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toetoe
11-02-2007, 07:43 PM
Well,

The Leno and Letter Man jokes can't get any worse, now can they ? A test pattern is as funny as any of their monologues. I exhort my PA brethren to send in funny stuff to the studios.

I know, I know. The sudden spate of ACTUALLY FUNNY GAGS may prove catastrophic. The center may not be able to hold. (Hey, there's an NFL gag in there somewhere --- somebody steal it and fire it off to NBC. Wait, maybe send it to Road & Track, attn. Brock Yeats. :bang: )

In the meantime, I urge falconridge to stage a seance, with the purpose of channeling one William Faulkner. Surely, Sherman, the falcon can hear the Faulkner ... ?

(Crowd asks in unison: Come again ?)

GameTheory
11-02-2007, 07:44 PM
Well,

The Leno and Letter Man jokes can't get any worse, now can they ? A test pattern is as funny as any of their monologues. I exhort my PA brethren to send in funny stuff to the studios.

I know, I know. The sudden spate of ACTUALLY FUNNY GAGS may prove catastrophic. The center may not be able to hold. (Hey, there's an NFL gag in there somewhere --- somebody steal it and fire it off to NBC. Wait, maybe send it to Road & Track, attn. Brock Yeats. :bang: )

In the meantime, I urge falconridge to stage a seance, with the purpose of channeling one William Faulkner. Surely, Sherman, the falcon can hear the Faulkner ... ?

(Crowd asks in unison: Come again ?)Leno, Letterman, Daily Show, etc will all be showing repeats almost immediately until this is resolved...

banacek
11-02-2007, 09:12 PM
Leno, Letterman, Daily Show, etc will all be showing repeats almost immediately until this is resolved...

For a while. The last strike (like 20 years ago) had Letterman doing things like "Network Time Killers". There was some great stuff there. Both him and Carson stayed out for a long while and then when Carson came back, so did Dave - if memory serves me correctly - andicap would know!

And Letterman sitting at the desk chatting about things is way funnier than his monologue - his monologue is quite short, maybe 4 minutes - Leno's is much longer. Now Leno might have more trouble. It depends how dependent he is on his writers.

Tom
11-03-2007, 12:06 PM
Letterman's writers have been on strike for a long time. His last funny joke was, what, 1994?

Talk about not knowing when to quit.

Hey, here is an idea for non-writer shows - hold a funeral for Paul Schaffer - whose act has died a horrible death. :lol:

Is it true that if they go out, Letterman's writers will be in the witness protection program?

so.cal.fan
11-03-2007, 12:39 PM
Tom, they need to hire you!

As for the strike?
I have friends and family members in the industry. The problem is, these strikes are always the WRITERS or the ACTORS. Reason.....only 10% of them work on a regular basis. Obviously, those 10% are NOT going to vote to strike, but the others will.
In the meantime it hurts all those who have regular jobs, not just writers and actors, but all the studio help, etc.
All of these writers who voted to strike have other jobs, that's a fact.
:bang:

banacek
11-03-2007, 12:43 PM
Letterman's writers have been on strike for a long time.

And neither has SNL and neither has Leno (who can't even get nominated for best talk show or writing). Comedy is hit and miss. Some of Letterman's stuff is awful, some is still genius. Check out anything done by Alan Kalter on Letterman's show, like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4znAqNYB1s

kenwoodallpromos
11-03-2007, 08:03 PM
Letterman used to write for Carson; O'Brien used to write for SNL; Leno stills write for his night club act. Let's see if they can think funny or just read funny.

Tom
11-05-2007, 10:47 PM
They are on strike.
Here is a taste of what we can expect for a while......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Snjh1hT853g

banacek
11-05-2007, 11:21 PM
They are on strike.
Here is a taste of what we can expect for a while......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Snjh1hT853g

Hey, that beats that Caveman show they put on!

ArlJim78
11-06-2007, 09:04 AM
there is just something comical about seeing writers put down their pens, step away from the keyboard, and pick up a sign that says "on strike". who cares?
I hope the studios ride it out. I'm fine with reruns.

mrharness
11-06-2007, 12:16 PM
My understanding was that Leno, Letterman, etc; are writers themselves and part of the Writers' Guild - therefore they have to go on strike also.

banacek
11-06-2007, 12:29 PM
My understanding was that Leno, Letterman, etc; are writers themselves and part of the Writers' Guild - therefore they have to go on strike also.


From 1998 - I don't know if this still holds today..

"On May 11, two months into the Writers Guild of America strike
in 1988, "Tonight Show" host Johnny Carson went back to work, citing
the economic toll the work stoppage was having on his crew. The next
month, David Letterman restarted NBC's "Late Night With David
Letterman" without his writers--though Letterman voiced his support
for their cause by calling producers "money-grubbing scum" and paying
homage to his writers in Top 10 lists, as in: "No. 7, not available
due to the writers strike."

Neither Carson nor Letterman crossed a picket line,
exactly--they were able to write their own monologues without
violating WGA rules under a separate agreement with the American
Federation of Television and Radio Artists that allows performers to
use their own material on air during a WGA strike.

JustRalph
11-06-2007, 03:58 PM
How good can they be?

I was watching them picket and chant

"two, four, six eight, time for paramount to negotiate"

you would think they could write something better than that?

mrharness
11-07-2007, 12:13 AM
From 1998 - I don't know if this still holds today.. Don't know either - only happen to hear it on TV that they couldn't write their show - but maybe there is some kind of separate agreement?

mrharness
11-07-2007, 12:15 AM
How good can they be?

I was watching them picket and chant

"two, four, six eight, time for paramount to negotiate"

you would think they could write something better than that?

Guess that's how you make the big bucks!
:lol: :lol: :lol:

njcurveball
11-07-2007, 09:44 AM
you would think they could write something better than that?


Funny, I was thinking the same thing when I saw them holding up signs that said "ON STRIKE". :lol:

Steve 'StatMan'
11-07-2007, 03:44 PM
How good can they be?

I was watching them picket and chant

"two, four, six eight, time for paramount to negotiate"

you would think they could write something better than that?

Heard the guy who wrote "one, five, seven, nine, everything will turn out fine" got run off as a scab.