Writer's Strike Thread

[brimike]

I don't know, but here's something interesting along those lines:

This Monday and Tuesday's episodes of Days are up on iTunes. HOWEVER, the number one downloaded episode (according to their front page) is last Friday's Thanksgiving episode. So clearly people are downloading other episodes long after the fact based on good buzz, no? (That's what I took away from it. If someone else has another perspective, feel free to correct me)

This tells me that people aren't necessarily just downloading that day's episode if they missed it. WHich means people ARE downloading episodes days (possibly weeks or months, but I don't know that for a fact) after they air, if they know it's going to be a good episode.

[Snark]

Michael Montgomery's name has been added to the list.

[Chris B]

There was a soaps on DVD thread and someone posted pictures of the boxset. It's from Belgium and was only available via a magazine. It looked like a nice set, I can't understand why it isn't being released to the American market. Even if it were just an Internet only thing. Would be a nice companion for the book.

[Sylph]

November 28, 2007

Screenwriters and Producers Set 4th Day of Talks

By Michael Cieply


LOS ANGELES, Nov. 28 — Striking screenwriters and Hollywood producers agreed to extend their renewed contract talks to a fourth day this evening, signaling at least some progress toward ending a work stoppage that began three and a half weeks ago.

In negotiating sessions over the last three days, the sides managed to clarify positions and make small steps toward each other, according to people who were connected with the talks, but who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the official press blackout. But as of midday today, these people said, the bargainers had not made a breakthrough over crucial issues related to the distribution of movies and shows on the Internet and through other new media.

Talks had begun Monday, for the first time since a federal mediator’s last-ditch efforts to salvage a deal failed on Nov. 4, after talent agents and other power brokers coaxed the sides back together. Much of Hollywood looked for a quick settlement as the bargaining resumed, and talk quickly turned to the possibility that writers might instead return to work without a contract if a resolution is not reached soon.

Such a move, if taken, would allow the guilds to solidify their positions by allying with the much larger Screen Actors Guild, whose own contract is set to expire on June 30. But it would also allow the Directors Guild of America — with its own deal expiring on that date as well — to begin early negotiations, and reach an agreement that could undermine the writers’ bargaining stance.

The strike quickly knocked a number of talk shows off the air, and halted production of many television series. But NBC’s late-night show “Last Call With Carson Daly” is now scheduled to go back on the air. And writer-producers of many shows — including “Lost” on ABC and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” on NBC — have already resumed their supervisory, though not writing, duties, allowing those shows to finish episodes based on scripts completed before the strike began on Nov. 5.

Whether the television industry’s highly paid show runners — writer-producers who manage productions — are willing to jeopardize their jobs and programs by supporting a prolonged strike will be a major factor in the guild’s decision-making over the next few days.

Should the guilds authorize work without a contract, studios and networks could choose to lock them out. But companies are not likely to take that step, which would saddle them with responsibility for shutting down movies and shows, and throwing thousands of production employees out of work.

Even during the talks, writers kept pressure on studios with continued picketing and public demonstrations on both coasts.

In New York, the actress and writer-producer Tina Fey (“30 Rock”) and the writer-director Nora Ephron (“Bewitched,” “You’ve Got Mail”) joined about 250 picketers at the Time Warner Center in midtown Manhattan. A demonstration at the NBC offices in Burbank, Calif., was one of several around the world marking an “International Solidarity Day” proclaimed by a global affiliation of writers guilds.

In a sign that things were far from settled, the guilds also continued to schedule strike-related events for the future. The West Coast guild invited its movie writers to a special meeting set for Thursday evening at the Beverly Hilton Hotel to discuss strike tactics and steps that film writers might take to “augment the power” of the strike, according to an e-mail message sent to guild members.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/arts/29writers.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=television&pagewanted=print

[JackPeyton]

As far as the writyers strike goes - i do support them, however i also would rather have scab writers on the soaps keeping them going than have them go off til the strike is over. I do think the writers deserve more than what they are asking for.

as for soaps on dvd and online... i do think online could and poss is the fututre of soaps and other lower rated tv shows with cult like fanbase attached to them. the market is already out there for online soaps - look at those you tube videos? i dont think Sony would keep Days on I-Tunes if it wasnt a simi sucsess. Original online soaps are diff, for now. they dont have a built in fan base to come watch them. Also look at thos overseas soaps that are online. Online will take sometime, but i could see it being a great buisness in the next 10 years. But it is also true that budgestts would be slashed, none used people, little sued people, including vets, would be cut, the focus would be on 8-12 people and a few extensions of them. it would be a much diff version of what daytime is, but it could happen.

and as for dvd's. i do think DS being a hit on DVD is much diff than to put say One Life out there on DVD. Dark Shadows is a vampire scifi soap. scifi has a cult audiance who will go out and by them, even if they had never seen it before, because its what they intersted in. Passions is far to campy, IMHO, for it to sppeal to non fans. however id like to see what the PC storyline arc's could do on DVD. Other soaps i think should do best of dvds and that type of thing, but only sell them in magazine adds and online. that way its not mass produced and they dont lose money. make them as they are orderd. but then again, i just go online and buy them from epopel who have soaps on tape/dvd and edit them.

[Kubla Khan]

The latest updates. The AMPTP = greedy assholes (still).

Looks like this strike is going to be a looooooooooooooong one.

[RogerNewcomb]

New proposal in the works according to Deadline Hollywood.

Meanwhile, Carolyn Hinsey has received a response from the daytime writers.

http://welovesoaps.blogspot.com/2007/11/op...lyn-hinsey.html

[Ryan]

Do you hear that sound?

That is the sound of professionals politely handing Carolyn Hinsey her ass.

[Toups]

LOL!!

Nice reply by the writers. I love it.

[DaytimeFan]

Fantastic. The problem, of course, is that Ms Hinsey likely used that letter to wipe the ass that was handed to her.

[ClassicAMCDays]

Toups, do you think Jim and Babs will return to AMC when the strike ends? I sure hope they are shown the door! Now that would be an AMC Christmas miracle.

[Khan]

No, an AMC Christmas miracle would be Colin Egglesfield and Cameron Mathison suddenly endowed w/ real acting ability.

[Punky Brewster]

Looks like were going into December. A Christmas miracle maybe

[Vee]

Those bitches stole the title of my blog post!

Kidding, kidding.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

LOL! I loved that blog post!