WGA strike

[edouard_stevew]

The writer's guild went on strike today. If you're shaking your head and wondering what the hell I'm talking about, this means that almost all production on Hollywood TV shows and movies for the next year grinds to a halt until the terms of the guild's contract is renegotiated. Talk shows will stop airing new episodes (including Comedy Central's

Comments

[garneyloom]

It bites so hardcore. I have been watching this from a distance and am disappointed that the AMPTP couldn't get their act together. For me, the hardest thing will be no new eps of The Daily Show or the Colbert Report.

I hope the AMPTP comes to their senses sometime soon!!! Imagine if they actually treated reality show writers as real writers (as they should) - we'd have no television!

[edouard_stevew]

Apparently the WGA isn't striking in animation, so we should probably expect the 2008-2009 season of children's cartoons to be one of the best ever (since animation tends be produced a year or so in advance) as writers flood this market.

[garneyloom]

where'd you hear that? I'm curious.

[edouard_stevew]

From comic (and novelist, animation and video game) writer Warren Ellis' email diary, bad signal. I get emails from him about three to four times a week about whatever he wants to write about.

Here's an elaboration from the intarwebs:

http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/wga-amends-its-strike-rules.html

They note, specifically, a strike on primetime animation with contracts with the WGA (which most likely refers almost exclusively to The Simpsons).

[medkitty06]

I know I know....sigh....looks like I'll have to start going to bed early no more David Letterman or the Tonight Show for me. :( I hope that the script for Grey's anatomy and HOUSE are done for the season other wise I'll be tearing my hair out next week.

[edouard_stevew]

You should be safe for at least a few weeks if not a month or two; though many hour long TV shows have an eight day shoot, most have a much longer post production schedules, meaning the scripts for the episodes you're watching now were done weeks, if not months ago. There are exceptions, and network TV probably has a shorter production schedule than cable (where on some shows, the entire season may be complete before the first episode airs).

This also means Joss Whedon's (creator of Buffy, Angel, and Firefly/Serenity) new show will be delayed. Sigh.

[medkitty06]

Yikes! Well, I will keep hoping that this all ends soon. I saw J. Leno on T.V. handing out doughnuts to the writers at the picket line.

[edouard_stevew]

That's pretty awesome, and nice of him to show support.