UPDATE II: Insider sources have informed us that the WGA strike is already settled and work will officially start again on January 18. This is hearsay, of course, but it comes from good sources. Scratch that. Look at this for an explanation of the Producers’ latest “offer.”
UPDATE: It’s being reported today that the WGA and the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers are back at the table, and perhaps close to a deal. But you should still listen to this podcast to understand what is at stake if these talks don’t work out! And now back to your regularly scheduled post…
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’re aware that the writers behind all of your favorite sitcoms, hour-long dramas, cop shows, talk shows, lawyer shows, movies, and pretty much everything else you can think of (don’t worry - the commercial writers aren’t unionized, so there’ll still be something to watch during the Super Bowl) have gone on strike against the Corporations that buy, produce and distribute their product.
This is turning out to be the first “New Media” strike in more ways than one. For one, the main reason for the strike is that creative artists aren’t getting any piece of the New Media pie, and also, the battle for public opinion is largely taking place in the new media marketplace. As an example, take a look at the videos below, all produced by the Writer’s Guild of America, the union for creative writers (Why do all creatives actually have “Guilds” instead of “Unions? Screen Actors Guild, Directors Guild of America, etc. Is it because most of them never grew out of their Renaissance Faire days?). Even more prolific are the blogs devoted to this issue, such as United Hollywood.
Never fear. As usual, Brick Hawke and Attacus Dove wade into these murky waters unafraid to muddy the issues even further.
I’m liking the new music. And I want to see Myron’s cat show!
Left by Jenn on November 27th, 2007