2008-02-15T07:52:22Z

The strike by the Writers Guild of America ended not a moment too soon for Jay Leno. After 100 days, the guests were wearing thin.

Larry the Cable Guy made his fourth appearance just this week on NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." Animal ambassador Joan Embery -- the sixth animal act in as many weeks -- dropped by with another passel of critters.

"We thought we had seen every animal there was, but we dug around the backyard and found some more," Leno said during Wednesday's show as he welcomed Embery, whose menagerie included chinchillas and Siamese fighting fish.

In danger of falling behind his chief rival, "The Late Show With David Letterman," Leno in fact emerged from the strike unscathed -- even with one hand tied behind his back because, for much of the writers walkout, he was operating at a disadvantage.

Keep reading the LA Times story (registration required).

Previously:
Michael Learmonth: Obama's Appearance Should Give Letterman A Ratings Boost
Michael Learmonth: Letterman Attacks Leno With Writers, Howard Stern
Letterman Winning Over Bored Leno Loyalists During Strike

Did The New York Times ' Strike Reporter Use Unnamed Sources To Dramatize His Stories?

2008-02-14T19:03:00Z

Last Thursday night, as Michael Cieply put the finishing touches on his gripping 1,260-word narrative for the next day's New York Times, he felt a mix of exhaustion and exhilaration. His scoop on a possible endgame in the crippling three-month writers' strike would, without a doubt, captivate everyone with its cast of characters. A little-known screenwriter who'd been brought in to jump-start the negotiations. A powerful agent who'd brokered the peace. A union representative who'd almost blown the entire deal with his obstinacy. Two Hollywood studio chiefs who went eye-to-eye with labor in search of a deal. No one, not even those whiny WGA leaders, could dispute that Cieply had put together a compelling insider's tick-tock of the strike's final days. This piece would, at last, earn him the industry respect he so clearly craved--not just for his reportage but also for his skills as a Hollywood-style storyteller.

For the previous three months, Cieply--the Los Angeles-based New York Times reporter covering the strike by the Writers Guild of America against the Hollywood studios--had been watching with increased disgust as the union failed to see the error of its ways. In Cieply's view, the chief WGA negotiators had taken an excessively hard line on its demands, showing a lack of understanding of how Hollywood was supposed to work. He was annoyed by the strong-arm tactics of the union's West Coast executive director, David Young, and the seeming intransigence of the WGA's leadership in the face of management's clear willingness to compromise.

'24' Fans Must Wait Until Jan. 2009

2008-02-14T17:43:08Z

NEW YORK — Fans of the Fox drama "24" will have to wait until next January to see Jack Bauer again, this television season's most prominent casualty of the Hollywood writers strike. The network has committed to air a full season on consecutive weeks, and had been planning to start last month.

But if it had started airing new episodes soon, the season finale would not have taken place until the summer, when TV networks rarely show their high-profile programs.

Return Dates And Number Of Episodes Left For 30+ Shows

2008-02-14T10:57:12Z

Now that the writers' strike is over, see at a glance when your favorite TV shows will be back with new episodes, and how many will be produced

BACK TO YOU (Fox)
RETURNS Feb. 26
EPISODES TO AIR 11
INSIDE SCOOP Three eps were shot pre-strike; eight more will follow. An Xmas-themed script may be changed. (Santa becomes Easter Bunny?)

THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
RETURNS March 17
EPISODES TO AIR 9

BONES (Fox)
RETURNS April 14
EPISODES TO AIR 4+
INSIDE SCOOP Four eps are in the can, and Bones will shoot at least six more; the extra episodes have yet to be scheduled.

BROTHERS AND SISTERS (ABC)
RETURNS Late April
EPISODES TO AIR 4 or 5

Colbert Welcomes Back His Writers — With Help From Tiki, Judy Miller, Kevin Bacon, And Baryshnikov

2008-02-14T07:26:22Z

With the vote to end the strike made official on Tuesday, writers returned to work yesterday — and while scripted TV shows will come back at varying points (see here), "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" both returned to their pre-strike states last night.

To celebrate, Colbert marched his writers in one by one and announced them all by name — with special guests Tiki Barber, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Judy Miller, and Kevin Bacon. Watch:

For his part, Stewart marveled over the "words in the prompter, script on my desk, the vending machine upstairs out of Funyuns — the writers are back!"

If They IMed: Writers And Producers

2008-02-13T08:19:09Z

Pending a vote by the WGA, it looks like the writers' strike is finally over. Who won? Hard to say, other than Nikki Finke, of deadlinehollywooddaily.com, and, of course, America, which got to spend more time with "The Biggest Loser 5: Couples," "Dance War," and "Moment of Truth," where you get to watch marriages fall apart on TV instead of in your own house. Though, as we found out, the two are not mutually exclusive.

So can the WGA and the producers finally put their differences behind them? Check out a recent chat transcript and see for yourself.

Rumor: NBC May Sue Writers Guild Over Canceled Golden Globes

2008-02-13T07:58:05Z

I'm told by sources that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and NBC are on the verge of taking legal action against the WGA for actions leading to the cancellation of this year's Golden Globes. Really, could Jeff Zucker possibly be more of a putz? I say the WGA should countersue the NBC Universal midget for impersonating a mogul (and the HFPA for impersonating a legitimate news organization).

Writers Vote to End 3-Month Strike

2008-02-12T22:26:06Z

LOS ANGELES — A devastating, three-month walkout that brought the entertainment industry to a standstill ended Tuesday when Hollywood writers voted to lift their union's strike order and return to work Wednesday.

The move allows some TV series to return this spring with a handful of new episodes. It also clears the way for the Academy Awards to be staged on Feb. 24 without the threat of pickets or a boycott by actors that would have dulled the glamour of Hollywood's signature celebration.

Who Won The Writers' Strike?

2008-02-12T08:26:31Z

When the Writers Guild of America held its annual awards ceremony Saturday night in Manhattan, it felt more like a victory celebration. So after a long and bitter strike, the writers won, right?

On points, yes, probably. On principle, certainly. From a practical perspective, maybe not so much.

True, the writers guild was able to wrest a major concession from management -- winning a piece of digital revenues -- the kind of victory that has largely eluded organized labor in the past few years.

Tony Gilroy, the writer and director of "Michael Clayton," who was there as a nominee, argued that, while the strike had been punishing, it was clearly necessary.

"As writers and directors, we have our nose in the tent for real for the first time," he said. "There are question marks about how it will be implemented, but there is no one who can argue that the strike was not necessary. We would never be in the position we are without it. Anybody who says the strike was a bad idea is dead wrong."