NY Times Reports Progress In Talks

The media blackout continues, although it's getting hard to tell. Today's Los Angeles Times is running a front page story titled "Writers, Studios Outline A Deal."

It has some of the most detailed information to date on how the informal talks have gone so far. When we compare it to what our off-the-record sources are saying, it appears to be fairly accurate.

We'd like to highlight the

Today's Los Angeles Times talks about "Directors Guild Talks Intensifying" -- and it's a fascinating article.

First off, it points out the the DGA always has "informal talks" before their main negotiations -- and in these informal talks, all the parameters of the deal are worked out so that when formal negotiations begin, they can go quickly and smoothly.

This time, it's apparently not so

(The following was just sent to the membership from WGAw president, Patric Verrone and WGAe president, Michael Winship.)

To Our Fellow Members,

We have responded favorably to the invitation from the AMPTP to enter into informal talks that will help establish a reasonable basis for returning to negotiations. During this period, we have agreed to a complete news blackout. We are grateful for this

Today, we received some solid information regarding the timetable the DGA is setting for its talks.

The trades would have us believe that the AMPTP will start negotiations with the DGA as soon as next week, if the AMPTP satisfies "the DGA's condition that it can establish 'an apropriate basis for negotiations'."

Why sit down with the DGA and not the WGA? Only the AMPTP knows the answer to that question, but for months, Nicholas Counter has said very publicly that he preferred to negotiate

As Deadline Hollywood reports, the DGA announced today that formal negotiations are commencing with the AMPTP beginning tomorrow (yes, that's Saturday.)

You can see Patric Verrone's comments below; as he states and as he's said many times before, we all hope the DGA makes a deal that will get the town back to work. However, if the deal they make doesn't address the needs of writers, the WGA is

Nothing like hearing a siren blare then watch a crawl across the television screen warning of tornadoes in your neighborhood. I'm sure this is a fairly regular situation in tornado prone areas, but Los Angeles? Not so much. And I thought Wednesday's wind and rain storm during picketing was extreme. Sheesh!

An unfortunate landmark in this standoff, it's now been 50 days since the AMPTP walked out on negotiations (the first time) and the strike commenced. I doubt there will be much action during the holidays, but I intend to continue the day by day count. Here's hoping negotiations resume soon...But this headline from today's Nikke Finke column doesn't offer much cheer...

This was sent in an email to strike captains:Informal talks between WGA negotiators and reps for the other side will commence this week. WGA leadership has been studying the Executive Summary of the DGA's Temporary Agreement to determine which parts of their deal might form a framework for our own negotiations with the Companies. While nothing formal has been proposed, and the DGA's full

Posting has been light from yours truly as I deal with some family health issues. (Everybody's hanging in there, thanks.) And with the WGA/AMPTP blackout still on, there's been no word on how the informal negotiations are progressing, other than Nikke "Deadline Hollywood" Finke's assurances that sources are telling her that things are going well.

This was sent today by WGA Presidents Patric Verrone and Michael Winship to membership:

To Our Fellow Members,

While fully mindful of the continuing media blackout, we write you to address the rumors and reports that undoubtedly you have been hearing.

The facts: we are still in talks and do not yet have a contract. When and if a tentative agreement is reached, the first thing we will do is

Something's very different on the picket line.Since Thanksgiving, the energy on the picket lines has fallen off. One picketer was even seen reading a book while he walked the picket line.