What is Digg?373 Comments
- LilJimmyNordin, on 11/13/2007, -0/+218Guess they closed Scranton after all. Jan warned them about unionizing...
- ZenMojo, on 11/15/2007, -12/+208People need to shake this "they're getting paid good money" bull. Writers get the shaft. Writers do the creative heavy lifting but they get paid less than the actors, the director, the producers.
- andrewcsayer, on 11/13/2007, -5/+172Dwight Shrute would sort this out in 10 minutes
- kurttrail, on 11/13/2007, -6/+121Steve Carell is a member of the WGA.
- coltrane68, on 11/15/2007, -16/+125Did you notice the snide comments in the link? What does a grip do? Couldn't anyone do that? Sure they could - with appropriate training. Just like anyone could do anything else. Of course, some people are better suited to some jobs than others. But stop being so dismissive - it's just not cool.
- imacphee, on 11/13/2007, -7/+115"NBC..." - correct...
"...fires..." - laid off technically...
"...102 people..." - right, 102 people...
"...who work on the Office." - which they do do.
Did I miss something? - benroy, on 11/12/2007, -1/+80*****, it's just like a real office.
Brad Dupree: ...so I'm sure you can understand the need to cut corners around here.
Lester Burnham: Sure. Times are tight, and you need to free up cash. Gotta spend money to make money.
Brad Dupree: Exactly.
Lester Burnham: Like when our editorial director used the company MasterCard to pay for a hooker, and then she used the card number to stay at the St. Regis for, what was it, three months?
Brad Dupree: That's unsubstantiated gossip.
Lester Burnham: That's fifty thousand dollars. That's somebody's salary. Somebody who's probably gonna get fired because Craig has to pay women to ***** him!
Brad Dupree: Jesus. Calm down. Nobody's getting fired yet. That's why we're having everyone write a job description, mapping out in detail how they contribute. That way, management can assess who's valuable and who's...
Lester Burnham: Expendable.
Brad Dupree: It's just business.
(quoted from "American Beauty" copied & pasted from IMDB.com) - MediaShipper, on 11/12/2007, -4/+62A lot of the actors on this show are writers on the show too. Why are you guys ripping on Steve Carrell?
- jordanlgta, on 11/12/2007, -0/+55Except Michael would make him assistant to the camera, not camera assistant.
- ZenMojo, on 11/12/2007, -8/+57Half of the WGA is unemployed at any given time. Most make 18 grand a year. Do the math.
- vtsquire, on 11/12/2007, -18/+66S = Studio. Studio hires W. W = writers. S hires grips, makeup, electricians, etc (X). Studio makes deal with writers. S ***** over W for 27 years. W sticks up for themselves. S fires X for it.
Really ***** brilliant. - macdude20, on 11/12/2007, -2/+50This is just typical sensationalist ***** headline. If you actually read the article you'll see that nobody got fired. They're not getting paid for the duration of the strike, and that sucks for sure, but that's not the same thing as getting fired.
- jmpeagle, on 11/12/2007, -3/+45what do you expect? If a businesses income goes out the window, how/why should they pay people to sit around and do nothing?
- inactive, on 11/13/2007, -54/+95wannabetenor ...are you an idiot, or are you one of those ***** who purposely writes misleaing titles?
- inactive, on 11/12/2007, -9/+44But he is allowed under WGA contracts to work as an actor during the strike. In fact, his SAG union contract actually demands that he does. The actors union has a no strike clause which forbids sympathy strikes.
- patrickcakes, on 11/12/2007, -1/+35FACT.
- Pzycho, on 11/12/2007, -1/+33While you blame people like Carell, you need to realize this is a studio tactic, and also a mafia tactic. People are often far less concerned about themselves than their friends and family. If you can't fire the writers, fire all of their friends and blame it on them. Also, sure, Office writers make a lot of money, but these are the people that are needed most in the strike. They make a lot of money because they are valuable. The reason that they are needed in the strike is because they are the ones that really hurt the studios. If just the people not getting paid well were on strike, the studios wouldn't care. The studios need to feel this.
- inactive, on 11/12/2007, -1/+32You should probably get SOME job, by the way.
- alchemist27, on 11/12/2007, -0/+29yeah, by making himself cameraman, camera assistant, stylist, makeup artist, grip, electrician, props person, construction worker, media, head of art department, set dresser, sound man, stand-in, accountant, caterer and producer
- Shorties, on 11/12/2007, -5/+29This whole thing is not surprising, the movie industry used sept 11th as an excuse to cut back on thousands of employees they are just using this writers strike as an excuse to get rid of tons of employees without getting lawsuits thrown in their face.
- jordanlgta, on 11/13/2007, -10/+34I don't like that they got laid off, but why are these people going to lose their homes? Are there no other jobs that they can apply for anywhere?
- inactive, on 11/12/2007, -1/+23No, it's the producers who ALLOW people to do menial jobs in exchange for money. If your only skill is making french fries, it doesn't automatically mean that McDonalds is obligated to keep you employed.
- joshutk, on 11/12/2007, -3/+25Having a low-level production job and living in LA can't be easy.
- viewdrix, on 11/12/2007, -2/+22They don't make "hundreds of thousands of dollars," and they don't make "a grand" for every rerun. Otherwise some Simpsons writers would be billionaires.
- mwhitney, on 11/12/2007, -0/+20Point of clarification: This headline is sensationalist. The crew was laid off while production stops - no one was fired. Big, big difference - the crew of 102 people can get their jobs back when the strike ends.
- Elranzer, on 11/12/2007, -6/+25Film Actors Guild, aka...
- MrSalty, on 11/12/2007, -6/+24Dysarthria, you don't know what you're talking about. Sitcom writers do not make as much money as you think they do, certainly not enough to "never have to work again" after the show ends its run. Considering the cost of living in Southern California, making a low-six-figure income does not qualify them as wealthy. Upper-middle-class, yes, but they do need a continuous income.
With respect to "The Office," also remember that at least four members of the cast are also members of the WGA --- Carell, Mindy Kaling, B.J. Novak and Paul Lieberstein. The office would be pretty empty with all of them on the picket line. - ZenMojo, on 11/12/2007, -7/+24SAG is encouraging sympathy strikes this time.
- inactive, on 11/12/2007, -6/+23why don't they just temporarily lay them off? won't they just need them again when they come back?
- mrurc, on 11/12/2007, -7/+24You are challenging people to contradict information that you MADE UP so you can give them a hard time?
You admit that you have NO IDEA what the writers on The Office make. You probably don't even know the breakdown of the types of work the writers do to get in the pay categories that you mention. Do you know if the "top 5%" work in movies? Or in soap operas? Or if the pay listed is included for presenting the material too? Let's say that the top 5% includes Jon Stewart. Does his "top 5%" pay include being anchor of the show or not? Do you know?
Well if you did, you wouldn't say "My guess is The Office is the kind of show that pays its writers quite well." Really. Grossly popular soap operas have one hour of original content per day, for every weekday of the year. The Office has 26 half hour episodes per year. Probably not comparable, really.
When you appear to have an informed UNBIASED opinion, come back and we'll pay attention. In the meantime, go back to your studio desk job and stop spreading FUD. - DigitAl56K, on 11/12/2007, -7/+23Jeesh,
Writers go on strike, NBC fires 102 people... for what purpose? As a bargaining chip to make the striking workers look bad publicly?
What is NBC's comment going to be on this? "You made me do it" has never gone down favorably with me, and it will go down particularly badly if the WGA is actually requesting something reasonable, which thanks to this action by NBC is something I'm now inclined to actually do some quick research on. - ScottDaMan, on 11/11/2007, -0/+16Woohoo, now THAT is how you go green! Stop all electricity use all together on a show.
- inactive, on 11/11/2007, -3/+19Their contract forbids it. they are NOT officially encouraging it because they can't. Of course, they are not against it either, but it has nothing to do with sympathy reasons. It is because whatever the writers get, THEY will get in July.
- zeejay, on 11/12/2007, -1/+17They were laid off. They'll be re-hired when the strike is over. On the other hand, when you're fired, you're gone - FOR GOOD. It's more than just a technicality, there's a huge difference.
This is unfortunate, but not as inflammatory as the title suggests. It will happen on a lot more shows than this. - DigitAl56K, on 11/11/2007, -5/+20Dugg you up for actually understanding the situation before commenting.
- meed, on 11/11/2007, -2/+16How shame on the studios who have refused to bargin about paying writers for online distribution of the shows?
- chip0wa, on 11/12/2007, -10/+24who gives a *****. i'm ***** depressed man.
- sotopheavy, on 11/12/2007, -1/+15I'm sure this will be over before long and America has some larger problems that we should all focus on during this intermission.
- MtheoryX, on 11/12/2007, -0/+14So, you didn't even see Evan Almighty, yet you are going to insist he wasnt good in that?
Interesting.
And you didnt see Stranger Than Fiction, but feel you can interject your opinion on Will Farrell in that movie?
Again, intersting.
I'm thinking that, what with your whole "not seeing movies" thing, you make a piss-poor reviewer and judge of acting talent. - hinkbot, on 11/12/2007, -1/+14i think there is a pretty big difference between being laid off and fired. I had a job and was laid off every winter because there wasn't any work to be done.
I imagine once shooting resumes, these people will be back working on the office. - imacphee, on 11/12/2007, -3/+16They have mortgages to pay, I'm sure. Any other work they could potentially get is on other film and television sets which, surprise, are also affected by the strike.
- mrurc, on 11/11/2007, -2/+14So Steve Carell is a non-writer now. I see. That's not what you said above. Could you at least make up your mind?
Steve Carell has not "unemployed" anyone. The STUDIO has fired the entire crew in retaliation for the strike. Steve Carell has NOTHING to do with those people being laid off. He is a writer and he went on strike with the writers and he is a writer _on_that_show_.
He is using is "multiple million" dollars to show his solidarity with the writers who don't have that much money. - actorboy, on 11/12/2007, -0/+12Steve Carrell is in a tough position actually. He is both a WGA member and SAG member. As a WGA member, he cannot report to work without suffering severe penalties from the union. As a SAG member, he is held to "No Strike" clause that promises studios he will not stop working on a project for which he is already under contract. SAG also states (verbatim, from communications sent to members): "Screen Actors Guild members should not perform the duties covered by WGA contracts. Simply stated, you should not write anything normally written by striking WGA writers."
If he crosses the the picket lines, he will jeopardize his status as a WGA member and at most only be able to perform as an actor (no writing). But if he walks with the pickets, the most he would suffer is a financial penalty from the studios for breaking his contract, but would remain in good standing with both his unions.
I'm pretty sure his decision boiled down to this: Piss off one studio and possibly never work there again; or piss off your unions and possibly never work anywhere again. I'm sure he weighed his options before making the decision. - imacphee, on 11/12/2007, -4/+16I'm not sure much choice was involved. Were it within their power to get paid more, I'm sure they would insist.
- inactive, on 11/11/2007, -10/+22Why is it somebody elses problem if these people chose to live paycheck to paycheck?
- mltvcocktail, on 11/12/2007, -1/+13Dysarthria, you're like NBC PR or something right? Because that's the only explanation for your rampant ignorance.
- qwerty66, on 11/12/2007, -2/+13FARK - subby wrote a misleading headline - laid off is NOT FIRED ! Work will come when your writers return. Blame your writers and look for a stable job. The guys KNEW this strike was coming up.
- mrurc, on 11/11/2007, -2/+13Wow. You honestly think that democracy and capitalism are the same thing.
Do you still own The Red Primer?
Seriously. Communism is a form of economy and so it capitalism, whereas, democracy is a form of *government*. We could vote to be communists, you know. - barc0001, on 11/11/2007, -9/+20So, this comment basically says the problem isn't that the writers get paid less because they get paid less, but rather there's an enormous glut of writers in the industry and as a result they're a dime a dozen. Perhaps some of these writers should just hang it up and get a job doing something else, which would decrease the available pool of writers and demand would rise for the remainder, with a commensurate increase in compensation for them.
Or in simpler terms, what you're telling me is if I walk down the street in Hollywood on any given day and throw a bagel over my shoulder without looking, I'll hit 3 or 4 writers. Supply is vastly exceeding demand. That's why their pay sucks. - DigitAl56K, on 11/11/2007, -1/+11Well, I have no sympathy for you. I *did* have when I read your first post, but now it seems you're just a bitter ass.
Have fun hating on people. I guess that's what people do to get by in "the real world". -
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