Writers Strike

[KingIsaacLinksr]

I'll bet the TV companies/union is not happy. 

King

[Geekyfanboy]

And it gets worse...

ABC Studios axes producers idled by strike

By Nellie Andreeva Sat Jan 12, 12:09 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - ABC Studios on Friday became the first TV studio to terminate production deals as a result of the Hollywood writers strike.

"Force majeure" -- or act of God -- provisions in the contracts allow studios to cancel deals with writers and producers idled by the strike, which is now in its third month. These deals usually involve the supply of offices and staffers on the studio lot, and can be both costly and unproductive.

Close to 30 writing and nonwriting producers who don't have active projects have been axed, including the "That '70s Show" writing duo of Joshua Sternin and Jeffrey Ventimilia, "Seinfeld" veteran Larry Charles, "Project Greenlight" producer Sean Bailey, and actor Taye Diggs, who landed a producing deal a year ago when he signed on to star in ABC's "Private Practice," a spinoff from "Grey's Anatomy."

"The ongoing strike has had a significant detrimental impact on development and production, so we are forced to make the difficult decision to release a number of talented, respected individuals from their development deals," an ABC Studios spokeswoman said late Friday.

While force majeure action by TV studios had been seen as inevitable, the extent of the ABC axings raised some eyebrows. Rumors abound that Warner Bros. TV will terminate about 5-6 pacts next week, with other TV studios expected to follow.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

[Rico]

It's really getting nuts now.  These groups really need to start settling things.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Thank goodness it doesn't affect me in any way (family/friends).  I can imagine this becoming a really big nightmare soon...

King

[space_invader64]

I'm sick of it.  How long can the industry afford not to reach a settlement?

[Geekyfanboy]

Again why are the writers on strike if they keep making side deals??????

WGA Pacts with Spyglass and MRC
Source: Variety
January 15, 2008

The Writers Guild of America has reached interim agreements with Spyglass Entertainment and Media Rights Capital, the guild's fourth and fifth such pacts following similar deals with Worldwide Pants, United Artists and The Weinstein Company, reports Variety.

The WGA disclosed the new deals Monday as the writers strike moved into its 11th week.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) issued a statement downplaying the impact of the Spyglass and MRC interim deals, asserting, "These one-off agreements are meaningless because the companies signing them know they will not have to abide by their terms for very long, since they'll be superseded by whatever final industrywide accords are reached. If companies truly had to live by the terms of these one-off agreements, we are confident none would ever be signed."

But Spyglass executive Gary Barber said he was pleased to ink the pact. "We're back in business," he added. "We'll go back into full production mode, developing scripts and looking for new projects."

Barber didn't identify specific films, but the interim deal will allow Spyglass to move forward on projects including Ironbow: The Legend of William Tell, which has director Kevin Reynolds attached. In recent months, Spyglass picked up bigscreen rights to Neil Strauss dating novel "The Game," with Dan Weiss signed to adapt, and remake rights to David Cronenberg's The Brood, with Cory Goodman on board to pen the screenplay.

As for MRC, the deal allows it to go forward on a slate of features with Sacha Baron Cohen and Cameron Diaz and directors Robert Rodriguez, Ricky Gervais, Richard Kelly, Walter Salles, Bennett Miller and Todd Field. MRC's planning to move into TV production and is engaged in the creation of digital content through pacts with thesp Raven-Symone and "Family Guy" creator-executive producer Seth MacFarlane.

Terms of the MRC agreement are similar to those in the Worldwide Pants and UA deals, which contain online residuals of 2.5% of distributor's gross for TV programming and 2% for films.

[Geekyfanboy]

AMPTP Invites WGA Back for Discussions
Source: AMPTP
January 17, 2008

With the DGA and AMPTP reaching a tentative agreement, the AMPTP made this joint statement today:

The agreement between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and the Directors Guild of America establishes an important precedent: Our industry's creative talent will now participate financially in every emerging area of new media. The agreement demonstrates beyond any doubt that our industry's producers are willing and able to work with the creators of entertainment content to establish fair and flexible rules for this fast-changing marketplace.

We hope that this agreement with DGA will signal the beginning of the end of this extremely difficult period for our industry. Today, we invite the Writers Guild of America to engage with us in a series of informal discussions similar to the productive process that led us to a deal with the DGA to determine whether there is a reasonable basis for returning to formal bargaining. We look forward to these discussions, and to the day when our entire industry gets back to work.

[Geekyfanboy]

Well let's keep our fingers crossed.

Got this from Slice of Sci Fi News...

"After almost 4 months there are signs that the WGA strike may be coming to a close. Light at the end of the tunnel comes in the form of resumed (informal) talks between writers and studio/network producers which begin today. The WGA and AMPTP might try to hammer out a deal for the writers similar to that forged with the directors just last week."

[Darth Gaos]

Good lord I hope so.....really curious abouit the fates of some of our favorite shows.

[Rico]

They have been saying if it isn't resolved very soon the next fall TV season will be messed up.  So I really think this will be settled soon.

[markinro]

Hope so.  Sounds like Oscar night is putting pressure on everyone.  The networks lost millions on the golden globes.  The SAG contracts are coming due, right ?

[Geekyfanboy]

WGA Removes One Stumbling Block

The informal negotiations between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which began yesterday, got off to a rocky start but, by mid-afternoon came some clues that things might be looking up.

Rumors began filtering around that the WGA would bend on one sticking point and those rumors were later verified after the WGA announced it had taken their demand for jurisdiction over reality and animation off the table. This met with strong AMPTP approval.

The two bargining units also agreed to have the informal talks continue.

This is the first bit of real news coming out of those meetings since both sides have agreed to a Press Blackout until substantial information can be released.

Everyone is hoping that some kind of deal, either temporary or permanent, can be worked out before the February 24 Oscar presentations at the 80th Annual Academy Awards ceremony. Both groups would like to avoid the fiasco the strike caused for the Golden Globes. That ceremony was relegated to a basic news conference and even though several networks carried it, viewership of the event was at its worse all-time low.

The WGA East president, Michael Winship, has indicated at a recent rally in Manhattan that if some kind of agreement isn't reached by the 24th, then the Academy Awards ceremony will face the same picket lines imposed on the Golden Globes, pretty much putting down that event as well, according to Variety.

"Until the Writers Guild has a deal with the conglomerates — the studios and networks — our intention is to boycott the Oscars, to picket the Oscars and to ask our fellow union members at the Screen Actors Guild to boycott the Oscars," Winship said. "That's our plan. Awards are nice, but we'd rather the writers get a fair contract."

Not wanting to appear too strident to its supporting public, WGA West president Patric Verrone stated that "We have responded favorably to the invitation from the AMPTP to enter into informal talks that will help establish a reasonable basis for returning to negotiations. During this period we have agreed to a complete news blackout. We are grateful for this opportunity to engage in meaningful discussion with industry leaders that we hope will lead to a contract. We ask that all members exercise restraint in their public statements during this critical period."

"In order to make absolutely clear our commitment to bringing a speedy conclusion to negotiations, we have decided to withdraw our proposals on reality and animation," both Winship and Verrone said in a written statement. "Our organizing efforts to achieve guild representation in these genres for writers will continue."

[Geekyfanboy]

Lionsgate & WGA Sign Deal

The Lionsgate movie studio, following Letterman (Worldwide Pants), The Weinstein Co. and Cruise/Wagner (United Artists) has signed their own interim deal with striking writers late on Thursday night.

Informal talks between the Writers Guild and the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers will continue today with hopes that some kind of arrangement can be tabled before the Academy Awards telecast.

[Geekyfanboy]

Marvels Signs Dotted Line With WGA

Like ducks in a row, the independent filmmakers continue to line up making their own deals with the Writers Guild of America (WGA), by-passing the big guns at the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP).

We already reported on how David Letterman's Worldwide Pants put the first chink in the AMPTP armor by getting its own pact with the 12,000 members of the Guild. He was soon followed by Tom Cruise's United Artists studio, The Weinstein Co. and just yesterday Lionsgate.

Late into the night another fast growing indie film company owned by mega comics Marvel Studio's, Marvel Entertainment Inc. signed an agreement with the WGA that follows along the same lines as that given Worldwide Pants.

Meanwhile, informal talks between the WGA and AMPTP continue with hopes that a deal similar to the one recently ironed out with the Directors Guild of America can be gotten between the writers and producers. The WGA strike has been going on since November 5, 2007.

[Darth Gaos]

Let's just hope that the dominoes keep falling.