The Strike Is On!

[Son of Sun]

It's only a good idea if you want to write during the strike then never again, the strike will be resolved and once it is anyone who crossed over the picket lines will be blacklisted from working as a writer in Hollywood for the rest of their lives.

Exactly. The elephants never forget... to kill!

 

[Superfreak]

It's only a good idea if you want to write during the strike then never again, the strike will be resolved and once it is anyone who crossed over the picket lines will be blacklisted from working as a writer in Hollywood for the rest of their lives.

it really depends how good you are doesn't it. I'm sure there are tons of non union writers out there, who do very well. And generally, if you look at why unions form, it generally because the crappier writers want/need the benefits that better writers get. It's just a fact of economic life. Those 'worthy' writers, generally won't join the union, if they can get what they want without the clout of some evil organization that distorts how the labor market should work (in this case, the tv movie writer labor market). Basically what unions do: distribute the benefits of the people who are good at their jobs, to those who are mediocre. In the end being a waste of $$$, because there will always be a higher proportion of mediocre people who do not, or have not earned such benefit. If all writers were created equal, then a union would work fine, because they are all contributing the same value added to the final product. Sadly, they are not. Unions are a drain on your economy, the economy.

that being said, I'm against the idea of free market, and unions should exist. I'm canadian... socialism is the path to the future

Basically, free market rules. Ironically, this is happening in the US, the chief world promoter of free market trade and all the crap that goes along with it... yet, Unions persist in the US.

anyhow: my point, any union that hurts the public, in order to achieve their goals, should be destroyed, and their members excomunicated forever. Don't hurt the market... hurt the supplier. It's not fair for the audience to bear the burden of the strike. Yes, producers are losing money... but the consumer is loosing utility... which is worse?

 

[Superfreak]

sorry bout that: I'm writting this in advance macro for a masters in econ... so the academic in me is coming out of me... I will try to refrain from doing this in the future

 

[GL1]

Um... you have a few crazy assumptions in there... the most striking is that some writers are being paid what they're worth, and those lazy mediocre writers (who are making 90% of TV happen) are just leeching off of them. That's pretty ridiculous, and I'm not sure where you could get that idea from. Especially for such a highly competitive market and such an obvious disproportion in pay.

And while some unions do drain the economy, there are events like this, where the injustice is mindnumbingly clear (of if you demand financial terms: there simply isn't enough utility) and a union is the only realistic way to get the job done.

 

[Shifty]

Big reads by Variety...

WGA strike could go into 2008
Both sides dig heels into the ground
By DAVE MCNARY
Hopes for a quick resolution of the writers strike are fading fast.

Back-channel efforts have resumed to avert what's now looking like a long and painful work stoppage. But those moves aren't gaining much traction amid continued hardline public stances by both the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers.

Worries have risen that without reviving the WGA talks, the scribes' work stoppage could easily bleed into the middle of next year.

The DGA's expected to launch talks within the next few weeks while SAG's negotiations would probably start in the late winter or early spring. Both the DGA and SAG contracts expire June 30.

WGA negotiations collapsed Sunday night, dashing a brief burst of optimism over the weekend that both sides had softened their stances and narrowed their proposals. And since the talks crashed and burned, both sides have ditched diplomacy.

AMPTP topper Nick Counter has insisted that the companies aren't interested in new talks as long as the WGA's on strike. And WGA West president Patric Verrone has declared in an email to members that the guild is no longer committed to taking its DVD residuals proposal off the table -- even though it did so Sunday to address the AMPTP's assertion that the DVD proposal was a roadblock to a deal.

"Our new comprehensive proposal (including the DVD removal) was presented in an off-the-record session; our new proposal was then rejected," Verrone said. "Based on what I saw and heard on the picket lines today, therefore, all bets are off and what we achieve in this negotiation will be a function of how much we are willing to fight to get our fair share of the residuals of the future, no matter how they are delivered."

In other developments:

* The WGA's considering offering waivers, or "interim agreements," under which producers could employ writers with the proviso that scribes would be compensated under terms of the new contract. During the 1988 WGA strike, more than 70 such were signed.

"The question of when to sign interim agreements, and with what employers, depends on an assessment by the Guild leadership of how such agreements will affect our leverage at the bargaining table," said WGA spokesman Gregg Mitchell.

The WGA has quietly backed off its strike rules on animated feature writing.

The guild announced nearly a month ago that writers could not work or negotiate for animated features -- even though that realm is not under WGA jurisdiction with most writing performed under contracts handled by Local 839 of the Intl. Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.

But the revised strike rules now permit WGA members to write for animated features covered by Local 839 without being fined or disciplined: "The Rules apply to (1) all network primetime animated series covered by a WGA contract and (2) contracts for writing services in connection with fully animated theatrical features negotiated or entered into during the strike, unless covered by a current collective bargaining agreement with another union."

The AMPTP and IATSE threatened the WGA with legal action over the rule, under which violators could face expulsion, suspension, fines and censure.

The Writers Guild of Canada has come out in support of its southern brethren.

The Canuck guild said anyone who is a dual member of the two guilds and lives in the U.S. will not be allowed to write for Canadian productions during the strike. But the guild added that dual members living in Canada can write for a Canadian production during the strike.

The guild's governing council passed a resolution stating: "The issues the WGA is addressing will affect every professional artist seeking compensation for their work in the digital age. Their fight is our fight."

There are fewer than 300 dual members, most of whom live and work in Los Angeles. The WGC has 1,900 members altogether.

WGC executive director Maureen Parker said U.S.-based members of both guilds have to apply to the WGA for a waiver in order to be able to work in Canada.

"I can't prevent a producer from hiring a writer for a production," Parker said. "But that writer is violating strike rules and we will inform the WGA."

Unlike the WGA, the WGC's most recent collective agreement with the Canadian producers association gives writers jurisdiction over new media, but the two sides have yet to agree on a set rate for compensating Canadian writers for work used in new-media platforms.

Strike hitting '24,' 'Family Guy' hard
Showrunners join picket lines
By JOSEF ADALIAN, MICHAEL SCHNEIDER


As showrunners rallied en masse Wednesday outside the Disney studio gates, the fallout from the three-day-old Writers Guild of America walkout began impacting some of primetime's biggest hits, including Fox's "24" and "Family Guy" and NBC's "The Office."

Producers also continue to turn up the heat on the hyphenates. CBS Paramount Network Television and 20th Century Fox Televison have sent sternly worded breach of contract letters to showrunners who've opted not to fulfill their producerial functions this week, threatening lawsuits if they didn't get back to work.

What's more, letters state that the studio might sue the scribe for damages as well, if episodes can't be produced and it suffers monetary losses as a result.

Showrunners weren't backing down but, after a meeting following the rally, they did appear to come to a consensus to try to use whatever leverage they have to woo studios back to the negotiating table.

For now, they're staying off the job -- and writing is out of the question until a settlement is reached. But, said one showrunner who was at the powwow, "We will gladly return to our (showrunner) jobs the day that the producers return to the negotiating table."

Move seems designed to send the nets and studios a message: If you start bargaining, we'll help finish up the scripts we've already written. Of course, most shows will run out of scripts in a few weeks, which means the offer has an expiration date.

Hyphenates also vowed to stay unified if the studios decide to sue them for breach. "We pledged that if anyone gets sued for breach, then we're going to stand by them. We won't go back to work unless those suits are dropped," the source said.

Earlier in the week, studios suspended a number of overall deals with both writers and non-writing producers (Daily Variety, Nov. 6). Layoffs are expected to begin as early as Friday. At 20th, assistants to the writer-producer hyphenates were told they would be out of a job at the end of the week -- but that their health coverage would continue until the end of the year.

Nonetheless, the showrunners offered up a united front on Wednesday. Today's Daily Variety carries an ad signed by 400 writers, including some of the biggest names in the biz, who warn fellow scribes not to do anything that might weaken the WGA position or prolong the strike.

On the programming front, Fox said it would delay the planned season premiere of "24" indefinitely, citing uncertainty over the strike's duration as the reason (see story, page 1). Time could also be up on Fox's "Family Guy," with creator Seth MacFarlane saying the show's final produced episode -- at least with his involvement -- is set to air this Sunday. He hinted his relationship with producer 20th Century Fox Television could suffer if the studio uses other talent to finish remaining episodes.

Meanwhile, NBC gave up producing one more episode of "The Office" after key actors on the show failed to come to work. That means that show will be in repeats after Nov. 15.

Rally was designed to show unity among the guild's highest-paid members, and to encourage those showrunners undecided about whether to render production services to put down their pens.

"Weeds" creator Jenji Kohan said helping studios complete episodes is like "crossing our own picket line."

"This is a war against corporate greed, and we're on the side of right," she said. "The producers are being completely unreasonable and incredibly greedy and piggish. They're making enormous amounts of money, and we deserve a share."

At the rally, former WGA prexy John Wells said he remains willing and able to assist in strike talks, should they resume.

"If I'm asked by my guild, I'll be happy to," Wells said.

So far, Wells hasn't been actively involved in the current standoff. But as a former guild topper and member who has sat on several negotiating committees through the years, Wells said, "There's no question where my loyalties lie."

"These issues are very significant," he said. "The companies are going to have to recognize that 0.3% is not going to fly for Internet revenues."

Wells said he believed the congloms made "a major miscalculation" in not taking the writers' concerns over online residuals "seriously" earlier.

"The Guild was very vocal what the issues were," he said.

"Family Guy" creator-exec producer MacFarlane was another very vocal showrunner at the rally. He maintained that the upcoming episode of "Family Guy" on Sunday is the last fully produced episode in the can.

There are other episodes close to being finished, but MacFarlane has made it clear that he has no plans to help put those segs together. MacFarlane also has another unique bit of leverage: He provides voices for many main characters on the show, and he said he would not step into the studio to record any further.

So couldn't Fox just go ahead and use other non-WGA producers to wrap things up?

"They could, but it would be unwise," MacFarlane said. "Because I would be angry."

Twentieth isn't saying what it will do.

"Our hope is that he returns to work and completes his non-writing obligations on those episodes," a spokesperson said.

Losing "Family Guy" in the middle of the November sweeps would be tough for Fox, which counts on the longtime Sunday night staple. It wouldn't be immediately devastating, however. In a testament to just how strong "Family Guy" is, the show does very well in repeats.

News Corp. prexy Peter Chernin, meanwhile, asserted in an earnings conference call with investors that Fox's animated skeins were far ahead in script preparation and that the strike could "help growth in market share in Fox Broadcasting."

Meanwhile, a day after striking WGA members successfully disrupted production of a "Desperate Housewives" location shoot in Toluca Lake, scribes woke up early Wednesday morning to picket outside a "Private Practice" shoot in Malibu.

Strikers were up as early as 4 a.m., in the hopes of preventing Teamsters workers from crossing the picket line. Included in the group were several "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice" writers, including creator-exec producer Rhimes.

Insiders said some Teamsters honored the line, while others still went inside.

"My concern is the people who work for me, and the writers on the picket line," Rhimes said. "We all would like to work, and we'd like the studios and the networks to make that happen."

Rhimes said three or four more episodes are ready to shoot on both "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice." The scribe added that she supported her shows but would not cross the picket lines to do any showrunning work on those segs.

"My focus is this. This is the work we're doing. It's hard to do both things."

"Private Practice" exec producer/showrunner Marti Noxon said she was in complete agreement with Rhimes' decision to not serve as a producer on her shows.

"We're not even speaking to actors with questions about motivation. It's radio silence," she said. "We can't ask the people who work for us to go without paychecks and then continue to cross the picket line."

"Ugly Betty" showrunner Silvio Horta, who Tuesday was undecided about whether to fulfill his role as producers, said Wednesday that he had opted to remove himself completely from the process.

That's what "Brothers and Sisters" and "Dirty Sexy Money" exec producer Greg Berlanti is also doing--at least this week. He said he's still debating what to do come next week.

"For every episode we produce, writers are going to get paid, and I want my writers to be able to survive," he said.

"The Office" exec producer Greg Daniels hasn't worked on the show in any capacity since the strike began, noting that writing plays a role in just about everything a showrunner does.

"All of those decisions have to do with writing," Daniels said.

And if a showrunner stops, it's difficult for a series to continue, he added. Indeed, with Daniels and his "Office" mates (including many writer-actor hyphenates) out on the picketline, NBC gave up the ghost and shut down "The Office" Wednesday.

"For a show to keep going without a showrunner, it's like selling water and white powder and calling it milk," Daniels said.

With the writers' grievances centered on Internet residuals, Daniels noted that "The Office" scribes are already well aware of the shift to online media -- and what that means to both writers and media corporations.

"We've seen the future," Daniels said. "'The Office' has received 7 million downloads. It generates the most traffic at NBC.com. We received a Daytime Emmy for webisodes that no one was paid for. The future is very bright for these companies. The CPMs on Internet ads is double what they are for TV."

Daniels said he believed the studios were motivated to trigger a strike.

"They know there's a huge pot of money out there, and if they don't share it the profits will be more for them," he said.

Scribe also said he was bracing for a suspension letter from "Office" producer NBC Universal.

"Since the show is down, I don't know why they would continue to pay me," he noted.

Some showrunners who've personally opted against rendering producer services argued passionately against internal WGA witchhunts against those hyphenates who opt to wear their producer hats. An insider at one studio said about 10% of their writer-producers were still showing up to work.

"I hope we will all be well behaved to those members who choose to continue their producerial responsibilities, because the fact is, it's a personal choice," said "DH" creator Cherry.

He added that in a few weeks, it wouldn't matter since scripts will have dried up.

Strike has already put a halt to any further pilot development. A week ago, Whedon scored a seven-episode commitment from Fox to create "Dollhouse," a new drama starring Eliza Dushku.

But this Wednesday, Whedon hit the picket line, even while fighting a cold and sipping chicken soup from a thermos.

"I have no conflict about this," said Whedon, whose new creation will now be put on hold. "It's not hard for me. The issues we're talking about are so crucial."

Several showrunners were gloomy about the possibility of a quick settlement. "Lost's" Lindelof said he feared an eight-month walkout was a real possibility.

"People don't give something for nothing," he said. "If the guild is gonna make any strides in new media, we're going to have to suffer a lot."

MacFarlane expressed amazement at the lack of a settlement.

"Part of me is astonished that this is happening amongst adults and not children on a playground," he said. "What's being proposed is a very reasonable deal. Writers and their employers are partners and at the moment, that's not being honored."

24' season in jeopardy
Pending resolution, Fox puts show on hold
By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER

The clock has stopped on "24," at least for now.

Jack Bauer's seventh mission has been delayed for the foreseeable future, as Fox announced Wednesday that "24" won't be back until the network can air the entire season, uninterrupted.

"The viewers have told us that this is a show that needs to be digested with minimal, if any, interruptions," said Fox scheduling chief Preston Beckman.

The "24" preemption is one of several tweaks to Fox's midseason lineup as the net became the first to reveal a full-fledged strike-induced schedule change.

"We've got a plan to keep Fox vibrant right through May sweep and beyond," Beckman said. "We had to make some tough decisions quickly for a variety of reasons."

What the delay means for "24" is still up in the air. The show could conceivably start later in the spring, should the Writers Guild strike be resolved. But the delay could mean that "24" will miss the year entirely and shift its seventh cycle to the 2008-09 TV season.

The "24" showrunners were among the pickets outside Disney on Wednesday morning; production, however, continues on the episodes for which there are scripts -- including shoots that are ongoing through Friday in Washington, D.C. Production on episodes seven and eight are expected to continue until early December.

In place of "24," the new skein "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" will move up to 9 p.m. effective Jan. 14 (after an hour-long premiere on Sunday, Jan. 13), while "Prison Break" -- originally slated to go on hiatus come January -- will stick with its 8 p.m. slot until March.

In order to air original "Prison Break" segs in winter, net will pull the show off the sked after Nov. 12 and rest it, filling the slot with "House" repeats.

After original "Prison Break" and "Terminator" segs run out, new reality skein "When Women Rule the World" rolls into the 8 p.m. slot on March 10, followed by repeats of "House."

"House" will also remain in its Tuesday 9 p.m. spot (behind "American Idol") until April 1, when "Hell's Kitchen" returns.

"What's frustrating to us is look how well we were doing on Tuesday nights," Beckman said. "This was our big night. As much as we would have liked to keep 'House' there, circumstances have forced us to make a decision.

"We've been preparing for this for months and started production on 'Hell's Kitchen' early in anticipation of a work stoppage," Beckman said. "We feel this is a show that deserves a shot to go to the next level."

"House" will continue to serve as a major utility player for Fox, however. Besides the Tuesday and Monday airings, show will also air Fridays at 9 p.m. in January and much of February.

A special "House" seg, guest starring Mira Sorvino, is still set to air after the Super Bowl on Feb. 3.

"Interestingly, 'House' will get more exposure in the first quarter of 2008 than it normally gets," Beckman said.

On Wednesdays, net will bow lie detector-themed reality skein "The Moment of Truth" at 9 p.m., behind the "Idol" results show, on Jan. 23. Then, on March 12, "Moment of Truth" will slide to 8, followed by "Idol" at 9 and "Back to You" at 9:30.

Then there's Fridays, where the sked will rotate every few weeks: As already announced, "Bones" repeats head to 8 p.m. starting Jan. 4; on Feb. 22, new skein "New Amsterdam" replaces "House" repeats at 9. Then on March 7, half-hours "'Til Death" and "The Return of Jezebel James" take on the 8 and 8:30 slots. And on April 11, "Canterbury's Law" will replace "Amsterdam" at 9.

One more change: New laffer "Unhitched" will take over "American Dad's" Sunday night 9:30 slot for six weeks starting March 2.

New sked is locked if the strike continues; if there's a resolution and scripted fare returns, however, "We can unscramble the egg," Beckman said.

Prison Break is off for 2 months instead of 3. But sucks that its such short notice for fans. Hopefully the Terminator spinoff is good. Rena Sofer has cursed 24! Well I'll have more time to play some Wii.

 

[GL1]

The Network is going to wait it out... this is a war of attrition and the writer's guild simply doesn't have the resources to do this. Maybe I don't get the 'power of picketing' but it seems like they'd be able to keep up their strike longer if they all went and got some quickie minimum wage-ish jobs to get them by instead of picketing for free. I thought the fact that they're not there would be enough... maybe just a good solid three weeks of picketing? Maybe picket on fridays or something?

 

[Superfreak]

Um... you have a few crazy assumptions in there... the most striking is that some writers are being paid what they're worth, and those lazy mediocre writers (who are making 90% of TV happen) are just leeching off of them. That's pretty ridiculous, and I'm not sure where you could get that idea from. Especially for such a highly competitive market and such an obvious disproportion in pay.

And while some unions do drain the economy, there are events like this, where the injustice is mindnumbingly clear (of if you demand financial terms: there simply isn't enough utility) and a union is the only realistic way to get the job done.

the assumptions I agree were exagerated, to illustrate the point. But the point is, that the distortion still exists, and it is costly

 

[Superfreak]

Um... you have a few crazy assumptions in there... the most striking is that some writers are being paid what they're worth, and those lazy mediocre writers (who are making 90% of TV happen) are just leeching off of them. That's pretty ridiculous, and I'm not sure where you could get that idea from. Especially for such a highly competitive market and such an obvious disproportion in pay.

And while some unions do drain the economy, there are events like this, where the injustice is mindnumbingly clear (of if you demand financial terms: there simply isn't enough utility) and a union is the only realistic way to get the job done.

also, in the end, I don't care about the injustice... I just don't want the TV I watch to stop. Like I said earlier... a strike should never punish the audience, it should punish the employer. In this situation, the strike is hurting both the consumer and producer. So I really don't give a hoot who wins or who loses the dispute... just as long as they end it now... and save me the hassle of figuring out something to do, when my favorite shows aren't on anymore.

strategy: why didn't they strike during the summer, when most TV is on hiatus... that way, they still have the same production issues, and hurt the production companies by halting work... but at the same time, they don't hurt the audience who is waiting for the product. It's like farmers all going on strike because they have a beef with government. the population starves while the two parties ***** and moan at eachother until one side caves. Another exagerated simile

 

[Downhere]

Wow, 24 being moved to next year if the strike continues...that sucks.

 

[GL1]

also, in the end, I don't care about the injustice... I just don't want the TV I watch to stop. Like I said earlier... a strike should never punish the audience, it should punish the employer. In this situation, the strike is hurting both the consumer and producer. So I really don't give a hoot who wins or who loses the dispute... just as long as they end it now... and save me the hassle of figuring out something to do, when my favorite shows aren't on anymore.

strategy: why didn't they strike during the summer, when most TV is on hiatus... that way, they still have the same production issues, and hurt the production companies by halting work... but at the same time, they don't hurt the audience who is waiting for the product. It's like farmers all going on strike because they have a beef with government. the population starves while the two parties ***** and moan at each other until one side caves. Another exagerated simile

I see, and I can appreciate a good exaggeration. It looks like I just don't care as much about my entertainment as you seem to. In my head, there isn't a way to punish the producer directly, and so, from a writer's perspective, viewer's entertainment could constitute acceptable losses, IF we put this strike up as the Union's 'fault.' Is it possible that the actions and inactions of the studios make the formation of a union and subsequent strike inevitable?

I certainly don't know, but I'll be much happier if the writers get their 8 cents per DVD and internet residuals to match their broadcast residuals... happier than I would be if I knew that, say, Heroes was coming back in January because the writers caved.... perhaps I'm biased because I enjoy writing so much...

BTW, it is too awesome disagreeing peaceably with someone on an internet forum... it really doesn't happen very often.

 

[WorthyStevens]

anyhow: my point, any union that hurts the public, in order to achieve their goals, should be destroyed, and their members excomunicated forever. Don't hurt the market... hurt the supplier. It's not fair for the audience to bear the burden of the strike. Yes, producers are losing money... but the consumer is loosing utility... which is worse?

The writers. We might be losing our television shows temporarily, BUT that's not the end of the world. This is the writers' futures and careers here at risk, so that's what should be focused on.

Jenna Fischer wrote an interesting blog on her MySpace which rings very true:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=27753303&blogID=326434607

 

[amazingfantasy15]

I never really thought about the no reruns on network TV thing, I never really bought into the whole it's not worth it to air repeats due to low viewership, but it makes a lot more sense from the studios persepective to keep older episodes on a format where they don't have to pay any residuals.

 

[KenK]

I never really thought about the no reruns on network TV thing, I never really bought into the whole it's not worth it to air repeats due to low viewership, but it makes a lot more sense from the studios persepective to keep older episodes on a format where they don't have to pay any residuals.

Will the studios really lose THAT much money if they break off some residuals for internet viewing? I mean, if there are writers who absolutely depend on residuals to stay afloat when they don't work, are studio executives facing a comparable threat to their livelihood if they give in to the SWGA's demands?

 

[WorthyStevens]

Has anyone heard where they might be picketing at in New York right now? I may possibly drive down there and join the picket lines in the coming weeks.

 

[danoyse]

Has anyone heard where they might be picketing at in New York right now? I may possibly drive down there and join the picket lines in the coming weeks.

The better question is where is there not a picket line? We have the WGA lines, which are basically in front of all the studios...also the the Broadway stage hands union has gone on strike this weekend, so there are picket lines in front of nearly every Broadway theater in midtown. It's crazy.

 

[Shifty]

Ausiello Report
UPDATED Strike Chart: How Long Before Your Shows Go Dark?

UPDATED 11/12/07] There seems to be little doubt that the writers' strike will result in a shorter TV season, but just how short are we talking? Well, as you might've guessed, it varies from show to show. Those programs that are either highly efficient (Friday Night Lights) or have entered the season with a backlog of episodes (Men in Trees, Law & Order: SVU) will be in originals well into the new year. But series with tighter production schedules (i.e., nearly every half-hour comedy) will go dark almost immediately. Of course, figuring out how many episodes remain in your favorite shows' arsenals requires a lot of numbers crunching — and as I've come to learn, the only thing you Ausholes despise more than a Wednesday without AA is mathematics. With that in mind, I pulled together this incredibly handy (and 85 percent complete) cheat sheet. Keep in mind: The information below is subject to change, particularly if both sides get back to the bargaining table and resolve this frakkin' thing!


30 Rock: Ten episodes will be produced. Five episodes have aired, so there are five left.

Aliens in America: Seventeen episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are 11 left.

Back to You: Nine episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are three left.

Bionic Woman: Roughly nine episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are three left.

Bones: Twelve episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are six left.

Boston Legal: Fifteen episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are nine left.

Brothers & Sisters: Twelve episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are five left.

Carpoolers: Thirteen episodes will be produced. Five episodes have aired, so there are eight left.

Cavemen: Thirteen episodes will be produced. Five episodes have aired, so there are eight left.

Chuck: Thirteen episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are six left.

CSI: NY: Fourteen episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are seven left.

Desperate Housewives: Ten episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are three left.

Dirty Sexy Money: Eleven episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are five left.

Friday Night Lights: Fifteen episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are eight left.

Gossip Girl: Thirteen episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are six left.

Grey's Anatomy: Eleven episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are four left.

Heroes: Eleven episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are four left.

House: Twelve episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are six left.

Jericho: Seven episodes will be produced. None have aired yet, so there are seven episodes left.

Law & Order: SVU: Fourteen episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are eight left.

Life is Wild: Twelve episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are six left.

Lost: Eight episodes will be produced. None have aired yet, so there are eight episodes left.

Medium: Nine episodes will be produced. None have aired yet, so there are nine episodes left.

Men in Trees: Nineteen episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are 13 left.

Numbers: Twelve episodes will be produced. Eight, so there are four left.

One Tree Hill: Twelve episodes will be produced. None have aired yet, so there are twelve episodes left.

The Office: Twelve half-hour episodes will be produced. Eleven half-hour episodes have aired, so there is one half-hour episode left.

Prison Break: Thirteen episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are six left.

Private Practice: Ten or 11 episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are four or five left.

Pushing Daisies: Nine episodes will be produced. Five episodes have aired, so there are four left.

Reaper: Ten to 12 episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are three to five left.

Samantha Who?: Twelve episodes will be produced. Four episodes have aired, so there are eight left.

Scrubs: Twelve episodes will be produced. Three episodes have aired, so there are nine left.

Shark: Eleven episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are four left.

The Shield: All 13 season-seven episodes will be completed. None have aired (the final season gets underway in '08), so there are 13 left.

Smallville: Fifteen episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are eight left.

Supernatural: Ten to 12 episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are four to six left.

Ugly Betty: Twelve or 13 episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are five or six left.

• If your favorite show isn't included above, don't panic — it's not because I hate you. It's because I'm still trying to track down the info. As soon as I get it, I'll add it to the list.

So there you go.

 

[Shifty]

Latenight hosts may be coming back
Show reps engage in secret backchannel talks
VARIETY
By JOSEF ADALIAN

Talks are underway to bring the laughs back to latenight.

Reps for several of the major latenight skeins -- including "Late Show with David Letterman," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"--- have been engaging in secret backchannel conversations with each other about when it might be appropriate for their hosts to return to their studios. It's unlikely anything will happen until after Thanksgiving, however--and even that could be optimistic.

Still, according to several network execs with knowledge of the situation, there's been talk of resuming production on some shows as early as next month, with Dec. 3 and Dec. 10 mentioned as possible return dates.

The problem with locking in a date: "Nobody wants to be the first to go back," says one wag.

What's more, nobody wants to go back too early, particularly if it appears a settlement of the strike could be at hand. But with most of Hollywood bracing for an extended work stoppage, producers have been forced to start talking about a return.

Toward that end, reps for the major broadcast network shows--but not the networks themselves-- have been quietly feeling each other out, trying to determine when might be the appropriate time to return to work. All the major latenight talkers have been dark since the WGA strike began Nov. 5.

Since none of the shows wants to be the first to return to production, the behind-the-scenes conversations seem to be aimed at reaching an informal agreement that would result in at least two shows from separate networks returning on the same date.

While Letterman, Leno and O'Brien all want to be respectful of their writers, they're also deeply concerned about the impact of a prolonged strike on their non-WGA staffs.

NBC, for example, had told producers on its latenight shows that it would only continue paying staffs through Nov. 16 (Daily Variety, Nov. 7).

Producers of the Peacock shows lobbied the net to keep the paychecks coming, however, and late Thursday, the network agreed. Staffers on Leno and O'Brien's shows, along with those on "Last Call with Carson Daly," will be paid for at least two more weeks, a network spokeswoman said.

Letterman, whose Worldwide Pants Prods. is solely responsible for staffer salaries on "Late Show" and "Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson," has told staffers they're not going to be cut off. Company will "continue to pay the non-writing staff of the shows - fully compensating lower-salaried employees, and providing a substantial portion of salaries for those at the higher end -- at least through the end of the year," a Worldwide Pants spokesman said.

As for whether "Late Show" will return before the strike is settled, the spokesperson was non-committal.

"Next week's tapings of 'The Late Show' and the 'Late Late Show' have been cancelled and we will continue to make a week-by-week determination about future tapings," he said. "Of course, we all want to get back to work as soon as possible, and it remains our hope that both sides in this dispute will make progress toward that end. In the meantime, we will continue monitoring this situation closely as we make decisions regarding our future production schedule."

As for "The Tonight Show," exec producer Debbie Vickers last week issued a statement saying she was mulling all sorts of options in order to keep her staffers working, including bringing in guest hosts to fill in for Leno.

"Late Night" exec producer Jeff Ross also declined comment, except to say that he had been focusing his efforts on getting NBC to keep paying his non-WGA staff for as long as possible.

It's unclear if producers for "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" or "The Colbert Report" have participated in the behind-the-scenes talks with other latenight producers. Comedy Central is still paying the support staffs for those shows.

However, it might be more difficult for those skeins to return without writers--particularly "Colbert Report," which is mostly scripted.

One big factor in any decision to go back to work: The WGA's reaction. Latenight producers were taken aback by the WGA East's condemnation of Ellen Degeneres after she opted to return to work.

A guild spokesman said there have been no talks with the latenight shows about granting waivers.

“Late night hosts who are WGA members are prohibited by our strike rules from performing writing services,” the rep said. “As many of the hosts have themselves commented, it is extremely difficult to produce first-rate shows without writers.”

The latenight camp is hoping the Carson precedent--he returned to work a month before the strike resumed--- will mute any negative response if and when their shows return.

In addition, latenight producers note that only about 20% of their shows is scripted. The rest is filled with interviews and musical performances.

Well if the non-writing staff for the CBS shows are being taken care of, they could come back in 2008. If they came back they would only be on for 2-3 weeks before another 2 week break for the holidays. Most hosts could pull off a show without writers anyway.

 

[Shifty]

'Last Call' Back on Call
Carson Daly show to resume taping

November 27, 2007

The latest of all late-night shows is going back into production, becoming the first network talker to go back into production since the start of the writers' strike.

"Last Call with Carson Daly" is likely to begin taping new episodes this week for air in early December, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The NBC show airs at 1:35 a.m. ET weeknights, the latest start time of any of the after-primetime talk shows.

The show will resume production without its writers, of course, who have been on strike for three weeks. The show's return will, however, let other members of its staff who would otherwise be laid off collect a paycheck. NBC has said it would pay employees of its late-night shows through the end of this month, but there are no guarantees beyond that.

While Daly's show is the first late-night program to resume duirng the strike, it's not the first talk show, period. That distinction belongs to Ellen DeGeneres' syndicated daytime show, and DeGeneres has taken a considerable amount of criticism for beginning to tape shows within the first week of the strike.

NBC's other late-night offerings -- "Saturday Night Live," "The Tonight Show" and "Late Night" -- along with CBS' "Late Show" and "Late Late Show" and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," remain in reruns. David Letterman's World Wide Pants production company, which owns both "The Late Show" and "The Late Late Show," has told its employees that they'll be paid through the end of the year, regardless of the shows' status.

1. The so-called writers for the show are unfunny
2. Was expecting Letterman or Leno to comeback first
3. Hopefully this starts a domino effect from NBC to CBS to Comedy Central

 

[WorthyStevens]

Update...

Writers Strike Update
Source: AMPTP, WGA
November 30, 2007


The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) returned to the negotiation table on Monday for another four days of discussions. Earlier this week, rumors claimed that a deal had already been struck, but the latest developments today show that there are still many disagreements.

Both the AMPTP and the WGA released statements on Thursday after a news blackout for the first three days of discussions, and it clearly shows that they are not on the same page.

First up, the AMPTP:

The AMPTP today unveiled a New Economic Partnership to the WGA, which includes groundbreaking moves in several areas of new media, including streaming, content made for new media and programming delivered over digital broadcast channels. The entire value of the New Economic Partnership will deliver more than $130 million in additional compensation above and beyond the more than $1.3 billion writers already receive each year. In response, the WGA has asked for time to study the proposals. While we strongly preferred to continue discussions, we respect and understand the WGA's desire to review the proposals. We look forward to resuming talks on Tuesday, December 4.

We continue to believe that there is common ground to be found between the two sides, and that our proposal for a New Economic Partnership offers the best chance to find it.

The WGA sent out the following the following to its members:

To Members of the Writers Guilds East and West,

After four days of bargaining with the AMPTP, we are writing to let you know that, though we are still at the table, the press blackout has been lifted.

Our inability to communicate with our members has left a vacuum of information that has been filled with rumors, both well intentioned and deceptive

Among the rumors was the assertion that the AMPTP had a groundbreaking proposal that would make this negotiation a "done deal." In fact, for the first three days of this week, the companies presented in essence their November 4 package with not an iota of movement on any of the issues that matter to writers.

Thursday morning, the first new proposal was finally presented to us. It dealt only with streaming and made-for-Internet jurisdiction, and it amounts to a massive rollback.

For streaming television episodes, the companies proposed a residual structure of a single fixed payment of less than $250 for a year's reuse of an hour-long program (compared to over $20,000 payable for a network rerun). For theatrical product they are offering no residuals whatsoever for streaming.

For made-for-Internet material, they offered minimums that would allow a studio to produce up to a 15-minute episode of network-derived web content for a script fee of $1300. They continued to refuse to grant jurisdiction over original content for the Internet.

In their new proposal, they made absolutely no move on the download formula (which they propose to pay at the DVD rate), and continue to assert that they can deem any reuse "promotional," and pay no residual (even if they replay the entire film or TV episode and even if they make money).

The AMPTP says it will have additional proposals to make but, as of Thursday evening, they have not been presented to us. We are scheduled to meet with them again on Tuesday.

In the meantime, we felt it was essential to update you accurately on where negotiations stand. On Wednesday we presented a comprehensive economic justification for our proposals. Our entire package would cost this industry $151 million over three years. That's a little over a 3% increase in writer earnings each year, while company revenues are projected to grow at a rate of 10%. We are falling behind.

For Sony, this entire deal would cost $1.68 million per year. For Disney $6.25 million. Paramount and CBS would each pay about $4.66 million, Warner about $11.2 million, Fox $6.04 million, and NBC/Universal $7.44 million. MGM would pay $320,000 and the entire universe of remaining companies would assume the remainder of about $8.3 million per year. As we've stated repeatedly, our proposals are more than reasonable and the companies have no excuse for denying it.

The AMPTP's intractability is dispiriting news but it must also be motivating. Any movement on the part of these multinational conglomerates has been the result of the collective action of our membership, with the support of SAG, other unions, supportive politicians, and the general public. We must fight on, returning to the lines on Monday in force to make it clear that we will not back down, that we will not accept a bad deal, and that we are all in this together.

In Solidarity,

Michael Winship
President
Writers Guild of America, East

Patric M. Verrone
President
Writers Guild of America, West

Will it all end before the holidays? Stay tuned..

 

[Arkady Rossovich]

The Network is going to wait it out... this is a war of attrition and the writer's guild simply doesn't have the resources to do this. Maybe I don't get the 'power of picketing' but it seems like they'd be able to keep up their strike longer if they all went and got some quickie minimum wage-ish jobs to get them by instead of picketing for free. I thought the fact that they're not there would be enough... maybe just a good solid three weeks of picketing? Maybe picket on fridays or something?

I can imagine the people striking will eventually give in.Shows will be hit hard,and as a result..people will demand the strike over.New writers might be hired,and be given the jobs of those on the striking lines.Sort of a sticking it to them manuver.

 

[TheVileOne]

I can imagine the people striking will eventually give in.Shows will be hit hard,and as a result..people will demand the strike over.New writers might be hired,and be given the jobs of those on the striking lines.Sort of a sticking it to them manuver.

It's already been established that's not going to happen. Hollywood isn't going to hire scab writers to work on the shows while these guys are on strike.

Why? When the strike is over, the scabs will be forced out and the WGA will never let them work again. With all this crap going on the studios do know that they need the writers.

Also, I live in Hollywood, and they aren't picketing 24/7, since I've passed by the areas.

 

[JP]

I'm going thru Conan withdrawals.

 

[GoldGoblin]

If the actors are on strike with the writers,shouldn't this strike end quickly?

 

[strikezone89]

late night shows need to come back!!
i miss leno and o'brien

 

[GL1]

I can imagine the people striking will eventually give in.Shows will be hit hard,and as a result..people will demand the strike over.New writers might be hired,and be given the jobs of those on the striking lines.Sort of a sticking it to them manuver.

I'm not sure what you're saying, but I do know that new writers will NOT be hired.

If the actors are on strike with the writers,shouldn't this strike end quickly?

Not really. The Actors can't work without the writers, so... the work stoppage would be exactly the same. Furthermore, Actors are almost always adequately compensated, meaning that they don't have reason to strike en masse... in fact, the fact that they are highly paid would HURT the strike and distract from the fact that these invisible guys, on whom everything depends, are getting paid pennies on the dollar.

I still don't see the Networks giving in. I think their pride is stronger than their pocketbooks, and if Conan, Jay and David can't collaborate, imagine seven or eight nationwide broadcasting companies... getting them all to agree is going to be nearly impossible. They'll take hits to the pocket, get by on reality TV, cartoons and the like, and will do so, happily, for years. None of the decision makers on the Network side is in ANY danger of losing their house, car, not eating, or paying their kid's tuition, they're all set, financially. And it would take years... YEARS of no income for them to be forced to give in.

They're greedier, seedier and more well off than they were back in the 80's. 22 weeks isn't going to be enough this time. The Networks are not reasonable, they want to be free to pay the people who make TV nothing (though they are still bound to pay a tiny bit SOMEtimes based on the contract from the strike in 89). Seriously, they're calling showing Netflix and Blockbuster online "Promotion" and making money and paying the writers ZERO dollars. Not pennies on the dollar. ZERO.

Look at their tactics for this strike? Writers make more demands, no matter how reasonable, the TV Execs offer ROLLBACKS. Their strategy is to take more and more away from the writers until the writers realize that they're not going to get any better, and give up, taking the new, WORSE deal. The Networks think that they have slaves that can be trained to do as they're told, not people who deserve to be rewarded for their labor.

Based on my limited perspective, this strike will go on into next summer, when we'll get our last new movies until early 09. They'll probably be rereleasing remastered films in theatres at that point. TV will be glutted with Reality TV and... DOOOOOOOOOOM!!! DOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

But seriously, I have, like, NO hope for this situation.