Rumors:

- A board member on the negotiating committee told another member (also a strike captain) that they will be back to work by February 11.

- There have been reports that picketing was going to stop, nothing has been officially done or announced.

- A showrunner on the picket line was talking about how busy he is going to be getting in the next 10 days.

- Upper level exec’s at Warner Bros. and Dreamworks believe that there could be a settlement as early as Friday.

Even if the above is true, everything will still need to be put to vote. While the DGA deal was “closed” there has been no official paperwork yet. These things take time. The same will hold true for the WGA agreement if/when its comes to fruition.

The following, a supposed email sent to WGA members, may lend a little support to the above.

Dear Fellow Members:

We have decided to postpone our “large-scale” picket originally planned for tomorrow (Friday) at Time Warner Center.

We are continuing our schedule of smaller pickets at the late night and talk shows. And, we’ll be back to you soon regarding plans to reschedule a picket at Time Warner Center and/or other locations next week.

Below are the major points of the DGA’s new deal.

FACT SHEET
DGA Tentative Agreement
January 17, 2008

Basic Agreement

Wage Increases

Compensation for all categories except directors of network prime time dramatic programs and daytime serials increases by 3.5%, each year of the contract.

Compensation for directors of network prime time dramatic programs and daytime serials increases by 3%, each year of the contract.

Outsized increase in director’s compensation on high budget basic cable dramatic programs for series in the second and subsequent seasons:

For 1/2 hour programs: 12% increase in daily rate and increase in guaranteed number of days to 7 days.

Results in show rate increasing from $9,009 to $11,760.

For 1-hour programs: 12% increase in daily rate and increase in guaranteed number of days to 14 days.

Results in show rate increasing from $18,010 to $23,520.

Residual Increases

Residual bases increase by 3.5%, each year of the contract, except for reruns in network prime time.

Residuals for reruns in network prime time increase by 3%, each year of the contract.

Healthcare

Employers continue to make health care contributions at specially negotiated rate of 8.5%, secured in the 2005 Basic Agreement to address the impact of the growing cost of health care on the DGA Plan. Provisions permitting decrease in contribution rate by employers removed.

Other Provisions

Second Assistant Directors to manage locations in New York and Chicago.

Establishes a wrap supervision allowance of $50/day for the Second Assistant Director who supervises wrap on local and distant locations.

Increases incidental fees and dinner allowances for Unit Production Managers and Assistant Directors.

New Media

Jurisdiction over:

All new media content that is derivative of product already covered under current contracts.

Original content:

All original content above $15,000/minute or $300,000/program or $500,000/series, whichever is lowest.

Original content below the threshold will be covered when a DGA member is employed in the production.

Electronic Sell-Through (Paid Downloads)

More than doubles the rate currently paid by the employers on television programming to .70% above 100,000 units downloaded.

Below 100,000 breakpoint: rate will be paid at the current rates of .30% until worldwide gross receipts reach $1 million and .36% thereafter.

Increases rate paid on feature films by 80% to .65% above 50,000 units downloaded

Below 50,000 breakpoint: rate will be paid at the current rates of .30% until worldwide gross receipts reach $1 million and .36% thereafter.

Distributor’s Gross

Payments for EST will be based on distributor’s gross instead of producer’s gross, a key point in our negotiations. Distributor’s gross is the amount received by the entity responsible for distributing the film or television program on the Internet. We would not have entered the agreement on any other basis.

Companies will be contractually obligated to give us access to their deals and data, enabling us to monitor this provision and prepare for our next negotiation. This access is new and unprecedented.

If the exhibitor or retailer is part of the producer’s corporate family, we have improved provisions for challenging any suspect transactions.

Ad-Supported Streaming:

17-day window (24-day window for series in their first season).

Pays 3% of the residual base, approximately $600 (for network prime time 1-hour dramas), for each 26-week period following 17-day window, within first year after initial broadcast.

Pays 2% of distributor’s gross for streaming that occurs more than one year after initial broadcast.

Clips

Provides the companies with limited windows where they can distribute clips of feature films and television programs in new media to promote a program. Provides for payment for all other uses in New Media.

Sunset Provision

Allows both sides to revisit new media when the agreement expires.

SIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE…

Word on the street (and when I say “street” I’m referring to my inbox) is that a few more brilliant minds have joined in reaching an interim deal w/ the WGA. Thank God I work for a company able to do the same. Oh, wait…that’s right, I don’t and my job is still in jeopardy. Fuck. Those rumored to have reached an interim deal include…

Mandate Pictures (Recently acquired by Lionsgate)

Ghost House (Sam Raimi)

Film Rites (Steven Zaillan)

As a reminder, here’s the AMPTP’s reaction to these interim deals (“TWC joins interim roster” - Variety, 1/11/08):

One-off deals do nothing to bring the WGA closer to a permanent solution for working writers. These interim agreements are sideshows and mean only that some writers will be employed at the same time other writers will be picketing. In the end, until the people in charge at WGA decide to focus on the main event rather than these sideshows, the economic harm being caused by the strike will continue.

I highly doubt either side arguing realizes that this is affecting the people at the bottom of this heap of dung we call “Hollywood” more than themselves. People who are now jobless and actually have time to read our wonderful rants.

I was speaking with a writer friend yesterday (yes, he has an agent and is a member of the WGA) who feels that at this point, this is senseless. He gave me a few examples but one stuck with me. A friend of his who is an Emmy award winning Sound Mixer and been working in the business for the last 30 years, is now currently out of work and will be forced to sell his home if the strike continues until the end of January. I’m sure there are many many more stories just like this, may of which are even more tragic.

At least no one came blame either side for being selfish. Yes, I’m being sarcastic. Don’t get me wrong, I understand both sides of the argument. I just wish both parties would give in a little and reach an agreement for the sake of everyone else who is being affected by this strike.

Ryan Seacrest, out.

It’s kind of like having an erection that never ends…women clamoring to get a taste. Neither participant yet satisfied. Yes, another Tom Cruise video has surfaced. While it’s no Tera Patrick, it’s definitely a starlet who’s worth a look…or two.

The video shows the group at a convention/gala of some sort. Standing ovations seem to be required and I’m sure there was some special handshake required to gain admittance. Tom does his normal incoherent blabbering and incessantly compliments some random yahoo standing to his left. I was waiting for him to run over, drop to his knees and start blowing him. Let’s not forget he’s an ACTOR people! This is what he gets paid to do and in case you forgot, he’s obviously quite good as it’s made him shit-tons of money.

Its wraps up with a salute to Mr. LRH and of course, another standing-O. Short and sweet. Just another morsel to tide us over until that next piece falls from the plate of the God’s above who are obviously shining down on us, and obviously have great disdain for Scientology as a whole.

In the words of Frank TJ Mackey, “Do you think they’re your friends? They’re not your friends. Do you really think [they’ll] be there when things go bad? Huh? When things go wrong? You think again.”