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MONDAY PM EXCLUSIVE REPORT: Today’s Talks Productive: “Reasonableness Ruled The Day”
As the WGA strike begins its 4th week, I’ve been told positive news about today’s resumption of contract talks between the writers and the producers. So positive, in fact, that I’m almost fearful to post it. But here goes: a very reliable source tells me that there appears to be a deal seemingly in place between both sides.
“It’s already done, basically,” the insider describes. That’s because of the weeks worth of groundwork by the Hollywood agents working the writers guild leadership on one side, and the studio and network moguls on the other. I was told not to expect an agreement this week. But my source thought it was possible that the strike could be settled before Christmas.
Look, I don’t want to raise false hope here. But this source has been very accurate in the past. The negotiations starting today will have a news blackout, so don’t expect any significant leaks. But consider the real possibility there’s been a breakthrough. Still, I must caution that this is Hollywood — where defeat is snatched from the jaws of victory nearly every time.
- Talks Restarted At Agent Bryan Lourd’s Home After Weeks Of Quiet Backchannel
- LET’S STRIKE A DEAL! Both Sides Agree To Go Back Into Talks
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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“First!” as the kids on aintitcool say. This strike has been great fun and I really love all the attention and the cool red shirts. But a lot of money is being lost at all levels of the industry… Let’s wrap this thing up!
I hope they got a piece of DVD and advertising on web broadcasts
Perhaps it’s a good thing that I’m too petrified over a presentation I’ll have to give in an hour to process any good news, because otherwise I think my hopes would be flying. Here’s hoping/praying this is as positive as it sounds, because, damn, that was faster than I ever expected.
Assuming a deal has been struck did the WGA keep DVDs off the table or are they back on?
Inquiring minds and all…
It’s funny, I had a dream about the strike last night. I dreamed that writers were coming from all around to protest. A very positive sign! I also dreamed that the head negotiator of the WGA was a red-headed 56 year old woman…
This piece was posted on the WGA site. I think it’s very important for those who aren’t familiar with the math behind all this to take a look.
Here’s the link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-handel/reflections-on-residuals_b_73908.html
Yay! Hope that’s true! *crosses fingers*
If the strike is settled before Christmas, will we have more new episodes this season, or is it already too late?
oh how i hope you are right!
How long will there be a news blackout?
Thank God. Hopefully soon I’ll be able to get back to what I was doing before the strike: Feeling jealous of Judd Apatow.
perez stole your photo, but at least he’s linking here.
I too have heard that there is potentially a “core deal” in which both sides have not reacted violently towards. In this case, mutual non-hate is a great place to begin detente. Fingers crossed, fists unclenched.
*fingers crossed* I’ll take any good news at this point…
Since the announcement ten days ago that talks were resuming, more than a dozen writers have told me they’ve heard there’s a “framework” for an agreement already in place.
I don’t buy it.
The AMPTP has a PR disaster on their hands, made all the worse by the fact that these moguls are the ones who are supposed to understand media better than anyone. So what does the AMPTP want more than anything right now? A do-over.
No one should forget what happened the Sunday night before the strike. That was all about making the WGA take the fall for this. But with things having gone so badly for the AMPTP (only 4 percent of Americans are siding with them) they see this as a chance to right their ship. They pretend (again) like there’s an outline of an agreement to be had, but meanwhile they have spent the past weekend figuring out how to walk away from the table and blame us for the breakdown, in a way they are convinced will stick. Things can’t get much worse for them and it wouldn’t be surprising if the moguls get rid of Nick Counter as soon as the strike is finally over, so there’s nothing for their side to lose by trying this.
They are Lucy with the football and we are going to fall for it again.
Yepp. Inside out. It is true. I never thought it would be possible. Apparently, the agents are really more powerful than I thought.
I have 4 sources (fellow writers) inside the talks – it is a done deal. They need to circulate the agreement through the studio’s and vis-a-versa then wham o. We go back to scribing the tv shows…….
I will take anything positive right now.
I hope that this is true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I keep my fingers!!!
um… wow.
I was going to hold my breath until I remembered this is LA and sooner or later I still have to breathe the air no matter what.
Let’s hope that all parties approach this with egos aside and a common sense level of intelligence.
pb, still believing in a flat earth too.
I love you, Nikki!!!
I love the Lucy with a football analogy in the comments above, but for once I hope she lets Charlie Brown kick a field goal. I’m wary after what happened the night before the strike, too, but let’s hope that wiser heads prevail this time – and, above all, Nikki, thanks for keeping us informed once again.
LOL @ Sammy Glick. I do that on an hourly basis.
http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/10519
Studio Exorcism Tomorrow, hope you can link….
That’s cool. Why would it take until Christmas to be finally done, though?
I won’t Counter the chickens before they hatch.
-Awriter
@BDA – agents may be powerful but the public is too. And we don’t like what the AMPTP has done. It’s a microcosmic example of how disenfranchised a lot of us are feeling as we’re squeezed by corporate America in our own jobs, far from Hollywood.
I’m one of the overwhelming majority who support the writers from afar… I don’t have a stake in this except to wish that people were treated more fairly in the workplace. So @Anon writer… even if you are right and this is just a public relations scam by the AMPTP, know that it won’t work; it didn’t work the first time, and the public isn’t going to suddenly become stupid about this issue. Writers have a voice now – thanks to the internet (hah, the very issue at hand), the public is pretty darn well informed of the issue at hand.