Comments on: On the edge of a strike

By: Gorman

Gorman — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 14:40:55 +0000

The more I think about this, the crankier I get. For years, writers basically phoned in bland, mom-pop-and-kids sitcoms and straightforward crime procedurals.

Sure, between the networks and basic cable, it seems the show ideas are at least getting more creative (whether they are good or bad I’ll leave to the viewer).

But forgive me if I can’t muster up any sympathy for their plight at this point.

By: Safran

Safran — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 13:44:25 +0000

@lolo: Have you tried StubHub?

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 22:22:06 +0000

With this strike hitting on Monday and the threat of having nothing but re-runs to watch on TV I’m filled with one solitary question:

What Would Brian Boitano Do?

By: Rick

Rick — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 20:26:28 +0000

I’ve launched a writers strike blog (click on my name), and this is basically the deal with late night.

All the hosts are also WGA members, but the way the contract is written is that they could do the show, but can’t write any more material than they would typically write before the strike. That amount varies by host, but it’s not much.

Odds are that the shows will go into reruns for a few weeks, and at some point Letterman will come back, and that will open the way for Leno and Conan. They won’t have monologues, and there won’t be any sketches. Letterman in particular is very pro-WGA, so he won’t rush back on the air.

The big question in this is Jimmy Kimmel. There are persistent rumors that he isn’t planning on shutting down. Or will shut down for a few days and then come back. He doesn’t do a lot of “jokes,” but there are sketches. But apparently ABC is pressuring him to ignore the strike, seeing it as a way to get new viewers to tune in.

By: discreet_chaos

discreet_chaos — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 20:23:27 +0000

Oops - I just watched a YouTube from last night’s Letterman and he also says that he’s been a member of the WGA “all of my life”. I don’t know why there’s stories about him making some shows during the last writers strike and I have to admit that I barely remember them. Perhaps the management angle would eventually will out, but he gets paid whether there’s a show or not, so I expect that he’ll honor the strike at least in the beginning.

By: discreet_chaos

discreet_chaos — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 19:43:34 +0000

@Olsen - I’m of the opinion that Ferguson could probably go without a writing staff, too much of what he says appears to be off the cuff, but he said last night that he’s a member of the WGA.

Conan may also a member from his days at “The Simpsons” and SNL.

There are stories circulating the web that make reference to Letterman doing a few shows during the last writers strike and though he’s listed as a writer on his own program, the last scripted things for which IMDB gives him credit were a couple of episodes of 70s sitcoms.

By: Olsen

Olsen — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 19:34:50 +0000

Rocker: Each show would also lose a lot of its bits. I’m not sure how good Conan would be without naughty bears, Abe Vigoda cameos and in the year 2000 flashlights.

Maybe somebody else knows, but I’m assuming the hosts are WGA members too. Not sure on that, but every year on the Emmys, the hosts are named with the other writers during the nominations.

By: Rocker

Rocker — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 19:25:57 +0000

I don’t quite get why late-night talkshows will be the first to go dark…can’t they just cut the opening monologue down to 30-60 seconds and tell the hosts to come up with a handful of jokes themselves each day? Can’t these guys manage to be funny for 30 seconds on their own? Are their comedy chops that flabby? Then go straight into the interviews, musical guests, etc. The shows wouldn’t be as good (the opening monologues are one of the best things about them), but still, talk shows should be one of the easiest things to continue during a writer’s strike. What am I missing?

By: theminneapolischannel

theminneapolischannel — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 18:13:07 +0000

don day and i agree on something!

finally!!!

By: Hannah Montana

Hannah Montana — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 17:59:39 +0000

Yes, the tickets are on sale. But good luck getting them….brokers snapped them all up in seconds.

By: Jeffrey Lowenstein

Jeffrey Lowenstein — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 17:41:56 +0000

have “heroes: origins on ice” tickets gone on sale yet?

By: Nick Bellini

Nick Bellini — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 16:27:32 +0000

Not only will the late night talk shows be in re-runs for the duration of the strike, but it may mark the end of those daytime soap operas. They have become horrible dreck over the last 15-20 years. Once the network and production companies realize it is cheaper to produce a Judge show instead of a soap, it will be sionara soaps.

By: Don Day

Don Day — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 15:54:31 +0000

Anonymous #2: A season full of reruns, reality and repackagings will just further drive folks away from traditional TV and into the hands of other distractions.

By: coffee

coffee — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 15:32:43 +0000

Alas, two quotes from other blogs stand out:

(1) My money is on Monday. Give everyone tomorrow to clean out their desks and get their affairs in order. Then call the strike tomorrow night to start Monday. I could be wrong, but it feels logical to me (and who starts a strike on a Friday??)

(2) Anybody can shit out sixty pages of crap.

By: Steve Safran

Steve Safran — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 11:31:31 +0000

It is proper to put a title in italics, but thank you, anonymous, for proving why we need professional, union writers here at LR and not these volunteer hacks who simply blog because they love what they do. I mean, honestly! It\’s one thing to provide a free service from an all-volunteer staff. But the nerve to leave out an end quote!

I, for one, would pay good money to see Heroes: Origins On Ice. Sounds like a wonderful show you could take the whole family to.