David Kronke was appointed Mayor of Television after a bloodless coup in 2000. Since then, he has improved infrastructure, championed greater educational opportunities and fought for reforms that have utterly erased corruption and incompetence from the television industry. Since Mr. Kronke has ascended to power, Television is a far better place. This just in: Strike not yet resolved
In a classic “in order to save the patient we had to kill it” sort of move, the Daily News blog site has been comatose for most of the day for most of those who post. And now that it's back up, it's completely different with all sorts of impressive improvements but no instruction manual to speak of and hence will require some trial-and-error noodling around.
So we offer this belated strike update, but since there’s been no movement, there’s not much to report.
* Today’s silver-lining story: Single writers are hooking up on the picket line. Lose a job, find true love.
* They already brought in a slew of British actors to star in this season’s new shows; will the studios recruit British writers, as well?
“It is my sad conclusion that there is a faction within AMPTP that wishes to break the guild or at very least, gore it, and wait this out, so as to cynically write off an entire season of unprofitable programming decisions and lay the way for future gains.”
Schwarzenegger has in fact contacted the warring sides through back channels, though obviously nothing has come of it.
* With everything at an impasse, the DGA could begin negotiations with AMPTP before the writers do again. (And Jesse Jackson showed up to show his support for the poor, downtrodden writers.)
* CBS’s late-night talk shows will remain dark next week. The other networks are going day-by-day.