Written by: Samuel K. Sloan (FarPoint Media Executive News Director)
Looks like our Slice crystal ball was not fogged last week when we predicted that the Writers Guild of America would send all its members and well wishers to the picket line on Monday. That prognostication is now a reality as Guild leaders have set the strike clock to begin on that day at 12:01AM PST.
Of course, as in all negotiations, there will be a last minute flurry of activity tomorrow (Sun. Nov. 4) to try and safe the talks and continued efforts to avert a strike, but nobody is expecting anything positive to come out of the enterprise. Juan Carlos Gonzalez, the Federal mediator, is still holding out hope that he can bring both sides together and avoid a shut-down.
If this strike lasts as long as the last writer’s walk-out then television viewers and moviegoers better prepare themselves for a long dry spell.
Now, where did I put my old sign? It needs dusting-off before it sees the light of day.
Meh. I feel for the writers and hope they get a better deal out of this, but I haven’t watched much TV in the past year besides the Weather, Food, and Toon Channels. I was watching BSG and considered catching up with Heroes when everyone raved about it, but with all the big media companies plagued by the mental illness of “We need DRM to protect our property”, I’m leaning toward letting the whole revolution rise and settle before I let myself commit to a new fandom that will just let me down. Meanwhile, the internet supplies me with plenty of reading material as well as independent films and fan videos that exceed the professional level just often enough for me to stick with them.