On Nov 3, 11:45 am, manitou <manitou...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> Dorcie wrote:
> > Yeah. They go on strike Monday. It's crazy. I think it will be even
> > worse than the last strike. That strike started in March. Starting in
> > November, when most television shows have only half of their scripts
> > written is going to be a real problem. Not to mention the fact that
> > many showrunners are not only producers but writers as well, and some
> > of them are siding with the WGA. The only show looking good right now
> > is Lost, which I don't watch anymore.
>
> > Here's a real bad case:
>
> > I love CSI. It seemed to have a real breakthrough season last year,
> > and I was looking forward to this season. As of today, 5 episodes have
> > aired, 4 more have been filmed and there are two scripts in the
> > wings. The two head executive producers will be joining the writers
> > on strike Monday. The two scripts that have yet to be filmed have
> > scenes with major animal involvement and may not be able to be filmed
> > during the strike because the teamsters (i.e. animal handlers) have
> > indicated that they will not cross the picket line. Lord knows what's
> > going to happen with this show.
>
> > Then there was me waving goodbye to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert
> > Thursday night because I knew that it could be months before I saw
> > them again.
>
> > Oh, and how do you like this: One of my favorite actresses was
> > scheduled to make her first late night talk show appearance EVER on
> > what is now the first day of the strike. *sob*
>
> > This whole thing makes me angry. The writers are asking for something
> > that is completely justified. The profits they make from DVD sales,
> > internet downloads and other new media outlets is a joke. They have
> > been getting robbed for a couple of decades now. Especially television
> > show writers. I used to work in a movie store so I can say
> > definitively: TV show sales are a cash cow. Not to mention how very
> > popular they are on itunes. When the people making the boxes in which
> > DVDs are sold are making more on every DVD sale than the writers,
> > there is something wrong.
>
> > Here's hoping that they get what they want.
>
> I agree totally that the writers --- and others --- should be getting
> their fair share of profits from DVD and internet distribution.
> (Greta Garbo once complained back in the 60s that she didn't get a
> cent from TV showings of her old movies.)
>
> IIRC, the NYTimes a few weeks ago mentioned that the strike would have
> a more paralyzing effect than the one almost twenty years ago because
> of the trend since then for writer/producers to function as
> showrunners.
>
> Certainly, there's going to be a major artistic disruption for series
> which have strong through stories as their base.
>
> And I'd guess that new shows with '=EDffy' ratings may simply go by the
> wayside.
>
> Has "The Tudors" been shown in the US yet? It's co-produced by
> Showtime and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, among others.
> We're about half way up here and I"m enjoying it, though sometimes it
> moves almost too quickly, but the overall production and acting are
> extremely good.
>
> Of the new US shows I like "BIG SHOTS" and "Dirty Sexy Money", both
> silly but lots of fun. I'm enjoying the new seasons of "HOUSE" (more
> than before), "NUMB3RS" (getting better, if anything) and "Desperate
> Housewives" (ridiculous but entertaining nonetheless).
>
> All of these will suffer if there's a protracted writers' strike.
>
> I'm guessing the production studios don't want to give in to WGA
> demands, because they fear greater eating away at their longer-term
> profits. I'm thinking here in terms of the explanation David Lee gave
> us a few years ago about how the profit participation points system
> works for a successful series and spinoffs, and why this was the main
> reason he felt there was little hope for a Niles/Daphne spinoff from
> "Frasier". He said the formula for the points used for "Cheers" then
> "Frasier" was much more generous than what studios could afford now.
>
> Of course, there were no DVD sales or net downloads when "Cheers" and
> "Frasier" started.
>
> Charles
To make up for my off-topic rant, here is something semi-on topic. You
may remember Ken Levine as one of the writers, partnered with Mr.
Isaacs, on Frasier. I found his blog, and he has some interesting
things to say about the WGA strike.
http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2007/10/wga-strike.html
Dorcie
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