Writers' strike is about the value of thought

http://www.mcall.com/news/opinion/all-james1-13.6219605jan13,0,4266655.column

Renee A. James
January 13, 2008

I hope it's true that the pen is mightier than just about anything else in Hollywood.

The latest casualty of the Writer's Guild of America (WGA) strike is production of the Golden Globe Awards television show. Each year, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association honors film and television professionals in a televised ceremony that serves as the unofficial start of the awards season.

This year, since many actors are paid generously to speak lines that are crafted by striking writers, they have chosen to not cross picket lines to attend the awards. Of course, with no stars parading in front of cameras, just waiting to make an acceptance speech, there is little chance that we would watch. With fewer watching, it's possible NBC's ad revenue will be hurt.

This strike began in early November after several months of failed negotiations and is reaching a bit of a crescendo. Late night talk show hosts are making their way back to the airwaves, with a larger emphasis on ''talk.'' Each host is delicately handling their written monologues. NBC's Jay Leno claims he received a waiver from the WGA, and began writing his own monologues upon his return on Jan. 2. (According to Variety, the Guild sees this differently, and terms Leno's writing ''a violation of the guild's strike rules.'') Leno is the star of the ''Tonight Show,'' but even as a performer, he is bound by his membership in the Guild and forbidden to write for any company being ''struck.''

NBC's Conan O'Brien and ABC's Jimmy Kimmel are also back on the air, although both of them have given up monologues and instead filled in with more talk, and even clips of previous shows, in order to rely less on written lines and jokes. If nothing else, viewers can judge for themselves who is more naturally funny, quick, provocative and interesting without scripted moments.

At CBS, David Letterman and Craig Ferguson have begun taping their shows as well, with a twist. Worldwide Pants, the production company that owns both programs, negotiated an interim deal with the WGA that frees up writers and allows each host to perform scripted material. On cable's Comedy Central, Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart have returned, just in time to cover the presidential primaries. However, as both men belong to the Guild, they may not write material to perform.


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