“The Daily Show” and its “The Colbert Report” spinoff comprise the only one-hour block of television I miss since the ongoing Writer’s Guild strike cut short production on most nightly television programs.
I could care less about talk shows and late-night monolouges. “Desperate Housewives” isn’t something I watch, and though I’ve heard that “The Office” is a pretty funny show, it’s not a habit.
“The Daily Show” and the “The Colbert Report” are shining, golden blocks of television. I hold them dear to my heart, and perhaps because they more often than not viciously parody television news for what little it’s worth.
I love them both ever so much. I’m reminded why.
It’s almost like some vicious parody of “The Daily Show” itself, and low-budget to boot. Like “The Daily Show,” it breaks up a complex and multi-faceted issue into bite-size chunks, all without insulting the intelligence of its audience.
Food for thought: who is immediately affected by this strike? The producers, studios and stars — some stars noticeably joined in the striking, by the way — have plenty of money, and the writers are probably being paid some amount out of a general strike fund.
If there’s anyone to be really worried about who stands outside the issues, it’s the cameramen and stage techs. The people who work backstage or off-camera have no recognition and stand, like the writers, for a much smaller share of the multi-billion dollar industry’s pie.
How much work is out there, and who is really affected right now? Google News search hadn’t found anything on the subject, so I hope someone considers the stage hands.
I wonder if our Governator is campaigning for them, too.
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In other news: I never understood why people pay so much for the iPhone, or any phone for that matter; mudslingers condemned by mudslinger; and I sure hope terabyte thumb drives really do pan out in 18 months.
Bryan Harley • Nov 28, 2007 at 12:29 pm
The effects are definitely being felt all over the industry, even if the studios refuse to admit it. Additionally, many studios are using the strike as an excuse to “clean house” or cut-down on other expenditures, even if they are not directly related to the writers. For example, I work in sports… we don’t have union writers. Yet we can no longer work any overtime because of the strike, and many of the employee “perks” we used to enjoy have been taken away. Yeah, sucks. So the sooner the strike is over the better… not only for the writers, but also because the studios will no longer have an excuse to hide behind.
Bryan Harley • Nov 28, 2007 at 7:29 pm
The effects are definitely being felt all over the industry, even if the studios refuse to admit it. Additionally, many studios are using the strike as an excuse to “clean house” or cut-down on other expenditures, even if they are not directly related to the writers. For example, I work in sports… we don’t have union writers. Yet we can no longer work any overtime because of the strike, and many of the employee “perks” we used to enjoy have been taken away. Yeah, sucks. So the sooner the strike is over the better… not only for the writers, but also because the studios will no longer have an excuse to hide behind.
Zelda Ketchum Bowser • Nov 16, 2007 at 11:14 am
Any junior high student could write better stuff than the garbage seen on the Conan O’Brien show. It’s not like his writers produce a funny product. Maybe he could have remained on the airwaves with little visible change.
Zelda Ketchum Bowser • Nov 16, 2007 at 6:14 pm
Any junior high student could write better stuff than the garbage seen on the Conan O’Brien show. It’s not like his writers produce a funny product. Maybe he could have remained on the airwaves with little visible change.
Whatever • Nov 16, 2007 at 10:15 am
I’ve also had trouble following this strike stuff. Stagehands are actually striking too, but that’s just for Broadway stuff. At least that’s how I understand it.
I don’t really care about either though. I like to watch Letterman but I don’t do that more than once a month.
The elementary school version of it, as I understand, is that for the writers strike, they’re mad about royalties for their content being online. The stagehands strike has to do with broadway not wanting to hire employees they think are unnecessary but are required under union regulations. Apparently these guys make fat money and many Broadway shows have to run for years to make a profit.
Whatever • Nov 16, 2007 at 5:15 pm
I’ve also had trouble following this strike stuff. Stagehands are actually striking too, but that’s just for Broadway stuff. At least that’s how I understand it.
I don’t really care about either though. I like to watch Letterman but I don’t do that more than once a month.
The elementary school version of it, as I understand, is that for the writers strike, they’re mad about royalties for their content being online. The stagehands strike has to do with broadway not wanting to hire employees they think are unnecessary but are required under union regulations. Apparently these guys make fat money and many Broadway shows have to run for years to make a profit.