Seems the tv and movie writers who are part of the Writer’s Guild of America is preparing to strike against the industry over contract issues such as ‘compensation for new media (translation: Internet downloads)’ possibly as soon as November 1.
Which is a right royal smackdown to the industry, as it comes before tv seasons are fully written. Now, this obviously isn’t about romance novels, but just imagine the crap that culd find its way to the tv set if a writer’s strike goes into effect.
The last time there was a writer’s strike they just showed reruns. They didn’t bring in scab writers.
The last strike didn’t seem to have much effect. (Although I’m outside the USA and so perhaps didn’t see the full ramifications.) The writers went back to work and the shows are still crap. (Just watched Starhunter on Joost last night…gimme a break! How utterly atrocious.)
So while I’m all whoooooo for the writers, I don’t think it’s going to achieve a thing. (A bit like epub authors and the RWA. 😉 ) Hollywood and Los Angeles don’t like writers. Period.
You mean worse crap than what’s on now? I might have to watch wonderful movies on TCM instead?
Oh, the pain!
Though I would miss Heroes. Anyone else notice Peter Petrelli’s looking quite hawt this season? Less dweebish?
There is a great deal of talk about studios acquiring foreign programs to fill any strike created program voids. In the event of a strike there may be a great deal of BBC shows on the US airwaves.
That’s a good point, Georgie. I wonder if this may end up backfiring on the writers…? British shows can’t touch US ones for consistent production values, but they have kick-ass writers.
And you can always depend on BBC shows to mix it up a bit. The good-looking one with steel abs is not always the hero. Remember lusting after hard-drinking, chain-smoking, financially irresponsible, obese Robbie Coltrane (“Fitz”) in “Cracker”? Oh my. ::fans myself::
Isn’t that how we ended up with ‘Survivor’?
Oh, my, and the plots! BBC shows have actual plots, instead of just wandering, willy-nilly, dragging on for years and years and years! Plots with arcs and purpose and story-telling abilities!
Sigh, I loves me some BBC….
The last strike I noticed only spurred rentals at the vid stores and gave a boost to the porn video industry.
Oh—and people read more books!
“just imagine the crap that could find its way to the tv set if a writer’s strike goes into effect”
Too late. Moonlight’s already airing.
I’m not sure I’ll even notice if there’s a writer’s strike because the networks show so many reruns anyway.
Hmm. If there’s a strike, do you suppose anybody would be interested in a reality show about a 40 something single woman with 2 adorable dogs who hasn’t worked for more than a year and hasn’t gotten any for 8 years? I heard somewhere that the creators of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia filmed the pilot for $200 in their living room. A living room I’ve got…
JaneJ,
OMG, how much does Moonlight suck? I wasn’t a big fan of the original (what was it?) and the re-do is atrocious. Same with Bionic Woman. I had to turn BM off 12 minutes into it because even *I* couldn’t suspend my disbelief (a late 30-something surgeon/professor dating a 24 yr college drop-out bartender? give me a break! And were they seriously going to leave the kid sister with the landlord forever? ugh).
I will say though, that Journeyman is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy better than Quantum Leap. So..one out of three aint bad.
Chris—Yes. Networks programmed reality shows (like Survivor, etc.) as a back up plan during the last writers strike. The shows were so successful, and so relatively cheap to make, they kept adding more. (And more, and more.) Who needs stinking writers and their artistic temperament!
Ironically, the *editors* of the reality shows later lobbied to get writer-type credit/perks, arguing that their editing shapes the storylines of each episode. Proof that “reality” is a relative thing.
I got ranty on the subject, but I’m going to post it in my blog.