No Scribes for Globes and Oscars

With the writer’s strike still going strong, the WGA has denied invitations to prepare material for the Golden Globes on January 13 and the Oscars in February. If both events didn’t seem crappy enough last time, they should be craptacular this time around.

(See what happens when you don’t get pros to make jokes for you?)

This situation raises a red flag for the Oscars in particular. With Jon Stewart returning as host it’s assumed that he will have to “wing it” without any writer’s assistance. Sure, Stewart can handle a fair share of improvisation – but an entire show? That’s a tall order.

The continuing battle between the WGA and bigwig execs is raising new issues every day the strike stands. Who’s to blame at this point: the execs for not giving in or the writer’s for holding out? Getting paid what you deserve is a fair enough reason to strike; when the average working WGA writer makes more than a family doctor, the reason becomes questionable. In the writer’s defense, the execs are making money hand-over-fist at their expense – but that’s not the biggest problem, here.

The biggest problem is the IATSE getting the shaft.

IATSE crews have lost approximately $210 million dollars from the strike – that’s close to double the amount the strike is costing writers. When a sacrifice for a good cause jeopardizes the other hard-workers in the industry, is it in fact a good cause by definition? Is the WGA any better than the big-money execs they’re against if their own crews lose out due to their irresponsible actions?

Whether it’s the network heads or the Union, somebody needs to listen to reason and put an end to this madness. End the strike and strike a bargain already.