Gonna Be a Rumble Out on the Promenade

Variety blog: "Curb Your Enthusiasm" producer Gavin Polone thinks the strike was ill-timed and may ultimately be ill-fated. With the writers out, at least for now, many networks may be making more money, rather than less, as they already have finished scripts to rush into production but aren't currently paying writers to do anything. He also says he could see the strike lasting six months.

Variety: Animosity is getting worse between writers and studios. And some numbers! AMPTP says that WGA wants a 700% pay hike on "electronic sell-through" (ie, iTunes) and 200% on internet pay-per-view. The WGA counters that these add up to raises of 2.1 cents and 2.5 cents per use, respectively. Anyway, AMPTP took out full-page ads in the the New York and LA Timeses that really pissed off the WGA. The article also notes that John Edwards will be on the picket lines with the writers today.

Entertainment Weekly: What does this strike mean for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), whose contract is up come June? Well, actors are already much better paid than writers and directors for DVD, and the WGA's move to take DVD residuals off the table may mean that other unions aren't too worried about that, either. It's new media, and a guild that hasn't struck since 1980 may walk out as well, if the WGA -- which hasn't met with the AMPTP since 4 November -- can't nail down the contract that should be a bellweather for other major guilds. Oh yeah, what was the last SAG strike about? The changing ways in which people watch movies -- on videocassette.

Hollywood Reporter: Studios are ready to exercize "force majeure" on actors -- ie, terminate their contracts, legally, because of the strike. Universal is putting some actors on "unpaid hiatus". If "force majeure" is enacted against, say, Steve Carell, it means he doesn't have to drop everything and come back to "The Office" if he's filming a movie when the strike ends. Yikes.


Well, folks, next week is Thanksgiving week, and I'll have lots of travelling and cooking to do in that time. I'll be trying to give news hits, but don't look for anything major until the last burp is belched and the last bit of stuffing is stuffed in a stomach. When I do have time, I'll be back with "What is a Residual?" Until then, check back here for news, and check over at Northern Attack for my recap of this week's unofficial season finale of "The Office".