For the past month we've been filming interviews with writers, directors, actors, futurists, DPs, and people on the picket line, asking them to talk about the strike. Oliver Stone looked back at his years in the business, remembering how it used to be before the corporations' greed overwhelmed the movie business. Maria Maggenti told us about the importance of residuals to her career. Tony Gilroy

WGAE member David Steven Cohen sent us this video of Tony Gilroy on the day he was nominated for two Oscars. (Congrats, Tony!)

Tony mentions the need to take a deep breath and not "blog the DGA deal to death." Alas, guilty as charged.

As the media blackout continues, the only voices we hear are our own as we discuss the DGA deal, parsing it for nuances, looking for weaknesses and breakthroughs. On the picket line the work continues, as we keep our struggle in the public eye. Voices4Action! has been posting video interviews with our fellow members.

Steve Gaghan gives a clear-headed, no-nonsense view of the strike. Jordan

The strike is over. The WGA contract has been ratified. SAG and AFTRA are now center stage and there is still a lot of work to do before the town gets back to normal. At this moment it's useful to look back at our own history. There are lessons to be learned about how the process can move forward even against what seems like overwhelming odds.

There are many who labored behind the scenes to support the writers' strike. At United Hollywood we worked with people who put their energy on the line but wanted to stay off the media's radar. Not content to just talk a good game, these are members and supporters who knew that if they wanted to make a difference, they had to work at it.

One group in particular came of age during the early part of the strike: the writer-directors. Nicknamed the WD-40, forty writer-directors met to search for ways they could help facilitate the negotiation.

From the beginning of the strike, most journalists accepted the AMPTP's lead and described the DGA and WGA as antagonistic to one another. Nicholas Counter was frequently quoted in the trades as preferring the DGA as a negotiating partner. The writer-directors objected to that characterization and felt that the AMPTP was doing what it always did in positioning the Guilds against one another to diminish each union's power.

Over at HuffPo, writer-director John Sayles gives an interview with Bob Eisele about unions, the entertainment industry, the strike and how the changing world of Internet delivery is intersecting with the consolidation of huge corporations:What we have today are fewer unionized workers, especially if you don't count public service workers, than you've ever had before. And the movie industry is

This was submitted by WGA member Michael Seitzman. It also appears in the Huffington Post.

A producer once told me that when the writer is working, the script is the gun that holds everyone else hostage. When the writer stops typing, he hands the gun to the producer and director and immediately joins the other hostages against the wall.

On November 1, 2007, The Writers Guild of America typed

Nick, over at SEENcreative, gives us this (via orangeyeti):

Shawn Ryan is the creator and exec producer of "The Shield" and a member of the Negotiating Commitee. He gave an interview to Aaron Barnhart, television critic of the Kansas City Star -- he covers negotiating issues, strategy, the TV pilot season and sweeps and the DGA negotiation, among other things.

For the whole interview, go here. Below are some excerpts:

About the value of dissent, and how

"The Newshour with Jim Lehrer" (PBS) reported on how the internet is at play in the Writers' Strike. Featuring an interview with Shawn Ryan, and clips from the first Strike TV meeting. Check out the clip at this address:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/video/module.html?mod=0&pkg=25012008&seg=4

Liz Gannes from NewTeeVee posts her interview with Patrick Verrone.

Tony Esposito

Montreal Canadiens 1968-69
Chicago Black Hawks 1969-1984

Legends of Hockey home page

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Robert J. Elisberg, who writes the regular WGA Strike Primer columns on The Huffington Post, responds below to Michael Cieply's recent article in the New York Times entitled, Writers Strike Tests Mettle of 2 Outsiders.

Last week, Michael Cieply wrote once-again about his perception of “fissures” in the Writers Guild. It’s a theme of his. Back during the 1988 WGA strike he specialized in writing

Writer Bob Kushell, Director Russell Arch and Actress Christina Applegate look back at the making of a truly influential strike video.

Let's see...

The companies walked away (again) and are refusing to bargain (again), and the toll on the lives of working people is mounting...all of which doesn't have a lot to do with this video.

But when things are this bad, it doesn't hurt to laugh. Plus it sure would be nice if the sight of Christina Applegate abusing a writer was enough to bring the CEO's to their senses and back to the table.

Let the real healing begin.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23

THE DAILY SHOW WRITERS V. THE COLBERT SHOW WRITERS
will have a mock debate showdown on why America should care about the Writers' Strike. Moderated by DEE DEE MYERS (former Clinton press sec and West Wing consultant.)

THIS IS A NATIONAL EVENT HOSTED BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESSS
who are eager to hear our side of the issues.

FOLLOWING THE DEBATE MICHAEL WINSHIP WGA east

Liz Gannes from NewTeeVee posts her interview with Patrick Verrone.

Verrone says that while the legacy of '88 strike was that studios and networks learned how to make shows without writers, the legacy of this strike may be that "writers learn how to do content without the studios and networks."

As to the Media Honchos claims (Zucker, Moonves) that the strike has taught them how to run a leaner business, Verrone says, "not likely." 

This press release was sent out by Strike TV. Interested in competing? Let them know! -JA

Writers to Shoot Over 30 Episodes of 4 Game Shows in Less Than 12 Hours

Los Angeles, CA (2/5/2008) - Some talk shows and game shows shoot five episodes in a day. Some might even try to shoot six or seven. But Sunday, February 10, will be a day like no other when writer/producer Rick Rosner and director/

An activist group is pushing for the resignation of a top Consumer Product Safety Commission official for failing to take a stronger stance on toy safety and has created a YouTube video to get its message across.

The Campaign for America’s Future is calling on Nancy Nord to step down as the CPSC’s acting director, largely for her opposition to legislation to strengthen the commission’s oversight on toy safety.

Millions of Chinese-made toys containing excessive levels of lead have been recalled in recent months from a number of toy manufacturers, including Mattel.

With the premiere of Michael Eisner's second web series The All-For-Nots, here's a quick review of the new media world according to Eisner. 

His company's first series was Prom Queen.  According the Eisner, it cost $3,000 per 90 second episode, was seen by 20 million people and made, "a couple thousand dollars."

Though it had more shots of girls in bikinis than the original, Prom Queen's sequel, PQ: Summer Heat, was seen by fewer people and "lost money."

We're pleased to spread the word that video recordings of David Milch's multi-part series, The Idea of the Writer, are now available on line at: http://theideaofthewriter.blogspot.com.

The lectures were originally given at the Writers' Guild Theater before Christmas.

The Duncan face? Effective. It can move planets, turn back the sands of time, and subtly alter the molecular composition of David West's back. The Tony Parker face? Based on the way his wife beat him down for that "A mouth is a mouth; what's the difference?" comment: Not effective. Just ask Joe Forte.

Today's pictorial evidence of the sad futility of the TP face was sent in by Basketbawful reader Tree, who said: "Not sure if you saw this picture, but it pretty much sums up the Spurs in my mind. I can just hear Parker saying 'I implore you sir, how can that be a foul, he wasn't even rolling around in mock agony for 5 minutes? How did he fool you?'"

We shouldn't get all misty-eyed at the revelation that the studios are happy the strike has happened.

Jeff Zucker picks up an easy $40 million by terminating overall deals. Peter Chernin is the face of reality when he boasts, "We save more money in..., you know, story costs and probably the lack of making pilots than we lose in potential advertising."

We shouldn't be surprised that a cable network told a tv-writer last week that her movie will go into production, but before they green light her project, they need the tiniest of rewrites before they green light. They know the WGA doesn't want her to do the work, but maybe she could 'supervise' someone else who could. Wink, wink.

If you've never been in a Hollywood development meeting, one of the most frustrating things for writers about such gatherings is often the lack of consensus amongst those giving the studio notes. With so many people involved - from the creative exec, to the director of development, to the VP to the Senior VP, to INSERT RANDOM PERSON HERE - each giving their opinion and input, they're rarely all on the same page.

But have the studios brought "development hell" to the current strike negotiations?

According to a showrunner who was briefed on the situation, there is real dissension in their ranks. Each of the corporations comprising the AMPTP has a labor lawyer in the room negotiating for them (not to be outdone, Time Warner has three!). Furthermore, some of the companies are willing to make a deal today and are getting more than a little pissed at those who are holding out.

The following two WGA press releases were sent to media today to announce that Lionsgate and Marvel Studios have both signed interim agreements with the Writers Guild.

LIONSGATE SIGNS INTERIM AGREEMENT WITH WRITERS GUILD

LOS ANGELES – Leading independent filmed entertainment studio Lionsgate is the latest company to sign an interim agreement with the Writers Guild of America. The company is one

One day, hopefully very soon, the WGA strike will end. But the technological changes that sparked it will continue.

Over the past three months, we realized that in covering the dispute between writers and media conglomerates, we were also covering the evolution of the entertainment industry. Digital technology is changing how music, television, films and games are created and consumed. Old

Pickets and rallies all over the states and the world are popping up in support of the writers' strike.

In New Mexico, on the College of Santa Fe campus, writers and supporters gathered.

Here's a link to the news video of the Phoenix picket of local Fox station sent to me by strike captain Teena Booth (who is on camera in the video).

Striking writers and supporters made this video of rallies and pickets in Australia.

Will 1+1 someday = 2?

The WGA, the Teamsters and California State Senator Sheila Kuehl have just announced the introduction of the "Fair Market Value Bill." The bill seeks to prevent studios from selling programming to sister companies for below market value. This particular strain of Hollywood accounting is designed to shift profits away from the studios (where they must be shared with talent and producers and serve as a basis for pension and health contributions) to networks, where they may be enjoyed without the pesky need to pay one's "partners."

Press release below. We'll have more soon on the bill in particular and Hollywood skulduggery in general.

And if you're a studio accountant or lawyer looking to go all Michael Clayton on the Big Six, send us a tip or a post.

NEW BILL TAKES AIM AT HOLLYWOOD ACCOUNTING

California State Senator Sheila Kuehl Introduces Bill to End the Practice of Selling Television Series and Films for Less Than Fair Market Value

Los Angeles and Sacramento – California State Senator Sheila Kuehl (D-Los Angeles) has introduced Senate Bill 1765, the "Fair Market Value Bill," to end the practice by some major studios and networks of “underselling” television series or movies.

This post was written by the writer-director Paul Haggis. Paul is the first person to write two back-to-back winners of the Oscar for best picture ("Crash" and "Million Dollar Baby"). -JA

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of talking to Patric and some of our negotiating team. Here is what I walked away with. On Friday, before their walkout (or is it lockout?), the AMPTP demanded we take six issues off the table or they wouldn’t ever talk to us again. Two of those issues, our demands to cover animation and reality writers, have stirred up some controversy. The AMPTP is sending out its professional spin-minions, calling agents and lawyers and managers, painting us as labor radicals.

Former WGAw board member Michael Russnow has been covering the strike on his personal site and recently began blogging "The Writers Strike for Dummies" on the Huffington Post. In his most recent entry, Russnow discusses the importance of setting precedents for compensation on the Web. We believed the AMPTP when they cajoled us to accept the cable deal in 1981 with the understanding that when they