Screen Actors Guild Prepares For Its Own Fight

It turns out the writers aren't the only ones that are unhappy with the way things are going in Hollywood. The Screen Actors Guild is preparing for a fight for revenue increases from online media and DVD sales, a similar complaint to the Writers Guild of America. But as this great LA times piece explains, the powerful SAG might not have enough leverage at a time when the economy is bad and Hollywood is already strike-weary from the WGA strike.

Labor unions have more or less been on the run in recent decades, with union membership rates at about 12 percent nationwide. But in Hollywood, the SAG and the WGA have maintained quite a bit of power. That is, until recently. Now, with internal politics threatening to fracture the SAG, we'll see how the entertainment industry will shake out.

Although I'm rooting for the unions to get their writers and actors at least some of the demands they're asking for, I'm skeptical. I can hold out with my Netflix queue, but I fear this time the media executives will end up getting the better end of the bargain.

Cross-posted at campusprogress.org/blog.

Is Jon Stewart a Writer Ally? Or not?

On Monday Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert will return to the air, even though a writers strike has yet to be resolved. The shows will only feature unscripted interviews and not commentaries (the interviews are probably . I know that there aren't just the writers to consider -- that stagehands and camera crews are also tightening belts, but I was a little disappointed in the Stewart/Colbert decision.

After all, that's the point of a strike. Strikes are supposed to cause public disruption and force the corporations to bend to something when the otherwise have ultimate power. Executives do what they can to smooth things over with the public so they can pressure the unions into folding. it's a tricky game. Of course, I don't know what decisions are made behind closed doors, but it seems weird that liberal dudes like Stewart are willing to compromise the situation of the writers. After all, before Stewart was a celebrity, he was a writer for HBO's "The Sweet Life" and Colbert himself broke in on "The Daily Show." I'm not sure why they made the decision, but I'm not sure I'll tune in on Monday.

Cross-posted on campusprogress.org/blog.