November 17, 2007
With Writers Still on Strike, Much of SNL Staff Fired
Wait a minute, didn't Brian Williams host Saturday NIght Live just two weeks ago, the one where Barack Obama appeared in the opening? Yes, but with the Writers Guild strike still on, Saturday Night Live decided to revisit the recent past, versus dig into old "Best of" clip shows.
The unfortunate thing is that Page Six reports 90% of the SNL production staff was fired "until further notice" because of the strike. Other TV shows' staffs are in jeopardy, but there has been some discussion about late night talk show hosts coming back at some point. Still, some actors aren't sure how the strike will affect their salaries, creating a cause for actors like George Clooney to donate money the Screen Actors Guild.
The Writers Guild East and West have agreed to resume talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on November 26 - and the two sides have agreed to a news blackout. The writers are striking because they would like increases to DVD and new media distribution residuals, in the face of the changing marketplace and greater reliance on non-theatrical distribution for profits. While the AMPTP has tried to win over public sentiment with full-page ads in papers like the NY Times, but the public seems to be siding with the writers.
And here is The Colbert Report's writers' take on the strike:
The writers are going to be picketing at Sony Plaza, between 10AM and 2PM at 56th and Madison, on Tuesday. And the casts of 30 Rock and SNL are doing live performances of the shows at the Upright Citizens' Bridge theater, which raises some interesting legal questions.
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Out of respect for the writers on strike, please proofread before posting!
Yeah, Lorne couldn't pay his staff out of his own very large pocket. Even in Canadian cash it's worth more than the US dollar these days.
Especially in light of what Letterman did.
Letterman is a mensch.
Michaels, even though he is of the tribe, is not.
Good luck to all of the striking writers! Hang in there! Talks are coming!
The fact the David Letterman and Lorne Michaels are paid so disproportionately is why the writers and the rest of the staff make less. The elite actors and producers at the top are making all of the money. And yet the studios are the ones taking the heat.
A lot of people and organizations are taking the heat for the writer strike. We are not concerned for the monetary health of David Letterman. We all know he can take care of himself. The writers want compensation for the distribution of THEIR work on DVD and the internet. Very reasonable.