When comedy strikes

Friday, Nov. 9 ended the first week of the 2007 WGA strike. It was also the night that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences held the Jack Oakie Celebration of Comedy in Film featuring Judd Apatow, James L. Brooks and Larry Gelbart. Variety took the opportunity to barrage all three striking writers with questions, and a few of their friends besides (including actor Jonah Hill; he refused to comment).

-- D.R. Stewart

(Wireimage photo: Hill, Apatow and
actress/Apatow wife Leslie Mann)

Judd Apatow (“The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “Knocked Up,” “Walk Hard”)

Are you writing? No, of course not.

Picketing? Fox and Sony.

New media? I’m on it all the time. When I fly, I download “The Office.”

Were you around for the ’88 strike? I wasn’t in the WGA.

How long do you think the strike will last? A long time, if people are childish in negotiating instead of being open – there’s some difficult math involved. They are trying to reduce the writer’s pay before a technology has a big windfall. People should get paid.
(Wireimage photo: "The Office" actress Jenna Fischer, Apatow)

Bob Odenkirk (“Run Ronnie Run,” “Mr. Show,” “The Ben Stiller Show”)

Are you writing? Nothing, other than writing on spec. I have deals with NBC and HBO and I’m giving them nothing.

Picketing? The front of Paramount and the back of Raleigh Studios with two people for four hours. I got to meet a lady who wrote for “Captain Kangaroo” and now interactive games – also a guy who did “Diff’rent Strokes.”

New media? I’ve written for “Super Deluxe” a series called “Derrick and Simon.” It’s just media, it’s not new media. It’s only new to us. To all the 24-year-olds, it’s just TV.

Were you around for the ’88 strike? I was at “SNL” in ‘88. When the strike happened, myself, Conan (O’Brien) and Robert Smigel took material we were working on and did a theater show – it was kind of a hoot. That strike was five months.

How long do you think the strike will last? This is very serious. It’s all conjecture, but it should be a long time. Be ready for picketing in February and March.(Wireimage photo: Apatow, Odenkirk)

James L. Brooks (“The Simpsons,” “As Good As It Gets,” “Broadcast News”)

Are you writing? It’s pencil-down time.

Picketing? 20 hours a week.

New media? Everybody acts like it’s wild – it’s current.

Were you around for the ’88 strike? Yes.

How long do you think the strike will last? I’m waiting for reason to pop its head out.
(Wireimage photo: Brooks, Apatow)

Garry Shandling (“The Larry Sanders Show”)

Are you writing? Not doing much.

Picketing? Probably this week.

New media? It seems impossible to divide it up. How can you divide up something in an evolutionary stage? I think somehow negotiation should remain open as the internet develops. When we don’t know exactly what’s of value, it should be open. It’s half gambling – which products, what’s going to be worth the most value? Very unpredictable. It should not be a set settlement, but react as the medium evolves.

Were you around for the ’88 strike? This strike would be very novel compared to ’88, when you knew what TV and movies were.

How do you think the strike will last? No idea. Everyone on MySpace and YouTube should be involved in the settlement.
(Wireimage photo: Shandling, Brooks)

Larry Gelbart (“Tootsie,” “M*A*S*H*”)

Are you writing? I’m writing on spec – I’ve agreed to all my own terms.

Picketing? Manning phone banks.

New media? It may be new media, but it’s old tactics.

Were you around for the ’88 strike? This is my fourth strike.

How do you think the strike will last? We are in the early days.
(Wireimage photo: Gelbart, Apatow, Brooks)

Comments

[lucky hammer]

I thought Shandling's comment was ridiculous because the WGA isn't asking for money. They are asking for a percentage. If no money is made, we get nothing. How hard is that to understand? The studios have admitted they're making money on digital without acknowledging that most of it is on selling ads on their own websites and not payable downloads. Maybe not a lot but we only want a percentage so that we get our foot in the door jurisdiction wise. If we don't now, we never will.
The producers promised to revisit the VHS deal which is now the DVD deal decades ago and have refused. Why would they agree to revisit internet in three years? And by producers I mean the "AXIS OF EVIL ALLIANCE". I know most axises in history are three, but are there only three in an axis? My math isn't as good as it used to be.