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What Happens To Summer TV Binges If Hollywood Writers Strike (bloomberg.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: There also should be plenty of new video fare if Hollywood's writers and studios can't agree on a new contract by Monday. The beautiful thing about a contract is everyone knows when it ends. In this case, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents some 350 production companies, and the Writers Guild of America, which comprises 12,000 professionals in two chapters, have had three years to prepare for a standoff. In these situations, show makers typically rush to complete a pile of scripts before the deadline. Jerry Nickelsburg, an economist at the University of California at Los Angeles, calls this stockpiling "the inventory effect." This is precisely what happened the last time writers walked off the job, from November 2007 to February 2008. If the writers do, in fact, go through with the strike they approved on Monday, jokes and soaps will be the first things to take a hit. Late-night talk shows and soap operas are to entertainment writers what delis are to hungry New Yorkers -- a daily frenzy of high-volume production. If the sandwich makers don't show up, everybody gets hungry quickly.
Go outside and play...
How did I get to the TMZ website?! I thought I was on Slashdot! This is so weird. The site looks like Slashdot, but the stories are mindless crap about TV shows and pop culture.
Oh, you must be talking about people who still watch TV.
The march to 'Total Idiocracy' will delayed a few months.
love is just extroverted narcissism
and get a life.
STRIKE!
y'ALL Watch too much TV as it is.
WTF is this doing on /.?
and fuck all the work-shy californian communists that work there.
Trump provides all the entertainment we need. Who needs Hollywood when reality is so much fun to watch!
Trump 2020! Make America great again and save us from those bad hombres, Mr President!
Get off the couch and do something with your life. That's what will happen for most people.
I mean lets look at the big picture here, which is why should anyone really give two shits about what anyone in Wollyhood does or doesn't do?
I guess the worst thing that'll happen is fake TV, meaning even more quote "reality" TV shows will popup. Ugg!, I can hardly wait.
That's what we used to do not that long ago.
Anyway who cares.
Twinstiq, game news
I have a huge backlog of TV shows and movies to watch, so running out of things to watch won't be a concern for quite some time. I just hope a strike won't ruin any of the few shows that I really like.
Regarding the content and humour of the programs. The quality of the shows, reveals how you skimped and pushed the writers on fake deadlines. Why don't you motion monsters reach into your pockets and give the writers some money??
that there a union and going on strike is even an issue - people pay for cable with channels that move money to these other people. sad really.
nothing to see here - move along
So if we've learned anything from history the writers should keep striking.
Cause' that is the best show in history and Netflix should revamp it ASAP.
Does any one alive remember from where that comes?
During the last writer's strike, NBC un-cancelled "The Apprentice" (which had low ratings) and aired "Celebrity Apprentice" during "Must see tv" Thursday.
Trump would not be president today if NBC had decided to pay their writers instead of airing cult-of-personality bullshit.
This doesn't work for all shows, the disaster that was the shortened season 2 of Heroes that they never managed to write their way out of in the following seasons. The writers lost their momentum and the show suffered for it.
~corporate tool, but employed~
I have seen the writing coming out of Hollywood for the last couple of decades and my suggestion to these entitled little shits. Keep working. If you stop, the only thing that will happen is that people will realize that they have no real talent and that there are many replacements that can do their job AT LEAST as well.
Don't strike if you are not needed.
Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
Agreed, Netflix should consider picking up that show.
#DeleteFacebook
The writers are in trouble. I already don't have time to watch all the TV that I have. I could easily last several months, watching new-to-me things that I'm actually somewhat interested in.
And while I'm rarely on Hollywood's side on anything, in this case I would advise them to get serious, and I'd cheer for their victory. Don't renew the contract (I'm not saying get brutal with the terms; I'm saying don't have terms), and never again sign any contract with any guild or union. Just hire writers. There are plenty of people out there who are willing to do jobs. Destroy the Writers Guild permanently and forever, and then piss on the grave.
I've never heard of any guild that wasn't thoroughly dedicated to the cause of unmitigated evil, from their very surface to their innermost core. Kill them. Kill them all.
That's like government administrators on strike. Question for 100: How do you notice it?
Quite frankly, a monkey could write the garbage we get fed these days. "Scripted reality", yeah, right, what kind of drugs do you have to be on to consider this to be in any way even remotely close to "reality"? In between we got court TV and other garbage that needs zero writer or talent by the actors, sorry, "genuine people presenting real cases".
Hey, how about a new format? Akin to American Idol, how about American Writer? All the various fanfic writers get to send in their scripts and we get to cringe at their Mary Sue stories for a change instead of the talentless bawling of teenagers who were told by mommy and daddy that they can really sing.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
More horribly contrived 'reality' TV shows.
More people just dropping cable.
More slow shifting in funds eventually turning online streaming into the primary source of entertainment.
That said, Hollywood isn't losing it's glamour anytime soon - just like lottery tickets are still somehow a thing (and are much bigger than Hollywood) - folks are still going to want dumb entertainment dressed up real pretty.
It's all basically a reflection of the US draining into a 'normal' nation, slowly less of a superpower as it goes from Roosevelt-style nation-building in shared self-interest, to ever-more privatized Reagan-style promotion of corporate interests.
The air is sinking out of the national balloon - we're all statistically more peaceful and happy, but a dwindling percentage are putting much interest in maintaining any system of enforced social mobility, and instead just let the rich get richer and pull those funds out of the nation for private interests.
I mean, we've elected Donald Trump as president, somehow on the basis of populism, thinking the living symbol of arrogance and greed will help anyone else. In 20, 50, 100 years from now, we'll still be amazed at how stupid that was.
So yeah, more reality TV, more slow disillusionment, and more bleeding of the system as we seek ways to distract ourselves from it all.
Maybe we just go outside and enjoy life and say fuck you to Hollywood?
Or just watch YouTube videos and play video games. Do said writers even produce anything of value anyway?
Who will know the difference?
1) Like before, people who would never have gotten a shot at writing will now get it.
2) Unlike before, there is such a huge quantity of material available for viewing, most people could spend their entire lives watching things they've never seen before running out. The only hit will be current pop culture, and trust me: Most people would be happier without it.
Yep. Hey, you know what's great? Talking to people. Sex. Building models. Organizing one's rock/stamp/severedhead collections. Writing code. Playing with the cat/dog/cockatrice. Martial arts. Photography. Reading. Taking courses. Exercising. Working out a sane budget. Listening to music. Playing music. Sewing. Legos. Fooling with hardware. Home improvements. Giving the domicile a good once-over at the ultra-picky level, just for the fun of it. Putting the yard in tip-top order. Walking the canine or the cat. Visiting Rome, Paris or Venice (while pretending to be Canadian, of course.) Or just going to see a friend. You know, in person, not with that phone-tumor. Taking a walk, preferably somewhere you haven't been or really love. Etc. Lots and lots of etc.
Television... I just can't bring myself to call that "great." The couch, it really does make for potato generation.
I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
Question: What Happens To Summer TV Binges If Hollywood Writers Strike
Answer: The collective average IQ of the nation goes up by 1 point.
This story just in from our First World Problems desk...
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In these situations, show makers typically rush to complete a pile of scripts before the deadline. Jerry Nickelsburg, an economist at the University of California at Los Angeles, calls this stockpiling "the inventory effect."
But.. why? "Rushing to complete" implies that the writers are working longer and/or harder than they normally would, just to give the producers more scripts than they would have otherwise had before the strike begins. But more scripts means the producers can try to ride out the strike longer, making it more likely that the writers will blink first. Am I missing something here?
There's already more stuff to watch than I have time to watch. They could stop making new tv shows and movies and I'd still never get through the existing backlog of quality stuff to watch that already exists.
The reality of the situation:
More content that is relevant to me is being produced every minute than I can possibly watch.
There's also the bonus that it's more likely to be interesting, because the people producing it have to get creative without millions to throw at special effects and explosions.
And, you know, because they probably enjoy what they're making rather than doing it to say they work in Hollywood.
Cancer rates spike as indoor people venture outdoors.
Look, I don't care what the Screenwriters Guild and the studios do, as long as nobody fucks with my Into the Badlands. It's like somebody put all my shitty tastes and adolescent fantasies into a blender and made a TV series out of it. I love that fucking show.
You are welcome on my lawn.
People who can write interesting stuff are kicked out the door because they want actual creative control over what they write.
No amount of hiring people can fix that.
How is the answer not to hire the creative interesting people that were kicked out? Since they already hate the existing system it seems like they would no go with a strike - and all of the production that matters now (Netflix, Amazon) is giving creators creative control anyway.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I predict a decline in American television will result in an uptick in streaming and piracy of foreign content... and there are a few Canadian shows that do well in the American market that might get a boost in the traditional distribution arena.
There are plenty of English-language productions out there. The UK, Canada, and Australia could take the opportunity to grab a bigger piece of the market from the USA.
We had this thing called a frisbee. It is kind of limited for today's crowd however - no WiFi, no Bluetooth, you can't use it to take selfies. But we had lots of fun with it, and if you have a dog it is even better.
You act as if the margins on the critical states weren't so close that a mere rainstorm could have changed the outcome.
Or some subterfuge by the Republicans in the state governments.
The fact is, Trump slinked into office, but he was guaranteed to have enough support that he could conceivably win regardless. If you want o blame Hillary, blame for no picking a VP candidate to really fire folks up.
Hopefully a new Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, or something like it
No Hillary was as unlikable as Trump was stupid. She was the third term Bill Clinton and the electorate didn't want another fucking Bush dynasty or Clinton dynasty. Not to mention she is a horrible cunt and a worthless human being. Being more evil than Trump is a goddamned accomplishment to boot.
So fuck off with the "slinked' bullshit, in 1992 Hillary's penis slinked into office in a 3-way race with only 42% of the popular vote. So spare me the "she could've won if she picked a better VP." She couldn't have won if everyone who didn't vote for her died the day before the election.
Only the US market will suffer. The rest of the world will barely notice. And Hollywood will lose more ground to other interests.
Netflix already has a pretty good mix of international fair. If Hollywood writers strike they just become more irrelevant. Netflix will up non-Hollywood production.
This is about money in Hollywood. If the Hollywood producers want to keep making money they had better settle with the writers.
I'll be blissfully unaware as I haven't watched TV in years. If other people are upset, I don't give a shit... unless they start rioting in the streets where I live. Thankfully there aren't any of "those types of people", so I doubt it would come to that here.
Fuck Hollywood. Fuck the viewers.
If I believed a flood was actually coming to coastal cities like LA, I'd buy and burn a barrel of oil every day just to speed up the process.
There are many television programs and movies in my watchlists and queues and on my shelves that I just haven't gotten around to watching yet. I think I have enough to tide me over for a while.
No Hillary was as unlikable as Trump was stupid. She was the third term Bill Clinton and the electorate didn't want another fucking Bush dynasty or Clinton dynasty. Not to mention she is a horrible cunt and a worthless human being. Being more evil than Trump is a goddamned accomplishment to boot.
However horrible Hillary was, she was nearly President. Let's not pretend that Trump had some sort of amazing landslide blowout.
It means that kids will get away from the television and play outside. Childhood obesity drops.
There are millions of hours of television available for you to watch. If you can't watch your favorite epic series, then taking a little break to watch some classics can be a lot of fun.
Classic series (not an exhaustive list and in no particular order):
Get Smart (1965-1970)
Hill Street Blues (1981-1987)
M*A*S*H (1972-1983)
Roots [miniseries] (1977)
Danger UXB (1979)
Dallas (1978-1991)
Cheers (1982-1993)
The Muppet Show (1976-1981)
Seinfeld (1989-1998)
Taxi (1978-1982)
Twin Peaks (1990-1991)
X-Files (1993-2002)
The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
All in the Family (1971-1979)
Or maybe some guilty pleasures:
Bonanza (1959-1973)
McHale's Navy (1962–1966)
Gunsmoke (1955-1975)
Rawhide (1959-1965)
F Troop (1965-1967)
Hogan's Heroes (1965-1971)
The Rockford Files (1974-1980)
Quantum Leap (1989-1993)
WKRP in Cincinnati (1978-1982)
The Addams Family (1964-1966)
Petticoat Junction (1963-1970)
The A-Team (1983-1987)
Dragnet [1951 series] (1951-1959)
Dragnet [1967 series] (1967-1970)
Millennium (1996-1999)
Mission: Impossible [1966 series] (1966-1973)
Mission: Impossible [1988 series] (1988-1990)
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
Particularly now that Deepak Chopra and his ilk have pushed it off the PBS stations with their infomercials scamming geezers.
The last big Hollywood strike happened in 2008 and it brought us a very, very robust presidential primary season. Everyone watch Democratic and Republican primary debates instead of scripted TV. This Summer there is no upcoming election to speak of (not even a midterm one). So there is no alternative sources of entertainment on TV. Might be a boon for video games though. Yes, I know people can turn off and go outside, but they can do it even if there is no strike. Only a very small percentage will make lifestyle changes in response to withdrawal of a certain stimulus. They are more likely to seek an alternative stimuli which are as close to the original as possible. And the network executives are perfectly aware of that. So they will most likely cave in to the writers demands.
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
Maybe I am just out of the TV thing.
Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog.
Okay, that's at least 4 words, depending on how you feel about hyphens. But that little bit of awesome came out of Joss Whedon's strike-addled brain in 2008. If history repeats itself, I won't be crying...
There are so many reruns on now what's a few more? I'd bet most people won't even know there's a strike.
CUR ALLOC 20195.....5804M
Nothing happens, you just go outside, you lazy n00b
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
The UK, Irish, Australian, New Zealand, Canadian governments start to set up tax payer funded front companies in the USA to push their own entreatment related products and services deep in the USA.
US audiences are presented with foreign 1960-90's plots. Acted by Canadians with perfect US accents in low tax and production friendly Canada.
Every new US series is set in a "Seattle", "Maine" or "North Dakota" Canada with scripts that have some positive comments about Canada and its policies.
Random charming characters from Australia, Canada, New Zealand or Ireland might feature in later seasons.
Plots often feature visits to or from the nations funding the series.
Maple syrup and timber products get product placements.
A large kangaroo or a random trip to Australia is effortlessly worked into the plot.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
If the strike goes on you can say hello to more reality shows. Since they will have little time to prepare, it will be crappy shows along the line of Jersey Shore.
Prepare yourself, suckage is coming.
Beware of Sales Reps bearing gifts.
...my list of To Watch list is only 9345 series with about 13-26 series. By the end of summer...it be in the five digits. I live in the Firehose!
Being in Montana, is there really anyone who would spend their summer watching TV? I don't think so. The summers are short and BEAUTIFUL and it's way to amazing to spend it indoors. Besides, I think we should hire Canadian writers. USA's shows are so trashing and mostly disgusting. The language is getting more foul. Look at Heartland--a Canadian show that has been on the for 11 seasons and still going strong and audiences of ALL ages love it. Once upon a time before American TV became an opening and a supply pipe which hell uses to vomit its impurities upon the earth, we had writers who could actually write shows that the whole family could watch and enjoy. So why would you want to sit and watch the ugliness of shows produced in the US? Time to turn off the TV and do something great. Get off the couch, go outside, take a walk, become a productive citizen again, and thank God for his reminder that a life well lived brings a flood of amazing joy that does not go away!
Except for late night talk shows there will be little immediate effect. Any scripted show that will premiere during the summer is already written, if not already filmed. But some fall shows are currently in production and may not have all their scripts in hand; if the strike drags on they could be affected.
No she wasnt. She proved that even a used, smelly, worn-out tennis shoe could beat her. IMHO it wasnt that peeps liked Drumph more than Hillary... its most peeps simply did not like Hillary.
FFS Feel the Commie Bern probably would have beaten her except for the backroom deals she did with the DNC... and if that had not happened drumph probably wouldnt be prez right now.
She proved that even a used, smelly, worn-out tennis shoe could beat her
Most people would have voted for a used, smelly, worn-out tennis shoe over Trump as well. We were all fucked because they were really the two worst candidates for President I've ever seen.
Again, no landslide or mandate for Donald Trump.
Let them strike. TV has sucked for the past 25 years. It's all garbage with a few small exceptions and those are cartoons mostly.