The Oscars Backup Plan
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Award Shows, Prime Time, Specials, ABC, Gossip, Rumors,
The Academy has consistently promised that, writers strike or no, the annual Oscars ceremony will in fact take place. Statements have been released. Comments have been made. And until recently, the Academy seemed to be sticking to its guns. But…just in case, they’re working on a contingency plan.
Scheduled for Feb. 24, the Oscars show we expect may not at all be the one we see. For now, the Academy is working on two different shows. The usual awards spectacle is still in the works, but now a second show is being planned that will include “history and packages of film and concepts” that aren’t “normally ones that we would have.” Gee, sounds great. But no matter what, they say, the show will go on. It must! How else will Hollywood honor itself?
The Academy has made contact with the Writers Guild in hopes of inking some sort of deal.
MSNBC
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Could the Writers Strike Really Be Ending?
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Award Shows, News,
The Writers Guild has just dropped two of their demands: proposals to unionize animated movie and reality TV writers. This brings us all right back to the central issue: Internet and new-media revenue. By the Guild’s own admission, this concession (which comes only after the writers were repeatedly asked to make just this concession) is an olive branch - everyone wants the strike to end. Negotiations will continue this week as both sides try to reach some conclusion.
The writers have also made the decision not to picket the Grammy ceremony, which bodes well for the rest of the awards season. The striking writers, so far, have not agreed on an interim deal which will allow them to be a part of the musical spectacle. But there does seem to be some hope on the horizon…at last.
LA Times (Registration Required)
Why Jay Leno’s Monologue Must Not Go On
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Late Night, NBC, News,
Hey, even celebrities have to follow the rules - a fact that is being pointed out to late night host Jay Leno by many major media outlets. Here’s the deal: there’s an active writers’ strike going on, but the Tonight Show must go on anyway. At least, that’s the stand taken by NBC.
During a recent new episode of his late night show, Leno delivered a monologue and announced that he’s writing his own jokes. However, under Writers Guild rules those who are still on strike are not allowed to write for any studio’s project. NBC maintains they’re following the rules, while the Guild says Leno is a member and subject to all the strike rules therein - which means, no writing. The entire issue is now going before a union panel.
With all this itty bitty quibbling, it’s no wonder no one can seem to get any negotiations scheduled which might actually end this thing.
E! Online
Surprises in Store for Late Night TV
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Late Night, Cable, NBC, Daily Show, The, Gossip,
If you’ve attempted to watch TV at all in the last two months, you know there’s an active writers’ strike in the works. Despite the picket lines, lots of studios are “encouraging” their late night hosts to get back in the studio and back behind the desk.
Jay Leno, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Conan O’Brien (among others) all intend to bring their shows back to the air beginning in January - but this time, they’re doing it without their writers. When it comes to television, this action is very much like walking a tightrope in the circus…with no safety net.
The hosts are members of the Writers Guild themselves, meaning they’ll have to pass by their union brothers and sisters on their way to work every morning (or afternoon, as the case may be). This membership also means the hosts themselves must continue to follow union rules, and will be subject to the terms and conditions therein. For instance, monologues and talk segments (like Colbert’s The Word) may no longer be part of the program. So…what, then, will viewers see on late night in January? For one, you won’t be getting scripted segments.
Click to continue reading Surprises in Store for Late Night TV
Yahoo! News
Award Shows Must Go Writer-Free
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Award Shows, Gossip, News,
If Jay Leno can go on without his writers, so can the awards shows. At least, that’s the hope. The striking writers guild will not be involved in either the Oscars or the Golden Globes—at least not this awards season.
Producers asked that writers be allowed to contribute despite the strike, and though the announcement is not yet official, members of the WGA say that’s not going to happen. The Golden Globes reps say there might still be some way the writers can participate, and hope to work out an agreement with the Guild.
Not only will the telecasts be deprived of all those witty written jokes during telecast, the stalemate with the writers could leave the shows without participants. Union actors wouldn’t want to cross picket lines to make presentations (doing so wouldn’t be union-friendly) while winners may choose not to accept their awards.
Hollywood Reporter
Writers On Strike, Episodes Running Out
Posted by David Onda Categories: Action, Comedy, Drama, Prime Time, ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, The CW, Heroes, House, Lost, The Office, Editorial, News, Rumors,
With the Writers Guild strike in full effect, it won’t be long until new episodes (i.e. completed scripts) of network shows run out. Entertainment Weekly reports that many popular series are on schedule to enter into reruns within the next several weeks (some sooner or later than others). The following is EW’s list of 10 popular shows and how many new episodes are left (including this week) until the well runs dry.
ABC:
- Brothers & Sisters: 6 episodes
- Dirty Sexy Money: 6 episodes
- Lost: 8 episodes
NBC:
- Chuck: 6 episodes
- Heroes: 4 episodes
- The Office: 2-3 half-hour episodes
See how many new episodes of popular FOX, CBS and CW shows are left after the jump.
Click to continue reading Writers On Strike, Episodes Running Out
Entertainment Weekly
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