How are we going to pay writers ten years from now?
Nobody knows--there's no standard industry price to pay a writer for a blog post, a web video, or a podcast. As these forms multiply, it's becoming harder and harder for writers to get a fair wage for these new products.
That's one of the big reasons why the Writers Guild of America is striking in Hollywood right now. This video from the Guild explains, complete with cast members from the brilliantly written (and now halted by the strike) show, The Office. (Thanks to TV Decoder for the link)
If you want more funny and dark context on the strike, Steve Bryant passes along the mysterious videos of Alex Perez: Scab Writer. Finally, think about this quote from the story, "Penny-A-Worder" by Cornell Woolrich--a reflection on the self-destructive joy of writing for the vicious pulp fiction industry in the 1930's.
Is this how we will be living in ten years, chained to metaphorical typewriters?
"The story flowed like a torrent. The margin bell chimed almost staccato, the roller turned with almost piston-like continuity, the pages sprang up almost like blobs of batter from a pancake skillet. The beer kept rising in the glass and, contradictorily, steadily falling lower. The cigarettes gave up their ghosts, long thing gray ghosts, in good cause; the mortality rate was terrible."
Your TGIM thought of the day is brought to you by Dan in Real Life, which you must see immediately.
Mitch: It was like an angel walked into the room.
Dan (eating corn): This corn is an angel.
You would think that a person who has never owned a TV would be less interested in watching the Emmy Awards. But actually, loving The Office, Grey's Anatomy, 24 and The Daily Show the way I do means that this was a big year. And my good friend and neighbor, Michelle, has a big TV to match. Hmmm. You can see detailed info here, but I also have a few things to say.
For example. What's up with that shot to T. R. Knight when the animation thing (before the host, who was some guy named Ryan something, came on) mentioned the shunned Isaiah Washington? Hasn't George been through enough? Especially after not winning tonight (a travesty!).
Anyway. I was majorly bummed when both
The Daily Show and
Late Show with David Letterman (which will always be
Late Night in my heart) got shot down in a double-whammy effect of what the eff was
that? And not just because when I was a teen I would tape
Late Night and watch it the next day after school, recording the Top Ten lists and best lines in my special
Late Night notebook. Dude, I even wore Adidas when everyone else was wearing Keds just because Dave wore them, that's how obsessed I was.
Jeremy Piven absolutely deserved his win (even if it was over Drama). Ari Gold is totally brill. And Jeremy is sweet. When I got my picture taken with him after the Neil LaBute play
Fat Pig (before the days of
Entourage - my love for Jeremy goes way back), he pressed his cheek right up against my cheek like we were old friends. He said, "There's love for me in New York." You got that right.
I'm a big
Grey's fan. So it was hard to accept the fact that they did not win for best drama (of course
The Sopranos had to get it, everyone knows this, duh, but it's still hard). But what was even harder to accept was the personality of Katherine Heigl (thanks for clearing up that pronunciation, by the way)...not exactly shining through. More like blinding everyone with insensitivity. Here's a hot tip: You might want to think before you speak. Like, when you say, "Even my own mother didn't think I had a chance in hell of winning" when your own mother is sitting right there as your guest, it might come off as...oh, I don't know...insensitive, perhaps? Especially when your own mother then looks as if she's about to burst into tears as the camera cuts to her while you're rambling on with the rest of your speech. Oh, and about that speech? We didn't need to hear that you've been "working [your] ass off for seventeen years." Sweetie, some people in that room have been working their asses off for
seventy years. Simmer down now.
Kiefer Sutherland: always a gentleman, looking sharp,
24 theme playing all officially in the background, still not winning for best lead actor in a drama. My conclusion: that sucks. Here's what should have happened with that:
In a fabulous moment of synergy, Steve Carell presented for best variety show and
The Daily Show finally won! Yay! Jon Stewart is so hot that it didn't even matter when he gave his speech with some lipstick on his lip. You go, Jon. Work it!
Own it!
In an even more thrilling moment (if you can believe that), Steve Carell ran onto the stage when Jon Stewart called him up to accept the best lead actor in a comedy award, which he
completely deserved. Way to stick it to the man (the man, in this case, being some lame dude who won and wasn't even there). In other news of
The Office, shout-out to Greg Daniels who won for writing an amazing ep. And in a most excellent Dwight Schrute style competition, Rainn Wilson battled Kanye West and beat his butt to a pulp. That's how long I been on ya, nephew! But when both
The Office and
Entourage lost in the best comedy smackdown, I had to call it a night. There's just no excuse for that kind of inappropriate behavior.
Ok, got around to watching this week's episode of The Office over the weekend. Loved the Harry Potter references.
Paraphrasing here, not a transcript:
The office goes to the beach. Michael has team games planned for them.
Dwight names his team: "We will be Gryffindor!"
Jim: "Not Slytherin?"
Dwight: "They're the bad guys, Jim"
Jim: "I know"
Jim: "I guess we will be Voldemort"
Dwight: No, no, not "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" NO!
Jim's Team Chanting: "Vol-De-Mort! Vol-De-Mort! Vol-De-Mort! Vol-De-Mort!"
Dwight pounding on Andy in the inflated sumo wrestler suit shouting: "Gryffindor! Gryffindor! Gryffindor!"
Loved Pam's speech.
LOVE IT! :-)I'm rooting for Jim and Pam, that's for sure!
Thank you sooo much - just what my afternoon needed! But I have to say...I'm liking Jim & Karen better than Pam & Jim right now...
time will tell.
(I love this show!)
alan
I didn't watch the show the first 2 seasons (was a fan of the BBC version) but I've netflixed and got all caught up now. It is amazing how dear these characters have become to me.
I like Karen AND Pam.