Strike Watch! Victory. Kind of.

After three months of striking, writers are expected to get back to work on Wednesday. The strike cost Guild members a hefty $270 million dollars and in three years there will be a bitter and angry renegotiation. For now, writers will receive a flat fee for their works appearing online. After three years, that flat fee will turn into 2% of whatever revenues the studios receive.

Due to the reconciliation, it’s highly unlikely that the actors will strike when their contracts are up this summer.

The WGA’s West Coast President called the walkout “the most successful strike in American labor in the past decade.”

Congrats to the writers!
And, um, if any of you writers want to get writing some more episodes of Gossip Girl, I wouldn’t be mad.

Strike Watch! Golden Globes A No-Go

There will be no award show for this year’s Golden Globes due to the writers’ strike.

Raise your hand if you care.
Yeah, I didn’t think so.

Strike Watch! Life With Conan

With his strike beard growing in beautifully, Conan O’Brien and crew are taking time to hone their musical sides:

“Sabotage” never sounded so glorious.

Strike Watch! Late Night Television’s Return

Last night marked the return of David Letterman, Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, Craig Ferguson, and Jimmy Kimmel, despite the continued Writers’ Guild strike.

David Letterman in full strike beard glory, prior to returning to the air, had his production company create a new contract with his Guild writers so that he wouldn’t be going back to work without his staff and inflaming those on strike. By far the most noble of the late show hosts. Robin Williams was the featured guest for Letterman. Maybe Dave just wanted someone hairier than him around?

Following Letterman was Craig Ferguson on The Late, Late Show. Since Letterman’s production company managed the deal with the Writers’ Guild, Ferguson was afforded the luxury of having his writers back, who wrote him a joke about boning Paul Shaffer. Blergh.

Jay Leno scabbily went back to work without writers as NBC was unable to negotiate with the WGA, of which he is a member, as Letterman’s company had. Leno’s self-written monologue fell flat, though his monologues even with writers are never terribly funny. Republican Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee was the featured guest on Leno’s show. He talked about his former fatty self, rocked out on the guitar and endorsed Barack Obama. Huh.

A bearded, but less crazily so than Letterman, Conan O’Brien expressed his solidarity with the striking writers, then thanked and praised them for their comedic genius. He spent much of the time talking about his beard and had a 36 second segment where he spun his wedding ring around his desk. Take that, NBC.

The awful Jimmy Kimmel started off his return to the small screen with a joke about fathering Jaime Lynn Spears’ child then ranted about how the WGA picket lines were ridiculous. He also asked the audience to “run down these weasel-faced Commies” until their “red insides fill your tire treads.” Ouch.

Not that I watch late night talk shows anyway (Scrubs reruns are on from 10pm to midnight!), but if I did, I’d only support Letterman and Ferguson since they (i.e. – Letterman) were able to resolve matters with the WGA. Conan’s strike beard and undeniable solidarity would keep me going back to him, too. Support the writers by refusing to watch Leno & Kimmel.

Strike Watch! Return of the Scabs

In a shitty move that shows no solidarity, late night show hosts will begin filming new shows whether the writer’s strike has been resolved or not. Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel are set to get back to work on January 2, 2008 and David Letterman and Craig Fergueson are expected to follow suit. Hosts will be improvising monologues and interviews if writers are still striking come the new year. Many entertainers and presidential candidates have refused to cross picket lines, so simply booking an interview to conduct unscripted could be quite a challenge.

Writers Guild of America members and Comedy Central’s John Stewart and Stephen Colbert will return on January 7th. Speculation slash an accusation from WGA says that Comedy Central is forcing its two star anchors to make the comeback. Both Stewart and Colbert have gone on record to say that they would prefer to return to work with their writers, but would express their ambivalence should that not happen.

Any person willing to go on one of the late night shows returning to the air, or even anyone willing to participate as an audience member, is just as guilty as any scab for crossing picket lines. In a show of support to the writers, I urge those requested for interviews/appearances to turn them down and for all people worldwide to boycott attendance as audience members.

Strike Watch! Winner: Permalancers

Viacom has just issued a memo allowing its permalancers to keep their current benefits should they so choose. The memo reads:

“As a result of the input you’ve given to us directly through the [benefits information] sessions and your managers, we want to announce the following changes:

· We are expanding our freelance and temporary medical and dental benefits options to include the United Healthcare plan under which many of you are currently covered. This means anyone who is eligible for benefits in 2008 can opt for medical and dental coverage with United Healthcare at the current rate of contribution, or you can elect instead to enroll in the newly offered Aetna plan.

· The Aetna plan has certain advantages that may make it the preferred option for many of our freelance and temporary employees. Based on your input, however, we want to make sure that those of you who prefer the United Healthcare plan have that option.”

Conversion of payroll has been postponed until February 1 of the coming year so employees now have adequate time to review their options instead of getting hosed by the man.
A walk out into Times Square really works! Congrats, permalancers!

Strike Watch! Carson Daly, Still a Tool

It’s been no secret that Carson Daly, made famous by MTV’s Total Request Live (thanks a LOT, MTV), declared his disloyalty to the WGA by saying he’d be the first late-night talk show host to cross picket lines. He’s returned to the terrible Last Call to produce new shows without his writers. Scab.

Well last night, some of Daly’s writers invaded Last Call‘s studio audience for one of the last tapings of the year. The WGA frowns upon the action taken, but it doesn’t make it any less deserved. Writers in the audience heckled Daly during an interview with ex-NFL star Jerry Rice saying that Daly needed writers so he could have decent jokes to tell. Production assistants and security immediately took the writer from the audience and escorted him out. Alarmed, Daly asked Rice to start the interview over again, which Rice agreed to.

Following the start of the second interview, another writer stood up declaring, “I feel so bad for the striking writers. Can I please leave?” On the way out, the writer noted Daly’s cue cards and asked who was in charge of writing the show now that the WGA was on strike. Three more people were removed from the studio and a production assistant announced that anyone else interrupting the show would be immediately prosecuted and urged other writers to leave then. More than twenty people promptly stood up and left the studio, leaving audience members and Daly in shock.

I’m a huge fan of this idea and would like to congratulate the audience-infiltrating writers for calling out Daly for being an asshole and crossing the picket lines. Maybe Carson thought being the only new late-night talk show not in reruns would finally get him some viewers. I’d also like to point out that Jerry Rice is dually an asshole for going on the show. Please exhibit some support for the writers, Jer! Same to whomever the musical guest was last night. All the productions assistants, security guards, anyone in that studio, can suck it.

Strike Watch! Viacom Edition, Day 2

Viacom workers took to Times Square again this afternoon. Today’s picketing signs included “This is a Kurt Loder of Crap.” You see what they did there? Clever little permalancers.

Due to today’s crowd, MTV was forced to close the curtains of its studios overlooking Broadway at 3:40pm. Viacom employees are urged to call their Human Resources reps everyday to complain about the nixed benefits. Power to the permalancers!

Strike Watch! Viacom Edition

Permalancers for Viacom staged a walk-out at 1515 Broadway, NY NY today after receiving news last week that their medical benefits were going to be severely cut and a new no-match 401K plan that is to be implemented. A 50-hour workweek will now be standard and the aforementioned drastically reduced healthcare plan will only be available to employees who have worked 1,280 hours, or 25 of those 50-hour workweeks. Should a permalancer be transferred from MTV to VH1, the hours towards receiving healthcare start from scratch.

How does a major corporation worth [probably] billions of dollars mention a change like this to half its employee base? Information sessions? Nope. Memos? Nope. An email? Nope.
Employees were given forms to fill out along with this invitation to the company’s Christmas party. The permalancers were told that the paperwork was for the new payroll company that Viacom would be using come the new year. Some employees found out on the internet about their new crappy deal.

Previous protesting included Viacom and MTV employees creating their own shirts with “Permalancers get cancer, too!” to the holiday party. Now the walkout which is causing a [bigger] ruckus [than usual] in Times Square. The WGA East marched on Viacom this morning in a show of solidarity. Tis the season to be striking.

Strike Watch! Speechless Without Writers

The soon-to-be a month-long writers’ strike continues drawing support from the actors whose words the striking writers pen for a living. Since Thanksgiving, many actors have joined together for the Speechless Campaign, a series of public service announcements showing showing how unfunny/uninteresting/etc. they are without writers feeding them lines.

Today, episode 17 was launched on Speechless Without Writers’ blog, also debuting today. The most current episode features Rosanna Arquette pacing back and forth across the screen, looking suicidal in several spots.

With the blog launch, Speechless Without Writers will be adding new videos daily in both high- and low-res. Over the weekend, Woody Allen shot a Speechless spot at the Manhattan Film Center in New York City and should be posted next week.

The actors onboard: Sean Penn, Holly Hunter, Laura Linney, Alan Cumming, Jay Leno, Harvey Keitel, Kate Beckinsale, Tina Fey, Tim Robbins, Gary Marshall, David Schwimmer, Patricia Clarkson, James Franco, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Martin Sheen, Josh Brolin, Susan Sarandon, Andre 3000, Chazz Palminteri, Jason Bateman, Christine Lahti, Patricia Arquette, Jenna Elfman, Olivia Wilde, Richard Benjamin, Paula Prentiss, Eva Longoria, Justine Bateman, Joshua Jackson, Rosanna Arquette, Diane Ladd, Rebecca Romjin, Minnie Driver, Nicollette Sheridan, Robert Patrick, Matthew Perry, Ed Asner, and America Ferrera and the cast of Ugly Betty, Woody Allen, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jane Fonda, Marisa Tomei, Ethan Hawke, Jason Alexander, Charlize Therone, Minnie Driver, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.