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I’m told writers are miffed that Fox’s new Wanda Sykes show coming Saturday nights is asking prospective scribes to do a lot of free writing in order to try out for a job there. It’s a WGA show, which is not supposed to ask writers to create new material as part of a submission packet. Now, in truth, most shows do it, whether it’s Letterman asking for a sample Top Ten list, Conan asking for some sample monologue jokes, etc. But writers tell me they’ve never seen one with the nerve to ask for this much for free. And, speaking of nerve, “How about their bombastic description of Wanda Sykes’ talent and what this show is going to be? You’d think Nelson Mandela was getting his own talk show here,” one scribe emailed me. Here’s the submission packet:
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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If Wanda Sykes finds anything remotely funny or interesting in going out to buy a new pet with Michael Vick, then she’s a low-class unsophisticated woman who has staffed herself with self-important idiots. Leave that alone. There are plenty of social issues she can tackle if she wants to look at all intelligent. What assholes running her show could come up with such a degrading and unnecessary idea.
Prediction; Wanda Sykes is not funny enough to carry a show by herself. Quirky, but not funny!
I have never ever thought Wanda Sykes was even remotely funny. This would explain why they don’t want to invest anything in the writers.
Judging by the ideas they’re tossing by the writers, it looks like they’re looking for some real crap.
The best part of this is that we’ll have another insanely liberal late-night show that no one is going to watch.
Sure, go after middle America … ha ha ha! they’ll watch because they’re boobs! ha ha ha! … we’re making fun of you and all the things you like (Sarah Palin, Adam Lambert, Christianity, etc. etc.) ha ha ha! … we’re showing you what REAL humor is: Perez Hilton and Will.i.am inteacting in ironic ways. ha ha ha! … because we’re sophisticated and intelligent and important and you can’t turn us off— oh wait, you just did and we’ve been… canceled? Well, THAT’s not funny!
If this is the kind of crap that Wanda’s looking for, she’s not going to last very long. But, then I’ve never found her very funny anyway. Her nonsense at the Obama dinner earlier this year was about as unfunny as one can get.
How is this harder than doing a top 10 list? It’s relatively basic, and most of the length is examples to help the candidate understand what approach is wanted, to avoid wasting both party’s time.
What? A prospective employer wants to see proof that an employee candidate would actually be a good fit? How insulting!
My god, unions have a warped sense of how the real world works.
The WGA lets latenight producers rip off the writers all the time. Look how Leno and others use freelancers. The guild knows about it and is scared of making Jay mad so the practice continues. Anyone who pays the WGA a penny of union dues is supporting the ripoff.
In other words, more hackneyed, ‘in-your-face’ studio-manufactured, quasi-left-wing ‘edginess’ covering the ground-breaking material of every existing comedy show and stand-up act in the universe. Could they have crammed any more insipid hypespeak into that abortion if they tried? I already hate this show.
Sykes is too grating to be able to carry a show.
I can think of perhaps 3 times she made me laugh, but I can recall quite a few where she caused me to cringe, mute the show, or change the channel though…
Wanda Sykes is SO hilarious and funny! I will be tuning in to her new show and I wish her all the best! She is just the greatest and it sounds like she is working hard to dot all I’s and cross all the T’s. Getting things in order and tweaking! Too soon to start in with the negative! You go Wanda! Hit a grand slam out of the ballpark!
“that uninterrupted block of white guy’s yattering”
So, like the Supreme Court, should no White men apply for the job of writing her show (for her)? Or just insecure liberal white men pandering to each other to show how hip they are? Please.
If Sykes is so amazing and original, why isn’t she writing this stuff on her own? This memo reveals she’ll be little more than a willing puppet, ready to attack Christians, conservative statesmen and Mormons for a quick, ready-made jump start. The usual suspects on the media hate list.
Glad this memo got leaked. It is another stale recipe for success within the industry, and failure with the viewers.
I love you, but is this legal to post such things? This is basically a development document of a show that is the property of a production company entity. It must be legal to post such things otherwise you wouldn’t have done it. Perhaps because it was released as an external document it becomes public? Curious.
How is this harder than doing a top 10 list? It’s relatively basic, and most of the length is examples to help the candidate understand what approach is wanted, to avoid wasting both party’s time.
Comment by Stephen — July 23, 2009 @ 4:58 am
What? A prospective employer wants to see proof that an employee candidate would actually be a good fit? How insulting!
My god, unions have a warped sense of how the real world works.
Comment by here in flyover — July 23, 2009 @ 5:19 am
Any questions? If so, there are plenty of unemployment lines w/ spots just for you ready to explain everything!
Shouldn’t “professional writers” have samples prepared so people can see their talent?
PS: crazyproducyguy– The world is not targeted to your sensibility, contrary to your obvious belief. Just keep watching Bill O’Reilly– I hear he’s hilarious!
Wanda Sykes has never, ever, not once made me laugh out loud.
This is going to be canceled quickly. How do you expect to judge prospective writers’ work when their own examples aren’t even funny?
I think Wanda Sykes is hysterically funny.
The secret to late night greatness lies in a combination of talent in the host and the ability of the producer to tailor the vision of the show to the host’s strengths.
It seems Wanda’s producers want her show to be I’m fucking Ben Affleck meets The Chappelle Show.
The “bits” they list that “work for them” are lame.
Instead of being just timely with your comedy show Wanda, aim for Timeless.
That is what still carries SNL today. The fact they can run those old 70′s clips that are still funny but not dated like anything Michael Jackson related.
Example: Are Elvis is dead jokes still funny?
Look we know Wanda is funny and good so the producers are on the hook for this show not Wanda.
If I recall, the Man Show was fined for the same exact thing. WGA will let them get away with it until somebody cries foul to them.
This from a friend: Jimmy Kimmel forces his writers to write his outside the show gig material (Roasts, Espy’s, AMA’s, even his Upfront jokes) for free. That’s a fact.
They’re all blatant scumbags.
everyone wants to be a liberal until they have to pay for it.
So they’re looking for monologue samples, field pieces ideas, and produced pieces ideas. And in return the applicant gets a high paying job in a terrible economy. Seems completely fair.
And seems very close to what Daily Show or Colbert ask for.
Suck it up.
Thanks for publishing this. Now I know I don’t have to waste even thirty seconds watching the show to see it I like it. Yawn.
How is this a “rip-off” of writers? So tired of how entitled people behave. If you want a job, you need to apply; if they want you to do a sample, you do it. And they have the right to ask for anything they want, even if unreasonable, just as you have the right not to apply!!!!
Clearly, many of you are talented comedy writers.
From the requirements list: “Flight of the Conchords bring it every episode…”
Clearly whoever wrote that never got around to seeing the Conchords’ flat, virtually laugh-free second season.