the strike takes its toll on writers, viewers

my coverage of the writers guild strike continues...

yesterday, i got some really disheartening news from variety, which naturally has had some good coverage of the strike. apparently, if the strike goes 5 or 6 weeks, actors' contracts can be renegotiated or revoked or something by the studios and networks. so when the strike eventually ends, and more scripts get written and production starts up again, some actors' jobs may be in jeopardy because they have moved on to other projects or they are just angry with the studios. or something scary like that.

i mean, the actors don't have much choice on other projects they can move on to, you know? no tv shows or movies are being written, and the ones that are ready for production may not get produced without writers on hand anyway. and if those actors were looking to go to broadway? well that's not happening right now, either, thanks to a current strike of the stagehand union. although that strike will probably be cleared up before the writers' strike, in my opinion.

what is more scary how the strike will affect so much more entertainment down the line. production has stopped at several shows. so when the strike is over, actors, writers, directors, etc. can get back to work on scripts that are in the pipeline, but there won't be any more after that until the writers get back to some serious work. so seasons of shows might be cut dangerous short. and if the strike lasts too long, we might not even get any new episodes before may, when television shows traditionally wrap up their seasons. might we live to see new episodes debuting during the summer?

sadly, that probably won't happen. if the strike lasts until january, lets say, shows we love will probably get back on the air by the spring, in time for may sweeps hopefully, but we will be missing out on several weeks of new shows. and favorites that were scheduled to go on air in january, like 24 and lost, may not make it on the air all season.

meanwhile, we're stuck with second rate shows that were scheduled for midseason replacement of crappy shows that started this fall. the networks have started to debut these shows now, along with new reality shows like american gladiators that are due on deck soon.

and the strike has similar reprecussions for the movie industry, too. we might have enough movies to last us through summer 2008, but after that, who knows.

all of this because the studios won't pay writers less than $200 million over three years.

i am upset that my tv watching schedule may be disrupted, but i still support my fellow writers. although you write for tv and movies, and i write for an online newswire, we are all the same. you might be more creative or funnier than me, but i commiserate with you on your quest for validation and future gains on new media. i agree, new media and the internet is the future.

if my shows are off the air for a few weeks or months, i can catch up on other shows on dvd. you stay strong! fight on fellow writers!