Comments on: Politics of the Hollywood Writers Strike

By: Dodd

Dodd — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 18:29:48 +0000

The hosts probably act as editors of their writers' work, but they aren't doing the heavy lifting of not only penning monologues (which is hard work - anyone wondering at how hard 10 minutes of material can be for one person to come up with should watch Jerry Seinfeld's biopic Comedian) but also of gaining familiarity with guests' work and coming up with approrpriate questions to ask - and quips to make - while they're on, plus sketches and other content (like Letterman's Top 10 lists). It takes a room full of pros, and a cadre of runners and assistants, to do all of that five days a week.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 11:41:13 +0000

I've never understood why the late night talk shows are affected by the writer's strike. What is there to write? Most of these guys started out as comedians and now they can't handle 10 minutes of material?

I made the same comment to my wife yesterday morning. Heck, if it comes to that, just shorten the monologue. Or go right to the interviews. I could understand Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, where it's 20 minutes of original material each night. But not the talk shows.

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 03:29:10 +0000

I've never understood why the late night talk shows are affected by the writer's strike. What is there to write? Most of these guys started out as comedians and now they can't handle 10 minutes of material? Or maybe it's the questions they ask, like it takes a professional to come up with "So tell us about your new picture," or "What was it like to win the World Series?"

By: Paul Barnes

Paul Barnes — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 19:02:05 +0000

Maybe if I go on a hunger strike, I will make all those Hollywood liberals feel guilty or something and go back to work?

By: Pablo

Pablo — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 18:34:10 +0000

Hey, it was just some light attempt at some lunchtime humor. I'm actually very conservative on Wall Street/Main Street issues and could have made the same comment about, for example, the 60 Minutes piece on the Bush military records -- but then the union part of the joke wouldn't have worked. I'm just not the type of conservative who thinks that any of us are winners when Fox tries to balance other media with its own garbage. What I like about OTB is the willingness, rare on Net message boards these days, to critique one's own side, because that is the kind of discussion that can actually lead to productive ideas. Notwithstanding the above comments, given the kind of comments I have seen elsewhere on this board from free-thinking conservatives, I'll bet I'm not the only one who at least cracked a brief smile at the thought of the joke. Sure, the joke would get more laughs at DailyKos but then I would just be reinforcing very type of the quick-to-judge, closed-mindedness that is so rampant on the net

By: Eneils Bailey

Eneils Bailey — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 17:43:18 +0000

Pablo, spewing his pablum will have no comments after the writers strikes begins.
I guess he could go to the DailyKos or some other liberal site to pick hints for comments.

By: Boyd

Boyd — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 17:34:56 +0000

:rolleyes:

By: Pablo

Pablo — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 17:23:33 +0000

So what happens to the writers who make up the news for Fox? I guess maybe they aren't in the union.

By: Triumph

Triumph — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 17:07:55 +0000

I guess this is as good a time as any to start getting into hockey.

By: Steven Taylor

Steven Taylor — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 16:58:13 +0000

Yes, "writer's strike" always screams "Shades of Gray" to me. And that's not a good thing.