Patrick, you and I are longtime pals. We like each other personally. But professionally we usually find ourselves on the opposite sides of the Hollywood spectrum. You rarely write about a mogul or exec you don't like. I rarely write about a mogul or exec I like. You think the movie business is about art. I think the movie business is about money. Usually, we coexist peacefully. But not this week. Not after that venomous screed you wrote in the Los Angeles Times yesterday berating Patric Verrone as if he's to blame for all the ups and downs of the pre-strike and post-strike negotiations when certain moguls showed themselves to be lying scum only pretending to bargain in order to embarrass the WGA leadership in the eyes of members (a ploy which didn't work). Have you not been reading what I've written these many months? Have you not been doing your own reporting? Or do you just transcribe what the CEOs tell you? Yes, I know that, as a former music writer, the Grammys are important to you. But to have that one issue color your thinking to such a degree that you can only see the DGA deal through rose-colored glasses is a sell-out to writers who have spent months striking to expand their residual system to New Media so future generations can benefit. This is their fight. Not yours. Not mine.
Worse, you have the effrontery to compare Verrone to Yasser Arafat. On what planet? I've actually covered world issues as a foreign correspondent for AP and Washington correspondent for Newsweek as well as reported on labor issues around the world, and I would never dream of comparing Hollywood strike talks to Mideast negotiations. Your journalism background is showbiz. Do you really feel qualified to express such an uninformed international affairs opinion as that?
I also find it incomprehensible why you are pushing the WGA to accept the DGA deal on the grounds that it's a "good" deal. Good for whom? These are two different guilds with two different agendas. What might be right for one could also be wrong for the other, as it is in this case. Tonight, I'll opine about the DGA deal and how Verrone et al might use it as a basis for a quick settlement. But the reality is that's possible if, and only if, the moguls will stop punishing the scribes for striking in the first place. You are wrong to even suggest that in this struggle the WGA is bullying. That's the well-documented tactic of the Big Media corporations. So don't blame one side without trashing the other, too. You and I are veteran journalists: we both know facts are more important than opinion. Stop shilling.
Beautifully said, Nikki.
Comment by Stephen — January 22, 2008 @ 4:55 pm
Ya know Nikki, if you keep opining like this, you just might make a fan [of yours] out of me yet.
Comment by Jake Hollywood — January 22, 2008 @ 5:00 pm
Thanks for calling him out on this, Nikki.
Goldstein in the LA Times went after Verrone for not negotiating with the AMPTP after the DGA deal was finished, and yet it was announced over the weekend that talks were starting again today (and nowhere did he mention that its up to the AMPTP to restart negotiations as they’re the ones who walked away from the bargaining table 45 days ago.) Thus, even though it was common knowledge talks were starting up again, he chose to reinforce the AMPTP’s image of the WGA leadership as unreasonable. Thanks!
Then he quoted the letter by former WGA president John Wells. The same John Wells who in his producer duties forced his “West Wing” writers to not take their contracted promotions while he was still president of the Guild. John, sadly, long ago gave up on caring about the average writer, and yet Goldstein quoted him as representing the voice of most of the Guild membership. Wells’ telling the whole town that this whole thing should be over in two weeks put Patrick in a terrible place. Once again making him look unreasonable if he fails to achieve this almost impossible goal.
The truth is no one has read the full DGA deal yet and the DGA membership has yet to even approve it (although I’m sure they will.) It could be a fantastic deal for DGA members, and hopefully one for WGA and SAG members too.
But remember that 60% of the DGA membership never gets a direct residual payment (all your ADs, 2nd ADs, UPMs, etc.) And that the a-list and b-list directors who run their union all get profit participation in any project they work on. The TV directors and first time directors who do indeed need residuals have no voice in the DGA. On the other hand, ALL the members of SAG and the WGA get residuals and except for a select few (less than 1%) they need that money to boost their income or more commonly to get them through the lean times when they’re not being paid for their writing/acting. It’s those residual payments that allow writers to work on projects unpaid that they eventually sell and become the big hits for the networks (Marc Cherry lived cheaply off his residuals for years before creating and selling “Desperate Housewives.) So yes, the DGA deal might be good for writers too, but given the DGA doesn’t care about residuals very much, it might not be.
Instead of John Wells, why didn’t Goldstein quote the letter by Paul Haggis that has been circulating? (Or at least printing both to show there’s two sides.) Why didn’t he come down to the picket line today and see generations of writers and quite a lot of actors still out there picketing even after all this time? All that I spoke to out there today were hopeful the DGA agreement will lead to movement, but hardly naive enough to think that what works for the DGA will fit the needs of the WGA and SAG. No one out there said we should immediately take this deal that no one has even read and sign it (this included the hotheads who want to keep striking forever and those (the majority) who want a reasonable deal even if it means not getting everything we want.) The only issue there was a lot of debate over was about “Juno” being nominated for best picture.
Now what Goldstein wrote about the Grammy’s, I thought was well argued and his sensible outlook is the one the Guild has adopted. That’s because the Guild leadership is reasonable and cautious, and not doing what Goldstein and Wells are advising — endorsing a deal without reading it. Especially since when they finally get to look at the details it may in fact turn out to be a rollback for their membership and all those who follow. And if its bad for the WGA, it’s bad for SAG too. And that means even if the WGA accepted it immediately without reading it like Goldstein advised, the whole town will still be back on strike in June. On the other hand if they read the deal, build on the promising movement, find a happy comprpmise that neither side loves but can live with, then we can all get back to work (hopefully immediately.)
Comment by Michelle G — January 22, 2008 @ 5:11 pm
What she said.
Comment by Mordecai — January 22, 2008 @ 5:11 pm
It’s “illing,” Nikki, not “shilling,” lol…
Comment by Johnny — January 22, 2008 @ 5:11 pm
Right you are. Goldstein has been good on tech/entrepreneurial issues in the past, but this read as if it had been dictated by Chris Lehane. The Arafat smear (truly beyond the pale), the idea that the emails he’s received from cranky writers prove a schism in the Guild (data is apparently the plural of anecdote), and the airy certainty that this is indeed a good deal worth accepting– without a single attempt to prove or justify the opinion.
Laughable stuff, and even moreso given the Guild’s decision not to picket the Grammies.
Comment by Harley — January 22, 2008 @ 5:12 pm
Patrick Goldstein is a good journalist trapped at a media dinosaur and shit-purveyor and this good journalist has now acquired the splendid aroma of the crapola his employer tries to foist off on its readers. Next stop for Patrick Goldstein that shit-purveyor of shit-purveyors — Daily Variety. And there he might even run into Jake Hollywood.
Comment by Joseph — January 22, 2008 @ 5:16 pm
You rock, Nik! You truly do.
Comment by Connecticut Yankee — January 22, 2008 @ 5:16 pm
Thank you Nikki. I was so upset by that article and I had no vent for my frustration over the lying and misinformation in it. Thank you for reading my mind. Thank you for being the voice of reason and thank you for your fight against the powers that be.
Comment by Novelist — January 22, 2008 @ 5:16 pm
So says the mouthpiece for the WGA.
I quit accepting this site as being unobjective around Christmas Eve, when you fell for that big AMTPM ploy. And now you use phrases like “Shitty DGA Deal” out of hand. I’m getting really sick of your high-handed attitude and the slavish, nearly robotic reaction of the WGA loyalists who follow.
Tell the Below-the-Liners who aren’t making ends meet — I barely am earning enough to survive now — about bullying. If this DGA template doesn’t work, the ire is going to be turned away from the studios — who totally fucking deserve it — to the building on Third and Fairfax.
Comment by The Grizz — January 22, 2008 @ 5:18 pm
You are the bomb, Nikki!
BTW - Everyone is running around telling the WGA to ” take the deal” and one fact is constantly left out: The AMPTP has not offered the deal to the WGA yet.
Hope your feeling better - glad you’re back.
Comment by BRian — January 22, 2008 @ 5:23 pm
Rock on, Nikki.
Comment by DLJ — January 22, 2008 @ 5:24 pm
Great writing, Nikki! I found Goldstein’s column to be unprofessional. It seems that some people have gotten tired writing about the strike (hey, who’s not?) and want it settled simply so they can write about something else. The only problem is, there are real problems in the DGA deal, and real issues to resolve. So sorry, Patrick. It might go on a bit longer.
Comment by True Moderate — January 22, 2008 @ 5:29 pm
Wow, were we reading the same article? “Venomous screed?” Personally, I thought the article pointed out the obvious as far as it not looking good for the WGA to picket the Grammys, especially as NARAS was ready to go to war over it and they already had big names lined up who were going to attend regardless. As far as the DGA deal, all I know is that it seems to have brought the WGA and the producers back to the table, and that’s all I care about. Hopefully both sides see that at this point that the idea of “scoring points” on either side is detrimental to actually putting the town back to work. Not all writers see the deal in the same light as you do, Nikki.
Comment by T. Martin — January 22, 2008 @ 5:39 pm
I was shocked by his (Goldstein’s) column this week. It made me feel he has no grip about how this business really works. Shocking.
Comment by reelbusy — January 22, 2008 @ 5:40 pm
I’m not sure if LA Weekly has a policy regarding this, but that’s clearly an open letter that needs to be in print. Seeing as Variety has run full-page ads of these things in the past (see the forward of Roger Ebert’s book, “Your Movie Sucks”), I’d see if you can get that one printed on paper in large print.
Comment by Nicholas Eckert — January 22, 2008 @ 5:40 pm
As I commented on United Hollywood…
The Los Angeles Times isn’t a newspaper. It’s a mega-conglomerate newsletter.
I keep saying to myself that I won’t be shocked by any of these “journalists” anymore, but I still am after reading Goldstein’s column early this morning. He’s really telling Patric Verrone to get back to the table? REALLY? How is that possible? Verrone’s been at the table since July. Has Goldstein been in a coma for the past three months? Does he sniff his ink cartridges? Maybe they threatened to harm his mom? I think the only logical explanation - How much cash was in that blank, bulky envelope Goldstein found on his doorstep?
Comment by HUh? — January 22, 2008 @ 5:45 pm
Yikes.
This Goldstein guy equated the head of the WGA with the head of the PLO?
The only bombs made by WGA members are on screens, and aren’t lethal.
What’s next is he going to compare the WGA to the SS?
Why won’t the big-money PR firms tell the AMPTP that shill tactics like this only make them look worse? Is it to make the PR crisis worse and get them more work?
BTW- It’s great to have you back, you have the best coverage of the biz of showbiz on the web.
Comment by Furious D — January 22, 2008 @ 5:46 pm
…glad you’re feeling better, Nikki. Hope you’re a hundred percent very soon, friend.
Comment by Oh, and.... — January 22, 2008 @ 5:47 pm
We will vote on a deal when it is presented to us. If it’s good, it’ll pass. If it’s bad, it won’t. We just have to make sure that we follow what we want and not bow down to pressure from the media, our families and folks like Gavin Palone.
We never left the table, they did. We never wanted this strike, they did. Stay united, stay strong, and we’ll get a good deal.
Comment by Lola — January 22, 2008 @ 5:50 pm
Regarding the tone of the talks, specifically as exemplified in Patrick Goldtein’s “Do the Right Thing,” in LA Times today:
As I am not a journalist, I cannot speak to Patrick Goldstein’s necessary allegiances nor to the comprehensiveness of his business expertise. His opinion of “rightness” is essential to his editorial function. For myself, as a reader, and a member of WGA, I can only say that he has caught exactly the patronizing tone of the business — a la Peter Bart, he speaks as a grownup, which I have never found to be of much use in writing.
As a writer, I only note the rhetorical obviousness of quoting at length the (purported) opposition, only to demur at the end. In the long tradition of Marc Antony (the Roman one) and Mike Huckabee (”Let me show you this negative commercial before I deplore it”), Goldstein’s self-congratulatory “Not me” was not persuasive.
But seriously troubling was Mr. Goldstein’s (I hope)inadvertent introduction of explosive cultural issues via his use of Abba Eban’s quote about Yassir Arafat. The analogy assigns by connotation the producers as the Jewish state and the writers as the Palestinians. Does Mr. Goldstein intend to reinforce cliches about the business which need no spelling out? Is he suggesting Patric Verrone is an incompetent terrorist? This overblown allusion is not only offensive, it suggests a weak journalist’s last refuge — a late night, unconsidered bout with Bartlett’s.
On the picket line, I have also been disheartened to hear writers calling for respect. Not only will they not get it, they shouldn’t want it from the people they’re asking it from.
This strike is not about the Middle East or the appearance of respect. It is about money. Whatever the “right thing” turns out to be, I hope Mr. Goldstein will grant both sides their seriousness about it, a seriousness reflected in the latest WGA announcement.
CM
Jan 22
Comment by CM — January 22, 2008 @ 5:57 pm
You tell ‘em, Nikki! Nikki Finke is awesome.
As neutral observers, these media CEO’s are a gang of emotional, incompetent demons.
We fully support the WGA’s cause and dearly hope it doesn’t submit to AMPTP’s transparent manipulations, and holds firm to it terms. You’ve come so far, make it count.
This country is fed up with grotesquely overpaid CEO’s rewarded for failure and corruption.
We’re fed up with faux-journalists who immorally do the bidding of these corporations under the guise of truth.
You should all learn something from Nikki about reporting.
Comment by Non-showbiz observers — January 22, 2008 @ 6:09 pm
bravissimo!
Comment by scribefire — January 22, 2008 @ 6:09 pm
NIKKI. I LIKE YOU. YOU ARE COOL. BUT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SHUT THE FUCK UP.
Comment by Anonymous — January 22, 2008 @ 6:09 pm
Nikki you are back in fighting form! Cheers!
Comment by DTD — January 22, 2008 @ 6:16 pm
You have guts and you tell the truth. I’m impressed.
Thanks.
Comment by TV Writer — January 22, 2008 @ 6:17 pm
Anti-unionism flows in the blood and DNA of the Los Angeles Times. (Check your history books.) It did, well before its acquisition by the really anti-union Tribune company a few years ago, and it still does.
Goldstein is just another management apologist caring more for the approbation his chilly bosses than he does for the tenets of real journalism. But let’s be honest: “L.A. Times media critic” (or whatever his self-reflexive and self-important title is) is hardly in the same pantheon as the work of David Halberstam, Izzy Stone or Nelly Bly, now is it?
Comment by Chris Grove — January 22, 2008 @ 6:20 pm
Goddamn right, Nikki.
Well said.
–A WGA writer who thinks the DGA deal is crap.
Comment by WGA Writer — January 22, 2008 @ 6:22 pm
Nikki, really, I agree with the “shut the fuck up” post. Are you serious? I hope you have the balls to post this…because the reality is this:
1) The WGA fucked up. Big time. I have said it over and over and over again to the WGA writers…Do what the AMPTP says and take the Reality and Animation issues off the table. Funny, NOW they are doing it.
2) NOW they are doing it so that Pat Verrone, who was unqualified, a bully and a liar can save some face. It took the DGA to get a good deal. The WGA couldn’t do anything but this militant “we don’t care how many people starve and are out of work” stance and watch the business fail in ways it may never come back. The arrogance, lack of dignity or class shown by the WGA has embittered 100% of the non-WGA town. And I would imagine it’s pissed off AT LEAST 50% of the WGA members.
3) We are in the SAME position we would have been in MONTHS AGO. What kind of fucking idiots are you? And you Nikki should be ASHAMED. THE AMPTP SAID THEY WOULD TALK IF THE WGA WOULD TAKE SOME STUFF OFF THE TABLE. WHY IN GOD’S NAME DIDN’T THEY TAKE IT OFF BEFORE AND SPARE SOME PEOPLE’S PAIN? Months ago, people wouldn’t have sold their homes, quit the business and moved out of state. But Pat and his tiny dick just WOULD NOT call the AMPTP and say “okay, these issues are off the table, let’s keep talking.”
I don’t know WHAT THE FUCK the WGA thinks they won. Other than sucking off the clout and class of the DGA. Please Nikki. Get a grip. we all know you are not objective and you should have merged with Unitedhollywood.com. Period. But let’s just call this as what it was. ONE BIG HUGE CLUSTERFUCK BY THE DELUDED MORONS RUNNING THE WGA. That’s all this was and the business will be changed forever by it.
Signed,
The WGA Makes Me Puke
Comment by Disgusted — January 22, 2008 @ 6:46 pm
I really think you’re being too hard on Mr. Goldstein. One can scarcely blame a puppet for saying what the hand up its ass makes it say.
Comment by Stewart — January 22, 2008 @ 7:07 pm
The last time I checked this was not a lockout by the Producers but a walkout by the writers. There’s a lot of people not able to pay next month’s bills while an elite few haggle over money so they can make a whole year’s salary in half the time…or less. This strike should have been a last resort instead of a crafty strategy. The DGA didn’t have to strike to get a deal. It’s sad that so many people are losing their jobs while the WGA mouthpieces get their On the Job Training.
Comment by Spudsagne — January 22, 2008 @ 7:30 pm
I posted on a different thread that I thought you were premature in calling the DGA deal “shitty” and I still do BUT thank goodness you’re around to counter the revolting anti-union propaganda of the LA Times, NY Times, Variety and Reporter. I think they must hate you because they once could have defined the story re: the current strike and now there is a place to go to get something other than the corporate line. At least when you editorialize, you’re clear that’s what you’re doing. These other corporate newsletters are passing off their idiocy as news. Maybe you abuse a term like ’shitty’ about a deal whose details are still not public but you don’t liken the WGA to a terrorist organization. You don’t blindly support this AMPTP attempt to redirect people’s attention from their bullying behavior to Verrone. You don’t manufacture some group of people “on the verge of going Fi-Core” without any evidence whatever. When I read Goldstein’s utter nonsense (doubly so since the WGA gave the Grammys a pass) I realize what a service you perform. Keep it up. And keep posting!
Comment by IATSE MEMBER — January 22, 2008 @ 7:36 pm
Nikki, glad to have you back and hope you are feeling better.
Don’t listen to those idiots and shills who are telling you to shut up. They’re mad that with you around, we don’t fall for their crap.
As for the LA Times article, I didn’t read because I’ve cancelled my subscription. Of course, they’ve been hounding me to come back, so last time I took the call and told them exactly why I cancelled it. The guy had the nerve to try to tell me they are writer friendly in this debate. Next time, I’ll have a specific name and article to remind them about.
Comment by writerperson — January 22, 2008 @ 7:37 pm
Well, “write” or “right” I think Goldstein’s letter was read. The WGA is NOT going to picket the Grammys.
Comment by samobrien — January 22, 2008 @ 7:45 pm
That lazy, corporate piece of ass-kissery in the Times today was just another reminder of why I cancelled my subscription long ago.
Comment by Futuredave — January 22, 2008 @ 7:49 pm
What really annoys me the most is that people on both sides are jumping to all these conclusions. The biggest conclusion is that the studios are going to force this deal (the one we don’t even have the final version of) on the WGA (which may or may not happen) and the other is that WGA would accept that deal (which may or may not happen). Writers, get a freakin’ grip! I’m sure that if the guild is unified, Veronne & Co. won’t take the deal if the deal isn’t one the guild would accept. The truth is that the studios got their cake (to negotiate with the DGA first) and are probably willing to give a bit more to the writers now. You’re not going to get everything you wanted but you’ll get something better than the DGA deal. All I am saying is please be patient and chill until we know more. When we do, comment away. Until then this site and all others who analyze one way or another are just tabloids.
Nikki, it’s been fun but it’s time for you (and others like Goldstein) to stop fanning the flames. PLEEEEASE!
…can’t we just patiently wait and see?
Comment by freelance worker bee — January 22, 2008 @ 7:59 pm
I think you guys are seriously off base here.
You can disagree with Goldstein over his take of who’s not negotiating with who (AMPTP vs. WGA) but the bulk of his piece today was on the money. He was simply making a case of not “punishing” the Grammys with a picket, and made solid points of how allowinig the Grammys to go forward isn’t at odds with the WGA’s goals (which may very well include “punishing” CBS at every possible opportunity).
And the Arafat-based quote was merely illustrative, and barely allegorical (to these eyes). I mean, do you people seriously think that he’s equating the WGA to the PLO, in the sense that both are outlaw terrorist organizations? Yeesh! I know things are tense, but get a grip!
And I’m not being paid by the AMPTP, so don’t even start with that.
Comment by PG — January 22, 2008 @ 8:03 pm
What a dick.
Comment by Ed Wood — January 22, 2008 @ 8:21 pm
Goldstein’s column made me furious and sick to my stomach. Thank you, Nikki, for calling him out on his bias. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he wasn’t really comparing Verrone to Arafat but looking for a way to get that “miss an opportunity” quote in. But it’s not an opportunity for the WGA — it’s an opportunity for the AMPTP to get a DVD-like deal on the internet, and an opportunity for Gil Cates to put pressure on the WGA to settle before the Oscars.
I don’t believe it’s possible for Goldstein to be so uninformed as to think the WGA walked away from negotiations. I can only assume he’s being disingenuous to bolster his own flawed arguments.
Comment by L.D. — January 22, 2008 @ 8:55 pm
“You and I are veteran journalists: we both know facts are more important than opinion. Stop shilling.”
classic. Mr. Pot meet Ms. Kettle, Ms. Kettle this is Mr. Pot.
This diagram is your friend: think —->speak(write) not the other way around. It’ll help you avoid embarrassing statements that could so clearly apply to you as well in the future.
Comment by manny — January 22, 2008 @ 9:24 pm
Seriously… change the title to “The WGA presents - Deadline Hollywood Daily.”
I am amazed that you could call Patrick out after this morning’s inflammatory “That Shitty DGA Deal Is At Least A Start…” thread… followed up with a request for people to post intelligently about it. Pa-thetic.
The Article wasn’t nearly as bombastic as you claim - you just can’t stand anything that doesn’t support the writers 100% - it’s really sad.
I was so excited when I found your website - up to the minute updates - insider information - it’s sad to see it devolve into a pro-WGA propaganda site - with a mistress who’s become as whinny and self aggrandizing as the writer’s she champions!!
I suppose of course I could simply choose not to read it - but instead I think I will make it my mission to point out how one sided you’ve become.
PLEASE - do us all a favor and take another vacation so that MAYBE this deal can get done and we can all go back to work.
Comment by SomethingWicked — January 22, 2008 @ 9:25 pm
Ms. Finke–
Well hell. I will give credit where it is due. That is one powerful and courageous post. I have commented here before and I have drawn the ire of many writers for suggesting that this is a TV strike instead of a feature writer’s strike, but I am simply an outsider (ad biz) trying to call it like I see it. When I read that article this morning, I was appalled by the Arafat comparison. As you so correctly point out, Hollywood labor strife is NOTHING compared to the situation in Israel/Palestine. And Goldstein’s ill-advised attempt to draw a parallel revealed him to be what he truly is: a pathetic showbiz shill trying to justify his insecurities for his career choice and lame employer. Kudos to you for calling him on it.
I will wait to see if he has the gonads to respond. Especially after the writers took the high road and gave the Grammys a non-picketing pass today. I’m sure he’ll try to take credit for that.
As for a possible WGA deal… with reality/animation now out of the way (did anyone ever really believe the writers were serious about that?) it’s time for brass tacks and ironing out the only issue that seems to be dividing the parties: payment for streaming, or sell-throughs, or whatever they’re calling it. They’re basically $60 million dollars apart over three years if you look at the WGA’s own numbers posted earlier today. That’s $20 mill a year. Two sales at Sundance. One-sixth of a certain Yankee baseball player’s contract. $7 mill less than Les Moones’ annual salary.
Thousands are out of work. Get this thing wrapped up you boneheads!
Comment by skyisn'tfalling — January 22, 2008 @ 9:38 pm
On page 3 of Tuesday’s LA Times Business section a story runs regarding editor James E. O’Shea’s dismissal from the paper because of his fight against proposed cuts in the newsroom. It is a story of a man fighting for his convictions. On page 1 of Tuesday’s LA Times Calendar section a column runs in which Patrick Goldstein insults Patric Verrone. It is a story of a man kissing his corporate superiors asses.
Comment by matt berrymatt berry — January 22, 2008 @ 9:45 pm
damn, it’s good to have you back…
Comment by wtf — January 22, 2008 @ 9:55 pm
Imagine this. I used to respect Goldstein. How incredibly disappointed I was to read his column this morning. How happy I was to read Nikki’s response.
Comment by Long Haul — January 22, 2008 @ 10:07 pm
Nikki, I think you need a longer rest.
Comment by a concerned reader — January 22, 2008 @ 10:08 pm
OK, so maybe Goldstein replaces Michael Ciepley (the idiot from the NYT who wrote that lame-ass hatchett job on Young and Verrone) as Troll of the Year.
Many Thanks, Nikki, for always calling like you see it.
A WGA Supporter
Comment by A WGA Supporter — January 22, 2008 @ 10:16 pm
Wow. I’m in New York, having moved from LA ten years ago. I’m just amazed that this many people even still read the LA Times. What, then, do you wrap your fish in?
Comment by Indie Writer — January 22, 2008 @ 10:20 pm
in fairness to goldstein, he had some pretty evenhanded, or even anti-studio, things to say earlier on, such as (and I’m paraphrasing) “it’s hard not to side with the writers in this, the studios need to think toward the future and boldly lock arms with those who will help them figure it out (writers, directors, actors), those who’ve done that in the past have been richly rewarded, etc.” (circa mid-november 2007). he was just probably trying to write a zippy readable piece for this week, so he decided to come down harder on verrone and the wga than usual.
Comment by paying attention — January 22, 2008 @ 10:29 pm
Whatever the faults of Mr. Goldstein’s article, there are many of us suffering gravely out here who are glad he wants to prod the WGA. I had to leave a sitcom in production. Will that job still be there? Will the producers complete the season? Time is getting way too short.
Life is tough after three months without work. If the season doesn’t restart, I’ll be out over $40K, most of my yearly income, and will have lost my health care, my savings account, and a great deal of mental well being. My unemployment is almost up and I have NO residuals coming despite thirty years in the business (yes I understand that residuals help fund our health plan, but that doesn’t impress my landlord).
As I see the DGA deal, the producers gave ground on many items they refused to discuss with the WGA. Certainly, that seems like bad faith. The producers wanted the first pattern bargaining template to come from the directors. Is that kosher? I wonder how this will play before the NLRB? Is that case coming up anytime soon?
That aside, the door has been cracked open on new media. The use of distributor’s gross to calculate ad revenue, complete with open audits of the producer’s books is a real breakthrough. Please look at the half full glass. Significant progress has been made. Move ahead with all deliberate speed.
Comment by IA Camera Assistant — January 22, 2008 @ 10:30 pm
I think my credentials as an outspoken critic of the AMPTP and supporter of the Writers Guild during this strike are well-established by my writings on the Huffington Post and in op-eds for the L.A. Times. I think my willingness to criticize wherever it falls is established, as well. I’ve known Patrick Goldstein since we were at summer camp, and later went to Northwestern University together. We’ve had long disagreements over the years and have always been brutally honest with one another. I’ve told him how much I deeply disagree with his recent column analyzing the DGA deal. (And I say so right here, as well.) We spent much of the previous week discussing our opinions, so I have a pretty darn good take on what his thinking is and how he thoughtfully derived his (in my opinion) wrong conclusions.
And having said all that, Ms. Finke’s blog about Patrick was shameful. I know far more about Patrick Goldstein than Ms. Finke can dream of – his honor, his intelligence, his thoughtfulness, his decency, his reportorial skills, his journalistic ethics and much more. I have happily agreed with him often, and wildly disagreed with him and told him so. And I disagree with his opinion surrounding the DGA deal.
But the reality is that Patrick Goldstein’s objective articles during the strike have been widely-admired, especially by writers, and he even said positive things about the WGA and Patric Verrone in this most-recent piece, as well – marred, alas, by being wrong, I believe, in his analysis. To be lectured to about anything related to the strike and journalism is ludicrous. Disagree with someone’s viewpoint all you want, as I say again that I do here, but to question the honor of the honorable is beyond the pale. There’s so much more I can say about the rant, but I think it most-polite to leave it at that.
Comment by Robert J. Elisberg — January 22, 2008 @ 10:46 pm
Okay, I know this is SO last week, but I have to say it anyway:
YOU GO GIRL!
Comment by mheister — January 22, 2008 @ 11:50 pm
Missed You!
It would seem you’re feeling a bit refreshed.
Just don’t over do it.
Without your health….. Hollywood has nothing.
Comment by timbrehse — January 23, 2008 @ 12:35 am
Nikki, I read your post first, then read Goldstein’s column. It wasn’t what I was expecting from having read your post. It’s clear that your and Goldstein’s positions are different, but Goldstein’s article is way more respectful than your post indicated. “You’ve fought the good fight”… “the studio tossed a few peanuts your way in November”… “I’ve been a big supporter of the strike”… “you paved the way for a big part of the DGA’s success by hanging tough”. Those are Goldstein’s words; this is not a “venomous screed”.
It’s true that that what he believes Verrone needs to do now isn’t what you believe. But honestly Nikki, I think you’re letting the differences in your position blind you to the tone of his writing, which is mostly positive. Goldstein’s comparing Verrone’s and Arafat’s negotiating positions (perhaps unfairly), but you make it sound like he’s comparing their characters. It’s not the same thing.
Comment by Abracadab — January 23, 2008 @ 1:46 am
Grizz — if the studios indeed are “totally fucking deserving” of your ire, why come on here calling for the WGA to blindly accept the terms of the DGA settlement as a “template”?
Ask yourself this: What if the terms they end up offering us aren’t any good? I mean, even YOU alluded to earlier “ploys” by the AMPTP and went on to say how they “totally fucking deserve” our anger. In other words, you as much as admitted these people that we’re dealing with are less than honorable, and I would agree with you.
So with that in mind, Grizz, would it be so out of character for these dishonorable people to try and screw us over AGAIN?
And if they DO try to do it, and we fight them on it, why get mad at us?
Let’s not blame the girl who’s sprawled out on the pooltable near the back of the bar for being gang-raped, Grizz. Let’s blame the shit-faced backwater creeps lined up with their peckers in their hands that are doing all the screwing.
That’s only fair, right?
Comment by filmklassik — January 23, 2008 @ 2:51 am
Well, for starters Nikki, I’m glad to see you’re feeling better and you’re back. I rely on your independent reporting to get a neutral view of all that’s happening on the strike. I also thank Michelle for saying exactly what was in the article, as I completely missed it - then again, I’m in Italy following the strike from afar - and I think what you said could only deserve a ‘Bravissima!’
Rock on!
Comment by Alice — January 23, 2008 @ 4:47 am
I guess if it’s your own blog site you can say whatever you want.
Right on Nikki! I read that piece yesterday and it left a bitter taste in my mouth. Keep on posting your own opinion! Hell on the naysayers.
Comment by Becca — January 23, 2008 @ 6:22 am
Do they give Pulitzers for online content? You rock!
Comment by Chris — January 23, 2008 @ 6:49 am
Patrick Goldstein’s patronizing tone reminds me of the way the white establishment often speaks to the black community, telling them who their leaders should be, how these leaders should act, and what they should settle for. Come to think of it (to build on Goldstein’s invidious metaphor), it also reminds me of the way the Israeli government often speaks to the Palestinians — lecturing them on what their interests are and how they should pursue them.
Goldstein’s glib dispensing of disinformation was really galling. Thank you, Nikki, for saying what needed to be said.
Comment by AL — January 23, 2008 @ 6:58 am
Goldstein -
24 hours later - I STILL can’t believe what a sell-out you are. It’s absolutely embarrassing. Don’t you have professional integrity? Don’t you believe in reporting the truth? How is it possible for you to be so slanted? How? I don’t get it. I’ve been so incredibly naive all my life - I truly believed that journalists - in a way like doctors - took some sort of oath to DO THE RIGHT THING.
I will never believe another word I read in any corporate owned publication. Never.
Goldstein, how do you look at yourself in the mirror? If you even own one, and it’s understandable if you don’t, but if you do, ask that guy when it was that he sold-out. Because I’m sure his young dreams of being a journalist never included being a puppet of a corporate machine.
Comment by so disappointed... — January 23, 2008 @ 7:02 am
Nikki should also heed her own advice — “We are both journalists: we both know facts are more important than opinion.” They should both stick to the facts. Unless they want to write an “opinion” piece. And then that should go on the Opinion Page. Not be presented as news.
Comment by Matt — January 23, 2008 @ 8:00 am
Goldstein — you just got owned. Somebody call the cops, because Finke is verbally murdering this guy.
Comment by Raider — January 23, 2008 @ 9:44 am
Brilliant, Nikki–you’ve been so missed. I hope you’re feeling better, and all my good wishes are with you.
Comment by M. Beaumier — January 23, 2008 @ 9:45 am
He is obviously out of line in taking one fairly baseless stance, but as a journalist, internet or not, you have a duty to be objective. Yes you can pick apart factual inaccuracies and bring counterarguments against Goldstein, but what you are doing is often just as bad, with the primary distinction being that you are constantly shilling, quite openly, for the other side of the table.
I have no doubt you have most of the facts (and almost certainly more than your colleagues in the industry) and have yourself opined based on those, but please present the arguments, not a polemic, otherwise this site won’t be worth reading any more.
Comment by Grimoald — January 23, 2008 @ 9:51 am
“venomous screed”? Did you and I read the same column. You obviously have shed the veneer of “objectivity”, so why complain when Goldstein does the same?
It sounds like the only reasonable opinion is those who you agree with…reasonable discourse be damned.
Comment by independant producer — January 23, 2008 @ 11:08 am
Bravo Nikki
Comment by Adrian Rennie — January 23, 2008 @ 11:23 am
So what’s Robert Elisberg’s point? That Goldstein is wrong, but he should not be criticized for it because Mr. Elisberg can vouch that Goldstein was nice at summer camp?
Comment by SS — January 23, 2008 @ 11:48 am
Great post! Goldstein is a running dog taint licker for AMPTP. His supporters here, and generally, are the same. Creepy little AMPTP shills. Fuck ‘em, piss on ‘em.
Comment by JDM — January 23, 2008 @ 11:49 am
Robert –
It’s nice to see you sticking up for an old summer camp pal, and I’ll take your word for it regarding his honor, etc. And I agree regarding his faulty analysis of the current circumstance. But comparing Verrone to Arafat is simply unforgivable on multiple levels, not the least of which being the way it plays into the smear campaign the AMPTP launched at the start (labor relations 101: tear down the leadership and the membership will follow you anywhere). That you ignore this slander in your defense is both noteworthy and unfortunate.
Comment by Harley — January 23, 2008 @ 12:12 pm
You and I don’t usually see eye to eye, Nikki, but I’m not too small to say nice shot… Bullseye… David G. WGA member.
Comment by David G. — January 23, 2008 @ 12:31 pm
Robert Elisberg: You have written wonderful, thoughtful articles during this strike. And it is true that Patrick Goldstein has also written some decent commentary. But I think your friendship for him colors your view of the piece we’re discussing here. I don’t know Patrick Goldstein, all I know is what I read, and I found his article shocking and, frankly, bizarre. Other letters here have explained why.
And Nikki — thanks for sticking up for Patrick Verrone, who is not only easily contacted (as I wrote to Goldstein after reading his weird tirade), but also waited with the negotiators at the table for the AMPTP to come back and talk.
Everyone makes mistakes. Everything that the WGA has done over the last three months isn’t right or perfect. But the goal has always been clear: to get a fair deal, and to set a precedent that will keep all of the town’s unions viable, no matter who they represent. As for the DGA deal, it’s not a writers’ deal, and even as Goldstein wrote his vicious column, the parties were headed back to negotiations. Let’s hope for a settlement soon.
Comment by Marjorie David — January 23, 2008 @ 2:48 pm
you are so right. patrick’s writing is usually such kiss ass stuff towards the studios. bravo nikki!
Comment by YTU — January 23, 2008 @ 5:46 pm
Sorry, Nikki. I love you, but you’re wrong. The leadership of the WGA, especially Patric Verrone, has been a disaster and is solely responsible for the train-wreck that is Hollywood today.
I appreciate your experience as a journalist, but as a business major, you must’ve missed the first week of MBA School. You DON’T use your weapon of last resort in the first stage of serious negotiations. In fact, you’re also wrong to say that you can’t compare it to foreign diplomacy. If two nations, hating each other and ready to go to war, finally sit down to negotiate a peace (imagine India and Pakistan), you don’t nuke Islamabad or Dehi and say, “Don’t worry, we can still negotiate while the fallout is settling.” And that’s exactly what Verrone and his cronies said when the AMPTP blockheads (who have made a few million mistakes of their own) learned of the striking that had begun on the East Coast when they told their counterparts to keep negotiating (when some progress was FINALLY being made).
And what good did striking do? None. It not only didn’t force the AMPTP back to the table (which is the purpose of a strike), it drove them further away. Too much planning went into the mechanics of stiking and too little into the results. That’s just bad leadership! I sorely hope SAG learns from this.
Scott Barry
Comment by Scot Barryt — January 23, 2008 @ 6:34 pm
Scott Barry — the strike occurred because the AMPTP refused to negotiate AT ALL. And as for it doing no good — we’ll see about that.
Comment by Another Hyphenate — January 23, 2008 @ 9:07 pm
Thanks for putting the other Patrick in his place, Nikki…with friends like him, Claudia Eller, Richard Verrier and the rest of those AMPTP lapdogs at the L.A. Times, who needs enemies?
Rock on, Finke!
Comment by Yeti9000 — January 23, 2008 @ 11:13 pm
Nikki, you’re really going to go after someone else for journalistic standards?
Really?
And why? Because he thinks the DGA deal is decent?
Guess what? It is.
Verrone’s number one job now is to cajole, pester, plead for one or two points (bright shiny objects) that he can take back to the membership and show that he stood tough and “bettered” the deal.
If he’s smart, he’ll get us back the separated rights he lost in a previous “new media” negotiation.
Comment by Kit Sargent — January 23, 2008 @ 11:21 pm
I haven’t read Goldstein’s piece, and don’t want to. I get all the passive-aggressive shots at the WGA I need from the papers in New York. People I used to respect, like Bill Carter of the the Times, are nothing more than errand boys for the networks and studios. And it’s not because they’re anti-union. They’re just pro-self-preservation. They need the access to the network and studios heads, and will need them long after the strike is settled. That’s why from the beginning it has only been covered through personalities and not principles.
But despite all that, and this is important, we have gotten our message out, mostly through the Internet. How appropriate. That which we are fighting for will ultimately be our deliverance.
Comment by wgaeastboy — January 24, 2008 @ 3:03 am
hmmmmm…..lets see…..writers, writing important commentary regarding a writers strike (that has crippled an industry, and caused irrepairable damage to thousands of innocent people) that seems fair and balanced, doesn’t it?????????
patrick goldstein at least was on the right track in his piece.
scott barry, above, is right on target.
intention is everything when negotiating……dga went in wanting to make a deal (they did…in 6 days)……..wga from the get go let it be known a strike was looming (just plain and simple….stupid).
in the wga leadership, i see a frighteningly familiar and uncomfortable tone of arrogance and attitude….sadly that tone is BUSH (both george and league).
Comment by alan — January 24, 2008 @ 4:21 am
scot,
I’m going to assume that while you may have paid attention in Biz School, you have an only modest familiarity with both the history of Hollywood labor negotiations and the business itself. The companies have shown little willingness to bargain from the start. An early strike was the only way to impact both the current and next television season, as well as the summer movie releases. The latter is the only leverage available, particularly when dealing with a wholly mendacious opponent. The companies intended to slash and burn from the beginning. (Force majeure anyone?) That Verrone and Bowman not only recognized this but were bold enough to act accordingly is to their credit.
Comment by harley — January 24, 2008 @ 5:56 am
Scott Barry - Even the rags who’ve been reporting against the WGA have said that the DGA wouldn’t have gotten as “good” of a deal as they did, if it weren’t for the WGA’s striking. Ya dumb fuck. (See Nikki and Patrick G. don’t seem so bad now do they, ya dumb fuck?)
Comment by ARRRRGH! — January 24, 2008 @ 7:40 am
Since it appears to have been missed by some, my point in what I wrote is that while I believe Patrick Goldstein was wrong in his analysis on this particular story, Ms. Finke was irresponsible in calling Mr. Goldstein a shill who never met a studio head he doesn’t like, suggesting that he is a lackey stooge toad to his studio masters. This latter is an unacceptable rewriting of history.
First, though, to clarify: my acknowledging my friendship with Patrick Goldstein was an attempt to be honest and upfront, and to counter-balance Ms. Finke’s expressing how long she has known him. Nowhere in my comments do I let Patrick Goldstein off the hook for writing what I believe an incorrect analysis. I challenge anyone to defend their own friends in public as harshly. Most especially under their own name.
My visceral complaint was in Ms. Finke attempting to erase all of Patrick Goldstein’s highly-respected career as a result of this one article. Up to this article, if you asked writers on the picket line what they thought of Patrick Goldstein’s writing during the strike especially, they would have lit up with praise. Deservedly. Since before anyone else, he’s repeatedly written what’s become the marching call for writers during the strike, pointing them in great support towards creating their own destinies in New Media and getting past corporate studio control. He wrote one article this week that, I believe, was misguided. I have told him so directly, and say it again here publicly. Ms. Finke – anyone – was right to criticize him for this one article. I do, as well. (Though even the WGA agreed with his point about the Grammy’s, as do I.) But to take that one article and smear his entire career with it is, I repeat, shameful.
A final word. I ignored the “slander” of Patric Verrone, because it wasn’t “slander.“ The reference to Yasser Arafat was not to Arafat the terrorist. If you read it again, it was very clear: to Arafat who Israel was then “in negotiation with.” I much wish the description was otherwise, it was definitely unfortunate. But temperate heads I’m sure understand it was not “slander.”
In all my harsh complaint towards Ms. Finke for her rant the other day, I am not addressing her entire career as a result of it. Just this one article. That’s as it should be. Would that she used the same respect towards others.
What else I can say, I will leave it at that.
Comment by Robert J. Elisberg — January 24, 2008 @ 8:03 am
Have a glass of orange juice NIkki and come back to reality when you wake up from your nap or coma. The WGA screwed up royally. All of the crew on my show supported the writers, all of the teamsters were going to walk. When we all arrived to work on day one of the strike, which was a Monday and at 6 30 in the morning, there was no picket line to cross. The writers didnt start picketing until 9 or 10 and that was a big slap in the face for all of us and a very troubling incident. It just showed that the WGA leadership and its members have a lack of understanding of how this business functions. Instead of crossing a picket line I felt like I witnessed a month long celebrity pizza party For instance, one day a young woman in yoga pants and red attire was passing out popsicles to teamsters and btl workers as they crossed the picket line. The writers on our show came out and hung out on our set at WB while we were finishing the last scripts. It’s wrong. This strike is supposed to be supporting the “middle class” writers and in the process is destroying the middle class of this industry. I dont understand. John Stewart is scabbing, Leno and Conan as well. I dont understand how this can happen and it just shows that its everyman for themselves. You dont support a striking guild, your own guild by passing out Krispy Kremes on Olive St at 9 in the morning and then go back to work a month later. You break the striking rules by going to work everyday and grow a beard on tv to show solidarity? I thought you STOP GOING TO WORK so that the producers and corporations would take a hit and you risk losing the show for “future generations” and the “middle class”. Instead of having dog day and wrapping red bandanas around your spaniel mutt, how bout locking arms or laying down in the driveways of NBC so that Leno cant drive his Model T to work. Why do the late night crews get to go back to work and the episodic crews get to lose their shows? Why do the Letterman writers get to go back to work and then all of the “Heroes” writers get to file for unemployment and start all over again? I feel sorry for the members of the WGA and scared for the rest of us.
Sincerely,
Camera Assistant who has lost $20,000 in wages, over 500 hours that go into my pension and healthcare
Comment by KK — January 24, 2008 @ 8:50 am
Wow, just read the LA Times article.
Patrick Goldstein is a sanctimonious ignorant moron.
The following line made us laugh out loud, it was so moronic:
“You should go back to the table and make the studios pledge not to leave”
Thanks, Nikki, for telling it like it is.
Comment by insider — January 24, 2008 @ 9:32 am
You know for the liberal so called open minded intellectual elite( self-described)of this industry,your site and its contributers are intolerant of any divergent opinions.It is time to admit that the WGA leadership bit off more then they can chew and now they are choking themselves and the entire industry. “Damn the crews full speed ahead with the strike !”You need to perform a Heimlicher maneuver on yourselves so this town can breathe again.Being so clever just spin the DGA deal and write a happy ending do this ill conceived and selfish strike.
You can claim victory your work is all fiction anyway.
Shill08
Comment by shill08 — January 24, 2008 @ 1:32 pm
Can’t we all just get along.
Comment by Yasser Arafat — January 24, 2008 @ 7:45 pm
Scot,
You say, “…Patric Verrone, has been a disaster and is solely responsible for the train-wreck that is Hollywood today.”
Is that the same Hollywood where the WGA has recently announced deals with United Artists, The Weinstein Company, Worldwide Pants, Spyglass Entertainment, MRC, Jackson Bites, Mandate Films, and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, Lionsgate and Marvel studios? It looks like the AMPTP are the ones out of the picture here.
Comment by Jon Raymond — January 25, 2008 @ 2:31 am
Hello Patric Verrone,
My name is Brandon Cole and I’m a writer/director here in NYC and lifetime member of the WGAe.
I send you two quick sentences to thank you for all the good work you’ve done on behalf of membership during this strike and to encourage you to keep working for what you believe is best for The Writers’ Guild of America.
I have never been so proud to be a member of the WGA as I have been during these important and difficult times.
You deserve praise for showing the wisdom and the courage and the rare leadership qualities these labor issues require.
Please believe you are helping us members define who we are and you are helping our country recognize once more that we as a people are capable of progressive action. Your efforts, and the efforts of the negotiating committee, are promoting the common good.
You have my complete confidence and support.
I wish you well.
Thanks always for your good ways.
wrmrgds,
Brandon Cole
Lifetime member WGAe
FILMS: MAC (Camera D’Or Cannes, 1992), ILLUMINATA, OK GARAGE, 13 MOONS
Comment by Brandon Cole — January 25, 2008 @ 9:32 am
“This is their fight. Not yours, not mine.” Maybe you should take your own advice, Nikki. Or, more succintly: “Stop shilling.”
Comment by sg — January 25, 2008 @ 10:09 am
hey today is the 25th slug, whats going on with the fucking informal talks??? why did u start this web site and make us all rely on you then u just dissapear?? fucking weak and oh so typical of the fucking type of people in this town
Comment by Anonymous — January 25, 2008 @ 10:55 am
Elisberg, your pal compares Verrone to Arafat, and what you find shameful is….Nikki? Sorry we don’t know how honorable he is, but we read his columns so you’ll understand out confusion.
Scot–with your second semester B school wisdom, is expecting your employees to work without a contract the equivalent of nuking Hiroshima, as well? Labor-management negotiations are legally mandated, not voluntary like peace talks. Anyone who’s so fragile they let egos get in the way of following his or her interests shouldn’t be in the room (and, frankly, anyone who’s so gullible he believes the AMPTP’s bs about how they were JUST ABOUT to make a deal on New Media except, um, the DVD deal wasn’t pulled off quick enough or uh, picketing started an hour early or whatever contradictory cover story you’re on about REALLY shouldn’t be in the room). This isn’t life or death, and while Musharef’s people might revolt if he continued to negotiate with the country that just attacked his people, weirdly Jeff Zucker’s stockholders are probably more concerned with the fact that he’s colluding with his competitors to depress his own stock prices than the fact that, like, Patric Verrone didn’t acknowledge his haircut, his chair was too low and in general, he feels so hurt, abandoned, and disrespected.
Comment by come on — January 25, 2008 @ 10:18 pm
I loved Goldstein’s article. In fact, I’d love to see a page one above the fold headline that says nothing more than “Hey Writers, Get Back To Work!!”. It’s time for the Secretary of Knock It Off to visit Patric Verrone and explain to him that in the age of Dancing With the Stars, XBox, and YouTube, the WGA isn’t as relevant as it thinks it is. No more so than the rest of the crew who would LOVE to make the WGA weekly minimum, even without any residuals what-so-ever.
Comment by SKS — January 26, 2008 @ 5:02 pm
Patrick’s article was honest and spot-on, and lacked the partisan PC non-sense that 99% of strike discussions entail.
Sure, Nikki, you are on the writers’ side, everyone knows that. But the writers’ leaders are preening morons.
Comment by Josh E — January 28, 2008 @ 2:56 pm