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Striking WGA Extremely Disappointed with Ellen
Officially addressing Ellen DeGeneres' decision to cross picket lines and continue with her daytime talker (see Strike Watch blog), the Writers Guild of America East has sent out a letter expressing its "extreme disappointment" in the comedienne/host, saying, "We find it sad that Ellen spent an entire week crying and fighting for a dog that she gave away, yet she couldn't even stand by writers for more than one day. We ask Ellen to cease doing shows immediately."
Easier said than done. A rep for Ellen producer Telepictures tells the Reporter that the daytime series — unlike The Tonight Show or Letterman (which are contracted to their respective networks) — is at risk of losing its time slot in markets or being sued for breach of contract if it stops delivering original content. The rep adds, "We also wish to preserve the 135 jobs of the staff and the crew whose livelihoods depend on the show continuing."
Related:
• Ellen Defends Crossing of Picket Line But Still Gets Dissed
• Will Tonight Show Go On... With Guest Hosts?
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Nov 12, 2007 11:50 AM
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Cheers for Ellen! Instead of giving the finger to her viewers, not to mention the hundreds of people who send in for tix and wait in line to see her show, she honors her word. Something these mostly WMW's wouldn't know about.
The only good thing this strike is doing is showing who has real talent and who is a selfish hack who wouldn't know funny if it bit them on the bottom and said "I'm here!"
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Nov 12, 2007 12:14 PM
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Am I missing something? Why is Ellen being singled out for derision but not the other talk show hosts? Are they not going ahead with their shows?? What gives?
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Nov 12, 2007 12:22 PM
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Galeforce: Letterman, Leno, The Daily Show and others have gone dark and not producing new show. Not sure about everyone...
It's too bad, there's not really a clear bad or good guy here, imo. It's not untrue that Ellen's continuing to produce shows does employ a lot of support staff (while simultaneously being self-serving, preserving her contract and income).
She might have taken a whole week off, imo, at least as a token of support for the writer's who provide her so much stuff.
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Nov 12, 2007 12:42 PM
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While the late night shows are all dark, the daytime shows are not. Ellen is the only one (from among Regis and Kelly, The View, Oprah) who uses WGA writers, so she's being singled out.
Personally, I don't have a problem with Ellen doing shows. She's not using writers during the strike, and she's expressing solidarity with the writers on her show (and she's got a strong fanbase...just ask the woman from the pet adoption agency who got death threats!), so she's doing her part to support them.
I think the WGA is using Ellen as a scapegoat. They should be focusing on the real enemy, but they don't attract as much publicity, do they?
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Nov 12, 2007 1:03 PM
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I think it's ok if Ellen does her show as long as she doesn't use writers while the strike is going on. If she wants to write her own material, I don't see anything wrong with that. If she didn't do her show and lost it, would that be ok? What about the other 135 people who still have paychecks? If they struggled, would that be ok? I understand why the writers are striking and hope it gets resolved quickly and the other people who need their jobs aren't too effected by it.
I saw where Local One is on strike also. I wonder if they would be on strike if the Writers Guild wasn't on strike.
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Nov 12, 2007 1:28 PM
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The WGA is not "focusing" on Ellen. The media is focusing on it because it makes for "good copy" and attracts interest... especially in light of her recent meltdown.
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Nov 12, 2007 1:41 PM
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The WGA sent out a letter specifically condemning Ellen, so it is indeed "focusing" on her.
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Nov 12, 2007 1:47 PM
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I truly hate it when people try to play both sides, and that what it seems Ellen tried to do. I don't know what her intentions were but she was very vocal about her support for the writers all the while she always intended on continuing her show.
It's human nature, at the end of the day everyone will be looking out for numero uno, even Ellen.
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Nov 12, 2007 2:09 PM
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No Gord, that is not "focusing". They issued a report and would have been done with it. They did not continue to draw media attention on her until AFTRA responded. As soon as there are others going against the strike, they will issue statements on them as well.
Again, it is the media hyping it up. Not the WGA.
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Nov 12, 2007 3:24 PM
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akeyfakey, you're seeing what you want to see.
The WGA didn't issue a report. The wrote a letter. Did they actually send it TO Ellen? I don't know, but I do know that they issued it TO the media. If you're trying to portray the WGA as the innocent party in this, you are on very shaky ground.
Both sides are playing with the media, and the media is more than happy to play along. To suggest that the media is hyping something that the WGA wanted kept discreet is just ridiculous.
Ellen is NOT "going against the strike". She has said she supports the writers and she is not using scab writers on her show. She's doing her show without writers, just has Regis and Kelly, The View and Oprah are doing.
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Nov 12, 2007 3:38 PM
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Gord, let's review. you said they were focusing on her and not the enemy. I say that's ridiculous. They do not think they will win this thing by using Ellen as their sole lightning rod! She was one story in a host of stories to come. They wrote a letter. That is not turning her into the poster-boy for their cause!
Again, it is the media putting Ellen in the forefront again and again. Cause they know the public loves stories about lesbians, crying celebrities and dogs.
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Nov 12, 2007 4:27 PM
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oh, achy, my friend...
Gord, let's review. you said they were focusing on her and not the enemy.
Yes, I said that. They are singling her out. I agree with you there. (I haven't seen any slams against Joel McHale, yet E! had a fresh The Soup on last week! How is that possible? I don't know if his writers belong to the WGA or what, but why not send out a letter about him? Maybe because he wouldn't get as much media attention as an attack on Ellen would.
They do not think they will win this thing by using Ellen as their sole lightning rod! She was one story in a host of stories to come.
I agree. I never said they were using her as the "sole lightning rod". I said they were "focusing" on her. They are. If you don't think they are, you're fooling yourself.
They wrote a letter.
Yes. And CCed the media. Oops, how inadvertent! That's like getting drunk and whoops, slipping behind the wheel. They knew exactly what they were doing.
That is not turning her into the poster-boy for their cause!
Didn't say that, either (though that point is arguable). I said they are "focusing" on her. You put that word in quotes, I didn't.
Again, it is the media putting Ellen in the forefront again and again. Cause they know the public loves stories about lesbians, crying celebrities and dogs.
Nevertheless, the media would not have smelled blood in the water if the WGA had not fired the first harpoon. All I have been trying to say is that Ellen is being scapegoated by the union. You seem to be saying the media was the impetus of all of this. You know as well as I do that the lazy showbiz media would never have noticed that Ellen was doing anything different than Oprah or Barbara Walters, had the WGA not pointed it out.
And I'm not even saying it's wrong that they pointed it out. That, too, is arguable. It's a good point. You and I are on opposite sides of that point, and we could (and should) be arguing about that! I'm just amazed that you're trying to blame the media for what the union has started.
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Nov 12, 2007 5:17 PM
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Ellen is not being scapegoated by the media. She did it to herself!
I don't blame the WGA for alerting the media to what Ellen did or did not do. They should do that.
I do blame the media for continuing to fan the flames and making it into a "big story". To the WGA, it's just one of many. But to the media, it's something to latch onto and shove center stage for a prolonged period of time while letting the real story stagnates.
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Nov 12, 2007 6:21 PM
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Ellen did it to herself by showing up and doing her job??? mmkay.
You don't blame the WGA for alerting the media to what Ellen did or did not do. They should do that, you say.
Nice revisionist history. Not too long ago (minutes? hours?), you were saying wasn't the WGA. It was the media. Nice try.
I do blame the media for continuing to fan the flames and making it into a "big story".
OMG, there's GAMBLING in River City! You are surprised that the media takes a story that was fed to it by the union and ran with it??? Well, stop the presses! [Yeah, I'm thinkin' NO presses would stop for THAT scoop!]
To the WGA, it's just one of many.
Yes, again, I agree with you. They have gone after Eva Longoria's malicious delivery of pizza. They are NOT singling Ellen out. We have a brief moment of detente!
But to the media, it's something to latch onto and shove center stage for a prolonged period of time while letting the real story stagnates.
Um, yeah. Isn't that what I said HOURS ago? Yeah, here it is:
I think the WGA is using Ellen as a scapegoat. They should be focusing on the real enemy, but they don't attract as much publicity, do they?
Posted by TV Gord Nov 12, 2007 1:03 PM
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Nov 12, 2007 6:47 PM
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