Monday, January 5, 2009
UPDATE: 1/5/2009
Sorry that this blog hasn't been updated in a while. I'm officially closing it down for comments and leaving it as a testament to an event in history that I felt and still feel very strongly about. Support your favorite writers and writers everywhere. Thanks again for your support, everyone!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Happy New Year!
And now, a break from the news and information side of things to wish everyone out there a Happy 2008!
We hope that with a new year will come swift, sincere, and of course a well-covered resolution to the WGA Strike.
Happy New Year to you and yours.
J/R
We hope that with a new year will come swift, sincere, and of course a well-covered resolution to the WGA Strike.
Happy New Year to you and yours.
J/R
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Where are strikes taking place?
We've heard about the big strikes in Los Angeles, but where else are writers and fans striking in support of the WGA Strike? We the authors strongly feel that the general public hasn't really been made aware of the many different locations that demonstrations are taking place. The California WGA demonstrations are the most covered (proximity to major studios certainly has something to do with this), and some of the national and international demonstrations haven't been covered at all.
Here are locations that have held demonstrations or are scheduled to hold demonstrations. We plan to add to this list frequently when new locations turn up. Our goal here is to give the bare facts and show the average television viewer or internet poster the scope of the WGA Strike's influence. The list is as follows:
Los Angeles
West Hollywood
Manhattan
Baltimore
Seattle
Boston
Atlanta
London
Dublin (Ireland)
Brisbane (Australia)
Perth (Australia)
Toronto
So as you can see, there are lots of different places that demonstrations have occurred other than just the L.A. locations we always hear about on the news. We the authors urge everyone to check these and other locations out on their own time to stay informed about the many aspects of this strike.
J/R
Here are locations that have held demonstrations or are scheduled to hold demonstrations. We plan to add to this list frequently when new locations turn up. Our goal here is to give the bare facts and show the average television viewer or internet poster the scope of the WGA Strike's influence. The list is as follows:
Los Angeles
West Hollywood
Manhattan
Baltimore
Seattle
Boston
Atlanta
London
Dublin (Ireland)
Brisbane (Australia)
Perth (Australia)
Toronto
So as you can see, there are lots of different places that demonstrations have occurred other than just the L.A. locations we always hear about on the news. We the authors urge everyone to check these and other locations out on their own time to stay informed about the many aspects of this strike.
J/R
Friday, December 28, 2007
What other blogs are out there? pt.1
Our goal with this blog, as we've said, has been to give the average person some factual, straightforward, and "in layman's terms" information about the WGA Strike and its impact on the average TV viewer or internet poster.
And of course we know that sparking one's interest in a topic is going to leave them hungry for more.
With that in mind, we're going to do our best to present you with other blogs that you can get some information from. It's only reasonable and fair that we show our support to other areas on the web that have content that our readers will find useful or reliable.
The first in this (we hope) weekly segment is the United Hollywood blog. It's a really great source of information about the many different aspects of the strike, and it covers several areas across the nation where picket lines have gone up and supporters have risen. From what we've seen thus far, this is a blog that is accessible to anyone and fair in its content.
Enjoy! And as always, link, post, and discuss!
J/R
And of course we know that sparking one's interest in a topic is going to leave them hungry for more.
With that in mind, we're going to do our best to present you with other blogs that you can get some information from. It's only reasonable and fair that we show our support to other areas on the web that have content that our readers will find useful or reliable.
The first in this (we hope) weekly segment is the United Hollywood blog. It's a really great source of information about the many different aspects of the strike, and it covers several areas across the nation where picket lines have gone up and supporters have risen. From what we've seen thus far, this is a blog that is accessible to anyone and fair in its content.
Enjoy! And as always, link, post, and discuss!
J/R
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Late Night Talk Shows returning: Info and FAQ
A lot of people by now have heard that certain late night talk shows, which have mostly been on hiatus since the WGA Strike, are now going back on air.
However it might not be clear to viewers and posters why, how, or what the facts are behind the returns of these shows or what their respective hosts think about going back to production.
Here's the information so far on 5 major late night shows that are confirmed to be returning to air by both the hosts and their networks:
-Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno have both returned to a regular schedule, and are currently filming new episodes. Both celebrity hosts are paying a downsized version of their original production staffs out of pocket, and are still openly supporting the WGA Strike.
-Last Call With Carson Daly went back on air without its writing staff on December 3. According to an article originally published by the Associated Press on December 25, "issued an ultimatum" telling Daly that if he did not "put on a new show by December 3 . . . 75 people would be fired." The article directly quotes Daly as making this statement. You can read the article in its entirety courtesy of Yahoo! News here.
-The Daily show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report will also be returning to air on a regular schedule as of January 7 without their writing staffs. According to an article published by CNN.com, a joint statement was issued to the media by Stewart and Colbert saying that they "would like to return to work with our writers. If we cannot, we would like to express our ambivalence, but without our writers we are unable to express something as nuanced as ambivalence."
We the authors have done some extensive searching for copies of this statement online, but have not found any nor have we the authors established whether Stewart and Colbert did or did not make this statement or if it was actually issued by a publicist(s). You can read the article in its entirety courtesy of CNN.com here.
As always, link, post, and discuss!
J/R
However it might not be clear to viewers and posters why, how, or what the facts are behind the returns of these shows or what their respective hosts think about going back to production.
Here's the information so far on 5 major late night shows that are confirmed to be returning to air by both the hosts and their networks:
-Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno have both returned to a regular schedule, and are currently filming new episodes. Both celebrity hosts are paying a downsized version of their original production staffs out of pocket, and are still openly supporting the WGA Strike.
-Last Call With Carson Daly went back on air without its writing staff on December 3. According to an article originally published by the Associated Press on December 25, "issued an ultimatum" telling Daly that if he did not "put on a new show by December 3 . . . 75 people would be fired." The article directly quotes Daly as making this statement. You can read the article in its entirety courtesy of Yahoo! News here.
-The Daily show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report will also be returning to air on a regular schedule as of January 7 without their writing staffs. According to an article published by CNN.com, a joint statement was issued to the media by Stewart and Colbert saying that they "would like to return to work with our writers. If we cannot, we would like to express our ambivalence, but without our writers we are unable to express something as nuanced as ambivalence."
We the authors have done some extensive searching for copies of this statement online, but have not found any nor have we the authors established whether Stewart and Colbert did or did not make this statement or if it was actually issued by a publicist(s). You can read the article in its entirety courtesy of CNN.com here.
As always, link, post, and discuss!
J/R
So why should you care?
Like any story on the news, the first question on most people's minds is usually "Why should I care?"
Well, there are a few reasons to care about the WGA Strike. Here are four that we've come up with, in order of their importance to the average viewer or poster; we welcome everyone to post reasons of their own, and as always, to discuss everything posted.
Why should we care?
1. It seriously affects television programming.
It's no secret that without writers generating content, there can't be any scripted shows. Programs have had to either halt production, go on hiatus, or declare their future's uncertain at this point.
Here's a list of several popular television programs that are or have been affected by the WGA Strike (source: The Los Angeles Times online news article posted Nov. 9):
The View
The Daily Show with John Stuart
The Colbert Report
Saturday Night Live
Desperate Houswives
Grey's Anatomy
Ugly Betty
Lost
Boston Legal
CSI (including all spin-off productions)
Jericho
The Office
Law & Order: SVU
Friday Night Lights
Medium
Scrubs
Gossip Girl
One Tree Hill
24
Dirt
Prison Break
. . . And the list goes on. You can view the full list here.
2. It's more than just the writers who've lost their jobs.
Members of production crews, interns, and other jobs associated with studios have been terminated as a result of halted production. These are median-income individuals who, like most Americans, simply want to earn a living and are in the $30,000/year or less income bracket. Ending the strike creates jobs and allows these individuals to get back to work.
3. It sets the precedent for future labor union strikes in other fields.
Every time a labor union undergoes negotiations with a company, the outcome and the events of the strike itself set the precedent for future situations--a "ripple effect." If a labor union in any field of employment is treated poorly, or negotiations are mishandled, it sends a message to employers in different fields that handling their own disputes in that manner is either okay or effective. This creates a problem for any labor union in any field seeking change, effecting many different levels of other industries.
4. It could potentially lead to a strike by the Screen Actor's Guild and/or the Director's Guild of America.
Both the SAG and the DGA face the same issues that are being negotiated in the Writer's Strike. If a settlement of some sort is not reached in a timely manner, these other unions could possibly rally in support of their fellow union workers, creating an even greater gap in the entertainment industry.
J/R
Well, there are a few reasons to care about the WGA Strike. Here are four that we've come up with, in order of their importance to the average viewer or poster; we welcome everyone to post reasons of their own, and as always, to discuss everything posted.
Why should we care?
1. It seriously affects television programming.
It's no secret that without writers generating content, there can't be any scripted shows. Programs have had to either halt production, go on hiatus, or declare their future's uncertain at this point.
Here's a list of several popular television programs that are or have been affected by the WGA Strike (source: The Los Angeles Times online news article posted Nov. 9):
The View
The Daily Show with John Stuart
The Colbert Report
Saturday Night Live
Desperate Houswives
Grey's Anatomy
Ugly Betty
Lost
Boston Legal
CSI (including all spin-off productions)
Jericho
The Office
Law & Order: SVU
Friday Night Lights
Medium
Scrubs
Gossip Girl
One Tree Hill
24
Dirt
Prison Break
. . . And the list goes on. You can view the full list here.
2. It's more than just the writers who've lost their jobs.
Members of production crews, interns, and other jobs associated with studios have been terminated as a result of halted production. These are median-income individuals who, like most Americans, simply want to earn a living and are in the $30,000/year or less income bracket. Ending the strike creates jobs and allows these individuals to get back to work.
3. It sets the precedent for future labor union strikes in other fields.
Every time a labor union undergoes negotiations with a company, the outcome and the events of the strike itself set the precedent for future situations--a "ripple effect." If a labor union in any field of employment is treated poorly, or negotiations are mishandled, it sends a message to employers in different fields that handling their own disputes in that manner is either okay or effective. This creates a problem for any labor union in any field seeking change, effecting many different levels of other industries.
4. It could potentially lead to a strike by the Screen Actor's Guild and/or the Director's Guild of America.
Both the SAG and the DGA face the same issues that are being negotiated in the Writer's Strike. If a settlement of some sort is not reached in a timely manner, these other unions could possibly rally in support of their fellow union workers, creating an even greater gap in the entertainment industry.
J/R
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