The Daily Show and Colbert Report writers debate before Congress

In a mock debate before members of the United States Congress, a few writers from The Daily Show and The Colbert Report decided to get their message across, brilliantly as usual.

"On one side, in shirts, was the striking Writers Guild of America, played by "Daily Show" writers Rob Kutner, Tim Carvell and Jason Ross. On the other side, in suits, was the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, played by "The Colbert Report" writers Michael Brumm, Peter Grosz and Tom Purcell.

Crashing out of the starting gates, the shirts argued it would cost the suits less than 1% of their total revenue to give the writers everything they wanted. For Paramount Pictures, that comes to $4.6 million, or "half the amount it takes to get Reese Witherspoon into a movie."

"I ask you," one writer noted, "which is more important to a movie -- a script, or half of Reese Witherspoon?"

The studio suits thought for a second.

"Which half?"

Jerry O'Connell Spoofs Tom Cruise

Jerry O'Connell does a great impersonation of Tom Cruise and his Scientology video that got leaked last week. Ben Stiller still does Cruise better, but Jerry is not bad. That sentence just sounds bad.

Zach Braff wants to tap that

New Writer's Strike Videos

NBC's Sneak Peek at their 2008 lineup

Support the writers!

Writer's Strike: Sorry Internet

In solidarity with the striking writers, all the adorable animals on the Internet are going on strike. From Colbert Report writers Frank Lesser and Rob Dubbin

Fred Armisen (SNL Cast Member) on the Writer's Strike

Studio Head and AMPTP Member, Roger A. Trevanti explores the WGA strike and picket lines in New York City. (Fred Armisen / www.unitedhollywood.com) How do the studio heads hope to compete against stuff like this?

Colbert Report Writers: Writer's Strike

The Daily Show Writers Strike Video

Explaining the writer's strike

I teach a film class in Salt Lake City, and students have asked me why the writers are on strike, and how it will disrupt their TV shows and movies. Instead of taking a lot of time re-typing out my responses to them, I wanted to post these videos that do a great job explaining what the strike is about, why the strike is taking place, and what the results will be without striking.

I personally hope it ends soon so I can get a full season of LOST come 2008 and I am really pleasantly surprised by "The Big Bang Theory" and would love to see that show continue. But, I can certainly understand why the writers are upset. The "Why We Fight" has a great summary of what the strike is about and what is at stake, and the "Voices of Uncertainty" shows why the studios claim that video on the internet is "PROMOTIONAL" is a flat out lie.

Why We Fight


Voices of Uncertainty


The writers of the Simpsons have some good stuff:


I go this from UnitedHollywood site explaining what happened during Monday night's LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards:

"Neil Patrick Harris hosted the evening. He came out onstage, started reading from some 3x5 index cards and halfway through the sentence, "Last night I was just thinking..." he stopped and looked really confused. He turned the card over. Checked his pockets. And then shouted into the wings his card was blank and he didn't know what to say next. Out walked a red shirted writer carrying a WGA strike sign and the whole place errupted into applause. Neil Patrick tried to carry on, calling on some dancers to vamp as he tried to come up with some material. I wish I had my camera at the ready. It was priceless."

LOST TV Producer on the Writer's Strike

Damon Lindelof (writer and producer of LOST) wrote an interesting op-ed piece in the New York Times. Here is a sample:

"If this strike lasts longer than three months, an entire season of television will end this December. No dramas. No comedies. No “Daily Show.” The strike will also prevent any pilots from being shot in the spring, so even if the strike is settled by then, you won’t see any new shows until the following January. As in 2009. Both the guild and the studios we are negotiating with do agree on one thing: this situation would be brutal.

I will probably be dragged through the streets and burned in effigy if fans have to wait another year for “Lost” to come back. And who could blame them? Public sentiment may have swung toward the guild for now, but once the viewing audience has spent a month or so subsisting on “America’s Next Hottest Cop” and “Celebrity Eating Contest,” I have little doubt that the tide will turn against us."

You can read the entire article by clicking here.

Writer's Strike: The Office

This is a clip from the creators of "The Office" talking about why they are on strike. The part that killed me was, last season NBC asked the writers to create a series of episodes made just for the website aka webisodes and they went on to win an Emmy for their work. NBC sold ad space on the online videos, and didn't pay the writers anything for their work. In fact, in what may be the most amazing part, is that NBC didn't even spend the $28 it costs to get an actual Emmy statue. (Winners don't get to keep the award they are handed on stage, they have to buy them) As sad as it will be to not have "The Office" and maybe have "LOST" not air again until 2009,(UGH) I have to side with the writers here. It's not fair that they get no share of internet, phone, or streaming revenue, and then also get squat on DVD sales.

Writer's Strike Update

Well, the writer's strike in Hollywood is about to get really nasty, really fast. The producer of "The Office" is picketing his own show, and the cast will not cross the picket line. That means, even though they already have scripts written, new episodes won't be produced until the strike is over. That is a major blow to NBC. The trouble for the studios is, that next summer the Director's guild is up for contract negotiations and they have already stated their minimum amount will start at what the writers get. Meaning, if the writers settle for 1.5% on residuals, that will be the minimum that directors will accept. Both sides have a lot at stake here, and the public, unfortunately get stuck in the middle.

Saturday Night Live did a great sketch this weekend breaking down the situation:



This strike will probably not end quickly, or easily, but I think the writers have the stronger hand here. Now the resolve to hold out long enough to win is another issue.