Writer’s strike ends, all rejoice

I, for one, shared John Stewart’s sentiment last week when it came to kissing that magical… I, for one, shared John Stewart’s sentiment last week when it came to kissing that magical binding of paper and joyously screaming, “Script! Wonderful script!”

That’s right. For those three people who haven’t heard, the writers’ strike is officially over, at least for the next three years, according to the new Writers Guild of America’s deal with studios. That means we won’t have to worry about reality shows plaguing the airwaves for the coming fall season, right?

Hopefully. The New York Times’ Brooks Barnes said that the Guild still has to vote on this new contract, and although writers consider being paid for web-streamed episodes a big victory, some still have raw feelings toward the strike.

But as far as everyone’s concerned, the writers are back in action and life can continue on as it once did – with numerous commercial interruptions and more product placement than “I, Robot.”

Probably not any time soon, mind you. Barnes wrote that many writers for hit shows like “NCIS” and “Gossip Girl” have suffered a writer’s block upon returning, meaning that time that could be spent writing new dialogue is wasted on trying to figure out what it was they were writing before the strike.

Granted, that’s understandable. Half the time I don’t remember what I wrote about last week, let alone three months ago, so obviously some war wounds have to be bandaged and new strategies formulated until it is business as usual.

People might complain, but it could’ve been much worse. Browsing Wikipedia after my stint with The New York Times, I discovered that the Guild walked the picket twice before, once in 1960 and again in 1988. The tentatively resolved 2007-08 strike lasted only 100 days, or a little more than 14 weeks. The 1960 strike lasted for more than 20 weeks with the 1988 strike for more than 21 weeks, taking the cake as the longest the Guild has been on strike. Could you imagine the reality shows that would have to be thought up to cover those deficits?

And get this – now that the WGA has a sweet deal to mull over, other organizations, such as the Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild of America, could possibly demand a bump not so much in new media residual pay but in benefits, which is a practice called pattern bargaining: Their contracts expire in July 2008. If these organizations don’t come to an agreement over what’s fair by that time, Hollywood could be screwed. The Doomsday Clock has started ticking.

Again, people will more than likely complain about why celebrities and writers, who make more money in a day than everyone else will in their lifetimes, think they have the right to demand more.

Well, the reason is that Hollywood and television are first and foremost businesses. There are bosses and employees, albeit very famous bosses and employees. They have every right to be treated fairly for their work because without them the world would be an anti-tainment void, and I would be out of a job if I didn’t have television or televised happenings to complain about.

Besides, how many of us can even stand in front of a classroom to give a presentation without breaking into a Ruben Studdard-style sweat? Or how many of us get embarrassed when the teacher wants to read your paper to the class?

Rather than dwell on the supposed Doomsday, let’s be thankful for what we have back, which is our writers. The same writers who brought us “Friends,” “Scrubs” and “The Shield.” Even the ones responsible for “Meet the Spartans.”

At the risk of coming off as pig-headed, on behalf of many of us, let me say, “Welcome Back WGA.” Just don’t take this experience as fodder for a TV series – we’ve had to endure enough televised picketing madness.