Writer's Strike Update ~ It is all over, except for the voting!

Writer's Strike Update

After days of rumors and articles, it appears that the writer's strike is over! *cheer* Every news outlet is reporting it as a done deal. However, the Writer's Guild of America members still have to vote to accept the new contract. According to Deadline Hollywood Daily, the standing ovations seem to indicate the vote will be positive. Writers may be back at work by Wednesday :)

What does the end of the writer's strike mean for Moonlight? From everything I've heard, CBS is not planning to put our show back into production for the short time remaining in this season. BOO! Several sources ~ including the list I published earlier from TV Guide's Michael Ausiello ~ have said Moonlight will return with new episodes this Fall. While that is good news cuz we want a second season, I have been writing and calling CBS asking for the remaining episodes they ordered of Moonlight for this season! Our show is relatively inexpensive to produce.... and... it never hurts to ask, so I hope you are doing the same!

Deadline Hollywood Daily's info on the strike negotiations held Saturday, February 9th, 2008 ~

SATURDAY 9:00 PM: I've received word from inside the Shrine Auditorium meeting that the WGA West membership was obviously "very positive" about resolving the writers strike as soon as possible and accepting the deal negotiated by the guild leadership with the Hollywood moguls. Also, the WGA governing bodies wisely decided to ensure that guild members be able to vote within the next 48 hours before the strike can be called off by leaders -- even though the AMPTP made the deal contingent on the writers going back to work immediately. Under this new end game, Hollywood could now get back to work by Wednesday at the earliest (not Monday as previously arranged). This also means the Academy Awards, just 14 days away, won't be picketed. A writer who just left the confab told me: "There was cheering for everything and standing ovation after standing ovation for all the leadership. There is no question in my mind that because of the atmosphere in that room this strike will be called off. There is no gearing for a fight. It's over."

WGAW President Patric Verrone announced that there would be a vote by the membership over the next 48 hours on whether or not to lift the strike. I'm told Verrone said specifically that the decision to call off the strike, regardless of the WGA Negotiating Committee's or the WGAW Board's or WGAE Council's recommendation, was to be in the hands of the membership (which wasn't originally planned). Pending that outcome, the 10-day ballotting process for members to accept the tentative deal would begin. Since the moguls insisted that vote not delay the lifting of the strike, WGA leader Dave Young Young told the auditorium that the writers, and therefore all of Hollywood, could get back to work by Wednesday. That means Back 9 orders of some scripted TV series could be saved along with a no-frills pilot season with less scripted series ordered than ever before. (And expect the upfront presentations to advertisers to consist of a lot more pleading than preening.) Some of the force-majeured deals could be reinstated. (But it's important to remember that three times as many pacts would have been cancelled if the agents and lawyers hadn't lobbied the networks and studios.) Feature films that were halted could get going immediately.

About 25% of the attendees left the auditorium after Dave Young explained the deal points. But the meeting is still going on as members now ask questions about specific terms.

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/tick-tock-no-wga-deal-language-yet/

Ausiello ~ No new Moonlight episodes until Fall

TV Guide's, Michael Ausiello, has addressed the question of which tv shows will go back into production when the writer's strike ends. Unfortunately, he says no new Moonlight episodes until the Fall season. I am conflicted by the news.... Yea! for Moonlight returning for the Fall season.... BOO! I want more now! Of course, this information is not set in stone. Have you contacted CBS lately??

At long last, a strike chart you can get excited about!

With an end to the three-month-old WGA strike imminent (yay!), the networks have quietly begun outlining plans to salvage what's left of the current TV season. At the same time, I've been quietly picking at my moles to get a preview of those plans — the results of which appear in chart form below.

Keep in mind that the following information remains extremely tentative and is subject to change (and probably will). In other words, I strongly suggest you refresh your browser at least once an hour to ensure that you're getting the most up-to-date scoop possible.

24
Expected to return this fall or January '09.

30 Rock
Expected to shoot 5 to 10 new episodes to air in April/May.

Back to You
Two pre-strike episodes remain. Future TBD*.

Bionic Woman
No new episodes expected. Ever.

Big Love
Expected to go into production on Season 3 in March. Airdate info is TBD.

Bones
Four pre-strike episodes left. Unclear whether additional episodes will be produced for this season.

Brothers & Sisters
Expected to shoot 4 or 5 new episodes to air in April/May.

Chuck
No new episodes until fall.

Criminal Minds
Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.

CSI
Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.

CSI: Miami
Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.

CSI: NY
Expected to shoot 4 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.

Desperate Housewives
Expected to shoot 4 or 5 new episodes to air in April/May.

Dirty Sexy Money
No new episodes planned until fall; three remaining pre-strike episodes will undergo some tweaking and kick off fall run.

ER TBD.

Everybody Hates Chris
Twelve pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected for this season.

Friday Night Lights
No new episodes expected for this season. Future TBD.

Gossip Girl
Expected to shoot up to 9 new episodes to air in April/May/June.

Grey's Anatomy
Expected to shoot 4 or 5 new episodes to air in April/May

Heroes TBD.

House
Expected to shoot 4 to 6 new episodes to air in April/May.

How I Met Your Mother
Expected to shoot 5 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.

Jericho
Seven episodes remain. No additional episodes expected for this season.

Las Vegas
Three pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected for this season.

Law & Order: SVU TBD.

Life
No new episodes expected until fall.

Life Is Wild
No new episodes expected. Ever.

Lost
Six pre-strike episodes remain. Six additional episodes could air this season.

Medium
Six pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected this season.

Men in Trees
Eleven pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected this season.

Moonlight
No new episodes expected until fall.

My Name Is Earl
Expected to shoot 8 to 10 new episodes to air in April/May.

NCIS
Expected to shoot 5 to 7 new episodes, only three of which may air this season.

The New Adventures of Old Christine
Seven pre-strike episodes remain. No additional episodes expected this season.

Numbers
Expected to shoot 5 to 7 new episodes, only three of which may air this season.

October Road
Five pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.

The Office
Expected to shoot 5 to 10 new episodes to air in April/May.

One Tree Hill
Six pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.

Prison Break
Two pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.

Private Practice
Expected to shoot 4 or 5 new episodes to air in April/May.

Pushing Daisies
No new episodes until fall.

Reaper
Three pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.

Samantha Who?
Three remaining pre-strike episodes could possibly surface this season, or be held until fall (see Dirty Sexy Money).

Scrubs
Four pre-strike episodes remain. Four additional episodes will likely be shot; unclear whether they'll air on NBC or go straight to DVD.

Smallville
Four pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot 3 to 5 additional episodes to air in April/May.

Supernatural
Two pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot 3 to 5 additional episodes to air in April/May.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Five pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.

Two and a Half Men
Expected to shoot 5 to 7 new episodes to air in April/May.

Ugly Betty
Expected to shoot 4 or 5 new episodes to air in April/May.

Women's Murder Club
No additional episodes expected for this season. Future TBD, although one Club member admits, "We're terrified that it's over for us."* TBD = To be determined

http://tinyurl.com/ytldet

Michael Eisner declares that the writer's strike is over!

Writer's Strike Update ~ Michael Eisner, Disney's former CEO, made a live appearance on CNBC's show, Fast Money, this afternoon. During the chat, he declared that the writer's strike is over! Do we dare believe him?!?!? For several days, we have been hearing and reading rumors that the WGA and AMPTP were close to an agreement. Here is what Eisner had to say today........

Deal Has Been Reached to End Writers' Strike: Eisner

A deal has been struck between the major media companies and the Writers Guild of America to end the writers' strike, former Walt Disney chief executive Michael Eisner revealed on CNBC.

"It's over," Eisner said. "They made the deal, they shook hands on the deal. It's going on Saturday to the writers in general."

Eisner, speaking live on CNBC's "Fast Money," seemed to hesitate initially about whether it was possible that the writers could still reject the agreement, but finally suggested the deal's acceptance was inevitable.

"A deal has been made, and they'll be back to work very soon," Eisner said, adding, "I know a deal's been made. I know it's over."

Eisner did not elaborate on terms of the agreement. He said he expects most of the media companies affected by the strike to have "small" write-downs as a result of the deal. Eisner said the deal was struck last Friday.

As a result of studio cutbacks, however, many of the writers who went on strike are unlikely to return to the same big-money contracts they'd had as individuals with the studios, Eisner said.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/23057002

E! Online's Watch with Kristin comments on the writer's strike

Writer's Strike Update ~ E! Online's Watch with Kristin column has published the following comments about the possibility of a resolution to the WGA's strike!

It seems this week's rumors that the writers' strike is coming to an end may indeed be true. We are hearing from several sources that the WGA and the AMPTP are "very close" to a deal, which could be announced as early as later today.

According to reliable insiders who asked not to be named, the writers and producers were in talks for nine hours yesterday and made a "staggering amount of progress," as all of the major sticking points have been settled.

"We are 99.9 percent of the way there," one source inside the negotiations said. "As of late yesterday, just a few small issues remained."

The stickiest issue of all, compensation for new-media projects, has been agreed upon by both sides, according to sources. Said one: "There is most certainly light at the end of the tunnel, and we are rapidly approaching it."

Stay tuned, and keep those fingers crossed. An announcement could come any minute.

http://tinyurl.com/yuhzva

TV Guide's Michael Ausiello comments on the Writer's Strike

Michael Ausiello, from TV Guide, received questions from viewers anxious for a Writer's Strike update... including a subject near and dear to Moonlight fan's hearts ~ if the strike ends soon, will tv shows begin airing new episodes or wait until the Fall season? He gave his comments and possible scoop in his Ask Ausiello column.

Question :

I hear that the strike is over! Is it true?— Danouk

Ausiello :

Nothing's official, but the buzz is that a tentative agreement has been reached, with an announcement coming as early as tomorrow. But it's hard to tell what's solid intel and what's just spin. To wit: In the past 24 hours, one source close to the negotiations insisted that talk of a resolution was way premature. "There's no deal," maintained my spy. "That's just misinformation put out by the AMPTP to pressure the WGA." But moments before I put this column to bed, I heard from another very plugged-in source that the deal is done. Short story shorter: There's cause for optimism, but not celebration. Yet.

Question :

If the strike ends in the next week or so, can the current TV season be salvaged? — Donald

Ausiello :

Depends on the network and the show. A source at one of the Big 4 tells me that should the strike end by mid-February, one best-case scenario being bandied about has established series going back into production and working through June, making more episodes for this season and some for next. Then they'll take a summer break before starting regular production on next season. The reason for this is twofold: They don't want to bail out on this season, but they also don't want to go to the expense of putting shows back into production for just two or three episodes. One industry observer describes this as "a smart plan," while acknowledging that there's another variable in all this: the actors. "The trouble is, a lot of actors schedule hiatus movies, or just elaborate vacations. And if they ask them to work through certain dates, that could trigger some contract issues." Now, continue reading for the worst-case scenario….

Question :

G'day, fellow Snapple lover! Pushing Daisies is my absolute favorite new show. Any scoop/news? — The Doctor

Ausiello :

I posed Donald's strike-aftermath Q to Daisies creator Bryan Fuller, and here's his sobering response. " Even if the strike ends in the next week or two, it looks like they will scuttle the rest of the season. This is for many reasons. One is that it will be hard to launch a big promotional campaign for four or five episodes; it's just not cost-effective. Two is that if we did come back we would land right in the path of the American Idol juggernaut, and would likely be decimated. Three is if we came back in the fall with a full slate of episodes, then ABC could relaunch the show in a big way. The tentative plan now is to start the writers immediately [after the strike is resolved] so we can get some scripts stockpiled, and then hit production in June. But that's all tentative. We've talked about so many options since the strike began and they fluctuate on a weekly basis. But right now a short first season seems the most likely."

ask_ausiello@tvguide.com

Directors Guild and Producers reach agreement to avoid a strike

Update : Writer's Strike & DGA/AMPTP News ~

Since the Writers Guild went on strike, many have been wondering if the Directors Guild would be next. The DGA's negotiations with the AMPTP have obviously fared better than the writer's because they have already come to an agreement after less than a week of formal talks. The directors contract covers some of the same territory that is so contentious between the WGA & AMPTP, such as new media. Due to that, sources say they hope this agreement will provide a blueprint for a new contract with the writers and an end to the strike. *fingers crossed*

According to the United Hollywood site ~

WGA Begins Back Channel Discussion With AMPTP

UH has learned that as of Friday, January 18th, 2008, the WGA began an informal dialogue with one of the conglom bosses. The conversations were cordial and respectful on both sides.

This is the way that the DGA talks began -- with informal consultations at a high level between leaders on both sides. It is not negotiation, it's the precursor to negotiation, but the good news is that what Patric Verrone, David Young and John Bowman said at the captain's meeting Friday appears to be very true: we are finally at a moment where the companies are ready to start seriously bargaining.

More info about the DGA agreement with the AMPTP, from United Hollywood ~

LOS ANGELES – The Directors Guild of America (DGA) announced Thursday, January 17th, 2008 that it has concluded a tentative agreement on the terms of a new 3-year collective bargaining agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

Highlights of the new agreement include:

Increases both wages and residual bases for each year of the contract.

Establishes DGA jurisdiction over programs produced for distribution on the Internet.

Establishes new residuals formula for paid Internet downloads (electronic sell-through) that essentially doubles the rate currently paid by employers.

Establishes residual rates for ad-supported streaming and use of clips on the Internet.

"Two words describe this agreement - groundbreaking and substantial," said Gil Cates, chair of the DGA's Negotiations Committee, in announcing the terms of the new agreement. "The gains in this contract for directors and their teams are extraordinary – and there are no rollbacks of any kind.

"Formal negotiations between the DGA's 50-member Negotiations Committee and the AMPTP began Saturday, January 12, and were concluded Thursday, January 17th, 2008. Talks were led by Cates and DGA National Executive Director Jay D. Roth. They were preceded by months of informal discussions and nearly two years of preparation and research by Guild staff and consultants.

"This was a very difficult negotiation that required real give and take on both sides," said DGA president Michael Apted. "Nonetheless, we managed to produce an agreement that enshrines the two fundamental principles we regard as absolutely crucial to any employment and compensation agreement in this digital age: First, jurisdiction is essential. Without secure jurisdiction over new-media production—both derivative and original—compensation formulas are meaningless. Second, the Internet is not free. We must receive fair compensation for the use and reuse of our work on the Internet, whether it was originally created for other media platforms or expressly for online distribution."

unitedhollywood.blogspot.com

CBS boss Les Moonves may begin talks with WGA again

Mike Farrell has written an article for Multichannel News that gives us Moonlight fans a glimmer of hope. CBS President & CEO, Les Moonves, is making noises about beginning talks with the WGA again. *fingers crossed*

We have already been contacting Mr Moonves in support of Moonlight. Now, let him know how we feel about the network working things out with the writers. As Love Lasts Forever (episode #1x11) proved again, we have excellent storytellers in our show's writing room ~ Trevor Munson, Ron Koslow, Jill Blotevogel, Josh Pate, Chip Johannessen, Gabrielle Stanton, Harry Werksman, et al. We don't want scab writers who do not understand Mick, Beth, Coraline and Josef to take over, do we? NO! Call and write to let Les Moonves know we want Moonlight to be safe in the hands of our scribes. The writers simply want their fair portion of the considerable profits made from their creative work. Keep your message gracious and to the point. I can count on you :)

Phone Number ~ ( 212 ) 975-4545

Email : lmoonves@cbs.com

CBS head honcho Les Moonves hinted at an industry conference Thursday that the television giant is trying to restart negotiations with the striking Writers Guild of America, but offered no details as to what that those efforts entail.

Moonves, speaking at the Citigroup Entertainment, Media & Telecommunications conference in Phoenix, stressed that the writers strike is not having an adverse impact on the network so far.

“We sincerely hope that the talks begin shortly and that there is a resolution,” Moonves said. “I can tell you there are some steps that are being taken to push that ahead, and we hope that reasonable people prevail and that we can make a go of it in the near future.”

But later in the conference Moonves said that he is “guardedly optimistic that it [the strike] will be over in the next few months.”

In the meantime, Moonves said that the strike is not having an adverse effect on CBS’ bottom line.

“We can finish this television season just fine,” Moonves said. “The television season ends at the end of May, obviously revenue will be down somewhat because ratings will be down. We have some live football games left, the NCAA [March Madness] basketball tournament is coming up, we have reality programming that is available, we have some original programming. The CBS schedule repeats better than anybody else’s schedule, because our procedural dramas – the CSI’s of the world – repeat extremely well. Our revenue will be down somewhat, but the cost of producing original programming will be down more.”

Writer's Strike Update ~ TV Studios terminate deals with some writers, producers & directors

Writer's Strike Update ~ Nellie Andreeva has written a very informative article, for the Hollywood Reporter, about the studios decision to terminate contracts today. Of course, they place the fault with the WGA strike. Warner Bros Television (mentioned in her article) and Silver Pictures produce Moonlight.

A little definition for you..... Force majeure is French for greater force. This clause is commonly written in contracts. Basically, it frees each party from obligation &/or liability when unexpected circumstances (beyond either party's control) occur... like this writer's strike. Apparently, the contracts with the television studios allowed for termination after 4 to 6 weeks.

Black Monday at TV studios

The force majeure ax swung wide Monday as four TV studios ~ CBS Paramont Network TV, Universal Media Studios, 20th Century Fox Television and Warner Bros. TV ~ tore up dozens of overall deals.

All four issued similarly worded statements blaming the writers strike for the terminations, which are expected to save the studios tens of millions of dollars. But none came close to the nearly 30 overall deals axed at ABC Studios on Friday. CBS Par and 20th TV each dropped half that number. UMS and WBTV stayed in the single digits, with WBTV's termination tally said to be less than five deals. Like ABC Studios, CBS Par, UMS, 20th TV and WBTV mostly went after writers, producers and directors with no active projects.

CBS Par's force majeure list includes some high-profile writing and nonwriting producers: Hugh Jackman, whose Seed Prods. inked a multiyear deal at the studio in August; "The Chronicles of Narnia" producer Mark Johnson; veteran writer-producer Rene Echevarria, who co-created CBS Par's USA Network series "The 4400" (he will continue his services as exec producer on the studio's NBC drama "Medium"); the Emmy-winning "Sopranos" writing duo of Mitchell Burgess and Robin Green; Barry Schindel ("Numbers"); and John McNamara ("Fastlane").

Scribes Jennifer Levin ("Without a Trace"), Liz Astrof ("The King of Queens") and the team of Aron Abrams and Greg Thompson ("Everybody Hates Chris") also received termination letters from CBS Par.

"Production companies in the entertainment industry continue to feel the impact of the ongoing writers strike," CBS Par TV said. "As a result of this change in development and production activity, we have made a difficult decision to discontinue overall deals with a number of writers and producers whose talents we greatly value and respect.

"In a clear sign about the future of Fox's "K-Ville" and NBC's "Journeyman" -- two low-rated 20th TV-produced freshman series whose ultimate fate has remained in limbo because of the strike -- the studio terminated the overall deals of "K-Ville" creator/exec producer Jonathan Lisco and co-exec producer Lawrence Kaplow as well as that of "Journeyman" creator/exec producer Kevin Falls.

Also axed at 20th TV were director-producer Greg Yaitanes ("Drive"); writer-producers Chris Black ("Standoff"), Paul Redford ("The Unit"), Barbie Adler ("My Name Is Earl"), Kristin Newman ("How I Met Your Mother"); and the writing duos of Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts ("Women's Murder Club") and Matt Silverstein and Dave Jeser ("Drawn Together").

"Because of the adverse effects of the ongoing WGA strike on our business, we have been forced to terminate overall deals with a number of talented writers and producers," 20th TV said. "We regret these circumstances and wish these creative individuals the best."

And there was more regret in the statement from WBTV.

"As an unfortunate but direct consequence of the strike, we have been forced to release some of the valued members of our roster from their development deals," the studio said.

ABC Studios on Friday became the first TV studio to invoke the so-called force majeure provision that allows them to terminate overall deals four to six weeks into a strike.

Among the talent let go at ABC Studios are veterans Nina Wass and Gene Stein, "Brothers & Sisters" creator Jon Robin Baitz and "Borat" director Larry Charles.

http://tinyurl.com/yvmgwt

Writer's Strike News ~ WGA & United Artists Working on Agreement

Writer's Strike update..... Since the negotiations between the WGA and AMPTP have broken down, it appears that the writer's new strategy is to make separate deals with production companies. As you know, the first of such agreements just recently occurred with David Letterman's WorldWide Pants. According to The New York Post, they are currently in talks with United Artists. See the brief article below. Moonlight fans are more than ready to make a deal! :)

UNITED ARTISTS CLOSE TO DEAL WITH WRITERS GUILD
By HOLLY M. SANDERS and ZACHERY KOUWE

Tom Cruises' United Artists is close to a deal with the Writers Guild of America that would allow striking scribes to get back to work on projects commissioned by the studio, sources told The Post.

The tentative deal is said to mirror a similar pact David Letterman's Worldwide Pants production company recently signed with the union, clearing the way for writers to work on talk-show host's "Late Show."

If a deal is reached, United Artists, a division of MGM, would become the first notable movie company to come to terms with the writers.

http://tinyurl.com/2d6fs3

Writer's Strike Update ~ David Letterman's show returns tonight

Writer's Strike Update ~ David Letterman's production company, WorldWide Pants, has reached a separate deal with the Writer's Guild. That means the Late Show with David Letterman and the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson are returning with new shows. It is gonna be great after all these weeks of reruns. Stars can appear on both programs without crossing the picket line. Letterman's guests tonight will be Robin Williams and Lupe Fiasco.

Craig has had Alex O'Loughlin on his show previously. The interview took place right before Moonlight's premiere. I will post a video of it above. Unfortunately, the sound is out of synch but still enjoyable.

The other talk shows.... The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC), Late Night with Conan O'Brien (NBC), Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC) and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central) are expected to return without their writers. Uh oh! The WGA plans to picket outside their studios. Any stars that appear on these programs will have to cross the picket line. :(

Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC) began airing and crossed the writer's line a few weeks ago.... which did not make the WGA happy at all.

Thus far, the strike has cost the entertainment industry an estimated $151 million dollars!

We need to continue contacting the late night talk shows to encourage them to book Alex, Sophia, Jason, Shannyn and Brian! The CBS guys (David & Craig) should want to feature Moonlight's actors because they share a network. Let's write to the other talkers too so they can be ready to book our stars once the strike is settled.

David Letterman : cbsmailbag@aol.com

Craig Ferguson : http://www.cbs.com/latenight/latelate/email/

Jay Leno : http://www.nbc.com/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/about/contact.shtml#feedback

Conan O'Brien : http://www.myspace.com/conanshow

Carson Daly : www.myspace.com/carson_daly

Writer's Strike Update ~ The AMPTP has broken off negotiations with WGA

Not good news about the progress of talks to end the Writer's Strike......

LOS ANGELES - WGA Negotiating Committee Chair John F. Bowman, on behalf of the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), has issued the following message regarding Contract 2007 negotiations:

Today, after three days of discussions, the AMPTP came back to us with a proposal that included a total rejection of our proposal on Internet streaming of December 3.

They are holding to their offer of a $250 fixed residual for unlimited one year streaming after a six-week window of free use. They still insist on the DVD rate for Internet downloads.

They refuse to cover original material made for new media.

This offer was accompanied by an ultimatum: the AMPTP demands we give up several of our proposals, including Fair Market Value (our protection against vertical integration and self-dealing), animation, reality, and, most crucially, any proposal that uses distributor’s gross as a basis for residuals. This would require us to concede most of our Internet proposal as a precondition for continued bargaining. The AMPTP insists we let them do to the Internet what they did to home video.

We received a similar ultimatum through back channels prior to the discussions of November 4. At that time, we were assured that if we took DVD’s off the table, we would get a fair offer on new media issues. That offer never materialized.

We reject the idea of an ultimatum. Although a number of items we have on the table are negotiable, we cannot be forced to bargain with ourselves. The AMPTP has many proposals on the table that are unacceptable to writers, but we have never delivered ultimatums.

As we prepared our counter-offer, at 6:05 p.m., Nick Counter came and said to us, in the mediator’s presence: “We are leaving. When you write us a letter saying you will take all these items off the table, we will reschedule negotiations with you.” Within minutes, the AMPTP had posted a lengthy statement announcing the breakdown of negotiations.

We remain ready and willing to negotiate, no matter how intransigent our bargaining partners are, because the stakes are simply too high. We were prepared to counter their proposal tonight, and when any of them are ready to return to the table, we’re here, ready to make a fair deal.

John F. Bowman
Chairman, WGA Negotiating Committee
Contract 2007

www.wga.org

Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers

www.amptp.org

Writer's Strike News Update

Hi all..... As you know, the WGA and AMPTP resumed their talks to try resolving the writer's strike. They agreed not to speak to the media about the negotiations. However, rumors usually leak out. Nikki Finke's blog, Deadline Hollywood Daily, provided the following great info ~

...a very reliable source tells me that there appears to be a deal seemingly in place between both sides.

"It's already done, basically," the insider describes. That's because of the weeks worth of groundwork by the Hollywood agents working the writers guild leadership on one side, and the studio and network moguls on the other. I was told not to expect an agreement this week. But my source thought it was possible that the strike could be settled before Christmas.

Look, I don't want to raise false hope here. But this source has been very accurate in the past. The negotiations starting today will have a news blackout, so don't expect any significant leaks. But consider the real possibility there's been a breakthrough. Still, I must caution that this is Hollywood -- where defeat is snatched from the jaws of victory nearly every time.

Moonlight fans have been hoping for a quick end to the strike because that can help the chances of our show being picked up for a full season (& beyond) by CBS. *fingers crossed*

Breaking news on the writer's strike!

Writer's strike news ~ The WGA has agreed to go back into negotiations with the AMPTP, networks and studios on November 26th! Again.... trying not to get our hopes up BUT.... sending super positive thoughts that they will work together and end this strike. This could be good for our little show!

Moonlight Fans, Trevor Munson and Jason Dohring on Writer's Strike Picket Line

I am proud to report that Moonlight fans took pizza, and moral support, to the writer's strike picket line last week! Guess who happened to make an appearance? Jason Dohring and co-creator/executive producer/writer Trevor Munson! Several Moonlighters were able to talk to both men. All who did have only great things to say about them. It is always good to hear that someone you admire really is down to earth in person. :) The photo of Jason above is from his visit to the WGA line. Apparently, Trevor & Jason mentioned that they were working on episode #10 on that day. And, that 12 scripts were completed before the strike.

Thank you to all who provided this info, especially Rafferty Rulz!

Writer's strike update regarding Moonlight

We've all been wondering how many shows we have left to sustain us through the writer's strike. According to the LA Times television business section ~ Moonlight is expected to have 11 of the 12 episodes that CBS has ordered thus far completed.

Writer's strike begins today! Will it affect Moonlight?!

It is official ~ the writer's strike that has been talked about for months began today in New York City and Hollywood. Already, "The Late Show with David Letterman" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" have both announced that they will be showing repeats. They rely on daily and topical jokes, which takes ~ you guessed it ~ writers. And you thought they wrote all of their material. :)

One of the reasons those of us who adore Moonlight have heard so much about this is because new TV shows, which are already vulnerable, can be devastated by the strike. From reports, there are several episodes that are filmed and ready to go. That should mean that we will get our Mick and Beth fix for a few more weeks. What happens after that though? Will CBS stand by Moonlight if the strike drags on and on? It has great momentum now. If the strike lasts a long time, will the program have the same following when it begins airing again?!?

I know that you have also been sending them feedback expressing your feelings about the show. Now, more than ever we have to keep showing them how loyal and serious we are as fans of Moonlight!

CBS Feedback ~

http://www.cbs.com/info/user_services/fb_global_form.shtml