BellaOnline Forums TV and Movies Prime Time TV The Writer's Strike

Can I start a topic here?

This is important. Writing is everything to these shows. I lost respect for Ellen this week, how could she even begin to think that she could have survived without strong writers behind her.

I don't understand the injustice that is done to this career.

What do others think?

Did I miss something she said, I didn't know Ellen thought that. In fact she said she would not be doing an opening monologue in support of the writers AND in fact made a point of not standing in her normal spot.

So far the actors I have seen have had nothing but support for the writers.

I don't think she should have crossed the line.

OH you mean to film her show?
Alot of people have crossed the line, not just Ellen. There was some filming done on Desperate Housewives after the picket line was up. The View was still filming episodes after the strike.

How do you feel about it?

The other day, one of the girls from Desperate Housewives was on the show and she said it was written into their contracts that they had to NOT work either.

I think if your in support of the writers demands you would not work.

Are you saying you feel like Ellen shouldn't be doing her show at all? I guess thats how the writers feel from what your saying. I haven't read that much about it I guess.

Yep, that's how I feel. I think that writing and writers are not given the credit, pay, acknowledgement, that they deserve. Jay Leno is dark, Letterman and O'Brien are dark, I don't understand Ellen and the View.

I wonder how far in advance the scripts are written for some of the prime time television shows. I was thinking that maybe some of them that are still crossing the line will eventually run out of scripts to film.

I also wonder if this is a deal where they can just say fine (the show producers) and hire other writers?

Danielle - do you know anything about that? Do you have to be in the union to even write for these shows?

The interesting thing about the shows that have completed scripts is that even those shows may not be able to continue production, because the show runners (often writers themselves) are picketing!

I'm not sure if the writers have exclusivity clauses in their contracts, and I'm not sure about union requirements, either. I'm assuming all writers are in the Guild, but I could be wrong.

I love that the cast of The Office decided to support the writers by not showing up to work, and that people like Conan and Jon Stewart are keeping their shows dark. I definitely agree that Ellen should have stayed on the other side of the picket line to support her writers.

The writers are the backbone of the television industry. As much as it pains me to know that Heroes will likely come to an early end this season, the reason is very worthwhile, and I support it!

I was unaware that some shows had stopped showing episodes when they had that ability. Although I do remember that Craig Ferguson said he was a member of the Writers Guild and could not write shows.

I just assumed that some shows had some scripts already written and thats what they were falling back on.

I don't know much about it but if they wanted to hire new writers, they couldn't get them from members of the Writers Guild right?

Thank god for HBO.
I have also been downloading TV series from the internet, some of them broadcast only in the UK so that will keep my busy when they run out of new episodes. I'm really going to be lost if they start airing re-runs of my soap operas.

And then a strike gets closer to home:

Broadway is dark, almost dark.
I sit in hand with over $500 worth of tickets to see Spamalot in New York.
It's closed.
We get refunds if it looks as if they show will not go on.
The word is that the play hands have worked since July without a contract.
The last strike on Broadway - the musicians - lasted a few days.

I also read this morning that the crew of "The Office" has been fired. The non-writer workers.
And the debate continues about Ellen. I just don't know. I can see where she is in a contract and that she wants to protect her non-writing staff, but it does get a bit confusing when you see who has stopped working and who has not.

Maybe the View is still on because they have the same type of contract as Ellen.