ANTM Finale!

thank the lord.

1:00 - jenah is going home. we opened with her saying she didnt wannt to go home, shed go hom e if she was in final 2 with selesha, and she really didnt want to go home. she's so cooked. im reinstating her nicnkame - Goose. they tricked me last week, but its right back to the usual modus operandi this week (which by the way is admissible character evidence)

3:00 - its Jaslene. she's talking, but i cant understand what she's saying.

4:00 - i wish i predicted a selesha victory earlier in the season. im making an official selesha victory prediction now.

5:00 - caryn says the final 3 is too ahrd to predict. theyre all good, so you have to wait to see the challenge and who screws up.

6:00 - so far, its chantal. and jay just did a brutal parody that i enjoyed. and tehn she did good.

7:00 - they jsut did a jenah "Take 'x'" montage b/c there were so many takes. and now theyre making her use cue cards.

8:00 - more "jenah comes off bitchy" subplot from jay.

9:00 - Heather could have done better than these 3...

10:00 - selesha is breaking down on set!!! ohnoes for my 4:00.

11:00 - caryn echoes my thoughts that chantal did the best.

14:00 - we're doing the dumb questions segment. 1st, who do you think should win? yourself, really? i never would have guessed! 2nd, who is the worst? they ganged up on jenah, playing up the "jenah has attitude and a bitch" subplot. honestly, i *never* got this subplot. she doesnt seem bitchy. usual Top Model forcing dumb subplots on the show.

15:00 - i should be studying, but caryn is making me blog this atrocity. going to Lamarca and Juno tonite tho!

16:00 - caryn thinks selesha looekd stiff in her pic. i agree.

17:00 - i was also unimpressed with chantal. maybe b/c im not the target audience, but both those commercials sucked. i didnt like chantals pic either.

18:00 - music change for jenah. uh oh!

19:00 - they are ripping on jenah. igel is bullshitting like usual. i hate him. they're accusing her of insulting and being bitchy again.

20:00 - caryn and i both unanimous that jenah's commercial was the best. she totally was the most natural. she only laughed at the end after she bit the fruit, but otherwise she was totally the best.

21:00 - jenah is now ranting at the girls being bitchy. shes so cooked, but im indignant about it now too!

22:00 - i like her photo the best too. they are gonna eliminate her. but its bs. i enjoyed her rant against being all rainbows and sunshine and smiles.

23:00 - note: selesha ended the covergirl commercial they showed. thats bc she won imo.

24:00 - caryn fastforwarded thru the jaslene commercial, but did a "this is my life" impression.

25:00 - caryn thinks jenah might be saved by breaking through emotionally.

26:00 - caryn jsut said she tihnks chantal is out, and nigel called her amateur (like jenah did!).

27:00 - man, i wish i could walk in the Chi Gong Hi Fashion Show.

28:00 - chantal is hte first name called! so much for caryn's nut. itll be lost in the forest forever. caryn defends it by noting that she thought theyd keep jenah after she cried, since they did a 180 and were copmlimentary towards her at judges table.

29:00 - jenah's gone. nut for me. listen, last week was a TOTAL ABBHERATION. they always tip the hand early, and make up the contrived storyline to justify the boot.

30:00 - i liked jenah's pics. too bad this show is about as real as The Hills. i dont uderstand why the WGA strike isnt affecting it. its all scripted.

31:00 - im starving. cant wait for lamarca.

44:00 - there are no words for what im watching. tyra is walking down this crazy procession. jaslene looked walkig it.

45:00 - twiggy: "woooow, look at that". Tyra: "work it girl!". me: "i haveno clue whats going on. theyre just walking! for what its worth, selesha is walking hotter imo. my 4:00 is goldensauce. actually, make it lamarca bolognese sauce.

46:00 - chantal looks much stiffer to me.

47:00 - chantal just got screwed. the wind blew her dress over under a stilts-guy performers stilts and he BIT THE DUST! everyone was mortified. i thought it was hilarious.

48:00 - caryn correctly otes that chantal just looks defeated. Selesha will win. i really should called it months ago. i knew it.

49:00 - caryn agrees with me that selesha had a great walk. caryn thought seleshas walk had attitude, but chantals was more poised. frankly, i tihnk theres only 1 adj to describe seleshas' walk. it begins with F and ends with ierce.

51:00 - photo recap. i like chantals smoking one better, and chantals gargoyle better. wtf is with miss j's hair btw? i thought these great wall of china photos were dumb.

53:00 - the runway feedback: j says selesha "owned it". twiggy liked it. this is so in the bag. im such a great nutter. tyra notes the stiffness. who is good? i am. while ive railed against the "own it" babble all season, i will admit that selesha did, in fact, "own" that runway.

55:00 - tyra notes that this is our 9th Top Model. hopefully, for my sake, it doesnt hit doubledigits.

56:00 - miss j says chantal is mroe high fashion and less commercial.

57:00 - nigel sticks up for selesha. what the f is this high fashion versus commercial stuff? could they give us a tutorial to explain the difference to me? what blather this whole industry is, from proj runway to this show. Top Chef is totally the best, and i dont even get to taste the food!

58:00 - tyra thought these girls would go home early and not make it so far. guess she sux at judging talent. burn!

59:00 - the moment of truth. money is still on selesha. caryn is predicting selesha too.

60:00 - Selesha! me: "BAM!" see 4:00 and 23:00.

Strike Watch 2007!

WGA-AMPTP War Of Words: Who'll Blink First?

Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) President Patric M. Verrone and Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) President Michael Winship today issued the following message regarding the AMPTP-WGA negotiations which appear to be breaking down. (For background, see my previous, Talks Day #7: AMPTP "Stalling Tactics"; Are The Moguls About To Quit The Talks?) The AMPTP immediately followed with a statement of its own (see below). Who's telling the truth? I think from these dueling statements the answer is quite clear:

Dear Fellow Members,
Before we head into negotiations this morning, we want to give you an update on where we stand. On Tuesday, after the companies had requested a four-day break so they could work on their proposals, we returned to the bargaining table. We presented a counter proposal to their streaming proposal of November 29. They presented no new proposals. On Wednesday, the AMPTP again had no new proposals, but they did have detailed questions about our streaming counter proposal and other aspects of our overall proposals – and from the give and take of those discussions, we felt that they might finally be ready to engage in serious bargaining. They told us they would have new proposals for us Thursday. On Thursday, we met at 10am, and they told us their new proposals would be ready shortly. At 5 PM, they told us their proposals still weren’t ready, that they would be working on them late into the night, and that we should come back this morning at 10am. The fact that we saw everyone from the AMPTP leave the building by 6:45pm is not a promising sign, but we will be at the table at 10 AM this morning, ready to receive their new proposal.

We’d like to address some of the disturbing rumors and back channel communications we’ve been hearing. For one, we’ve heard that one or more of the companies are prepared to throw away the spring and fall TV season, plus features, and prolong the strike. Aside from the devastating effect this would have on the unions, workers, and their families in this industry, it would certainly explain the AMPTP’s refusal to put any new proposals, even a bad one, on the table. Also, highly placed executives have been telling some of our writers that the companies are preparing to abruptly cut off negotiations. They say the companies plan to accuse the WGA of stalling and being unwilling to negotiate, and that the companies will use that as an excuse to walk out.

The Writers Guilds of America, West and East are going on record now that any such claims are absolutely untrue. We have been at the negotiating table every day, willing to bargain. Furthermore, we hereby challenge the AMPTP to negotiate in good faith, day and night, through the Christmas and New Year’s holidays – whatever is necessary – to get this done and get the town back to work. The Writers Guilds will remain at the table every day, for as long as it takes, to make a fair deal.

Thank you for your patience, support, and solidarity through these difficult times. Please come to the Freemantle rally today. We remain all in this together.
Patric M. Verrone
Writers Guild of America, West
&
Michael Winship
President
Writers Guild of America, East

And here is the AMPTP statement answering it:

The WGA's organizers sent a letter to WGA members today that contains a series of factual mistakes.

WGA Organizer Statement

"[T]he companies had requested a four-day break so they could work on their proposals."

The Facts

On Nov. 29, the WGA's organizers requested the four-day break after the producers presented their proposed New Economic Partnership.

WGA Organizer Statement

The producers "told us they would have new proposals."

The Facts

The producers did present a new proposal, the New Economic Partnership, which would increase the average working writer's salary to more than $230,000 a year. The WGA's organizers have yet to respond directly to that proposal, preferring instead to focus on jurisdictional issues in the areas of reality and animation television.

WGA Organizer Statement

"We have been at the negotiating table every day, willing to bargain."

The Facts

The WGA's organizers actually spend relatively little time at the negotiating table. The WGA's organizers sought a four-day break, and when they returned sessions that were supposed to begin at 10:00 am often did not start until after lunchtime. When they are at the negotiating site, WGA organizers typically spend as much time speaking among themselves as they do at the negotiating table.

WGA Organizer Statement

"We will remain at the table every day, for as long as it takes, to make a fair deal."

The Facts

The WGA's organizers refused repeated requests by the producers to begin negotiations much earlier, in the spring of 2007. Had negotiations begun when the producers wanted them to start, perhaps the industry would not now be in the midst of this strike.

Talks Day #7: AMPTP "Stalling Tactics"; Are The Moguls About To Quit The Talks?

EXCLUSIVE: I wish I had better news about the AMPTP-WGA contract negotiations, but I don't. To sum up, they suck. I took extra time reporting tonight, and some very surprising developments came to light. For instance, Peter Chernin is privately telling Hollywood that the producers plan to quit the talks any day now. That they have no intention of coming back with another streaming proposal "until we are close". And that they'll only give a better electronic sell-through formula "at the last minute" when a contract with the writers is virtually signed.

These quiet remarks by the Fox/News Corp No. 2 are the complete opposite of what the AMPTP is telling the WGA around the bargaining table.

I'm told Thursday's talks began at 10 AM, and both the WGA and AMPTP had a brief discussion about streaming, made-for-web content pay and jurisdiction, and electronic sell-through. Then one of the negotiators from the network and studio CEOs' side declared, "The DVD formula is good for you, and you should embrace it with open arms."

The AMPTP then claimed it had "a proposal coming" supposedly based on the writers' streaming counter-proposal from Tuesday and asked the WGA side to wait around. By 5 pm, it wasn't done. Then the producers claimed they would work on the proposal at the hotel straight through midnight or later and give it to the WGA at Friday's session.

But some of the WGA negotiators hung around the hotel and, to their surprise, watched the AMPTP contingent get in their cars at exactly 6 PM and individually drive off.

(This follows what happened on Wednesday when the AMPTP negotiators asked to break early to celebrate the first day of Chanukah -- yet their official statement later claimed it had been the writers side who didn't want to negotiate late into the evening...)

Chernin, CBS' Les Moonves, and some of the other Hollywood moguls this week keep kvetching about how "frustrating" the AMPTP-WGA talks have become and how "pessimistic" they are about a quick resolution. The bigwigs have even concocted this fiction that they wanted to solve the strike in three intense days of negotiations before Christmas but now they see that's impossible because of the level of mistrust and misunderstanding around the table. My sources tell me the CEOs seem to be looking for any excuse to blame WGA chief negotiator Dave Young specifically for "blowing it".

But the truth is this: the Hollywood moguls have not delivered on their promises. And Chernin's statements make clear they never had any intention of doing so right now. Days are passing, and the AMPTP still hasn't come back with a counter/counter-offer to the WGA's counter-offer to the AMPTP's offer on streaming. Days are passing, and the AMPTP still hasn't come back with the 2nd half of its New Media proposal presumably containing ESTs. Days are passing, and the AMPTP and WGA are still paralyzed on Internet issues, which is why they moved way down their list to the subject of Reality TV jurisdiction. Sure that angered the CEOs who own a network -- and I think it was a giant mistake by the writers' negotiating team to get off New Media and onto that. But it came up because of the AMPTP's stalling tactics, and the two sides had to jawbone about something.

In conclusion, I wouldn't be at all surprised if, as soon as Friday, the AMPTP walks out of the talks with a news release in hand that it's all the WGA's fault.

And I now predict the CEOs will make a big public show of deciding to open talks with the Directors Guild right away and thus try to screw the striking writers. (That's already begun -- today's Los Angeles Times virtually announces it in roundabout fashion by noting that 300 director-writers today begged their DGA to hold off...)

And I predict the AMPTP won't return to negotiations with the writers until February at the earliest after declaring force majeure. Please, oh please, prove me wrong.

Talks Day #6: WGA Presses On Reality TV

The talks will resume on Thursday. But I'm told by a mogul that the reason the second half of the AMPTP proposal -- which presumably contains an offer about electronic sell-through (ESTs) -- has not yet seen the light of day is because "no one is prepared to put anything new on the table until there's movement on other issues." Oh, c'mon!

So the AMPTP had an internal meeting today about the WGA's offer on streaming but didn't bring any counter/counter-offer on New Media to the table. The WGA in an end-of-day statement tonight said "we are still waiting for the AMPTP to respond to ... Internet streaming of theatrical and TV product and digital downloads." The producers' end-of-day statement tonight was generic, not detailed.

The largest part of today's negotiations were taken over by the WGA's small group discussion of jurisdiction for Reality TV and made-for-Web content as well as animation and cable. I've learned the WGA played hardball by demanding that network and studio CEOs no longer make deals with Reality TV producers like Mark Burnett Productions, Fremantle, Endemol etc unless those companies become signatories of the WGA. This is part of the WGA's continuing campaign to ensure that Reality TV writers -- often referred to as the story editors or story producers of the shows -- start to receive the same benefits and pay and protections as guild members. (Of course, further complicating matters is that some Reality TV shows have signed deals with IA, the editors guild.) It's also clear the WGA's demand today was timed to this Friday's big writers protest outside Fremantle Media headquarters.

Needless to say, network CEOs expressed disbelief and anger that the WGA would try to put Reality TV on the table today. I swear one mogul was going to have a coronary, sputtering as he charged that today's talks were "going backwards". (Did the producers not hear that Variety erroneously reported pre-strike that the WGA negotiators had dropped their nonscripted proposal? On the other hand, don't the writers consider New Media formulas a more pressing issue? Am I starting to lose the will to live?)

Interestingly, the WGA's demand that all made-for-web work be placed under the guild's full jurisdiction didn't seem to hit a nerve with either the AMPTP or its CEOs.

Gossip Girl 12/12/07

Caryn wants me to start blogging more again. im just gonna focus on nuts.

1:00 - debuttante season. i liked Samaire's Cotillion better.

3:00 - is this waht rory did that one time in Gilmore Girls?

4:00 - wuts little j got sunday?

5:00 - dan just called this cotillion. lol. ad hes buttering gramma up real good.

6:00 - chuck and b are still gettin it on. uh oh, n is over and c is upstairs. wut will b do?! shes gonna go to the ball with n, "as friends". c will be jealous. dunno yetwhat disastrous fight will happen.

7:00 - nutted little j having something to do on sunday. ouch little j. harsh to mom. turning into b!

8:00 - nutted that S's gramma was dying. and all she wants is to see S make a debut. lol, what a weird last dying wish.

12:00 - b totally just came from nutting c. and n is babbling while b texts c. lol.

14:00 - shoe shopping scene!

15:00 - ohnoes! little j caught with S's mom. she was gonna lie to her parents and go to the ball. and her mom caught them! the sad thing is that little j's mom was gonna buy her nice shoes after little j's earlier outburst. its really sad. :(

16:00 - is gramms setting S up with the bad gambler kid? yes, lol.

17:00 - d is gonna get upset over this. oy. hes 50-50 to leave this lil tea party in te middle of it.

18:00 - little j is like caryn. keeping the tags and returning lol. and now little j wants her mom to be gone. oh little j, you need a new name to reflect your new grownup attitude.

19:00 - gramma is bringing the pain to d right now. note the irony of carter being a gambling cheating bum.

20:00 - lol vm. cold war between d and g(ramma). good one! and her money's on brooklyn ftw! FTW!

27:00 - B is gonna lose her NYT story for going with N and not the P. maybe.

29:00 - lol g going to see r. and r's one liner. i just realized that this gramma is like a poor gramma Kelly Bishop. ooh, and now she's bribing him!!! lol r, shooting her down.

30:00 - omg, gramma made lily choose her inheritance over rufus all those years ago! great twist!!!!

31:00 - hilarious with rufus wanting dan to go to the ball now.

32:00 - i want to openly question now whether gramma is even dying of that lung thing or whether it is all fake.

33:00 - caryn is nutting that little j will be mad d could go but she couldnt.

34:00 - good ep so far, im expecting some climactic terrificness.

35:00 - chuck is gonna tell nate its carter. caryn nutted that.

36:00 - uh oh. d is goan tell s what gramma did. will s take it well? or accuse him of lying. i bet S gets mad at d.

37:00 - nut.

38:00 - major lol taht carter is gonn be with S at the ball and c and n are gonna get him there, making s look bad, which was exactly what gramma didnt want. OH THE IRONY! DOUBLE OR NOTHING ON THIS NUT!

43:00 - S has the right idea. who wouldnt want to bed a billionaire?!?!

44:00 - caryn uts jenny getting i even more trouble now.

45:00 - caryn thinks that b will think n is jealous of carter for being with serena b/c hes lookign at carter ad her. lol chuck.

46:00 - caryn: "nate would never make a scene, hes a gentlemen"

47:00 - lol at little j having to fix b's dress and miss her mom's thing.

48:00 - s is mad at her mom for manipulating and nont letting s be her, but its not moms fault! its grammas!!!! oh poor lily :(

49:00 - uh oh! carter and s have a history!!! and gramma called him!!!

50:00 - whoa, lily called to meet d. amazing confession! she's telling d to get s, and screw gramma. aww, lily is on hsi side now! how adorable! this ep is stealing my heart.

51:00 - lol at chuck's "my plan is falling into his place" look. ohnoes. b figured it out ><

52:00 - big g and s scene! s asks if g is ill. she's not! NUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT. COME ON! BRING IT!!!

53:00 - way to come back d! i guess gramma is the ussr, and d is america!!!

54:00 - caryn predicted b and carter, not b and n. lol at the wink n gave c. good line vm!

56:00 - uh oh. r and lily!

57:00 - do you know what it is? right now? ill tell you. It's too late... TO POLOGIZE!!!!!! great song!!!!

58:00 - whoa, is gramma gonna kill herself!!!!?!?! her lies caught up to her! and b and n are finally gonna nut!

59:00 - chuck is running away!

Totally the best episode of the season. undoubtedly. very impressive. selina also tells me this was the cardozo sighting episode. gonna rewind and try to find it.

ANTM 12/5/07

It's almost over! thank the lord! Caryn made delicious latkes for dinner! yay chanukah.

2:00 - bianca's being mean about heather. lala. they havent tipped who gets eliminated yet.

3:00 - i take it back, Jena is going to be eliminated. caryn recognizes it too. hmm, now its chantal talking about her whole life leading up to this. They will be bottom 2. I predct Jenna is elimmed.

4:00 - i could do without miss j's chinese. or twiggy's recitation of chinese history. barf.

8:00 - L.O.L. at bianca lying to jenna about what was across the street. especially after bitzing about selesha not telling her where the Go-C was last week. hypocritical slutwhore says i. The best thing is that this obvious comparison has likely *not even occurred to her at all*

10:00 - what magazine are they going to be on the cover of? Seventeen?

11:00 - well they all did great jobs! i liked jenna's dress coming down the runway.

12:00 - jenna wins! caryn is ecstatic. she picks a friend. bet its not bianca!!!

13:00 - nut, it was chantal.

14:00 - jenna gets a 1on1 with miss j! ugh, mroe miss j chinese.

15:00 - caryn likes their special dresses. she should get one for herself!!!

16:00 - im pretty impressed that they knew you could see the Great Wall from outerspace.

17:00 uh oh, jenna is homesick. she's tearing on camera. she is so cooked. I'm going in with an official, not changing it no matter what, Jenna gets elimmed.

19:00 - cool photoshoot concept at least. ni-haooooooooooooooo. did tyra pronounce it right? somebody ask jchien.

21:00 - oh lord, jenna is going o agai about how she is depressed (and her name is apparently spelled 'jenah;)

22:00 - Tyra just "ni-haeo"'d teh actual chinese people, and they looked at her like she had 18 heads.

23:00 - chantal had a good shoot apparently. jenah is gona bomb now.

24:00 - nut. she is bombing. jay notes she was nervous with nigel and with tyra. will she be this nervous when she works?!?! she is so cooked. for the rest of the ep imma refer to her as "Goose".

32:00 - fell 8 minutes behind.

33:00 - caryn is pease that it looks like bianca is bombing to open.she finished good, bombed to start.

34:00 - ee, aa, soo - 1, 2, 3, - S.T.F.U. with the chinese tyra.

35:00 - selesha did really good.

36:00 - caryn echoes my thoughts on a Goose-bianca final 2. Selesha will win, chantal in 2nd. Goose elimmed. consider taht 4 nuts, ill count em off later.

37:00 - lol at the groupshot.

38:00 - more whiny Goose. they could not lay this on us any thicker. its like a vanilla shake, except too thick to suck through the straw.

42:00 - they think Goose's face is amazing in her pic. i hate it. they started by loving the pic. and now tyra is all "i didnt remember the shoot". and the other person was like "youre blending in" (my note: BECAUSE HER DRESS IS BROWN, AND EVERYONE ELSE IS IN BROWN). now Goose is telling her she's homesick. what is she thinking? the homesick people ALWAYS lose. so cooked. too bad i already ate dinner.

43:00 - mediocre review of bianca. she's getting hit pretty hard. caryn is hoping she gets elimmed. i say no chance.

44:00 - they like chantal's picture in the air. "she's like attacking and going across the wall" - nigel. yea, except that shes on top of it and jumping sideways with no weapons and i think it looks pretty silly.

45:00 - selesha's jumping picture owned chantal's, although i felt the face was mediocre, tho it impressed caryn. the judges adored it, winner for sure.

46:00 - caryn thought she saw Goose first. Twiggy icked Goose. Nigel picked chantal. Seventeen woman picked selesha. so did i. that was b/c she was in the middle. i saw her first, then Goose i think. caryn correctly notes that Goose had like a spotlight on her. i tihnk she benefied form being separated from the clump of 3 heads. Bianca didnt stand otu at all, tho Tyra threw her some compliments to end hte segment, which i believe was necessary since they're gonna elim Goose.

48:00 - panel beginning - nigel thinks Goose is problematic. Twiggy thinks Goose doesnt want it. and Tyra is talking abotu girls ot being able to handle it. so, so, so cooked. so, so, so manufactured. what a joke this show is. It's about as real as The Hills, except that's an insult to LC.

49:00 - refer to 36:00 for the nutlist.

50:00 - nuts 1 and 2 got mixed up. chantal somehow won. wtfx.

51:00 - nutted the bottom 2 at least, although it couldnt have been easier.

52:00 - caryn is officially in for a Goose elim, although she's hoping bianca gets the boot. I'd BET EVERYTHING YOU OWN ON THIS. LEVERAGE UP AND BET IT ALL.

54:00 - tyra is still babbling before making a decision, as if we all dont already know.

55:00 - i gotta call jchien. I need a bankruptcy lawyer.

56:00 - caryn, at 52:00, was whining at me for making it seem like she had just picked Goose, when in fact she had picked Goose since minnute 3 to get elimmed. THEN, after Goose was saved by Maverick, she is cheering "yes, yes, yes!" b/c she's been rooting for Goose, and THEN, she points to the 52:00 entry and wants credit for Goose surviving, even tho 2 minutes prior she wanted credit for nutting a Goose elim since minute 3!!! [while writing all that, she attacked me for explaining all this]
CB Note: All lies. I never *officially* said Jenah would go, in fact, a few times during the episode I mentioned how I thought it might be Bianca!

59:00 - loving these bianca tears.

60:00 - cant believe they saved the Goose. gotta be the first time all season they rope-a-doped us like that. maybe they realized how formulaic it was. well, i guess the whole plot was just set up to trick us. I still say The Hills is more real. only 2 more weeks! yay!

"Seventeen" counter (started at 10:00): 1, 2, 3, 4 (first 4 all came at 10:00), 5, 6.

Strike Watch 2007!

Alec Baldwin Plots to Rock the Strike Vote

Alec Baldwin by Mark Von Holden/WireImage.com

Opining that producers "have bigger egos than even the stars themselves, but without any sense of humor," Alec Baldwin — thoroughly disgruntled to see his revival-via-30 Rock compromised by the strike — has formulated a plot to strong-arm the AMPTP into compliance. "I want the WGA to set up a website [where] we can all post stories about every no-talent, idiotic, amoral producer and executive we have ever dealt with," Baldwin writes at TheHuffingtonPost.com. "Just like they [expose] us on shows like Extra and sites like TMZ... tell the entire world, via the Internet, your own anecdote about some of the witless boobs you have endured in Hollywood and beyond."

Were such a site to be created and scribes stepped forth with shocking-but-true tales of executive-level idiocy, Baldwin posits, "The strike will end in a week."

Now It's the Producers Pondering the Writers' Proposal As talks resumed Tuesday, the Writers Guild of America was expected to deliver its "counteroffer" to the New Economic Partnership that was proposed last week by the AMPTP, but swiftly dismissed by the scribes. Based on a statement issued late today by the AMPTP, that appears to be exactly what happened: "We will spend the evening studying what the WGA had to say today," says the group, "and we look forward to returning to the bargaining table tomorrow."

Sources tell Variety that Tuesday's talks were "encouraging and more productive" than previous sessions, with the writers detailing a tiered usage plan tied to Web streaming. Still, the $100 million question is whether the two sides can sort through a $100 million discrepancy over the AMPTP's original proposal. The producers claim writers would see a $130 million increase in compensation over three years, while the WGA argues it would closer to $32 million more.

TCA: The Show May Not Go On TV Guide was among the media outlets who received the following letter from a representative of the TCA (Television Critics Association). Twice annually (winter and summer), TCA organizes a conference (week-long in winter, two-weeks in summer) in which networks present upcoming television shows to media from throughout the country.

Because of the strike, there has been a lot of speculation on whether TCA will be held this January. NBC has already pulled out of TCA.

Hello TV Writers:

I wanted to pass along our latest news regarding the pending January TCA.

As you've likely heard, the status of January's TCA Tour is in considerable question due to the ongoing WGA strike, and many of you have contacted me to inquire about the status of cable network participation on the Tour.

Here's the latest: Based on feedback from both cable and broadcast networks, TCA has determined that the event cannot go on if the strike has not been settled by December 14. TCA has advised its members that should the strike continue as of next Friday, the January Tour will be cancelled.

CTAM, on behalf of cable, will support TCA's decision. We therefore ask your continued patience, and would advise against making any unrefundable travel plans until we have the definitive word at the end of next week.

Thanks very much — as always.

Sincerely,
Eric, for CTAM

Talks Day #5: "Questions & Haggling"

I've been able to glean a little from Tuesday's resumed WGA-AMPTP talks. Both sides sounded very matter-of-fact about today's negotiations focusing on the writers' counter-offer. (See my The Operative Word Tuesday Is "Haggle" from last night for background.) Now that the news blackout has been lifted, the AMPTP issued this public end-of-day statement: "We will spend the evening studying what the WGA had to say today, and we look forward to returning to the bargaining table tomorrow." Earlier in the day, WGA Negotiating Committee Chair John F. Bowman, on behalf of the Writers Guild of America, issued a message to members about the contract negotiations and presented a report-&-analysis.

Tonight, a WGA source says a "small group" talked about the WGA's counter-offer which Bowman had characterized as "a serious, reasonable, and affordable attempt to bridge the gap between us." Noted the WGA source, "Questions were exchanged. There was some haggling. This will continue tomorrow." Said another WGA insider, "Our negotiators have been played so often. But it's not bad. They're at least engaged." And a third party familiar with the talks emailed me, "The tone of 'haggle' is it. I'm encouraged today."

WGA Releases Analysis Of AMPTP Offer

The Writers Guild Of America just sent this email to members:

December 4, 2007
Fellow Guild Members:

Rumors, half-truths, and misinformation about what is actually happening at the bargaining table fly across the internet, are posted on blogs, passed across picket lines like a game of telephone, and appear in stories and advertisements in the trade papers.

So, to clarify exactly where we are, we have prepared a report and analysis, which you can read in its entirety [here].

In the meantime, here’s a brief summary:

The latest WGA proposal would cost the companies $151 million over three years. It is reasonable, serious, and easily affordable. For instance, it would cost Sony only $1.68 million per year. Paramount and CBS would each pay only $4.66 million per year. MGM would pay only $320,000 per year.

The AMPTP claims its proposal would give us $130 million over three years. Our analysis – and again, please visit the website to see for yourself – tells us their offer is worth only $32 million. But if you factor in the companies’ regressive proposal on “promotional use” (streaming TV shows and feature films in their entirety for free) writers could potentially lose $100 million in income over the course of this contract.

So while we don’t see how their proposal adds up to anywhere near $130 million, we greet their public willingness to make such an offer with real interest. If the AMPTP is serious about this figure, the WGA is confident we are closer to a deal than anyone has suggested, and we are hopeful that the companies will respond positively to our proposal, which is a serious, reasonable, and affordable attempt to bridge the gap between us.

Sincerely,

John F. Bowman
Chair, WGA Negotiating Committee

Carlton Cuse Not 'Lost' In Strike Confusion

For weeks since the strike started, tipsters have kept telling me that Lost showrunner Carlton Cuse, one of the WGA negotiators, had gone back to work and is a major chink in the resolve of the all-important TV showrunners. I kept trying and trying to find out if this was true, and even the WGA was incredibly cryptic about his whereabouts. In fact it's nearly impossible to ascertain which TV showrunners are performing their producing duties, and which aren't. Now Carlton Cuse himself distributed this email today to clear up the confusion about where he stands vis a vis his show and the strike:

To my fellow WGA Members,

I want to clear up any misunderstanding about where I stand.

On November 16, I, regretably, was quoted by a Wall Street Journal reporter saying I was going to perform some of my non-writing, post-production duties on episodes of LOST to protect the show for the fans. However, I'm sure to the delight of the AMPTP, my statement became the story and gave the false impression that there was disunity among showrunners over the issues of this negotiation.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Every showrunner I know, whether producing or not producing, stands in full support of the goals of our guild.

For the past two months I have been working seven days a week on these negotiations alongside my fellow negotiating committee members.

As a committee we did everything we could to get both parties back to the bargaining table this last week. We were fully prepared to enter into the kinds of back-and-forth discussions that are necessary to reach any sort of labor deal. I sincerely hoped this return to the table would lead to real progress.

I was wrong.

In fact, given the events of last Thursday -- and where things currently stand -- I can no longer in good conscience continue to work on my show in any capacity.

What I will be doing is continuing my work as a member of the committee for as long as it takes, contributing in any way I can, to get us the fair and just deal that we must have.

It's going to be an arduous fight.

But make no mistake -- we are united, we are resolute...

And we are indeed ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.

Yours,
Carlton Cuse

12/3/07 Heroes Finale!!

what a fantastical final nite of 2007! we played Clue, and mike was lucky to win. it was pretty exciting. then taboo was pretty good as well. as were various collegiate stories of glory.

1:00 - maya makes amazing chilequiles. they aint as good as Caryn's chili. it was a huge hit tonite!

2:00 - was is maya even in the finale? sylar has the virus! something we knew 2 months ago! maya realizes sylar is a bad guy. maaya u are so dumb. f i got creampuff all over me.

3:00 - ohno molly is gonna get the eyetears!!! its a good thing maya learned to control her abils. that was almost exciting, except that we were all rooting for everyone to die just to get rid of maya.

4:00 - is mama p gonna tell all? should be interesting. they believed adam at first and helped him! do what? what an odd way to decide to wipe the world clean, with all this virus stuff. to primatech paper we go! where is that again?

5:00 - cool mama p telling parkman to kill peter if he has to. caryn predicts that peter will not die. bold.

6:00 - ooh, the peter-hiro scene early. thats a nice change.

7:00 - ooh, nice electrocution peter. good scene. cool adam seeing hiro.

8:00 - consensus is beginning was good, minus first 2 maya minutes.

10:00 - claire is going public! the truth will set you free!!!

11:00 - rachel predicts that elle will turn on bob. id consider this a good prediction, except that we made it 2 weeks ago.... oh rachel...

12:00 - whyd they give hrg that rubber ball?

13:00 - ugh, niki-micah scene. why do they try to ruin my life? why! not only does this storyline suck, but the dialogue does too.

14:00 - rachel predicts niki dies. mike says niki micah and monica die too.

15:00 - the above predicitos are awful. theyre not killing ali larter. shes supposed to be the hot girl on the show. shes not dying. supernut.

16:00 - why doesnt eter just muck to the future now and get the girl? and mike wants to know why peter doesnt just mindwalk threw the door.

17:00 - some of the audience didnt know peter was using sylar's telekinesis power ot undo the locks. newblets.

18:00 - maya is mad at sylar. taht romance lasted what.... 23 minutes? lol.

19:00 - rachel thinks mohinder should give sylar the ability nullifying virus. i think eh shoudl just kill him, seeing as how he has no abils. stab him wif the needle!

20:00 - elle's boc is empty!!! security alert!!!

21:00 - oh no, elle is going to get sylar, to make daddy proud. mike immediately thinks she'll be dead. god i hope not. i will be soooooooo sad.

22:00 - monica captured by thugs. HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO ANY STORY!!!! get it off my teevee!!!

23:00 - micah is tracking monica via cell phone. how very.... ummm... veronicac mars of him!!!

24:00 - west came to stop claire! he will betray her! her first love! omg! could i care less! i could not! back to hiro parkman peter adam and nathan plz. i feel like ive become so negative about this show. its like im blogging prisonbreak or antm sometimes ><<<<<<

25:00 - mike thinks claire is a great actress, he cant tell if he is sad or angry. claire doesnt want mr muggles ot leave her. lawrence thinks muggles will.

26:00 - hrg is home! howd that happen?!?! probably elle.

27:00 - everyone nutted molly finding dead alejandro. oh maja!!! molly apparently had parkmen special effects now when she tries to use her powers.

28:00 - "alejandroooooooooooooooooo" - mike

29:00 - jesus christ. sylar just killed maya. and he didnt even get her power. she is dead.

30:00 - rachel is going on about how we suffered thru all that for nothing. all the maya nd alejandro and they had ZERO IMPACT on the story. we know that they made the show the season finale instead of just the first half, but was maya and alejandro always gona die like that. and if not, were they really so useless for the 2nd half that they could just kill her anyway? and if they could, why did they make such USELESS CHARACTERS!!!!

31:00 - uh oh, mohinder may save maya with claires blood.

32:00 - i wonder what deal hrg made.

33:00 - lawrence think nathan will convince peter that adam is bad.

34:00 - awesome parkman-peter conversation. we are all puzzled by how much peter believes in adam.

35:00 - lawrence nut incoming!!!

36:00 - adam's god complex is kind of cool fyi.

37:00 - interesting. hiro ports adam away and the virus is tumbling ot the ground while peter runs in, and commercial.

38:00 - prediction: mike - everyone dies. me - the virus will hit gorund and break, but peter will stop it some other way. nobody else had the stones to make any predictions. wussies.

39:00 - my bold the virus will break on ground did not come true. bust.

40:00 - rachel: "accio virus!". me: great one rach!!!

41:00 - wuts all the stuff in that room?

42:00 - peter nuked the firus in the parlm of his hand.

43:00 - rachel wantsto know where adam and hiro are. hold your horses! oh no, they want to take it public too!!! and they are seen on camera!

44:00 - oh shit, maya is healed. so, the happiness over her death is gone. tho at least the still have a plan for her.

45:00 - i hipe elle didnt get mucked so ez. YEA GO ELLE!!! take him down! dont dieeeee. plz live kristen. lol theres no more blood left for niki apparently.

46:00 - rachel wants nut credit on niki beign dead. i still say shes not dying.

47:00 - worst game of chicken ever.

48:00 - its like DL in the fire, only niki. and i still dont care!

49:00 - theyre so makig it look like nikki is gonna die, and especially with taht explosion. uh oh. it really looks like she did die. im still saying she lived. im taking rach's nut back when nikkie lives, with nut interest.

50:00 - mike: was taht a dynamite factory they set on fire to cause those explosions.

51:00 - hiro says adam can never hurt again. omg he buried him alive!!! and he wont die! AMAZING! hirooooo. good call by the creators too, bc it leaves the option for him to return. mike just echoed this thought.

52:00 - elle lived yay!

53:00 - nathan is going public! what a speech! speeeeeeeeeeeeeeech.

53:30 - hes not gonna finish this speech. osmething will happen. thats why they showed us the video in the locked room.

54:00 - everyone wants to know if nath was petrified.

55:00 - well i didnt think hed get shot! he might really be dead! mama petrelli what an awful person!!!who was she talking to! whats her ability! is their dad still alive! and thats the end? wtf really? thats it?

56:00 - Volume 3 Villains preview. sylar is on heroin or something.

57:00 - accio spinach! and thats it. sigh at that ending. really anticlimactic i think. would have wanted to see more imo. very diisappoiunting on the whole. the crowd agrees.

Strike Watch 2007!

WGA Ponders Offer from Producers; Talks Resume Tuesday

The Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Thursday presented a "New Economic Partnership" to the WGA, which according to a statement from the AMPTP "includes groundbreaking moves in several areas of new media, including streaming, content made for new media and programming delivered over digital broadcast channels." Dollars- and cents-wise, the AMPTP says, "The entire value of the [deal] will deliver more than $130 million in additional compensation above and beyond the more than $1.3 billion writers already receive each year."

The WGA has asked for time to study the proposals, and talks are scheduled to resume on Tuesday, December 4.

Says the AMPTP, "We continue to believe that there is common ground to be found between the two sides, and that our proposal for a New Economic Partnership offers the best chance to find it."

WGA Calls "New" Deal a "Bad Deal," Rejects Offer Well, that didn't take long. The WGA has swiftly dismissed the "New Economic Partnership" put forth by the AMPTP on Thursday, saying in a statement that "for the first three days of this week, the companies presented in essence their November 4 [pre-strike] package with not an iota of movement on any of the issues that matter to writers. Thursday morning, the first new proposal was finally presented to us. It dealt only with streaming and made-for-Internet jurisdiction, and it amounts to a massive rollback."

The WGA reports that with regards to Internet streaming, they were offered "a single fixed payment of less than $250 for a year's reuse of an hour-long program (compared to over $20,000 payable for a network rerun)." For made-for-Internet material, the AMPTP "continued to refuse to grant jurisdiction," "they made absolutely no move on the download formula" and "continue to assert that they can deem any reuse 'promotional' and pay no residual (even if they replay the entire film or TV episode, and even if they make money)."

Talks are scheduled to resume on Tuesday. Says the WGA, "We must fight on, returning to the lines... in force to make it clear that we will not back down, that we will not accept a bad deal, and that we are all in this together."