Team Spears! But not that Jamie Lynn cuz she should've known better
I am an unapologetic BritBrit supporter. Girlfriend's nuts, but I just want to take her, bathe her, feed her, and help her get sane again. The first few meltdowns were interesting in a trainwreck sort of way, but I no longer get any joy in watching her stumble through life. Plus, I love her new album.
I only bring her up because she's spending a lot of time at the Millenium Dance Studio. I enjoy this news because it's down the street from my apartment; I pass it daily. And I wonder why BritBrit would come from Malibu (or wherever she's staying) to crappy North Hollywood for studio time. Maybe they have good rates.
I am glad that the writer's strike is seemingly over. No one wins in a strike. I wholeheartedly support their reasoning and demands. If they hadn't taken a stand now, they would have never gotten jurisdiction over new media. I understand that many feel it's not fair for those not making residuals. I, myself, have mixed feelings on the subject as to who gets them, why, when, etc. But I do agree that if payment is generated for the reuse of work, the money should be spread around. And if shows that are placed on the internet (I'm looking at you Ugly Betty) are purely promotional material, why do I have to sit through four commercials? Ford/Valtrex/Whatever is not getting to play their commercials for free out of the goodness of ABC exec's hearts. Someone is getting that money, and under the current way Hollywood is set up, that money should be spread among those who receive residuals. And if I have to straight out pay to watch something, like on iTunes, that money should also be spread around.
Luckily, my department, Commercials, already has jurisdiction over new media. And there is still bitching on a daily basis between the advertising companies/producers/actors on payment. I get that the industry side is trying to contain costs while the talent side wants fair compensation. Everyone has to give a little to get a little. And the industry's insistence that no one knows what's going to happen with the Internets (as they did with VHS tapes back in the day) is ludicrous. Society is not suddenly going to shut down the internet and go back to 8 tracks. Don't act like the Internet is some mysterious void that no one understands. It's not like Laserdiscs or Clear Pepsi. It's fairly clear that it is a medium that will be around for awhile. And whether it's on VHS tape or Blu-Ray or on YouTube or in my iPod or beamed directly into our skulls, it's not going away. It's going to be interesting to see what SAG does in the upcoming months.
One caveat: my Soap Of Choice (SOC) is General Hospital. Under the current writing regime, it has been sucking big time. Characters are being brutally killed off at an alarming rate, the dialogue sucks, and the storylines are a joke. But since the strike began, the scabs, nay band-aids, have begun to turn it around. Characters are acting consistently again. No one is getting thrown under the bus for no reason. There's cast integration and continuity. It's not perfect, but it's watchable, which I couldn't say 3 months ago. I am scared what the return of Guza will do. I doubt it will be good.
I only bring her up because she's spending a lot of time at the Millenium Dance Studio. I enjoy this news because it's down the street from my apartment; I pass it daily. And I wonder why BritBrit would come from Malibu (or wherever she's staying) to crappy North Hollywood for studio time. Maybe they have good rates.
I am glad that the writer's strike is seemingly over. No one wins in a strike. I wholeheartedly support their reasoning and demands. If they hadn't taken a stand now, they would have never gotten jurisdiction over new media. I understand that many feel it's not fair for those not making residuals. I, myself, have mixed feelings on the subject as to who gets them, why, when, etc. But I do agree that if payment is generated for the reuse of work, the money should be spread around. And if shows that are placed on the internet (I'm looking at you Ugly Betty) are purely promotional material, why do I have to sit through four commercials? Ford/Valtrex/Whatever is not getting to play their commercials for free out of the goodness of ABC exec's hearts. Someone is getting that money, and under the current way Hollywood is set up, that money should be spread among those who receive residuals. And if I have to straight out pay to watch something, like on iTunes, that money should also be spread around.
Luckily, my department, Commercials, already has jurisdiction over new media. And there is still bitching on a daily basis between the advertising companies/producers/actors on payment. I get that the industry side is trying to contain costs while the talent side wants fair compensation. Everyone has to give a little to get a little. And the industry's insistence that no one knows what's going to happen with the Internets (as they did with VHS tapes back in the day) is ludicrous. Society is not suddenly going to shut down the internet and go back to 8 tracks. Don't act like the Internet is some mysterious void that no one understands. It's not like Laserdiscs or Clear Pepsi. It's fairly clear that it is a medium that will be around for awhile. And whether it's on VHS tape or Blu-Ray or on YouTube or in my iPod or beamed directly into our skulls, it's not going away. It's going to be interesting to see what SAG does in the upcoming months.
One caveat: my Soap Of Choice (SOC) is General Hospital. Under the current writing regime, it has been sucking big time. Characters are being brutally killed off at an alarming rate, the dialogue sucks, and the storylines are a joke. But since the strike began, the scabs, nay band-aids, have begun to turn it around. Characters are acting consistently again. No one is getting thrown under the bus for no reason. There's cast integration and continuity. It's not perfect, but it's watchable, which I couldn't say 3 months ago. I am scared what the return of Guza will do. I doubt it will be good.