Guess What! WRITING DOES matter!! (Gasp!)

I admit, my first thought of a writer's strike concerning the entertainment industy was 'Goody, maybe they'll take My work, and I can become a scab (a term for a person who crosses the picket line) and live in Los Angeles and be the bread & butter supporter of my family, and get to meet celebrites, which we all know I live for.


Well, I was born out in L.A. and I KNOW what rush hour is and that its about as wretched to drive there as.....here. Moreover, I would be crossing Tina Fey (even though she's in N.Y.) and maaaaany others who really do want to get something-something done.

You know they always screw the 'quiet' writers. These are the intelligent types who know that copy/entertainment on the web is booming and so are other forms of entertainment which are just in the baby stages. Apparently, they have to fight for these future earnings and they figure now is a good time to take care of everything. At least, that's my take on it after listening/reading about this. And all those celebrities? They support their writers, if they are smart (and a surprising amount are). So my dreams continue to wait.


So Tart did (a little) internet research (gasp!) to find out exactly what shows are affected by the writers strike. Behold:

These shows are going into reruns. This must mean they are extremely dependant on the copy their writers give them on a daily basis and cannot go on without their writers:

• NBC: "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and "Last Call with Carson Daly."
• CBS: "Late Show with David Letterman" and "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson."
• Comedy Central: "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "Colbert Report."


Wow! All the late night 'funny' stuff (that's dependant on your taste). I Love this, because I am always interested in all of this - it could have been my career! Why not? This would be a great time to suck out the insides of everthing going on between Tina Fey's earlobes (again, Tina, I mean that just as uncreepy as can be!), as to how these people do this job, during this time that she can take a well earned break. (Hi Honey, I walked the picket line for 6 hours today. I'm home now to take my shoes off and take care of the kid. Dang, this is the best 'vacation' ever!).

Or, are they writing new things, veritable creative well-springs of thought that cannot stop the flow, and will come back with better concepts and zingers because they can't stop the fingers, the typing they do everyday to stay on top, and you know some of these guys must be anal retentive (I wonder is Tony Shahoub's, Monk, is doing okay). Well, you know someone's like that. But I'm sure he/she's getting her picket time in. Got's to be supportive.

Please note this article that I snagged. This includes a list of sitcoms affected, why soaps are not affected (they have scripts into the the new year), why 'Ellen' is not affected (SHE's got a contract to fulfull. Mmmhhmm.) And why Oprah is not affected (Oprah don't hire union writers. Mmmhmmm. You go smart Oprah.) AND why Eva Longoria thinks she can buy off writers with pizza (it's true, I would be bought off, and I think 'Housewives' was probably filming with scripts they had, aaaaaannnd now they've run out.) Movies in general are not affected because they have "stockpiles" of scripts -that's the American dream, to somehow meet an agent and show them your script and they 'love' or, better put, they buy it!!! Woo-hoo!

Also, stopping production is not forever in most cases. While some shows are up a creek when no more episodes are being requested by execs, all the shows you love are supporting their writers - and they will be back.:)


Writers' Strike Halts Some TV Production
By GARY GENTILE – 14 hours ago
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The impact of a strike by television and film writers was becoming more evident as the walkout entered its third day. Production on at least six sitcoms was halted because of the strike, and the hit ABC drama "Desperate Housewives" was scheduled to finish filming its latest episode Wednesday because it had run out of scripts.
Filming on the 13th episode of the freshman ABC comedy "Carpoolers" was also set to finish Wednesday, ABC Studios spokeswoman Charissa Gilmore said. No new episodes have been ordered.
Production on more shows was likely to be halted, and networks were expected to announce plans for alternative programming in the coming days as the strike continues.
Other shows were not immediately affected, including the talk show "Ellen," which will continue production. Host Ellen DeGeneres told her studio audience at Tuesday's taping that she was obligated under her contract to continue the show, although she supported the striking writers.
"I want to say I love my writers," DeGeneres said. "In honor of them today, I'm not going to do a monologue. I support them and hope that they get everything they're asking for. And I hope it works out soon."
Sitcoms that will stop the cameras include "Back to You," starring Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton, which will not return from a planned hiatus, said Chris Alexander, a spokesman for 20th Century Fox Television.
Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus said production also stopped on her CBS show, "The New Adventures of Old Christine."
In addition, "Til Death," which airs on Fox, and "Rules of Engagement," "Two and a Half Men" and "The Big Bang Theory," all on CBS, will also end filming, according to people familiar with production of the shows who were not authorized to be quoted and requested anonymity.
Sitcoms are typically written the same week they are filmed, with jokes being sharpened by writers even on the day of production. [I love this quote -Tart]
The strike began Monday after last-minute negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers failed to produce a deal on how much writers are paid when shows are offered on the Internet.
Nick Counter, chief negotiator for the producers union, has said he expected a long standoff. Writers said the next move was up to the studios.
No new talks were scheduled. Pickets were expected to return Wednesday to locations in Los Angeles and New York.
Striking writers at the Warner Bros. studios in Burbank were joined by several "ER" cast members Tuesday, including John Stamos, Maura Tierney and Mekhi Pfeiffer.
"We're all in this together, so we wanted to come out and support our team," said Stamos, adding that the cast was planning to raise money for crew members who might have trouble making car and mortgage payments if the strike goes on.
"ER" executive producer and creator John Wells said the show has three more episodes with scripts in various stages: one ready to shoot, one in good shape, and one that will be reviewed to determine if it's ready to shoot as a rough draft or not.
"The issues will effect everyone in the industry — the writers just happen to be first," he said.
In Toluca Lake, near the Warner Bros. studio, writers converged on a house serving as a location shoot for "Desperate Housewives."
"We write the story-a, Eva Longoria," about 30 strikers chanted, referring to a star of the hit ABC show.
"It is a very serious business," said Larry Wilmore, a writer on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," explaining that protesters were marching "so we can get back to being funny."
The protesters were joined by actress Louis-Dreyfus.
"I'm really here because I'm a union member," she said, explaining she belongs to the Screen Actors Guild and her husband is a member of the writers guild.
"If we prevent them from working today, that's a small victory," she said.
Longoria left the house and handed out pizza to strikers.
"We are done, and we'll be on the lines supporting you," she told them.
"I have a whole crew that will have a terrible holiday season because there's no resolution," she said. "I care about people losing their homes, I care about my hair and makeup artists who can't make ends meet."
The strike immediately sent late-night comedy shows into reruns, but it was not expected to have an immediate impact on production of movies. Most studios have stockpiled dozens of movie scripts, and many TV shows have scripts or completed shows in hand to last until early next year.
Writers have not gone on strike since 1988, when the walkout lasted 22 weeks and cost the industry more than $500 million.