Back Home.

Over Christmas, New Years and Three Kings Day we had a wonderful time visiting my family in Florida and my wife Donna's family in Ohio, but my thoughts were never far from home. Every day I would read the trades on my PDA thanks to places with free WiFi. I corresponded with friends back home who were keeping me up to date on strike news and I even fired off E-mails to couple of media organizations and one to a Republican presidential candidate who, although is seeking union endorsement, decided to cross a picket line.

Looking back it was amazing to see how many of our conversions, over dinner or drinks, with friends and family were about the strike. This totally disproves the notion that Middle America does not care about striking writers and not once did I hear writers being refereed to as "Spoiled Millionaires". It was obvious that the neither the local papers or the local TV & radio news provided sufficient coverage on the story. They were surprised to learn that we in Los Angeles had the same problem (I wrote to David Hiller, Claudiae Eller and Richard Verrier at the Los Angeles Times about their lack of fair and balanced coverage of the strike in thier article titled Writers union feeling the heat). Donna and I would to the best of our ability explain the situation about residuals for DVDs and new media. I also directed people to web sites like United Hollywood and Nikki Fink's Deadline Hollywood Daily.

The bulk of the strike talk involved the late night talk shows or the lack of late night talk show monologues. By this time it was announced that the network talk shows would be returning on January 2nd but David Letterman's company Worldwide Pants had not yet finalized their deal with the WGA. The monologues were sorely missed especially since we going full speed into Election 08 news coverage. We discussed what the hosts can and can not do. I basically stated that unless you have an interim agreement, you can't do struck work. Deadline Hollywood Daily: WGA Reminds Returning Jay And Conan: No Monologues. Then on January 2nd we watched the return of the network talk shows. I enjoyed seeing everyone back but was surprised to see Jay doing a monologue. Jay is an honorable man. He has supported the WGA in this strike and he supported SAG during the 2000 commercial strike but when it comes to writing his own monologues I want to ask him what he asked Hugh Grant, " What the hell were you thinking?"

In Solidarity


In Solidarity


Tony Figueroa

Your moment of Zen

In Solidarity


Tony Figueroa

THIS JUST IN: NBC And Hollywood Foreign Press Cancel Televised Golden Globes

Every time I try to write about what is going on in the world of Television the stories keep updating.

This story broke when I was listening to today's edition of United Hollywood Live.

The story is from Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily Blog.

UPDATE: NBC And Hollywood Foreign Press Cancel Televised Golden Globes Hoopla; Big Show Scrapped In Favor Of Stripped Down News Telecast (Keep refreshing for latest news)...

The Hollywood writers strike can now claim its first awards show casualty. I'm hearing from my sources that NBC will not be broadcasting a big Golden Globes show as planned for January 13th. Nor will a much ballyhooed unbroadcasted event be held, either. Instead, a stripped down announcements telecast will be aired by NBC News. It will consist of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association handing out Golden Globes to the winners, who will then pick up the awards and pass through a press room for photos and interviews. "It'll now be a news event where the actors can still get all glammed up," a source told I've not yet received any official confirmation of any of this. But insiders tell me that NBC Universal topper Jeff Zucker and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association which bestows the Golden Globes made the decision together to scale everything back.

HOT VALLEY WRITERS

My story Abandonment Issues is in the Winter 2008 issue of Hot Valley Writers.

www.HotValleyWriters.com

In Solidarity


Tony Figueroa

Happy 2008

Dear Readers,

I have been spending Christmas and New Years with Family in Florida and Ohio (Two Red States).

I am not one for New Year’s resolutions. In the fourth grade I resolved that I would not get into anymore fights, but after having to read my resolution in front of the whole class my classmates made sure that I was in a fight everyday till Valentines Day. This year seems different. As always they’re the standard things I say every year.

I resolve to do more reading. I read a lot as it is but this year I have a great desire to read more of the classics and more plays.

I resolve to take a greater interest in current events outside the entertainment industry especially since 2008 is an election year. I am already a news junkie but there never seem to be enough news or is it that there never seems to be enough news of substance.

It would be ridiculous of me to say that I resolve to watch less television. If I wind up watching less TV it is not because of any self discipline on my part, it is only because of the writers strike.

I resolve to do more blogging and podcasting. Last month Donna and I launched our new story telling podcast Take Out Stories. This Month Donna will launch her new style blog and podcast Shop Doc. As for the Child of Television Blog and Podcast it will still reflect my love of television. COTV’s perspective has been greatly influenced be the writers strike because I in good conscience can’t be critical of the creative talents while they are on the picket line and because the mainstream media is not giving the strike the coverage it deserves.

I resolve to spend more time on the picket line because as a Screen Actors Guild member their fight is our fight.

To quote Dave Garroway, “Peace”


In Solidarity


Tony Figueroa

Peace On Earth, Good Will To Men.

A few years ago I discovered the MGM cartoon Peace on Earth while watching an episode of the Cartoon Network's Toon Heads. Since then it has been one of my favorite holiday cartoons. This 1939 cartoon was written by Jack Cosgriff, Charles McGirl and Khat Harman and directed by Hugh Harman and is the only cartoon ever nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Before reading any further I want you to watch the cartoon.

This cartoon was created prior to America's involvement in the Second World War by people who served in the First World War. This amazing story takes you on a journey:

From Cute and Fuzzy,
To Man's inhumanity to man.
To a climax.
To a resolution.
And back to Cute and Fuzzy.

The cartoon was remade by William Hanna & Joseph Barbera in 1955 as Good Will to Men and was also nominated for the Best Short Subjects Oscar.

While the remake is set in a post atomic bomb era the message stays the same and sadly that message has not been learned. One of my favorite moments in Peace On Earth is towards the end when the audience collectively realizes that the animal’s houses were made from the men's helmets and the lamppost was made from a sword. Then you sober up when Mama Squirrel sings, "Sleep in heavenly peace". On a final note I want you to think about this:

The story that was told.
Those moments that touched you.
The buttons that were pushed.
The feelings felt.
The lessons learned (and not learned by some).

The writer started this journey with an idea, and then it was translated:

To words.
To voice, music and Foley.
To ink & paint.
To the big (and later small) screen.
And the audience translated the sight and sounds back into the writer's original idea.

Something to think about when you are enjoying those holiday specials.

To quote Tiny Tim, "God bless us, everyone!"


Merry Christmas



Tony & Donna Figueroa

"Santa Ho Ho No!"

Our Holiday Show is also the final episode of Season Two of Story Salon ON THE AIR. The theme is "Santa Ho Ho No" with Dan Tirman as our Featured Performer. Enjoy!

"Winn's 88 Blues" shot by Lance Anderson... Music by John O'Kennedy...

Recorded Live on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at The Coffee Fix in Studio City, California...

1:o3:22 / 58.1 MB / Rated: PG-13 (Some Adult Language and Themes)... Until we meet again in the New Year... "Thanks for the Download!"

Dennis Potter's Parting Shot to Rupert Murdoch

Check out Joseph Dougherty's A Parting Shot from Dennis Potter that features a few moments with groundbreaking television writer Dennis Potter from the interview he did shortly before he died in 1994.

Take Out Stories: Christmas Specials

We launch our Story Telling Podcasts with two holiday offerings.
Both stories are set at Christmas time in Puerto Rico.

First Donna has a story about why you should "Never name your food".

Then Tony recalls the first time he was "Santa's Helper".

Enjoy

Donna & Tony

Writer's Strike Day 33: Fremantle Rally & AMPTP Breaks Off Negotiations

I was at the Fremantle rally today in Burbank where Tenacious D performed.

Later that same day the AMPTP broke off negotiations.
WGA's Response to AMPTP Breaking Off Talks
This is the letter that was just sent to the membership:

December 7, 2007

AMPTP BREAKS OFF NEGOTIATIONS


Today, after three days of discussions, the AMPTP came back to us with a proposal that included a total rejection of our proposal on Internet streaming of December 3.

They are holding to their offer of a $250 fixed residual for unlimited one year streaming after a six-week window of free use. They still insist on the DVD rate for Internet downloads.

They refuse to cover original material made for new media.

This offer was accompanied by an ultimatum: the AMPTP demands we give up several of our proposals, including Fair Market Value (our protection against vertical integration and self-dealing), animation, reality, and, most crucially, any proposal that uses distributor’s gross as a basis for residuals. This would require us to concede most of our Internet proposal as a precondition for continued bargaining. The AMPTP insists we let them do to the Internet what they did to home video.

We received a similar ultimatum through back channels prior to the discussions of November 4. At that time, we were assured that if we took DVD’s off the table, we would get a fair offer on new media issues. That offer never materialized.

We reject the idea of an ultimatum. Although a number of items we have on the table are negotiable, we cannot be forced to bargain with ourselves. The AMPTP has many proposals on the table that are unacceptable to writers, but we have never delivered ultimatums.

As we prepared our counter-offer, at 6:05 p.m., Nick Counter came and said to us, in the mediator’s presence: “We are leaving. When you write us a letter saying you will take all these items off the table, we will reschedule negotiations with you.” Within minutes, the AMPTP had posted a lengthy statement announcing the breakdown of negotiations.

We remain ready and willing to negotiate, no matter how intransigent our bargaining partners are, because the stakes are simply too high. We were prepared to counter their proposal tonight, and when any of them are ready to return to the table, we’re here, ready to make a fair deal.


John F. Bowman
Chairman, WGA Negotiating Committee
Contract 2007