For fans of entertainment, last year’s Writers Guild strike was a dark time. The work stoppage effectively shut down Hollywood for four months, cost the industry about $500 million dollars, and royally jacked up the 2007-08 television season. We all know that Hollywood loves a sequel, so the new drama is another potential strike from the Screen Actors Guild.
All I can say is: For crying out loud. Now is really not the time. Does it make sense for any industry to go on strike right now? With the economy in free fall and everyone needing to take the high road and make some sacrifices for the greater good, how in the world does SAG expect to have any bargaining power or engender sympathy if they hit the picket line?
Yesterday a group of A-list stars sent out a letter to SAG leaders urging them to vote against authorizing a strike. Granted, the group, including such names as Tom Hanks, George Clooney, and Morgan Freeman, will still be gajillionaires and have little to lose by not striking, but at least they’re encouraging some sense. Another strike is only going to hurt an already hobbling industry, and they think it’s better to wait another three years when they can unite with other Hollywood unions and have more leverage in a (hopefully) stronger economy.
This is a good plan. Not only will SAG have strength in numbers by then, but they’ll benefit from the maturation and solidifying of the new media business model that is at the heart of the dispute. The Hollywood unions want a bigger piece of the royalty pie from new methods of entertainment distribution such as streaming video and downloads. This is all fair, but it will take a while longer to come up with sensible and solid business models for those distribution channels. It’s better to negotiate a deal when you know where the money’s going to come from, rather than right now when you’re just guessing at what will be hot.
And as a consumer, please don’t make me watch nothing but Law & Order reruns again, as I did last year. With the economy as bad as it is, the general public needs more entertainment to distract us, not less. Stay on the job.
When are idiot writers like this going to start reporting on how much media coglomerates are obliterating incomes for the unknown actors, which are 99% of the Screen Actors Guild? This is so polarized it’s sick. This Larry Bills guy probably also listens to everything stars tell him to do without questioning their motives. I guess it’s the internet and anyone and their retarded brother can be called a “writer”.