Film and Digital Media @ Messiah

Well, the Writers Guilds of both West and East coasts voted to strike today. The strike actually begins Monday, Nov. 5, at 12:01 AM. According to the BBC,

Writers are demanding an increase in the fees they receive when their work is reproduced on DVDs, the internet, mobile phones and other electronic devices.

Producers reject their demands as unworkable.

Since late-night talk shows rely on writers for their daily joke-fare they are expected to halt almost immediately. David Letterman described the recalcitrant producers as “cowards, cutthroats and weasels” on his Thursday night show. Saturday Night Live could also close-down quickly: “Boom - our show just shuts down,” Amy Poehler, a member of the cast, told LA-based newspaper Daily Variety. “It’s just done. There is no backlog of scripts.”

While it could be some months before the networks and cable run out of programs that have already been made, Hollywood analysts expect the supply of shows such as Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty and CSI to run dry by Spring. What many writers fear is that the producers will simply turn to more reality shows, abandoning scripted shows as much as possible.

So get ready for wall-to-wall reality on “Jackass — the Network/Cable Channel”!!