As much as I love to write, I have had it with the Writers Guild of America. Not only do they show favortism to certain production companies, like Tom Cruise's United Artists AND David Letterman's production company, but now they think they are being so smart by picketing the Golden Globes. Well forgive me, but I love the award shows and now those people's frivolous demands are beginning to affect the people they want to support them.
Answer me this...how do a bunch of people expect people to support them when they are splintering and making deals here and there? Isn't a strike supposed to be a united front and keep going until all negotiations are met?
Here's the deal...The writers are hired to perform a job. If it is a TV show, they also get residuals on their work. So while they're saying they're not working, all the reruns that need to be shown, because of lack of new scripts is generating new money for them by way of a residual payment and those who work on movies get DVD royalties. This just goes to show that the majority of them , if not all, are NOT starving while they are picketing...so to the people who have their kids hold signs that say "my mommy needs to feed me", well hand it off to all the administrative and non union people who are being laid off, because of other's selfishness. Selfishness you say? Yes, think about it....The producers put up money, with no guarantee they will make all of it or any of it back. Meanwhile, the writers are paid and actor's are paid, staff is paid and so on...now the writers are up in arms because they want a piece of the media profits, ie cellphone and Ipod downloads, DVD boxsets and so on...They had $.03 per sale, but got greedy and said they wanted $.08, but they were offered $.05 and didn't like that either and decided to strike. So people who are already paid, are wanting bonus money, as I call it....a few cents may not mean anything to anyone, BUT when it starts hitting the millions, it does start to make a difference. IF there is an issue than perhaps people should negotiate for extra profits in their initial contract negotiation.
As I said earlier in this blog, I love to write and people like this just kill me, because they're being allowed the opportunity to fulfill their dream. I would love to write something and see it on the big screen, but if I am paid for it already, I figure my job is done. Maybe I am wrong, I don't know, but right now I am an administrative assistant and I am seeing people in my field having to file for unemployment, because those picketers think they are the smart ones, when in reality they are being nothing more than selfish.
In my opinion they are holding Dick Clark productions/the award shows hostage, thinking that maybe the bigwigs will bow to public frustration, but in reality, I think a lot of people are starting to lose respect for the writers. For instance, how many people know that Dick Clark productions offered the same deal David Letterman's company did, but they were NOT shown the FAVORTISM that Letterman was shown. They are breaking down and making negotiations with some studios, granting waivers to others and not banding together in a united front as they said they would in the beginning. This summer the actors and directors are supposed to be striking too.
Perhaps WE should make a stand...I love movies and I will still go to them, but if I have to see the same things over and over again, I will. If it means getting out of the house and doing something productive because nothing is on, I will...
I have always dreamed about being apart of the entertainment business, but I can not support strikes that make no sense to me. I did not support the NHL Players in their strike, because to me when it comes to the entertainment biz, those people striking are nothing more than people making decent money, becoming greedy for more and as the century goes on and more and more media outlets are unveiled, it will probably only get worse.
My word to the writers...stand together, or negotiate as a whole, not with people you want to BUY support from...because what the public thinks of you should count a lot since we are the ones who allow you to get jobs with our need for a constant consumption of entertainment and as far as I go....you no longer have my support.
