bob_barron

My theory is that winning a title washes away all the pain that came before it.

They all knew it was coming, and most unions tend to support other unions.

I don't, but I'd assume they'd just show episodes from last season

They could, but it would bomb. Reruns are reruns. Most of the new shows will probably not be given their back nine order when the strike is over. I heard Big Shots is already over.

You don't really know what you're talking about. Not all writers make super money, and most writers rely on residuals to stay afloat. They are simply asking for residuals for when people make money off of their work.

He made two cracks about Juventud. Another one was in fall 99

They cut this out of the latest RAW- - In what was hands down one of the worst segments on RAW in quite some time, the show is interrupted by a figure on the ramp. He identifies himself as the Commandante, the commanding officer of the Truth Commission from South Africa. He says he and his commandoes are in America to study the affects of democracy, and how they have been corrupted by crime. He calls us "sissy, liberal Americans". This was pretty much a lengthy set up to show a brief clip of Bret Hart being well recieved in South Africa (carrying their flag as he went to the ring). Brief comments from Hart are played as well, taking shots at Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels and Sycho Sid. The Commandante announces that next week's RAW will feature footage from the WWF's tour in Johannesburg. McMahon later adds that we'll also see footage from Kuwait City. The segment ends with a shot of Bret Hart on the cover of the WWF Magazine along with Bart Simpson, hyping Bret's appearance on that show (well, his voice anyway), later this month. Shawn is shown in the back and he reminds Bret that "The Simpsons" is just a cartoon, and not indivative of the average American family. Got that from Slobberknocker Central. And this HBK interview is pretty awesome

I love my satellite radio

Jenna Fischer on the strike: Understanding the Strike By now you may have heard that The Office has shut down production. This is true. They cleaned out my trailer and just delivered me 3 boxes of my stuff. It is pretty surreal. We cannot produce new episodes of The Office until the Writer's Guild strike is over. You might be confused about the issues of the strike and I'm hoping that this blog can make it a bit clearer. (I should probably tell you that I support my head writer/producer Greg Daniels and the writing staff of The Office in their decision to strike.) The big issue in this negotiation involves the internet. If you go to NBC.com right now, you can watch an episode The Office for free. The network runs advertisements while you're watching it, which gives them an extra source of revenue. The actors, writers, producers and director, the people who created the content you are watching, are not compensated in any way for this. The Writer's Guild has taken the position that the writers should receive residuals if the show re-airs on the internet just like they receive residuals if it re-airs on television since in both cases the studios are making money. The issue is a huge deal, because the internet is clearly where the future of entertainment lies. Right now, a number of successful shows (like Lost for one) have stopped showing repeat episodes on TV at all, and have replaced them with ad-supported streaming video on their websites. If you're a Lost writer, or actor, or director, or a teamster that's no residuals at all for that show, and that's a big pay cut. We all count on the extra income that residuals provide as it can help us through a slump in our career when we aren't working as regularly. It is our safety net. In 10 years I may need those residual checks to cover my electric bill. You never know. Hollywood is a fickle town. If in 10 years, everything is rerun on the internet, the current union contracts say the studios don't have to pay us a dime. And, I'll be sitting in the dark. I hope that helped to explain things a little. For more… Here is a video of our awesome writers on the picket line. They are funny even on strike: And you can also read James Gunn's blog on the subject which I thought was really great: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseacti...E03CBFA22555321 Oh...there are only 2 unaired original episodes of The Office left. And, I'm sad to say the one we were getting ready to shoot was going to be the funniest of the year. I'm sure of it. They've been pitching this particular story idea for over 2 years…it involves Pam and Jim being in Michael's home but that's all I'll say. I hope we get to shoot it soon. Let's all stay strong and hope that the strike can end soon.

Yea, which is the worst part of the strike. Some of the rumoured hosts after November sounded really awesome too, I can't say who though. The studios can weather a long strike, it's the writers who will eventually have to cave

From the hollywoodreporter.com: Fox best prepared to weather strike storm By Nellie Andreeva Nov 1, 2007 Now that the hide-and-seek strike game has gotten to the "ready or not, here I come" stage, the broadcast networks are facing the imminent work stoppage by writers in different shapes and different degrees of preparedness. With only 15 hours of primetime to program, Fox has a built-in advantage in case of a prolonged strike. Add to that the January return of "American Idol," which can go on as many as three nights a week, and Fox looks as strike-proof as one can be. Fox already runs a schedule with six hours of unscripted programming, and five of them -- "Kitchen Nightmares," the Thursday combo of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" and "Don't Forget the Lyrics" and Saturday's "Cops" and "AMW: America Strikes Back" -- are expected to continue beyond January, when most fall scripted series will run out of fresh episodes. Additionally, Fox's staggered fall rollout left it with six fresh scripted series for midseason. Then there is the network's reality chief, Mike Darnell, who consistently has delivered reliable performers on the fly. But while Fox is in the best position of all broadcast networks in face of a writers strike, it also faces the biggest predicament with the real-time drama "24." By week's end, the show will have completed about a third of its 24-episode order. If a strike starts as soon as next week and lasts several months, there will be no chance to finish the order, meaning that Fox has the option to either start Jack Bauer's new 24-hour day and cut it off somewhere in the middle or hold the series altogether. As of now, Fox is planning to premiere "24" on Jan. 13. "24" has an added importance to the network this year, as it's being used to launch Fox's high-profile new series "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." n Coming in a close second behind Fox is ABC, which has its own multinight reality hit, "Dancing With the Stars," coming back, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" going strong as well as an extremely deep bench of shows for midseason. ABC raised some eyebrows in March when it gave early renewals to 14 series. That was followed by the pickup of more than a dozen more shows in May. The stockpiling might come in handy in the second half of the season in case of a long strike when ABC could offer up to seven original scripted series, the most of any network. But ABC also has the most at stake in case of a long strike. The network has launched the strongest slate of new series this fall with three -- top new drama "Private Practice," top new comedy "Samantha Who?" and best-reviewed new series "Pushing Daisies" -- already picked up for a full season. A disruption in the run of those series just as they are gaining momentum could be damaging -- look at what happened to CBS' promising newcomer "Jericho" last year after it was taken off the air for months. n NBC and CBS are more vulnerable than their counterparts, though they have made contingency plans, too, including ramping up unscripted development in the past several months with such series as CBS' "Password" and NBC's "American Gladiators." What works in CBS' favor is that the bread and butter of its schedule -- procedural dramas -- repeat well, as do some of its Monday comedies. On the flip side, the network had to summon in veteran reality series "The Amazing Race" earlier than planned to replace canceled new drama "Viva Laughlin," leaving it with a shorter midseason bench. But the network might have another card up its sleeve with the summer reality series "Big Brother." It can get production up and running quickly, so the reality show potentially could return in midseason, airing three nights a week. At NBC, while "Deal or No Deal" is not the juggernaut it once was, it still could be stripped on several nights. A talked-about "Celebrity Apprentice" also is a strong replacement. n The CW already had planned for a reality-heavy second part of the season, which would help, along with the return of one of its signature dramas, "One Tree Hill." With the writers strike looming, the networks have played it safe this fall, keeping their inventory up by canceling only one new scripted series, "Viva Laughlin." Nevertheless, "no one is strike-proof," one top network executive said. "One of the fears is that if the writers walk out, it will accelerate the narrowing of broadcast television, and (the strike) will turn around to bite them in the back." Links referenced within this article Find this article at: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/conten...play/television

Last nights episode was hilarious, and I think the show is really hitting its stride. I hope the writers strike doesn't hurt it too much. They need to dial down Sheldon a little though, it's at the point where I wonder why someone doesn't just punch him in the face

Most shows are already halfway done, most movies are fine for the long haul. They don't have too much leverage, and won't for a while. And this strike is going to cost them a lot of money. But they just brought in federal mediator to really try to get the ball rolling, and the WGA immediately goes on strike. It makes them look bad, and it shows a lack of faith in the negotiations. I have a feeling it's not going to work. The writers dropped the DVD demand, and the producers told them to fuck off, so it sounds like the producers aren't going to budge for a while. They'll probably end up bending a little on the new media stuff, but the WGA will end up getting a pittance I think.

Most shows are already halfway done, most movies are fine for the long haul. They don't have too much leverage, and won't for a while. And this strike is going to cost them a lot of money. But they just brought in federal mediator to really try to get the ball rolling, and the WGA immediately goes on strike. It makes them look bad, and it shows a lack of faith in the negotiations. I have a feeling it's not going to work. The writers dropped the DVD demand, and the producers told them to fuck off, so it sounds like the producers aren't going to budge for a while. They'll probably end up bending a little on the new media stuff, but the WGA will end up getting a pittance I think.

Strike sends late-night shows to reruns By GARY GENTILE, AP Business Writer 26 minutes ago LOS ANGELES - Late night comedy shows were the first casualties of the first strike by Hollywood writers against TV networks and movie studios in nearly two decades. "The Late Show With David Letterman" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," went into reruns after writers on both coasts headed for the picket line. The walkout became inevitable late Sunday after last-minute negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers failed to produce a deal on such key issues as how much writers are paid when their shows are available on the Internet. No new negotiations were scheduled, although the writers guild negotiating committee did plan a meeting of its members. Nick Counter, chief negotiator for the producers union, said he expected a long standoff. "We're hunkered down for a long one," he said. "From our standpoint, we made every good faith effort to negotiate a deal, and they went on strike. At some point, conversations will take place. But not now." In Los Angeles, writers planned to picket 14 studio locations in four-hour shifts from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day until a new deal is reached. Writers said the next move was up to the studios. "My hope is that it won't be too long," said John Bowman, chief negotiator for the writers. "We have more reason to get together than not." Bowman said behind-the-scenes communication was occurring between the two sides with the hope of arranging more meetings. Along with the shows hosted by Letterman and Leno, networks said other late-night shows bound for reruns included "The Daily Show," "Colbert Report," "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson," "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and "Last Call with Carson Daly." "Dancing With the Stars," one of the country's highest-rated prime-time shows, aired as planned on Monday night, with its hosts left to ad-lib. The strike will not immediately impact production of movies or prime-time TV programs. Most studios have stockpiled dozens of movie scripts, and TV shows have enough scripts or completed shows in hand to last until early next year. However, some producers were torn about trying to shoot those finished scripts. Tim Kring, a producer and writer of the NBC hit "Heroes," said he had to revise the ending of the show's 11th episode on the chance that it might be the last one to air this season. "Fortunately we were able to hustle back," Kring said from a picket line in an effort to shut down the show. "The audience won't be left in a lurch." While scripted shows suffer from the strike, reality shows could flourish because they don't use union writers, despite an aggressive attempt by the writers guild to organize the staffers on the programs. Viewers could also check out more entertainment on the Internet, ranging from user-generated fare on YouTube to professionally produced shows such as "Quarterlife." Writers have not gone on strike since 1988, when the walkout lasted 22 weeks and cost the industry more than $500 million. The dispute has broad implications for the way Hollywood does business, since whatever deal is struck by writers will likely be used as a template for talks with actors and directors, whose contracts expire next June. Talks began in July and continued after the writers contract expired last Wednesday.

They should've negotiated more before immediately spazzing out and going on strike so quickly. Especially since they brought in a federal mediator. And removing the DVD issue just into your strike makes you look weak. I think the producers will eventually win, and this will go on for a while

I'm usually anti-strikes and union, but the WGA are totally in the right here. They are just going about it the wrong way

I have a feeling the writers are fucked in this strike. I'm on their side, but I think calling the strike so soon, and having the producers reject their latest offer (which removed the residual increase for DVDs) is a bad sign. I'm so bitter about no SNL on my birthday

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This episode really had nothing to do with him being in prison though. It's like an annual tradition to do a Cops episode

I got to meet Misawa and Harley Race before the show. I didn't go though

You won't. All the late-night shows will be the first ones to go off the air. This sucks, SNL was on my birthday this year.

It was weird Jim actually be legit angry at Dwight and Michael for their antics

I disagree, everything tonight had me laughing my ass off. I hope this becomes an annual thing

I love the Cops episodes. This was easily one of my favourite episodes ever