Hollywood writers have been on strike for 2-1/2 months now, but does anyone really care? I’ve been reading how the awards shows have been mere shadows of their former selves, with no writers to put those witty words into the presenters’ mouths. And many TV shows have depleted their stockpile of episodes and are into reruns now (except for a few late starters, like Lost and New Adventures of Old Christine, which are just about to begin their seasons for some strange reason known only to TV execs).
I don’t know a lot about the strike, but I think it involves writers getting paid “residuals” when shows or movies go into syndication or DVDs or whatever. Hey, I’m all for that — the actors are getting paid, so why shouldn’t the writers? (And as a writer lucky to have been paid only once for any job, no matter how long-lived a brochure or Web site, I say, “You go, girls & boys!”)
But really, does anyone outside the industry care? If I never saw a new TV show again, I’m sure there would still be plenty to entertain me. Just keep playing the best of the old shows, and I’ll be fine for years and years. I watch reruns every single night — Everybody Loves Raymond, Frasier, Will & Grace, Golden Girls — and in most cases, they are so much better than anything else “new” you can find. Plus, there are hundreds of shows I never watched the first time around, so could spend years catching up (yes, imagine it, I have seen maybe 2 or 3 CSI and Law & Order episodes in my life).
But what about movies? I know these are a big deal for a lot of people. But not Mike and me — we have yet to go to the movies together and have watched only a handful of DVDs in our entire relationship. We’re just not movie folk, I guess. But even if that changes, we have years of movies to catch up on, so having “nothing new” is no big deal.
Oh yes, and here’s an idea: We could all read a book instead! Or while away even more hours surfing the Web. Or blogging. Or selling on eBay. Or cleaning the house.
So, writing compadres, I wish you the best in your efforts — I know how hard it is to do what you do. But the sad truth is, if you never get to work again, the world will still go on. And that’s true for every single one of us!
If you surveyed a hundred typical middle-aged Americans,
I bet you’d find that only two of them could tell you their
blood types, but every last one of them would know
the theme song from The Beverly Hillbillies.
~ Dave Barry
Writing by Ear 
robbie said,
Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 1:28 pm
No one needs the boob tube! Just read four studios fired their writers. That’s what can happen when you hold out too long. There are plenty of people out there willing to work for what I would imagine is pretty good money. Also read that the writers lost more money being on strike than they were asking for anyway. What’s that all about…..other than stupidity.
WritingbyEar said,
Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Interesting! It’s the whole “union” mentality if you ask me. (In the end, steel, cars, clothes, just about everything, can and will be made elsewhere.) But just imagine the “fun” when we start getting Chinese-imported writing (it works so well on assembly and operating instructions….)
CUTEBLOG NAME said,
Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at 8:41 am
HEY!!! U.S.W. local 1127.
WritingbyEar said,
Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at 9:27 am
Guess that’s why you get to work all those short hours????