WGA Decries Stewart/Colbert Return

COMMENTS (33)

• The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Leno, O’Brien or Kimmel as long as the strike continues.

  And even if I was some anti-Guild New Media Douchebag hater, I still wouldn’t watch Stewart or Colbert (of those listed above, the two I was watching before the strike), as most of the funny on those shows is in the scripted segments – Stewart’s headlines, Colbert’s “The Word”.

  Comment by Mheister — Friday December 21, 2007 @ 12:55am PST  Reply to this post

• Hey, Watcher? Thank you for being sane. I am gradually, but surely, gravitating from being a WGA supporter to one who’s choking so hard on all the hostile sour grapes that I hope y’all get zip.

  Comment by girldreams — Friday December 21, 2007 @ 2:26am PST  Reply to this post

• “Dear Girldreams, nothing could be further from the truth. And if anything is performed on TDS that violates strike rules, don’t be surprised to see people come forward and talk.”

  Oh, really? You know, something tells me that if the Daily Show had stayed dark, no one would have ever “heard” these backstage stories you’re hinting at. The fact still remains that both Patric Verrone and Tom Schulman have stuck up publicly for the guy in the most glowing of terms. So obviously, you’re saying that leaders of the WGA lie to suit their own purposes.

  Comment by girldreams — Friday December 21, 2007 @ 3:02am PST  Reply to this post

• Some people already think the strike is over BECAUSE the late night shows are returning to air. The public support for this strike is weak. Much of the public isn’t watching this strike closely. Even more are not watching it at all. Most people that answer that they support the writers when a pollster calls don’t even know what the strike is about. They just feel screwed by their employers too.

  So while strong majorities of people who are polled have said that they support the writers in the strike, uninformed underdog support of that type isn’t very deep.

  Late night shows returning was inevitable, but most of the public doesn’t understand that. They are as clueless as those of you who think Stewart et al is going to be using their shows as bully pulpits for the strike.

  If you want to hear about the strike on those shows, be sure to tune in on the first night of each show, because the 30 seconds that are used to mention it will be the only time that you get to catch it.

  Comment by Another Minor Blow to the Strike — Friday December 21, 2007 @ 3:43am PST  Reply to this post

• Mike: “Alan Clark- it’s guild comprised of writers, and though it is, essentially, *owned* by writers, that fact doesn’t need to be reflected in the name. Doesn’t need a possessive (though it wouldn’t be incorrect to have one)”

  Hmmm… I believe Alan Clark was referring to the grammatical error in this statement: “Comedy Central forcing Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert back on the air will not give the viewers the quality shows they’ve come to expect.” The gerund is “forcing” and the proper form of the statement is:

  Comedy Central’s forcing Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert back on the air will not give the viewers the quality shows they’ve come to expect.

  Your commenting on Alan’s comment reveals more about your knowledge of grammar and parts of speech than you may have intended.

  Comment by Stuart Creque — Friday December 21, 2007 @ 8:06am PST  Reply to this post

• I am disappointed in all these talk show hosts (and let’s be honest, all of them are writers and WGA members — so what’s the diff between thinking of a joke before the show and writing it down and thinking of a joke before the show and remembering it to say later? None)

  I feel like all these guys are letting the writers down, specifically the writers on their own shows. All it tells the AMPTP/networks is that these shows… and potentially others… can be done WITHOUT WRITERS ALTOGETHER. If Jay really wanted to help his crew AND his writers AND all the unions in general, he would use his influence, power and connections to tell his network bosses and the higher-ups that he needs his writers and they need a fair deal. In the end, he’s really screwing all the crew members, because this kind of action weakens ALL unions. I don’t think any of these guys are being forced to go back to work — and they are not using their power as stars to put pressure on the AMPTP to make a fair deal. If anything, they should ENCOURAGE their shows to be picketed to keep the writer’s struggle in the public eye and in the minds of the greedy corporations who are truly behind this strike.

  Comment by jennifer — Friday December 21, 2007 @ 9:29am PST  Reply to this post

• Having Jon and Steven back is probably the best thing for the writers.

  Both of them have poked fun at their “Bosses” and both have expressed support for the writers.

  Comment by Rick H — Friday December 21, 2007 @ 4:00pm PST  Reply to this post

• Unlike the way they dealt with Carson Daly, The WGA sure seems to be giving Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert a free pass. Are striking WGAW members going to heckle and disrupt THEIR shows? I doubt it. Apparently Carson’s real crime was not being hip enough for the room.

  Comment by MAYNOTLAST — Tuesday December 25, 2007 @ 12:21am PST  Reply to this post