Month: February 2014

WGA Contract Talks Brittle In Opening Days Over “Ridiculous” AMPTP Proposals

Deadline brings us up to date on the Writers Guild of America’s contract discussions with the Alliance of Motion Picture and TV Producers. The article works hard to downplay the differences, but the question remains: Why start out the talks by insulting the writers and getting their dander up? Are the rollbacks a ploy…or are they real?

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by Dominic Patten

There’ll be fireworks but no fire, and there will be a deal in the end. That’s the word I’m hearing from both sides out of the WGA’s contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and TV Producers after two days of talks. No one is commenting publicly, but I’ve learned that besides presentations from both sides during the opening days, there’s palpable unease in the room at AMPTP HQ thanks to the multimillion-dollar rollback proposal producers sent the WGA more than a week before negotiations began. “There’s a feeling of why did you have to insult us?” a WGA insider told me over the producers’ request for $60 million in rollbacks from the health and pension plans, residuals and targeted screenplay minimums. “Once again it makes us the least favored child of the guilds.” Some on the other side of the table don’t disagree with that assessment. “Those were ridiculous proposals meant to appease the people at the top, not anyone in the room,” a well-placed producer told me. “That’s why they were sent out more than a week and a half before talks started, to get the shot across the bow out of the way.”

Opening salvos and tensions aside, the way things stand right now, the expectation is that “pattern bargaining” will hold sway and everything that was in the deal the DGA made with the producers late last year will basically be in the agreement the WGA comes to after a few weeks. Not that it won’t be a possibly bumpy road to get there. “Things might blow up a bit, though right now it could come from either side,” said a studio exec close to the talks.

John Ostrander: Upsides & Downsides of Being a Writer

by John Ostrander

Ostrander-ArtThere are some days that I love being a writer. When the everything is cooking, when the words are flowing, when the characters are speaking to you, when you’re on the top of your game, it’s all magic. That’s not every day. Not by a long shot.

There are the days when you’re staring at the screen and it stares back – and the screen does not blink. You pray and the gods/patron saints (depending on your belief system) do not smile, do not answer, do not share their favor with you. There are days when I have considered offering blood sacrifices to these gods/saints. On those days, the cats hide.

I make my living off of my writing. There are upsides and downsides to that. On the upside, I’m my own boss. On the downside, I frequently hate my boss. He always knows when I’m goofing off and I can hear his voice in the back of my head saying, “Are you makingmoney doing that?” It’s hard to get a day off; there’s no paid holidays, there’s no paid sick days, no paid vacation. read article

munchman: Joss Whedon Speaks – in Paris (but in English cuz he does that so well)

My father had an old saying: “If you’re lucky you don’t have to be smart.” Today I got lucky.

By finding this transcript of a Q & A with Joss Whedon at the Paris premiere of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. Enjoy:


(This is in French so, um, be careful) read article

Cartoons: DREAM JOBS

Oh yeah!

dreamjobs-blogSee a zillion more insightful cartoons at Incidental Comics

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 2/5/14

Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are=&0=&Rob Schneider (ROB) is co-writing (with wife Patricia Azarcoya Schneider), starring in, producing, and financing his own  series, which he says is heavily influenced by FAWLTY TOWERS. (Rob’s doing the whole indie series thing here, with nobody to answer to but, well, himself and Patricia. In other words, we’re talking new paradigm – so your truly is all for it in every possible way. Go get ’em, tiger!) Craig Brewer (HUSTLE & FLOW) has a new overall deal with Paramount TV and will be writing, directing and producing two drama pilots. (Which myself think is awesome cuz…hey, this dude knows something. He’s fucking good, you know?) Wilton Barnhardt’s novel Lookaway, Lookaway has been optioned by HBO for a comedy series described as “a scathing comic window into the dysfunction of the American family, as Old South traditions clash with 21st Century realities….” (The producers are Sue Nagle and David Minor, and they’re looking for a writer, so if you or somebody you love knows ’em, have you peeps get in touch.)