Is Bill Maher An AMPTP Shill?

Real Time With Bill Maher returned with a new show this evening on HBO.  Maher ditched his opening sketch, launched into a monologue in front of a new set piece, had a satellite interview with PJ O'Rourke, went into the Round Table, brought in a reporter, and then, near the end of the show, brought up the Strike.

Maher said he purposefully waited until the end of the show to discuss the Strike, because he felt it was important to put things in perspective and, in the middle of Presidential Primaries, the Strike simply is not as important to America as it is to Hollywood.

And then Bill Maher nervously ripped into the WGA leadership.

He drew the exact same analogy Divided Hollywood has been using since this site was started in November -- that critics of the WGA, its leadership, or it's tactics are treated by the WGA faithful the exact same way that critics of the Iraq War are treated by the Bush Administration.

This is something I fleshed out in more detail than did Maher, and you can see the poster I created -- on November 20 -- here.

Maher publicly questioned whether this was "the right strike at the right time," echoing familiar questions about the Iraq War.

Our friends at United Hollywood (and I honestly do consider them friends, though I disagree with them on so many things) recently posted that Writers should feel free to voice dissent, so long as they stopped short of "pulling a Ridley" and went Fi-Core.

There would be no backlash, the post went, so long as the dissent was honest and not meant to divide.  Well, Bill Maher has put himself out there, and didn't look too comfortable doing it.  His discomfort was understandable -- who wants to berate his family in front of a national audience?

But Bill has always spoken his mind and has lost jobs because of it.  The question is, will Writers embrace him anyway?

Or will they attack him -- as they attack so many of us with legitimate concerns -- as another AMPTP shill?

DGA Talks To Begin

Formal negotiations between the DGA and the AMPTP are set to begin tomorrow (Saturday).  Both sides are calling for media blackout until negotiations are concluded.

I have a well-placed source who tells me that members of the WGA Board and Negotiating Committee met in December with members of the DGA NegCom and detailed their bottom-line needs in a contract.

Presumably, if DGA can write in these minimum requirements (or better), then WGA will be prepared to sign nearly the same deal, and the strike can be concluded within days of the DGA deal.

This same source repeats what we've repeatedly heard from the Guild, however, that if the DGA deal is not up to their standards, the WGA will not sign it.  Period.  They are very prepared for the strike to continue.

Good luck to the DGA.  And here's hoping that the AMPTP decides to "save face" by being the consummate fair negotiators with DGA...

Let's get a deal and get back to work.

(PS - SAG is still on the horizon.)

Another Awards Celebration Down - WGA?!

In a sign that the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing, the WGAw announced that they were canceling their awards celebration at the Bonaventure Hotel (a non-televised gala).

The WGAe, who holds a simultaneous event in NY, knew nothing about it.

Frankly, I don't think the WGA should hold an awards ceremony in the middle of a strike, especially when they're shutting down other, broader awards.

But the fact that East and West can't get on the same page about it is one of the few humorous episodes to emerge from this debacle.  They wonder why they're losing the war on the PR front...

Strike Casualties Continue To Add Up - ICM, WB

The strike continues and more people are out of work (or soon to be) because of it.

The Hollywood Reporter writes that ICM has sent several lit agents home, though they get strike pay and will come back when the strike is over.  So far, no assistants at the majors have been laid off.  

Assistants and staffers at many smaller agencies, however, have been let go and some of those are leaving the business for good.

Meanwhile Warner Brothers has notified many of its staffers and facilities employees that they may be next.

ABC Nightly News covered one casualty on its nationwide broadcast the other night - a craft service person with 20 years' experience who has already lost over $20,000 and has no real options right now.

I'm sure there are many who have lost much more.

Golden Globes Scrapped - Will Oscar Fall, Too?

Yesterday, the gala event that is the Golden Globes was axed.  In its place will be a one-hour press conference, to be covered by NBC News, in which the winners will be announced.

NBC will also have cameras at Golden Globes parties - if there are any - and will give winners a chance to appear on camera.

The Writers' pressure to completely lock down the awards show - no writers, no actors, no presenters - finally led to the compromise as the HFPA tried to salvage some version of its awards, long used as an early indicator of the Oscars.

It remains unclear whether any stars will appear.

As we look forward now to the Oscars, the WGA might want to consider a different course of action.  They got the press they wanted and the ounce of flesh they craved from NBC, but should they also attempt to bring down the granddaddy of all awards?

It is important to remember that the AMPAS, which awards the Oscars, is not the AMPTP.  Also, AMPAS has not yet asked for a waiver or an interim deal, so granting one when the request comes in would not be a capitulation on the part of the Guild.

Here's a quick look at a number of reasons why the WGA should work with, not against, AMPAS:

1) The Oscars show is the single biggest and most important celebration of our industry each year.

2) There can be no doubt but that nearly every single winner and presenter will be pro-WGA and will make very strong statements as such - for over three hours!

3) 11 of the 24 categories -- nearly half -- honor below-the-line achievements.  Other than best song and, to a lesser extent, composer; these nominations are the only opportunity these very talented artisans ever have to be acknowledged on a national (much less worldwide) stage.

4) There are numerous ways to allow the show to go on.  The WGA could grant an interim deal.  The WGA could grant a waiver.  The WGA could deny a deal or a waiver, but not picket.  The WGA could picket, but in tuxedos and off to the side -- get the press, but allow (even encourage) nominees to attend.

5) The symbolism of being against the Oscars could do more harm than good.

Take a moment to enjoy the show with the rest of us, Writers.  Allow yourselves a chance to celebrate the past year.  It was a great one.

Side Deals A-Plenty, Sorta

UPDATE: The UA deal has been officially announced. It is, according to a WGA letter to Members, "virtually identical" to the WWP deal.

WGA is likely to announce a deal with United Artists today which is similar to the WorldWide Pants deal which allowed David Letterman and Craig Ferguson to return to the air with their writers.

Rumors are also swirling that similar deals are being discussed with Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company.

Meanwhile Dick Clark Productions, the company behind the Golden Globes telecast, has been unable to work out a deal. NBC is finally giving serious consideration to canceling the telecast. If the broadcast is canceled, the awards ceremony could still go on, only without pickets and with full attendance of the evening's nominees, including writers and actors.

DCP has maintained that they are not AMPTP signatories and would sign the same deal which was signed by WWP. WGA has offered no public explanation why they won't sign a deal with DCP. Rumors and blog comments suggest that WGA does not want to give NBC advertising revenue, and wants to deny AMPTP members the promotional aspect of the telecast.

This rationale does not make sense, however, since identical arguments could be made about the WWP deal. CBS gets advertising revenue from those broadcasts, and Alliance Members can freely send stars to Letterman and Ferguson to promote their upcoming releases.

Presidential Politics

I want to take a break from the Strike for a moment to address an issue which, in the long-term, is more important: Presidential Politics.

After watching the Iowa Caucuses and the two-party debate in New Hampshire, I have decided to endorse (for whatever THAT'S worth!) Sen. Barack Obama for president.

All this talk of being "the candidate of change" is nice, but what's really important are the candidate's ideas, in the scope of our nation's history, and Obama may be the one candidate capable of uniting the people of this nation and putting us back on the path to greatness as a country.

For twenty years, two families have held the White House. Do we really want to extend that streak to 24 or 28? Do we really want history to record a list of presidents that goes Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton? Certainly this alone is not reason to vote against Hillary. But the underlying meaning is that we need to look forward, not back.

Barack Obama for President.



(I promise, this will be my only post about politics for politics' sake. Thank you for indulging me.)