The Grim Realities of Reality TV

First, let’s get something straight. What’s being talked about in the following article – working conditions for writers and others in reality TV – definitely sucks.

But guess what? It’s the same in fiction TV…but the salaries – at least for writers – are better.

There. We said it. And so has Gawker’s Hamilton Nolan: read article

The WGA W is taking women’s issues seriously

…So if you’re a member here’s a forum you just might want to attend:

treatment of women in film and tv

Showrunner of UNDER THE DOME comes out

Yay Neal!

under-the-dome2

‘The Gay-friendliest Writer in Television’ Comes Out in His 50s
by Neal Baer M.D.

I’m gay. There, I said it, and it only took five decades. read article

Emmy Nominations for this Year have been Announced…

Pride, 2005by Team TVWriter™ Press Service

…And, frankly, the categories and nominations for writing awards as well as everything else (Best Guest Star category? Huh?) are so screwed that it’s impossible for TVWriter™ to take the process seriously this year. (Not that we had all that much respect for how the whole Emmy thing was set up and run before.)

So instead of listing the writing nominees, as we’ve done in years gone by, we suggest you check ’em out at the SOURCE.

Or better yet, don’t bother. read article

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 7/10/14

Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are
by munchman

  • Simon Rich is adapting his book, The Last Girlfriend on Earth, Man Seeking Woman, into a comedy series for FXX. (The show is described as being about a man who “enters the dating scene, a nightmarish hellscape of untold horror.” Hey, they got that right. Now we’ve just got to hope for a few laughs.)
  • Dan Harmon (where have we heard that name before?) is prepping a 6th season of COMMUNITY for Yahoo, of all places, now that the show has been axed once again by NBC. (Which could mean that we’ll have to take Yahoo seriously when it comes to laughter. Um, anybody see what Yer Friendly Neighborhood Munchman did there? Anybody care?)
  • Jeff Pinkner (FRINGE), Josh Appelbaum “>(LIFE ON MARS),Andre Nemec (STAR-CROSSED) and Scott Rosenberg (LIFE ON MARS) are co-writing the pilot for the new CBS drama series, ZOO, based on the novel of the same name by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge. (Which means a big payday for all the writers involved, you can bet your muncher on that – and also big aggravation for the WGAW credits department, which is not known for its love of 4-person writing teams. As in they’re generally denied.)
  • Bryan Fuller (HANNIBAL) & Michael Green (THE RIVER HEROES, whatever that is) are co-writing a pilot for a Starz series adaptation of Neil Gaiman‘s, um, masterpiece actually, American God. (Which my munchiness would greet with unmitigated pleasure if I hadn’t wanted that gig so #@!$ing much. But this is still the best TV development news I’ve heard since I started writing this department! Fucking AMERICAN fucking GODS!)