It sounds like the WGA (The Writer’s Guild of America) and the Producers Association are finally finding come common ground and getting closer and closer to a deal. It’s about frigging time. The Hollywood Reporter gives us the following:
The WGA and studio reps have notched back-to-back negotiating sessions marked by productive exchanges on issues key to sealing a new contract and ending the month-plus writers strike. Both parties issued brief statements after a nine-hour session concluded at about 7 p.m. Wednesday. The Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers stressed a belief that the parties eventually can come to a meeting of the minds in their talks.
“We remain committed to making a fair and reasonable deal,” the studio group said. “We believe there is common ground to be found between the two sides that will put all of us in the entertainment industry in a better position to survive and prosper in what is a rapidly changing modern, global marketplace.” The WGA also appeared cautiously upbeat. “For the last two days, we have had substantive discussions of the issues important to writers, the first time this has occurred in this negotiation,” the guild said. Negotiators agreed to resume negotiations at 10 a.m. today in the same undisclosed location. The AMPTP claimed it was the guild that requested breaking off talks for the night and reconvening in the morning.
Maybe if the two sides put this type of effort into their negotiations in the first place there never would have been a need for the strike in the first place and other people wouldn’t have been losing their jobs and pay checks. Instead, the Producers decided to pound their chests and play hard ball… and the WGA have been wasting their time putting together pointless and meaningless little public awareness videos that ultimately mean nothing (did I miss something? Does the public VOTE on how the strike should be resolved?)
Anyway, I guess that’s all water under the bridge at this point. If these two sides are indeed actually both making concessions and finding common ground, then good for them. Get this thing done so we can all get back to watch Battlestar Galactica for fuck’s sake.
