wga strike Tagged Articles at Cinematical

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."

At last, there is some light at the end of the WGA strike tunnel. Meetings are scheduled in New York and Los Angeles this Saturday, and the purpose is to convince Guild members that the contract WGA leaders have been hammering out with the AMPTP is worthy of bringing the now three month-old strike to a close. The WGA's 10,500 members will vote on the issue, and if they approve, WGA leadership could send its members back to work as soon as Monday. The strike won't officially be over until the decision has been ratified -- likely two weeks, but the Oscars would go on as planned, new television episodes could be scripted, and the TV pilot season might be salvaged.

Living in Los Angeles, all I hear is strike talk. I was told this weekend that the strike would absolutely end yesterday. Didn't happen. I was told several times that it will definitely be over by Friday. That's not going to happen. Now I'm hearing next week for sure, and this official Saturday meeting would seem to support that. But it's not a done deal by any means. Late Monday, WGA negotiating committee chief John Bowman sent an e-mail to Writers Guild members that read: "While we have made important progress since the companies re-engaged us in serious talks, negotiations continue. Regardless of what you hear or read, there are many significant points that have yet to be worked out."

In other words -- the finish line is in sight. But there's no guarantee they're gonna run through it.

It's Day 87 of the Writers Guild Strike. Informal meetings are taking place between the WGA and the AMPTP...that will hopefully lead to official meetings. (Doesn't it seem like there should be more effective means of conducting business than meeting to prepare to meet?) The Directors Guild recently cut a deal with the AMPTP, and many hope the WGA will follow suit. Others don't feel the DGA deal is reasonable. National Screen Actors Guild Executive Director Doug Allen and SAG President Alan Rosenberg just sent an e-mail to members of SAG criticizing the DGA deal, and claiming they would not accept similar proposals. Then DGA President Michael Apted criticized SAG for their criticisms. Scripted television production in Los Angeles has officially stopped. Everyone seems to want an end to this madness in time for the Academy Awards, but tensions seem to be just as high as they ever were.

The strike has brought about a lot of interesting and insightful comments from Cinematical readers. As I've mentioned before, the comments we get here at the site range from "UR gay!" to thought-provoking discussion. We read 'em all, and appreciate (most of) them greatly. I thought this might be a good time to highlight some recent strike talk from our readers, and to encourage even more. Whether I agree with all of these opinions or not, it's great to see an important issue like this being discussed.

Remember my recent post about how the Oscars are still a go, no matter what happens with the WGA strike? The Academy was considering two options for the show, which will go on next month, February 24. Should the strike end, there would be the regular show that we've all grown accustomed to. However, should it continue, they were planning an alternative -- details of which were being kept secret.

Me, I was hoping for an entire Oscars ceremony mash-up. It would take a heck of a lot of time and effort, but it would be awesome to see the old, great hosts, the clips, and then faux acceptance speeches made from previously-recorded media. I doubt that will happen, but here is what will -- The Hollywood Reporter has posted that for the first time, Oscar nominations will screen live on their website, Oscar.com. This will be followed by expanded online coverage that will include "an Oscar prediction game and an Oscar widget that can be embedded on social networking sites." Hello, Facebook!

Sure, this isn't word on the actual ceremony, but I imagine we can look forward to more web content as the 24th moves ever closer. Stars won't be crossing the picket lines, but could the Academy be planning an event where stars and fans all sign onto the web? Me, I'd much rather see Johnny, Brad, Cate, and the rest of the folks via webcam from their homes than some outfit and jewelry that could feed a country for a year, but maybe that's just me.

Spyglass Entertainment (The Sixth Sense, Shanghai Noon) is the latest studio to make an interim, independent agreement with the Writers Guild of America. Spyglass joins David Letterman's Worldwide Pants, Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner's United Artists, Media Rights Capital, and The Weinstein Company. These interim deals basically mean that the studios will agree to the WGA's demands during the strike, and in exchange they can do business with members of the Writers Guild.

In other strike news, the Academy Awards will be picketed by the WGA if a deal is not reached by the February 24th ceremony. (And since there are currently no negotiations even scheduled, that seems unlikely.) The WGA recently granted a waiver allowing a couple of writers to work on the NAACP Image Awards, but the Academy Awards will receive no such waiver. WGA West President Patric Verrone says, "The Guild examines each request like this individually and no decision is easy. Our ultimate goal is to resolve this strike by achieving a good contract. Because of the historic role the NAACP has played in struggles like ours, we think this decision is appropriate to jointly achieve our goals."

If you have been watching The Daily Show (or as Jon Stewart now calls it, A Daily Show) since its writer-less return, you've likely noticed the show has lost a lot of its zing. Stewart is a very funny man, but he can't do it all by himself. And if he's up there winging it as the host of the Oscars, it could be a mighty awkward evening. Now, there's no way the Oscars will crash and burn like the Golden Globes did. Even stripped down, I don't think anyone could have anticipated the fiery train wreck that is Billy Bush -- the guy makes Ryan Seacrest look like Johnny Carson. But if the threat of a far crappier than usual Academy Awards ceremony -- traditionally Hollywood's biggest night -- doesn't bring the strike to the end, I keep hearing this thing could go on for a very long time.

This is a bummer, man. A big ol' bummer. Let's hit up some Q & A:

Empty spaces... What are we living for? Abandoned places... I guess we know the score. On and on! Does anybody know what we are looking for?

Lately, it's been whether the Oscars would air, since the writers strike continues. But... The show must go on! Variety reports that the Oscars will, indeed, be held on February 24. That being said, they're supposedly looking into two game plans. First, there's the regular feast of congratulatory praise and starry-eyed entertainment -- all being planned just in case the whole strike thing gets resolved. However, should it continue into Oscar time, the Academy is also planning an alternative. Details about this alternative aren't being shared, but you can be sure it won't be well-scripted, which probably means lots of old footage -- Oscars retro-style, perhaps? A mash-up of old clips to announce the winners and entertain the audience? We'll have to wait and see.

Meanwhile, check out the official poster for the 80th Oscars above. It should look familiar -- as The Hollywood Reporter says: "it was created by veteran poster illustrator Drew Struzan, who made the one-sheets for each of the Star Wars films." Maybe the force can help out -- get the strike settled and let the lil statue get the sort of show it's used to. Stay tuned!

Woody Allen's left New York with Cassandra's Dream, but someone else is coming to town in Cloverfield. ... Speaking of wanton destruction, the WGA strike's still going on -- so it seems like a good idea to get out of town for Sundance, doesn't it? Joining James this week to talk about all these topics and more is film critic David Fear of Time Out New York. Cinematical's podcast content now has even better sound quality, and is now in iTunes; you can subscribe at this link. Also, you can listen directly here at Cinematical by clicking below:



As ever, you can download the entire podcast right here -- and those of you with RSS Podcast readers can find all of Cinematical's podcast content at this link.

We haven't posted one of these Speechless videos in awhile, but I came across Zach Braff's video today over at Deadline Hollywood and it made me laugh. It might not make you laugh; you might hate Zach Braff. Hate is a strong word, actually -- you might dislike the fellow. But it made me laugh. And I'm going to take a chance and hope at least three of you laugh as well. Actually, all I need is one other person to laugh and it'll be worth it. Even if 70 of you don't laugh, I'll feel good about that one person laughing. It will brighten up my day. In case you forgot, these videos were conceived of by writer-director George Hickenlooper and writer Alan Sereboff. Each vid features a SAG actor, and they're supposed to suport the concept that without writers, there would be no movies or TV shows or fun in the universe. So watch Braff's video up top, then head beyond the jump for another video and an extra special surprise!

The Golden Globes have been canceled due to the WGA strike, and it looks as if the Oscar broadcast -- currently set for February 24 -- might not be far behind. Writer Toby Young from the Guardian UK has offered ten helpful suggestions for replacement programming. One terrific idea is the Michel Gondry, Be Kind Rewind Oscars, in which two video store clerks create the entire evening from scratch, playing all the parts, "including the 'Hollywood legends' who died last year."

Other intriguing ideas include a Team America-inspired, all-puppet Oscars and a Celebrity Deathmatch Oscars. Young also suggests that NBC simply re-broadcast last year's Oscar show in the hopes that no one notices. (Quick quiz: does anyone remember what won Best Picture last year? What about Best Supporting Actor?). The best idea, however, and the one I'd most like to see, is to start the Oscar ceremony as usual, but no one is allowed to say a single word. Guests would probably have to open the envelopes, hold them up to the camera for a close up, and then there'd be a lot of smiling and perhaps a lot of music. Certainly Chuck Workman would have to piece together his share of clip reels, or maybe they could hire some mimes to choreograph some comedy? It'd be supremely creepy and some definite must-see TV. See Young's other ideas here.

Well friends, the WGA strike rages on. And on. And like the old Christmas song says: "It doesn't show signs of stopping." The Broadway strike briefly crippled New York City's economy, but it was over in nineteen days. The WGA Strike is on day #38. That's week #6. That's month #2. And there's no end in sight. We're reaching the point where people are going to start losing homes, if they haven't already.

Do you know the old joke about the aspiring actress who was so naive she slept with the screenwriter to get ahead? There's a lot of truth there. Screenwriters don't get near enough respect. That may be coming to light more now that the strike is on, but it's been going on for decades. It's gotten so bad that a lot of the huge blockbusters start filming without a completed script! Like, a lot of them.

Can you name me five screenwriters? OK, five screenwriters who don't also direct? In movie reviews, your average critic will gush about how great Brad Pitt's performance was for five paragraphs, then mention the screenplay in passing, if at all. Guess what? All those pretty words coming out of Mr. Pitt's pretty mouth originated somewhere. Directors and actors tend to get all the credit for a movie's success. Unless a movie sucks, then it's -- "Who wrote this garbage?" Where is the love?

If a movie is a salad, then the screenplay is the lettuce. You can throw all the bacon and cheese and croutons in a bowl that you want, but if you don't have a strong, solid base of high-quality lettuce? My friend, you don't have a salad. With me throwing out razor-sharp analogies like that, I think you can tell that you've come to the right place for writing advice.