Updated February 12: http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/

STRIKE OVER: Hollywood Back To Work!

Here's the official WGA announcement to striking writers:

On Tuesday, members of the Writers Guilds East and West voted by a 92.5% margin to lift the restraining order that was invoked on November 5th. The strike is over.

Writing can resume immediately. If you were employed when the strike began, you should plan to report to work on Wednesday. If you're not employed at an office or other work site, call or e-mail your employer that you are resuming work. If you have been told not to report to work or resume your services, we recommend that you still notify your employer in writing of your availability to do so. Questions concerning return-to-work issues should be directed to the WGAW legal department or the WGAE’s assistant executive director.

The decision to begin this strike was not taken lightly and was only made after no other reasonable alternative was possible. We are profoundly aware of the economic loss these fourteen weeks have created not only for our members but so many other colleagues who work in the television and motion picture industries. Nonetheless, with the establishment of the WGA jurisdiction over new media and residual formulas based on distributor’s gross revenue (among other gains) we are confident that the results are a significant achievement not only for ourselves but the entire creative community, now and in the future.

We hope to build upon the extraordinary energy, ingenuity, and solidarity that were generated by your hard work during the strike.

Over the next weeks and months, we will be in touch with you to discuss and develop ways we can use our unprecedented unity to make our two guilds stronger and more effective than ever.

Now that the strike has ended, there remains the vote to ratify the new contract. Ballots and information on the new deal, both pro and con, will be mailed to you shortly. You will be able to return those ballots via mail or at a membership meeting to be held Monday, February 25th, 2008, at times and locations to be determined.

Thank you for making it possible. As ever, we are all in this together.

Best,

Patric M. Verrone

President, WGAW

Michael Winship

President, WGAE

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http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/vote...st-over-90-yes/

Strike Vote In For WGA: 90.3% Say "Yes"

Hollywood writers tonight gave their guild leaders an overwhelming authorization to strike. A walkout could come as soon as November 1st, but I hear that's unlikely as long as progress is being made during the ongoing negotiations with studios and networks. strike.jpgThe Writer's Guild Of America announced tonight that the 5,507 ballots cast among its 12,000 members was the highest turnout in its history -- and underscores the passion and solidarity of the writers to win concessions from the Alliance Of Motion Picture & Television Producers. "It shows an overwhelmingly engaged and activated community of writers who care about this negotiation and support our goals," said WGA West president Patric Verrone, himself an animation writer, in a statement tonight. "Writers do not want to strike, but they are resolute and prepared to take strong, united action to defend our interests. What we must have is a contract that gives us the ability to keep up with the financial success of this ever-expanding industry."

Earlier this evening, I reported that the WGA East authorized the strike by a blowout 90% even though the WGA East was expected to be more anti-strike than the way larger WGA West. "This historic vote sends an unequivocal message to the AMPTP, loud and clear," said WGA east president Michael Winship. "We will not be taken advantage of and we will not be fooled."

Tonight's total WGA tally blew away the producers. Judging from the phone calls I've received from several of the Hollywood moguls, the vote had its intended effect. As I reported last night, the strike authorization "Yes" vote has OKed a walkout that will bring Hollywood to its knees when it happens. All that was left to be determined was the percentages by which the 12,000-strong Writer's Guild of America members wanted the labor action. These numbers were important to both the WGA and to the studios and networks in order to gauge the strength of the strike fervor. The feeling was always that if the total of the "Yes" votes was anywhere above 75%, the studios and networks had a giant headache on their hands.

I say the moguls shouldn't make the mistake of consoling themselves that most of the writers' ballots were mailed in before AMPTP took that residuals rollback off the bargaining table. Because it wouldn't have mattered: the percentages would have been the same. But that was a huge concession, despite the WGA negotiators spin on it last night, and for the first time it sparked a mood of optimism among the writers that a strike could be averted. Yes, the WGA contract will expire Oct. 31 without a new one in place, but that date is meaningless because the WGA negotiators are not expected to call a strike until weeks after -- in fact, right before New Year's when the timing will be most strategic and the moguls' vacations ruined.

The good news is the WGA and AMPTP are returning to the bargaining table on Monday for a face to face session, which has been rare during these negotiations going on since mid-July. The bad news is if the producers don't understand the degree to which this is a very determined and unified guild in no mood to be pushed around on the dozens of other rollbacks remaining besides residuals. The writers' negotiating team is determined to bring members a very real downloading income stream. Sure, right now no one knows what those revenues will be, but the guild won't move past the difficult New Media issue when the current WGA rallying cry is "Remember the DVDs!"

This WGA team isn't gonna fold like the previous crew led by John Wells because this time around the writers are really in charge, not the hyphenates. (I still marvel at the way Wells ran for WGA president in 1999 and won even though he was a preeminent TV producer, split the Writer's Guild into haves and have nots, then failed in 2001 to stand firm on any of the hard issues so as to ensure no strike would interrupt his own productions. As if that weren't chutzpah enough, shortly after the WGA contract was resolved, Wells quietly informed his West Wing writers that the provisions in their own contracts for increased pay and promotions would not be honored in the series' upcoming 3rd season. And the timing of his move made it almost impossible for them to find new jobs.)

Again, I'll reiterate that this strike can be averted only if the studios and networks decide to. There's no question that the WGA top management and negotiating committee -- Patric Verrone, Dave Young, John Bowman -- outsmarted the moguls who thought there wouldn't be a separate WGA labor action until June when SAG's contract came due. The producers planned primarily for that timing, not for now. So studios found themselves suddenly scrambling to lock down projects and productions they thought had several more months of unfettered development before a walkout. But the networks were really besides themselves at the WGA's earlier-than-anticipated deadline: with so many deals and so much development done between the start of pilot season in January and the upfronts in May, a WGA walkout even as late as January 1st means network TV is toast. And, at a time when it can least afford it financial- and viewer-wise. (Realistically, how many consumers even differentiate anymore between broadcasters and cable? It's all just programming.) And that's not even taking into account how many of this fall's new network shows are underwhelming -- if not downright tanking. Worse for the TV moguls is the strict strike rules laid down by the WGA organizers last week. TV production would have to shut down. Movie production possibly limp alone. No wonder AMPTP's Nick Counter threw a temper tantrum and threatened a lawsuit.

So far, the WGA has been wily. But they need to stop short of willfull as well, especially with Friday's Dow Jones ending 360 points down, the current credit crunch, and the spectre of further infotainment consolidation (like General Electric selling NBC Universal to Time Warner). As for the AMPTP, this is no time for arrogance. The moguls need to provide an additional income stream that the guild can sell to its members as a major victory. Of course, New Media can still be tweaked and studied well into the future, but even a trickle of new cash flow can transform the WGA's attitude that it's losing too much financial ground to Big Media.

Do it, and do it now.

Edited February 13, 200817 yr by Toups

http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TV...-Long/800026937

A list of how many episodes are left.

I tell them my show is being written by scab writers *as we speak.*

I see nothing exceptional and unbelievable in this, nor shocking for that matter - the shows have been written for the month of January, but someone has to fuel the stories beyond that and WGA writers cannot do it. So - hire the scabs now and let them write for February, March...

Kobe Beef would! [!@#$%^&*] the unions! The Beef stands alone! Only the Beef knows how to write for THE NEW KIND OF DAYTIME!

I'll let you guys in on a little secret.

Keep it UNDER YOUR HAT. ON THE REAL... THIS IS IMPORTANT!

Kobe Beef is writing a MAJOR BIBLE to take over DAYS from Sheffer and oust those writers there who have been scheming against and lying on the Beef...and in that bible she brings back Scotty and David Banning with a large biracial family (which would be headed by Victoria Rowell and Keith Hamilton Cobb), as well as Denise Alexander as a scheming and villainous Susan Martin...and BILL HORTON as a MAD DOCTOR BENT ON DRUGGING AND RAPING THE WOMEN OF SALEM.

Meanwhile, in a VERY HIP storyline that reflects TODAY'S PROBLEMS, Sami will become addicted to being EJ's rich society wife and begin to flash her snatch for paparazzi, humiliating her friends and family!!!

Also, Will will rape Max.

This bible will only go forward IF and ONLY IF certain financial and political factors come together, and fans make it known that they want MORE KOBE BEEF IN THEIR DIET!!

...keep it on the QT SON.

AW, poor jealous non-talented Vee.

I would agree with you if it wasn't for the fact that she's in DENMARK

where her book just went #1

http://www.thumperscorner.com/discus/messa...html#POST110015

Wow, a few weeks ago, she won the writer's pen in Sweden.

Now her book is #1 in Denmark.

Is this becoming a pattern?

Anyway, I doubt she's thinking about the soaps according to an Ex-WOST member

who recently set me straight. Her literary career is in pretty high gear and that

pays a heck of a lot more than soap writing.

OH WOW VEE! LOOK-IT,

She's even bigger in Nigeria and South Africa this month:

http://www.farafinamagazine.com/editions/issue3/kolaboof.htm

I doubt she's using her time in Denmark to write daytime soaps.

Edited November 10, 200718 yr by ChangedBYSon

AW, poor jealous non-talented Vee.

I think it takes SOME talent to do an accurate parody.

I think it takes SOME talent to do an accurate parody.

As much as I partly agree with you, Vee is seriously starting to piss me and some other people off. TC Greene not included. With all his negative vibrations vibrating around... If you don't like SON, go elsewhere and annoy other people. Or start writing that damn soap opera pilot.

Put the picket line to good use, folks

One Tree Hill 12 episodes, that is bullshit. Just my luck, after CW confirmed they will have 22 episodes they get 12. Come on, let this dam strike be over. This strike better be over soon. God writers, get a life.

This strike better be over soon, i am sure after the strike is over, Mark Schwahn will give us 10 more episodes. DAM WRITERS

^ Oh we're sorry that OTH will not be shown in full after all. See, the writers are actually fighting for what is theirs, and when all is said and done, they'll be lucky if they have a job to go back to. They are fighting for principle. For fairness. But you know what? They will drop those picket signs and pen more episodes of whiny teen angst JUST for you. Because out of all the fans that are bitching and moaning, YOU are the one they care about pleasing.

PLEASE! There are more important things to worry about. The foreseeable future of the entertainment community perhaps?

Just a thought.

So are CBS and NBC hiring scabs for their soaps as well?

^ Oh we're sorry that OTH will not be shown in full after all. See, the writers are actually fighting for what is theirs, and when all is said and done, they'll be lucky if they have a job to go back to. They are fighting for principle. For fairness. But you know what? They will drop those picket signs and pen more episodes of whiny teen angst JUST for you. Because out of all the fans that are bitching and moaning, YOU are the one they care about pleasing.

PLEASE! There are more important things to worry about. The foreseeable future of the entertainment community perhaps?

Just a thought.

yea, they should drop this strike to please me. Well i dont watch that much tv, there is only 3 shows i watch. GH, DOOL and OTH. Well GH is safe because they have a scab writer and i hope DOOL get one too, hell they may be better then sheffer. lol

i write days for free

What is theirs hey, WOW DVD production. Sorry writers the dvd sales are not yours, its for the fans. They just write what happens on the show, they don't own the show. Heck i will be days writer for free and focus on characters i want to.

I bet Cordy would let me Write days if i go to his office and ask him. I got some good ideas for days like starting up a mob war. Put Chelsea and Stephanie on 5 days a week along with EJ and Sami. Give Stephanie a STD scare while pregnant. Redeem Ford Decker and hook him up with Stephanie and many more good stuff.

give EJAMI an nice adventure of romance. Yea i would be the best writer days would get

Lol, I swear I've opened a door and gone back to high school. WVW here I come!

Lol, I swear I've opened a door and gone back to high school. WVW here I come!

Its more like a door that opened into the mouth of madness.

yea, they should drop this strike to please me. Well i dont watch that much tv, there is only 3 shows i watch. GH, DOOL and OTH. Well GH is safe because they have a scab writer and i hope DOOL get one too, hell they may be better then sheffer. lol

i write days for free

What is theirs hey, WOW DVD production. Sorry writers the dvd sales are not yours, its for the fans. They just write what happens on the show, they don't own the show. Heck i will be days writer for free and focus on characters i want to.

I bet Cordy would let me Write days if i go to his office and ask him. I got some good ideas for days like starting up a mob war. Put Chelsea and Stephanie on 5 days a week along with EJ and Sami. Give Stephanie a STD scare while pregnant. Redeem Ford Decker and hook him up with Stephanie and many more good stuff.

give EJAMI an nice adventure of romance. Yea i would be the best writer days would get

I get it now it's Terry's World and we all live in it........

Here's a title for your next crazy fan fic "Terry's World".......

in the words of brooke davis, " it is my world so deal with it lol"

Edited November 10, 200718 yr by StephanieLover17

in the words of brooke davis, " it is my world so deal with it lol"

I need a drink.