Roger Simon on the “looming” Hollywood writers strike:
But that doesn’t stop me from observing the situation, which seems more dire than I can remember, even than those several times we writers actually went out on strike and paraded around the studios with picket signs, producer friends allegedly sending their assistants out to ply us with copious lattes (that never happened to me).
This time there is a genuine atmosphere of fear in the air because the Industry may be dying – and then what? What good will come of a strike? It could be that the producers really want one, because they don’t know what to do either. The AP article linked above is pretty thin and doesn’t give you much of an idea of what is going on. We are in the era of YouTube and the whole economic model has been thrown into the air. A lot of people could be drastically affected by this – a whole “town.” And I’m not just talking about the “personal trainers” and other objects of derision toward Hollywood. I’m talking about a house of cards crumbling.
Meanwhile, we’ll have to sate our appetite for fantasy on the MSM.
(This post was based on a true story).
More: Dog Poop Girl, Nigger Guy, and the Future of Reputation on the intarwebs. (h/t Faggot Guy)
David Ignatius, on settling for a new narrative. They say that breaking up is hard to do. “There’s nobody to shoot, here, sir.”
“Queer tools“: Malkin used one of these vending things to knock Randi Rhodes over
Bush Outed Valerie Plame And That’s Why Iran Has Nuclear Technology
You’re going to meet some gentle people there (h/t Reynolds)
Amsterdam picked the wrong month to stop ingesting psilocybin. (see also Aldo at the Pub)
from talkleft:What does he expect for Iraq for the future? Stability, democracy and peace? My gawd, what a fantasy world he lives in.
Cuz, ya know, those brownones just aren’t smart enough to engage in liberty and democracy.
From the comments at Talk
BDSLeft:One thing resulting from success and winning and all that is, eventually, even the most tightly held beliefs of these circus clowns will be recast to stay in fashion.
I am so disappointed. I saw the headline “Nation to Suffer Terrible Blow” and I thought the Nation magazine was about to fold.
“This time there is a genuine atmosphere of fear in the air because the Industry may be dying – and then what? What good will come of a strike? It could be that the producers really want one, because they don’t know what to do either.”
Here is a clue: when someone who doesn’t watch prime time TV at all tunes in to a sporting event on the weekend, have something to advertise better than sitcoms about carpools and cavemen.
B Moe, it’ll get worse. Sooner or later they’re bound to cast Janeane Garofalo as a blogger.
“I saw the headline “Nation to Suffer Terrible Blow†and I thought the Nation magazine was about to fold.”
I did much the same thing, Attila, only I thought they meant Terry Nation – you know, the Doctor Who guy who invented the Daleks…
I mean, freedom of speech is all well and good, but anyone lays a finger on Terry Nation and I’m there with several thousand irate Who-ies and there’s gonna be hell to pay, alright!! And don’t forget – those fuckers can *fly* now, so you’d better watch your ass or we’ll be bringing in some – how can I put this delicately? – re-in-fucking-forcements, OK???
So go pick on someone your own size, Buster – like that little short-arsed twerp who’s in The Phantom of the Paradise or Robbie Cunting Williams or whatever…..
EXTERMINATE!! EXTERMINATE!!!! THE ENEMY MUST DIE!! LOAD THE PLUTONIC BOMB!!!!!
(Sorry, I have to go and have a lie down…)
Bob
Bob.
I got your back.
Have sonic screwdriver, will travel.
Ignatius thinks he can discuss “the next challenge in Iraq” without even a mention of Iran or Syria. He’s been grabbing his ankles for Syria for years and years, but he wrote this just last month about Iran:
Changing the way we view TalkLeft……
Dan Collins wrote a post this morning titled “Nation to Suffer Terrible Blow”. Intriguing enough… not that Democrats were about to be ‘Jindal’ed out of power in Louisiana, but that the main source of much of their inspiration in Hollywood is goin…
That’s got to be very humbling for the AP to print. Let’s contrast that with one of their post-Katrina spin control pieces, just cause it’s fun.
peanut butter sammiches. heh.
I believe in the Phoenix-like abilities of the US film industry.
Right this minute, though, there is the problem of the Malibu fires that are raging.
Trying to remember the last Big Three network “drama” I stayed awake through. Good thing there’s still Univision and Telemundo. !Voy las chicas calientes!
I didn’t notice any wind last night even though I kept the balcony door open, but my balcony (third floor) is covered with leaves and stuff. I guess it must have been at some just-so angle. Stay safe.
It’s really windy here, happyfeet, but luckily (for me) the winds are blowing toward the ocean. Stay safe, all you Malibu-ites.
hf, I about fell out of my seat when I read that one, too. I guess now that Teh Narrative is safely entrenched it’s acceptable to off-handedly admit to facts that don’t follow it.
“This time there is a genuine atmosphere of fear in the air because the Industry may be dying – and then what? What good will come of a strike? It could be that the producers really want one, because they don’t know what to do either.â€Â
Here’s something – have the producers and writers concentrate on entertainment, and leave sending messages to Western Union.*
*My apologies to Mr. Goldwyn (reputedly saying the same thing) and Western Union no longer sends telegrams.
Bob, just take one Pan-Galactic Gargle-Blaster and your pain will leave.
(I know, mixing universes – and I hope I got that right.)
I think it’s really really easy to overstate the import of the “looming” writer’s strike. It’s a game where writers that have already banked and have a residual-driven cushion besides send the kids out trick-or-treating. It’s just another indication that Hollywood simply does not cope with change well, and we already knew that, but nothing is really at stake here. It’s always cute though to watch the new kids. Last time around, the less affected you were, the more activisty your attitude was it seemed, but you saw a lot of people try embracing the social justiceness and rapidly getting really bored with that.
“Trying to remember the last Big Three network “drama†I stayed awake through. Good thing there’s still Univision and Telemundo. !Voy las chicas calientes!”
La Venganza FTW! No idea what they’re sayin, but it’s waaay better than what the big 3 puts out. Girls are cuter as well. OY!
I’m sorry, the US film industry dies and why do we care again?
I mean the writers, directors, producers and what passes for actors have all pretty much declared open war on America, especially those of us that are not leftwing nutcases. So okay Hollyweird closes shop (hopefully), they all have to go get real jobs. Sounds good to me. What is it we lose exactly? Swell movies like “Redacted” and “Rendition”? Fuck’em all.
Santa Ana winds…God, I hate those. Are you in the neighborhood of the flames, MayBee?
Hey Pablo-
I’m not in Malibu, but a few miles straight shot inland. I can smell the fires, but we aren’t in any danger.
Scape-gat Trainee, we care because it employs a lot of people. I don’t like it when Hollywood decides all of its messages need to be anti-America/anti-Bush, but overall Hollywood draws a lot of people toward America. Now CNN and the news media? I’m not so sure they are a net plus for us.
More Porky’s – less Gore.
Is that redundant?
Ignatius’ take is unusual to say the least; since he seems to be more honest
and accurate in his fiction. His latest
“Body of Lies” soon to be a Ridley Scott/William Monahan production with
DeCaprio as the lead? CIA officer Scott
Ferris; shows the role of Syrian jihadists ; the villainous head of the
network is a former Moslem Brotherhood
survivor of the Hama massacre) and Jordanian jihadis; caught up in a classic false flag operation directed by Ferris and his boss’ unorthodox team. Besides slams at a brunette Coulter clone at justice and Fox News;
it’s rather guardedly optimistic of the chances for unraveling the jihad.
Have the writers written anything original in the last 10-15 years. It seems like all we get anymore is 1960’s tv for redone for the big screen or Rocky MMMXXVII.
Screenwriters have been on a personal strike for twenty years or so. Or at least I’ve fired all of them from my life that long ago.
Apparently producing humane, intelligent, well-rounded screenplays are another job Americans just won’t do.
My wife and I watched a DVD last night, of a B-grade Western from 1960. It was not well made and the story — “based on a novel by Louis L’Amour,” — resembled L’Amour’s writing only very vaguely. And my wife thought the wrong guy got the girl.
But I still found it far more watchable than just about any top-line movie that gets made in a typical year these days.