The WGA responds to its membership

The WGA sent the following email to its members on Friday afternoon:

Fellow members:

There are a lot of rumors and questions floating around, and we’d like to address them.

HAVE NEGOTIATIONS BROKEN DOWN? No.

DID OUR NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE ASK FOR A BREAK? No.

THEN WHY THE FOUR-DAY BREAK? On Thursday, the studios and networks gave us some of their proposals, and said they needed more time to fashion the rest. Therefore talks were scheduled to resume on Tuesday.

THE COMPANIES SAY THEY ARE OFFERING US IS A $130 MILLION INCREASE. THE GUILD CALLS IT A ROLLBACK. WHY THE DISPARITY? The companies have still not explained how they arrived at their $130 million figure, but we can certainly explain how this is a rollback.

OKAY. SO HOW IS THEIR MADE-FOR-INTERNET PROPOSAL A ROLLBACK? Currently, the writer of a 30-minute prime-time TV show makes almost $21,000. The conglomerates are proposing that if that writer wrote the same show for the Internet, his or her initial compensation would be $2,600. That’s a rollback of 88%.

SO WHAT’S THEIR OFFER ON INTERNET RERUNS? Currently, the writer of a half-hour television episode makes about $11,600 when his or her episode is first re-run on TV. The companies are proposing that if that same episode is rerun instead on the Internet, they will pay the whopping total of $139 for unlimited reruns for one year--and nothing at all if it only streams for six weeks. About a third of all TV series are now being rerun only on the Internet. This amounts to an immediate 98.8% rollback. And it gets worse. If they decide to call a show “promotional,” they don’t have to pay us anything. It’s a “freepeat.”

WOW. AND WHAT ABOUT FEATURES? Are you sitting down? The companies want to be able to stream any and all feature films in their entirety, supported by advertising dollars, and pay the writers nothing. Zip.

Nada. Bupkus. A 100% rollback.

GIVEN ALL THIS, HOW IN THE WORLD DID THE COMPANIES COME UP WITH THE $130 MILLION FIGURE? Our question exactly. It’s definitely not a three-year number. As near as we can figure, their proposal might net us that total around the year 2107.

YOU HAVEN’T SAID ANYTHING NEW ABOUT DOWNLOADS. Neither have they. We are hoping that they will address this essential issue by Tuesday. Stay tuned.

In solidarity,

Nick Kazan

Howard A. Rodman

Phil Robinson

Tom Schulman

(for the Board of Directors)

As the news blackout lifts, the gloves come off

The town should have plenty to talk about by the time the WGA-AMPTP talks resume Tuesday.

The PR war over the WGA-AMPTP negotiations has amped up; the AMPTP's latest move on Friday afternoon was to release a letter to its members along with a review of the current state of its proposal to the WGA. Here's the letter; the "AMPTP Fact Sheet" is after the jump.

-- Dave McNary

To the Companies represented by the AMPTP:

On behalf of all of our member companies, the AMPTP has proposed a New Economic Partnership to the WGA. This New Partnership includes bold moves by the AMPTP in several areas of new media, including streaming, content made for new media and programming delivered over digital broadcast channels. The New Economic Partnership is summarized in the attached one-page document.

The New Economic Partnership will deliver more than $130 million in additional compensation above and beyond the more than $1.3 billion working writers already receive each year.  This could mean an increase up to $31,000 over the 3-year life of the contract for working writers which would be on top of the current average writer’s compensation of more than $200,000 a year.   With these improvements, writers remain among the highest paid employees in America.  This more than $130 million increase is believed to be one of the largest compensation increases of any major union contract negotiated in recent American history.

In addition, our proposed New Economic Partnership included increases in producer contributions to the WGA health and pension plans. This increase helps assure that writers will continue to enjoy the security of these well funded plans, which offer an array of benefits to participants that are among the most generous of any in the nation.

During our negotiations on Thursday, November 29th, the WGA asked for a halt in talks until Tuesday, December 4th to give the WGA time to study our New Economic Partnership. While we strongly preferred to continue discussions without any interruption, we also understood the WGA’s need to take the time necessary to process our groundbreaking New Economic Partnership.  We therefore were disappointed to see such a quick and decisive attack on the plan that they had asked for so much time to study.   We look forward to resuming talks on December 4th.

Between now and Tuesday, we hope that the discussion about our proposed New Economic Partnership will focus on the facts. For example, the allegation that the New Economic Partnership and its groundbreaking proposals to extend and increase payments and jurisdiction for the writers in three wholly new areas of new media is somehow a “rollback” does nothing to advance a substantive dialogue over these issues, especially given that the WGA asserted for weeks that we were unwilling to share in new media revenues (despite, for example, our ongoing payments for digital downloading).

Simply put, a proposal that increases working writers compensation by a total of $130 million is in fact a very big “roll” forward.

We remain confident that there is common ground to be found between the two sides. Our proposal for a New Economic Partnership is meant to help find that common ground, and we hope that the WGA’s leadership will thoughtfully consider both our Partnership proposal and the increasingly severe economic impacts of this strike before the WGA comes back from the bargaining hiatus that it requested and gets down to work again on December 4th. We believe to generate the necessary momentum to reach a deal, we must be at the table talking.

As we await the WGA’s return to talks next week, we must all keep in mind the basic principle that is guiding our companies through this difficult process: We have a fundamental obligation to our employees and shareholders to create a modern economic system for our industry that will allow us to prosper in the face of increasingly difficult and fast-changing competition. Other industries have tried to take the easy way out by pretending that the fundamental changes around them were not really occurring, and as a result many businesses have declined at great cost to their workers, investors and communities. We are determined to deal successfully with the revolutionary global and technological changes confronting our industry before it is too late. That is why we are so committed to a fair deal for all parties, one that gives everyone a share in the profits of success and allows our business to change and grow.

Sincerely,

The Leadership of the AMPTP

"Tonight Show" lays off staff; corporate says: "If your services are needed, we will contact you"

Today was the last day for most of the 120 staffers on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” who left with an early Christmas bonus check and no guarantee of a job when the strike ended. [An NBC source puts the number at "just under 100."]

“Do we have a job when the strike ends? That’s what everyone keeps asking,” said one former staffer. “They’ve guaranteed no one a job. They just keep saying, ‘The letter explains it.”

That letter is a notice from NBC’s human resources department that says, “If your services are needed, we will contact you.”

Sources said that while some higher-level executives received severance packages, other staffers received only Leno’s traditional bonus of $100 times the number of years the staffer has been on the show.

Writers were not included in the bonuses, but one writer emphasized that “he's not being Scrooge. He just wanted to get the staff taken care of first. I can't emphasize enough how generous Jay is.” 

Others were less forgiving.

“We haven’t heard from him since the second or third day of the strike,” said a former Leno staffer. “He called on speakerphone while we were in our daily meeting and said, ‘Don’t look for other jobs, no one’s going to lose their house, we’ll get though this.’ Two weeks ago, we got the heads up that we had two more weeks (of pay) and that’s it. Everyone wondered, ‘Is Jay going to come through?’ And nothing happened. Conan makes less and he said, ‘I’m going to pay for my people.’ ”

Still on the payroll are the exec producers and a skeleton crew to answer phones. Leno was not on hand for the layoffs. Instead, Leno’s assistant notified the staff yesterday that they would get their Christmas bonus early. Leno's bonuses usually go out the week before Christmas.   

"People are devastated today because we thought that he meant something more than an early Christmas bonus," another said. "A lot of people didn't look for other work, based on Jay's assurances."

UPDATE: Insiders confirm that the staff of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" were formally laid off by NBC today as well; the show's employees received similar letters to the ones sent to "Tonight Show" staffers. Like "Tonight Show's" team, "Late Night" employees are officially laid off effective Friday. But as has been reported previously, O'Brien will continue to pay "Late Night" staffers himself. But because they're no longer officially employed by NBC, they won't be reporting to the "Late Night" offices come Monday.

Late Friday afternoon, a spokesperson delivered this statement:

NBC regretfully informed the people who work on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O’Brien that their services are not needed at this time due to our inability to continue production of the shows.

-- Dave McNary and Dana Harris

Strike from the p.o.v. of non-pros

The Service Employees International Union has been one of the WGA's most ardent non-pro supporters in the strike, encouraging its members to join WGA picket lines in L.A. and Gotham and mounting the "Hey studios, do the write thing" billboard campaign. Below are two blog posts from SEIU rank-and-file-ers who've recently joined WGA events.

Their Struggle is My Struggle by Ursula Epps

I like to watch TV when I have time, shows like “Heroes” and “Bionic Woman,” “Saving Grace” and “Sopranos” reruns. This week, I met some of those writers on the picket line.

I’ve lived in Los Angeles most of my life, and I thought writers like them were very wealthy individuals. But after talking to some of them, I realize they can be unemployed for three to 18 months at a time between writing jobs. I can see why it’s important for them to receive royalties from DVDs and the Internet. The big studios are paying their corporate CEOs millions every year. And they say they don’t have enough money to pay their other employees for what they do? Without writers, these corporations wouldn’t have their profit. They are the ones who write these excellent shows and movies. If we can hold these corporations accountable to make sure employees have health insurance and decent salaries, it would improve the quality of our overall community health. I’m sticking with the writers, and I hope they stick together. Their picket line is our community’s.

Ursula Epps is a registered nurse in Los Angeles and a member of SEIU Local 721. She joined with more than 400 SEIU members to support the Nov. 20 WGA march and rally on Hollywood Boulevard.

Rain means nothing to WGA picketers

"I'm out here because I want to be able to look the Teamsters in the eye," said scribe Joseph Dougherty, one of more than 100 WGA members and supporters who braved the Friday-morning rain to participate in the Hollywood Homecoming rally outside Sony Pictures.

All picket activity today took place along the famed Greek-columned MGM edifice that spans more than a block of Washington Boulevard between Overland Blvd. and Madison Ave. (The guild intends to picket multiple locations Monday-Thursday, with Fridays reserved for events and rallies at a single site.) The setting proved fortunate: it offered a small, sheltered strip where determined, if slightly soggy, picketers could gather.

Many participants shared Dougherty's sentiment: It was particularly important to show up in the rain, enduring discomfort, to underscore their resolve to fight for what they view is a fair deal.

Pickets were particularly fired up by news sent out Thursday night by guild leaders reporting that the WGA took a very dim view of the new economic proposal put on the negotiating table by the studios.

"Whether rain, snow, sleet or bad driving," quipped screenwriter T. Jay O'Brien. As a feature scribe, O'Brien said he was particularly disheartened that the companies' proposal included no residuals for web streaming of full-length features.

"That was very upsetting," he said. "If anything, it was more energizing to us. It's even more important to show them today that we mean it."

Screenwriter Adam Farasati was also alarmed by the elements of the companies' proposal.

"The studios have given no indication that they're at the negotiating table than for any other reason than to appease the press," he said. "But it's not surprising. This just reinforces that we're in it for the long haul."

Despite the disdain for the majors' moves on Thursday, most pickets said they were somewhat encouraged by the fact that the sides have agreed to resume talks on Tuesday.

"I'd rather have them snickering in a room at each other than not be in a room," Dougherty said. "There's still a way to get this solved."

The theme of Friday's rally was highlighting veteran WGA members and special guests included former WGA prexy Chris Knopf and several members of the famed Mankiewicz writing clan: Tom, Don and John.

Today's strike supporters included a horde of sandwiches and other munchies from Whole Foods Market provided by WGA booster Lilly Lawrence, who we're told recently suffered the loss of her home in the Malibu fire. WGA member Kathy McCormick procured a "Java the Truck" coffee stand that dispensed free coffee and tea to shivering participants. And the Kaplan Stahler Gumer Braun agency had reps on hand to pass out fresh fruit and "residual gelt," aka chocolate coins.

--Cynthia Littleton

And the WGA responds...

LOS ANGELES – The following message was issued today by the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) regarding Contract 2007 negotiations:

To Our Fellow Members,

After four days of bargaining with the AMPTP, we are writing to let you know that, though we are still at the table, the press blackout has been lifted.

Our inability to communicate with our members has left a vacuum of information that has been filled with rumors, both well intentioned and deceptive.

Among the rumors was the assertion that the AMPTP had a groundbreaking proposal that would make this negotiation a "done deal."  In fact, for the first three days of this week, the companies presented in essence their November 4 package with not an iota of movement on any of the issues that matter to writers.

Thursday morning, the first new proposal was finally presented to us.  It dealt only with streaming and made-for-Internet jurisdiction, and it amounts to a massive rollback.

For streaming television episodes, the companies proposed a residual structure of a single fixed payment of less than $250 for a year's reuse of an hour-long program (compared to over $20,000 payable for a network rerun).  For theatrical product they are offering no residuals whatsoever for streaming.

For made-for-Internet material, they offered minimums that would allow a studio to produce up to a 15 minute episode of network-derived web content for a script fee of $1300.  They continued to refuse to grant jurisdiction over original content for the Internet.

In their new proposal, they made absolutely no move on the download formula (which they propose to pay at the DVD rate), and continue to assert that they can deem any reuse "promotional," and pay no residual (even if they replay the entire film or TV episode and even if they make money).

The AMPTP says it will have additional proposals to make but, as of Thursday evening, they have not been presented to us.  We are scheduled to meet with them again on Tuesday.

In the meantime, we felt it was essential to update you accurately on where negotiations stand.  On Wednesday we presented a comprehensive economic justification for our proposals.  Our entire package would cost this industry $151 million over three years.  That's a little over a 3% increase in writer earnings each year, while company revenues are projected to grow at a rate of 10%.  We are falling behind.

For Sony, this entire deal would cost $1.68 million per year.  For Disney $6.25 million.  Paramount and CBS would each pay about $4.66 million, Warner about $11.2 million, Fox $6.04 million, and NBC/Universal $7.44 million.  MGM would pay $320,000 and the entire universe of remaining companies would assume the remainder of about $8.3 million per year.  As we've stated repeatedly, our proposals are more than reasonable and the companies have no excuse for denying it.

The AMPTP's intractability is dispiriting news but it must also be motivating.  Any movement on the part of these multinational conglomerates has been the result of the collective action of our membership, with the support of SAG, other unions, supportive politicians, and the general public.  We must fight on, returning to the lines on Monday in force to make it clear that we will not back down, that we will not accept a bad deal, and that we are all in this together.

Best,

Patric M. Verrone

President, WGAW

Michael Winship

President, WGAE

AMPTP statement: WGA to look over proposal; talks resume next Tuesday

Statement just sent out by the AMPTP:

STATEMENT REGARDING AMPTP WGA NEGOTIATIONS

LOS ANGELES, November 29, 2007 – "The AMPTP today unveiled a New Economic Partnership to the WGA, which includes groundbreaking moves in several areas of new media, including streaming, content made for new media and programming delivered over digital broadcast channels.  The entire value of the New Economic Partnership will deliver more than $130 million in additional compensation above and beyond the more than $1.3 billion writers already receive each year.  In response, the WGA has asked for time to study the proposals.  While we strongly preferred to continue discussions, we respect and understand the WGA’s desire to review the proposals.  We look forward resuming talks on Tuesday, December 4.

We continue to believe that there is common ground to be found between the two sides, and that our proposal for a New Economic Partnership offers the best chance to find it.”

Total Demonstration Live with Carson Daly

Carson Daly's move to jumpstart production on his late-late-late night NBC talk show hasn't earned him many fans within the Writers Guild. Now, armed with word that Daly will be taping a musical guest tonight on an outside stage, the WGA is throwing a quickly-organized protest outside the NBC lot in Burbank.

An as-yet unnamed band will tape a set on the stage -- near NBC's California Gate on Alameda Avenue -- for "Last Call with Carson Daly" around 6 p.m. (Another band taped a segment last night for "Last Call" as well.) A WGA spokesman said striking writers and Guild supporters will be there to "protest Daly’s disappointing decision to cross the picket line."

Expect more than a few scribes to imitate Jimmy Fallon's famous -- and less than flattering -- take on Daly from "Saturday Night Live."

"Last Call" is set to return next Monday. Show airs at 1:36 a.m. weeknights.

-- Michael Schneider

Another WGA striker struck by car -- deliberate?

There have been several incidents of vehicles hitting WGA picketers as studio lot traffic comes and goes. The most recent occurred at about 10 a. m. today at the Raleigh Studios gate when, according to eyewitness A.L. Katz, Adrian Wenner was knocked down by a car and was nearly run over.

Katz, a strike captain, said the driver's actions appeared deliberate in that he was trying to use his vehicle to move Wenner out of his path. He added that the WGA had been notified and had indicated that the guild plans to file an  LAPD report. Wenner went to his doctor.

"It was kind of horrifying to watch," Katz said. "He was shaken up pretty badly. We haven't seen a lot of animosity -- 80% of people are pretty empathetic -- and we try to make sure that people's emotions don't overcome their common sense."

The WGA had no immediate comment.

-- Dave McNary

A friendly missive and a great bumper sticker from Canada

This is from John Degen, executive director of the Professional Writers Association of Canada:

Here's a quick update on what Canada is doing in support of the WGA strike. First of all, we're yapping about the strike a lot.

And, just yesterday we were all cold in support of the strike.

As well, we're selling stuff -- see attached picture. Inspired by the WGA strike and our own public support of it, we launched some Pay the Writer products on our online store.

Finally, me. I'm just all about writer issues.

Cheers,

--jd

-- Dana Harris

 

 

WGA East and ABC reach tentative agreement

The WGA East has reached a tentative agreement with ABC on a contract covering about 250 news employees in New York and Washington, D.C.

Those guild members have been working under an expired contract since Jan. 31, 2005. But the WGA had not taken a strike authorization vote on the contract.

Here's the story. 

-- Dave McNary

Come one, come all: NBC is "Gay Gate" site on Thurs

WGA strikers have designated NBC's Burbank compound as "Gay Gate" on Thursday. WGA West's Gay and Lesbian Writers Committee is encouraging gay and lesbian guild members and any others who care join them for the 10 a.m.-1 p.m. gathering outside the Peacock's Alameda Gate.

Picketing in the Heart of Screenland

Spent some time on the line at Sony Pictures Entertainment this morning in the Heart of Screenland, aka Culver City. Couldn't help but wonder what the legendary lion of MGM, Louis B. Mayer, would've made of all of this. (Don't really have to wonder much. Way, way back in the history of the film colony, in the pre-guild days, Mayer and other moguls thought the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences -- an org Mayer famously spearheaded -- was a perfectly good entity to represent the interests of creative talent. No kidding.)

The crowd of pickets outside the main entrance off Washington Boulevard at the Madison gate was small-ish but determined and resolute, and offered the kind of contrasts among strikers that only reinforces how broad-based the support is among WGA members for the guild's fight.

Adam Farasati and Ethan Furman are screenwriting partners who just entered the guild this year. The two not too long ago sold a script to Ivan Reitman's Montecito Pictures for a family-type pic, "The Creepy Kid," about the adventures of, well, a geeky kid. And they penned the comedy "Rock Paper Scissors" that might be fast-tracked to start lensing in January.

"The strike is tough -- everything is just on hold for us," Farasati said. "If our first project ('Rock') starts being filmed and we can't be on the set -- that's heartbreaking," Furman said.

WGA strike captain as former Time Warner attorney: The ultimate multihyphenate?

WGA strike captain and TV scribe Steve Lichtman has a different perspective than many of his fellow strikers: He came from a career as a corporate lawyer, including a four-year stint at Time Warner that ended in 2001.

"I used to be on the other side of the table, so I cast a pretty skeptical eye toward what they're trying to do," he said Wednesday from the picket line in front of Disney Studios' main gate. "For example, the companies are trying to recast residuals as a bonus to us when what it really represents -- and how it was established -- is as deferred compensation. What they're doing is really a classic bait-and-switch."

As for the companies' reluctance to improve the formulas used to determine how much writers are paid for new-media work, Lichtman sees a parallel in the WGA's much-cited 1985 decision on homevideo residuals. That calculation, never changed, excluded 80% of wholesale revenues because of uncertainty over the then-new technology.

"In terms of the universe of deals that get made these days, figuring out how we should get paid for new media is not that complicated," Lichtman said. "There's all kinds of deals and calculations by hedge funds that are based on an uncertain future. So the companies telling us that they can't figure it out is just a stiff-arm tactic -- it's, 'Talk to the hand.'

"I don't think we have a choice (but to strike) because this is not about peripheral issues; it's about the future of our business and our place in it," he says. "We're still having good numbers turn out here every day and we're hoping that now that they got back to the table, they're rolling up their sleeves."

-- Dave McNary

The WGA and the International Solidarity of Managed Expectations

Australian Writers Guild members Terry Antoniak and David Franken at the Brisbane, Australia AWG demo on Nov. 26, the International Day Of Solidarity

The WGA is keeping a lid on specifics from its two days of negotiations this week with the AMPTP, as evidenced in a message sent late Tuesday night to strike captains.

The guild, which continues negotiations today under a news blackout, is also reminding the captains to tell members to maintain perspective and to take what they read about the strike with a big grain of salt.

The WGA's also staging a rally at 1 p.m. today outside NBC Burbank as part of its International Solidarity Day. The entire message to strike captains, after the jump.

-- Dave McNary   

"Last Call with Carson Daly" is first latenighter to go back

This week, NBC's "Last Call with Carson Daly" has become the first major network latenight skein to return to production since the strike began on Nov. 5.

(My mistake below: Last night's seg was a repeat from September. New episodes set to air next week.)

Without passing judgment on the decision made by Daly and others behind "Last Call," you can't help but note the irony that Daly's guest in his second seg back tonight (airing 1:35 a.m. Wednesday) is Frank Caliendo, who just launched his own latenight sketch show on TBS, "Frank TV." And the now-striking showrunner of "Frank TV" is, as most readers of this blog probably know, is John Bowman, head of WGA West's negotiating committee.

Naturally, the WGA is taking a dim view of the decision to hit the reboot on "Last Call" (a bit of strike news that we should duly note was first reported in Tuesday's edition of THR). Sources close to the show said the decision was motivated in part by Daly's concern for his production staff.

“We’re disappointed at Carson Daly’s decision to return to work," WGA said in a statement issued late Tuesday. "Mr. Daly is not a writer and not a member of the WGA, unlike other late-night hosts Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Craig Ferguson, and Jimmy Kimmel, who have all resisted network pressure and honored our writers’ picket lines. We’re especially appalled at Mr. Daly’s call for non-Guild writers to provide him with jokes. We hope he’ll change his mind and follow the lead of the other late-night hosts."

An NBC rep for the show said the Peacock was declining "out of respect for the current agreement between the AMPTP and the WGA for a press blackout period" while the sides are at the negotiating table.

--Cynthia Littleton

Showrunners quietly head back to work

Many of TV's top showrunners headed back to the office this week, resuming their non-writing chores (such as editing, supervising post production, etc.). One studio exec said "more than half" of his series' showrunners were back at work, both on the comedy and drama side. 

Fueling the return: The revived talks between the Writers' Guild and AMPTP. That follows through on an arrangement proposed by many showrunners earlier this month, in which the multi-hyphenates agreed to return to work only if the studios agreed to return to the negotiating table.

The united front by TV's showrunners to halt their work forced several series to stop production sooner than expected, and is seen by many as having helped the WGA's cause -- serving as a catalyst to jumpstart talks.

With those negotiations back on, several showrunners were itching to return to work to finish off already written and produced episodes that nonetheless needed some supervision before completion. Also convincing some showrunners to return: The round of legal letters sent out to many showrunners warning them that by withholding their producing duties, they were in breach of contract.

Some exec producers had already returned to work to oversee non-writing production, including "Lost's" Carlton Cuse. Many more hit the office following the Thanksgiving holiday. But most of the returning showrunners are hoping to stay under the radar to avoid the appearance of picket crossing.

"I wouldn't disagree with your statement," said one showrunner -- who we'll keep anonymous -- when asked if they'd returned to work. "Generally I'm trying to keep a low profile."

-- Michael Schneider

Exorcising their demons, one studio at a time

As the Writers Guild strike enters week four, "The Machinist" scribe Scott Kosar figured the studios were in need of a good demon scrubbing.

On Tuesday afternoon, Kosar donned priest garb and led a crowd of horror writers in conducting an exorcism outside the Warner Bros. lot. (The studio released the original "The Exorcist," after all.)

"We the horror writers do not necessarily believe the members of the AMPTP are evil," intoned the scribe-turned-Exorcist. "But we believe that they've been invaded by evil spirits, whose goal is the distruction of this union... We do believe that good does eventually triumph over evil."

Kosar -- tongue firmly planted in cheek, and bullhorn firmly planted in hand -- then read from a (somewhat modified) Catholic exorcism, asking God to "repel the greed that bewitches these studios," and to prevent demons from "further deceiving this guild and these members."

Holy water was splashed toward the studio (hitting some reporters and news photogs in the process -- hey, demons are everywhere). Kosar then led the gathered striking scribes in chanting, "OUT, DEMONS, OUT!" before turning to the even more catchy (and appropriate) "WE EAT SCABS!" One striker clutched a Chuckie doll, while another had a "Halloween"/Michael Myers mask and yet another sported a large, fake spider on her back.

Later, "The Lost Boys 2" writer Hans Rodionoff, also in priest attire, said he hoped Tuesday's exorcism would "drive some evil spirits out of the studios, so hopefully our neogtiations will go smoother at this point on."

Rodionoff said he also thought the exorcism might boost morale among striking scribes -- and perhaps inspire other genre writers to stage similar events.

"Two components of horror are evil and hope," he said. "Hope springs eternal."

Kosar noted to reporters that the resurgent horror genre has minted billions of dollars for the studios via box office and DVD sales.

"The studios make a lot of money off our work," he said. "We're here to remind them that we're not at our desks creating content, and we'll remain here until we have a good deal."

Where did the idea for Tuesday's exorcism come from? Kosar said he was inspired by late activist Abbie Hoffman's famous 1967 "Exorcism of the Pentagon," in which thousands of people gathered outside the building in the hopes of levitating the building and bringing about peace. Sadly, the Warner Bros. lot did not rise and hover above Burbank... but who knows, peace between the studios and writers could still be around the corner.

-- Michael Schneider

Forget about the Champagne, just make like the New England Patriots

As scribe A.L. Katz coordinates the fourth week of WGA picketing outside Paramount's Windsor gate, he can't resist a sports analogy.

"It's been a little bit of a lift to see that we've finally gotten to good faith negotiations with the companies," said Katz ("Tales From the Crypt," "The Outer Limits"). "On the other hand, it's not the time to let our guard down. It's like in a basketball game in the fourth quarter when a team lets up because it's 15 points ahead. We need to pretend like we're 15 points down." [Yes, I know the Patriots are a football team. Yell at me, not McNary. -- Ed.]

For Katz, picketing has reinforced a sense of collective experience among WGA members. He said the key moment in the strike came four days before it started, when about 3,000 WGA members met at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

"A lot of writers are pretty solitary people," he said. "I think a lot of us suddenly felt that going on strike was something that we had to do. And with the ongoing attack on collective bargaining, we need to stand up. If we don't, it's going to have a profound influence far beyond the 12,000 members of the guild."   

-- Dave McNary

(Image of the "Reno 911" striker courtesy of WGA member Anka Radakovich, who has an eye for such things.

WGA to strikers: Go ahead and buy the Veuve Clicquot, but hold off on the ice

As the resumed contract talks head into their second day, WGA leaders are urging members not to break out the Champagne -- yet.

In an e-mail message sent to members late Monday night,the WGA West board of directors discussed the surveys (including Variety's) that show public support for the writers while sounding a supportive note of caution:

"We continue to win tremendous support from across the nation and our own industry. You'll be hearing more about this in the days to come. But this is no time to be over-confident. We are at a critical juncture and must not lessen our resolve. Returning to the negotiating table is a beginning, not the end. If we are to succeed it is because we -- all of us -- keep the pressure on."

The full message, after the jump.

-- Dave McNary

   

AMPTP: The Devil you know?

Horror writers have decided to do their bit to help end the strike. From UnitedHollywood.com:

We, the horror writers of the WGA, don't necessarily believe that the AMPTP is evil. Rather, we believe they've been invaded by evil spirits whose devilish agenda is the destruction of our Guild. For this reason we have decided to conduct this exorcism for the mutual benefit of this industry. We may be dark souls, but we do believe that good eventually triumphs over evil. We encourage our brothers and sisters in horror to join our procession by emailing Jace Anderson at creepymofo [at] roadrunner [dot] com or Scott Kosar at scottkosar [at] mac [dot] com. And, of course, we welcome ALL writers to come and support our fight at Warners Gate 4, Tuesday at noon.

"Speechless": Internet vid series debuts

An impressive array of thesps and other talents have teamed up for a series of short Internet vids, dubbed "Speechless," that vividly illustrate where showbiz would be without the contributions of scribes.

Campaign was conceived by writer-helmer George Hickenlooper (pictured left) and scribe Alan Sereboff. Here's a sample below featuring Chazz Palminteri and Susan Sarandon, or click here to check 'em all out at speechlesswithoutwriters.com.

John Edwards back for more

Presidential candidate John Edwards, who walked a WGA picket line outside NBC Burbank Nov. 14, will make another appearance in support of striking writers.

The WGA East announced Edwards will attend its Solidarity Rally at noon tomorrow in Washington Square Park. Other attendees: Rep. Jerry Nadler, Tim Robbins, Michael Emerson, Joe Pantoliano, Colin Quinn, Aasif Mandvi, Tony Goldwyn, Evan Handler and Gilbert Gottfried.

Previously announced attendees: Randi Weingarten (UFT), Ed Ott (Central Labor Council), Gary Lebarbera and Denis M. Hughes (NYS AFL-CIO), Sam Freed (SAG NY President), Richard Masur (former national president of SAG) and WGA East leaders.

-- Dave McNary

One more freebie: The Silent Movie Theatre

Schedule here. And here's a note from head programmer Hadrian Belove:

Every day on the way to work, I pass by the writers striking in front of the CBS building. I usually feel terrible that these guys are out of work, but still have to get up before me in the morning. If you don't get to sleep in when striking, when do you? I only get up that early when I'm picking someone up at the airport.  I also feel terrible, 'cause I like writers -- without whom we wouldn't have very many good movies, and I found myself thinking about them throughout my day, and how I should bring them the extra cupcakes we're gonna have to throw away, even though that's something you do for homeless people, not striking writers, who may look similar, but are actually quite different breeds. Well, I may still go down and give 'em some cupcakes, but I've got something better to offer.

Free movies.

This is for you, writers. The Cinefamily will house your huddled masses for the length of the strike, for free, at least for the length of a movie. Just show your WGA card at the door, and c'mon in to as many movies as you like. I'm sure you've got a lot of time on your hands, and you're not really working on the personal script you've been putting off,  and I've got a new theatre with some extra seats. C'mon by, I say. Sit down for a minute! Use those handy sidetables to take notes. Eat a cupcake.

But you got to pay for the cupcake.

Verrone: "Cautious optimism" about the new round of talks

The catchphrase of the day is "cautious optimism." That's how WGA West president Patric Verrone characterized how he feels about today's resumption of negotiations, in his latest message to members.

Verrone notes that there's a news blackout. He explains that although there's no ban on members discussing the issues, he asks that members rely only on the WGA for info about the negotiations.

He also disclosed that the weekly requirement for picketing is being dropped from 20 hours to 12 hours a week since fewer shows are in production.

Here's the entire message -- 

To My Fellow Members,

I hope you all had an opportunity to enjoy Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends.  Having spent part of that time responding to over 400 e-mails from members, I must once again state how impressed I am with the level of involvement and engagement of our membership.  It is both inspiring and invigorating for Guild leadership to feel that collective strength and let me reiterate how grateful we are for it.

As you know, tomorrow we return to the bargaining table with the AMPTP.  We do so with a cautious optimism born of the sense that our strike has had a direct impact on our employers but fully aware that, until we have achieved our goal of a good contract, our struggle will continue.

Be aware that there will be a news blackout during this bargaining period.  We agreed to this on a limited basis so that a deal could be made without "negotiating in the press."  As such, there will be no official Guild or Negotiating Committee statements made about the content of each day's negotiation sessions.  Although this will by no means keep writers from discussing the issues in any public or private forum, I must once again implore you not to rely on any information unless it comes from a Guild source.  It is my intention to send another member e-mail the moment the blackout is lifted or if the parties mutually agree to an update.  Thank you in advance for your patience and indulgence.

Thank you also for your continued dedication to our daily picketing schedule.  In consultation with our strike captains, and pursuant to fewer TV and film projects in production, we are reducing the minimum hours of member strike support from 20 hours to 12 hours a week, starting tomorrow.  Scheduled picketing of studios will take place from Mondays through Thursdays with Fridays reserved for meetings and other special events.  The new hours for each location are available here.

Let me conclude by restating the continued importance of picketing.  Aside from being the most visible form of business disruption for our industry, picket lines have become focal points for our Guild community.  They are a very public place where writers, our sister guild and union members, area businesses, fans, politicians, and even the general public can show support and solidarity.  This unprecedented support and solidarity no doubt provoked the resumption of negotiations tomorrow and it will ultimately lead to a successful resolution.  We're all in this together.

Best,

Patric M. Verrone

President, WGA West

Good works on the picket line: Nia Vardalos holds toy drive

Nia Vardalos knows toys. The "Big Fat Greek Wedding" star held a toy drive at Raleigh Studios -- conducted with two dozen pickets on duty -- this a.m. that yielded more than a dozen boxes of toys and food in its first 10 minutes.

Vardalos said she got the idea of a holding a toy drive among pickets a week ago and passed out fliers at Tuesday's march on Hollywood Boulevard. New toys go to the L.A. Fire Department's toy drive; used toys to Goodwill Industries and food is donated to the SOVA food bank.

"Every day that I'm on the picket line, I'm so impressed with the solidarity that we're experiencing so this seemed like a good way to give something back," she noted. "I'm not very good at lecturing and cajoling so this response is really gratifying."

Vardalos gave a hug to actor Patton Oswalt, who voiced the lead character Remy in the Disney/Pixar hit "Ratatouille," after he showed up with an unopened box of 30 "Ratatouille" DVDs.

"These arrived on Friday and really -- what am I going to with all these DVDs?" Oswalt told Vardalos.

Vardalos has been picketing mostly around Paramount for the past three weeks.

"Each gate has its own personality; the Windsor gate is the noisiest and the Lemon Grove gate is a lot quieter -- kind of the lounge," she said.

-- Dave McNary

Monday: Getting back to the nitty gritty

The WGA is returning both to the bargaining table and picket lines on Monday.

It's the first stab at negotiations since Nov. 4 and the first picketing since the Nov. 20 march and rally on Hollywood Boulevard.

Most of the picketing will take place in three three-hour shifts, with Warner Bros. set for four such shifts with the first starting at 5 a.m.

The WGA East has firmed up details of its events for this week, starting with a Solidarity Rally at noon on Tuesday at Washington Square Park in New York to show support by the city’s labor community with this message -- “We’re all in this together, and we demand a fair deal!”

Those expected to attend include Randi Weingarten (United Federation of Teachers), Ed Ott (Central Labor Council), Gary Lebarbera and Dennis Hughes (NY AFL-CIO), Sam Freed (SAG NY President), Richard Masur (former national president of SAG) and WGA East leaders.

On Wednesday, the WGA East is planning to picket from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of Time Warner Center /Time Warner Studios – Columbus Circle.

The guild's also noting that the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds has proclaimed Wednesday as International Day of Solidarity. Demonstrations are planned for Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico and France.

--Dave McNary

SEIU: "Hey, studios...do the write thing"

The Service Employees International Union is backing the WGA in a way that Hollywood understands -- clever marketing.

SEIU locals, which tubthumped among its members to bring 400 supporters out for the WGA's Hollywood Boulevard rally last Tuesday, has put up at least two billboards in the West L.A./Culver City area, and perhaps elsewhere, (during the weekend I spotted one on Venice Blvd. just west of Robertson and one on Washington Blvd. east of Sepulveda) featuring a pic of an SEIU member and the tagline: "Hey, studios...do the write thing."

 

The SEIU, which describes itself as the fastest-growing union in North America with 1.9 million members, is known for its pointed use of billboards to spread its message. At present it is targeting the '08 presidential hopefuls with a series of "Walk a Day in My Shoes" challenges. -- Cynthia Littleton

   

"30 Rock": First with strike gag

Last Thursday night's episode of "30 Rock" became the first scripted skein to feature a writers' strike gag -- something that was clearly snuck in prior to the show's work stoppage.

In the episode, network president Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) falls in love with brassy C.C. (guest star Edie Falco). But while watching MSNBC, he discovers that C.C. is a powerful Democrat congresswoman -- a fact that could derail the very conservative Donaghy's plans to take over the top gig at GE.

But check out the newscrawl at the bottom of the fake MSNBC newscast: In a "TiVo-it-or-you'll-miss-it" moment, it reads, "NEWS CRAWL AFFECTED BY WRITERS STRIKE -- USING REPEAT TEXT FROM PREVIOUS SEASON."

Nicely subversive, "30 Rock"!

(By the way, how meta are these photos: They're shots I took off my TV screen, of Alec Baldwin watching another TV screen! So no, that Sharp HDTV isn't mine, it's the one Baldwin is watching. Yes, trippy.)

-- Michael Schneider

Strike Threatens CBS News Debate

FROM WILSHIRE & WASHINGTON: Not another debate? Say it isn't so.

Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards said that they will not cross picket lines for a CBS-sponsored debate in Los Angeles on Dec. 10 if the network's newswriters go out on strike. MORE >>

Save the date: One wag's (not-so) wacky theory on how the strike will end

Pencil in Dec. 7 for some margaritas. That's the day the strike will end.

OK, so we don't actually know this for sure. But one major Hollywood manager we trust has worked out a scenario in which labor peace will come to Hollywood by the first week of next month.

The way he sees it, next week's WGA-AMPTP negotiations should go smoothly. He argues that the outlines of an agreement were hammered out last week during the backchannel negotiations involving key agents, moguls and showrunners.

Anyway, he thinks a tentative deal could be announced within a few days of the talks resuming. It'll then take a few more days for the WGA to poll its membership, leaving Dec. 7 as the day the WGA declares the new contract has been ratified.

Wishful thinking? Perhaps. Plenty of other insiders remain doubtful that a deal is even within reach. But hey,a little hope during the holidays never hurt anybody.

--Josef Adalian

VIDEO: WGA Rally on Hollywood Blvd.

Strike chants with Julia Louis Dreyfus, who is asked how long the strike will go.

Video by Michael Jones/Variety

Rally snacks get fatter

Remember this guy?  CAA was at it again with their hefty snacks at the Hollywood Blvd WGA Rally -- this time with thick, choco-chip scones.  They also had suits at stations posted up and down the avenue, like barking marathon volunteers with cups of water, except it was super sweet cider. 

--Michael Jones

Moguls: We're ready to make nice

As writers rally on Hollywood Blvd., members of the AMPTP are trying to strike a conciliatory tone.

CBS supremo Leslie Moonves sent an e-mail to staffers this morning saying that while the two sides still have substantial differences, "We continue to believe that with hard work, patience and understanding from both sides, they can be overcome."

The Moonves mail is almost identical to a letter Warner Bros. distributed to staffers today. Apparently, members of the AMPTP agreed on the basic structure of the letter. Each conglom then customized the ending.

The full text of Moonves' letter is after the jump.

--Josef Adalian

Hollywood Blvd. rally: On the march

WGA West president Patric Verrone opened Tuesday's Labor Solidarity rally on Hollywood Boulevard with a historical reference.

"Seventy five years ago, ten writers met at the Knickerbocker Hotel near here to form a union with teeth. We are here to show our teeth. What that means is that we're here to walk down Hollywood Boulevard and smile."

Verrone then introduced singer Alicia Keys, who performed to loud cheers from the back of a truck parked at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Ivar Avenue.

After Keys performed two songs, several thousand participants began marching west on Hollywood Boulevard, led by a pair of Teamster trucks and a dozen LAPD officers on motorcycles and bicycles. March began at 1:40 p.m.

Verrone was front and center as the march started, walking next to a 20-foot "Solidarity with Writers" banner. In total, the crowd covered three blocks.

"On strike, shut it down, Hollywood's a union town" was a popular chant among the marchers near the front of the crowd.

With drums and and tambourines provding rhythm, march had a festive feel. A white German shepherd named Yukon had a WGA picket sign attached to her side proclaiming: "We won't be licked!"

Several homeless people improvised signs, one reading: "Bums support Writers."

Verrone launched the rally at 2:25 p.m. in front of the Chinese Theater by thanking the politicians for their support. He singled out Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards for walking the picket line last week, and he intro'd L.A. city councilman Eric Garcetti.

In all, the rally lasted about a half-hour, and will stand as WGA's last strike-related demonstration until the guild's talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers resume on Monday. Verrone and negotiating committee chair John Bowman didn't talk specifics about next week's talks in their comments to the crowd, but they criticized the majors in general terms.

--Dave McNary

Alicia Keys Photo by Michael Jones/Variety; crowd shot and pics below by Matthew Simmons/WireImage

 

Turning lemons into... you know the rest

Assistants (and their showrunner bosses/ex-bosses, as the case may be) hitting the picket line in front of Fox Monday were met by two of their own, who spent the day passing out lemonade to marchers.

The price: 8 cents, "non-negotiable." But many scribes donated much more. Debbie Ezer and Kate Burns said they weren't doing it for the money, however.

"The point of the signs was to make people smile and laugh," Ezer said.

The "Shark" writer assistants have been out of work since Nov. 9, a day after they received a phone call from the human resources department at 20th Century Fox TV. Since then, Ezer and Burns have been joining the picket line outside of the Fox lot -- and Monday, decided to bring along some homemade lemonade.

"It's too bad the strike had to happen," Burns said. "But we fully support the writers."

Burns and Ezer said their bosses have pitched in to help them out as they adjust to suddenly being unemployed.

"They've been fantastic," Burns said. "They have banded together to financially support us. We walk the line with them."

-- Michael Schneider

Signs of the picket times

When the strike began two weeks ago, writers mostly avoided adding any slogans to their signs, opting to stick with the simple red-and-black "Writers Guild of America ON STRIKE" pickets.

Two weeks later, the scribes can't resist adding a little extra. In the last few days, the signs have gotten much more cheeky. Witness Monday's assistants strike at the Fox lot, where these signs were spotted:

"The AMPTP: Fox Us All Over Again" (as seen on the left)

"Will Strike For Churros"

"Dana Walden Laid Me Off"

"They'll Get My Pencil When They Pry It From My Cold, Dead Fingers"

"4¢ -- You Have That In Your Cushions"

"5¢ a bottle/4¢ a DVD (8¢ in Michigan)"

(Of course, those are still tame compared to the saucy Kathy Griffin/Sarah Silverman picket signs from last week.)

Meanwhile, although much of the discussion in recent weeks has centered on residuals for digital downloads and streaming, the focus Monday -- at least at the Fox lot -- appeared to be more centered on DVD residuals. Several strikers mentioned the 4 cents proposal (witness the signs mentioned above); at least two strikers even marched with homemade shirts that simply read, "4¢."

-- Michael Schneider

IATSE toon types: We like you, WGA!

IATSE’s leadership might be perturbed at the WGA. Some rank and file members, however, are feeling a bit more kindly.
   Andrew Goldberg, the assistant to Seth MacFarlane who helped organize today’s assistants’ rally at Fox, said a group of IATSE animation writers  donated about $1,000 to help buy gift cards to Quizno’s.
  “A lot of them were a little angry and embarassed by what Tom Short said,” Goldberg said, referring to Short’s letter last week blasting the WGA leadership.
Quizno’s felt like the unofficial food sponsor of today’s Fox picket, which attracted several hundred Red Shirts. More than $2,000 was donated by scribes to buy boxed lunches from the sub shop. Left over boxes were to be donated to a local charity.
   Goldberg, a WGA member who’s scheduled to become a full-fledged “Family Guy” scribe in January (or as soon as the strike is over), said he organized today’s even because he was tired of hearing a certain talking point from the studios.
  “Studios have been saying, ‘Look at what the writers are making us do’,” he said. “I think most of us assistants don’t feel that way. I don’t want them to get away with that.”

--Josef Adalian

The WGA Concert Series, Part III: Alicia Keys to rock the rally

This just in from the WGA: Alicia Keys, whose new CD "As I Am" is set to premiere at No. 1 on next week's Billboard charts, is tentatively scheduled to perform at tomorrow's Hollywood march.

Here's the video for the first single off the album.

--Josef Adalian

20th Century Fox TV to actors: It's hiatus time

  20th Century Fox TV today sent its first round of letters to thesps, informing them that they've been put on hiatus for the duration of the Writers Guild strike.

The letters don't invoke the terms "force majeure" or "termination," but instead remind the actors that they remain under contract -- and will be called back to active duty if and when production resumes on their shows.

Letters went to actors on dark shows, including "Back to You," "How I Met Your Mother," "The Unit," "K-Ville" and "My Name is Earl." Thesps are asked to remain available in the event that production resumes quickly.

Actors whose shows haven't produced the agreed-upon minimum (usually 6 or 7 segs for new shows, and 13 for returning skeins) will continue to be paid until that contractural obligation is reached; that money is an advance for when those episodes ultimately are shot.

-- Michael Schneider

Unions, "Grey's Anatomy" to march on Hollywood Boulevard

Tuesday will be all unions, all the time with the Service Employees International Union, the California Nurses Association, IATSE, SAG and AMF joining in a WGA solidarity march down Hollywood Boulevard.

In addition to various union leaders (including WGAW President Patric M. Verrone), speakers will include actress/SAG member Sandra Oh, WGAW member/showrunner Shonda Rhimes  and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman and L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti.

Assembly is 1 pm, at the intersection of Hollywood Blvd. at Ivar Ave. (between Cahuenga Blvd. and Vine St.); the march and rally begin at 1:30.

In New York, WGAE will picket Sony Plaza at 10 a.m. Among those expected are screenwriter Paul Haggis, comedian Artie Lange and Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY).

Haskell Wexler on the picket lines

United Hollywood posted a missive from cinematographer Haskell Wexler exhorting his union to join the WGA on the picket lines:

I walked the WGA picket line along with 6000 film workers demonstrating in front of Fox Studios.

The spirit I saw in that demonstration is exciting to me, it gives me hope. These strikers are resisting further concessions, concessions which compromise all our futures.

I caught the eye of a couple of grips and electricians driving through the line. Although I understand why our guys go through the line, it saddens me.

[edit]

Our Local President still signs letters “in solidarity.” But I ask, solidarity with whom? When we are told not to support our union brothers and sisters in this instance, what can we expect from them when we eventually need support ourselves?

The full post is here.

Larry Gelbart strings 'fine jewelry' outside Paramount gate

"The short answer as to why I'm here is because we are used to being fairly compensated for our work and now someone tells us that we won't be in the future," Larry Gelbart said outside the Paramount gate Monday morning. "And that's hard to accept."

Asked by a WGA camera crew member what he'd tell younger writers, he said, "You're striking for your future. No one ever gives you your rights. You have to fight for them."

He recalled being on the Par lot many years ago for a screen test, and then as a writer to punch up dialogue for Bob Hope films -- all before writing "M*A*S*H," "Oh, God" and "Tootsie."   

"People expect me everything that comes out of my mouth to be a pearl," Gelbart said, "and then they expect that they'll string them together and have a piece of fine jewelry."

Gelbart was soon surrounded by fellow pickets expressing their admiration for his work. That included thesp and SAG board member Valerie Harper, "Book of Daniel" showrunner Jack Kenny, "Everybody Loves Raymond" showrunner Phil Rosenthal and Rosenthal's father, Max.

The elder Rosenthal carried a picket sign that read, "I Need Words." He explained that he's a SAG member, having performed in "Raymond" episodes as a lodge brother compadre of Peter Boyle's Frank Barone character (who was inspired in no small measure by Max Rosenthal) along with Ray Romano's real-life father.

"I was in five of the 200 shows," he said.

Kenny's homemade picket sign featured grouchy photos of Viacom topper Sumner Redstone and Fox chief Rupert Murdoch, a drawing of holly and the simple inscription "Bah Humbug."

"I'm thrilled and I'm very hopeful that they can find a way to meet in the middle," Kenny said. "Negotiations can be pretty simple -- They say 'one,' we say 'ten' and we agree on five."

Harper, a membe