FORCE MAJEURED! Writer Deals Axed At ABC Studios

COMMENTS (83)

• Yup.

  Comment by Axed Writer — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 6:31pm PST  Reply to this post

• I TOLD YOU SO.

  Comment by ChuckT — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 6:37pm PST  Reply to this post

• Well I bet this is retaliation for the Oscar boycott threat…and the rest of the networks will fall like dominoes really quick since someone else was first. So what’s the over under on the Golden Globes news confrence viewership?

  Comment by DW — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 6:55pm PST  Reply to this post

• Is this a sign that the Studios are ready to make a deal? Possibly with the DGA? This is their last chance to invoke force majeure and they are using it.

  Comment by Pepe — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 7:19pm PST  Reply to this post

• I’m sure the studios planned it all along.

  Comment by Michael Dobrofsky — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 7:35pm PST  Reply to this post

• Then this Reuters article concerning Bob Iger’s salary is very relevant.

  http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSN1132970920080112?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews&rpc=23&sp=true

  Disney says Iger’s salary rose 7 percent to $27.7 million

  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co (DIS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) President and Chief Executive Robert Iger received a 7 percent increase in total compensation in fiscal 2007, to $27.7 million, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday.

  Disney paid Iger a $2 million base salary, plus a $13.7 million bonus. The company expensed $7.9 million in stock awards and $2.2 million in option awards for Iger during the fiscal year ended September 30, the company’s proxy showed.

  Disney will hold its annual meeting on March 6 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the setting for the Disney Channel hit movie, “High School Musical.”

  (Reporting by Gina Keating; Editing by Andre Grenon)

  Comment by interesting timing — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 7:55pm PST  Reply to this post

• so the lucrative side deals start falling one by one. hmm, how will the union replace these jobs? oh yea, they won’t/can’t.

  Comment by greg o — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 8:38pm PST  Reply to this post

• The Hollywood Reporter, er, reports that one of the deals killed by ABC involved Taye Diggs; the deal was included in the package that brought him onboard “Private Practice.” I wonder how that will affect his future participation in “Private Practice” when the smoke clears and the show comes back. Or if ABC gives a damn.

  Comment by Mordecai — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 8:40pm PST  Reply to this post

• Great. Now I have a lot to come back to after this strike is over.

  Comment by IATSE JE — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 8:53pm PST  Reply to this post

• To IATSE JE

  These are writers without active projects, not shows being cancelled or production jobs going away.

  Comment by Mike — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 9:10pm PST  Reply to this post

• I guess that means the studios are gearing up to begin talks with us very soon. — once they clear the books, they’ll have completed what they set out to do in the first place… absolutely nothing.

  Comment by Dewey Cox — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 9:24pm PST  Reply to this post

• So, our well-considered plan to hit the studios hard bears fruit! That’ll show’em, brothers and sisters!

  Look on the bright side, we can start planning chants for the upcoming Valentine-themed picket!

  I heart a fair deal!

  Comment by unemplyedwga — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 9:24pm PST  Reply to this post

• so the lucrative side deals start falling one by one

  Umm…what? Now even less is getting produced how would that hurt the side deal of a company not affiliated with ABC. The side deals hurt because now UA & Harvey can make new deals all the other studios can do is watch them produce it.

  hmm, how will the union replace these jobs? oh yea, they won’t/can’t.

  Great. Now I have a lot to come back to after this strike is over.

  You are both correct now that ABC killed these projects the will never produce anything new again.

  Once the strike is finally over the studios are just going to stop making television all together as a big middle finger to all the WGA supporters uh…I mean Nazi Communist Organizers.

  Comment by Josh — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 9:27pm PST  Reply to this post

• You can’t expect Iger to survive on less than $27.7 Million a year. Be reasonable. Do you know how expensive it is to live his lifestyle? There is no way the man could stay afloat on anything less than that. $20 Million would be an outrageous insult to him. Even $25 Million would be offensive to his delicate ego. And to picket him and protest his exorbitant salary just shows how out of touch the writers really are. They are commie organizers. Bob Iger is a first class capitalist entrepeneur. He deserves every penny. The writers don’t deserve to set foot on the same studio lot he walks on. Bob Iger walks on water. I saw him do this trick at Disneyland last summer. He walked right across Cartoon Lagoon. Not even Eisner could do that.

  Comment by Anonymous — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 9:33pm PST  Reply to this post

• hey, mr. iatse and mr. modecai. iger just made 27 mill in one year. but go ahead, blame cuz we’re so greedy.

  Comment by writerw — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 9:37pm PST  Reply to this post

• How about force majeuring some of the pod deals?

  Comment by Klaatu — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 9:42pm PST  Reply to this post

• IATSE JE and greg o — you know, after the strike is over, there will be NEW DEALS.

  Comment by kitty — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 9:49pm PST  Reply to this post

• This is never going to be the same. Pilots will be scarce, and American gladiators will go after the lowest common denominator. Time go make sure the library card is in the wallet.

  Comment by Camera Pimp — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 10:08pm PST  Reply to this post

• This is just how America is today folks. This isn’t unique to the entertainment industry- It’s in EVERY industry.
  Healthcare, education, churches, car manufactures…they all have big fat cats supported by the working class.
  The working class needs a revolution. The WGA strike could be the pebble that starts the ripple of change in this country.

  Comment by shelly — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 10:08pm PST  Reply to this post

• Albuquerque. March 6th.

  Biggest. WGA protest. Evah.

  Comment by Fussy Protocol Droid — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 10:14pm PST  Reply to this post

• And how much does that mother zucker at NBC make?

  Comment by Ben Dover — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 11:02pm PST  Reply to this post

• “Albuquerque. March 6th.

  Biggest. WGA protest. Evah.

  Comment by Fussy Protocol Droid — January 11, 2008 @ 10:14 pm”

  Kenny Loggins protest show begins at 4pm. $50 for WGA members, $100 for fans, $1,000 for shills.

  Comment by pumpkin — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 11:07pm PST  Reply to this post

• Unemplyedwga @ 9:24

  “So, our well-considered plan to hit the studios hard bears fruit!”

  Disney, CBS, News Corp. and TimeWarner’s stock just hit a 52 week low. Viacom is down over 10% since the beginning of the Srrike. And GE’s (owner of NBC) is down @13%.

  So you can tell you brothers at Fib & Liar that yes, the Strike is working.

  A WGA Supporter

  Comment by A WGA Supporter — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 11:20pm PST  Reply to this post

• Dear “Unemployed WGA”: Do you get paid overtime by “Fib & Lie” when you post at night, or are you simply paid per post?

  Comment by Shills Are Parasites — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 11:31pm PST  Reply to this post

• I found a couple of news articles, stating that Weinstien Co. has, in fact, signed an interim deal with the WGA. It’s not intent any more, according to two sources it has happened!

  If true, it’s interesting that Variety hasn’t updated their article from yesterday.

  Nikki, anything? I’m quite sure this would be a headline if you had confirmed it.

  Comment by tentoes — Friday January 11, 2008 @ 11:32pm PST  Reply to this post