Hollywood writers start strike after talks collapse

Reuters: Some 12,000 screenwriters went on strike against the U.S. film and television industry on Monday after the collapse of last-ditch contract negotiations aimed at preserving nearly 20 years of Hollywood labor peace.
 
Ten hours of bargaining presided over by a federal mediator failed to close a deal before a strike deadline set last Friday by the Writers Guild of America, which has sought a greater share of DVD and Internet revenues for its members.

The initial impact of a strike for most of the public will be felt on television.

Popular late-night talk shows such as NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman," which are produced on a day-to-day basis and depend on a steady supply of topical jokes and sketches, were expected to go into immediate reruns.  CONTINUED

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So... am I supposed to feel sorry for a bunch of workers whose salary's based on how much passive, intellectually dead material they can stuff in my brain?

The way this is plastered all over the news you'd think it was the Reagan-era Air Traffic Control strike all over again. 

The big difference, of course, is the controllers actually provided a valuable service to society.  Not to mention they all got fired, which is how I hope this all pans out for the screenwriters.

For those of us who don't really watch television, this isn't a life-altering crisis.  Indeed, when "Everyone Loves Raymond" went off the air I thought it had only been on a couple of years! I've never seen a single episode of Sex in the City, 6 Feet Under, The Sopranos, CSI-*PLACE CITY NAME HERE*, Heroes, Dancing with the Stars, Lost... in fact, my TV viewing's pretty much limited to the History, Travel and Discovery channels, Animal Planet, and the Weather Channel while I dress for work.  At least I learn something from their programming.  Even then, it's in sparing amounts, and usually while at the gym.

And as one drama, after sitcom, after reality show has passed me by, I've read thousands of books, magazines, and newspapers... and written for this blog.  There's simply not enough time in life to waste through passive entertainment (not saying a given book or mag is always high-brow, but at least it's active).

In short, screw the screenwriters--go read a book instead!

So spaketh the pigeon.

Comments

[C-Chan]

Sorry for the late comment. According to this op-ed by Damon Lindelof, who is a writer for Lost, they get NOTHING for web streaming and i-Tunes of episodes. That does seem like a raw deal, considering that's where the trend is heading.