Hey, should there be a Press post about Cash for the Crew? I just checked, and I don't think I saw one. I'd do it myself, but it wouldn't be very eloquent. At this hour. And I'm heading out the door. But not without sticking my nose in OPB first.
Well some friends of Buffy played a funny joke and they took her stuff and now she wants us to help get it back from her friends who sleep all day and have no tans.
Xander ,'Lessons'
The Minearverse 5: Closer to the Earth, Further from the Ax
[NAFDA] "There will be an occasional happy, so that it might be crushed under the boot of the writer." From Zorro to Angel (including Wonderfalls, The Inside and Drive), this is where Buffistas come to anoint themselves in the bloodbath.
JenP - Dec 23, 2007 3:31:28 am PST #9254 of 10001
Kevin - Dec 23, 2007 5:26:59 am PST #9255 of 10001
Never fall in love with somebody you actually love.
United Hollywood's latest thing: [link]
Kristen - Dec 24, 2007 11:50:25 am PST #9256 of 10001
Merry Christmas from Nikki Finke. (Hint: She's putting C _ _ L in our stockings.)
This working out thing is doing wonders. Her post didn't even put a ding in my cheerful mood.
ETA: I'm actually still laughing about this. I think this "grim news" is so over the top, it's bordering on camp. It's like Alan Rickman in Prince of Thieves, "Cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans. No more merciful beheadings. Oh and call off Christmas."
Tamara - Dec 24, 2007 1:19:30 pm PST #9257 of 10001
You know, we could experiment and cancel football.
Nikki's post doesn't pass the smell test with me. I simply can't see the studios destroying this season and next season. It just doesn't compute. Sorry.
I get that this is one big (or little) dick measuring contest, but the people who think they are in charge are only allowed to play that little boys' game for so long before the people who count the money step in.
They will be stepping in soon.
Kristen - Dec 24, 2007 2:51:42 pm PST #9258 of 10001
The crazy assed rhetoric, on both sides, has been pretty unbelievable throughout this strike. But this story? Nikki should have just titled it, "No. More. TV. EVAH ... mwahahahaha."
Tamara - Dec 24, 2007 3:15:21 pm PST #9259 of 10001
You know, we could experiment and cancel football.
I'm the first to admit that most corporate decisions are based on absolutely nothing more than some guy pulling something out of his ass, but if that decision fails miserably, that guy will out on his... well you get the picture.
The scenario that Nikki paints just doesn't jive with the kind of self-preservation decision making that I see on a daily basis. And everyone at the struck companies wants all of this mess over with as soon as possible as well.
Nobody is climbing the corporate ladder while this crap is going on. I smell a coup.
le nubian - Dec 24, 2007 3:44:21 pm PST #9260 of 10001
"And to be clear, I am the hell. And the high water."
I have been reading the comments, so a couple of things hit me:
1) Nikki got fed bad info with hopes that her post will cause a schism in WGA; or
2) Nikki got fed bad info that she decided to "print" anyway because she hopes this worst case scenario will get people back to the table after the new year.
It seems impractical that the networks and movie studios would be okay with delaying major creative work for 2 years (if they let the strike continue), but perhaps the end game is to for the studios to negotiate with WGA, DGA, and SAG all at the same time.
Kevin - Dec 24, 2007 4:58:26 pm PST #9261 of 10001
Never fall in love with somebody you actually love.
Nikki has been fed bad info before. The movie side of these studios simply can't afford to sit it out for 2 years. They will loose money, and a lot of it. There are going to be individual execs at these companies going 'For fuck sakes, look at my results! My bonus is fucked!' sooner or later.
The thing is, obviously, businesses fuck people over all the time to get ahead, but when you're publicly traded you can't just do that. If your TV division starts loosing shit loads, your share holders hold the business accountable, which goes all the way to the board.
Wolfram - Dec 25, 2007 8:44:41 am PST #9262 of 10001
Visilurking
A nice letter, but completely toothless:
If there is any way you can facilitate this process, we would be eternally grateful.
Oy. I would have gone a different direction.
Dear AMPTP:
We 127 pilot writers cannot afford to wait until you get your heads out of your asses and negotiate a fair deal. So we have decided to give you an ultimatum. Unless you return to the negotiating table immediately, we are going to shop around our products for new media distribution. We have already lined up interested investors and venture capitalists looking to take internet distribution mainstream. We are willing to gamble on intelligent viewers following the creators of all their favorite shows to the internet, if that is the only source of quality content for the 2008-2009 pilot season. And since we aren't getting paid anyway, we have NOTHING TO LOSE.
You have five days to return to the negotiating table or you can all go fuck yourselves.
Happy holidays,
The 2008-09 Pilot Scribes
WindSparrow - Dec 25, 2007 9:12:14 am PST #9263 of 10001
Love is stronger than death and harder than sorrow. Those who practice it are fierce like the light of stars traveling eons to pierce the night.
Wouldn't it be interesting if Apple decided with Hulu and all, it might be in their best interests to start producing their own content for iTunes, and actually giving the writers a decent deal? Does Apple have the tons of dollars to do that?