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Arts and Culture

Hollywood Writers Back in Action

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Posted on Feb 13, 2008
striking writers
evilbeetgossipfilm.com

After weeks of striking, the Writers Guild of America has struck a deal with Hollywood honchos, ending the protracted impasse between scribes and studios and allowing the stalled wheels of the entertainment industry to creak back into motion on Wednesday.


Deadline Hollywood:

UPDATE: Here’s what the moguls have to say:

This is a day of relief and optimism for everyone in the entertainment industry. We can now all get back to work, with the assurance that we have concluded two groundbreaking labor agreements—with our directors and our writers—that establish a partnership through which our business can grow and prosper in the new digital age. The strike has been extraordinarily difficult for all of us, but the hardest hit of all have been the many thousands of businesses, workers and families that are economically dependent on our industry. We hope now to focus our collective efforts on what this industry does best—writers, directors, actors, production crews, and entertainment companies working together to deliver great content to our worldwide audiences.

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By A Week In The Life of A Redhead, March 19, 2008 at 12:48 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

The entire length of the strike I was thinking, “Hire me! Hire me!”  So many of us out here would kill to have a chance to write AND GET PAID.  I am wondering if some of the shows I enjoy will ever return…
Catherine, the redhead

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By rowdy, February 19, 2008 at 1:41 am #

if most of these “writers” ever wrote one line that was meaningful, i might care.  i haven’t seen any network tv in 30 years, simpson’s excepted. most movies suck ass. who fucking cares?

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By kath cantarella, February 18, 2008 at 4:21 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

There aren’t many good excuses for bending over to thugs.

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By Set Designer7, February 17, 2008 at 6:20 pm #

Let’s face it the writers got screwed by the studios and everyone else below the line (crew members) got screwed by both.  The writers strike cost the IATSE union members more in the first month than the writers stand to gain over the life of their entire new contract.  We’ve been out of work now for three months and it will be another one or two months before most of us get back to work and that’s only if we still have a “Pilot” season.

I know people that will loose their homes, cars, entire savings and business’  because of this strike and a lot of people like me who had pretty lean Christmas’ and no shortage of stress and pressure caused by this ill advised and poorly executed act of selfishness.  The studios got to clean house and the writers got their 4 cents.

Me,  I got farther behind on my bills, more in debt to my parents and I’ve lost God knows how many nights sleep wondering if I’ll be able to keep a roof over my children’s heads.

I have to much time, effort and education invested in my career in the film business to walk away at this point in the game but knowing what a bunch of selfish A@#$%#&@s I work with I find myself sometimes wishing I could.

Thanks WGA!  Job Well done.

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By republicanSScareme, February 15, 2008 at 9:25 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

I know, I’m one of them. We never had a strike where we didn’t feel like we got screwed afterwards.
I think writers have the same problem most artists have: They want people to see and read their stuff more than anything. They’re so desperate that someone see and read their stuff that they’re happy to give it away. Writers and artists want someone to agree with and/or admire them and that’s more important than money.

Which makes me happy because I give a lot of it away on the internet. I think any serious writer will forget about writing for some dopey TV shows and get on the internet and get heard. That way, you can get a job as a waiter and not complain. And you can do this without having an agent, a manager, a friend, an “in”, knowing “someone”, having a happy smile, doing lunch, bothering your agent, getting paranoid and certain that no one likes you, including your agent, pretending to be jolly, figuring out how to get past some studio’s front gate, playing nice to people you despise, and…this is very important…not having to drive all over Los Angeles.

I hope I didn’t miss anything while the strike was on.

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By kath cantarella, February 15, 2008 at 4:54 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

But the writers have sacrificed enough since November, they put up a tough fight.

A big thankyou to the AWG. This will filter through to other guilds in the US, and to writers’ guilds in other countries (...like mine, for instance). It was worth doing.

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By GW=MCHammered, February 14, 2008 at 4:17 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

‘Tis the strength, the warmth, and the life-blood of that what beats within in us. It is the American Spirit expressed. God Speed writers. The circle is now unbroken.

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By DennisD, February 13, 2008 at 9:42 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

The writers are coming back. Good for them I hate to see anyone out of a job that wants to work.

Originality has chosen to remain on strike and wait for a better offer from the “entertainment” industry.

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