2023 Writers + Actors Strike Thread

[j swift]

Thanks to @janea4old for linking the list.

The writers that really stood out to me from that list were Jon Robin Baitz, (creator of Brothers and Sisters, ex-lover of Joe Mantello and Ronan Farrow) because he hasn't written a film since 2015's awful Stonewall, and he mostly writes for Broadway.

And Garry Trudeau, creator of Doonesbury cartoon, husband of Jane Pauley, also has no current projects that have been announced and newspapers are not being struck.

They both espouse liberal politics.  Baitz's play Other Desert Cities was critical of the war in Afghanistan, and obviously Doonesbury pokes fun at conservative politicians.  So, it is confusing that they would not support the labor union.  Especially given that they don't have current projects, both men could've objected without making such a public statement.

Edited August 6, 2023 by j swift

[DramatistDreamer]

Not sure about Trudeau, as for Baitz, do you remember the dispute between the WGA and talent agents over how they were negotiating certain deals a few years ago, resulting in termination of agreements and the firing of bunch of agents? Baitz refused and went on to write an open letter heavily criticizing the Guild for their language and I guess, what he viewed as heavy-handed rhetoric. His refusal, I think, is what ultimately resulted in his parting of ways with the Guild.

It appears as though Baitz’ career may have tapered off a bit, he hasn’t had many productions after 2015 and his latest play got negative reviews.

[j swift]

Thanks @DramatistDreamer I just found Baitz's quote from 2019 when the WGA fired  7,000 non franchised agents: “I am a union man, but … I cannot cut ties with my agents, because I would be forsaking … people who have helped me create a life.”

As they say, Fi-core is for life...

 

[allmc2008]

Sorry if it was mentioned but who is replacing Ron

[janea4old]

Short answer: I don't know.

Long answer:

Former Days headwriter Sheri Anderson is on that fi-core list.  The list says she took ficore status in 2023, which caused some assumptions. But that doesn't necessarily mean she is doing headwriting for Days as many assumed. She could be doing other writing tasks at Days, or even working on other writing tasks elsewhere.

Deadline published an indepth report on July 25 about the Sony investigation into the horrific abuse by producer-director Alarr  (bullying and sexual abuse against cast/crew/staff) and Deadline published a few more reports since, and he was finally fired on August 4.  In those reports,  there *seemed* to be a implication that Alarr was doing a lot of headwriter-type duties until he was fired two days ago. He had inserted himself into control of cast/crew/staff and even public relations.  He may or may not have been (sort of) the "acting headwriter" but he had taken over  everything.

• From Deadline on July 25:  "Meanwhile, Alarr continues as co-executive producer and director. Overall, his presence on the set has been scaled back over the past couple of months, sources said, though it is unclear whether it is due to the investigation; the writers strike, which has shifted some of Alarr’s attention to keeping scripts being generated after a number of WGA members walked off; or some other reason. (Daytime dramas continue to produce scripts during a writers strike using fi-core WGA writers or temporary non-union writers, with some series producers also known to pitch in.)"

Furthermore, fi-core writers are uncredited on some shows, so whatever ficore writers are working at Days as a headwriter, story consultant, associate headwriter, breakdown writer, dialogue writer, script editor, continuity coordinator, etc, they *maybe* might be uncredited when their Days episodes  eventually air.  So we might not learn who they were unless it's revealed in some other way.  

Edited August 6, 2023 by janea4old

[Contessa Donatella]

@allmc2008 & @janea4old  Earlier tonight I tweeted to Ari to ask her if she knew who was writing the show during the strike, if she could tell us, would she please. I have no idea if she will reply tomorrow or not.

[DramatistDreamer]

Fi-core is just as it sounds, it is a financial system.
It is not about credit, which is basically a WGA system, but a money agreement. In other words, a fi-core writer is a “gun for hire”, a “hired hand”, so to speak, it would make sense that there wouldn’t be much consideration or thought given to whose name is on what script- that is an acknowledgment for the guild.

Part of what the WGA’s benefits is to offer protection of who did what on a script. That protection is given to members and nonmembers alike but if you violate their rules, obviously you being guaranteed full protection is no longer a given.

A scab having their name imprinted on a work and enjoying protection where their names are being attached as part creators of a work is no longer guaranteed once they’ve run afoul of the rules.

[titan1978]

As pointed out a few posts above, changes happen with guild memberships over many issues, not just during strikes.

George Lucas famously resigned from the Director’s Guild during The Empire Strikes Back because the DGA was demanding Irvin Kershner have a credit at the beginning of the film, which is not how Lucas wanted Star Wars films to open. Star Wars: A New Hope was spared on the technicality of the Lucasfilm Limited title card after 20th Century Fox. But Lucas was not the director of Empire, so the DGA was making an issue of it. Even though Kershner agreed with Lucas.

The large number of daytime writers on those lists just denotes how soaps work- produce new episodes over anything else.

Wouldn’t it be a surprise if Sheri Anderson was at another soap right now?  She did help create Luke & Laura at GH before taking that supercouple formula and running with it at DAYS.

[Contessa Donatella]

Sheri worked for/with Marland & PFS at GH? 

[titan1978]

She was on PFS writing team at GH from 79-81, according to this quote the tail end of Marland through PFS’s first run as HW.

”I am also tremendously proud of the Luke and Laura story on General Hospital, where I was what would now be considered an associate head writer,” she said. “In that two-year time frame, from the time Laura married Scotty, to two months before she married Luke, I was assigned a lot of the romance episodes but I was also the dialogue writer who was handed the date rape show. I was reflecting on that recently because it was and still is so controversial. I’ve always supported this story, and still do because it was the first-time date rape was addressed on camera.”

Read more:  https://www.digitaljournal.com/entertainment/sheri-anderson-thomas-talks-distinguished-career-in-daytime-tv/article/573258#ixzz89ccqcLhG

[Contessa Donatella]

Excellent! Thnks. I gobble up everything about GH & DAYS then. 

[dragonflies]

 

 

 

[Vee]

I mean, we've noted the Cullitons' kid being hired and he mentions friends and family being hired over minorities in several tweets. On this Jamey is right - nepotism and friends and family rule the day in these lucrative positions inside an incestuous, closed industry. We were just talking about it not long ago. (He was also one of the above with Ron, of course.)

Edited August 6, 2023 by Vee

[DramatistDreamer]

Ironically, I have been listening to the audiobook of Burn It Down by Maureen Ryan and there are references to Sony Studios and man, is Sony a studio rife with chaos and messy scandals, especially their television division.

[Liberty City]

Fantastic update @janea4old!!