As some of you may know, the Writers Guild of America went on strike at 12:01am this morning. If the strike lasts a week, we won't see many effects of it. If it lasts a month or two pretty much every new TV show that hasn't found its audience will be cancelled. If it ends up lasting until June, when the contracts with the Actors and Directors guilds are up ... well then it's a whole 'nother ballgame.
To put this in perspective I will use an obscure reference. Do you remember the season two finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation? For those who don't here is a refresher. Riker beams down to a planet and then gets pricked by the stinger of a creature that looks like a log. He then goes back to the ship and has a clip-show in his head. If the Simpsons episode where Bart shakes Homer's beer too much is the best clip show ever, then this is the worst. Clips are arranged in a nonsensical way and the entire proceeding is almost impossible to sit through. It was also, as mentioned before, the season two finale. The episode completely derailed the narrative momentum of the show. It was an episode created because there was a WGA strike.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I'm personally on the side of the writers. The fact that they don't get any money for shows sold on the internet is ludicrous (if someone is profiting, the writers should get paid), and it smacks of terrible Hollywood accounting. If there are any big updates I'll post 'em here.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Labels:
labor,
labour,
movies,
Star Trek,
TV,
union,
WGA
Posted by
Daniel Kaszor
7:58 AM
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Um, wasn't the second episode of the Clerks cartoon the best clipshow (at least in premise, if not execution)? Mostly for being aired totally out of order anyway?
Also. A certain website we both partake of is currently, among others, jizzing all over The Shining. Which, having just seen on a theatrical double bill with The Exorcist (itself decent, but not as good as part III... seriously. And the Harlin prequel is way better than the Schrader), I realized is pretty much terrrrrrrrible. And I'm a Kubrick man through and through normally. My mind boggles at the reputation of this one (steadicam mastery aside). Thoughts thereon?
Monday, November 05, 2007 7:21:00 PM
I've always been secretly underwelmed by the Shining as well. I think it just never scared me enough. I wouldn't call it terrible though, merely good+ or great-.
Monday, November 05, 2007 7:30:00 PM
I will take your (incredibly prompt) comeback, and raise you this trailer: http://movies.aol.com/movie/christmas-in-wonderland/31273/video/trailer-no-1/1997146
ah, the joys of location shooting...
Monday, November 05, 2007 7:41:00 PM
I watched that yesterday. The joys of location shooting.
Monday, November 05, 2007 7:44:00 PM
On the bright side, you can finally throw out your tattered copy of Snow Day
Monday, November 05, 2007 8:17:00 PM
So I wa...errr, rather, a friend was reading the Tribute letters column the other day...
"I'm a big fan of Transformers and I heard there is going to be a sequel."
-Daniel K.
Via Email
Dan, have you fallen so far that you're sharing your, um, declarative statements with Tribute? Were you rejected by Famous?
Tuesday, November 27, 2007 7:05:00 PM
I'm pretty sure that was you who did that. And I bet you actually sent them the letter to see if they would print it too.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007 7:13:00 PM
First of all, there's no reason to be ashamed just because you've chosen a particularly lame venue for completing your Master's Program letter to the editor assignment.
Secondly, I resent the implication I would ever impersonate you in Tribute. That doesn't fit my well-established modus operandi. Kids Tribute? Maybe. Teen Tribute? Undoubtedly. Let's be realistic about this, Dan!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007 5:22:00 PM