Writer's Strike....

[The Incredible Hulk]

its when their contract ended. thye werent going to work without a contract for 7 months until the actors and directors deals expire.

 

[avidreader]

I just get pissed off that Smallville is not on iTunes or the CW website. They have all the other crap shows on the site, but not their highest rated one? And if Smallville went on iTunes, I'm sure there would be a ton of people buying season passes or even just individual episodes. The Aquaman pilot with Justin Hartley was the top tv episode for a while. They could have the same success with Smallville.

I wouldnt stake my life on this, but I think it might have something to do with DVD Sales. Smallville DVD Box Sets are a goldmine for the company, and if you dilute the sales by having the individual episodes available on iTunes, then they're not going to reap all those big dollars that they get by selling the entire sets.

 

[avidreader]

Probably not.

Kara's big arc was in the first half of the season, not the second half. So she's been serviced well.

Indeed.

No, in all likelihood, the character to get the biggest shaft this season will be Lois.

Actually, after I wrote that and went away, I was thinking Lois. But we know for sure that Lois will be back next season (provided we have a next season) so, I'm really not worried about her not going all out Top Ace Reporter, just yet.

It's a shame they couldn't have been more prepared for the strike. If they went into the season knowing they only had fifteen episodes to work with, they might not have "wasted" episodes on Black Canary and whatnot. I get the focus on Supergirl; they want a spin-off after all, but S7 is going to seem pretty disjointed in retrospect if they're chugging along and all of a sudden, the season ends with a cliffhanger at #15.

Well, it sounds like they were more prepared than some other shows. So I think we're lucky on that front. I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in the Black Canary episode, but of course that's just me. As long as its only one episode that's not Smallvillecentric then what they have to offer us is still probably within the boundaries of what they would normally give us.

It'll be seven months before they can resolve it at the earliest, and even THAT isn't guaranteed. We don't know if CW has ordered S8, we don't know how a shortened S7 affects existing contracts (will Rosenbaum be "forced" to return?), and we have no clue how the SAG and DGA strikes will affect the show should they even happen. And that isn't even the half of it. There's quite a few variables going forward.

Yes, all that is very curious.

 

[Migu-EL]

Hopefully the strike gets resolved soon and Smallville won't end up getting affected.

 

[barnface]

I completely understand why the writers are going on strike, yet at the same time it just sucks for us, who have been watchers since episode 1. I just have a really bad feeling this strike will go longer than February and end up messing with season 8. I just wonder what the last episode in Feb. is going to be. It better be a completely epic episode. It could very well be the last new episode for a LONG time.

 

[04nbod]

I'm actually sort of glad. Waiting for downloads or a stream online has become a chore and it might be nice for a break

 

[AgentPat]

I think I'll consolidate all of the replies I was going to make into one post. It's quicker that way. 'Sides, I have to go make dinner.

Okay, here's a few predictions going forward. Call 'em educated guesses based on fact rumor gut feeling (hunches) and empirical evidence :

• The strike isn't going to be resolved any time soon. Read: It could go on for MONTHS.
• SV's seventh season will be 15 episodes long and end with a typical SV-sized big-arse cliffhanger.
• Clark will fly for real by the season finale. The "wow" moment will be the fact he doesn't fly alone. (Yes, it'll be with Lana.)
• There will be an eighth season (assuming the strike is resolved by July and SAG and DGA don't hit the picket lines at that time.)
• Michael Rosenbaum will be back for S8.
• There won't be a Supergirl spin-off next season. Maybe the following year, depending on how resilient CW is as a network, how other female heroine-led shows do (Terminator, Bionic Woman) and how superhero shows in general are doing (SV, Heroes, etc.)
• Welling won't be Superman in Justice League. Other films... who knows?
• George Miller's Justice League isn't happening any time soon.
• Neither is Singer's MOS.

And that's my predictions for today. I reserve the right to change 'em tomorrow though, 'cause this IS Hollywood doncha know?

 

[Prison Mike]

I like downloads because it's a nice alternative to TIVO or a DVR. Once I get my own place, I will definitely get a TIVO or DVR though.

 

[OobeDoobBenubi]

With the way Michael has been excited about this year being his last year of Smallville they would have to torture him for him to come back. Strike or no strike.

 

[mellyM]

With the way Michael has been excited about this year being his last year of Smallville they would have to torture him for him to come back. Strike or no strike.

He should suck it up and realize Lex is probably the best role he's ever going to have and milk it for all its worth

 

[Showtime]

I think I'll consolidate all of the replies I was going to make into one post. It's quicker that way. 'Sides, I have to go make dinner.

Okay, here's a few predictions going forward. Call 'em educated guesses based on fact rumor gut feeling (hunches) and empirical evidence :

• The strike isn't going to be resolved any time soon. Read: It could go on for MONTHS.
• SV's seventh season will be 15 episodes long and end with a typical SV-sized big-arse cliffhanger.
• Clark will fly for real by the season finale. The "wow" moment will be the fact he doesn't fly alone. (Yes, it'll be with Lana.)
• There will be an eighth season (assuming the strike is resolved by July and SAG and DGA don't hit the picket lines at that time.)
• Michael Rosenbaum will be back for S8.
• There won't be a Supergirl spin-off next season. Maybe the following year, depending on how resilient CW is as a network, how other female heroine-led shows do (Terminator, Bionic Woman) and how superhero shows in general are doing (SV, Heroes, etc.)
• Welling won't be Superman in Justice League. Other films... who knows?
• George Miller's Justice League isn't happening any time soon.
• Neither is Singer's MOS.

And that's my predictions for today. I reserve the right to change 'em tomorrow though, 'cause this IS Hollywood doncha know?

Till Death and Desperate Housewives are shutting down production, Desperate Housewives on Thursday. All late night television shows are now running repeats. Things are not looking good.

 

[avidreader]

I think I'll consolidate all of the replies I was going to make into one post. It's quicker that way. 'Sides, I have to go make dinner.

Okay, here's a few predictions going forward. Call 'em educated guesses based on fact rumor gut feeling (hunches) and empirical evidence :

• The strike isn't going to be resolved any time soon. Read: It could go on for MONTHS.
• SV's seventh season will be 15 episodes long and end with a typical SV-sized big-arse cliffhanger.
• Clark will fly for real by the season finale. The "wow" moment will be the fact he doesn't fly alone. (Yes, it'll be with Lana.)
• There will be an eighth season (assuming the strike is resolved by July and SAG and DGA don't hit the picket lines at that time.)
• Michael Rosenbaum will be back for S8.
• There won't be a Supergirl spin-off next season. Maybe the following year, depending on how resilient CW is as a network, how other female heroine-led shows do (Terminator, Bionic Woman) and how superhero shows in general are doing (SV, Heroes, etc.)
• Welling won't be Superman in Justice League. Other films... who knows?
• George Miller's Justice League isn't happening any time soon.
• Neither is Singer's MOS.

And that's my predictions for today. I reserve the right to change 'em tomorrow though, 'cause this IS Hollywood doncha know?

Too funny! t: ..... and very clever. I might just save that.

He should suck it up and realize Lex is probably the best role he's ever going to have and milk it for all its worth

I agree 100%.

 

[avidreader]

LOL!

Have you guys seen the images posted at Ksite of the Smallville writers.

http://www.kryptonsite.com/onstrike4.htm

 

[Showtime]

Tina Fey is walking the picket lines, so is Julia Louis Dreyfus.

More shows already have gone dark...

*Back to You
*Rules of Engagement
*New Adventures of Old Christine

...with The Office to follow.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

I didnt even know those shows were still on the air

 

[Zorex]

I was at Fox to pick up some stuff today for work, and having to pass through the picket lines was...uncomfortable, to be honest. Being that confronted with these people whose livelihoods are on the line...I feel for them.

 

[Serene]

He should suck it up and realize Lex is probably the best role he's ever going to have and milk it for all its worth

Agreed. I came this >< close to renting that Kickin' it Old School movie the other day, but I just couldn't. I want to see Michael in it, but I'm not sure I can sit through that whole thing just for his scenes.

I really like Michael a lot, but truly, he needs to ride this Lex Luthor role for as long as he can.

 

[Prison Mike]

I saw the movie and it was okay. Not great, but not horrible. Michael was funny and a bit over the top, but he's great at that.

 

[AgentPat]

Gut feelings on Rosenbaum? He'll be back. That impression started with the PATHETIC box office returns for Kickin' It Old Skool ($4.7M WORLDWIDE!) and was hammered home by the new opening credit order on SV. Wait and see folks. Just wait and you'll see.

Back to the strike - there's been a good deal of posts here and elsewhere expressing the writer's POV, but as with any disagreement, there's at least two sides to every story. Here's an interesting comment from somebody who is not a writer. It was posted over on Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily blog:

Nets and studios are still researching the best way to make money online. Is it content with paid commercials? Is it paid content with no commercials? How much will advertisers pay to run in online content? Will they pay a premium for online content, or do they expect to get it at no charge or a reduced cost for advertising on-air? How do you figure costs for online ads that are part of an on-air buy? How much will consumers pay to buy a TV show they can watch on TV for free? Would they rather pay less to rent the DVD than watch the show on a computer? The content providers are still ironing out the best way to make money with this new medium, and I’m just saying that if the WGA is smart they shouldn’t rope themselves into a long-term deal until they know exactly how much this medium is worth.

Also, to Slowcooker….you wonder what nets would do if advertisers said “We’d like the network time slot we paid for to include unlimited runs on-line.” The fact that you ask this question leads me to believe you’ve never worked in TV sales. These are exactly the kinds of things advertisers ask for, and because TV revenues are plummeting (especially on the local side) and broadcast TV is dying, the advertisers have the sales reps over a barrel. Don’t kid yourself. Nets may be raking it in, but not like they used to. Broadcast TV as we know it will be dead in 10 years, and this strike is the nail in the coffin.

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/dhd-advisory-breaking-strike-story/

I'm not a writer, nor am I a Hollywood mogul, but this conundrum is vewwwwy interesting when seen from BOTH sides of the fence.

BTW... the Lost info changed again. According to a poster over at PiFeedback, "it was pulled at the ABC website. Jumping the gun, or wrong? No idea. The site master at darkufo.blogspot.com says that none of his sources (and he does have them) indicated Thursday as a timeslot."

 

[Son of Sun]

Michael is great as Lex, but I think that his role is getting nowhere. I mean, picturing myself witnessing such things and having everyone slam the door to my face on a regular basis, I would surely vent a little steam - sooner than later. I liked the season 1 Lex. He was very untrained in normal human relationships and approached the Clark and Lana situation like someone like him really might. I haven't really seen his character develop beyond increased amount of scheming, which still seems to me like *********ing without the payoff.

I've become bored with the smooth and cool Lex. It's way past the time that he and Supes take their gloves off and quit the stupid friends4life routine, which obviously isn't there if Lex has to pucker up after breathing.

 

[Moviefan2k4]

So, according to a YouTube video I saw off K-Site, the writers want eight cents per DVD and Internet download, as opposed to four from the DVD and none from the download...what are the corporate moguls' problems?! I've done some mathematics to help illustrate my point, so read on.

We're talking pennies per writer, out of the multi-millions that Warner Bros. has earned from Smallville alone. For the sake of this post, I'll use Al Gough as an example, strictly in the "writer" capacity...

Let's just say (for discussion's sake) that Gough wrote or helped to write all 22 episodes of a season, and was given screen credit for each one. That's 8 x 22, which is $1.76 for the original airing.

Now, add on the number of times each episode would be re-run within a 12-month period....say, three. That's $1.76 x 3 = $5.28, for a 22-episode run with 3 repeats a year.

Now comes the fun part...Internet downloads. Once again, for discussion's sake alone, let's say 50,000 people download an episode, or watch it on the CW site. That's 8 cents per episode, times 22 in a season, times fifty thousand...that's $88,000!!!

So, adding in the broadcast a rerun totals, each writer would make $88,005.28 per year. Multiply that by 8 writers, and you have a grand-slam total of $704,042.24...over seven hundred thousand dollars!!!

Seven hundred grand is a small price for WB to pay one group of writers per year, out of the billions the studio pulls in anually. And last I heard, the WGA had about 5,000 members, so the final annual equation would go something like this...


$88,005.28 (per writer) x 5,000 = $440,026,400

FOUR HUNDRED FORTY MILLION DOLLARS!!!

God knows every writer in Hollywood deserves their fair share of that money, so here's to blessings and miracles for all you storytellers.

 

[Moviefan2k4]

So, according to a YouTube video I saw off K-Site, the writers want eight cents per DVD and Internet download, as opposed to four from the DVD and none from the download...what are the corporate moguls' problems?! I've done some mathematics to help illustrate my point, so read on.

We're talking pennies per writer, out of the multi-millions that Warner Bros. has earned from Smallville alone. For the sake of this post, I'll use Al Gough as an example, strictly in the "writer" capacity...

Let's just say (for discussion's sake) that Gough wrote or helped to write all 22 episodes of a season, and was given screen credit for each one. That's 8 x 22, which is $1.76 for the original airing.

Now, add on the number of times each episode would be re-run within a 12-month period....say, three. That's $1.76 x 3 = $5.28, for a 22-episode run with 3 repeats a year.

Now comes the fun part...Internet downloads. Once again, for discussion's sake alone, let's say 50,000 people download an episode, or watch it on the CW site. That's 8 cents per episode, times 22 in a season, times fifty thousand...that's $88,000!!!

So, adding in the broadcast a rerun totals, each writer would make $88,005.28 per year. Multiply that by 8 writers, and you have a grand-slam total of $704,042.24...over seven hundred thousand dollars!!!

Seven hundred grand is a small price for WB to pay one group of writers per year, out of the billions the studio pulls in anually. And last I heard, the WGA had about 5,000 members, so the final annual equation would go something like this...


$88,005.28 (per writer) x 5,000 = $440,026,400

FOUR HUNDRED FORTY MILLION DOLLARS!!!

God knows every writer in Hollywood deserves their fair share of that money, so here's to blessings and miracles for all you storytellers.

Whoops; made a serious error. I accidentally multiplied the airing and repeat money by the downloads, instead of adding first! My fault! (...sorry...)

So, fixing that, and seeing since each writer usually gets credit for about 5 episodes a season (instead of 22), then the total amount would be...

$0.08 x 5 episodes x 3 repeats = $1.20

$0.08 x 50,000 (downloads) = $4,000 + $1.20 = $4,001.20

$4,001.20 (per writer) x 5,000 writers.....$20,006,000

Twenty million bucks is a far cry from 440, but the writers still deserve it. Sorry for the colossal screwup (thank God I'm not an accountant).

 

[jr24tw]

Anyone who wants to follow the strike WGA has it's own youtube channel so check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=wgaamerica

 

[SamuraiSon6]

the Ksite news has made it to IGN....

http://tv.ign.com/articles/833/833103p1.html

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

Whoops; made a serious error. I accidentally multiplied the airing and repeat money by the downloads, instead of adding first! My fault! (...sorry...)

So, fixing that, and seeing since each writer usually gets credit for about 5 episodes a season (instead of 22), then the total amount would be...

$0.08 x 5 episodes x 3 repeats = $1.20

$0.08 x 50,000 (downloads) = $4,000 + $1.20 = $4,001.20

$4,001.20 (per writer) x 5,000 writers.....$20,006,000

Twenty million bucks is a far cry from 440, but the writers still deserve it. Sorry for the colossal screwup (thank God I'm not an accountant).

you're forgetting the DVD's in your calculaton and there are over 15,000 writers in the WGA.