tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post7848662659553793826..comments2023-08-28T01:47:52.421-07:00Comments on United Hollywood: Not the Daily Show, With Some WritersUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-43722979366812910122007-12-11T04:35:00.000-08:002007-12-11T04:35:00.000-08:00Who will the outcome of this strike affect the lea...Who will the outcome of this strike affect the least? Day to day workers like those on TDL and late night, whose work will be in reruns, but may never be in a pay-for-download or dvd format. These workers can have the greatest financial impact on the industry. But when the Letterman,Leno, Daily show and SNL writers refuse to comment on the current elections that should influence their writing for the next year, the best we can hope for is what we now have- the white house and a significant number of seats in congress that are anti-union, anti-labor, against worker's rights, and pro-business.NRGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12701389658642184517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-7776025355950905772007-12-08T16:30:00.000-08:002007-12-08T16:30:00.000-08:00I can't believe you people are blaming the writers...I can't believe you people are blaming the writers for sticking up for themselves. It's not their fault that the crew members are out of work. That kind of thinking is like telling a woman not to leave her abusive husband because her kids won't have a father. <BR/><BR/>Seriously.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00220540777554819789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-4478637690749934802007-11-26T17:35:00.000-08:002007-11-26T17:35:00.000-08:00I'd also like to add, I second the motion! Right o...I'd also like to add, I second the motion! Right on Caitlin! I'll join you in celebration!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-24459867370881183912007-11-26T17:34:00.000-08:002007-11-26T17:34:00.000-08:00Alright, so now we've come down to the real questi...Alright, so now we've come down to the real question... What is the worth? Whole shit loads? Or not even a dingleberry shit? Question of the day! And will remain so until its resolved... Man, I hope you guys can work a deal out soon. I'm a cultist follower of Heroes, please don't let it run out!<BR/> As to the Daily Show reference somewhere below mine, Stewart has the delivery and the face for it, but the writing is superb. I really need to watch that more often. Much more interesting than the news from CNN and such...<BR/> But wait! I can't! Not until things are worked out... *sob*Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-17900705109759886112007-11-25T11:46:00.000-08:002007-11-25T11:46:00.000-08:00Can I make an observation here?Many people have re...Can I make an observation here?<BR/><BR/>Many people have responded with "I'm a tech writer, I write a document and it's used constantly, should I get paid constantly for it?". No, of course you shouldn't. You were paid to write the document, and that's the end of it.<BR/><BR/>However, what if the company you wrote that document for started selling it at a profit to other companies for them to use. What would your stance be then? Would you feel entitled to a percentage of that extra profit the company made by re-selling your work in a way that you didn't contract/stipulate?<BR/><BR/>Or what if you wrote a (fictional) book, and some company grabbed hold of a copy of that book in their local library and made a film of it, making huge amounts of money without compensating you at all. Would that be acceptable?<BR/><BR/>Same situation here. The WGA writers wrote their pieces for TV, and got paid a percentage of the profit made via TV broadcast. But the studios/distributors then take that TV show and redistribute it over the internet and on DVD, without giving any consideration to the original writers' rights.<BR/><BR/>It's a real shame the WGA writers can't stipulate in their contracts that the scripts are to be used for Broadcast Television only, and the rights to any further use are reserved. Then the studios would have to re-negotiate to obtain thee rights to re-release over the internet, or on DVD. But the studios have them in a contractual headlock at the moment, so that's not really possible.<BR/><BR/>It's a shame.Robert "Anaerin" Johnstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09674103705276839841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-47290181728006047012007-11-24T15:06:00.000-08:002007-11-24T15:06:00.000-08:00All i want to know from you writers is how much do...All i want to know from you writers is how much do you guys make a year. <BR/><BR/>Sure the companies dick you over, but honestly how are you better right now?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-22040481926738164512007-11-21T21:30:00.000-08:002007-11-21T21:30:00.000-08:00Hey, good luck to you lot. I think we can live wit...Hey, good luck to you lot. I think we can live with out some new TV for a while-- you need to be fairly compensated for your work, that's what I think. <BR/><BR/>Good luck, and Happy Thanksgiving.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-64379480133150558332007-11-20T12:28:00.000-08:002007-11-20T12:28:00.000-08:00A post script for Deudderson - I have co-workers w...A post script for Deudderson - I have co-workers who are conservative, and co-workers who are liberal who I have shown my posts and the replies. Both sides have noted that I've made valid points in relation to the WGA strike. So I think your attempt to politicise my opinion is not going to work.<BR/><BR/>zmortis@gmail.comzmortishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425638876144857518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-40653845867556997342007-11-20T12:11:00.000-08:002007-11-20T12:11:00.000-08:00In reply to deuddersun, if you want here are my cr...In reply to deuddersun, if you want here are my credentials, I’m from a blue collar democratic background. My father retired from the International Brotherhood of Operating Engineers local 150. I used to work a $3.35 an hour temp job as a shovel jocky at my town’s water department while the American Federation of Municipal Employees made $15.00 to do the same work. I did this so I could pay my way through college. This was back in the 1980's so adjust accordingly for inflation. I didn’t have a problem with the AFME making $15.00 an hour, the work was hard, and it was a competitive wage for their industry. I’ve also said in other posts I don’t have a problem with WGA striking to leverage a better negotiating strategy. <BR/><BR/>I have a problem with the WGA members pretending they are poor. I have a problem with WGA members pretending they are striking a blow against injustice for the little guy. When put up against most of the blue collar unions, they are a bunch of well off people striking against a set of very rich people. The WGA pretending they are doing this for the little guy is bogus. The WGA does not represent the little guy. They are an insular egocentric bunch of people who want to congratulate themselves on their liberal values, while pretending their personal fiscal issues are on the same scale as the truly needy people in our society. <BR/><BR/>To answer your question: Am I a Republican? No. Am I a Democrat? No. Am I a Conservative? No. Am I a Liberal? No. I firmly count myself among the disenfranchised moderate centrists in this country who see the ridiculous extremes on both poles of that political spectrum. Both American political parties seem to be more interested in extracting campaign contributions from special interests like Big Business, and Big Unions. Where does that leave the rest of us? My stipulation: among the unrepresented, and among those unsympathetic with comparitively rich people fighting with richer people for more money.<BR/><BR/>Thank you for your consideration.<BR/><BR/>Zmortis@gmail.comzmortishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425638876144857518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-14774130646965640782007-11-20T11:31:00.000-08:002007-11-20T11:31:00.000-08:00Okay Kelly, let me tell you about life in this biz...Okay Kelly, let me tell you about life in this biz without representation by a Union or Guild.<BR/><BR/>Prior to being in a Union I worked, (gasp) non-union. I did a music video for $100/day. Little did I know that a "day" meant 24 hours. The first "day" I worked 19 1/2 hours. The second "day" I worked 22 hours, the third, 25 hours. <BR/><BR/>I also aspired to be a writer at one time and together with a partner wrote a parody of the Dirty Harry movies featuring a squarejawed hero with an oversized magnum. One of the majors optioned it for $1500 and then held it until they got their own TV show on the air. You may remember "Sledgehammer".<BR/><BR/>So you see, I'll take the Union way any day. And by the way, any benefits you non-union folks enjoy were earned by Union folks who were willing to fight and sacrifice for <I>everyone!</I><BR/><BR/>d.<BR/>I.A.T.S.E.<BR/>Local #52<BR/>New York City<BR/><BR/>ps: Are you, by chance, a <I>Republicon"</I>?deuddersunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01757971753925741976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-25727050389967396942007-11-20T10:05:00.000-08:002007-11-20T10:05:00.000-08:00In response to deuddersun's comment that tech writ...In response to deuddersun's comment that tech writers should form their own union and improve their quality of life. There is one thing you missed. None of the Tech writers posting here complained about their own quality of life. I am just shaking my head that people who are making more money than the average comfortable income, are complaining about not getting enough money. I know I make enough money to live comfortably. So I find it hard to sympathize with people making more money than me saying they are not getting their “fair share”. When will someone like that ever feel they have enough? If the WGA members think that life is about people getting their "fair share", head on down to the local shelter for the poor and give someone a "fair share" of your salary. To misquote deuddersun “Why not help out the real little guy?” Oh that’s right, he didn’t join a Union so he’s not entitled to a “fair share”.<BR/><BR/>Thank you for your consideration.<BR/><BR/>Zmortis@gmail.comzmortishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425638876144857518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-8688884819202643492007-11-20T07:38:00.000-08:002007-11-20T07:38:00.000-08:00To the tech writers who complained about WGA:Form ...To the tech writers who complained about WGA:<BR/><BR/>Form your own union. Improve your quality of life. <BR/><BR/>Years ago I tried to encourage a friend of mine to form an IT union. He laughed at me and told me that he and his fellow IT specialists' were "white collar" and didn't need a union because no-one could manage without him and his $125/hr cohorts. (That figure is real, it is what he was earning at the time - during the IT boom of the '90's).<BR/><BR/>A few short years later he was asking me if I could get him a job as a grip. His job and many others in the IT field had been outsourced to India. As a final insult, his company gave him this final offer: train your replacement and we'll pay you while you do it and give you some severance, or.... leave...NOW!<BR/><BR/>Those of us who join Unions and guilds have done so to combat the "trade associations" formed by corporations in order to fix wages, deny benefits and generally take advantage of their employees. Let's face it, the 40 hour workweek, overtime, health benefits, maternity leave, etc., didn't come about because one morning a beneficent CEO woke up and said, "Ya know, I think I'll do something nice for my workers today! Sure, it may cost me a few bucks, but what the hell, I'm due to retire with a $43,000,000 Golden Parachute, why not help out the little guys?"<BR/><BR/>Every benefit we all enjoy in the workplace today has come about through the efforts of Organized Labor, and not one has come freely from the CEO's and their Corporations. All have involved a price which has been paid by those of us involved in the struggle. <BR/><BR/>In America today, with the Bush Administration in bed with Big Business, it is more important than ever to stand by any Union that is fighting to better their quality of life. Remember we either "hang together or we will surely hang alone.<BR/><BR/>And Tommy Short, you can go fuck yourself. You know how much we "love" you in New York City.<BR/><BR/>d.<BR/><BR/>I.A.T.S.E.<BR/>Local #52<BR/>New York Citydeuddersunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01757971753925741976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-43277346232188547352007-11-20T06:20:00.000-08:002007-11-20T06:20:00.000-08:00When are the "powers that be" going to stop wishin...When are the "powers that be" going to stop wishing the internet would "just go away" and learn to embrace its distribution power?SteelWolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00905981056679713525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-75150210519557433532007-11-19T15:41:00.000-08:002007-11-19T15:41:00.000-08:00Johnny Smoke says it well. I write for a living i...Johnny Smoke says it well. I write for a living in a non-union government job. The documents that I and my fellow employees produce will keep this country running on red tape for years to come. I make (roughly) 88k a year doing the job, no residuals, no bonuses, no cut of any internet publication of my work, and most times no attribution for my work.<BR/><BR/>The Writers Guild of America is trying to get a piece of the pie for their members, but they could give a crap about giving someone from the "outside" a chance in their industry. Like most union systems, you have to be brought in under their patronage system, or you don't get a job. Sure that guarantees them a collective barganing status, sure they can attempt to force a bigger piece of the pie from the "fat cats". <BR/><BR/>What it doesn't do is engender much sympathy for their cause from every member of the viewing public that would love to be able to claim they are making a wage equivalent to Writers Guild of America rates. <BR/><BR/>They have jobs that are based on their tallents, presumably with some incentive for joining the field in the first place. Then they see that another way to make money from their product is developing, and we're supposed to believe that they are the equivalent of Chinese wage slave laborer's fighting the good fight for the little guy. Give me a break. If your cause is just, advertise what kind of money your writers make, let the public decide based on the amount whether you are making a slave wage, or whether your efforts are under recognized. I think you may be surprised how little your counterparts in industry and government make compared to you.<BR/><BR/>For those who complain about the inherent risk of working in the entertainment industry entitles the writers to a continuing renumeration, try working as a subcontracting writer in government contracting and see how risky jobs are in comparison. I don't begrudge your right to strike, I do begrudge any assumption that everyone should be sympathetic to your cause under the guise of "sticking it to the man".<BR/><BR/>Thank you for your consideration.<BR/><BR/>zmortis@gmail.comzmortishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425638876144857518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-5481566979177130112007-11-19T13:27:00.000-08:002007-11-19T13:27:00.000-08:00My apologies for being a little late to this party...My apologies for being a little late to this party… <BR/><BR/>PandaGun and NobodySpecial you are the only two that have even come close to the heart of this argument. Having been a technical writer in the financial services industry for more than 20 years I’ve often wondered how, and why for that matter, writers and actors and whoever else is in the lower levels of the entertainment food chain feel they have a right to perpetual income on the work they create for their employers. I know of no other sector of industry that pays its employees in this manner. I have written thousands of documents including memos, manuals, manuscripts, business plans, sales plans, communication plans, brochures, videos and whitepapers just to name a few. Many of these documents have been used to create processes, explain procedures, sell products and serve as reference documents. Many are still in use today. Should I continue to receive residual income on these documents because my creative efforts are still in use? If I follow the logic of the entertainment industry I should. According to their standards, I should get paid indefinitely. Some may argue that I’m not an entertainer and while that’s true I don’t believe my work is any less important although it’s certainly not as funny, except for the video scripts that have Led Zeppelin lyrics sprinkled around them. There’s nothing like watching an executive vice president say “the song remains the same”. You write or create for a specific audience whether it’s for the employees of Merrill Lynch or people that watch The Tonight Show.<BR/><BR/>Some might say the writer’s argument is less about eternal paychecks and more about their content being used in DVDs and the internet. Likewise, I say the method and frequency of delivery doesn’t make a difference. When I write copy for the launch of a new product whether it’s in brochures, our website or on a promotional CD or DVD I get paid the same. I also get paid the same whether my employer makes a dollar off the product or $100 million dollars. The fact an employer decides to pour millions (and billions) of their current and future revenues into a specific medium to get its message out is the employer’s right to do so. No one says they have to share it with the employees although the good employers usually do. My personal take is that employees see the amount of money being spent on these newer delivery systems and they’re saying “hey, where’s slice of that pie?” Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a fan of Sumner Redstone, but if I were him, I’d tell the writers to go start their own company or create their own programs so they can get the pay they think they deserve. Someone in this thread argued that writers live in modest apartments, work long hours and have short career spans. Does this mean we need to support writers and actors because of the careers they choose? My response is to tell the writers to get in the “Screwed by Corporate America” line right behind the rest of us. Fortunately, unlike most of us, the writers have a union which helps them negotiate this crazy concept of getting paid for one effort – over and over. This is easily as messed up as when record companies wanted some form of payment for the sale of used CDs back in the 90s. How many times should someone get paid for something?Johnny Smokehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04639849348164762557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-64986015320709915642007-11-19T04:02:00.000-08:002007-11-19T04:02:00.000-08:00So... if I understand you correctly, you don't wan...So... if I understand you correctly, you don't want to hear comments from "Anonymous" people who don't have accounts. I.e. people who do not regularly visit and would thus be most likely to agree with you.<BR/><BR/>You very much remind me of my college days, where the painfully-bad drama department kept downspiralling in quality because they ALL AGREED that they were wonderful.<BR/><BR/>I weep for the unions as a whole, because they are the genuine last bastion of the little guy against the wealthy. And you're abusing their good names. You guys? You're not a union, you're a clique.<BR/><BR/>Stop copying each others' bad ideas, and maybe people will support you because you write content worth watching.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10453686872844545055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-37753778353528250802007-11-19T03:17:00.000-08:002007-11-19T03:17:00.000-08:00Guilds, Associations, and Unions were originally f...Guilds, Associations, and Unions were originally formed in medieval times to protect the talented from oppressive treatment by the Aristocracy. Todays Aristocracy is no different than that of 700 years ago,only now they're called CEO's. Corporations are the new spawning ground for todays royalty, and Unions are the only hope of enforcing the Magna Carta on these new Kings. One thing I emplore the WGA members to do is make damned sure EACH and EVERY word is reviewed and THOROUGHLY disected BEFORE! you sign any agreements with management. Failure to do so may allow unwanted precedents to be set that may be difficult to impossible to rectify in the future. I hope everything works out well for you folks, and that these negotiations can be concluded soon. I'm really Jonesin' for some new Daily Shows!!BILL GARDINERhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10609259993744499203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-11982784096729269362007-11-17T14:38:00.000-08:002007-11-17T14:38:00.000-08:00Unfortunately I have nothing original to add, and ...Unfortunately I have nothing original to add, and even if I did no one would read it. BUT! I feel compelled to say I think the writers not being compensated for every use of their work is unfair, and that their stance on the matter is logical and legal. Though I am no comedy writer, I would hope that if a publisher decided to put my books up for digital purchase, that I would still receive royalties, and not get shafted. Go WGA!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-60913827512746044312007-11-16T23:54:00.000-08:002007-11-16T23:54:00.000-08:00First off, let me say that I empathize with the su...First off, let me say that I empathize with the support staff that are now out of work due to the strike, it's not right that they have no income now.<BR/><BR/>But it's not a valid argument to say "the writers should go back to work because other people are suffering," that's an non sequiter fallacy right there. It IS a valid reason why the strike should end, but not necessarily why the writers should give up their strike. The issue is whether or not writers should be paid royalties for their past work. <BR/><BR/>Things are a little bit clearer in an extreme case. Consider this example: if coal miners strike because their company doesn't provide adequate safety measures or pay, but yet homes go cold for the winter... do you blame the miners or the company?<BR/><BR/>My suggestion is that you direct your ire towards the companies that aren't being reasonable with the writers and that have a hypocrital standpoint on this issue. <BR/><BR/>Asking to be paid for your market's worth isn't greed, trying to cheat your workers out of it is.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-92122136048898990132007-11-16T23:19:00.000-08:002007-11-16T23:19:00.000-08:00Tim and Liz... there's nothing ironic about it. Yo...Tim and Liz... there's nothing ironic about it. Youtube pays them nothing to get their message out, and Viacom pays them nothing for entertaining us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-69125238555089560282007-11-16T20:03:00.000-08:002007-11-16T20:03:00.000-08:00Thank you, Tim. Finally someone else who can think...Thank you, Tim. Finally someone else who can think deeper about the absurdity of this video post.<BR/><BR/>This video should be called "When Irony Goes Bad" - I think the Daily Show writers have finally found themselves on the other side of the Mobius strip.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-75593567218280785102007-11-16T10:45:00.000-08:002007-11-16T10:45:00.000-08:00Attacking writers for writing an explanation of wh...Attacking writers for writing an explanation of why they won't work until their compensation improves is demented. Blame placed on writers for the suspension of business in Hollywood is misplaced blame; why not affix it to the employers who deny the writers a fair cut of profits? Criticizing writers for not being great presenters in front of a camera is beside the point. And to suggest that writers are all effete, elite, and wealthy is insidious: I worked as a PA in Hollywood for 3 years (7 years ago) and I can tell you it is a very blue-collar industry, up to and including most of the writers -- who live in ordinary apartments and modest houses and in the majority of cases work long hours but have very short careers. They should get their residuals. If Viacom makes money and continues to make money from something written, so should its writer. That's straight-up America: you get paid what your work is worth, and if you don't think you get paid what it's worth, you can take a risk to try to get paid more. End of story.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-29040555865946682882007-11-16T02:22:00.000-08:002007-11-16T02:22:00.000-08:00More money, Les Moonves!More money, Les Moonves!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-30384891634828360912007-11-16T00:55:00.000-08:002007-11-16T00:55:00.000-08:00Surely someone can do a satire that's actually fun...Surely someone can do a satire that's actually funny and witty and well written...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462026865900537983.post-23903716421767066462007-11-15T20:38:00.000-08:002007-11-15T20:38:00.000-08:00"Let's see here... corporations vs. unions = a bat..."Let's see here... corporations vs. unions = a battle of power hungry unaccountable institutions, both pretending to represent individuals while steadily undermining them."<BR/><BR/>Huh hello !? <BR/>CEOs = Wealthy Old White Guys<BR/>Unions = Workers<BR/>Unions organize strikes to put pressure on the Rich White Guys so the Rich White Guys give them more money. Or in this case, give them a small percentage of income over internet content.<BR/>How does that undermine the workers ?<BR/>Because some of them were laid off ?<BR/>Hey you idiot, the rich white guy has the reins, he can decide to broker a fair deal with the writers, or he can decide not to.<BR/>The Viacom CEO is responsible for the laying off of people, for the near danger of the industry, he made the writers go on strike. <BR/><BR/>So stop making it look like you care about the workers, you don't. You care about the poor CEOs who don't want to give even a little slice of the internet cake.<BR/><BR/>As for AMPTP, it's sucking the CEOs cocks real good. Then, they talk about the strikers undermining the industry, what a joke ! <BR/>The ones who undermine the industry are those who broker unfair deals with writers, refuse to change them and then get surprised that the latter go on strike for their rights. You want to stop the destruction, broker a fair deal. It's not that difficult, and it's only a small percentage on what you already earn.<BR/><BR/>This country is already anti-human rights, it's anti-democracy, and now it's obvious it's anti-workers.Marcel Duboishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05741502563166475139noreply@blogger.com