Writers' Strike Chronicles: 09 December 2007

15 December, 2007

Hulu Announces New Sci-Fi Content

Eugene Wei, the Director of Product Management at Hulu and also an aspiring film director, announced today that the enterprise has added new sci-fi content on their line-up. Included are shows like Tin Man, Firefly, The Outer Limits, and Futurama. FYI, the latter is a show that I contributed to as a massage therapist to the animators of Rough Draft Studios back in the day.

Wei, like me, claims to have a particular fondness for the sci-fi genre. But frankly, I don't know a techie who doesn't! I think I'll shoot Wei an e-mail and turn him on to the "Star Trek" series of interviews in my podcast. I'm curious what his take might be. How's that for social networking on the World Wide Web 2.0? Let's see what happens (if anything) next. Stay tuned!

Get ready, 'cause here it comes!

Did you know that Congress has passed a law that by February 17, 2009 all television broadcast stations must switch from analog to digital?

Get ready for the Digital Transition!

Here's the FAQ's, courtesy of the FCC:

WSC Show #37 - Heroes Fans: Monique and Ronan Darling; Also Jeff Berman on Pencils2MediaMoguls

In this episode, we go to the see the Heroes cast at the picket lines in front of Universal Studios and meet with fans Monique Darling and her son Ronan. Then we’ll talk to United Hollywood’s Jeff Berman to find out how things went with the Pencils2MediaMogul campaign that took place earlier that day. Recorded Tuesday, 11 December 2007.

Credits
Producer/Host: Tanja Barnes
Music: "Ay Mambo" by Falik
available on Magnatune.com

14 December, 2007

Well Said

A group called Center for Creative Voices in Media just posted a blog entry entitled "Will WGA Strike Send Writers to Web?" Here's a snippet:

Will writers choose to do an end run around the producers they are on strike against and create programming for the Internet? Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick have done just that with their Quarterlife webisodic series, which has, ironically, now been licensed by NBC for primetime telecast in the spring. If this migration to the Net is to succeed, better get on board for Net Neutrality. Or the writers will face the very same distribution bottleneck on the Internet that they do today with the AMPTP controlling television.

WSC Book Club

Two books in our list today. The first is a recommendation from one of my listeners. I have not read it yet.

"What Happens Next A History of American Screenwriting"
by Marc Norman

Harmony Books: 560 pp., $27

(Note: the author is on the negotiating committee for the WGA).

And this book is one I would recommend back to my listener:

Darknet: Hollywood's War Against the Digital Generation
by J. D. Lasica

Wiley: 320 pp., $25.95

(Note: This book is available in a Kindle edition.)

WSC Show #36 - Star Trek Day: Anthony Montgomery and Bob Skir

This is the final episode of "Star Trek Day", a picketing event held in front of Paramount Studios. We’ll hear from actor Anthony Montgomery and writer Bob Skir. Recorded Monday, 10 December 2007.

Credits
Producer/Host: Tanja Barnes
Music: "Ay Mambo" by Falik
available on Magnatune.com

13 December, 2007

KPCC's Art Film Talk

Another podcast I used to listen in broadcast but now only on demand:

Art Film Talk #23 Marshall Herskovitz, Quarterlife

Art Film Talk #23 Marshall Herskovitz, Quarterlife

Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick have been producing high-quality television (My So Called Life, thirtysomething) and film (Legends of the Fall, Blood Diamond) for quite some time. Recently the duo launched Quarterlife, a contemporary coming of age series being streamed on the web along with an integrated social network. A significant aspect of the show is that unlike most television properties today, the producers retain full creative control and ownership. In addition to being available on MySpace and their own web site, they recently made a deal with NBC to air the show next year. I talk with Herskovitz about the origins of the project, its significance in the context of the writers strike, and what s different about producing for the internet compared to traditional film and television. Related to this interview is Are the corporate suits ruining TV?, an editorial by Herskovitz which appeared in the Los Angeles Times on November 7, 2007 in which he argues that Network control and media consolidation are wringing the creativity out of entertainment. Photo credit: Elisabeth Caren/quarterlife, the Art Film Talk theme music was composed by Colin Owens.

KCRW's "The Business" Podcasts

I listen occasionally to this show when I'm commuting, however it's been available for awhile in podcast format. From NPR's website:

Hosted by Claude Brodesser-Akner, The Business looks deep inside the business of entertainment. A half-hour of thoughtful and irreverent dialogue with Hollywood's top deal-makers, filmmakers, moguls, artists and agents, The Business will clue you in on who's making pop culture pop and what's keeping Hollywood's Blackberries juicy.

Will the Strike Kill the Soaps.; Inside Strike Negotiations
December 04, 2007

Will the Strike Kill the Soaps.; Inside Strike Negotiations

What's it like to negotiate during a strike. We talk with the man who led talks for employees during the acrimonious 1994 supermarket walkout. Plus, will the writers' strike be another nail in the coffin of once wildly profitable daytime soap operas.Note: This edition of The Business will not air live at its usual time slot on KCRW as it will be pre-empted by special holiday programming. It will air at 7pm.

The Strike and American Screenwriting, II; Video Games Rock On
November 26, 2007

The Strike and American Screenwriting, II; Video Games Rock On

To understand the current writers' strike, you need to understand the long and contentious relationship between screenwriters and the people who write their checks. This week, Part II of our conversation with Oscar-winning scribe Marc Norman about his new book, What Happens Next: A History of American Screenwriting. Plus, while the writers strike, video games rock on--literally.

What Happens Next: A History of American Screenwriting, Part 1
November 19, 2007

What Happens Next: A History of American Screenwriting, Part 1

To understand the current writers' strike, you need to understand the long and contentious relationship between screenwriters and the people who write their checks. We put that relationship in the therapist's chair with Oscar-winning scribe Marc Norman, author of a fascinating new book called What Happens Next: A History of American Screenwriting.

What's a Producer Do.; Hollywood-Washington Update
November 05, 2007

What's a Producer Do.; Hollywood-Washington Update

What does a producer do. We talk to two producers-turned-studio-execs about what they did then and what they do now. Plus, a chat with Hollywood's man in Washington, MPAA CEO Dan Glickman.

Cisco announces "Entertainment Operating System"

Last spring Cisco purchased a social network company that I currently participate in and when I talked to the CEO and founder of the network, he would not comment on the sale.

So I bookmarked this story and kept my ear to the ground for developments for the sole reason that I wanted to know how this would affect my on-line community.

Months go by, but no news until yesterday when Cisco announced its "Entertainment Operating System" in the New York Times. EOS will be a hosted software-as-a-service platform that Cisco will deliver sometime in 2008 to various media companies. From what I can grok, EOS will provide social networking capabilities, content distribution and content targeting.

(Scooby: Groo?)

I still don't know how this affects the social network I'm involved with, if at all. Perhaps it's time to ping the guy again.

FWIW, yesterday Cisco was also featured in the San Jose Mercury News where the company intends to demonstrate "program shifting" technology at the Consumer Electronics Show in 'Vegas next month.

WSC Show #35 - Star Trek Day: Harlan Ellison and David Gerrold

This episode is a continuation of “Star Trek Day” at the picket lines at Paramount Studios and includes interviews with writers Harlan Ellison and David Gerrold. Recorded Monday, 11 December 2007.

Set up: this recording begins just slightly after Harlan Ellison had either just had an exchange of dialogue or an interview…I can’t tell which…with former Playboy model Irina Voronina who is now a reporter for Foxxy News, an Internet media outlet that claims to always be “fair, balanced and...hot”. After a few moments of Harlan radically self-expressing, I have an opportunity to ask him a few questions before he turns me over to David Gerrold.

Credits
Producer/Host: Tanja Barnes
Music: "Ay Mambo" by Falik
available on Magnatune.com

12 December, 2007

Can I Buy A Vowel?

So, it would seem that the future of new media entertainment is brought to you by the letter "u".

To wit: first came Hulu. Next comes Vudu, a new fangled high tech box that's connected to the Intertube. It delivers hi-def movies to your television.

In a recent article about this magical box with knobs, the New York Times announced: "In a major shift in movie distribution, a high-definition version of the hit ''The Bourne Ultimatum'' will be released through Vudu Inc.'s online service Tuesday -- the same day the DVD comes out."

Google this!

I recently heard that in the third quarter of 2008, Google will release their own phone to the public. My initial response was "ooh! cool beans!" but after letting it set for awhile, I have some doubts about how it will come up against the iPhone. IMHO, had Google gotten into this market prior to Apple's darling, they might have had a competitive edge. As I wonder how it's going to all play out, PCMag.com's editor-in-chief Lance Ulanoff just released this prediction for the Google enterprise in 2008:

"Google will win that wireless bid and, with partners, start rolling out Android-based phones, though none will be the dreamed-about Google Phone. Google will never produce a phone of its own. Expect more Google apps, innovations, and non-search-related activity. The next big move for this company with cash to burn? Ownership of a major media company."

Perhaps I should go check out Google's stock. I'm feeling lucky!

WSC Show #34 - Star Trek Day: Naren Shankar and Nicholas Meyer

In today’s episode we visit the picket lines for "Star Trek Day" at Paramount Studios. Of the numerous recordings I got, today we’ll focus on two: one from Star Trek television writer Naren Shankar and one from Star Trek film director Nicholas Meyer. Recorded Monday, 10 December 2007.

Credits
Producer/Host: Tanja Barnes
Music: "Ay Mambo" by Falik
available on Magnatune.com

Podcast Feed Update

For those listeners of the Writers' Strike Chronicles podcast, here's an update:

In an effort to save money on bandwidth costs, I've been hosting my podcast files for free at Archive.org. It seemed like an obvious choice because the work I'm doing is historical. However, if you've noticed, there's been issues with their server from time to time and sometimes the files I upload disappear. *Poof*.

As my audience grows, I need to depend on a more reliable method of delivery. So, I now will be hosting these files on my personal website.

What this means is: I'll be encoding my XML files to reflect the changes and this will temporarily cause changes to your feed. If you subscribe to my feed via iTunes or an RSS feeder previous episodes you may have already listened to or downloaded will repeat. It's not you, it's me. And this is only temporary until I complete the entire update. Because this is time consuming, I'll be transferring this in chunks of five episodes per day. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Oh, and if this language seems greek to you, it was once to me. But no longer. If I can figure it out, so can you. And eventually, if you want to create your own content for the Internet, you will need to. If I can do it, so can you.

Video: RSS in Plain English

Thanks for your patience.

AMPTP...That's So Gross!

From newwben

OK...let me explain. Though this is clever, this is a misrepresentation of the public's response to the AMPTP's "New Economic Partnership". These are actually responses to the viewers first goatse.

Warning: your first goatse is NSFW!

11 December, 2007

New Media and Higher Education

It's not only entertainment. New media hits higher education. Today Yale University announced they are offering undergraduate courses freely available to anyone in the world with access to the Internet:

Open Yale Courses reflects the values of a liberal arts education. Yale's philosophy of teaching and learning begins with the aim of training a broadly based, highly disciplined intellect without specifying in advance how that intellect will be used.

Oh, but wait. There's more! Stanford University has got free CS education library. MIT's got a few in classes, too. And Berkeley does it with an iPod.

Wendy Boswell from LifeHacker's got gads more college classes listed in her blog.

Oh, and back to that iPod for a sec: the New York Times wanted to know this past weekend "What did the professor say?"

Mix '08 - The Next Web Now

File this under "New Media". Now in its third year, the MIX conference slated for March 5- 7, 2008, promotes itself as an "intimate opportunity for cutting-edge technical, creative and business strategists to engage Microsoft in a conversation about the future of the web." The purpose is to "explore the latest wave of opportunities and help redefine the boundaries between: content and commerce, PC and TV, Windows and the Web."

At the risk of reactivating a holy jihad between rivals Mac and PC and the communities they serve, my gut tells me this is a way for Ballmer to pick your brain and get a toe-hold over Job's corner on the market. And not to sound all Eeyore on you, but I've tested a Zune. There's a very good reason the Ipod is a winner in my book and that is: ease of use and elegance of design. It plays well with any file, whereas a Zune does not (this was my frustrating experience from a year ago this month so your mileage may vary).

Anyway, I'm a Mac grrl, so this ain't my thing. But maybe it's yours. Apples and oranges and all that jazz.

Errata

Errata: In the "WSC Bonus Podcast for 12/11/07" episode, I said that "5,000" pencils were going to be delivered as part of the Pencils2MediaMoguls campaign. I meant to say "500,000".

Yes, that would be pretty pathetic if United Hollywood's efforts to gain fan support would have only resulted in a mere few thousand pencils as opposed to half a million.

The truth is, I knew the correct number. My script shows me I did, too. However, in my v.o., I fucked up my line. Had this been an important breaking news story, this would have been perhaps a devastating mistake with far reaching implications.

This is a good example of why citizen journalists only make up a part in the gathering and sharing of news and information in a digital age. In my interview with Bill Froehlich, I was concerned that untrained and wholly amateur citizen journalists would come up against issues of accuracy when reporting.

However, one acquaintance made the point that the real issue in reporting, whether one is a professional or amateur journalist is "ethics" and cited the case of Dan Rather.

Fair enough. Nonetheless, I need to get better at this. I could also do with a fact checker.

Internet TV comes into focus

From The Week Daily comes an article about Internet TV that really captivated me. If I had to pull out only one single quote that summarizes what my biggest question has been since the start of the strike -- namely why are writers striking against the ConGlom's when the Internet offers an opportunity to D.I.Y. -- here's a highly cogent response that I can actually grok:

"Networks are still the most efficient way to create and distribute high-budget programs to mass audiences. But the Internet makes it possible to profitably reach smaller audiences with niche programming."

The piece also pulls focus some other good questions such as: How soon will that future of Internet TV arrive—and what will it look like? Who’s going to make this magic box? What can Internet TV do that current TV can’t (another fantastically grokable opinion)? Will networks become obsolete?

The answers to these and many more really good questions are covered. Read the entire article here.

I read it here first!

So far this morning, I'm getting my news today from bloggers. I wanted to verify the following information, so I ran a search in Google news, but to no avail. So either this story is being broke on a blog (and not just any blog but the Huffington Post) or the story is either false or incomplete (but somehow I doubt that).

Here's what I read:

SEIU Local 99 in Los Angeles -- education workers who include teacher's aids, cafeteria workers and crossing guards -- yesterday fired former Clinton spokesman Chris Lehane from a consulting contract in support of the WGA .

Read Jane Hamsher's entire post here.

UPDATE: As of 2:43 p.m., United Hollywood blogs about this development. So, I'm guessing this is my second source and therefore it must be true.

WSC Bonus Podcast for 12/11/07

This is a special WSC bonus podcast targeted specifically for today because it contains information regarding the United Hollywood’s Pencils2MediaMoguls campaign. The idea is that since the start of the strike fans were asked to buy pencils to send to the six media moguls who run the six corporate conglomerates to demonstrate their support for the writers of their favorite TV series.

In this episode, I speak to Jeff Berman with United Hollywood. At the time of this recording, he was reluctant to give the details about where over 500,000 pencils were going to be delivered. So, I waited to release this episode until the information became available on-line.

Here’s the skinny:

Today at 11:30 a.m. the pencils will start being delivered. The staging ground for this event will be Johnny Carson Park, located at 400 Bob Hope Drive in Burbank, just across the street from NBC.  Writers slated to appear include: Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica), Joss Whedon (Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly), Alfred Gough (Smallville), Miles Millar (Smallville), and others to be announced.

For more updates, be sure to log on to UnitedHollywood.com

Credits
Producer/Host: Tanja Barnes
Music: "Ay Mambo" by Falik
available on Magnatune.com

Relevant to our conversation, here's a primer on Web 2.0:

And also:

Read Time Magazine's Person of the Year for 2006.

WSC Show #33 - Interview with Alan Katz

In this episode, I meet up with Alan Katz following the "It's All Written" reality television show rally in Burbank. Recorded Friday, 7 December 2007.

Credits
Producer/Host: Tanja Barnes
Music: "Ay Mambo" by Falik
available on Magnatune.com

As mentioned in our conversation, the Internet is a series of tubes:

From MediaSpinner

10 December, 2007

OurMedia Retools, Revamps and Reinvents

Video failed to load? Download here instead.

OurMedia is the Nikola Tesla of the personal media revolution in that it launched weeks ahead of YouTube. Yet just as Tesla's competitors -- namely Edison and Marconi -- get all the cred, so too does YouTube explode on the Internet while OurMedia does not.

It's worth noting that wireless communication (of which Tesla patented) is one of the reasons for why the entertainment industry is at an impasse today. Oh, but then again, there'd be no moving pictures without Edison.

Wow...those dudes are still fighting it out posthumously? Whatever guys...get over it!

Anyway, back to the topic: two years after its launch, today OurMedia's founder JDLasica announced that the service "is in the process of reinventing itself as a community of professional, semi-pro and amateur media makers showcasing their best videos and podcasts."

Check out OurMedia here.

After meeting Harlan Ellison on the picket lines today, I get the feeling that he would absolutely hate this site. I can hear him now: "Fucking amateurs!" And yes, Harlan. True that.

WGA Strike - NBC - Disney - EdgeCast - YES Interactive - NBA Silverlight - IMEEM - MediaBytes 12.10.2007

From Media30dotcom

WSC Show #32 - Anne-Marie Johnson and Alfre Woodard

In today’s episode we wrap up our series of recordings at the “It’s All Written” reality show rally with a conversation with Anne-Marie Johnson from the Screen Actors Guild. We'll also hear a speech that Alfre Woodard gave at the rally. Recorded Friday, 7 December 2007.

Credits
Producer/Host: Tanja Barnes
Music: "Ay Mambo" by Falik
available on Magnatune.com

09 December, 2007

I Call Bullshit!

I like this guy HuffPo blogger Gary Rosen who's latest post puts it out there, keeps it real, and asks the question: "How eerie are the parallels between the behavior of the AMPTP and the behavior of the Bush administration?"

He writes:

"Using the pretext of an external shock to the system (in the case of the AMPTP, the rise of the internet -- in the case of Bush, 9/11), they have moved to grab power and achieve long-held goals (getting rid of "the guy who tried to kill my dad" -- getting rid of the residual system). Eschewing the warnings of the "reality based" community and the lessons of history (Vietnam -- the music industry), the AMPTP and the country at large have been driven down a self destructive path by hard liners (Cheney, Rumsfeld -- Time/Warner, Fox, Nick Counter) who view contempt as a virtue."

Oh word, Gary. And it gets even scarier!

Reuters reported last month: "The chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission wants an agency decision by year-end on whether to ease limits on how many media outlets a company may own in a single market...."

To put it simply: It's a decision to grant even more media consolidation to the ConGloms. In a word: monopoly.

That decision will be made on December 18th, 2007. If it is passed, the ConGloms get a pretty nifty Christmas present. They gain more power, they get a tighter hold on controlling news and information and...and...yes...the sky will fall.

But you can do something to prevent this. Call to action: Stop big media now!

WSC Show #31 - It's All Written Reality Show Rally

In today’s episode we’ll hear more speeches from “It’s All Written” informational picket and rally to gain industry standards for writers at FremantleMedia. Featured are speeches by WGA president Patric Verrone, Academy Award-winning screenwriter, producer and film director Paul Haggis, associate producer of "America's Next Top Model" Kai Bowe, and senior producer of "Temptation" Aaron Solomon. Recorded Friday, 7 December 2007 in Burbank, CA.

Credits
Producer/Host: Tanja Barnes
Music: "Ay Mambo" by Falik
available on Magnatune.com

As mentioned in this episode: "Hollywood Workers Rally for an End to Writers' Strike" from the LAist

Wow...WGA Virtual Picketing in Second Life

From the LiveJournal community of wga_supporters comes this post:

A group of like-minded avatars teleported over to NBC 1 today. NBC 1 is the main island owned by NBC/Universal in Second Life. We had an excellent hourlong picket. There are plenty of industry-owned locales in Second Life. Expect this to be a regular weekend event. All are welcome!

Who knew LJ had such a group? And like, an innovative use of SL. Ha...your world, your imagination and all that. I wonder if, when the day comes after the strike is over, any sims will be hosting a TV night in their virtual living rooms and serve virtual pizzas with virtual beer?

Foxtrot

Click on image for bigger size. Cuz size matters, you know.

Quote of the Day

Have you guys read the article featured in my previous post?

Check it!

"Consumers are increasingly demanding their entertainment be truly immersive, engaging and collaborative. Whereas once the act of watching, reading and hearing entertainment was passive, consumers now and in the future will be active and unrestrained by the ubiquitous nature of circular entertainment. Key to this evolution is consumers' basic human desire to compare and contrast, create and communicate. We believe the next episode promises to deliver the democracy politics can only dream of." -- Tom Savigar, Trends Director at The Future Laboratory

Who the fuck needs the AMPTP?

"Circular Media" - The Future of Entertainment

A recent study done by The Future Laboratory on behalf of Nokia predicts that by 2012 one of four entertainment items will be generated and edited by users:

The study, entitled 'A Glimpse of the Next Episode', carried out by The Future Laboratory, interviewed trend-setting consumers from 17 countries about their digital behaviors and lifestyles signposting emerging entertainment trends. Combining views from industry leading figures with Nokia's own research from its 900 million consumers around the world, Nokia has constructed a global picture of what it believes entertainment will look like over the next five years.

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