After a week without blogs I wanted everyone to know i’m still alive, sorry for being gone. haha But there are more serious things to talk about… like the writers may be closer to returning to work. As reported in the Hollywood Reporter, “clear progress has been marked in informal talks between studio execs and striking writers, stoking broad expectations that a tentative agreement may be announced sometime this week.” So we shall see what unfolds in the next week. But at least LOST is back on the air.
Heres another ASICS lifestyle image that was shot by photographer Paul Aresu.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, ABC has officially terminated roughly 30 overall deals- both non-writing and writing. This is a huge indication that the strike is having at least some financial effect on Networks and Studio’s. This is somewhat surprising considering they dropped a few big names, like Larry Charles (former Seinfeld Writer, Borat Director), Taye Diggs (Actor/Producer) and Producer Sean Bailey (Matchstick Men, Gone Baby Gone). So, as you can tellm there not just “cutting the fat”- these are high profile filmmakers. So when will this strike end? And does anyone else remember there was supposed to be a Golden Globes Award show playing right now???
And since ABC is on the brain, check out this short behind the scenes clip of Ana Ortiz from Ugly Betty. Ana is a really sweet person, not to mention amazing as Hilda on the show. This video was shot with a small hand held camera, so dont expect anything too fabulous! haha Check it out below….
The WGA Strikes again! But this time its the Golden Globes that suffers. NBC has decided to cut the usual 3 hour (or more) show to a 1 hour press conference announcing the winners. Sweet! Cant wait to tune into that one! I look forward to wasting an hour of my life watching what I could read in a newspaper or on the internet in 35 seconds. ha ha jk. But the show “change” was brought possible because all of the nominated actors (who are all SAG members) decided to boycott the show. Well, at least there’s a few other award shows to watch.
Shiloh Fernandez from Jericho as shot by Tyler Shields
As the WGA strike heads into 2008 still on strike, many late night shows have already committed to returning to the air. In the past few weeks, Kimmel, Letterman, Leno and Conan committed to returning to the air. Then, most recently, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. How is this possible you ask? Well… The shows will probably rely more on the guest interviews, rather than the long opening monologues that are heavily scripted. But will SAG actors want to appear on the shows? Regardless, the shows will be the same but not really. haha Who knows how long the strike will continue? But on the bright side LOST returns in just over a month.
As the strike continues more and more networks have decided to suspend their payroll, with Jimmy Kimmel Live being added to the list today. ABC cut the show, so JimmyKimmel, much like Conan Obrien, Jay Leno and David Letterman, has decided to pay his staff out of his own pocket. Only Last Call with Carson Daly has returned to the air with new episodes to avoid laying off staff. Im not sure how much these salaries are, but from working in the industry im assuming not cheap. Im very impressed that these latenight hosts have decided to cover these costs, considering they will probably be several hundred thousand dollars. What are your thoughts?
And how long will this strike last? The two sides have begun talking again, so maybe there will be a present in store for us before the New Year.
Working Girl Editorial – In Look Magazine
Photography by Yu Tsai
Well its been a few weeks and the strike has finally started to affect the industry in numerous ways. First off, I already miss my late night shows- especially Conan O’brien- that guy is hilarious. But many other projects are now starting to halt production. Angels & Demons, the highly anticipated sequel to The Da Vinci Code has paused production, and Johnny Depp has had two films on his slate which have now been postponed. This trend will continue until an agreement is reached- and if the strike continues longer than people planned for- then prepared to be over-run with reality show content and non-scripted shows. So my suggestion to all of you TV watchers out there is to maybe check out nature, or play with your kids, or maybe go to the gym? There’s lots of fun ways to entertain yourself! Good luck!
WGA Writers striking on Beverly Blvd in West Hollywood
Today a really good friend of mine forwarded me a letter that a WGA writer had just sent him, and the letter had a very interesting view point- so I thought I would share it with you guys. And as a disclaimer, I am actually on the fence about the strike. As a producer, I have allegiance to other Producers and what is good for our business, BUT, I am also a member of SAG- so I have strong allegiances to them also… So keep in mind, I am not FOR or AGAINST the strike…. ENJOY!
“” I’m saddened and angered that the WGA has gone on strike. I think the WGA strike, and the approach to these contract negotiations, have been the wrong way to fight the wrong battle. I think they’ve squandered any goodwill they had in this negotiation by picking the wrong area over which to have a fight. And the danger goes far deeper than that, as my other unions echo WGA’s chants.
Its finally official, the WGA has begun the strike! Say goodbye to Leno, Conan, Letterman, Colbert and J Stewart for a little while… but don’t worry, they’ll be back. (hopefully with lots of new material!) Also, don’t plan on seeing other cool shows like SNL… but don’t worry, top notch shows like the Tyra Banks Show will still continue (none of their writers are WGA because Tyra wanted to pay them less than WGA scale). So order your netflix now, or map out your closest Blockbuster or Hollywood Video- it may be awhile before the late night boys are back…
According to the Hollywood Reporter, WGA negotiators unanimously decided to bring a strike recommendation to the leadership on Friday. This means the strike could become official Monday, and who knows how long (or short) it could last. A lot of scripted Prime Time Television Shows will be affected, including smaller orders of episodes for shows like Hero’s, Criminal Minds and CSI. A lot of other TV shows might be canceled altogether, so prepare for more reality shows! (Dont get me wrong I love a good reality show) Check out this photo of Criminal Minds star AJ Cook that Tyler Shields shot for a recent editorial.
Thats right! And most likely it looks like it will happen. For any readers out there who aren’t involved in entertainment, this is a really big deal. Feature Films in America are the number two domestic export, only second to video games. And when the WGA went on strike in 1988 for 22 weeks it cost the industry an estimated 500 million dollars. Im not sure what that translates into today, but I would have to guess at least a billion! Thats insane! So if (when) they do strike, who will be the most affected? The answer to that is TV, but more specifically shows that are written the day of taping. Late night shows like The Tonight Show, The Late Show, Late Night With Conan O’brien, and etc etc will just shut down altogether. Also, many other types of shows like morning shows, and other comedy shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. The current WGA contract expires at midnight, so only roughly 3 hours left- so pretty much the strike will happen. So, good luck to all you writers out there! Also, Happy Halloween!
And I thought I would post a random new photo today, so check out this Tatyana Ali pic which is featured in Tyler Shields book 4by5.
So it looks like the WGA is going to strike- which could have ripple effects felt throughout the industry- but we don’t yet know for sure. The current contract ends at the end of October, and the WGA members have already authorized a strike with over 90% approval of those who voted. The outcome of this will be found out very shortly- but i’m guessing they will strike till roughly the New Year, then come to a resolution shortly after that. Only time will tell…
On a completely separate note, I have been trying to update all the sections more day by day. But mostly i have added some pics in the photography section. One pic I just added is for Hollywood rocker Mickey Avalon, which Tyler Shields shot. My old roommate said about 6 years ago that Mickey was going to be huge, and thanks to myspace he has a huge following. Check him out below…
So I heard a rumor today that the WGA might strike October 18th, earlier than their predicted date of October 31st, which could mean some serious ripple effects for Film and Television. In my opinion, independent films would be able to fill the open slot left open by studio films, but Television wouldn’t stand a chance. Most networks have already ordered more episodes than time would allow if there were a strike- which would be crippling to the networks because Ad revenue is based on ratings- and if there’s bad shows, then the network wont be able to survive. If you want more info, check out this Hollywood Reporter article.
So anyone have some thoughts? Aren’t writers and people who work in entertainment payed enough already in comparison to the rest of the world? (…and I’m not saying I wouldn’t want to be paid more!)
And for a pic today to tie in with all this madness, I thought I would showcase actor Jonathan Tucker – most recently from the TV show The Black Donnelys, which was created by Paul Haggis. The photo was taken by Tyler Shields. Enjoy!
