Office Writers Explain The Strike; Eisner Calls It Stupid
The Writers Guild of America has many friends...and a few foes.
It has been less than a week since the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike officially began, but it is already severely affecting many television shows.
At a meeting yesterday, many of Hollywood's most powerful show runners agreed to stop work on their shows immediately, until the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) resume negotiations with the WGA. Effective immediately, several major shows have stopped filming and editing new episodes. Enormously popular shows like Family Guy and The Office will only air one more new episode before going into reruns. Office scribes -- including BJ Novak, Mindy Kaling, and Paul Lieberstein -- marched the picket lines and explained how they are currently losing out on residuals of their immensely popular "Webisodes."
Many other celebs showed their support by marching -- including Desperate Housewives' Marc Cherry and Eva Longoria (who handed out pizza to the hungry picketers) and Grey's Anatomy's Shonda Rhimes, Katherine Heigl, and T.R. Knight.
Many supporters of the strike continue to bring goodies to the picketing lines. Sources tell us that Alison Sweeney (Sami from Days of Our Lives) paid a special visit to the NBC lot to bring some junk food to the writers, and Jimmy Kimmel brought burritos, while Jay Leno continued to bring by his daily donut delivery. Another important friend to the WGA -- Creative Artists Agency (CAA), one of the major Hollywood talent agencies -- brought by hot chocolate and cookies. Check out RT's earlier report on which celebs are supporting the writers.
"Can you feel the love tonight?"
But not everyone is as sweet on the strike. Ex-Disney CEO, Michael Eisner, blasted the WGA strike at the Dow Jones/Nielsen Media and Money conference yesterday. According to an article in The Hollywood Reporter, the former studio head quipped, "For a writer to give up today's money for a nonexistent piece of the future -- they should do it in three years, shouldn't be doing it now -- they are misguided they should not have gone on the strike. I've seen stupid strikes, I've seen less stupid strikes, and this strike is just a stupid strike." He also suggested that the writers weren't placing blame on all responsible parties -- such as Apple -- saying that, "The only real winner here is Steve Jobs. They should be striking up at Cupertino or wherever he is." Take a look at RT's strike rundown for more details on what the WGA is asking for in terms of new media.
Another conspicuously unsupportive foe of the WGA is talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. Although other talk show hosts -- such as Jay Leno, David Letterman and Jon Stewart -- have halted production on their shows, Ellen has continued to tape, after taking one day off. Her resistance to stop production has spawned the chant, "Ellen, you're no friend of mine; you danced across the picket line!" heard by passers-by on the NBC Studios lot.
For More RT strike coverage, check out:
As Hollywood Strike Begins, Celebs Join Writers on Picket Lines
To Strike, Or Not To Strike -- What's The Deal as Hollywood's Clock Runs Down?
Workers, Er, Writers, Unite -- The Strike Is On!
At a meeting yesterday, many of Hollywood's most powerful show runners agreed to stop work on their shows immediately, until the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) resume negotiations with the WGA. Effective immediately, several major shows have stopped filming and editing new episodes. Enormously popular shows like Family Guy and The Office will only air one more new episode before going into reruns. Office scribes -- including BJ Novak, Mindy Kaling, and Paul Lieberstein -- marched the picket lines and explained how they are currently losing out on residuals of their immensely popular "Webisodes."
Many other celebs showed their support by marching -- including Desperate Housewives' Marc Cherry and Eva Longoria (who handed out pizza to the hungry picketers) and Grey's Anatomy's Shonda Rhimes, Katherine Heigl, and T.R. Knight.
Many supporters of the strike continue to bring goodies to the picketing lines. Sources tell us that Alison Sweeney (Sami from Days of Our Lives) paid a special visit to the NBC lot to bring some junk food to the writers, and Jimmy Kimmel brought burritos, while Jay Leno continued to bring by his daily donut delivery. Another important friend to the WGA -- Creative Artists Agency (CAA), one of the major Hollywood talent agencies -- brought by hot chocolate and cookies. Check out RT's earlier report on which celebs are supporting the writers.
"Can you feel the love tonight?"
But not everyone is as sweet on the strike. Ex-Disney CEO, Michael Eisner, blasted the WGA strike at the Dow Jones/Nielsen Media and Money conference yesterday. According to an article in The Hollywood Reporter, the former studio head quipped, "For a writer to give up today's money for a nonexistent piece of the future -- they should do it in three years, shouldn't be doing it now -- they are misguided they should not have gone on the strike. I've seen stupid strikes, I've seen less stupid strikes, and this strike is just a stupid strike." He also suggested that the writers weren't placing blame on all responsible parties -- such as Apple -- saying that, "The only real winner here is Steve Jobs. They should be striking up at Cupertino or wherever he is." Take a look at RT's strike rundown for more details on what the WGA is asking for in terms of new media.
Another conspicuously unsupportive foe of the WGA is talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. Although other talk show hosts -- such as Jay Leno, David Letterman and Jon Stewart -- have halted production on their shows, Ellen has continued to tape, after taking one day off. Her resistance to stop production has spawned the chant, "Ellen, you're no friend of mine; you danced across the picket line!" heard by passers-by on the NBC Studios lot.
For More RT strike coverage, check out:
As Hollywood Strike Begins, Celebs Join Writers on Picket Lines
To Strike, Or Not To Strike -- What's The Deal as Hollywood's Clock Runs Down?
Workers, Er, Writers, Unite -- The Strike Is On!
Related Items
(1-20 of 82 posts) | Reply
 on Nov 08 2007 07:20 PM i have officially lost all respect for ellen degeneres. not that i had much for her in the first place, but still. (Reply to this) |
 on Nov 08 2007 07:35 PM Good Job for Ellen, sticking up for your beliefs and not just blindly supporting the greedy writers. (Reply to this) |
 on Nov 08 2007 07:52 PM Yeah, we should all learn a lesson from crybaby Ellen DeGeneres. She knows so much even though she can't even read a one-page contract from an adoption agency. Seriously, anyone who looks up to her is a complete idiot. (Reply to this) |
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on Nov 08 2007 07:59 PM In reply to this comment (#1263804) Yeah, damn those greedy writers wanting to get paid for the work they do. How ridiculous, >=( (Reply to this) |
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on Nov 08 2007 08:09 PM aknddon3: The "greedy" writers want more than the current $0.04 they get for each $20 DVD. Check out this link, which explains what the writers are striking http (Reply to this) |
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on Nov 08 2007 08:10 PM Sorry, clickable link here. (Reply to this) |
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on Nov 08 2007 08:12 PM OMG, Will Eisner is a ****ing tool. Using his logic, writers should be asking for money from Cox instead of the AMPTP, since they're the company that broadcasts their TV shows/movies. He's just a typical greedy needle-dick CEO who just can't stand for his beloved millions to decrease just slightly. (Reply to this) |
 on Nov 08 2007 08:13 PM In reply to this comment (#1263804) aknddon3, that's one of the most ignorant things I've ever heard. You're essentially saying that these writers should not get paid for their own work, when said work is being used to make money for the writers' employers. That's BS. Perhaps you'd like to go into work and not get paid for those last few hours, everyday? How about it? (Reply to this) |
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on Nov 08 2007 08:53 PM As a writer in the process of negotiating a screenplay sale I have to say I'm appalled to carry the name "screenwrite". I am not a member of the WGA and darn proud of that fact. A little perspective: do the camera crews on movies go on strike because they don't get paid more per DVD or because of the rising popularity of webisodes? They are just as important to the making of a movie as a writer is. In fact, with the absolute CRAP that so many of these writers are coming up with these days, I'd gladly hire the camera crew to do the writing instead. So the little whiny crybaby writers can go waltz around on their picket lines and I'll continue laughing at them. Makes it easier for me to sell my screenplay. Until the writers come up with quality material I couldn't care less about their plight. (Reply to this) |
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on Nov 08 2007 09:00 PM Screw the strike, I only have one question. Are Matt Stone and Trey Parker striking? I cant figure out if they are or not, because technically they write South Park but at the same time they direct, produce, voice it, etc... If anyone could let me know I would appreciate it, cause SP's the only thing on TV I care about. (Reply to this) |
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on Nov 08 2007 09:27 PM In reply to this comment (#1264025) From what I read, South Park is actually a non-union show, therefore it wouldn't be affected by the strike. And Eisner feels they're striking over "a non-existent piece of the future". Yeah, that's what people said about mp3s seven or eight years ago as well. Not that I expect clear judgement from someone who's already a freaking billionaire... (Reply to this) |
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on Nov 08 2007 09:42 PM daxyvic: for u to say u would gladly let a camera crew write for u says alot about what u value in a story - which is essentially the bluprint for the tv/movie medium. I'm registered thru the WGA and we are glad u r not a member, seeing as u know dick about the craft or what the strike is about at all. (Reply to this) |
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on Nov 08 2007 09:57 PM And your comment shows how incredibly immature so many of your members are. Oh, wait, and so does the strike! Most writers these days could be replaced by the camera crew and you wouldn't notice too much of a difference. Yes, there are exceptions, and actually, I know a lot more about the strike than you seem to, because it's being done for some of the reasons I didn't join WGA in the first place. So have fun in your picket lines, eating donuts and thinking you are superior to the rest of us. Oh wait, I can actually spell...see the difference? (Reply to this) |
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on Nov 08 2007 10:00 PM Orangecinema: If you are registered through the WGA and use words such as "thru," "bluprint," "u," and "r," I propose that you are not only *strengthening* DAXyvik's argument, but showing who *really* knows "dick" about the craft. -Moses (Reply to this) |
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on Nov 08 2007 10:00 PM Just a quick correction: I never said I would want the camera crews writing for ME, because I can actually write. I said I'd want the camera crews replacing most of the existing writers. (Reply to this) |
 on Nov 08 2007 10:00 PM We should cut Eisner's pay to .4% of total sales, see how he likes it. I sympathize with writers and hope it works out for em. (Reply to this) |
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on Nov 08 2007 10:02 PM that's cute, "little whiny crybaby writers" & "I can actually spell" by the same guy who called my post "immature"...learn how to spell hypocrite, then calm down & think b 4 u post. (Reply to this) |
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on Nov 08 2007 10:02 PM SLYDante: The way I took Eisner's comment about a "non-existent piece of the future" meant that the world of ditribution is changing so rapidly that the rights you negotiate now probably won't mean anything just a short way down the line, and that if the writers waited a few years to see where distribution was going to go, then they'd be able to make a more informed decision. -Moses (Reply to this) |
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on Nov 08 2007 10:11 PM Have to agree with Mouse_Clicker: the internet, and technology, changes so rapidly. They might spend 5 months on strike, come to an agreement, and then one year later what they spent all that time arguing about could now be completely obsolete. In fact, the very nature of technology means that it will most -likely- be obsolete sooner rather than later. Orangecinema: a person who refuses to spell out entire words really has no right to tell someone else to learn how to spell, although I must give you props for managing "hypocrite" . If you are defending the writing profession, please do so properly, it'll make your arguments that much more persuasive. :) (Reply to this) |
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on Nov 08 2007 10:19 PM no thx, I'll leave defending the profession 2 pros like u who resort 2 name calling. If I had to rely on spelling to try to get my point across then id b...well id b u! No thx (Reply to this) |
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