His last movie didn't do so hot, but George Clooney's still making headlines. This time, he has spoken out about the recent split between the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. According to Variety, Clooney has decided to stay neutral where many prominent actors have taken sides, and he's urging others to take the same route. If Hollywood actors go on strike, it'll probably be SAG's fault, considering the eagerness of AFTRA to negotiate a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. AFTRA's biggest defender is Tom Hanks, while Jack Nicholson is heading up the other side. "Stories about Jack Nicholson vs. Tom Hanks only strengthen the negotiating power of the AMPTP," Clooney said in a statement.

Like many actors, Clooney wants to take any measures he can to prevent a strike. As a member of SAG, the Directors Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America, he wears many hats. "I'm hoping that there might be a way out of this," he said. "To be sure, I'm not the brightest bulb out there. So maybe someone has a lot better idea." Then he got personal: "I just happen to believe so strongly in both unions... my father, my mother, aunt, uncle, even cousins were all members." Nobody's doubting his allegiance, but after souring his relationship with the WGA after Leatherheads came out, it's hard to say how the other unions will regard him in the coming months.

It's the end of the strike as we know it, and I feel fine!

Yes, writers across America are heading back to work today. The strike started on November 5th of last year, and has lasted over three months. The WGA and the AMPTP have been building toward a conclusion for a couple weeks now, so the wrap-up doesn't come as a huge surprise. Still, it sure is great to see an official announcement, isn't it?

Members of the WGA voted on the issue, and the decision was a landslide. 3,775 ballots were cast, and 3,492 of those voters checked "yes." That's a total of 92.5% in favor of ending the strike. So, a few holdouts -- 283 to be exact -- but by and large Guild members are very happy with the new contract. The official ratification of the deal is slated for February 26th.

WGA East President Michael Winship announced that "We're (now) receiving a percentage of the distributor's gross, which is very real money, as opposed to what people refer to as creative or Hollywood accounting."

Variety just announced that the Directors Guild of America has reached a tentative three-year deal with the AMPTP. The new deal has three major components: establishing DGA jurisdiction over programs produced for distribution on the Internet, boosting the residuals formula for paid Internet downloads by double the current rate, and establishing residual rates for ad-supported streaming and use of clips on the Internet. Gil Cates, chair of the DGA's negotiation committee, says: "Two words describe this agreement -- groundbreaking and substantial. The gains in this contract for directors and their teams are extraordinary -- and there are no rollbacks of any kind."

This is great news for the DGA, and the pressure is definitely on now for the WGA to come to a resolution and end the strike. The writers, as you may have heard, have been on strike since November 5th, and representatives haven't been back to the negotiating table since December 7th, when talks last collapsed. The WGA has not issued an official reaction statement to today's DGA announcement, but many think the DGA deal is strong enough that the WGA will follow suit. Here's hoping that happens, and happens soon, so that everyone -- not just the writers are out of work here, remember -- can get back to work. The DGA deal is set to go into effect on July 1st.

I made a couple of New Year resolutions for 2008. The first is to murder less. I'm not going to stop murdering entirely, of course, I've got to be realistic here. But I definitely intend to decrease the amount of murders I actively participate in. My other resolution is one that I'm sure every other writer made -- I vow to write more.

Cut to this morning when I found myself staring at a blank computer screen for an hour in a post-holiday haze -- stubble adorning my cheeks, sweet potato fries clinging to my midsection, alcohol swishing around my brain, and one eye on the brand new Seinfeld Complete Series Box Set I'm dying to curl up on the couch and watch. Not helping my motivation is Variety's coverage of the WGA strike, which keeps throwing words like "standstill," "hostilities," and "vacuum" at me. Sigh.

So since I can't help myself, I'd love to try and help some of you. Let's open up the mailbag. I recently got a series of questions from "Eric," and I'm going to answer a few of them today. Eric asks...

Checking out my feeds and favorites this morning, I came across a little gem of strike goodness. The AMPTP has a new website! Okay, well it's a faux website, one that will make some of you chuckle, and others rant about those dastardly writers and their snarky creativity. That's the one perk of this strike that you wouldn't get with the others. When other people strike, it's all loud shouts, pissed off people, and general unpleasantness. The WGA has all of these, but the union also consists of a group of people who make a living by being creative. Instead of just ranting, disgruntled workers, you get funky movies, websites, and other humorous tidbits that ease the striking pain. The following is a gem from that faux AMPTP site, one that makes me wish labor disputes were all dealt with food, music, and Say Anything. Breaking news from the AMPTP:

We are heartbroken to report that despite our best efforts, including sending them a muffin basket, making them a mix CD, and standing outside their window with a boombox blasting Peter Gabriel songs, our talks with the WGA have broken down.

This sort of thing leads to a much more fun strike environment -- aided, of course, by the musicians that are performing for them. Perhaps writers can supplement their income by getting work with other unions -- making the other fights more creative? Special post cards for the Postal Workers Union? Funkier Miranda deliveries for the Police Associations? Comedy shorts for the steelworkers?

[via The Slackmistress]

Earlier this evening, talks between the WGA and AMPTP broke down once again. Negotiating between the two sides for a second time began shortly after the Thanksgiving break following three weeks of picketing, protests and celebrity spotting. This time, things were nasty, with each side releasing a statement that pretty much amounts to a spit in the face (though the WGA's letter kind of wipes off that spit, and makes an attempt to hug it out). Here's the breakdown (without all the strike lingo and number stuff): AMPTP delivered a proposal that was better, but not really, because it would require the WGA to remove several of their important demands. The WGA ran into a hotel room, locked the door and debated their next move. While still in the hotel room, AMPTP knocked on the door and told them they were leaving the bargaining table -- that this was a take it or leave it proposal -- and when the WGA send a letter stating that all of those demands are taken off the table, they'll go back to talking. Game on!

A few noteworthy lines from each side's official statement:

WGA: "We reject the idea of an ultimatum. Although a number of items we have on the table are negotiable, we cannot be forced to bargain with ourselves. The AMPTP has many proposals on the table that are unacceptable to writers, but we have never delivered ultimatums."

"We remain ready and willing to negotiate, no matter how intransigent our bargaining partners are, because the stakes are simply too high. We were prepared to counter their proposal tonight, and when any of them are ready to return to the table, we're here, ready to make a fair deal."

AMPTP: "While the WGA's organizers can clearly stage rallies, concerts and mock exorcisms, we have serious concerns about whether they're capable of reaching reasonable compromises that are in the best interests of our entire industry."

"Their Quixotic pursuit of radical demands led them to begin this strike, and now has caused this breakdown in negotiations. We hope that the WGA will come back to this table with a rational plan that can lead us to a fair and equitable resolution to a strike that is causing so much distress for so many people in our industry and community."

Then there's this gem from the studio and network reps: "Under no circumstances will we knowingly participate in the destruction of this business."

So, are things f**ked ... or are they f**ked?

[via Deadline Hollywood]

Kenny asks:

How do writers get jobs on TV writing staffs? Do they have to write spec scripts? And what about talk shows? (The Daily Show, Conan) Are they recruited? How does it work? Thanks.

That's my goal right now, Kenny. I worked on the upcoming season of MTV's Rob & Big, I'm in a writing program at NBC, and I'm looking to use those credits and the connections I've made to get staffed on a network television program this year. It's a big process, so I'm dividing it into two parts. This week and next week's editions of The Write Stuff will tackle the television business.

Basically, to get a job on a television writing staff, you need to have at least one piece of original material and one or more spec scripts. A spec script is a sample script for a show that is currently on the air. You're not writing it in the hopes that the program will purchase your script. They won't, and it likely won't get to the show you wrote it for anyway. You're writing your spec to show that you can capture the feel of the writing and the character voices of any show. Every program has a show runner, and every show runner will want to read something different, so it's good to give him or her a lot of choices.

How to go about choosing which show to spec?

Over at Deadline Hollywood Daily, Nikki Finke has something extra to be thankful for today: to thank her for her tireless coverage of the WGA strike, WGAW president Patrick Verrone has granted her exclusive posting of the WGA's "Speechless" internet videos over the holiday weekend. The vids, conceived of by director/writer George Hickenlooper and writer Alan Sereboff, will feature SAG actors in short pieces that support the concept that without the writers, there would be no movies.

By making these as videos to be shown exclusively on the internet, the WGA also makes a point about internet residuals, which are part of the beef the writers have with the rich moguls Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. As of now, "Speechless #1," with Holly Hunter," Speechless #2," featuring husband-and-wife Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss, and "Speechless #3," with Sean Penn (is it just me, or is looking more and more like Robert DeNiro as he ages? And when did he get that old? And ... good grief, am I that old now?) are live. Check back at Deadline Hollywood Daily throughout the weekend for more video fun. Who else can you expect to see? From Finke's site:

"Included are SAG talent such as Sean Penn, Holly Hunter, Laura Linney, Alan Cumming, Jay Leno, Harvey Keitel, Kate Beckinsale, Tina Fey, Tim Robbins, Gary Marshall, David Schwimmer, Patricia Clarkson, James Franco, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Martin Sheen, Josh Brolin, Susan Sarandon, Andre 3000, Chazz Palminteri, Jason Bateman, Christine Lahti, Patricia Arquette, Jenna Elfman, Olivia Wilde, Richard Benjamin, Paula Prentiss, Eva Longoria, Justine Bateman, Joshua Jackson, Rosanna Arquette, Diane Ladd, Rebecca Romjin, Minnie Driver, Nicollette Sheridan, Robert Patrick, Matthew Perry, Ed Asner, and America Ferrera and the cast of Ugly Betty. Arrangements have been made to also shoot Woody Allen, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jane Fonda, Marisa Tomei, Ethan Hawke, Jason Alexander, Charlize Therone, Minnie Driver, Philip Seymour Hoffman. Many, many more are also in the works."

It's very cool that all these actors are stepping up to support the writers in their strike, and I have to give props to Finke for her relentless dedication to covering the strike. Here's hoping that when talks resume on November 26, things will get resolved quickly, with the writer's getting what they deserve.

Welcome to the Thanksgiving edition of The Write Stuff!

Thanksgiving is always rough on a screenwriter. You're usually seeing a lot of friends and family, and while they (candied) yammer on about their accomplishments, you have to start all of your sentences with: "We're still waiting to hear on that one..." and "Our agent says we're really close..." and "Grandma, let me explain the WGA strike to you one more time..."

But there is a great deal to be thankful for this year. On Monday, still happy and groggy from a weekend of gorging, representatives from the WGA and the AMPTP will resume talks. Ideally, each side will come away happy and we can end this strike. From a personal note, my writing career was right on the verge of kicking into high gear when the strike was announced, and I certainly don't want to lose that upward momentum. And looking at the bigger picture, we're a month away from Christmas here. Who wants to see not just writers but everyone who works in and around the entertainment industry desperately struggling to pay the bills? The grips, the gaffers, the assistants, the dry cleaners...these people are out of work, too.

So send your good vibes to the negotiating table on Monday. And if you think there's nothing you can do, you're wrong. You can electronically sign this petition to the AMPTP, which starts: "We, the undersigned, fully support the strike of the Writers Guild of America, and agree with the WGA's stated goals of obtaining just and fair compensation regarding revenues generated through "new media". The petition currently has 57, 695 signatures, which is extremely impressive. Won't you add yours?

Day 12: A New Hope

Variety has just announced that talks will resume between WGA and AMPTP beginning on November 26, following the Thanksgiving break. There's no word on why this is happening, or what caused the sudden change in progress, but hopefully this means enough movement has been made to finally end this thing. From a prepared joint statement: " Leaders from the AMPTP and the WGA have mutually agreed to resume formal negotiations on November 26. No other details or press statements will be issued." Variety also publishes an email members of United Showrunners received earlier this evening: " Those in the process say the studios' sudden responsiveness is a direct result of three thousand writers in the streets, our Internet/communications strategy, and especially showrunners' actions. We had the impact we intended." A media blackout from this point forward is expected, though writers are encouraged to continue picketing through next week.

Pressure has been increasing from all sides, yet all signs still pointed toward a long, hard-fought (six months or so) strike. A few hours ago, Variety reported that Angels & Demons, the follow-up to The Da Vinci Code starring Tom Hanks, had become the first major casualty of the strike -- postponing production because the script turned in by Akiva Goldsman came in under the deadline with "insurmountable problems." Should the writers go back to work, that could potentially get this film back on track, as well as help speed up future negotiations with SAG and DGA. Could this spell the beginning of the end of this entire strike? For the sake of new Cavemen episodes, I sure as hell hope so.