2008 Woodie Awards
Hollywood writers' strike comes to an end
Deena Zaru
Issue date: 2/16/08 Section: World
"It took three whole seasons for Jim and Pam to finally get together and now that they are finally a couple, the writers go on strike," said senior Katie Martinko, a fan of The Office. "It was very frustrating."
Jim and Pam's relationship is one of many dramas that will unfold before millions of anxious and impatient TV fans since the much publicized Hollywood writers' strike came to an end on Feb. 11.
Union leaders of the Screen Actors Guild of America, which represents about 12,000 movie and television writers, reached a tentative deal with production companies on Feb. 8.
Fans of popular shows like Grey's Anatomy, The Office, Desperate Housewives and Lost are sitting at the edge of their couches, waiting for new episodes and celebrating the end of the strike, which began Nov. 5.
According to The New York Times, the end to the strike depended on whether the governing boards of the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Writers Guild would decide to end the walkout.
In a four-hour meeting on Feb. 8, union leaders briefed a group of 300 strike captains.
According to the memorandum, which summarized the meeting, the guild boards and negotiating committee are unanimously expected to recommend the tentative deal.
News of the possible end to the strike was first announced in a morning e-mail message to members of the Writers Guild of American West and the Writers Guild of America East.
Patric M. Verrone, president of the West Coast guild, and Michael Winship, president of the East Coast guild, wrote in the e-mail: "Much has been achieved, and while this agreement is neither perfect nor perhaps all that we deserve for the countless hours of hard work and sacrifice, our strike has been a success."
According to HollywoodInsider.com, the online edition of Entertainment weekly news, there was a push from desperate fans to hire new writers, because after all "the show must go on."
"I don't think they should hire new writers at all," Martinko said. "I agree with the writers' demands and I think it's completely fair. Because the script is such a central part of the show, I think it would be almost easier to replace actors than hire new writers."
Jim and Pam's relationship is one of many dramas that will unfold before millions of anxious and impatient TV fans since the much publicized Hollywood writers' strike came to an end on Feb. 11.
Union leaders of the Screen Actors Guild of America, which represents about 12,000 movie and television writers, reached a tentative deal with production companies on Feb. 8.
Fans of popular shows like Grey's Anatomy, The Office, Desperate Housewives and Lost are sitting at the edge of their couches, waiting for new episodes and celebrating the end of the strike, which began Nov. 5.
According to The New York Times, the end to the strike depended on whether the governing boards of the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Writers Guild would decide to end the walkout.
In a four-hour meeting on Feb. 8, union leaders briefed a group of 300 strike captains.
According to the memorandum, which summarized the meeting, the guild boards and negotiating committee are unanimously expected to recommend the tentative deal.
News of the possible end to the strike was first announced in a morning e-mail message to members of the Writers Guild of American West and the Writers Guild of America East.
Patric M. Verrone, president of the West Coast guild, and Michael Winship, president of the East Coast guild, wrote in the e-mail: "Much has been achieved, and while this agreement is neither perfect nor perhaps all that we deserve for the countless hours of hard work and sacrifice, our strike has been a success."
According to HollywoodInsider.com, the online edition of Entertainment weekly news, there was a push from desperate fans to hire new writers, because after all "the show must go on."
"I don't think they should hire new writers at all," Martinko said. "I agree with the writers' demands and I think it's completely fair. Because the script is such a central part of the show, I think it would be almost easier to replace actors than hire new writers."
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