Jay Jay the Jet Plane

JAY LENO says he supports the striking writers, but the feeling ain't mutual. The Writers Guild of America said yesterday that The Tonight Show host broke its rules by writing and telling jokes when his late night program returned Wednesday night for its first all-new show since the strike began nearly two months ago. The Guild didn't specify what, if anything, it plans to do in response to Leno's infraction.

The issue appears to be that Leno is a WGA member, which means when he wrote and performed his own jokes Wednesday night, he broke the rule prohibiting members from, quote, "performing any writing services during a strike for any and all struck companies."

Leno didn't address the budding controversy on last night's episode of The Tonight Show, but NBC spoke out on his behalf. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the network defended Leno by saying, quote, "The WGA agreement permits Jay Leno to write his own monologues for The Tonight Show. The WGA is not permitted to implement rules that conflict with the terms of the collective bargaining agreement between the studios and the WGA."

Leno hasn't been shy about expressing his support for striking writers, handing out doughnuts on the picket line and mentioning on Wednesday's show that he's on their side. When asked to comment on the alleged infraction, a publicist for Leno said the comedian was, quote, "busying himself with the show."

Strrikkee!

Now entering its eighth week, the Writers Guild of America strike has shut down many TV shows and cost more than 350 million dollars in lost wages. And that's making for a bleak holiday season for prop masters, electricians, carpenters and other "below the line" workers, who have been forced out of work by the strike. Prop company owner JIM ELYEA says his business has dropped by 40 percent since the strike began November 5th, forcing him to lay off some workers and take a pass on exchanging Christmas presents this year.

In the meantime, reps for Late Show host DAVID LETTERMAN met with striking writers on Friday, in an attempt to reach a deal that would allow for Letterman's show to return to the air with its writing staff. Late-night hosts JAY LENO, CONAN O'BRIEN and JIMMY KIMMEL plan to return to their shows January 2nd without their writing staffs. JON STEWART and STEPHEN COLBERT will bring their Comedy Central shows back without writers on January 7th.

Truthiness and justice for none!

JON STEWART and STEPHEN COLBERT will be back with more fake news on January 7th, albeit without the help of their writing staffs. Comedy Central announced yesterday that The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report will return on that date, following a hiatus brought on by the seven-week-old writers' strike.

Stewart and Colbert said in a joint statement, quote, "We would like to return to work with our writers. If we cannot, we would like to express our ambivalence, but without our writers we are unable to express something as nuanced as ambivalence."

The Writers Guild of America didn't show as much humor in its own statement, saying, quote, "Comedy Central forcing Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert back on the air will not give the viewers the quality shows they've come to expect."

Awards Shows, Now Live, on Tape!

The People's Choice Awards has chosen to shake up its format because of the ongoing writers' strike. The event will now feature prerecorded acceptance speeches from winners, who will respond to questions sent in by fans. QUEEN LATIFAH, who was previously announced as host, will still participate. The People's Choice Awards, usually a live ceremony, will instead be taped and air January 8th on CBS. The show honors the public's favorite entertainers.

The Writers Guild of America has already decided to not allow its members to write for the Golden Globe Awards, also scheduled for next month, and the Oscars. There have been no signs of progress between the writers and studios in recent weeks, but the WGA said yesterday it hopes to reach agreements with some independent production companies by next week. In fact, DAVID LETTERMAN's production company reportedly will meet with the WGA tomorrow, setting the stage for a possible return in the near future.The writers' strike began on November 5th over such issues as compensation for online programming.

They're Back!

JAY LENO and CONAN O'BRIEN are coming back to late-night television on January 2nd, ending a two-month hiatus in support of the writers' strike. The hosts of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O'Brien are members of the Writers Guild of America, but they expressed concern yesterday for the welfare of their non-writing employees. Leno said in a statement, quote, "We fully support our writers and I think they understand my decision."

Until the writers' strike is resolved, neither Leno nor O'Brien will have writers to rely on for jokes and other material, a reality that O'Brien acknowledged yesterday. He said, quote, "I will make clear, on the program, my support for the writers and I'll do the best version of Late Night I can under the circumstances. Of course, my show will not be as good. In fact, in moments it may very well be terrible." No celebrity guests for either show have been announced yet. Indeed, it will be interesting to see what stars will be willing to appear on the shows, under the circumstances.

Still, the Guild appears to be forgiving, for now. The WGA responded to the news yesterday by saying, quote, "Jay and Conan have been supportive of us from the beginning, and we understand the pressure they're under from NBC."

There is precedent for a late-night host returning to work during a writers' strike -- JOHNNY CARSON did it in 1988, after two months of repeats. CARSON DALY resumed production of his NBC late-night show earlier this month.

What impact Leno and O'Brien's decision will have on other late-night hosts remains to be seen. DAVID LETTERMAN's production company has expressed interest in reaching an individual agreement with the Writers Guild to bring back his CBS show and its writers, at least until an overall settlement with producers is reached.

The Tonight Show and Late Night have aired reruns since the writers' strike began on November 5th.

Sticks and Stones...

The Writers Guild of America claims that producers aren't showing any holiday spirit by refusing to promptly negotiate an end to the six-week-old writers' strike. As a result, the WGA said yesterday it has filed an unfair labor practices complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. The union alleges that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, or AMPTP, violated federal law when it broke off negotiations last week until the writers drop some of their demands. Furthermore, the WGA also claims that the alliance is acting as a Scrooge to Hollywood employees currently out of work because of the strike.

The AMPTP countered in a statement by saying that the, quote, "baseless desperate NLRB complaint is just the latest indication that the WGA's negotiating strategy has achieved nothing for working writers." The National Labor Relations Board is expected to have an investigator look into the complaint.

While the writers and producers continue their stalemate, the Directors Guild of America says it could begin its own contract negotiations with studios next month. The current DGA agreement ends in June.The writers have been on strike since November 5th. Among other things, they're seeking more compensation for web-delivered and digital programming.

And the Strike keeps on Strikin'

Neither the writers nor the producers are in a giving mood this holiday season, as the writers' strike enters its sixth week. There had been some hope that a resolution could come soon, but negotiations soured on Friday, with both sides pointing fingers. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers blamed their counterparts for an alleged strategy that, quote, "seems designed to delay or derail talks." For their part, the Writers Guild of America claimed the producers' chief negotiator ended the negotiations after he asked them to drop some demands. The strike began November 5th.

The Guild, which is seeking more compensation for digital programming, said Friday that producers wouldn't alter their recent proposal of 250 dollars for a year's use of an hour-long TV show on the Internet. To put that figure into perspective, writers currently receive a 20-thousand-dollar-plus residual for one network rerun of a TV episode.Hundreds of out-of-work Hollywood employees, including set designers and restaurant personnel, rallied on Hollywood Boulevard

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

The writers strike may be the biggest issue in Hollywood these days, but it's not bigger than ELIZABETH TAYLOR. The Writers Guild of America lived up to its promise not to picket outside Paramount Pictures studio Saturday in Los Angeles when the film legend, along with JAMES EARL JONES, gave a benefit performance of the play Love Letters. The 75-year-old Taylor put on the show to raise money for AIDS research.

The guild vowed not to picket because, quote, "this worthy event is happening solely through the efforts and underwriting of Dame Elizabeth Taylor, who is not only a longtime member of the Screen Actors Guild, but an outspoken supporter of the Writers Guild."

Saturday was World AIDS Day and Taylor, who has raised million to fight the disease over the years, had asked the writers guild for a, quote, "one-night dispensation" so neither she nor audience members wouldn't have to worry about crossing the picket line. Over 500 people attended the show at 25 hundred dollars per ticket.

Carson Daly is a scab!

CARSON DALY plans to defy the writer's strike and resume production of his late night talk show. Daly is not a member of the Writer's Guild of America, but had joined ranks with other late night hosts and chose to air repeats rather than tape new shows without striking writers.

An NBC spokesperson says Last Call With Carson Daly will begin taping new shows in Burbank for airing next week. It's not clear when the first new show will air or what guests will appear.No word on what effect Daly's decision will have on NBC's other late night shows -- The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and Late Night With Conan O'Brien. Those shows, along with ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live, CBS' Late Show With David Letterman and Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, continue to air reruns, although there were recent rumors of "back-door talks between the shows' producers about returning to the air before the strike ends. Comedy Central's late night shows -- The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report -- have also been in reruns.

Rumors of a premature ending to the STRIKE are...

Negotiations continue in the now 24-day-old TV and movie writers strike. While there's no official word on whether progress is being made between the writers and producers, striking horror scribe DON MANCINI, the man who created the "Chucky" character, says he's been hearing reports that talks have been productive. Mancini was walking a picket line outside Warner Brothers Studios Tuesday.

Scrubs star ZACH BRAFF says he's also been hearing some good things, including the possibility that issues between writers and producers could be, quote, "resolved by the end of the week." Braff says Scrubs has now run out of scripts and is shut down until the strike is over. Given that this is the NBC medical comedy's final season, Braff is worried the last six episodes of the series won't be shot if the strike goes on much longer

Strike UPDATE!

With the writers' strike entering its second week yesterday, television and film producers have responded to the writers' demands in full-page ads in Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, or AMPTP, said writers are compensated when TV shows and films are downloaded or rented online. Writers have sought more revenue from downloads, as well as payment for shows that stream on ad-supported sites, including network websites such as ABC.com. The AMPTP said in its ads that there had been an offer on the table to pay writers for such streaming before negotiations ended earlier this month.

In response to the ads, the Writers Guild of America said yesterday that the producers' proposals would have, quote, "decimated writers' incomes."

Several actors have supported the writers since they began their strike early last week. JASON BATEMAN, who stars in the upcoming film Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, says the AMPTP views Internet streaming as a promotional tool rather than a distribution entity, which he claims is unfair. He says, quote, "It's insulting and quite frankly it's embarrassing being in the same business with people that can justify making statements like that." DUSTIN HOFFMAN, who plays Mr. Magorium himself, agrees with his co-star, saying quote, "If the big stars are pocketing and the producers are pocketing then the writers should be pocketing too, period."

Ellen and the Scabs...well

While ELLEN DEGENERES hasn't publicly shed any tears over the writers' strike, the union is trying its best to make her feel bad about continuing production of her talk show. The eastern branch of the Writers Guild of America has vowed to picket her show when it tapes in New York next Monday and Tuesday. Referring to DeGeneres' emotional conflict over the adoption of a dog last month, the WGA East said, quote, "We find it sad that Ellen spent an entire week crying and fighting for a dog that she gave away, yet she couldn't even stand by writers for more than one day."

DeGeneres did not report to work on the first day of the strike, but later taped a show that aired Friday. She acknowledged the strike on the episode, saying she would not perform a monologue in support of her writers. The producer of The Ellen DeGeneres Show claims that DeGeneres is not breaking strike rules since she's performing her own material. The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or AFTRA, which represents TV personalities such as DeGeneres, also defended the comedian. She's a member of both AFTRA and the Writers Guild.

The major late-night talk shows have aired repeats since the strike began last week. An executive producer for The Tonight Show said in a statement Friday that it has considered using guest hosts in place of JAY LENO. When asked about that report yesterday, Leno replied, "I hope not."

Several primetime series have also felt the effects of the strike. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Scrubs creator BILL LAWRENCE says several episodes for the current season, which is the series' last, have yet to be written. He also says he earlier turned down a request to write a rushed finale to wrap the series in the event of a strike.

Go Guv!

The Terminator wants to see an end to the writers' strike. California Governor ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER says he's hoping to facilitate a compromise between the Writers Guild of America and TV and film producers. The actor-turned-politician said yesterday, quote, "I'm talking to the parties that are involved because I think it's very important that we settle that as quickly as possible, because it has a tremendous economic impact on our state." Schwarzenegger didn't elaborate on the nature of the talks.

The strike began on Monday, with writers asking for compensation for digital programming. More celebrities joined their cause yesterday -- ROBIN WILLIAMS, JULIANNE MOORE, and DAVID DUCHOVNY were among the stars spotted on picket lines in New York. On the West Coast, former Everybody Loves Raymond co-stars RAY ROMANO and PATRICIA HEATON provided food to strikers.

The conflict has interfered with the production of several TV shows, including ABC's Desperate Housewives and NBC's The Office. Lost co-creator DAMON LINDELOF tells E! Online the show's fourth season will be shortened to eight completed episodes, beginning in February, for now. The season had been scheduled to include 16 episodes.

Strrrike Three...Yer Out!

Hollywood and New York film and television writers are on strike today after last-minute efforts to negotiate an agreement failed yesterday. A federal mediator had called a meeting between both sides -- the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers -- but those talks ended after East Coast members of the writers union declared they were on strike.

The writers, whose most recent contract expired last week, are striking for the first time in nearly 20 years. One of the key issues is how much writers receive from DVD sales and use of their work on the Internet and in other new media. Late-night talk shows will immediately suffer from a strike, since their monologues reference current events. Perhaps in anticipation of the strike, The Tonight Show and The Daily Show have scheduled reruns for this week.

Primetime TV shows and the movie industry won't be as affected by a strike -- at least in the short term -- since they have scripts in reserve. However, if those scripts run out before the strike ends, many television seasons will be shortened.

"The Strike"

More from the AP on the Strike

Film and TV writers prepared to go on strike Monday for the first time in two decades to break what has become a high-stakes stalemate with the world's largest media companies over profits from DVDs and programming on the Internet.

Writers Guild of America board members voted unanimously Friday to begin the strike at 12:01 a.m. Pacific time (3:01 a.m. EST) unless studios offered a more lucrative deal with a bigger cut from video sales and shows sold or streamed over the Web.
"The studios made it clear that they would rather shut down this town than reach a fair and reasonable deal," Patric Verrone, president of the western chapter of the guild, said at a news conference.

The union said it would stage its first pickets in New York and Los Angeles after strike captains meet Saturday to finalize details.

Both sides agreed late Friday to meet with a federal mediator on Sunday in a last-ditch effort to avoid a strike. The meeting will take place at a neutral location to be determined, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said.

Earlier in the day, J. Nicholas Counter, president of the producers' group, called the writers' strike "precipitous and irresponsible" in a prepared statement.

Producers believe progress can be made on other issues but "it makes absolutely no sense to increase the burden of this additional compensation" involving DVDs and the Internet, he said.
Last year alone, members of the western chapter of the guild were paid $56 million in additional compensation from DVD residuals, he said.

The first casualty of the strike would be late-night talk shows, which are dependent on current events to fuel monologues and other entertainment.

"The Tonight Show" on NBC will go into reruns starting Monday if last-ditch negotiations fail and a strike begins, according to a network official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person lacked authorization to comment publicly.

Garth Brooks and Tommy Lee Jones were the scheduled guests.

Comedy Central has said "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report" would likely go into repeats as well.

A message left seeking CBS comment on plans for "The Late Show with David Letterman" in New York was not immediately returned Friday evening.

During the 1988 writers strike, Letterman, then host of NBC's "Late Night," and longtime "Tonight Show" host Johnny Carson initially went off the air but later returned as the walkout dragged on for 22 weeks and cost the industry about $500 million.

Daytime TV, including live talk shows such as "The View" and soap operas, which typically tape about a week's worth of shows in advance, would be next to feel the impact.

The strike will not immediately impact production of movies or prime-time TV programs. Most studios have stockpiled dozens of movie scripts, and TV shows have enough scripts or completed shows in hand to last until early next year.

There could be widespread disruptions in Hollywood as other unions support the writers.
Officials with the Screen Actors Guild have told members they must report for work but encouraged them to join picket lines during their off-time.

A similar message came from the head of a local Teamsters union. However, those workers were told they were protected by law from employer retribution if they honored strike lines.
John Bowman, chief negotiator for the writers guild and the producer on an upcoming TBS show "Frank, TV," said he would not cross picket lines, even if it cost his job.

"Unfortunately we have to inflict as much damage as we can as soon as possible in order to get this thing over," he said.

The economic impact of a strike is hard to estimate because not all production will be halted at once, economists said.

"There definitely will be pain," said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp.

The entertainment industry contributes about $30 billion a year to the Los Angeles economy, or about $80 million a day, he said.

**Even though we are talking about multi millionaires 20 times over (Letterman, Leno etc) who don't need the money, this should be wrapped up soon...a long strike would be bad for everyone..

Strike!

The AP Reports...

LOS ANGELES - Television and movie screen writers said Thursday they would go on strike for the first time in nearly 20 years in a dispute over royalties.

Four writers told The Associated Press that Writers Guild of America President Patric Verrone made the announcement in a closed-door session, drawing loud cheers from the crowd.
"There was a unified feeling in the room. I don't think anyone wants the strike, but people are behind the negotiation committee," said Dave Garrett, screen writer for the movie "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo."

Writers said the guild board would meet Friday to formally call a strike and decide when it would start. They said guild members would be told Friday afternoon.

Nick Counter, president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, said in a statement the alliance was not surprised by the action.

"We are ready to meet and are prepared to close this contract this weekend," he said.
Officials had called a meeting of the union's 12,000 members for Thursday night.
Guild members recently authorized their negotiators to call the first strike since 1988, if necessary.

Writers said the line of questioning inside the meeting wasn't whether the group was going to strike, but how it would be carried out. The mood was subdued as writers filed out of the building.

Janis Hirsch, a veteran TV writer, was among the 10 percent who voted against striking.
"It's sad, but I've got to support my union. At this point it makes sense," she said.
Many writers said that beyond royalties, respect was at stake. They said they had never commanded the same clout in the entertainment industry as actors and directors.
"I don't think it's something we can negotiate for," said Paul Guay, who co-wrote the movies "Liar, Liar" and "Heartbreakers." "What we can negotiate for is money. How we assess respect and worth in this town is money."

The first casualty of the strike will likely be late-night talk shows, which are dependent on current events to fuel monologues and other entertainment.

The strike will not immediately affect film or prime-time TV production. Most studios have stockpiled dozens of movie scripts, and TV shows have enough scripts or completed shows in hand to last until early next year.

The key financial issue in the talks involves changing the formula for paying writers a share of DVD revenue, then applying the same equation to money made from material offered over the Internet and other digital platforms.

Studios, represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, are dead set against increasing DVD royalties.

Writers and actors have been fighting for years to reverse what they see as a huge mistake made at the dawn of home video, when no one was sure if selling movies on VHS cassettes would ever make money.

The unions agreed to ignore the first 80 percent of revenue from the tapes and later DVDs, assuming most of the money represented the cost of manufacturing and distribution.
Writers settled for just 1.2 percent of the remaining 20 percent, a figure that amounts to about 3 cents on a DVD that retails for $20.

Writers are now asking for their share to be calculated on 40 percent of revenue and argue the same formula should be used for digital distribution because studios have almost no costs associated with that technology.

Consumers are expected to spend $16.4 billion on DVDs this year, according to Adams Media Research.

By contrast, studios could generate about $158 million from selling movies online and about $194 million from selling TV shows over the Web.

**I have heard rumors this won't last long, but you do never know...

Brian Stelter writes this piece on "TV decoder.com"..for those of you who don't know who Stelter is, he writes a TV blog for the New York Times... nuff said!

The impending writers’ strike would obviously be bad news for viewers, who would likely see repeats and reality shows start to crowd out scripted shows during prime time. In the wee hours, late-night hosts would probably have to spend a lot of time winging it.
But advertisers would also suffer “and would make networks share their pain,” the Associated Press notes. In the event of a strike, media buyers are “not going to get what they paid for,” says analyst Shari Anne Brill of Carat USA. “There will be severe under-delivery [of viewers] on the schedule if you get repeats and less-desirable reality shows. It puts the networks in a horrific make-good situation.”As noted by today’s Los Angeles Times, “the danger is that TV viewers, without their favorite shows, would turn to the Internet and other forms of entertainment that are increasingly grabbing younger audiences.”
Representatives for the studios and the Writer’s Guild of America will meet again on Tuesday, this time with a federal mediator present. The WGA contract expires Wednesday night.

The studios have been planning for this for over a year...there are tons of new shows "in the can" and don't think every reality show that HASN'T been pitched and produced won't be ready to air a week after the strike hits...up next on CBS...it's Survivor...Burger King Bathroom!