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B-Rant- submitted by M.B.Darden on 01/23/2008Hey, Hollywood Writers, Good Riddance!Contributing Writer: M.B.Darden You had us at, Here's why... 1. January 21, 2008 Martin Luther King's Birthday Holiday 2. George Clooney. Nothing Against You, But.... You, abused oppressed Hollywood Writers don't need hero George to step in. We need hero George to stop making those inane, stupider-than-wood, only-for-money Ocean's 11 movies. The first one nearly sucked...the rest, look, they are what they are (but theatrical movies?). Why not just get all your Hollywood friends together, sit around your living room, act really cool and wise-assy, like you're about the best humans on the planet, and get the Studios to pay you millions for that -- it would probably be equally entertaining. Anyway, if George wants to help the Writers, fine. But when it's presented as something worthy of on-high intervention, public proclamations -- what's next, a holiday in honor of... -- self-righteous Hollywood "rights" babble...you're basically just shooting yourselves in the feet (which, from my point of view, isn't necessarily a bad thing...in fact, ever think about aiming a little higher?) 3. Reality Check, News Flash: Most of Your Shows Suck 4. Late Night TV -- It's Better Without You 5. Note To Writers: DVDs, Ever Hear Of Them? So many great shows we could spend years watching. ER...used to be excellent. Without A Trace -- again, way better in its earlier seasons. NYPD Blue, 24, Cheers, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Hill Street Blues, The Sopranos, The Shield, Entourage, Weeds, Homicide, Scrubs, 6 Feet Under, CSI, Larry Sanders, The X Files, etc., etc....DVDs! Point is, successful negotiation is about leverage. Get back to us after we've exhausted the stuff we can enjoy without you. (Remember, if you were all creating House, The Wire, you'd have some juice. But you're not. Mantra: House is the exception...House is the...) The Internet - It's pretty Fun Holy Sh*t...There Are Book Stores Out There Whoa, We've Got a Family, & There's Sports & Physical Stuff We Can Do Reality TV. There's More Now &, Yea, It Sucks, But So What?
Writers, good luck to you. Figure things out, take your time. We'll be here when you get back. (Actually a lot fewer will be here, according to some recent surveys...with the internet, games, so many other amusements available.) If you do happen to settle with the Studios, I know some may And I've got to get back to my DVDs & books & family (my other kid, turns out she's an amazing musician, piano, who knew?) & my ice hockey game (we're playing one dirty good team today) and later, who knows, maybe sex...not with the team (though there's nothing wrong with it), with a person, a woman probably, or not, but the possibilities are large... Awesome. Let the poor - submitted by Anonymous on 01/27/2008
Awesome. Let the poor writers become manual laborers! I saw a news article on the - submitted by workersrightsguy on 01/27/2008
I saw a news article on the Martin Luthar King rally and I couldn't get why nobody was questioning it. This is great. I saw pictures of WGA placards marching on MLK, they musst be out of their minds. thnx Movie writers wriet more - submitted by gameshowhost on 01/28/2008
Movie writers wriet more drek than TV people. No applause due TV writers bu5t they're Shakespeare compared to the movie folks James woods sucks! - submitted by Anonymous on 01/28/2008
James woods sucks! DVD's - submitted by Anonymous on 01/28/2008
Um, yes. The writers have heard of DVD's. The studios f$%cked the writers out of DVD rights 20 years ago, claiming, "It is a new technology and we can't be sure it will ever be profitable..." Sound familiar? Now, see your points about the internet... (And, while there, please review proper use of the em-dash. Its misuse is a pet peeve of mine.) All that said, I have to agree with you that TV and film is mostly awful, with rare, rare exception. And I am friends with some of those people who sit in writers' rooms, hacking out crap that was made by committee. I just choose to hate the game not the playa. (Ugh. Sorry. I am ashamed to have scribbled that quasi-metaphor. Really. I'm even going to leave it stand, so people can boo at me out there at there computer screens. Go ahead. I deserve it.) Okay, I'll just shut up now, get down off my soap box, and wonder if the five people who actually read this post could care less about my opinion. My guess? No. Goddammit!!! "Their." Not, "There." - submitted by Anonymous on 01/28/2008
Stupid lack of proofreading... Right on! I've been having a - submitted by Anonymous on 01/28/2008
Right on! I've been having a blast watching DVDs of all the HBO programs I've never seen- SANS COMMERCIALS! And the idea of actually picking up a book again? Genius! Writers, get over yourselves! Yes, we Americans DO enjoy mindless entertainment. But the majority of us ARE still resourceful enough to be able to find it somewhere else if one avenue is blocked! I completely support the - submitted by Anonymous on 01/28/2008
I completely support the writers in their strike, if you don't feel the same, you are obviously not paying attention. Bloggers suck - submitted by pft on 01/29/2008
Yes, let's all bow down and kiss the feet of our corporate overlords. Way to think this one through, champ. hey dumba$$ -0 - submitted by DVD on 01/29/2008
The reason most shows and movies suck is NOT because of the writers. It's because the producers and studio people who own and run the studios that pay for and produce this stuff insist on dumbing things down to the lowest common denominator. Nearly every writer in the WGA is pretty damn smart and a heck of a lot better writer than some internet hack who thinks he's smart because he has a blog. This fight is about little people striking back at big corporations who have the power and money to crush us all and if you can't support that, then I can't help your sorry ass. The POOR Writers - submitted by Anonymous on 01/29/2008
This is an open letter to all of the IDIOTS who support the Writers Strike. First off you cannot “Piggy Back” on something as profound as the Reverend/Doctor Martin Luther King, and insist that “The Man” in this case the “Producer Man” is holding you back. Dumb Asses. And speaking of Dumb Asses, for all of you who support the WGA – Writers Guild of America. They are not a Union: they are in point-of-fact a GUILD. What is the difference? A Union only strikes as a last resort. And a Union maintains the persona of “One for all, and all for one.” I’m willing to bet that most of you do not know that the Major Studios view the Writers as “Intellectual Property.” And as such when the Writers went on their ill advised “Strike” they were being paid their “Writers Wages” through the first 6 weeks of the strike. The studios wanted their investment of intellectual property to remain loyal to them and return once this “Strike” was settled. These dick-heads were paying production assistants minimum wage to carry their protest signs of a “Strike” while they, your glorious writers sat around some cheap assed patio table at an overly expensive coffee shop and bitched about their sore hands. And before you allow yourself to feel even sorrier for their loss, remember that these poor “Writers” could not even stand united as one. First they signed with David Lettermen, then with the Tom Cruise aspect of Paramount/United Artists, then with NBC Universal. Yes these same Dick-Heads who scream how life is so unfair as they drive by the protesting production assistants in their leased Mercedes 550 SL, really know how to stand together for something. About the only time these IDIOTS stand together on anything, is in the line to order at Starbucks around 10:00AM. These Jack Assess haven’t even started collecting un-employment checks yet. And I don’t need to remind you about the losses to a cities tax base either do I? It’s no-wonder the movies are made somewhere else, away from these jackbooted fanatics screaming about their downtrodden intellectual masses, while all the while spilling coffee down the legs of their $600.00 pants. When was the last time anyone of you wore $600.00 pants? I for one am saddened by the sickening attempt by these intellectual Brussels sprouts, who attempted to align themselves with the hard fought ideals attributed to the honorable Reverend King. You really have hit yet another all time low. Keep up the Great Work, and don’t forget to put another quarter in the meter of your self-delusion again while you’re down there. haha - submitted by Anonymous on 01/29/2008
Sad rant overall, but you showed your real interest with point number five. You seem to be mainly upset because they are not running as many pig and weasel (police and lawyer) shows, with a smattering of butcher (hospital) shows thrown in. Maybe you should just give up now and live in the nineties surrounded with piles of DVDs. I do not believe many of US (the other viewers) will miss you. "Nearly every writer in the - submitted by kenR on 01/29/2008
"Nearly every writer in the WGA is pretty damn smart and a heck of a lot better writer than some internet hack who thinks he's smart because he has a blog" I don't know about the "hack" who wrote this blofg. Seems OK smart to me. But I watch the shit WGA writers write and most show zero evidence of being "pretty damn smart." Maybe you're watching with sound and picture off? Yeh, I love this rant. Civil - submitted by Anonymous on 01/29/2008
Yeh, I love this rant. Civil rights marchers in Mississippi. coal miner strikers in 1920s. WGA writers marchers in 2008. Why don't they drive their BMWs into the minesw & see how real workers live. Solidarity! To the anomymous commenter - submitted by FrankT on 01/29/2008
To the anomymous commenter who said: "Jame Woods sucks! Brilliant! Soimeone needed to say it. Wake me up when the cinematographers strike, there's an exploited classs. I thought the whole point was ... - submitted by GiTm_AU on 01/30/2008
... that you could watch shows on DVD and not a cent of that money was going to the writers of the show? I'm behind them in that that is how good writers should be rewarded - if their scripts have a lasting quality about them why shouldn't they get a share of the ongoing profits? Ok, it's not a war and comparisons to the civil rights movement are way over the top but the basic stance is valid. As the actual content contributer (aka 'artist') wouldn't you expect some recompense if you wrote scripts that people talked about, bought and watched well after it was aired? BTW: If you are happy to put up with the 'reality' shows and/or have just rediscovered books I feel very sorry for you. |
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