Jill Sobule (love her) has shown her support for the writers with a song in their honor "We Are The Writers." I'm not sure yet but I still think I prefer Lisa's Union Strike Folk Song.
Slate has a good article about why labor negotiations are usually held at night. The short answer? People have to work during the day, though if there is a strike I would think no one would be working leaving plenty of time to hammer things out.
The P.R. War Continues
From United Hollywood: For the first time, high-profile actors are taking their talent directly to the Internet for a powerful show of union solidarity. The folks at SpeechlessWithoutWriters.com will be adding new videos every day, in both high-res and low-res versions. Here is "Anthem," the first one
But as you know huge celebrities aren't the only ones affected. And the strike isn't all parties and social events. "Each year, Hollywood produces a spate of network TV shows and a couple dozen feature films. With over 12,000 Writers Guild members, clearly not everyone is employed in a given year. While the mainstream media barrages us with images of red carpet and caviar success stories, the reality is that most professionals working in the entertainment industry are middle-class at best"
Here's a video about "Who's On The Line"
wow, that was really really sad, actually. Corporate sucks.
And the AMPTP's response? Jonathan Handel at Huffington Post has the exclusive video...er, no and that's what he sees as a problem
"like the dog that didn't bark, the real mystery is why the producers haven't produced. The AMPTP has created no YouTube videos of its own, opting instead for the old-media alternative of occasional paid advertising in the NY Times, LA Times and trades, and an op ed piece in the LA Times. I wish I could offer you a link to the AMPTP's new YouTube video -- like my headline promises -- but I can't, because there isn't one. The companies' strategy has been more NoTube than YouTube.
But why? With all their resources, why haven't the AMPTP companies produced and distributed video content of their own? It's not for lack of writers; the companies could use non-WGA writers if they wished, since new media is not a covered area, and in-house promotional activity presumably isn't either (and, in any case, the WGA agreement expired October 31 and is no longer in effect).
The only remaining explanation is that the studios and networks -- the country's largest media companies -- just don't understand new media, or they have carelessly allowed their representative, the AMPTP, to function without comprehending the importance of new media. Online, and on cellphone and iPod screens, is increasingly where the eyeballs are, not to mention the hearts and minds (thankfully, that's as anatomical as we need to get). Newspapers, and television, also matter, a lot; but ignoring a fast-growing, young-skewing medium makes companies seem stodgy at best, and ever more the villain -- or, "the man," if you prefer -- at worst.
yeah I think everyone is on the side of the writers. Though a day is coming soon that is really going to suck when there are no new episodes. Over at HuffPo again they have a quick list of what's left and what's gone and it's getting a little upsetting. Some that will affect me:
- Fox airs a fresh "House" Tuesday. After that, only three more new episodes remain, slotted for January-one of them following Fox's Super Bowl broadcast
- CBS'... sitcom [How I Met Your Mother] has similarly run dry
- The planned January return of Fox's "24" has been postponed indefinitely. Since only some of the series' 24 episodes have been shot, Fox didn't want to risk beginning a new season that might be interrupted. and finally
- ABC's "Ugly Betty," "Pushing Daisies" and "Grey's Anatomy" each have two new episodes to go. ABC's "Desperate Housewives" airs the last of its current stock of new episodes Sunday.The final new episode of NBC's "Heroes" airs Dec. 3.
_ Fox's "K-Ville" has two new episodes left, with dim prospects for production to resume on this low-rated freshman drama. Well, at least that is a silver lining.
yeeeaaahhh boiiiii. word Sphere: Related Content
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