Cool News
No Wagering!! Letterman Returns Wednesday With WGA Writers Intact!!
I am – Hercules!!
David Letterman on Wednesday will return to hosting duties with his writing staff intact, according to The Associated Press. Craig Ferguson’s “Late Late Show” appears to be in the same boat.
Letterman and Ferguson’s shows, both produced by Letterman’s Worldwide Pants company, are now expected to be the only two talkshows to return with their writing staffs Jan. 2.
The shows hosted by Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel and Jay Leno return the same day without writers. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert return sans writers the following Monday.
"We are happy that the WGA and Worldwide Pants were able to reach an agreement. We will continue to support our fellow writers who are on strike," "Late Show" head writer Eric Stangel wrote on lateshowwritersonstrike.com.
"The writers can't wait to get back to writing for Dave, and you better believe we're going to bring attention to the strike as long as it lasts," "Late Show" head writer Justin Stangel wrote on lateshowwritersonstrike.com.
Read all of the AP's story on the matter here.
Read all of the Letterman writers' hilarious (and soon to be defunct?) strike blog here.
P.S. Saw “There Will Be Blood,” written by WGA member P.T. Anderson, tonight at the Arclight. Kind of awesome.
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Into Hot Air:
Mounting Mount Everest
By Chris Elliott
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+ Expand All
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Most of his jokes are tv related...and much funnier than these other douche bags
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"Neither Exhibiton Nor Competition!! Letterman Returns Wednesday With WGA Writers Intact!!" Is "exhibiton" even a word??
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Or is it Oprah Uma
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Not Funny
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without writers. Conan, on the other hand, should be interesting...
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Dunno, but it seems passe in today's world to watch late night talk shows with celebrities plugging new movies in between wacky skits. I think late night shows died with Carson.
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...I DEMAND TO KNOW WHAT PIES YOUR MOM BAKED FOR THANKSGIVING!!!
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KRISTIN KREUK IS CHUN-LI.
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Unless he's a Street Fighter fan that is.
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I wonder if this will be that "water shed" moment they keep talking about.... p
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...some WGA writers are more equal than others.
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back when dave would throw bowling balls off of the roof into tubs of pudding.
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I say, I don't know. Concerning Lost anyways, I think that if a show was producing independtently, kind of like Dave's Worldwide Pants produced the awesome Ed and the not as awesome Everybody Loves Raymond, they would be able to work out a deal of some sort indepentedly of the ATMPP(or whatever the producers groups initals are), however is a show is produced in house, like i belive LOST is for abc (sienote, notice how abc the station looks weird capted [ABC as oppsed to abc] but NBC is the opposite as is CBS, just the way their marketing people designed their logos but you'd think in typing it out it wouldn't look as strange it's amazing what our eyes get used to...back on track now) I'm assuming that they would have to wait until the strike is resolved because each head of the network is a member of the ATwhatevertherestoftheinitalsare. Dave adn Craig can have writers because Worldwide Pants negoited their own deal outside of CBS because they produce it, finance it, etc and then sell it back to CBS, LOST on the other hand would have to wait till the whole thing is settled because they are produced, financed, etc through abc, i believe, I could be wrong on this though, Bad Robot maybe soly financing LOST and then selling it back to abc if that is the case thn LOST could concivbly negoite their own deal. if the powers that be don't hurry up and resolve this though predicte networks will start working outside of that or be looking to independent companies to sell them programming
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I think it's because CBS is contractually obligated to run episodes of The Late Show whenever there is one to air (barring something like 9/11 or some other national emergency). Also, CBS doesn't own the late show they just air it. Hope that helps.
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I type fast adn don't always proof before i post...if a certain movie news site had an EDIT feature, well then maybe...
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for the writers. Can you imagine how hard Dave and his writers are going to hammer the suits? Holy shit, it's going to get brutal. And while most other shows are coming back on the same day, I think most people will go over to Letterman while the strike continues because he'll actually have a monologue and skits as opposed to just dumb old celebrity interviews.
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I don't think the impact will be immeidate but once people relize Dave is going to be with the monolouge, skits etc, they will tune in...this may be what brings Dave back to the forefront, hopeuflly the writing stands up. However Colbert and Stewart probably have the most "improv" experience and can probably wing it pretty good
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I agree with what you are saying, but I think that the demagraphics for the shows on Comedy Central are pretty different than the networks shows. Also, I have no idea what the format for those shows are going to be as there will be no monologues and hardly any interviews.
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deadlinehollywooddaily.com for the full story. It's got a good breakdown of what happened today and how it is going to affect the guild. Also while you are there, read the statement the AMPTP released today. These bastards must be terrified of how screwed they are if they are resorting to name calling and ignoring most of the WGA's points. Herc, you should update the post with this info. I think this is finally the "watershed moment" that all of us who support the writers have been waiting for.
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I need to see the next episode like a crack whore needs semen.
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Disn't think that one through, did i?
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thanks for the link very interesting I think the AMPTP is getting nervous about some indivually brokered deals going onXiphos, I don't know what I'm talking about most of the time either, espically when it comes to unions, i'm one of the GWB voting red state (or is blue state, I get confused) conservetives, I shouldn't even be supporting this strike adn yet I am because I have some limited experience with unionsbtw I'm probably one of the most liberal people you'll meet when it comes to immigration, but that is neither here nor there
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Deli man got to eat...
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No talent hacks. 90% of the jokes and gags are crap anyway.
A new crop of new blood might save late night from the likes of these prima donna douchebags. -
That's all I got, sorry.
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I recently caught one of Leno's reruns from the 90s...I thought my memory may have been tainted by my love for late 90s Letterman, you know what i found out, Leno sucked then and he sucks now, Leno sucks and i don't know why people find him funny, he's not, maybe it's the safe thing, he's safe so it appels to people like my parents who don't and have never liked Dave
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but they are saying that WWP accepted the exact same offer the WGA have been presenting to the AMPTP (twice) - you know the one which the Studios have said was unreasonable and too costly. So, does that in effect make WWP, Rob Burnett and Letterman bad business men? Or just it just further the premise that the WGA presented a fair deal and Nick Counter and the AMPTP are just money-grubbing dicks?
PS: The deal also includes the internet and new media as well. Weird how WWP didn't need to have a three year fucking study on it, yeah?Æ -
Fantastic. Reap it, hippies. Reap it.
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yeah I think it just shows that the AMPTP is just being unreasonable about the whole deal. i love how CBS was like "well we still handle the Internet stuff" and WWP showed them that they [WWP] is paying all the internet writing fees per their contract. It's like CBs doesn't even know what's in their contracts they really should check into these things, my word. I am curious a)whose next, Colbert, Stewart, or NBC or will it be a sitcom or drma that strikes the next deal in the "Divide adn Conquer" perhaps the Oscars? That's my vote
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you do know worldwide pants pretty much caved in to the demands of the strikers thus laying down a fairly sizable embarressment to the studios right?
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Now if they can work out a deal to get 24 back on the air.....I'm cool.
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from every DVD sale linked from his pages, than a WGA member who wrote the DVD film/show.
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It will..be...very....zzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Anyone using the term 'hippies' in the year 2007 when not referring to the historical 60s counter-culture movement is almost invariably someone who believes that Bill O'Rielly's show on FAUX NEWS is fact-based instead of the highly hilarious comedy show it is. I mean really, how can you not laugh hysterically at anything he says. Calling people 'hippies' in this day and age... I'm chuckling at the thought of it now.
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Well, it kind of depends on which team you go to see. A big name team like Manchester United or Arsenal is obviously harder than a team like Gillingham (I'd like to make some team comparisons with some of your football teams here but...um....I know as much about your football as I do about wearing make-up). Probably best to find out when the ticket office opens on match day and get there early.Hey, you should follow in Elijah Woods footsteps. Go and see West Ham for that Green Street Hooligans experience! :)
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Hang around the campus at any art school. Beyond that, I can't say for sure, but you'll find hippies (or hippie-wanna-bes anyway, as these folks were born in 1980).
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Stangel's rant about how he was going to beat the shit out the corporate suits and how he was going to hold a grudge and get them someday . . . man, I'd find it pretty easy to lose sympathy for the writers pretty quick with that kind of crap. Plus, none of those guys sound any smarter--in fact, most of them actually sound a little dumber--than your average TalkBacker here. We should start our own late night talk show!
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Dec 29, 2007 7:50:39 AM CST
Letterman Desperate to End Writers Strike for Themselves
by kevinwillis.net
Because lots of viewers are going away and aren't coming back. People do watch late night talk shows, but there's lots of other stuff to do, to. What the writers strike is demonstrating is that nobody really misses Letterman or Ferguson that much, when they are gone--in the day of 250+ channel cable, movies on demand, Netflix, Gamefly, the internet, etc . . . there's lots of other interesting stuff to do.
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can you imagine the kinda of late night show we'd end up with even a select few of the talkbackers had one. Celebrity guests would be ridiculded and mocked, the word "fag" and "gay" would be used ALOTmindless questions that have nothing to do with the guest would be asked. And someone would bring up the Leprechaun before descending into pure anachry
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There previous highs, after this strike. For a lot of existing shows, but especially the late night talk shows. Not that I ever watch them anyway, anymore, as I'm married with children and work all day and by the time homework is done and kids are fed and everyone is in bed, I'm too tired to give a shit what Letterman has to say about anything. I read a book for a while, then turn out the light.
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The guest would try to explain something, and the host would say: "Damn you, Michael Bay!!!" while shaking his fist at the sky.Any attractive female guest would spend the entire time having fat geeks say: "Man, I'd tap that." If they had recently gained a pound, then the fat geeks would talk about how fat she was.While interviewing former president Bill Clinton, the host would ask: "Do you agree with me, and all right thinking people, that George Lucas raped our collective childhoods?"
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If WWP negotiated the deal the writers are pretty much asking for, for those writers. WorldWide Pants is scabbing, because they are accepting the deal the AMFTPAMFPTPAMPTMPMA or whatever their acronym is keeps fighting against. Of course, WWP doesn't have as much to lose in giving away residuals, because those are the kind of shows that have big futures in DVD and Internet media sales, but may enjoy internet subscriber distribution at some point . . . and possible the WWP look at what the writers want and think: "What they want is perfectly reasonable. The writers are jackoffs, but the deal seems fair."
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The union told those guys that they could work, so they aren't scabbing or crossing the picket lines, because the union agreed to the deal.
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Was he sitting in one of the seats next to the handicapped spot? I saw him at Arclight, too, when I went to see Magnolia and he was just sitting there, alone.
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deal or not it doesnt support the bigger cause of being in a union - this doesnt make sense
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After reading through all the various and sundry press releases, my overall opinion is that I like this new development. It's disruptive to both sides, and creates some unpredictability in a discussion that has grown totally stagnant. When both sides claim simultaneous victory and offense, something must be right. Here's hoping this is a step in the right direction: a long term solution that fairly recognizes and rewards the writers.
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i've been up for 24 hours stright and just the thought of that talk show made me fall out of my chiar in fits of laughter. It'd be like the old SNL Chris Farly Show bit except on CRACK. And of course the minute Keira Knightly was one to promote her latest corset and unrequited love movie one would say "you are the sexiest tomboy benpole on the planet" while another is trying to shove food in her facecrap we need to get this greenlit ASAP WWP, we need you here now
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"Too Soon!""Flames on Optimus""And the sexiest tomboy beanpole on the planet! Someone get her a sandwoch, ASAP!"
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Sound sexy.
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Dec 29, 2007 8:44:20 AM CST
If Letterman just becomes a forum for whining writers
by rainbowtrout1265
It sounds like the show will just be a soapbox for the whining, crying writers to plead their case. IMO, that will turn the public off real quick.
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I don't give a shit about some lame monologue jokes ripped off from Fark headlines. If you're going to let a couple writers work, get the '24' and 'Lost' people back into it.
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Late night talk shows were immediately affected because of the strike. They were the first to shut down completely, therefore are getting more press than other shows (more than film too). Shows like Lost already have episodes in the can and a general viewing public is not really affected yet other than a shorter season this year. However, if negotiations don't start again, it could effect *next year* TV season entirely.
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Dec 29, 2007 11:27:49 AM CST
It's cool that World Wide Pants have the balls to do this.
by mistergreen
Let's see if they can get their ratings up during the strike.. God only know why Leno's ratings is so high.. It's probably because grandma & grandpa doesn't know how to change the channel.
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Since he's been back, his show is much more interesting. It doesn't speak well for his writers... They're pretty bad actually.
So, I'd get new writers when everything is back to normal. -
the hot intern.
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Dec 29, 2007 12:35:39 PM CST
Nothing but good news for writers (and, by the way, us).
by svferris109
Think about it. Letterman comes back with new episodes complete with his writers against Leno, who does not have writers and therefore probably will not be as good. Leno goes to Jeff Zucker and says "hey, do something, we're getting creamed in the ratings."
Since NBC has fallen on hard times and The Tonight Show is one of the only things on air that is making the network any money, Zucker does what he can to comply with the WGA, effectively bringing back all of NBC's primetime shows. Now NBC's new episodes are up against reruns on the other networks, and decidedly crush them in the ratings.
The other networks (CBS, ABC, and FOX) can have none of that, so they negotiate their own deals with the WGA to bring their own shows back to the airwaves. The writers get their deals, and we get primetime network television back. Everyone is happy. -
Dec 29, 2007 12:42:59 PM CST
"I was crying when I met you. Now I'm dying just to let you."
by librerarian
This is good news indeed.
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Yeah, talk shows used to book guests because they were interesting people with something to say, not because they had a book or movie to plug. The old Carson show, Cavett, Snyder...I'd like to see Letterman & Ferguson go without writers for a while like Leno and Kimmel, just to see which ones are really natural wits.
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This deal was able to be done separate from CBS because World Wide Pants owns Late Show and Late Late Show outright. If I understood it correctly, WWP is paying the internet residuals but CBS would wind up paying whatever winds up being negotiated in the final settlements.
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As an actor I can assure you that the contributions of the writer is probably the most important part of the TV/film making process. If the writing is good then the actor's job is much, much easier. I can understand that people want their shows back on the air, but the writers should be getting a bigger slice of the pie. As the strike has pretty clearly shown, without them there isn't any show. From the TV front, it seems like the networks think they can put reality shit and game shows on 24/7 and survive. They may be able to for a while. But who is going to purchase the full season of Deal or No Deal on DVD? Not nearly as many who will buy Lost. Pilot season for 2008 is almost surely history. This means no new fall shows. Personally, I don't think the studios are really going to start to cave until more major movies start to get eaten up. There is no way they can do without movies for summer 2009. The best news of all is this will all happen again in 6 months when the SAG contracts expire.
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With the studio suits and the WGA heads both being pissy about sitting down at the negotiating table, individual interim agreements are definitely the way to go to keep show employees from being fired.
The WGA is up against the wall now that the television viewing masses haven't rioted in the streets for new episodes as initially hoped, so now individual deals will have to be made to get around the impass. Kudos to Worldwide Pants for making it happen and leading the way where other shows will inevitably follow...
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There aren't any summer 2008 movies that haven't been written yet. Most of them are in post. The sad fact is that when "Dancing with the 5th Grader Idol Millionaires" fills the top 10, the writers have less of a leg to stand on. Letterman is showing that he doesn't give a fuck about the writers, just about his own tired show.
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The big stumbling blocks with the deal are dvd rates and new media but because his is a daily show reliant on topicality they dont really sell DVD's or much new media. Scripted shows like Lost make a lot of money on DVD but Letterman "meh". I dont know if he's ever really brought out anything on DVD - maybe a best of or something but in real terms for him it's all on the day to day tv broadcast. The other talk shows would do the same if they were independantly produced.
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than eight episodes this season, START SENDING IN THAT CRAZY FAN FICTION! C'mon, Xiphos, Shermy, I know you gots fan scripts.
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...but psyched for Colin Ferguson!
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The best part would be when some celebrity comes on to promote their latest movie - after a long winded speech about how awesome it will be, a lone voice cries out from the back of the studio audience...
"Plant!" -
You are only taking into effect Dave Letterman's Late Show in regards to a "meh" new media deal. However, the deal is not *just* with Dave's show but with WorldWide Pants (and its parent company WorldWide Trousers). WWP also produces "Everybody Loves Raymond", "Ed", and other off air programs available on DVD and downloads as well as a new scf-fi show (forget the name) that will be appearing in 2008 and two new pilots, one of them a Williams Street animation project.
I think it's hardly a "meh" deal.N -
http://tinyurl.com/2lrbu2
Correction: The sci-fi show "Barbarian Chronicles" is the animated series appearing in 2008 by Brendon Small (YAY! Loved "Home Movies!"). So that and one more pilot. i -
No scabbing involved: Pants agreed to every one of the Unions demands - and why not, since they don't produce reality shows or animation, those agreements don't apply to them anyway. And who's going to buy a DVD set of old letterman's or watch a week old furguson on the Interwebs? I support the writers, I'm just saying Pants had nothing to lose.Dave without writers would have been sad and embarrassing. Conan might be as interesting as his first month was. Leno without writers will NOT be a trainwreck: it will be a plane-crash into an earthquake during a hurricane. Actually Furguson was the one most likely to just be able to talk for 45 minute a night and make it work.I don't watch Bavarisn Ryebread on ABC, but I would if he had his Olive Oil girlfriend on as a sidekick and just fingered her for 45 minutes every night. Heck, I'd be willing to watch his show if she came to my house and let me finger her during it.Just because I can't afford pot at todays prices doesn't mean I'm not a damn hippy!
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Just read a comment -admist the many for/against on various blogs - that said the next deal made might be with Lionsgate.
http://tinyurl.com/3yaena
Take that with a pound of salt but it would certainly be quite the catch if it comes true... -
I think it might be a bit disingenous to imply that WWP "had nothing to lose". They are business people after all. And again, it is not just for Dave and Craig's talk show. The deal is with the entire production company, including the new animation series I mentioned above.ü
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If I am not much mistaken, he's a hell of a comedy writer. I bet he could carry the day a few days a week.
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Isn't he a WGA member? As well as Stewart and Colbert? I thought they were just back for hosting duties, not writing anything. That said, I think all of them are pretty smart and funny; good at improv. T
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Everyone of you has a guy like that in your cirle of friends - the guy who tries really really hard and you all just nod and get back to the conversation.
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That commie stopped being funny ages ago.
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is pretty friggin funny......wittier than the show they write for.
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Let me get this straight. All of the other writers for all the other shows are still on strike but the writers for David Letterman and Craig Ferguson have gone back to work? Whatever happened to solidarity? Standing beside your brothers as one? Not only is this betrayal but they also give some bullshit excuse about giving the AMPTP a hard time while they WORK! I must be missing something here. Feel free to rant and rave away at me if I'm missing something.
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I'm fairly certain you will find thatthe union would be totally behind the deal so it's not breaking solidarity because the union would see it as a producer caving in to their demands and hope that it causes others to follow. People have mentioned other productions from Lettermans company that are covered by the deal but they are worth a fraction of what the main show is too him so I wouldn't really think in the long or short term he would even consider them.
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Why are Letterman's writers allowed to work? Isn't the WGA against anyone ever working ever again? Yikes, people. This TB isn't 300 posts long. Read every post. Then I won't have to read your hilariously already-answered questions. Especially you people posting with no knowledge of the "divide and conquer" strategy that the WGA put into effect a few weeks ago. Just so it's stated YET AGAIN, the WGA has decided to negotiate with individual producers / production companies to get their members back to work AND to prove to everyone that the AMPTP as a negotiating body is to blame for the lack of progress.
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...... Did Harry have a New Years party and get the entire fucking staff drunk, sick and hungover on high-fat eggnog spiked with grain alcohol and barrels full of homemade Chex Party Mix? Right now they're all gathered around the only toilet in Harry's flat doing a "circle hurl."
And yeah... I am posting this to every Talkback... Start the new year right by being a dick, yeah? Awww, okay, this is the last one... I'm bored now, dammit. -
necgray: When I posted my comment there were about 10 previous posts none of which explained why the writers were going back to work. Now there are dozens! Strange.
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I'm pretty sure that the article itself explained what you needed to know. Of course, you couldn't be bothered to read any other sites regarding this, either. I'm just tired of uninformed TBers. Particularly when they could be informed with so little effort. It's in the article. It's in the prior TB posts. It's accessible through a thousand other sites. None of which require a huge expenditure of your mental capacity.
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