This crap has to stop now.

I know that there’s not a lot of fairness in Hollywood. Actors who were blessed with good genes are paid millions of dollars to read other people’s written words, directed by someone else (I’m over-simplifying here and in no way to I feel this way about all actors).

Anyway, the argument that the WGA (Writer’s Guild of America) is having with the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) basically boils down to 3 things:

1. Money for DVD residuals
2. Money for internet distribution
3. Money for reality TV and animation

The writers are asking for more money and the producers (who basically represent the studios and the networks) don’t want to give it. Now, I imagine that the writers are pretty justified in what they are asking for.

Just when I thought that scripted television was making a move on reality TV, this had to happen. It couldn’t happen at a worse time. Studios only need an excuse to run more Who Wants to Be Smarter than a Survivor Bachelor? There are certain reality TV shows I’ll watch, mostly Bravo TV shows and the occasional trivia contest and American Idol.

As popular as those shows are, I really wish that there were more good scripted TV shows. I was very pleased to discover The Big Bang Theory this year, but it was unfortunately one of the first ones affected by the strike.

Movie studios prepared for the strike by getting as many in the can as they could and then spacing out their releases. TV studios don’t have that luxury and we’ll start to see how horrible TV is without writers after the first of the year. The only consolation is that they’ve filmed a half-season of Lost so we’ll at least have one night to look forward to during the week.

The real losers here are two parties:

1. The low-level crew members like grips, lighting technicians, electricians and PAs. These folks are not a part of the striking union, but are killed because their shows and stuff have shut down production. Doesn’t seem real fair.
2. Discerning TV watchers. Most of America won’t care because we’ll gladly watch the mindless reality drivel that the networks will force-feed us, but there are some people who prefer scripted, thought out television with real (not manufactured, editing room) stories.

I hope the strike ends soon, but there is not a lot of hope for that right now. I’ve heard rumors that the networks have already written off pilot season and even are prepared to write off the fall. The last time the writers struck, it lasted 22 months. That’s when reality TV was born. I hope that we don’t debase ourselves even further.