Haute Cuisine, Extra Haute
The bad news is it looks like the writers' strike is going to be with us for awhile. The good news is you won't find any reruns here. The thing that really annoys me about the strike is the really lame chants and songs being heard on the picket lines. "What do we want? A contract. When do we want it? NOW? I mean, how shopworn can you get? Listening to my fellow scribes trying to sound like macho autoworkers you begin to get an idea why television is so mind-numbingly bad.
posted by John M Crowther @ 3:29 AM
6 Comments:
When I walked the picket line our signs were better. One I liked was " Make us an offer we can't refuse" roger
Could be an opportunity in it for you John... you may well soon be the only writer left standing (well "writing" anyway) Do you have any contacts? I found this interesting discourse on the politics of scabbing and breaching picket lines... there are some interesting "takes" on it here:
http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/2007/11/scabbing-doesn-pay-for-long.html
I remember when the pilots went on strike here... walked out on the job and left the whole country in the lurch. The Govt. held fast (for 6 whole months!!)chartered aircraft from overseas enlisted the army and it was tough for everyone but in the end those who wanted to work in an industry already well compensated got the jobs and the rest I think are still standing on the picket line all these years later. Most never worked as pilots again... (and the rest found work in regional airlines in far away places) It can go both ways.
I don't like people who hold others to ransom... (even for a good cause) esp. when it comes to essential services like health (currently nurses here) and transport.
Many years ago I worked for the Orange County School Board as a secretary for the Superintent of Schools so I was around during the teachers strike. While I feel that most teachers are under paid, I saw at first hand how nasty and mean the Union negotiators can be. I have often wondered if the teachers knew how horrible they are in those bargaining meetings. I also learned that there are seminars and classes to teach them how to act in those meetings.
UK actors are not paid vast amounts of money, although they are not underpaid by any means and writers there seem to make reasonable amounts of money as well, so most of the TV programs in the UK seem to be a cut above the USA programs. Maybe if the actors here were paid less for saying lines and writers were paid more for writing good scripts, TV in the states would improve. Personally, I find most of the programs on TV in the States boring and stick to the stations that show documentaries instead of mindless programs. Mind you, there are some real duds on the UK side as well but on the whole, the programs there are better written than here. Don't believe that anyone wins in a strike on either side.
Yes, I agree with John that there's something dated and pathetic about today's screenwriters chanting old labor songs from the 20's. Therefore, let me propose some new lyrics to that old lefty anthem, "The Internationale."
"Arise ye prisoners of syndication
For union in revolt now calls.
Arise ye writers on speculation
To march down Disney’s waxen halls.
Away with all your old commissions
Servile masses arise, arise!
We'll change for’er the old tradition
And reject the dreck to win the prize."
hahahaha... Il Prof!
U tube videos are having a field day with this one. One offering proffered the somewhat alarmist question (insert Jaws soundtrack here) "Think about it... where would we be without Desperate Housewives?"
Hmmm... "where" indeed! ;-D
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