Friday off because of the strike, Eva shopping at Sunset Plaza

We entered week two of the Writer’s Guild of America strike today. So it took a week to find out that Ellen DeGeneres is full of sh*t. The WGA East Friday came out swinging against the talk-show host Friday, who is alone among the comedy/variety topliners to return to work during the week-old walkout, proclaiming that she wasn’t welcome in New York for her planned Thanksgiving-week tapings in the Big Apple. I distinctly remember last week reading that Ellen along with most other talk show hosts were first to honor the WGA strike, and shut down production of their shows. Hmmmmm… maybe someone just assumed that she would, and wrote it down. Or more likely, Ellen was vague enough about what side she was on, for anyone to draw a real conclusions. Now we know, and the whole industry knows, ELLEN IS A SCAB.

Meanwhile, Jay Leno’s refusal to cross the picket lines is leading his show’s producers to consider using guest hosts and other alternatives. WOW… can they do that? Find scab hosts and do the show without Jay. I thought Jay had a little more clout and control of his show. These are times when you see just who are really pulling the strings in Hollywood. I guess it’s like the when the Football players went on strike and the NFL used replacement players. I suppose you can always find someone ,who will do anything to get their big chance. So look for the networks to start pulling comedians off the street to fill in for hosts who won’t cross the line. Carrot Top hosting the Tonight Show? I can hear Johnny’s bones rattling just at the thought.

In other strike developments, Warner Bros. TV became the latest studio Friday to send out suspension letters to its writers, informing them that their pay is being put on hold because of the strike. All the studios and networks will follow suit in sending out these letters. Even the crews who are not on strike, have to be officially laid off without pay. The crews especially are now available to go find other work, on movies and commercials that are not effected. There will be no guarantee that these crafts people, and technicians will be available to the shows once the strike is over.

Here’s an update of what’s left of your TV shows new episodes.

“House“ with six episodes left, will be fresh through November, with the last few airing in January — one of them following Fox’s broadcast of the Super Bowl.

“Samantha Who?”, ABC’s new hit comedy, has eight episodes in the can.

The “Crime Scene Investigation” trio, “NCIS,” “Criminal Minds,” “Without a Trace” and “Cold Case” each have three to six more episodes to run on CBS.

CBS’ comedies (“How I Met Your Mother,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Two And a Half Men,” “Rules of Engagement”) will run dry by month’s end.

ABC’s “Ugly Betty,” “Pushing Daisies” and “Grey’s Anatomy” each have four new episodes to go.

“Desperate Housewives” airs the last of its current stock of new episodes December 2.

The final new episode of NBC’s “Heroes” airs December 3.

“The Office” will head into rerun mode on NBC after next week’s episode. Among other things, shooting has stopped because star Steve Carell won’t cross picket lines.

The planned January return of Fox’s “24″ has been postponed indefinitely. Since only some of the series’ 24 episodes have been shot, Fox didn’t want to risk beginning a new season that might be interrupted.

One thing I know right now, is all these shows are done, and all these people are out of work. This strike is effecting thousands of hard working people. Not just TV stars, actors, and writers, who might be able to afford to be out for a while. People with kids to feed and mortgages are not working, and last I heard no one was talking. No negotiations have officially taken place since the strike was announced. At this point the Producers will put off negotiations until next month as companies use “force majeure” clauses to negate term deals and reduce actors’ paychecks. Because force majeure clauses usually require six weeks after a strike has started to kick in, there’s a lurking suspicion that the companies won’t push for a quick return to the bargaining table.
…That Ain’t Right DEEP!

WGA adjusted Picket Line hours to start at 5:45 am this week, to stop Teamsters

Technorati Tags: WGA rally, Writer’s Guild of America, Ellen DeGeneres, WGA East, Thanksgiving, Jay Leno, Hollywood, NFL, Carrot Top, Tonight Show, , Warner Bros. TV, House, Fox, Super Bowl, “Samantha Who?”, ABC, “Crime Scene Investigation”, CBS, “How I Met Your Mother, ” “The Big Bang Theory, ” “Two And a Half Men, ” “Rules of Engagement”, “Ugly Betty, ” “Pushing Daisies” and “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Desperate Housewives”, NBC, “Heroes”, “The Office”, Steve Carell, “24″

So after three days of the Writers Guild of America strike, it seems that it is effecting just about every aspect of the entertainment world. I didn’t really think either side would be stupid enough to let this happen. Although I can see the writers main points, residuals on DVD sales and New Media consideration, I found it hard to feel bad for either side, on Monday. In the three days since then the writers are certainly making their point.

The Producers have all the money, and they pull the strings. They are in charge of the creative accounting that goes on, cheating people out of money every day. My own union the Director’s Guild of America, over the years has had many issues with the Producers over residuals and the creative accounting that goes on with the studios. The Producer’s certainly are the EVIL EMPIRE in this one. They have all the money and would rather shoot their mothers then give any more of it up than they have to. The studios and production companies love these guys, for being ruthless negotiators. Part of the overall problem for the WGA, was that many Producers and Directors are also members of the WGA. I always thought this conflict of interest would be the downfall of the WGA in this fight. The Showrunners, who create the shows, and see the episodes through in production, are mostly all WGA members. Also, especially on comedy shows, many of the cast and stars of the shows, are also writers. This conflict of interest is what has turned the weight of the scales in favor of the WGA. One after another these Showrunners and high profile stars have refused to cross the picket lines of their WGA brothers and sisters. Now the primetime TV shows that are in production are dropping like flies. I have to think that the Producer’s never thought the WGA production people and stars would stick together like they have. Within a couple of weeks, it looks like every network primetime TV show, will have to shut down production.

First it was the talk shows, Leno, Letterman, Kimmel, Jon Stewart, Conan, Ellen, all went down. That made sense, talk shows rely on it’s writers on a daily basis for, the show’s structure. Jay Leno even went out on the picket line over at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, where his show shoots, and handed out doughnuts to the strikers. We all chuckled and thought that was cute, but we expected the talk shows to shut down. Then Eva Longoria, ordered pizzas for the strikers at Universal Studios, where Desperate Housewives shoots. We all thought that was funny and that she was cute. Then the snowball started to get bigger, Steve Carrell, a WGA member and the funniest guy on TV, informed his Producers that he would not cross the picket line, and “The Office” shut down production. CBS then said, production on its comedy “The New Adventures of Old Christine” was halted, and ABC said it was delaying the premiere of the series “Cashmere Mafia.” In front of Paramount Pictures, “Dirty Sexy Money” actor William Baldwin served coffee and joined the picket lines. In New York, “Saturday Night Live” comedian Amy Poehler joined a large contingent of writers and actors from the show on the picket line in front of the Rockefeller Center offices of NBC.

“All the writers are asking for is to be fairly compensated for all this new media,” she said, noting that the strike may force the cancellation of this coming week’s show with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Poehler, like many “SNL” cast members, contributes material for the program but is not listed as a writer. She said actors felt torn about the labor impasse. “I think a lot of actors are being made to make some really hard choices,” she said

Today, the highest profile show so far, Fox’s “24″, has not only shut down production, but announced that airing the show at all this season is in jeopardy. Television is feeling an immediate effect of the strike. The networks have enough shows shot already to get them through until January. That’s when people at home will start to notice that their favorite shows aren’t on anymore, or in reruns. That’s when the public outcry will become overwhelming and the Producers will have to settle. As TV shows feel the brunt of this in the immediate future, the movie business would not be affected for a long while. TV, or the lack of it, is what is going to get this thing settled.

At first I thought the WGA was stupid for actually going on strike, and that the public outcry would be against them. They have proved to have some muscle, and have stuck together so far. As a member of a entertainment guild myself, I applaud what they have accomplished in three days. The DGA and SAG also will be facing these same Producers as contracts expire in the near future. We have some of the same issues, so they need to be addressed. From my experience the impression of the WGA to the other guilds and unions in the industry, has been that they are a bunch of whiners. I personally have a whole new respect for them. I say, keep up the good work. Hit em fast… and hit em hard, and end this thing quickly.
…Hats Off DEEP!

Jimmy Kimmel, ON STRIKE!

“The Office” Writers and Cast walk the line in this funny video

Technorati Tags: Writers Guild of America strike, DVD sales, New Media, Director’s Guild of America, EVIL EMPIRE, WGA, Showrunners, primetime TV shows, primetime TV, Leno, , Letterman, Kimmel, Jon Stewart, , Conan, Ellen, Jay Leno, Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, Eva Longoria, Universal Studios, Desperate Housewives, Steve Carrell, “The Office”, CBS, “The New Adventures of Old Christine”, ABC, Paramount Pictures, New York, “Saturday Night Live”, Amy Poehler, Rockefeller Center, NBC, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “SNL”, Fox, “24″, DGA, SAG, Jimmy Kimmel

I figured hey, Evel Knievel was one of my heroes when I was a kid. Growing up when I did, there were not many forms of entertainment. TV had only a handful of channels, there was no internet, no cable, no webcasts, or podcasts, or cellphone shows, not even a VCR or DVD player…NOTHING! Entertainment back then was at a premium, and Knievel was its most unusual star. So when ABC’s Wide World of Sports or some of the other networks would broadcast his jumps on TV, it was a big deal. We all dropped everything and gathered around the set. This crazy maniac was doing things that every kid could never imagine. He did things on a motorcycle that no one had ever seen before, kid or adult. He Jumped his bike through fire, over cars, trucks, buses, and he broke every bone in his body and kept jumping. Evel became an American Hero for an entire generation. So with an affection for the subject matter and an affection for my wife, I went to the show with an opened mind.

To say the least I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The whole experience was cool. Tickets were reasonably priced, so I brought some friends. The Bootleg Theater is a cool little spot, that has a nice bar in the lobby. They basically give away booze and ask for a donations, and you can even bring your drink into the theater for the show! We were having a good time before it even started.

The tagline for the show is 90 minutes of pure adrenaline, and it certainly was. Composer Jef Bek, and Jay Dover who provides additional music and lyrics, are the creative driving forces of the show. They, with Director Keythe Farley, put together a rocking band, playing all original music, and a great group of performers who sing their asses off. The story is told in the music and in the visuals that are projected on a screen above the stage. The use of old footage of some of Evel’s amazing motorcycle jumps, and spectacular falls, tied in seamlessly as the story unfolded. The show has a campy, tongue in cheek feel to it, in the spirit of Rocky Horror, and it has a great sense of nostalgia for the time. It’s one production number after another non stop for the entire show, over 40 songs.

The Cast is led by Chuck DiMaria, Evel Knievel, he gives it his all. He’s all over the stage, and even flying above it at times. The show could not be good without a good Evel and Chuck is good, and then some. DiMaria rocks the house, belting out song after song. He plays the role with a seriousness that allows the camp of the show around him to shine through. He is able to capture a character who had a tough guy persona, with song and dance. I mean who would ever think of Evel Knievel, and think about him singing and dancing in a stage show. DiMaria certainly pulls it off, the whole show pulls it off.

I had a great time, and I’m not just saying that, because my wife is in the show. The 90 minutes fly by, and in the 99 seat venue you are close to the action. You can feel the energy being put out by the performers, who are all top notch. I TOTALLY recommend it for a fun night out, packed with entertainment and production value. An awesome band, great singers and dancers, cool costumes, and Jef Bek’s excellent original music, are all smoothly meshed together under the direction of Keythe Farley.

You’ll get a great bang for your entertainment buck. Go see Evel Knievel singing and dancing and flying above the stage, at the Bootleg Theater in Hollywood.
…Evil DEEP!

Shows run every Thursday thru Sunday weekly, until October 28th.

Go to the EVEL KNIEVEL THE ROCK OPERA website. For ticket information and more about the show.

LA TIMES REVIEW

Evel Knievel’s Perfect Jump – Portland 1973

Technorati Tags: Hollywood’s Bootleg Theater, EVEL KNIEVEL THE ROCK OPERA, Jersey Boys, Broadway, Tony Award, Frankie Valli, music industry, Claire Martin, Evel Knievel, ABC’s Wide World of Sports, American Hero, Jef Bek, Jay Dover, Director Keythe Farley, Rocky Horror, Chuck DiMaria, Keythe Farley, Bootleg Theater, Hollywood

Announcing a new feature of Hollywood Deep, the Totally Industry Professionals Page. I will compile articles and information I think would be interesting or useful, for working people in the Biz. I also intend to list some of my favorite crew members at every level of production. As the page grows I will also include some job listings, and In Production information. Writers Guild (WGA) potential strike news, Directors Guild of America (DGA) news, and more below the line crew and production information. If your a working person in the film and TV production industry, or you want to be, check it out. Click on the page link on the right column.

Technorati Tags: Hollywood Deep, Industry Professionals, the Biz, Writers Guild, WGA, Directors Guild of America, DGA, below the line, film and TV production industry